A Work of Fiction

by TheMasterofDespair

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Discord, Princess Celestia, Alternate Universe, Sad, Main 6, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Mystery, Cozy Glow
Length: 6645

Cozy Glow finds a secret manuscript. A manuscript that may reveal a fate worse than Hell itself.

Released from Tartarus, Cozy Glow now spends her days doing community service to make up for her past crimes. However, in your troubles, she discovered something...something that may reveal a fate worse than even Hell itself...bad writing. Could this really be the ending of the end? Or is it just the beginning of the ending of the ending of the end?

Written for the Cozy Glow Short Story Contest

Prompt: Cozy's got a secret!

Published 2020-09-02 16:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-09-02 16:30:01 UTC

Fact or Fiction

Small steps forward took the young filly as she walked down the barren streets of Ponyville. Everypony she passed, both young and old, could be heard whispering just barely out of sight. She knew they were talking about her, but she didn’t care. By now she had gotten used to them. They meant nothing to her. Just simple-minded ponies, inferior to her...to her superiority.

Cozy Glow had made it to her destination...Twilight’s lovely, if overbearing castle. Standing just outside of the castle’s gates was Twilight herself, impatiently awaiting for Cozy’s arrival.

“Good afternoon, Cozy. Did everything go well at Fluttershy’s cottage?”

Cozy didn’t say a word, only letting out a soft groan.

Ignoring Cozy’s discontent, she continued onward with her rather one sided conversation. “I have just one more small assignment for you to do, and then you can have the rest of the day to yourself.”

While still not speaking, Cozy was able to produce a more ambitious groan, as though she were asking Twilight what she wanted her to do.

“Pinkie Pie is going to need your assistance at Sugarcube Corner. Should be a simple job for you. You are quite the little baker, after all.”

With silence now filling the air, Cozy swiftly turned around, and once again, made her way back down the barren streets of Ponyville. While a much shorter walk than to Fluttershy’s cottage, she still found herself short of breath by the time she had made it to Sugarcube Corner.

Letting out a sigh, she opened the door. While hoping for a moment to catch her breath, to her irritation, she was soon ambushed by an overzealous Pinkie Pie.

“Hey, little Cozy. Are you ready to start baking up some lovely treats?”

Much like with Twilight, Cozy's only response was that of a soft groan. But with how dreary she was now feeling, she could just barely force out the faintest of groans.

“That’s the spirit. To the kitchen!”

The two made their way to the kitchen, and without hesitation, began working on baking a dozen cupcakes that had been previously ordered. One by one they got all the ingredients assembled, until the only thing left was the bag of flour on the top shelf.

Cozy flew up to the shelf, and grabbed the bag of flour. However, unbeknownst to her, the flour bag had a small tear in it. The very moment she lifted the bag off the shelf, it instantly tore open, pouring every ounce of flour onto her and the floor.

Now covered from head to toe in powder, she stood completely still. She did not shout, nor throw a temper tantrum, just remained still, with ire now consuming her unblinking eyes.

“Hmm...seems like someone wants to be a...Cozycake,” replied Pinkie Pie.

While Cozy did not reply, the anger in her eyes was enough to say how much that joke made her want to strangle Pinkie Pie with her tiny hooves.

“Well, Cozy, if you're done playing around, perhaps we can start the order,” said Pinkie Pie. Scooting past Cozy Glow, she reached up towards the shelf. To her surprise, the bag that Cozy had wasted, just so happened to be the last bag of flour she had left.

“Ooh...this is not good. It seems we’re out of flour.”

In a snarking manner, Cozy Glow had finally spoken, “Does that mean I can leave now?”

“Oh, don’t worry. The fun is not over yet. I’ll just have to make a quick stop to the store. You wouldn’t mind watching over Sugarcube Corner while I’m gone?”

“Actually, yes, I do mind.”

“Great! I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

Once Pinkie Pie left the building, Cozy began angrily jumping up and down. Unable to get all the flour off of her, she flew to the restroom. After washing the flour off of her, she left the restroom, and made her way back to the kitchen.

She was about halfway to the kitchen, when she noticed what she assumed to be Pinkie Pie’s room. With some time to kill, she decided to go and see if Pinkie’s room was as weird as she was. She walked into her room, and to her disappointment, Pinkie’s room was as ordinary as any other...at least so she thought.

