What makes a villain, a villain. Cozy Glow. Manipulation.by RyoupChaptersA cutie mark does matter!The destiny, is a nasty thing isn't?...Pretty sick story isn’t it?Today is a new day.You never go at night to the kitchen if you hear noises coming from there!A cutie mark does matter!The school bell rang and the sound invaded the classroom. I moaned in discomfort at that dizzying sound! I tried to cover my ears but it was in vain. Sighing I lift my face from the desk and peek to my left. Unicorns and more unicorns. I growl frustrated and using what I have left of willpower I decide to look to my right. More unicorns, although this half of the class, like me, lacks a cutie mark. "Well well well, if isn't the bird's brain. I really thought you wouldn't come for the test and finally fly to the hole you came out of." I hear an annoying and indistinguishable voice coming from behind me. "Yes Mint? How can I help you?" I say trying to disguise my contempt for him. I stretch my hooves and wings a little and the whispers have already started. He didn't respond. He just snorted and stretched his hoof at me like it wasn't even worth talking to me. After a weird moment he coughed and I made a point of levitating the other tests to me. "Oh, you silly, why didn't you just say so?" Using my best giggle I gave him my test. He rolled his eyes and continued to gather the tests from the others. I watched him trot to the other desks, now he wore a sincere pseudo-smile. He continued his crusade around the classroom, even though I was angry with him and his perfection I couldn't contain my sigh as I leaned over the table. I envy him. His fur was ivory-white. If everything goes wrong in his life he can become a royal guard. He has a good cutie mark of bits being passed from one hoof to another. He will probably be a merchant or something. Or a politician. Besides that, he's the best student in our class, the smartest, the fastest, but most of all, he's a unicorn, everypony here is after all! Another thing that bothered me was those sycophants who accompanied him, I can't say why, but that unnerved me in an abnormal way. "Okay students, everypony can go for the break." Everypony started to celebrate, some even teleported out of the classroom amidst laughter and whispers. Mint was one of those, but not before handing the exams to the teacher who responded with a simple nod. "What's she doing here? Wasn't this unicorn school supposed to have only unicorns? I'll never understand." "I heard her father threatened the good principal , that's why she's here." "No! I heard he actually bribed the good principal with, like, lots of bits!” "Nay, he must know about some gossip or he's helping the principal at the factory where he works. There's no way a nobody like him threatens the good principal ." "My dad isn’t a nobody!" I yelled, slamming my hoof on the desk and quickly flew towards those three little brats. They gulped and runned away with their tail between their hoofs. "Except Miss Cozy Glow." The teacher said, her voice high and authoritative. Sighs and laughter echoed from the last ones to leave the classroom, I swear I heard some bad -words directed at me. She stands up slowly, a test levitating at her side as she heads towards my desk which I promptly reoccupied. “They-they started and-” She smashed her hoof on the desk at the same point I did. I shivered and closed my eyes in fear, but after some time of silence I peeked a bit. On the desk there was my test, oh golly. I gazed at my teacher. She was a tall-yellow mare with little eyes and considerable-oversized glasses which I never saw her using, just hanging there like a trinket or alike. She snorted and now it was her time to gaze at me, then at my test. "This." She said pointing to the test. I looked away, then I looked at the door and many of my colleagues were there spying on us! Even Mint! Before I could say anything the teacher followed my look and slammed the door with her magic. I hope she hitted any of them. "This." She repeated more vigorously again. She took one of the many chairs and sat by my side. "This." I repeated with her pointing at the test too. She didn't seem to like it. She snorted and started scratching her head with one hoof. After some time she shrugged and started reading my test. "Describe three characteristics of magic-developed unicorns, you wrote, snobbish, strong and rich." "I-" "And about this one? The thaumaturgic system in unicorns can be represented by." She said and raised a hoof as if she expected me to continue. I didn't. "Leaving it in blanck would be better than saying they're better because of their horns." "B-but they-" "And what about the first question? I'm tired of being in dad's plans? Look Cozy, I'm not paid enough to deal with whatever you're dealing with right now, and your family problems are yours alone.” She hates me too. All of them hate me. I'm nothing but a stain in their school. A pegasus in a unicorn-only school. What-a-hay I say! "But, I'm paid enough to care about the grades from my second best student, you know the answer for all of those questions, you stayed during the break to ask questions and I remember answering them all.” "Then I'll ask you, why did you wrongly answer them on purpose?" "And why does it matter? No matter how hard I try, I'll never be better than you guys!" "Do you mean unicorns?" "YES! Half of these questions are related to them! Besides, Mint is better than me at everything!" "Is that so? Just because you never beat him in the test, do you think he is better than you?" “H-he is better than me…” I muttered, feeling my eyes moisten a bit. “Fair enough I think. But from what I heard earlier from you, there is one pony you consider better than Mint, right?” I looked at her a little confused, trying to decipher who she was referring to. “Your dad Cozy, I've had the pleasure of meeting Mr. String once, and all I can say is that he cares about you. I am aware, as well as everypony in this school that you have problems… financially if you prefer.” S-she is gonna mock us! and make fun of us! S-s-s-s-she is the worst! "And you're such a brat." What? “The fee in this school is the highest in the entire country, but only behind Celestia School for Gifted Unicorns in prestige. To stay here you gotta have great grades or you can be expelled!” This thought invaded my mind, the mere idea of it giving me chills over my spine. No, I can't allow it! “And since your father is just a factory worker, I highly disbelief he can pay another entry fee or convince the good principal again.” I analyzed her, this gotta be a scam or something, she can't be giving a damn about me, just daddy does it, this is probably a prank, they are still spying on us? She sighed heavily and put on her glasses! “Let's play a game Cozy?” "I'm too old for games." "Hmmm, okay, call it a share of stories, just tell me, what was the biggest surprise you've ever witnessed?" I hesitated, is… is this part of the prank? I-I-I don't get it, why is she caring about me!? I-I'll answer her. "One day I woke up at night due to some loud noises and I flew to the kitchen." "And?" "And now I don't fly to the kitchen anymore at night." She just… she smiled! Well, she smirked, but still a smile! “Just it? Okay Cozy, let me tell you a story about a surprise.” I get myself a bit more comfortable in my chair which is quite different from the ones we got at home. This chair is padded! "It started in the first trimester, another normal year at this prestigious school and in the midst of so many unicorns I see a pegasus. A small, shy pegasus." "At first I thought it was time to find another job, look what a tragedy, a pegasus in my classroom! I was just waiting for the first test to expel her. I did a particularly difficult test and focused on unicorn biology.” I nod, remembering the nightmare that was the first test. “Three students were expelled for not meeting our school expectations. When I corrected your test, I expected the most grotesque mistakes possible. ” I smile a little remembering the nights I spent awake reading those gigantic books, I mean, one of them literally weighed more than me! "My point Cozy is, you're smart and cunning like few. Personally, between you and me. I think you're smarter than Mint. Because he got everything, his books, money, toys I guess? But you got something money can't buy, determination." The smile she'd been wearing throughout the entire conversation quickly faded as she stood up and placed her hoof over the test. "You have until the end of break to finish this test." I blinked a couple of times then I looked at her, then at my new and blank test. "B-but we had four hours to finish this test!" “Well, you know the questions and the answers, just fill in the blanks. By the way, you have twenty minutes from now on.” My left eye twitches from pure nervousness, but then a feeling filled me. I put my hoof in my bag, got one cookie and swallowed it in one bite and then got my pen. I stared at the test for some seconds, I glanced at my teacher and she was at her table gazing at me. Gulping, I started my test. The school bell rang once more. My colleagues started filling the classroom once more. But I didn't mind them. My eyes were focused on the test, my breathing heavy and slow, my heart pounding like a drum, and I struggled one last time to wipe sweat off my forehead and keep it from falling on the test. Again. My teacher is standing beside me, I bite my lips seeing the last question in blank. "I-I know the answer." I mumbled to myself in disbelief while she grabbed my test with her magic and troted towards her desk in silence. Mint stopped beside me and coughed the fakiest cough ever coughed. "Maybe next time, Gross Clown." I just shrugged and sighed before laying on my desk. That's how it is. He is the best and I'm nothing but a dumb pegasus. And useless blank flanks. The school bell rang for the last time of the day and everypony dropped their feathers immediately and soon the whispering and gossip began. It was nice to know that these whispers weren't about me, but about the test. There is a bet of who nailed the test and Mint is the favorite, obviously. The teacher got up and coughed to clear her throat, the gossip ceased as everypony stared at the imposing big mare holding what might have been an expulsion letter for some. “I'm happy to say that the grades were all acceptable.” Immediately sighs of relief and small celebrations started to break out among my classmates. Particularly between the blank flanks as we were called. “But I must emphasize the best grade in the class, missing just two questions, a round of applause for---" Mint raised and started to wave toward the others. I don't know why the drama, he’s the best after all. I grab my backpack and shove a cookie in my mouth, I was about to leave, the clapping had already started even before the teacher had finished and- "Cozy Glow!" The palms ceased, my cookie fell from my lips but I grabbed it in the middle of the air without gazing away from my teacher and my test she levied in the middle of the air. "Holy cookies." I whispered, taking a bite off my cookie and sitting down. The teacher frowned and looked at the others. "Why did you stop clapping? I think those were sounding really good.” slowly clapping sounds filled the air again, is this some kind of lie? A prank? Only when I looked to the side and saw in disbelief Mint watching the test did I realize. I won. I. won. "She, I mean, wasn't there a draw?" Mint said, his voice almost cracked, such was his stupor! "You got three questions wrong, she just two. This is a lot of things, but I assure you a draw isn't." I wanted to do many things, I wanted to mock him, I wanted to yell some bad words I learned a while ago, but somehow, I can't tell in words how, I just got up from my seat and troted towards my teacher. When I got near her she blinked at me with a shy smile and handed me my test. I nodded and troted toward the exit yet a bit surprised. In my hoof I could see clearly. 