As she was about to leave Pinkie’s room, she ended up stumbling over what appeared to be a loose floorboard. Curious, she decided to examine the floorboards. To her shock, it wasn’t just a loose floorboard, but rather, what appeared to be a hidden door in the floor. With curiosity getting the best of her, she now needed to know what secrets were hidden below Sugarcube Corner.

Unable to find a way to unlock it, she began furiously jumping up and down on top of the trapdoor. Atlas, though, it proved to no avail.

Deciding it was time to get serious, she flew upwards, until she was able to touch the ceiling. With all her might, she charged down onto the trapdoor, forcing it open.

Unable to stop herself now, she fell into the darkness below. She found herself landing on what appeared to be a slide, that of which brought her the rest of the way downwards. When she had finally reached the bottom, she attempted to look around, but with the lights off, it was nearly impossible to see even mere inches in front of her.

After stumbling around for a few seconds, she was finally able to find the light switch. With the room now illuminated, she appeared to now be standing in the middle of a cave. A cave filled with balloons, streamers, and candy spread throughout the entire room.

She wasn’t sure where to begin, everything looked fascinating to her childish mind. But above everything else, the thing that managed to catch her attention in particular was a filing cabinet on the far end of the room. The filing cabinet lay bare...well, except for a large, glowing, neon colored sign right above it, that of which read: WARNING! Nothing to See Here.

While a part of her wanted to abide to it’s warning. She knew the last thing she needed was to get into any more trouble. However, being the curious filly that she was, she couldn’t resist her temptation. She walked over towards the filing cabinet, and with very cautious hooves, she slowly pulled the drawer open. While there were many folders to choose from. The one that managed to catch her attention, was the one simply labeled, the Series Finale.

She opened the folder, and pulled out a manuscript. Quickly she skimmed through the text. While barely paying attention to what she was even reading. Something did manage to catch her off guard. Something she did not expect. She saw her name. In fact, her name was written many times throughout the manuscript.

Before she had a chance to actually read what the text even said, she heard the sound of soft hops coming from the floor above. It was of no surprise to her that of whom had the tendency to hop around as opposed to walking.

Quickly she went to place the manuscript back into the folder, but once again, curiosity was reaping at her mind. The question of what the Series Finale was, and why her name was written in it’s scripture? She knew she had to know what it was, and she had to know as soon as possible. Against her better judgement, she stole the manuscript, leaving only the empty folder back in the filing cabinet. In her haste, though, she had failed to notice that the cabinet drawer didn’t close all the way.

With no time to waste, she stealthily flew back up to the trapdoor. Peeking out from above, she looked to see if Pinkie Pie was anywhere in sight. With the coast clear, she popped out of the trapdoor, closing it as she left.

Putting on a calm face, she walked out of the Pinkie’s room, and made her way back into the kitchen. There stood Pinkie Pie, who was putting away the flour, and a few other ingredients she had purchased.

“Hey, Cozy. How was everything while I was gone?”

“Oh, you know, same old.”

“Well, I hope you weren’t too bored while I was away.”

“Nah, everything was just fine.” Cozy then let out a fake yawn. “Well, as fun as this whole day has been, I should probably get going. I wouldn’t want Twilight to think I’m attempting to flee, or anything.” In a possibly joking manner, she added, “She might send Cerberus to sniff me out.”

“Um, Cozy. Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?”

“We still need to make the cupcakes.”

Grinding her teeth, she said, “Fine, let’s make some cupcakes.”

“That’s the spirit. Just don’t make a mess this time.”

“Believe me, if I make another mess, it won’t be flour this time that’ll be spilled on the floor.”

As the two began working on the cupcakes, a thought had popped into Pinkie Pie’s mind about something Cozy had mentioned previously. “Why are you afraid of Cerberus? I always thought he was adorable.”

“Not when you're a prisoner. Heh...trust me.”

Back at Twilight’s castle, Cozy was resting on her bed. With her work finished, she was at long last free to do as she pleased. Although, after finding that manuscript, the only thing on her mind was figuring out what this Series Finale was, and why her name was in it. Flipping to the first page, she began to read it to herself.