38 - 40 written in red ink. When I got out of the classroom I kneeled, I smiled unconsciously before pressing the test against my face and I started crying, I… I did it, I beat him! I--- I did it! The last bus just left, normally I would sigh sadly, but not today! Today I did the impossible. I. Beat. Mint Pride! I giggled a bit, shaking my test before keeping it in my school bag. "Cozy?" I froze, and my smile faded like water dripping from a sink. "Yes, Mint?" I said reluctantly, I closed one of my eyes and with the other I spied expecting the worst. But instead of being assaulted with rotten eggs or similar he just stands there, gazing at the floor and poking some stones. "I think I was a bit too… you see, you're, you and… what I want to tell you is… you're smart.” He said, looking away dramatically like his pride was just shattered in a million of pieces. Good, because it just did. "Oh, you silly, one day that was supposed to happen right? We were the best, right?" His face changed into a million expressions, rage, surprise, flattery and- he just blushed? “W-well, of course I-we are the best, I mean… congrats Cozy.” He smiled and handed me his hoof. I looked at it for a bit, not knowing exactly what to do. He retrieved his hoof after that. "S-sorry, too fast? I-" Before he could finish that sentence a horn from one big and fancy cart stole our attention. One big unicorn wearing a suit approached us and nodded to both of us. "Master Mint, your cart awaits you." He said while pointing to that cart. A neat cart. Mint sighed, looked at me and smiled. "See ya, Cozy." He troted with que unicorn toward his cart and soon They left. I... I wanted to say something, but I did not find the words. After some minutes my card arrived, different from Mint's cart, this one is the simplest possible, two wheels and a raw wooden frame guided for a trusted friend of daddy. “Suup lil' Coz?” "Hi Mister Wheels." "Same place as always?" I nodded and he started guiding the cart. After a couple of minutes we stopped in front of our stop. I quickly flew off the cart and nodded at him. He just took off his little hat and nodded back smiling. "Same time?" "Yeep mister Wheels." I stood in front of the building, "Piano." I said to myself. That is one of the things I do after class, then ballet and classical poetry. With a long press on one of the piano keys I finished my fourth practice today. I can’t tell how, but I'm always sweating in the end. "Magnifique ms. Cozy Glow! Divine I must say!" My teacher said, wiping a tear from his eyes and gossiping to his colleagues. I quickly looked at my flank, this is the day! I nailed it today! My cutie mark is… Nothing. Again. I felt my cheeks twitching uncontrollably. I wanted to… scream. I just don’t know what to do or say. I’m… this is what am I good at? I’m better than one foal whose cutie mark is a piano! I… I don’t know. "Divine ms. Cozy, for one second, I thought you barely scratched Frank List mastery in piano. Maybe one day you could overcome him and become the greatest pianist ever!" I just shrugged. I didn't get a cutie mark. Peeking to my side I saw many of the other students giving me a look of few friends. At least they aren't all unicorns. I just left, mister Wheel was waiting for me outside and we quickly reached the ballet school. I drank my whole water bottle in one gulp. This is a hecking day. After that I read the scoreboard. Cozy Glow - 96 Little Feather - 95 Ballet Shoes - 92 Curly Horn - 92 Bubble Gulp - 90 I bit my lip again and looked at my blank flank I... I won... One of my colleagues threw their ballet slippers on me, it didn't hurt, at least not physically. "You piece of-of-crap! That was my day! I got the cutie mark for ballet! You didn't! You're here for years and you didn't get it! So how about you stop humiliating us in front of the jury? You make us look like a crap of a joke, your cutie-less. I just hugged myself and protected my head just a moment before many other ballet slippers flew at me. They're all unicorns. This is a unicorn school. "Hmmmm, not bad, not bad at all actually." “What do you mean my dear colleague? That was… spectacular! For one second I could close my eyes and felt like I was in the classical era! I'm speechless!” The last judge didn't say anything during my presentation, she just took off her glasses and put them on her desk, smiled and nodded. "Good." That was everything she said and both her colleagues were awestruck by her speech. "Very good actually." She poked her… pet rock. “Boulder liked it too.” "Well Miss Cozy Glow, considering that Maud Pie is the most rigorous judge I have ever had the honor of working with, I must say that your poem, Why the leaves fall, is the winner." The judge in the middle spoke. I quickly looked to my side, I expected anything, a quill, a scroll just like daddy, anything, but there was nothing there. I leaned to them, wrapped my poem in my wing and I flew offstage. "Wow Cozy, you nailed it!" "That was, like, sick!" "Have you heard of Miss Maud? She never said anything to our poems, just nodded or waved her hoof! You made her speak and smile!" That and many other compliments come from my colleagues. This school is open to all races, and so this wasn't a toxic environment, but their compliments sounded empty and I can see some looking envily at me. They got a cutie mark in poems, I don’t. "Thank you mister Wheel." He waved to me, shaking his little hat in the air. What did he call that? A feldora I think. I sighed and gazed at my home. It was an old and rustic house and some planks filled some holes on the roof. "There is no place like home, shaking and howling with wind-" I sang to myself. I walked into the house, Mom was sitting at the table, her crystal goblet full of purple liquid that she watched moving. As soon as I closed the door she noticed my presence, slowly she looked at me and I could see her... face. She had a black eye, and-and had what appears to be a nosebleed? "Mom, your snout." She touched her snout, a bit of blood, in her hooves. "Oh, this?" she gazed at her hoof, she wanted to say something, her silence saying thousands of words. I put my backpack on the floor and I flew to our freezer. I opened it and there was nothing but bags of ice. I grabbed one and handed it to mommy. She grunted something and took it with her magic and pressed it against her black eye, that's how Mom says thank you. I think. I hope. I licked my hoof and started cleaning her snout, after a couple of moments I finished. Her eyes ajar a bit and sleepy she shakes her head, finishes her drink in one gulp and throws herself over the table. "Go to your room Cozy." "Mommy, I got something cool to tell you!" I smiled and flew toward my backpack. I grabbed the first place tape of the ballet competition. When I was about to show her she hit the table. "I said. GO TO YOUR FUCKING ROOM!" I shivered and my ears folded. My smile faded. I kept the tape in my backpack and started walking towards my room. Before going up the stairs I stopped when I heard my mother sobbing, I peeked at her and I could see her filling her glass again and a sunbeam that came through holes in the ceiling, illuminating her cutie mark. A pair of pink ballet slippers together. I threw my school bag on the corner of my room and I sat on my desk. I looked at myself in the half -broken mirror and I tried to smile, but I couldn't. I opened the only drawer of my desk and took out a small chessboard. I placed all the pieces in place and started playing it, remembering when grandpa came to play with me. Even old and sick, he used all kinds of medicine, and even so, always found a way to play at least one round with me. "Checkmate." I chuckled, moving the rook and basically killing the king. For one second I smiled smugly and looked at my flank. Still blank. The destiny, is a nasty thing isn't?I’m sitting in the school yard, drinking my juice box and pondering about life. I see a little fly landing a few inches from me. Grinning, I step on it. “And like that, your life ended.” I say to myself. The last days were horrible, mom got more and more… hard mornings and daddy is mad at something. But here I’m, waiting for the day of the meeting. Counting it if you prefer. Pondering about my life, it’s my life and only mine. But dad, I just can’t say no to him! Every time I tried, he just stared at me and I lost it. I sigh and look at what remained from that fly. Did it… hurt? So fast, the fastest way off to all your… my problems… mayb- “AND SHUT UP YOUR DIRTY LITTLE FLANK BLANCK!” Ahmm, well, maybe I- “HECK NO! YOUR OPPRESSION ENDED TAINTED FLANK! OUR VOTES ARE OUR VOTES!” What’s their problems?! I’m having an existential crisis here! Do you mind? Both unicorns puffed, raised their heads and trotted away from each other. Finally peace! Well, where was - “AND WE. ARE GOING TO WIN!” “IN YOUR WET DREAMS YOUR FLANK BLANK!” AHHHHHH! What's their problem! I finished my juice box and started looking at them. My classmates are divided in two groups, with or without cutie marks. I love their hate. At least when it’s not directed at me. They continued arguing fervently for some minutes straight until they started walking to two different directions. I’d hate this time of the year. I gazed at the poster pinned beside the building and read it. Vote for your class president! Don’t miss it! Blagh. Every year is like this, the tainted flanks will compete and bribe flank blanks to vote them in or similar. Although, this year some feud happened, dunno, and the flank blanks are going to compete. Considering they are like, twenty and the tainted flanks are just a dozen, they can easily win. But I know that at least three of them are going to compete for them, and for the tainted flanks, Mint is their shoot. I roll my eyes. If I was betting in somepony, it would be in the tainted flank, at least they’re united. Hoping they’re done, I close my eyes and start my existential crises once again and again, their sporadic curses continue to annoy me! [i[OKAY! I’M DONE WITH IT! I crushed my juice box with my hoof and threw it over my shoulder and walked toward them. Then I stop, how do I solve this? At that time something sparkled in my head. I’m sitting in the kitchen, drawing and chewing some candies mister Wheels gave me before bringing me home. The door slammed violently and dad trotted in. His face twisted and eyes filled with anger. He threw his briefcase on the floor and layed on the table “H-Hi da-” “Not now Cozy.” I Frowned my face and gazed at my last colored-pencil. I started drawing a bit more. Even though I know I’m not the best at drawing, I still like it alot. When I finished I showed it to dad. “Dad! Look! It’s you, me and mommy!” I Said while showing him a poorly drawn picture of me, him and mommy. He just snorted and smiled a bit. “How do you… just you to put a smile on my face Cozy.” He chuckled and kissed my forehead. “Did you have a rough day?” “I-I… Cozy, do you know Princess Twilight?” “Of course! She is the newsted of them. And also saved Equestria a couple of times.” “Yes, but… what does she represent?” “Friendship?” Dad nodded while biting his lips. “Considering you’re in a unicorn school, have you heard of friendship magic?” He said, raising an eyebrow. “Yes?” “And what do you think? Is it the strongest kind of magic? “I think so? considering what Twilight faced.” “Well, it is the-the strongest magic.” Dad mumbled, biting his low libs and leaning on his hoof. His eyes fixed on a non-existential point between me and the stairs. “What happened dad?” He threw himself back, the chair cracking and twitching barely holding itself in one piece. He put his hoofs on his head and started frantically scratching his mane. “Fuck this world.” “What-” “I HATE THIS FUCKING CRAP-PIECE OF WORLD!” Dad yelled, slamming both his hoofs on the table! My drawings flew all over the place and my few pencils fell on the floor, some of them cracking in the process. “FUCK!” Dad hit the table again. I shivered this time and folded my ears again. Just when dad said another pair of bad-words he seemed to notice my reaction. “So-sorry sweetie, ya shouldn’t see me like this. I just. Fuck.” Dad's face started twitching in pure anger, he started biting his lips again, but this time he was full in and before he could hurt himself I grabbed his hoof. Like magic, he stopped with… that. “What happened, dad?” Dad sighed and started rubbing his eyes. “My boss, somepony should earn a promotion today, and you know what? Our beloved Princess is right, Friendship is magic.” “I didn’t follow.” “Some… the new guy, the funny guy. The literally worst employee the company ever employed got the promotion, when I… I confronted my boss and he just said… he was good company to talk to...” Dad opened his mouth but didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds. “Meritocracy, meritocracy is a myth, a joke. Cozy, you don’t grow up in life for doing well at your job, you grow up for being a nice dude, with nice stories and good connections. I worked there for five years… I deserved… I needed that promotion…” “It's okay dad, you’re a good employee!” Dad just laid his head on the table. “I gotta get another job, fuck those bills.” Oh, yes, bills. My smile faded like dad’s smile while I thought about it, this world, after all the bed-stories, it just seemed so cold, impetuous. Sometimes I joke to myself that some old-horror-stories could learn a thing or two from reality. I looked away from dad and gazed at my last pink pencil broken on the floor. “Sorry sweetie, you shouldn’t hear me saying, using such language. Where is your mom?” I pointed upstairs and dad nodded. “You know those words I used, they’re bad okay? I don’t want to hear you using it, okay?” “Yes daddy." “It’s just, I’m so severe with your mom when she uses it and… I never thought I would be the first to yell it to you. Sorry Cozy.” I grinned a bit. “It’s okay dad, I heard worse at school.” Dad snorted a bit and laughed! I looked at him and he was laughing! “I don’t doubt you, but still, no bad-words okay?” I nodded and I was about to grab my drawing from the floor when dad cleared his throat and gazed at the window. It's already night. 10 p.m. more exactly “Cozy, friends… there is power in having friends. You gotta learn how to use them, how to exploit their positions, make their influence be yours. If you’re going to learn one thing from your old stallion, learn this." Dad gazed at me. “Have as many friends as you can, then use them to get what you want. Don’t let nothing stay between you and what you want. Okay?” “Okay dad.” I smug and scratch my hoofs. I fix my mane and clean some dust from my fur. I put my best smile and trot towards the tainted flanks. Blagh. They’re all whispering between them and I needed to cough three times to get their attention! “Oh golly! I sure hope I didn’t bother you guys! But I just heard all that comotion and I thought if I can help you!” They all blinked perplexed at me and the smaller one scratched his head. “Who called the chicken? Get lost flank blank!” “Yeah! We don’t need help from your kind.” “Cutie-less or pegasus?” “Both dump-ass” I rolled my eyes and started flying some centimeters from the floor, just enough to slightly bigger than them but not too much. “But I’m not just a pegasus-cutie-less. I’m also the best student! This gotta have some prize.” Many of them opened their mouths to reply to me, some even to curse me, but none of them spoke, they just gazed at each other and then they all opened space for me to see Mint Pride who just tried miserably to look away naturally. “What do you say, Mint?” They all said in unison. They’ll listen to him. He coughs a bit and gets close, too close. Before I could say anything he whispers in my ear. “I’m sorry.” “Wha-” He pushes me away and raises his snout in the air. “And what kind of help can you provide us? Your lucky pegasus.” “Yeah! You just got lucky! He beat you all the other times! He is better than you!" “Yes! Get lost cutie-less!"" “Blank flank!” I blinked a pair of times, trying to process what just happened and I swear I was just about to swear… I hate this language. But you get it! But then I saw Mint sweating and looking at me. Ohhhh. I get it! “Well, so good luck losing to some puny-cutie-less-ponies!” Waved my head and turned, but Mint yelled. “Hey, what do you mean by losing? We got twenty votes for me here.” “Yes mister second place, but they’re like, twenty, they just need a neuron to beat you guys.” One of the tainted flanks coughed while pointing at the other group. “They seem pretty divided to me, we're gonna win.” “Nope, it’s a strategy, to delude you and make you think you got the advantage.” They all started gossiping and whispering at each other. My smile grew a bit. “So, how can you help us beat them?” The smallest of them said. I rolled my eyes from his attempts to look menacing or… I actually don’t know what he meant by turning his head in that angle. “Simple, vote for me!” I say pointing at my chest and closing my eyes. Silence, I expected many things, and yes, silence was one of them. As soon as I opened my eyes they started laughing. Some rolling on the floor, some just laughing wildly and some putting their snout on some ponies on the floor in an attempt to smother their laugh. So predictable. Mint, however, just gazed at me confused. When they finished laughing, the smallest of them looked at me again. “Wait, you’re, like, for real? Oh boy, the audacity of this b-” “As I was saying, you vote for me, I win ‘cause I got some favors on the blank flanks to charge in. So with me you have a 100% chance to win.” Their smiles and hubris started to shader, now they gaze at each other worried and reluctantly. “This seems unfair, and what do we gain from it?” “Oh you silly, you got everything you already got, I’m not messing with whatever you’re into. I just want to settle this feud.” “For the sake of?” My mental sanity, or what is left of it. “For the sack that’s what a friend should do!” Some of them snorted and some laughed dryly at the last part. “Still, we have no warranty that you’re gonna keep your word!” “Oh please, Lamp Blue, we all know that half the school is on your daddy’s payroll, you’re not the brightest lamp here. If you wish, just sabote me after the elections and then you can get rid of me.” He blushes wildly and tries to hide behind the others. “Only if Mint is on it.” One of them spoke. “Yeah! If he is up to trying to compete I'll stick with my boy!” “Same here!” And a bunch of similar answers. I looked at Mint. He scratched his head sometimes before getting closer and whispering in my ear. "Yeah! go there Mint, threaten her!” “What are you up to?!” “Do you trust me?” “I-okay, I do.” He sighed and walked away from me. “You hear me?! Those are the conditions!” He blinked discreetly at me. Ohhh cute… I-I MEAN-MEANT DUMP! Don’t blush don't blush don't blush! In answer I just nodded since I didn’t trust my voice to answer him properly. “So we're done here, don’t wanky us, pegasus. Let’s go boys, we gotta vote her in.” They all trotted a bit far away from me, after some time processing how it all proceeded amazingly well, despite the last bit, I shook my head and walked toward the other group. “I'm the one with the best grades! So I should be the leader!” “Nonsense, I got the best grades in leadership and crowd control!” “Also nonsense! Those grades do not even exist! I’m the most beautiful and with the most bits! So I should be the leader!” They continued debating vigorously. I sneaked the best I could before coughing to clear my throat and catch their attention. “My comrades, my folk, my good colleagues, I have come with a solution!” I raise my hoof to the sky before landing it on my chest. “Vote for me!” They all gazed for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. humpf, so predictable. Again. “Y-you? c’mon now, you’re a pegasus!” “That too, but besides it, we got it covered, I’m gonna be the new president! Now dump-ass, line up and prepare to vote!” “Pff, no way, I prefer voting in a door than in you.” “ 'Kay girls, I get it, you all are pretty cool and all, but, what’s your plan? Your promises? What's going to change in this school?” “G-going to change?” “Yes! like, oh golly! There are so many things! For start, you could limit the amount the parents can donate to the school. Or maybe better food in the canteen!” Okay, I gotta put it on my list, I’m sick of eating just wet flour. Being poor, it sucks. “W-well, we kinda decided this all this morning, we don’t have that stuff Y’know.” “Ohh, fear not my folk, I got it all covered! As I said, you just need to put me in and I’m gonna fix all your problems!” And my mental sanity of course. “R-really? Even the bully?” B-bully? Ya gotta have a heck of a nerve to say this to me… “And what about the bench fee? And the ball fee?” “No more fees!” I said raising my hoofs and many of them started cheering. “Wait a minute, don’t pretend we didn’t see you talking to the tainted flanks! You are plotting with them aren’t ya?” I turn to answer him, but when I just turn I can’t see him, more exactly, among the many multi-colored ponies, I couldn’t tell who said that. “Right! And you aren’t a unicorn! You're a pegasus!” Again I turned, and again I couldn’t tell who said that. “You’re totally backstabbing us! You’re with them!” This time instead of continuing this fool-me-game I flew up a bit and got a vision of them all. They looked at me a bit amazed and fearful from what I could be plotting now, but I just waited. Extending my hoof at them I shouted. “What? No more arguments? If you got some horns you better spit it out! ‘Cause I'm gonna tell you one thing! You can pretend I was not here and let me win, ‘cause YES, the tainted flanks are supporting me! And I’m gonna win, you’re just too divided to even realize you must stick together! So I’m giving you the opportunity to help me assure my victory! Not for me, but for the flank blanks! I got your backs when I got there… so, what do you say my folk, can I count with you?” They started looking at each other, frowning and humming about what to say, but then the smallest of them all stepped ahead and looked me in the eye. “You got our back?” I nodded and flew towards her. “In every situation. I got you, you all!” And so again they started cheering and stuff. I even squeezed when some of them grabbed me and lifted me up in some kind of celebration. “COZY!” They shouted with joy. I even smiled a bit while they carried me toward the class. This feels different. I like it, it feels... good. Scratching my head I finish my drawing. It's about me weeding an unknown foal. “Cozy Glow.” A big question mark on his face since I never met him and his fur is white like fresh milk. I blushed a bit while a face started filling the gaps and the question mark. “Cozy Glow.” I sighed, nah, that would never happen, dad knows what’s better, I think, I hope. “And Cozy Glow. Heck.” I raise my head, some of the teachers are in my class, Sunny Side, the most eccentric of our teachers are counting the votes of our election. Cozy Glow - 33 Mint Pride - 0 Powerful Blast - 0 Sneaky Peak - 0 “I don’t know what your little brats did or what she said to you. And I’m pretty sure this is against the rules, but heck, congrats Cozy, you just did it.” I felt some light from behind me blinding me, probably some of my loyal voters pranking me a bit. I raise my head and trot toward the teacher where I should hear my prize. A big piece of blue cloth. yes, it’s sick, I know. When I was about to reach it, I remembered something. I sit at the back of the class. I hear many gasps and some of them are even pointing at me. Rude. Then I saw Mint also gazing at me! I blush a little and I fix my mane the best I can before following his eyes. He is… he is looking at my flank? Curious if I got pranked, I looked at my sides. “HOLY FUCK I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!” I slam the door opening it and chase in. Mom is half-sleeping on the table hugging a bottle of wine and looking everywhere half scared and half confused. When she spotted me in the middle of her panic, she just mumbled something and went back to laying on the table not before taking a sip of her wine. "Mommy! I bet you can’t guess what happened today!” She looked at me with her expression-less face and sighed. “You’re not letting me sleep until I answer right?” “Nope!” “Well, you got expelled?” I chuckled with the mere mention of it. “No you silly! I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!” I bragged while showing her my flank. All the time her eyes were half open, but when she heard me saying that she gazed at me with her eyes widened! I got her attention! I closed my eyes expecting many things. Knowing mommy she wouldn't not care much, maybe she would just shrug, maybe tell me to shut up and go to my room. What I didn’t expect was a dry and expontaneous chuckle. I opened my eyes and looked at her a bit curious. She was no longer laying on the table, instead she even put her bottle away while gazing at me and laughing occasionally. “What's wrong mom?” “A piece of chess? I’m morbidly curious about how you got it.” “Well, that's a thing, I guess it’s about… my fr-coleaguess? I helped them solve their feud and BAM! I got this beauty!” I said, shaking my hips. “You are... my, heavens and above, you are so screwed. My, Celestia, have piety of you.” Mom said shaking her head and laying again on the table “I, I didn’t, what do you mean?” “What day is today Cozy?” “Last day of the month, why?” “Oh crap! Your dad is gonna be right here!” She is right! Daddy always gets home early at the end of month. Mom hides her bottle magically and throws it on the shelf before trotting towards her room. Just when she disappeared on the stairs, the doors opened again and dad was standing on it. Right when I turned to talk with him he passed by me and sited. I heard the most heavy sigh dad ever sighed, tough day. “Hi sweetie.” He said without looking at me, just gazing at that invisible point he always gazes at when he is mad or tired. Today he may be both. I sat too. “Hi dad, tough day?” “You have no idea. I got a new job with Wheels, so we will be able to pay the bills. Did you know your ballet class just doubled the fee last week?” Did it? They didn’t tell me, I shook my head in denial. “Well, in one hour I'm gonna go to my new job, so daddy needs some rest now sweetie.” He said, trying his best to smile. That was a total mess, but he tried at least. “Wait, help me here, you go to work at 8 a.m. and get home normally at 10 p.m. now you’re going to have a new job at… 6 p.m.? “No sweetie.” she said, his voice a bit cranky. “The first part is okay, but now I get a new job from 11 p.m. to 6 p.m. but on the first day I gotta start early.” I blink a pair of times. “This gives you… three hours of sleep?!” “Indeed it does. B-but this will end soon! I promise! Just the rise of the fee ends and everything goes back to normal. I guess. I hope.” “How much time.” “A month or two.” That's… a lot of time. “So daddy gonna sleep now okay sweetie, I need to recharge my energy and all but you know what I say, today is a new day!” He tried to laugh, but he just did a shy chuckle. When he got up and did his first step on the stairs, I called him, and he stopped and stared at me a bit tired. “I got a surprise for you.” I said while trotting towards him, a bit surprised he didn’t notice my cutie mark for himself. He blinked his eyes a bit tired, I was scared he would just tell me to zip it, but he waved his hoof towards me and I nodded with a smile on my face. I showed him my cutie mark, a bit nervous with what mom said and dad's eyes widened when he realized what that was about. A smile starts to form, but quickly disappears from his face. “A piece of chess.” “Y-yes! I got from- “Tell me, how in the nine circles of the Tartarus, a piece of