The evil Grogar had just returned to his lair. Unbeknownst to him, though, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow had taken the bell for themselves, and used its energy-absorbing ability to become the most powerful beings in Equestria.

“Well, I’m liking this so far.”

Trapped, and unable to oppose their might, the Legion of Doom absorbed his powers. To their utter surprise, the being who brought them together, was not Grogar, but rather Discord in disguise.

“Whoa! That...was a stupid twist. How can that be Discord, it doesn’t even make any sense.”

With Discord’s powers gone, as well, he proceeded to run off to warn Twilight about the upcoming threat. While the Legion of Doom considered stopping him, they figured without his powers, he was no longer of any consequence to them. No one, not even the Elements of Harmony could now oppose them.

Jumping up and down on her bed, Cozy shouted, “Yes! Yes! Best Finale Ever!”

Cozy excitement soon came to a halt, as she heard a loud knock at her door. Cozy stopped jumping on her bed, and glanced over towards the door.

“Yes. W-who’s there?” she asked.

“It’s Twilight and Pinkie Pie. May we come in,” replied Twilight.

“Umm...s-sure. I’ll be right there.”

In a state of panic, she searched for a place to quickly hide the manuscript. With only seconds to consider, she quickly shoved the manuscript in between the mattresses of her bed. With one problem solved, she took a deep breath, put on her calm face, and opened the door.

“What do you want?” asked Cozy.

“Oh, nothing really. Pinkie told me something went missing at Sugarcube Corner today, and she was wondering if you may have-”

“Stolen it!?”

“Seen it.”

“No, why would I know if some cookie dough went missing from a bakery.”

“Actually it was a bunch of papers with words and stuff on them,” replied Pinkie Pie.

“Well, I haven't seen it.”

Twilight gave Cozy a suspicious look, as though she expected that she wasn’t telling the truth.

“If you don’t believe me, then why don’t you go ahead and search my room.”

“No, Cozy, I don’t believe that will be necessary.”

“Y-you don’t?” responded a confused Cozy.

“I trust that you’re telling the truth. It would be wrong of me to disrupt your privacy.”

“Oh...umm, thank you. Y-you really trust me?”

“I really trust you. Well, I'm sorry for disturbing you. You probably need your rest.”

“Yeah, I am a bit tired.”

“Oh, and if you're hungry, dinner will be done shortly.”

“I think I’m good. I just want to get an early sleep...but thanks.”

“No problem.”

Twilight and Pinkie then proceeded to leave Cozy’s room, with Pinkie rambling on as they left. “You know, now that I think about it, Gummy probably has them. Probably making paper helicopters again. Heh, that crazy gator.”

With the two of them now gone, Cozy rested upon her bed. Taking a deep breath, she steadily reached back in between the two mattresses, and pulled out the manuscript once again. She didn’t continue reading it, though, instead just stared at it. In a soft tone she whispered to herself.

“Maybe Twilight really does trust me.”

With the sun now emerging upon the horizon, an obnoxious alarm had awoken Cozy from her slumber. Much like with everyday prior, and everyday moving forward, at least until Twilight felt she had paid back her debt to society. Cozy had to wake up early every morning, and do her community services until noon.

As routine, Cozy went to work as usual. Over the night, she had completely forgotten about the manuscript that still lay dormant between the mattresses of her bed.

As she left the castle, Twilight had given her the first assignment for the day. Without question, she marched into ponyville, with a cheerful Twilight waving goodbye.

As soon as Cozy Glow was out of sight, Twilight's smile quickly faded away, and was replaced with that of concern and suspicion. Hastily, Twilight returned to her castle, and made her way into Cozy’s room. She entered her room, and immediately began searching through every nook and cranny.

While at first she couldn’t find what she was looking for, and for a brief moment she began to feel a bit relieved. But if by instinct, a thought protruded into her head. Twilight slowly approached Cozy’s bed. Steadily she reached her hoof in between the two mattresses. Not surprised, Twilight felt a solid object towards the middle of the bed. Grabbing the object, she pulled it out from between the mattresses, and into plain sight.

Just as Pinkie Pie had said, it was a manuscript of some kind, with the words Series Finale written on the front. She was about to open the first page, when she noticed a bookmark, a few pages in. Figuring this is where Cozy Glow left off, she decided to start from there instead.