chess is related with ballet, piano or classical poems?” “I-” “I BEG YOU, HOW IT’S RELATED?!” Dad yelled, hitting his both hoofs on the floor and walking towards me. “I-I it’s not I thi-” “So, you’re telling me that those bit’s I used for you to have a good cutie mark are useless and you get this shit? A fucking piece of chess?! I’m gonna kill you grandpa.” “N-no! my talent is not to play chess! I think-” “SO WHAT IT IS?!” Dad yelled again. I folded my ears and felt the wall behind me. I can’t walk backwards anymore. “I-I-I-I think it’s s-something about se-self sacrifice.” I whispered the last part. Dad's eyes went wide a little and his rage seemed to cease. “Self sacrifice?” He whispered to himself. “Y-yes, like in chess, castling. The rook put itself in a more dangerous position to help the king. I think it has something similar, maybe a metaphor.” Dad stared at me for a few seconds before he started shaking his head frantically. Then he yelled, then screamed. He raised his hoofs in the air and I wheezed in fear and raised my hoofs to protect myself. Dad yelled again while he smashed his hoofs on the table, breaking it in two! He turned to me, his eyes impregnated with anger in a scale I never saw before! “I didn’t raise a child to do self-sacrifice!” “Bu-” He slapped me, my cheeks hurt and burned due to pain. I gaze at the floor stunned with his actions, he never hitted me. Never. He grabbed me by my mane and raised me a few inches from the floor. “I wanted a boy, but I got a girl, I wanted a unicorn, but I got a pegasus, I WANTED A FUCKING GOOD CUTIE MARK AND YOU GOT A PIECE OF CHESS?!” His grasp intensified while he shaked me. “Leave her alone String.” Me and dad looked in the eye of each other before dad turned to see mom standing on the stair looking at us. “Get lost.” Dad was about to turn to me when mom hitted the stairs. “I SAID LEAVE HER ALONE.” Dad let me go and I had to flap my wings to keep from falling to the ground. “Get lost Sprint, Imma talk with you later.” Mom Gazed at dad for a few seconds, then at me, after sighing she leaves to her room. She said something, but I was unable to hear it. Dad stayed looking at the stairs for a couple of seconds before turning to me. I shivered and looked away, I was at the edge of crying, he was mad at me! He never… I felt so cold despite my burning check. “Cozy.” Dad said, his eyes gazing at my flank. “You are a special filly, and you’ll NEVER do this self-sacrifice bullshit. I’m clear.” “Bu-” “NEVER! You’re going to be somepony, not a nobody. Now with me. About your… self sacrifice cutie mark. ” “I-I-” “REPEAT!” "I’ll never do it, please don't hit me again!” I closed my eyes and raised my hoofs. Dad sighed and walked towards the door. “D-dad?” “I’m gonna work.” He shouted while slamming the door. I shivered with the sound of it. I looked at the stairs and I was surprised to see mom again in the stair staring at the door. She smacked her lips and waved her head. “You’re so stupid Cozy.” With that said she trotted up to her room. I touched my check, yet a bit astonished. It hurts, I say to myself feeling the tears forming. “Why is everything so complicated?” I dislike, no, I hate this life. I screamed internally, failing to hold my cry. The days went on, soon it became weeks, and then months until finally the day came. I sighed looking at myself in my half-broken mirror. My mane, which was smooth like mom’s mane, is now curly and tight with a yellow ribbon. I touched the ribbon for a few moments, personally I didn’t like it, neither did I dislike it. But my dad said it's the last possession of his mom he owns. It’s important to him, I smiled with the thought of how much he cares about this ribbon, and yet he gave it to me. My dress is not what I’d say pretty, but well, my opinion doesn't dictate what is pretty or not. Mom and dad said it’s pretty so I'm gonna have to believe them. I flew a bit and saw white lines adorning this golden fancy cloth. I know a pony or two who'd pay lots of bits for this. Is it rented? Probably. I opened my door and flew towards the hall but I stopped at daddy's room. The door was opened and mom was inside it. She was… astonished, her pink fur contrasting with the golden dress she used. She was smiling while she put on makeup, her golden eyes almost shined, she seemed almost… not her. Using her magic she levitated some ribbons and other adornish to put on her dress. I could not hold a smile, she was gorgeous, her mane almost seemed alive like Celestia mane! Then mom spotted me, at first she probably thought I was nothing, but after a quick check she saw me. Her smile faded immediately and she closed the door with her magic. Oh shoot. I headed towards the kitchen, flying on the stairs and sneaking up on daddy and Mister Wheels who were shouting and arguing about Tirek, a minotaur who got defeated by Twilight some time ago. Dad hitted the table. “Ten bit’s that bastard’s gonna show up in a year, those punks always do.” Mister Wheels smiled maliciously. “I fucking-double it! And it's gotta happen in half a year! Mark my words!” They both burst into laughter. “Ahremm. Language please, there is a child present.” They stared at me and both blushed. Mister Wheels even bow his head and shaked his hoof. “I’m deeply sorry your majesty, such language shall never cross my lips again! For I make an oath to retain my curses for my mind only!” “Heck, you found a book or something to speak this fancy.” “Stop dad, that was beautiful, Mister Wheels.” “Indeed it was. And for your knowledge sir Silk String, yes, indeed, I found a book about speaking fancy, a trilogy in fact.” “Zip it Wheels, we’re not royalty, just Cozy will be in some years actually.” I landed on the floor and looked at daddy's clothes. Quite simple compared with mine or mommy clothes. Just a black suit with a blue tie. Mister Wheels whistled and nodded. “What a stallion, right princess? Gonna tell you a thing, if I was not as straight as the Lon’ Straight Street between Manehattan and Portmare I would tighten him up!” “D-dude! She is a kid!” “Nahh dad. Had heard worse in school.” “Tell ya, those schools, even the fancy ones are getting worse than my points!” “Whatever, zip it near her okay?” “Oh, what an outrage! Didn’t thou hear my recent declaration to the miss?” Me and dad chuckled from mister Wheels jokes. “Yeah, it’s happening.” “Yes it is.” Dad sighed and Mister Wheels grabbed his fancy hat. I pointed at it. "Feldora!" “Almost princess, it’s a fedora, best of the hats. If there should be a hat to rule them all, then it shall be a fedora!” “'Kay fancy boy, you got your time of fanciness now cut it.” Mister Wheels raised an eyebrow and threw his hat at the table. “Get and wear it.” “What? Your hat?” “Yes, my bro isn't goin’ to a fancy party naked in the head. I know ya could’t find a topper as you wanted.” “It’s… it’s your pa’s fedora.” “He would've wanted it. But I want it back! 'Kay?” Dad grabbed the hat and looked at his friend. “Thanks, I know how much this hat means to you. I’m going to keep it safe, you got my word.” “Well, from what I see, you also gave your sentimental stuff away.” Mister Wheels said while playing with my ribbon. “I’m ready.” Said mommy trotting down the stairs. Daddy got up and I followed him and when the door was opened we all saw the biggest of the carts! White-ivory and golden lines- wait, is it made out of ivory? I-I dunno. “Pretty sick uh princess.” Mister Wheels whispered from behind me. “I prefer your cart, it’s more authentic.” I didn’t turn to him, but from his laugh I bet he is smiling. Today, to- “Today is a new day.” Dad said to himself before entering the cart. I never saw a house this big! It broke the rules of houses, it’s a mansion! I could barely count the windows! “Big-fancy-house!” I shouted excitedly. “Cozy, manners dear, please.” Oh right. Yes. I sat, put my back against the bench and sighed a bit disappointed. Dad poked my shoulder and pointed to the house. “You’re going to live here one day.” I put on the best smile I could and nodded. When dad looked away I sighed. I don’t want it, do I? If I thought the exterior was huge, I could barely guess how big this hall is! I thinked about flying towards the ceiling, maybe it’d take thirteen seconds to reach it! thirteen seconds! Dad poked me out of my fantasy and we all trotted in. A pony wearing a fancy suit announced our names and some of the guests gazed at us. They're so many! And they’re all looking at us! At least for a couple of seconds before they went back to do whatever they were doing. Mom and dad walked holding each other hoof like a lovely couple toward the center of the party. They seemed happy. Both smiling and waving to the other guests. A part of me wanted to believe in them. I was following them during the whole party, remembering from all the rules, all the mannerisms and words I should avoid. I tried to keep my head up, chest stuffy and ears alert. "My, my, my, if my eyes don't deceive me, it's Silk String! I thought I was going blind or something." A fat- I mean a robust and tall, silver-colored unicorn approaches us wearing a blue suit and a truly bizarre hat. I mean, it's really weird. It's adorned with... well, sticks, I guess? No, they're more like... exotic branches. An exotic hat indeed. Dad and mom bowed to him, so did I . “Your highness, it’s an honour to be here. But if you allow me.” Dad looked around and the noble noded. “I expected a humble party, just for you to see my daughter.” “But it is! I only invited my closest friends!” “I see, you have… a lot of friends, your highness.” I looked around and started to count. When I finished I saw thirty four different couples! “Oh yes indeed my friend, as you well know, the more friends you have, the more power you have mister neck-N-string.” Mom was drinking something and almost choked with mister noble last words and dad became some shades whiter. “Yes, I know a lot about you my friend. This way please.” He pointed to the corner where a few ponies stayed. I was about to follow them when mom got me by my wing! That 's rude mom! “Stay here Cozy, you can’t and shouldn’t hear them talking… and just in case, look for an escape route okay? “A wha-” “Just do it.” I nodded and started gazing at the ceiling. A dome filled with paintings decorated the ceiling. The windows were just stained glass telling tales. I lost myself while walking towards one of them. It showed two alicorns, a blue-dark and a white one, both falling from the skies and from where they should be standing. There is a crown with many rubies and sapphires and emeralds and… a lot of gems actually encrusted on that gorgeous piece of art. But a bit over the crown a paw of a lion and a claw of an eagle waited, or was going to grab the crown? “Beautiful isn't it?” “Yes, it is.” I said to my mysterious friend. I extended my hoof and touched the crown, it was magic, it almost called me. My eyes shined with a feeling I can’t describe before I let my hoof off the stained glass. Something called for me to touch the crown again but I resisted the urge and turned to my mysterious guest. My eyes widened, my heart sped up, and my mouth went dry in an instant “M-miss Dedicated Poem?” I almost screamed internally seeing mister Fancy Pants wife! She fits the description! cream fur with wine-red mane and eyes pink like a recently-bloomed rose! Her eyes widened slightly from behind her fan. “I see my name has even reached your kind, my little filly. Pardon me but, you’re Cozy Glow?” Closing my eyes and remembering everything my dad has ever told me I bowed to her. Nor too much, nor too few. “It's an honour, your highness.” She giggled softly, almost like a child. “You even know how to talk and bow! Astonish for your kind my little filly. Tell me, my husband informed me that you write and appreciate classic poems, does that proceed?” “Indeed your highness.” “Ohh, how exotic! I would love to hear classic poems from pegasus! Please, amuse me!” I froze, what is a classic poem from pegasis? is it different? I never heard about this sub-class! “I-I pardon your highness?” “You know, poems of pegasus and alike! I’m excited! When I heard you were I pegasus I almost got a stroke, but then I found out you do poems? This can be interesting I thought at the time and here we are! Amuse me, please.” She said waving her fan. Now it was my time to have a stroke! I don’t know what to do! I’ll fail and she will be mad and mister Fancy Pants will be mad and dad will be mad! I’ll fail and the marriage… the marriage will be cancelled. I’ll be… free… “Miss Poem? Is this marvelous voice I heard yours?” We both looked at mom who stayed besides Miss Poem and magically floated some cups of a pink liquid. “My eyes are lying to me, Miss Sprint? Is it you?” Mom nodded and when Miss Poem started giggling she closed her eyes and mom shook her head with a clear message: Get the heck out here! I quickly did it and disappeared from there but not before hearing a bit of their talk. “My, my, the years darling, they were not friendly to you if I may say so. But tell me, are you still doing ballet since your… tragic incident?” Oh no. oh nonononono! I turned expecting to see mom smashing her cups on Miss Poem face, but mom just sighed and… and laughed! Not wanting to press my luck I followed mom’s tip and I got the heck out