With Discord now powerless, the remaining members of the Legion of Doom, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow began their conquest of Equestria. With their new found powers, no one was able to oppose them. After turning Equestria against one another, they quickly took over Canterlot itself. Though Twilight and her friends tried to fight back, they were easily defeated. With everypony imprisoned, the Legion of Doom now reigned supreme over all of Equestria...To be Continued.

Twilight took a couple of steps back, nearly tripping over herself as she proceeded. She couldn’t believe what she had just read. But even more so than that, there were lingering questions now burning into her subconscious. What is this manuscript? Where did it come from? And was this the future for all of Equestria?

After another long day of community service, Cozy was at last able to go home and relax. However, upon arriving at Twilight’s castle, to her surprise, Twilight wasn’t waiting for her at the front gate as she had done everyday prior. In Cozy’s mind, she knew that could only mean something good, or something really, really bad. Nevertheless, she continued forward.

Entering the castle, she felt a cold chill sweep down the spine. Her immediate thought was to quickly run to her room, however, before she had the chance, she heard Twilight’s voice calling out to her.

“Cozy Glow.”

As much as she wanted to ignore her, she knew she couldn’t. Whatever was going on, she had to face it right away, or else it will only make things worse in the long run.

“Cozy Glow. Will you come into the throne room, please.”

Cozy took a deep breath, and with her head held high, she proceeded to march into the throne room. Once she entered the room, she was then greeted by Twilight.

“How was your day, Cozy?” asked Twilight.

“Fine, and yours?” replied Cozy.

“Oh, everything’s been just fine here, as well...actually wait, no. Not everything’s been fine today. In fact, it has come to my attention that you have apparently formed an alliance with Tirek and Chrysalis, become an Alicorn, and even managed to take over all of Equestria. What do you have to say about that?”

“That you went through my stuff. That you lied when you said you trusted me.”

“Trusted you!? You stole something from one of my dearest friends, and when I asked you whether you’ve seen it, you proceeded to lie to me.”

“Asked me, or accused me?”

“What difference does it make now!?”

“All the difference.”

“Cozy, this is a serious matter. That manuscript that you stole has information within it’s text we don’t really understand...and you were going to use it for your own benefit, weren’t you?”

“My own, what!? I just found the stupid thing, and was just curious about it.”

“Why?”

“Because my name was in it. That’s why.”

“You expect me to believe that you read stories from a possible future, and yet, have no intent to use that information in the present?”

“That’s not the future. That was just some story your pink friend was writing.”

“Then why was Pinkie so concerned about somepony finding out about it.”

“I don’t know, perhaps she’s embarrassed that she got caught writing these dumb stories about everypony’s lives. Did you ever think that?”

“No, there’s something more to this. This isn’t even Pinkie Pie’s writing. In fact, I’ve never seen writing like this anywhere in Equestria. Someone else wrote this. Someone not of this world.”

“You’re crazy if you expect me to believe this nonsense.”

“Cozy, I have literally traveled back in time...on multiple occasions, I may add. I’ve seen all kinds of alternate realities. Some were good. Most, on the other hoof, were not.”

“Huh, if that’s the case. Did you see a reality in which I did take over Equestria?”

“Yes. Yes, in fact, I did. I’ve also seen a reality in which you…” Twilight found herself unable to finish her sentence. Something in her mind refused to say anymore.

“In which I what?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. It’s all in the pa-future.”

“If it doesn’t matter, then why do you care?”

“Because the future is not in the past. The present is the future.”

“Okay, I’m starting to get confused here.”

“My point is, what’s stopping you now from making that future, our future?”

“The fact that it can’t happen.”

“Why can’t it? If I hadn’t learned of the manuscript, I see nothing stopping you from forming the Legion of Doom with Tirek and Chrysalis, and going after this magical bell right then.”

In a condescending tone, Cozy replied, “Hmm...Isn’t it so convenient that you just so happen to completely ignore the fact that Discord was the one who was manipulating us in the story.”

“I believe that’s irrelevant to everything else.”

“Why, because he says he’s reformed, and we aren’t. Or maybe I’m just not powerful enough to be of much use to you like Discord and Starlight were. Maybe that’s why you don’t actually want me to be reformed.”