there. I continued walking in the middle of the party, eating some goodies from the very-big-long-really-long table filled edge-to-edge with food! After a couple of minutes avoiding mom and Miss Poem and eating a bit more of goodies of of course, I found daddy and mister- is that a piano over my head? Why is there a piano floating in the middle of the party and why do I seem to be the only one caring about it? “Cozy dear! Please come here.” I looked at the piano for some more seconds before going after daddy. After I arrived Fancy Pants started looking at me from hoof to mane. He walked around me and even poked me sometimes! “Seems pretty healthy and she even got some fat here! Impressive, considering your situation, String.” I felt sick, each time he pokes me I feel immeasurably sick and this served to remind me about one thing I heard years ago. I'm just a gift. “Thank you your highness, if what we discussed was settled them-” “One more thing, little one. I sadly can’t see your cutie mark due to your beautiful dress, do you mind telling me about it?” I tried to look at dad but my head just didn't move! Then my own head moved on its own and gazed at Fancy Pants! His horn is shining- OH! oh… “Don’t mind him, just tell me, what’s your cutie mark?” “It-it is-” “Hmm, what’s the matter? You don’t have one yeet? "I-I- got one!” “And so?” “It is a ro- a tower! A pink-salmon tower, your highness.” “Wow, amazing little one, but tell, what you salmon tower stands for?” His eyes stretched to the point I couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not. "Friends.” "Friend?” He said a bit surprised and I can hear dad sighing. “Yes, your highness, it defines my total ability to make friends, because as you know, friends mean power and influence!” His magic grip stopped and I felt again my ability to move my head. “What, if I may ask of course, does a tower, a pink-salmon tower and friends have in common?” Gulping, I looked at dad and he was sweating. “Do you know chess? Your highness?” “Yes of course, little one!” “So you know about castling?” “Ahmmm, I’d not mind you refreshing my memory.” “You see your highness, when it’s necessary, the rook can change positions with the king, and so make a connection with the other rook. And nothing, your highness, nothing I say, has more destructive power in chess than a pair of rooks!” “Still lacking the friend thing little one.” “You see, that's the best part! The rook not only saves the king! It also got a better position to create… connections with other pieces… and so reach the objective... by exploiting the other pieces since the rook is the piece which makes more mates…” Celestia… my talent is to manipulate others… I… it’s… “I can’t tell if it’s a good thing or not, but it may help my son in the future little one. Personally, I prefer something like piano. You see, one of my dreams in my old days is to have a daughter, or a daughter-in-law, to play piano for me. I would like you to play a bit for me and my guests, since I know you can do it.” He clapped his hoofs and the piano which floated in the air landed in the middle of the party! “I-” “But of course my daughter can do it, your highness!” Dad looked at me and whispered in my ear. “You must nail it, Cozy, or we’re gonna lose him.” I gulped while looking at that enormous piano. It has to be bigger than a conventional one. “Any preference, your highness?” “You see, as a pony with many friends, it reached my ear that some ponies call you the new Frank List. Which, pardon my language, you must have guts to own this title and not having a piano’s cutie mark, don’t you agree? “I- yes your- I mean- I- my teacher nicknamed me this your highness.” “Well, you didn’t try to wash this nickname away didn’t you?” “No your highness.” “So it's decided, I want you to play La Campanella from Frank List.” Oh no, no no no no no no! “A wise choice, your highness!” No dad! That's many things but a wise choice it’s not! “I’ll be waiting.” Waving his head, Fancy Pants trotted slowly towards the center of the party. “Okay Cozy, you have one job, you know that music right?” “Y-yes but-” “Now go there, and nail it like you never nailed a music before.” “B-but dad-” “No Cozy! I don’t want buts, I want you to go there and play that piano!” “O-okay dad.” I flew toward the piano causing some gasps from some guests. I think not all of them noticed I’m a pegasus. I sat and touched one key. The piano came to life in an instant and when I stopped pressing it the sound ceased. I sighed, this music is a nightmare. I closed my eyes and sighed again, then something sparkled in my head. If I fail, I won't marry. I just need to fail and, and I win? Dad and mister Fancy Pants coughed. I just need to fail. I pressed another key and the piano roared again filling the salon with its music. I don’t see anything, I don’t hear anything but music. How much time has passed since I pressed this key? I can't tell, but I quickly started pressing the other keys. Key after key I played, and note after note the piano produced and soon his roar became a shy song, and then I heard the gasp of my spectators when the hard part began, and the song became music. I just need to miss a key, be late to press one, but this thought never crossed my mind. I opened my eyes. my body is almost moving alone. The piano was so large I had to move my whole body to press a key in one extremity and quickly get back to press another key in the other extremity. Soon I began sweating from sheer excitement. Why did I have to have this cutie mark? Why not piano? I love this. I bit my low lips while continuing to press the piano keys more and more fast. Then I slowed, and after three solid presses I finished. I… I did it… dad… When I turned I saw dad and mister Fancy Pants shaking each other's hoofs. I sealed my destiny ...Author's Note I don’t like telling you guys what's gonna happen in the chapter ‘cause it feels like a spoiler. Sooo, look at the tags, yes the red ones. Yeah, it’s there for a reason and the reason is this chapter. (except death) welp, I warned you. ... I’m sitting in the middle of the school, many of my… loyal voters are around me. I grab one grape from the many plates around me and eat it slowly. I don't remember the last time I ate grapes. I clapped my hooves and another round of plates emerged. This time I didn’t spot anything particularly good. I clapped my hooves again and they left. "This is bullcrap! She was cutie-less not too long ago!” “Shut up! You want trouble?!” “Yes Blue lamp, do you want me to expose your nasty doings? What about the bribery you daddy has been doing for years?” They both gulped before leaving. This is so easy and they barely resist my threats! I got elected and had access to the school files. Now I rule this class. I looked around and many of my loyal voters gazed at me with frowns and angry faces. I just needed to raise an eyebrow and they happily started smiling and nodding happily at me. Then one pony stepped in front of me, I smiled because he is one of the onlys I couldn’t find a flaw to exploit or bribe to become my... friend. “Mint! My friend! Want some grapes? Or maybe some nuts?” I happily said, but before I clapped my hoofs he said to me stop. “Cozy, this is wrong! What you’re doing here is wrong!” “Oh my, but what did I do? Tell me, Blue Lamp, did I force your father to bribe your teacher? Or you Shining Star, did I force your father to embezzle money from lunch?” They both wisely shaked their heads of course. "See? I’m being a great friend by not telling the authorities! Isn’t it super cool!” “NO! I mean yes? You know what I meant! You can’t treat them like this! They are ponies too! “Oh, like me when I arrived here? they-YOU treated me like a piece of crap from the very first step I took inside this school!” “I already said I’m sorry!” “BUT THEY DIDN’T!” I shouted hitting the bench. Blue Lamp raised his hoof. “No, you can’t say you’re sorry!” Blue Lamp lowered his hoof. Mint looked me up and down before sighing and walking away. “I thought you were better than us all. I was wrong.” I wanted to yell at him, but I didn't have the right words. I wanted to be mad at him, but couldn’t for some unknown reason. Then, for some ungodly reason I wanted to cry. No, I said to myself biting my lower lips and holding in this ungodly feeling. I closed my eyes and started breathing slowly. In and out, in and out. When I finished I witnessed Mint trotting away, but he stopped and looked back at me. I wanted to raise my hoof and call him, I wanted to tell him some of my problems I vehemently kept to myself, but I just snorted, crossed my hoofs and looked away. He… he has no use for me... “-And tell ya one thing princess, your daddy always cried when some bully beat the heck outta him! But me and another pal of us avenged your dad! Ahh, the good ol’ days.” “No way!” I giggled at the Mister Wheels story. He alway got a new one every day, and he keeps calling me princess due to my… wedding. I asked him to stop but after a day or two he seemed to forget or just ignore my request, so I just gave up and rolled with it. “Yes! Totally! Your daddy is probably still a push-over, at leas’ when he is not workin’.” I chuckled with the idea of daddy being a push-over. Mister Wheels stopped in front of my house and I left his cart. I turned to him to say thanks as I always do but I noticed his fixed gaze at my house. A bit curious I followed his look and what I saw made me do a little jump! In one of our windows a pegasus flew away desperately and before I could say anything mister Wheels opened his wings and chased him! I blinked a pair of times before processing everything, that’s daddy’s room! I grabbed my bag and flew in. I almost headbutted the door due to my hurry! “MOM!” I shouted while throwing my bag on the stairs and flying to her room. When I opened the door I expected… I don’t know what I expected but it certainly wasn’t mom sitting over her bed with a coup floating magically around her. "Mom?! What happened?!” She just sighed and put her coup away. “Shit.” She said dryly. From under her bed she got a fancy bottle filled with something pink. Before I could say anything she opened it and started drinking directly from the bottle! “Get out!” “You’re ok-” “STOP PREDENDING YOU CARE ABOUT ME AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM!” She yelled and prepared to throw the bottle at me! I shivered and closed my eyes ready for the impact, but using her magic she stopped the bottle and… and started petting it? Before I could say anything Mister Wheels entered from the window with a k-knive in his hoofs?! When he basically chased in he looked around the room and he threw himself against the door. “Is the house clear?” His voice, direct and firm, almost didn’t sound like him. “Yes Whe, it is.” Mom said, hiding the bottle under the bed and looking at him. Mister Wheels nodded, keeping his knife in his fedora. He approached mommy and grabbed by her shoulder. “Did he hurted you? Are you ‘kay?” Mom just shaked her head and he released her. He put one of his hoofs on his mouth and started looking around before staring at mom again. “He threatened you? He stole anything?” He said, his voice high and filled with authority, again, almost didn’t sound like him. Mom shakes her head again, this time Mister Wheels shouted in anger and layed on the window. “Fuck, I lost him on some alley, shit! Just say a word and I get tha’ fella head for ya Sprint, I marked his face!” “N-no, he was a… client.” “A CLIENT? What kind of client leaves a house using a window?!” “That kind of client.” “Oh, shit.” Mister Wheels' ears folded and he looked away. “So, is the house clear?” Mom nodded with her half-opened eyes, she seemed almost elsewhere. “You know, I... I mean, he is my-” “I understand Whe, I’m not gonna be mad at you.” Mister Wheels gulped, took off his hat quickly and trotted away. I turned to mom and her face scrunched up in anger. Now that was my time to gulp and walk away! But when I was about to leave, my mom called me. “Cozy?” “Y-yes?” I said while a bit nervous and understood half the things just happened. “Put… put some ice in the freeze for me, please.” I quickly nodded and flew to do it! It’s the next day and we’re all sitting at our now-mended table and eating a bit of cheese and not-so-old-bread. It’s early, 7 p.m. more exactly. Mom didn’t even touch her food and I already finished mine. When dad ate the last part of his bread, he cleaned his throat and looked at us. “No one got nothing to say? Maybe, dunno, confess anything?” He said using that face and staring at mom and then at me. I started looking away, scratching my neck and trying to whistle but failing miserably . “Well, Wheels told me some wild… thing, happened yesterday, and I should talk with you. I really don’t want to ask directly at him, so, what happened?” Mom took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After dad decided it was foolish to gaze at someone with closed eyes he looked at me! I gulped immediately. “Tell me Cozy.” I looked at him a bit nervously. “Please don’t be mad!” Mom sighed her deep breath out. “I would never be mad at you darling, now tell me.” Dad said undoing that face and smiling at me. I was about to look at mom but he softly hitted the table and widened his eyes towards me. “Somepony