“Cozy, believe me, I would love nothing more than for you to be reformed. You’re the one that keeps refusing our help.”

“Help! Were you trying to help me when you tossed me into Tartarus?”

“I just did what I thought was right at the time, Cozy.”

“Well, then, are you sending me back there now?”

“Of course not, but you will have to receive some form of punishment.”

“Punishment! You’re punishing me for something I didn’t even do?”

“No. I’m punishing you for lying.”

“If that’s the case, then you should be punished, as well. You lied to me.”

“That’s enough out of you. We will discuss this all tomorrow. For now, I want you to return to your room. Your outdoor privileges are suspended for the rest of the day.”

“You know what, fine. I don’t care. The last thing I want to see is this ugly town, anyway.” Without so much as a second glance, Cozy stormed off to her room.

As soon as Twilight heard Cozy’s door slam shut, she let out a sigh. In a sadden tone, she called for Spike in the other room.

“Spike, can you send a letter to Princess Celestia? I think we may need to discuss a few things.”

As the hours passed by one after another, Cozy tried her best to fall asleep. However, the more she tried, the more difficult it had become for her to go to sleep. Too many questions were racing through her mind, and the biggest one of all, what was going to become of her.

After finally giving up trying to fall asleep, she quietly slunk out of her bed. Walked over towards the door, and as silent as she could be, she opened the door a crack. Just enough to peek an eye out. With nopony in sight, the young filly opened the door all the way, and stealthy crept out of her room.

Out in the halls, she could hear voices coming from the distance. It was obviously Twilight, and what appeared to be the rest of her friends. Following the voices, it led her directly to the living room. While she didn’t enter the room, instead she stood right outside the doorway, listening in on their conversation.

“I still don’t understand, Pinkie Pie,” said Twilight. “How did you even find these scripts?”

“Well, they just kinda came to me,” replied Pinkie Pie.

“They just came to you. That’s it.”

“Yup.”

“Ahh...this is not helping. Okay, let’s forget where they came from for a moment, we still need to figure out what this Series Finale even is.”

“Well, does anyone else know about it?” asked Rarity.

Just us, and Princess Celestia...oh, and Cozy Glow.”

“Cozy knows!?” replied Rainbow Dash.

“Yes. She was the one who stole it from Pinkie Pie.”

Cozy let out a groan. Her suspensions were correct, they were talking about her. Feeling nervous, she began to take a couple of steps backwards. However, with her focus still on the conversation in the other room, she ended up backing into the table behind her. With a loud thud, an object fell from the table, smacking against the floor.

Everyponies attention quickly left one another, and immediately looked towards the doorway. Knowing that she had been caught, Cozy slowly revealed herself to Twilight and her friends.

“Cozy!” said Twilight. “You should’ve been in bed at this hour.”

“I’m not tired.”

“That doesn’t matter, you have to go back to your room.”

“No!”

“Excuse me?”

“I know you're all talking about me, and I want to know why.”

“Cozy, we’ve already been over this.”

“This can’t just be because I took some stupid book from your friend. You're looking for any excuse to get rid of me.”

“Once again, you're jumping to conclusions. I’m only looking out for your best interest, as well as everyone else's in Equestria.”

“Please, spare me your lies. You allow Discord to get away with anything he wants...yet the moment I do anything wrong, you're ready to ship me off to the deepest depths of the underworld.”

Twilight did not have a chance to respond back. As if on cue, a beam of magic appeared out of thin air, and in its place arose the silvering, chaotic being himself.

“Perhaps I’m hearing things, but I could swear I heard someone say my name,” claimed Discord.

“Discord!” snapped Twilight.

“Aw, there it is again. Why is it that you ponies can’t go one day without talking about me. It’s actually kind of flattering, honestly.”

“Why are you here?”

“Now, Twilight, is that anyway to speak to your friends?”

“Well, can you come back some other time. We’re really busy right now.”

“Busy with what, may I ask?”

“Nothing that would be of any interest to you.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I’ve been hearing quite some interesting things regarding that manuscript that you ponies have been gawking over.”

“So you were listening in on our conversation.”

“Only a little, and I must say, I am curious as to what else happens in that story.”

“Well, you’ll have to strive with your curiousity, as the manuscript is something that we have decided is not to be meddled with.

Ignoring Twilight’s claims, Discord simply levitated the manuscript off the table, and into his hand.

“Hey, give that back.”

“Now, now. As an expert on all things strange and unusually. I believe I should have the final say as to whether or not this little book of yours should be meddled with.”

Discord began reading the manuscript from the beginning. “So, according to this story, I brought together a group of villains, that of which includes that little cotton ball beside you, and I taught them how to take over all of Equestria.”

“Yes!” snapped Twilight.

“And apparently I did all that as a way to teach you a lesson about friendship.” Discord simply rolled his eyes. “Well, frankly, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

In a sarcastic tone, Twilight replied, “I don’t know, that seems like it would have been quite in character for you, Discord.”

“Twilight!” remarked Fluttershy. “Discord would never even consider doing something like that.”

“Yes, Twilight. Listen to your dear friend Fluttershy.”

“Afterall, I know Discord is wise enough to realize that even I wouldn’t forgive him if he ever pulled a stunt like that.”

“Yes, I...really Fluttershy?”

“Umm...yes. I wouldn’t forgive you.”

“Even after everything we’ve been through? Even after I single handedly defeated Chrysalis, and saved you and all of Equestria. You wouldn’t forgive me.”

“Yes.”

“Wow, that was cold Fluttershy. I think I may have to take a trip to the sun to warm up.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, I’m just stating the truth, and besides, I know you better than that, and like I said before, you would never even consider doing something like that.”

Discord let out a groan as he continued reading from the manuscript. Skipping forward, he jumped back to where Twilight had left off prior. “So after that, Twilight and her friends are captured, and the Legion of Doom decides not to kill all of you, like good little villains seem to love to do. Starlight and I, Discord, of course, then frees everyone from captivity.”

“Then what,” chanted everyone in unison, eagerly anticipating what happens next.

“Well, to be honest, there’s not much more to say. There’s an overblown battle, which is not as epic as it sounds, and then the Legion of Doom is defeated with a rainbow blast of utter nonsense. It’s as predictable as it gets...and seriously another rainbow blast, hasn’t that been done like hundred times already.”

“Is that everything?” asked Twilight.

“Eh, it seems so...Ooh, wait. I may have spoken too soon. We may have just reached the best part.”

“What...what happens next.”

“You know, I could read it myself, however, I think it might be better if Cozy Glow finishes it.”

“Me?” asked Cozy.

“Yes. What do you say, little filly? Are you interested in seeing what happens to you and the rest of the Legion of Doom?” Discord then levitated the manuscript over to Cozy.

“Wait...the Elements of Harmony. They didn’t...kill them, right?” asked Twilight.

“Oh, of course not, Twilight,” replied Discord in a sarcastic tone. The Elements knew that they still had good in them, and decided to spare their miserables lives. But, it’s what happens afterwards. Now that’s the real kicker.”

“Well, if the elements saw good in them, then we would have reached out to them, like we had done with you, and Starlight.”

“You said that, Twilight, but that’s not what I’ve read.”

“Then what!?”

“You turned us to stone,” answered a disheartened Cozy Glow.

“No, that’s not possible.”

“That’s what the story says. The Legion of Doom, now defeated and powerless, look on in fear as Celestia, Luna, and Discord gleefully transform them into stone. That’s what the story says!”

“But I would never approve of the Princesses doing something that cruel.”

“Oh really. Then why are you and everyone else laughing and celebrating at our suffering?”

“No, but I, we…”

“Face it, Twilight. You were laughing,” added Discord. He then adjusted his sights toward Cozy. “As for you, Cozy. Being turned to stone with Tirek and Chrysalis, together forever....I can’t think of a thing that you would have loved less.”

“Shut up! Shut up! Just leave me alone!” cried Cozy, as she tossed the manuscript to the floor, and hastily ran out of the room.

“Wait, Cozy!” shouted Twilight, as she pursued after her.

With Twilight and Cozy gone, Discord rested on the nearby couch. In a condescending tone, Discord said, “Well, that was fun.”

Fluttershy, disgusted by what she just saw, said, “Discord...that was cruel.”

“What can I say. Comedy is at its best when it’s at another’s expense.”

“No, that was just mean. Why do you always have to be such a…”

“A what?”

“A jerk!”

“Oh, Fluttershy, you're breaking my heart.”