was here yesterday. He fled from your window.” Dad's eyes slowly seemed to process what I said and immediately that face came back. He looked at mom and then he got up. Mom stared at him, her eyes filled with a mix of determination and anger but dad walked by her and punched the floor! He started punching it in some points until one plank just popped out of place. He then kneeled and put his hoof on that hole and got a jar half-filled with bits. He hugged it in relief. I looked at mom trying to understand what’s happening and she seemed equally confused too. Dad put that jar on the hole and put the plank in the same place again, sealing that hideout. Then he gazed at mom and got up. “I don’t care who you sleep with or how you make your bits to spend on cheap booze, but you brought a stallion to this house while Cozy was here, and this I’ll not tolerate.” “B-but she wa-” Dad slapped her in the face violently! The sound was so loud that I flinched. Dad turned to me and smiled, g-gently? “Sweetie, since today is Saturday and you have some hours before you go to ballet, what do you think about going to the park? Mommy and daddy gotta talk for a while.” I looked at mom, she covered her hurted face with her hoof and looked away from me. “S-she is in trouble?” Dad just smiled in answer and mom got up and walked to her room. Gulping, I got up and trotted towards the door. “You know the park, right? Where Wheel works, just go talk with him or alike; don’t speak with strangers!” Nodding, I left the house. I heard some yells and bad-words. I heard some screams. And then I heard nothing. “To-today… is a new… a new…” After dad got to work I walked back home. The table got turned over, mom's food laid on the floor and the table seemed a bit more shaky. I looked around, everything seemed dark, even with holes in the ceiling the sun fails to illuminate the house. I flew upstairs and I noticed one step of the stairs looked broken like somepony smashed it. I gulped and continued flying up. Dad's door knob is missing and the door looks a little dented. When I touched it it moved easily. I don’t have to go there, I said to myself when I heard a sobbing coming from there. Licking my dry lips I slowly started opening it. I gasped with what I witnessed, I immediately flew downstairs, opened the freezer and got as many bags of ice I could carry. When I got back I felt an urge to puke, but I swallowed that and gazed a-at my mom. She is laying against the bed. Her pink fur is covered with some bloodstains and a blood pool on her back. But the worst was her face. Her snout seemed broken, her face swollen with bruises in such a way I can’t see her golden eyes. Blood dropped from her half open mouth and some part of her mane were missing, just to be found in some random part of the room; in her neck I could see some kind of marks like something pressed her there. I put the bags of ice on the bed and grabbed one. Where should I put it? I questioned myself. Then mom coughed and some blood came out of her mouth. That sound, that was sick, sounded like some part of her just broke from coughing and her own breathing sounded… wrong. Not knowing where to put the bag, I gently placed it on her head. She instantly reacted, she raised one of her hoofs, which was bent at an unnatural angle, over her head. “Peasee, stolp peaseee!” She cried in sheer panic and fear. I never heard her voice so broken and fearful. I never heard a voice this broken or fearful actually… “It’s me, mom.” I said and her movements ceased. “Gow awey!” “But you’re hurt! I-" “GOW AWEYE!” She yelled, spitting blood and curses toward me. I quickly got to my room and hid myself under my blanket. I was shaking all over myself, I peeked my hoof and noticed one thing. I’m covered in blood. I got home, Mister Wheels is cool and all, but I wasn't in the mood to chit-chat. I looked at dad’s window now covered with planks. It’s hard to believe it happened two months ago. I flew in and sighed leaning against the door. My loyal voters are plotting something. I can’t tell what, but I smell conspiracies from far away. I put my backpack over the table and put my homework over it, basic math. Gotta take half a hour an- “Cozy, get here.” I raised an eyebrow from mom’s call, shrugging. I just flew towards her room. The door was still a bit dented, but they put in a new knob. I touched it for a few seconds before opening it and going in. Since the window is barricaded, barely any light filled the room. But I could easily recognize mom sitting on her bed. “Yes mom?” She instantly, upon hearing my voice, looked away and the door behind me slammed closed. I looked back and my eyes widened seeing a tall white pony wearing a black suit behind me. “Indeed, she is gorgeous!” A strange and shrill voice said. His voice sounded unnatural. “H-hi mister? Y-you’re one of mom’s friends?” I tried to look at his face, but it seemed blurry, I couldn't recognize anything but a monocle. “And she has good manners? Indeed a rare find.” He said lowering his head to my level. From his blurry face I could recognize a lick of lips. “M-mom, who is he?”I turned to my mommy, already a bit nervous. She just looked at him, I expected now to the part where this crepiness ends and he introduces himself, not what mom just said. “Where are the bits?” The stallion chuckled and from his suit he grabbed two little bags and threw them over the bed, the indistinguishable sound of bits echoed. “Direct to business ahm? Good, here, one thousand bits as we agreed.” “One thousand! Wow! This is going to help us pay the bills!” I chucked cheerful! Just when I was about to touch the bags, mom quickly grabbed them and put them away from me. “M-mom?” “Ohhhh, her voice! Hmmmm, it's just divine!” I turned to him, even unable to see him, I know he gazed at me like a hawk. I gulped, a bit nervous now. “Mom, who is he?” I said again walking away from the stallion who approached me every second. But I never got an answer, when I peeked quickly at mom I saw she was looking at the bags of bits. “Your name is Cozy Glow, little girl?” “Y-yes mister, may I know your name?” My voice failed for one second. From his blurry face I noticed an ear to ear smile and another lick of lips. “She is perfect!” Then I felt… something in my special place! Something poked there! And I did a little jump from sheer reflex! My entire body trembled for a second and I started sweating while looking at his now glowing horn. I tried to say anything but again I felt that pressure on my special place. This time I squeezed and lowered my tail to cover my special place. An Indescribable sensation invaded my body while, for some unknown reason I felt… dirty. “So beautiful. Worth, every, bit.” He said again. I gazed now almost panicking to mom. She was just counting the bits! I retread, with every step he does I take two steps back! Until I hit the wall. Then my heart stopped for a second, there was no more space to retreat! With his magic he started touching my wing, my sides, and then I felt that same pressure in my special place! I wheezed and contracted my body for reflex and only one thing stuck in my mind. This is wrong. “Shhh now little one, you’re gonna love it.” His horn shined again and he lifted me by my front hooves, my entire body exposed to him. I don’t know why, but this felt so wrong, I felt so dirty and tears already formed in my eyes even though I can’t tell why. “Wait, you’re going to do it here?” Mom said, don’t know, my mind is so confused I can barely think. “You can go now dear, go have the life you wanted!” “B-but you’re going to do it here? Now?” “We will have plenty of time to play in my house, but I want to unseal this pretty now! But if you want to join. I'm going to tell you that it is pretty sick even for my standards. But I’ll allow, I can even give you some bit’s for the inconvenience!” “N-no.” “So my dear, the door is right here!” I gulped, then I shivered when I felt his tongue on my belly! I felt sick, my stomach twisted in disgust and I felt like I was about to puke! I tried to shove him away, but his magic held me in place. Slowly his tongue got higher and higher. I felt that pressure again and I squeezed my back hooves together the best I could. It's insane how I can’t describe what I’m feeling without using strange or dirty as adjectives. When he finished licking me he grabbed my face and forced eye contact. “You’re going to love it dear.” Then the pressure came thousands of times stronger and… and something happened! My mouth opened involuntarily and I started to cry. I felt his magic sneaking through my whole body, my wings, my flank, every small part of me. Using my last strength I cried to mom to help me and I looked at her. She was still sitting on her bed. Staring at me. He put his face near my neck and started sniffing and then licked my neck. This is wrong! There is no way this is merely right! Then something happened, the underside of my body started lifting. I tried to resist, to move my hips or hoofs but it was in vain! Soon my special parts were in front of his face! I Was already crying and sobbing, begging for help. He approached his face and I prepared myself for the impossible and inimaginable, I contracted what I could of my body while he got a long sniff of it. He opened his mouth and- “STOP!” Immediately he stopped, and slowly he turned to my mom. “Pardon me? I was about to get in the best part!” “I-I told you to stop!” He released me and I fell to the ground. It hurted, but even so it seemed insignificant compared to what I’m feeling right now. I started immediately curling the best I could and scratching my body trying to get rid of this invisible feeling of dirtiness! “You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, miss?” “L-let my daughter alone or I’m gonna scream.” “Really? Feeling guilty now? Just get the heck outta here! I didn’t ask you to see it!” “Get out of my house.” I opened my eyes after scratching my body for what felt like and eternity and I looked at them. Mom is in front of him, he is a bit bigger than her, but she is using that face. The stallion looked at her for some moments before looking at me. I squeezed and contracted my body from fear of… of anything. “I gave you a thousand, what five hundred bits would do to change your mind?” He said, throwing another bag to the bed. Mom said nothing but pointed her hoof to the door. He stretched his eyes and looked again at me before throwing another bag. “Two thousand bits! With this you may finally drink until you die in some random alley!” Mom's eyes widened a bit, almost unconsciously while she quickly looked at that fortune over her bed. She shakes her head and points her hoof to the door. “You son of a- “ He grumped and looked me in the eyes. Even though he had a camouflage on his face, it didn’t stop the sick feeling I felt when he started staring at me for some time. I curled again and sobbed. “Okay!” He shouted, throwing one big and heavy bag over the bed. “This is the biggest fortune I paid for a filly but she is worth it. Three thousand bits and none more!” Mom's eyes widened like plates while she gazed at that big bag layed over the bed, many bits scattered around her bed. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, just a mute gasp. “Yes, with this you can drink literally for months and still have some bits! Or you could open a ballet class like you dreamed. If you fear your husband I even include here a I-get-rid-of-him ticket. Just. Get out. Mom slowly kneed against the bed, her hoofs shaking while touching the bits. “Good, everypony has their price Miss, now if you excuse me.” He said, opening the door and looking at me again. I gulped and felt a cold bolt going through my spine when he lifted me again! I shaked and resisted the best I could but his magic was too strong. This time he spread my back hoofs and that strange and sick feeling filled me again. I cried for help once again and mom shouted. When I looked at her, she, using her magic, levitated all the bags and threw them at him. I fell and gazed with a mix of disgust and sickness while mom yelled towards him! She threw bag after bag and used many bad-words I had never heard before. Finally the biggest bag hit his chest and mom walked toward him, hitting the floor and using an incessant flow of curses. He retreated surprised with mom’s action and when he stayed on the door he stopped his retreat. "Stop! Dammit! You’re mad! I gave you the opportunity to change your life and you just threw it at me?!” Mom fulminated him with her eyes and he peeked at me. “Two thousand bits for an in and out.” “Wha-” “Ten minutes, I’m giving the best deal of your life! Just give me ten minutes and I will give you two thousand bits! You can keep her if you wish!” Mom blinked for some seconds before smashing the door closed and walking away from it. “YOU BETTER DON’T TELL A PONY ABOUT THIS OR I’M GOING TO HAVE YOUR HEAD OVER MY FIREPLACE!” He yelled from behind the door before leaving our house. Mom sobbed and laid against her bed before bursting into tears. She levitated a bottle from under her bed and grabbed it. Her hoofs shaked frantically and she just threw the bottle away! I was still curled, my body shaking sometimes from an indescribable feeling which was still permeating my body. But gulping and