“Discord, sometimes I can’t believe the way you act.”

“Well, I wouldn’t be me, if I wasn’t...well, me.”

“The only reason you’re even here right now, and not a stone statue yourself is because we believed that there was good in you. Yet others like Cozy, who are also trying to better themselves. You treat them so horribly.”

“I’m just having a bit of fun.”

“Well, your fun is cruel, and that's not how friends are supposed to treat each other. Perhaps you're no different than the Discord in that story. Perhaps...we should have never been friends to begin with.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“If this is how you're going to treat your friends, even after all the times we’ve forgiven you. Then perhaps we were never really friends to begin with.”

Fluttershy’s outburst left the room feeling cold. It was more silent than a funeral. For the first time in the many millennia Discord had been alive, he had truly found himself unable to speak. All he could do was stare blankly in despair at the pony he once called his friend.

Roaming through the many halls, Twilight searched high and low for Cozy Glow. She had lost sight of her when she had ran off, and with how large the castle was, it was like getting lost in a labyrinth.

“Cozy,” called Twilight.

Picking up her pace, she moved through the halls as fast as she could. In her haste, however, she nearly missed sight of the opened door that led out to the balcony. Immediately she came to a stop, almost tripping over herself as she proceeded. Looking outside, she found Cozy standing beside the balcony, staring out into the dreary night sky.

“There you are. Are you alright?”

Cozy did not respond, she only continued to stare blankly out into the distance.

Twilight took a few steps closer towards Cozy. “You shouldn’t let that stuff bother you. Discord is just being a jerk.”

Letting out a sigh, Cozy spoke up. “Twilight, if things did play out like in the story. Would you have done that? Would you have turned me to stone?”

“No-no, of course not.”

Cozy turned to face Twilight. “But what about Tartarus?”

“That was a mistake.”

“A mistake...you literally sent me to Hell.”

“Cozy, you tried to take over the world.”

“So did Starlight, and yet she was the one who stood up for me...not you. You were just going to leave me there...forever. If Starlight hadn’t called you out, you were just going to lock the doors, and pretend that I never existed. Much like Celestia and Luna did with Tirek.”

Twilight now found herself at a loss of words.

“You don’t have to say anything. I knew it was true when no one ever bothered to see if I was still alive. Cozy turned back away from Twilight, and continued staring out towards the sky. “If you didn’t care then, why should I expect any difference from you if I were turned into stone.”

“You’re right, Cozy. I never even tried to help you.”

“Twilight...Did you release me from Tartarus because you truly believed I had even the slightest bit of good in me? Or were you just trying to make yourself look better?”

Once again Twilight found herself unable to speak. She Couldn’t. She already knew the answer to that question, and she suspected that Cozy did, as well.

“If you really do believe that I’m beyond redemption, then just send me back to Tartarus.”

“No, I won’t. I can’t do that.”

“Stop pretending you care when you don't. I’m more miserable here, then I was down there.”

“Cozy, you don’t mean that.”

“I do. You have no idea what it’s like to spend every day and night having to constantly hear about how much of a monster I am.”

“I-I…”

“Because, whether you believe me or not. I really do want to be good. I just don’t know how.”

Twilight could see a tear begin to form in Cozy’s eyes, which she tried her best to hold back. She attempted to give Cozy a hug, only for her to shrug it off. Feeling it was best to leave her be, Twilight got up, and began to walk back into her castle.

“Wait, Twilight,” called Cozy. “I-I really don’t want to be alone right now.” Hastily she ran over to Twilight, and the two of them then proceeded to enter the castle together.

Twilight and Cozy soon returned to the lobby. It was much like how they left it...cold and silent. However, something felt off. There was a look of nervousness on everypony, as if they had seen a ghost. To their shock, another pony had arrived while they were gone...Princess Celestia.

Twilight quickly ran over to her, while Cozy remained shortly behind.

“Princess Celestia. It’s nice to see you again,” said Twight, as she bowed before her.

“As with you, my faithful student,” replied Princess Celestia.

“W-what are you doing here?”

“You sent me a letter earlier today. You seemed like you had a lot on your mind.”

“Well, yes, there was this whole situation with the-”

“Manuscript?”

“Yes, yes that.”