using all my strength I breaked my defensive curl and crawled towards mom. She was crying and sobbing like me a few moments ago. I sat by her and cleaned my throat. “M-m-mom? You’re okay?” She stopped crying and stared at me with her golden eyes moisted due to her cry. “I’m a pi-piece of shit Cozy! I almost! I barely-” She breaked in tears again. I looked her up and down before sighing and releasing some pressure from my chest I didn’t know I was holding, and tears formed in my eyes while that strange feeling started building up again in my belly. I felt something touching my shoulder and at first my shoulders shivered, and soon my whole body trembled and a feeling of panic spread in my body. I gazed at my shoulders and for a second I saw that faceless pony, and a second after that the pony disappeared and mom looked at me with her eyes wide. Her hoof recoiled instantly due to my shudder. Her face trembled in a mix of guilt and disgust before she put her hoof on the ground. “I’m sorry Cozy, I know my words may mean nothing to you, and you may forever hate me, but I’m sorry.” She said, sounding like a squeaky cat before crying. “M-mom.” I Said raising my hoof and reluctantly touching her shoulders. “I don’t hate you, you’re my ma.” She instantly cried before grabbing me and hugging me. I did my best to not squeeze at her touch and after a few seconds I returned the hug. We stayed there, hugging each other for some moments until mom pulled away from me a little bit and grabbed my shoulders. Her eyes were deadly gazing at me. “L-listen here Cozy, your dad, he can’t know shit about what just happened!” “I-” “If you think what he did to me months ago was… too much. He is going to kill me Cozy! For what I did!” “I don’t get-” “I KNOW!” she cried looking down and pressing her head towards my chest. “I know…” She repeated again before sobbing. I looked down, trying to remember what just happened and my belly started to feel weird again. I bite my lower lips. “But mom, you did something bad.” Mom raised her head and I pointed at her with my hoof. “P-please Cozy, he’s going to… to…” “You said bad-words.” I said to her and her eyes widened for one instant. She smiled shyly at me. “Y-yes Cozy, I said.” “And dad said I must tell him, when you say bad words.” Mom nodded “Yes, you must.” She let me go, and a strange and good sensation filled my chest when her touch ceased. I nodded and turned to walk to my room. When I passed the door I heard her muttering. “I’m so sorry.” I closed the door without looking back. I runned towards my room, quickly closing the door and throwing myself on my bed. I covered myself with my blanket and as soon as I did it I started crying for some unknown reason. That sensation of dirtiness filled me again and I put one hoof some centimeters over my groin. I bit my low lips while curling and trembling for a reason I can’t explain. Everything felt so cold, so dark, and for the first time in my life I felt… alone. It's the next day, we are sitting in our kitchen and I stare at the food. I thought about eating it, but an urge to puke filled me. I pushed the plate away and sighed. Mom, who was eating some bread, noticed and dropped her food. Dad was the last one to notice it all. He raised a brow and also dropped his food gazing threateningly at mom before putting his hoof on my shoulder. I instantly shivered and squeezed internally, recoining from his touch. Dad looked at me surprised, his smile fading while he stared at mom. Mom coughed, filled her lungs with air and stared dad back. “What happened?” Dad questioned and mom let out her breath. “I-” “Mom said, bad-words yesterday.” They both blinked at me while I gazed at the floor. Dad laid on his chair which even after all those years didn’t break, just creeks and twisted with his weight while he crossed his hoofs. “Is it so?” I nodded. “I think it’s time for you to go to school, Cozy.” Dad said. I just nodded and grabbed my backpack before trotting outwards. I heard dad shouting, then nothing else. I got out of the cart a bit tired, I turned to mister Wheels and got a little surprised when he showed me a strawberry lollipop. “A tribute, for my princess!” He said bowing and making a fun voice. I chuckled while I took the lollipop and put on my backpack. “Thanks mister Wheels.” “Thou shall know that I am always here for you, my princess!” Mister Wheels joked, bowing his head and taking off his hat. I smiled, stuffing my chest and raising my head. “Then thou shall know your loyalty is known, my friend!” I said trying to do the fanciest voice I could. We both bursted in laughs before mister Wheels trotted away. I turned to my house and trotted in. When I closed the door I trotted towards the freezer but stopped noticing somepony sitting on the table. Mom was there, I saw half her face. In front of her was a closed bottle of wine and an empty glass. I was about to walk away when I realised it. A closed bottle? I thought not remembering a single time I saw her not drinking or opening a bottle to drink. I approached mom and she turned her face to me. Her right cheek was a bit bruised. Sadly, I had seen worse. “H-hi sweetie.” She said with a hoarse voice. I felt something indescribably when she said sweetie, but different from yesterday, this feeling felt good! “Hi mom.” I said sitting by her. She sighed and looked at the bottle. “It's tempting. A torture actually. I never wanted so bad for a drink in my whole life, but I know if I drank it, all that happened yesterday will mean as much as nothing. Despite that, this is the cause of what happened yesterday.” I raised a brow and read the bottle. It's the same fancy bottle mom kept under her room with a pink liquid. I didn’t find anything particularly interesting written in the bottle. “I didn’t get it.” “It's easy to agree with something absurd when you are drunk and filled with luxury and greed.” luxu-what? “I dunno why I didn’t drink yesterday. You and your dad leave and I go drunk or find some… a client to buy me wine. But I didn’t yesterday. I can only imagine what could’ve happened if I had drunk.” Gulping and trying to not think much about yesterday I grabbed her hoof. “You would’ve helped me! You're my ma!” She tried to smile, but it clearly was forced. “I hope so.” Mom raised her hoof and touched the glass softly. “What do you think about your marriage?” “I-I try not to think much about it.” “Yeah, I know. Your daddy Cozy, he is using you, like he used me and many others. Heck! He may not even be a friend of Wheels and may be using him as far as I know!” “N-no! daddy is-” “Do you know how I met him?” She interrupted me and I shook my head curious about that. “I was young and rebelled towards my dad. He wanted me to follow rules, to follow our home tradition, not dance ballet; then I met your dad in a bar; he promised me the world, free of responsibilities and connections with pa. I was a fool believing him.” “T-the world?” Mommy nodded. “The whole world!” She raised her hoofs in the air like she witnessed something majestic. “And we were pretty happy in the beginning. Your daddy worked for Wheel’s pa at that time; like that my life started.” “But?” She looked me in the eyes before gazing at the bottle. “But then you were born Cozy.” I opened my mouth and looked down. Before I could say anything she gently grabbed me for my chin and looked at my eyes. “Don’t dare think about it, Cozy! You are one of the few things I did right in my life! Even if it took years for me to realise it.” I nodded to her. “When you were born, he changed. No more hugs, no more kisses, no more se-love.” She blushed a little. “Then, some days after that my accident.” Mom poked her back hoofs. “Two broken legs; end of my career. Then everything turned about you. Where we spent our bits, what to buy or sell. Everything. Slowly my life turned into a hell and I loved him too much to realize it.” Mom said softly, grabbing the bottle and looking at it. “Just when he hitted me for the first time I realized how fu-bad, my situation was. It was already too late to go back. With him I got a roof over my head; my dad still hasn't forgiven me.” I looked to the floor not knowing what to say. “Golly.” was the only word scaping my lips. “Golly Cozy, just golly to help us now.” She said moving the bottle and watching the liquid inside. “Mom?” I said, thinking about something. “Yeah darling?” My heart warmed a bit from her words but I had to focus and not forget what I was about to say. “Why don't you stand up against dad?” “Pff, really?” She pointed to her back hoofs. “I can barely run, now fight with him? I learned early to just endure it.” “B-but you standed up yesterday!” Her eyes twitched for one moment before she sighed. "That was different.” “You’re a unicorn! You have magic.” Mom touched her horn before looking at me. “I still don’t think I can win, Cozy.” “But there it is! it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about showing what he is doing is not cool!” “That discussion will not end well Cozy.” I looked at her and grabbed her hoof. “Isn’t it a burden you’re willing to face?” She opened her mouth to say something, but she didn’t say anything. Sighing she used her other hoof to hold mine. “I’m gonna try Cozy.” I barely contained my smile before hugging her! “Thanks mommy!” She returned the hug. "Tomorrow! I have a school trip tomorrow and dad doesn't work! So it’s a perfect day! It’s almost destiny!” Mom chuckled to me. I got up and grabbed my backpack. Nothing can go wrong! Pretty sick story isn’t it?Everything went wrong. I thought, leaving the school bus and dropping my backpack. In front of me, lots of ponies stared and pointed to my house which was on fire! I flew over then and stopped when a firepony said to me stop. He wore the typical uniform and an axe was strapped to his back. I looked around hoping to see daddy and mommy yelling at each other. Faust, even fighting! I just wanted to see them but as much as I looked I didn’t see anything! Then I heard I bad-word coming from my right and I flew toward that voice! Passing by one last pony I saw mister Wheels surrounded by his employees. He was kneede towards the house, crying and hitting the ground. “Where are dad and mom!?” I shouted flying towards him. He stopped hitting the ground and many of his employees gasped at me. Slowly he looked at me and before I could say anything or react he hugged me. “MY FAUST YOU’RE ‘KAY! I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN THERE!” He cried and pointed to the house. Some guards surrounded us and mister Wheels got up and pressed his face against the helm of one of them! “NOT NOW SHIELD!” Wheels yelled. “You did this, didn't ya marginal?! Your luck ended Wheels, you’re going to jail now!” Many of Wheels employees started grumping and grabbing from their cloaks chains and some crowbars! I looked up and some fireponies tried to approach the house but the flames almost got them! Then one of the windows blew up and a brawl started right behind me. Then I realised something. They still in there! Without thinking much I flew toward my home. I heard mister Wheels shouting something at me and one of the fireponies tried to hold me, but I quickly dodged him. After closing my eyes I flew towards the broken window and got in. It's hot. That's the first thing in my mind. A flame burst a few centimeters over my head towards the window. If I were some seconds later that would have burned me! Without wanting to lose one more second I turned to the kitchen and immediately I kneeled and threw up. Everything was a mess, what wasn’t burning were in pieces and broken. Mom laid near the stairs, her head, half-opened with a strain of blood dripping from her head. The culprit, a leg of our table laid a few centimeters from mom covered in blood. Despite the grotesque scene, her face seemed so peaceful and calm, with a smile on her face. Then a burst of flames comes as if from nowhere and engold mom's body! Trying to look away I saw daddy laind against our freezer, many pages and papers around him. I took one step towards him and jumped when I heard him coughing! He was still alive! I shouted for help but the flames were implacable, my vision getting dizzy. “Get up dad!” I yelled and he just moved his head towards me, the smoke making it hard to see him. I took a deep breath, which proved to be foolish considering the smoke around me and I runned towards dad coughing and spitting smoke from my mouth! When I got near him I kneed. There is a broken bottle pierced in his throat. The bottle, adorned with golden accents, having somehow, a red-pink liquid dripping from it. “D-dad?” I said and his eyes opened for one instat towards me. His mouth moved but no sound came from it. Using what I believe to be his last strengths he grabbed one book from behind him and handed me before his body stopped moving. I looked at the title: ~~The things I did for your good~~. I’m sorry Cozy. I read the last part written with blood. I was about to look or yell at him to get up but another burst of flames made me retreat and close my eyes. When I opened them I saw his body now surrounded by flames! My heart stopped, something inside me, I don’t know what, just broke while I looked at my dad's skin burning and melting like rubber. I smiled. This is wrong! And yet I smiled! “I’m