“I see that you’re still reading it,” said Princess Celestia, as she glanced over at the opened scripture.

“We’re just trying to figure it out.”

“So, I see. However, that’s but one issue. You also mentioned there being a conflict regarding a certain filly that you had recently taken in.”

Knowing that the Princess was talking about her, Cozy slowly began to cower behind Twilight.

“Twilight, if you really feel as though Cozy Glow may still be a threat to the wellbeing of Equestria, then perhaps it might just be more beneficial if she no longer remains in Equestria.”

“Wait...before you say anything else, I want you to know that when I wrote that letter, I wasn’t thinking rationally. I may have acted out of judgement...again.”

“What are you saying, Twilight? Do you believe that she can be reformed?”

“Yes, I do...and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that she does.”

Cozy peeked her head out, as she glanced up towards Princess Celestia. While fear was still clouding her mind, Twilight’s words made her feel a bit more courageous.

Princess Celestua glanced down at Cozy, and then back up at Twilight, “I don’t doubt your judgement, Twilight. I’m just worried about where the results may lead.”

With Twilight seeming as though she had the situation figured out, Princess Celestia was soon ready to leave. However, her departure was interrupted by Twilight once again.

“Oh, and just one more thing.”

“Yes, Twilight.”

“What should be done with the manuscript?”

“Have you read the entire thing?”

“Everything but the ending.”

“Are you interested in knowing how the story ends?”

“Well, I...”

Without another word spoken, the manuscript had vanished into thin air, only to then appear in Discord’s hand, once again. “Perhaps I can answer that,” said Discord.

Still agitated from Discord’s earlier stunt, Fluttershy angrily said, “Discord!”

In a calming manner, Discord replied with a simple, “Don’t fret, Fluttershy. It’s not what you think.”

Everypony watched in suspense as to what Discord had to say. But to their surprise, he did not say a word, instead he placed the manuscript into the palms of both his hands. In an instant, he clapped his hands shut. Crushing the manuscript into absolute nothingness.

Shock and confusion swept everypony’s minds as they watched Discord destroy the mysterious text. Leaving them with questions that may never be answered.

When Discord opened his hands once again, the manuscript had all but vanished, and in its place was that of confetti and balloons, that quickly engulfed the room.

“Discord, why did you do that!?” said Twilight.

“Twilight, Twilight, my dearest friend. Perhaps it’s best that we don’t know how it ends.”

“But what if it’s important?”

“That’s the thing, though. It’s not.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s very simple, actually. I realized something just now. That perhaps we should worry less about what the future may bring, and be more concerned as to where we are at the moment.”

Using his powers, Discord teleported away from the center of the room, and right besides Cozy Glow. “Much like with my own, or with little Cozy’s here. The future isn’t who we are, but rather who we can become.” With a little boop on her nose, Discord then finished his monologue. “Nothing is set in stone...ahem, excuse the pun.”

Cozy wasn’t sure what to think of Discord remarks, or of Discord in general. Whether he was being honest or deceitful, she could never be certain of his content. However, his monoloque did raise a certain question in her mind.

“If the manuscript is gone, and that story no longer matters-” Cozy began to lose her nerve again, as soon as everypony’s eyes were directed towards her. Doing her best to brush her fear aside, she soon found her courage once again. “H-how does OUR story end?”

With a sly smirk, Twilight replied, “The story ends the way the story should have always ended. Everypony realizes that we all have made mistakes. You, me, everyone in this room. All of Equestria.” Twilight then took a couple of steps forward, until she was face to face with Cozy. “But no matter what happens, and I promise. We will always be there to help one another.”

Cozy tried her best not to make eye contact with Twilight, instead glancing right past her. However, in doing so, she instead found herself staring back at the rest of Twilight friends, all of which had joyous smiles upon their faces. Smiles that she used to view as nothing more than contempt or resentment, but were now gleaming with love and compassion.

Cozy shifted her eyes away from everyone else, and solely onto Twilight. With Cozy’s eyes now locked onto hers, she could no longer look away. While a part of her didn’t want to move, she found her tiny hooves making small steps forward, as though her subconscious mind was now directing her. With a couple of tears shimming down her eyes, Cozy embraced Twilight in a hug.

Afterall, what is harmony without friendship? What is friendship...without magic?