free.” I whispered to myself throwing the book to the flames around me. I looked at mom, she was in the same state as dad. I smiled again while mom’s smile melted to become just flesh and bone. THIS IS WRONG! I Trotted in the middle of the flames, almost as if it wasn’t there. After gazing at the floor and praying to the space to be clear of fire I smiled and punched it. One plank popped out and from there I grabbed a hot-jar half filled with bits! The door was smashed in two and a firepony runned in and shouted while looking around. I shouted back, my vision blurring more and more. I flew towards him dodging the flames in the process. Holding the jar of course. He grabbed me and gave me a mask of some sort and I breathed. It felt divine, like pure air from mountains I never visited. And without losing time he carried me away from the house. One last time, before he runned away I looked back to my parents and my heart... it hurted imensily. And I smiled while whispering. “I’m free.” I’m sitting in the middle of a white-cream room. There are some benches and toys scattered around the room, a window, one door and some posters. I touch one of the toys. I played with the toys; I felt nothing. I gazed at the window and I saw a couple of birds flying away and I sighed. WHY? Why am I not crying? Why I’m so calm?! I’m… I’m relieved. I’m free. almost actually. The door opened and a nurse walked in with a clipboard floating in front of her. When we made eye contact she tried her best to fake it out a smile to me. I just smiled back and got back to play with those not-funny toys. “Cozy Glow?” She said, more reading her clipboard than looking at me. I just nodded while hitting two toy-trains at each other. One thought came to my mind. How would that be? Would be violent obviously, but what about the injuries, the passengers? The impossible angles their limbs wou- WHAT THE FUCK! No! This is sick! E-enough of this! She kneed to my level and smiled. I don’t care how many years of experience this nurse has, I’m gonna wreck her! “Miss?” I said putting my best pupping eyes and childish voice. her eyes wided a bit and a genuine smile came out of her face. “Where are my parents?” Then her smile faded and doubt invaded her mind. She quickly looked in her clipboard and gulped dryly. “C-Cozy, I got-” “ 'Cause dad said we were going to the park today! And I’m super-duper excited about it!” Her eyes twitched and she hid some part of her face behind her clipboard. I got up and flew around the room. “Mommy is going to make her special cookies! Gonna be super WOWWEE! OH! Do you want some? I will keep some for you!” Now she hides her whole face behind her clipboard. After I heard a bit of sobbing she put the clipboard down and looked at me, and again she gulped when I used my puppy eyes. “They are- they-” “Where are they?” I said innocently puting one hoof on my chin. “They are in the hospital! They’re injured, Cozy.” “Oh no!” I put both my hoofs on my face. “Oh golly no! But they’re going to be 'kay right?!” Her ears folded and she started looking away. “You- see, they are really hurt Cozy and-” I holded her hoof and trembled my lips, my eyes at the point of crying. “We’ll try our best!” She sighed defeated! I opened my eyes and flew around her in sheer excitement. “I’m so happy! Miss, can I have daddy’s jar?” “Daddy what?” “It’s a gift daddy wanted to give me today! You see, today is my birthday!” Her eyes widened and her mouth almost fell from her face! It's priceless! “But I really-really want it now! Can I have it?!” “Don’t know Cozy, it’s with some guards now…” I just made my puppy's eyes and she nodded and walked away. When she left I put my smile away and sat on the floor. I filled my lungs and gazed at the toy-trains. I gulped and put my hoof on my chest. Something feels… off. After some time she arrived and gave the jar of bits and said to me not to lose it and I quickly agreed while shaking the jar. She asked a couple of pointless questions before leaving. After some time of peace in my room, I grab my jar which can have hundreds of bits or more and I look at it. “Thanks dad.” I said to myself. Before I could do anything more I got blinded for a ray of light coming from the window. I shaked my head and when my vision came back I was in front of a poster of princess Twilight. She was blinking to me and stayed over some words. In the friendship school, you can learn how to make real friends! I blinked a pair of times. “Friends” I whispered, ripping off a piece of the poster and running towards the window. I opened it and a wind current greeted me. Looking down I saw Mister Wheels entering the hospital. For one second I froze. Doubt filling me. Then I remembered something dad said. “Don’t let nothing stay between you and what you want.” I smiled. Then what mom said. “He was using us Cozy.” Stretching my wings I fly to the horizon holding my jar of bits and a poster about a school filled with ‘friends’ I smirked remembering one thing said by many ponies. “Friends are equal power and influence.” Pretty sick story isn’t it? “Cozy, my Faust I-” Undo the spell Starlight. “I can’t-” We both know you can, now undo the spell. I moaned in a way that only if you were petrified too you would understand. I stretched my little wings and puffed my chest opening my eyes. In front of me was Starlight Glimmer. A pink unicorn wearing some big glasses and with a multicolored notepad with some writing in it layed on the floor. I quickly flew off my pedestal and trotted towards the only door in this black room. Starlight opened her mouth to say something but I put my hoof on her snout. “Na-na! Tell me Starlight, still hope for me? After what I did? What I caused? Tell ya. No!” “One more thing! I’m not the only one around the world, there are many like me! But I was the first to step up and chose my destiny! I’ll not end up marrying a prick boy or end up in some dirty basement!” “And there is nothing stopping me from getting what I want!” I turned and clapped my hoofs evilly. “And what do you want?” She said her voice cranky. "The world!” I laugh maliciously! “And then what?” She said, taking off her glasses. “And after that? What do you do?” My smile stopped while I processed what she just said, but then I just sighed, not in the mood to lie. “Then I join mom and dad.” I said turning and slamming the door. “W-wait Cozy we-” "WASSUP!" a giant-red fist smashed the door open and a red minotaur entered the room. “You’re late!” “Ahhh shut up! It's Chrysalis' fault for taking too long to free me! Now get here!” Tirek said grumpily, extending his massive hand that I quickly got up and sat on his shoulders. I looked at Starlight who gazed at us scared and confused. I raised my hoof and she nodded, knowing what I meant. “This… story, all this!” She said, cleaning some tears from her face. “It's all true right?” I wrinkled my face. “Dunno!” I giggled, blinking with one eye and putting my tongue out! I did two little bumps on Tirek's head and he quickly drained Starlight. He turned and he walked away while I left my wardneer behind. I didn't look back. Today is a new day.Author's Note This story stuck in my head for a while and finally I decided to write it. should be short. Not more than 10k words. There is also one for Chrysalis and Tirek, but I chose to divide them. Today is a new day. Everything was dark, I tried to move my neck, up, down or sideways, nothing. I lost? again? darn it! I knew I couldn't trust that foal! cursed be the universe! "You’re there Cozy?" Ohhh, and it looks like I already have company, can you hear me? "Y-yes Cozy, we can." Can you let me go? I swear this time I learned my lesson, I'll be a good filly! I swear! "Pff, okay, you said the same thing the last three times, and you tried taking Equestria the last three times!" "Twilight, please." In my defense, you petrified me, a helpless little foal three...four times! There must be a law prohibiting this. "Cozy, please, not now." "Enough of this Starlight, we've tried everything, EVERYTHING, but she doesn't want help." Oh golly, come on guys, I'll give it a try this time, I swear! I pinkie promise! I hear the sound of screaming and what sounds like a... cannon? "Don't dare, joke with this. Pinkie asked to tell you that you're not allowed to make pinkie promises. Forever.” Sad, at least I won't have to listen to that babbler anymore. "Why Cozy? You were making so much progress, you attended meetings, and your test results were impeccable! Why?” “Look Starlight, I know you want to try to help her, but some ponies just don't want help." Pff, you wouldn't understand. "So help us understand, is it about your childhood? You never commented on it." What? I'm still a child! I'm like, thirteen. Write it down, thirteen years old, almost four times ruler of Equestria, seems a good number, right ? "Enough of your jokes, Cozy Glow I- AHHHHH! forget it, look Starlight, I'll see Tirek okay? I think you can handle this." "Happy Cozy?" Well, from the sound of the door closing so abruptly, I see-hear, I hear this as an absolute win. "Want to talk?" Nope, I'm gonna find a way out. "If you saw where you are, I think you'd take those words back. I'm referring to your problem." I don't have problems, you do. "Really? And what would that problem be?" I don't know, maybe because they don't use all the power of their friendships? I used it and almost ruled the country, imagine if I was already an adult! "It's not helping, I want to help you get out of here, to be a better pony." Why? Seriously, I never understood you, you were always around me, monitoring me and everything, golly! You looked like my father! "Father?" Ohhh shi- "You said you were an orphan. did you just-" Yes Shellock, I lied, again. "But why?" My hecking skies, sweet Celestia, why don't you mind your own business, huh? You don't have a bill to pay or a house to clean? A sink to wash? Or maybe grass to mow?!? "Wow." Don't start with your wow's ok? Heck, you're a pain in my flank more than Pinkie were, and that's a thing! "Want... wanna talk about it?" You're with your ridiculously big glasses and multicolored block notes? For your giggles I'm gonna take that as a yes, look, quick question, for you Starlight, what ... What is power? "Power?" Yeah, from a fully-grown failed dictator to a mere thirteen years old, what is power? By your sigh you must have rolled your eyes, oh golly, hope this isn’t a sensitive topic! "Ha ha, well, your little mind games haven't worked on me since your second escape and…yeah, that didn't sound right when I say it out loud.” Starlight focus, be concise and to the point. "Ahmm, power means... power? Being strong?" WRONG! GOLLY! THIS IS SOOOO Tirek! NO! Power, the true power comes from one thing, manipulation, if you manipulate the others, you can have anything! Money, fame, a promotion where you work or even a crown! "Bu- but Cozy-" Starlight, don't argue with an infant, let's play a game instead? "Please, I'm not joking here, I'm trying to help you!" Okay, unicorn, but let's play the game and THEN you help me, does not it sound fun? "Okay… which game?" It's not quite a game, more like a share of stories, you go first, what was the worst part of your childhood. "I'm sorry? What?" Just-just answer me okay. "Well, that was definitely when my childhood friend gained his cutie mark." Oh sweet Celestia! Such a crime! What more? "More, what do you mean with, more?" Pfffffft. That's it? Like, all of it? Welp, that explains a lot about you and your… reformation I guess. Are you writing it all down? “On rainbow paper and wearing embarrassingly large glasses, yes I am. Now it's your turn.” Oh golly, from where do I start, I mean, there are so many things. But first, what do you think I… hate most? “I can't decide between the students, the girls or me, actually.” Funny, I would laugh but you know, petrified and all. “I nailed it so?” Nope, you didn't get any close actually, Starlight, what I hate most is being manipulated, being a puppet in one's plans, I dictate my destiny. Only me. “I-” And about the worst part of my infancy, I think it's quite accurate to say that it all started one day. "Which day?" The day I was born. Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep Today, today is a new day. Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep But yesterday, yesterday was a new day too. "COZYYYYY, WAKE UP DEAR, you're going to be late for school." I sigh as I get up from my… bed. If an old mattress on the floor can be called a bed. I trot towards my mirror, a pink foal with a messy blue mane stares at me. I get a comb to straighten my mane. After finishing I fill my chest and smile. "Today is a new day!" I grab my backpack and quickly fill it with today's class books. My dad calls me one more time, better hurry up, daddy gets angry when he has to call three times. Before leaving I stop and look at my room. It was small, some old toys scattered here and there, my old desk and my… bed. As I was about to go downstairs I heard a moan coming from Dad's room. Mom had a rough morning. Again. "I arrived father." I say for the dark blue unicorn sitting at our table reading the newspaper. "Sweetie, you have to be faster and stop sleeping late." "Yes dad, sorry" he chuckles a little inwardly and goes back to reading the newspaper. I put my backpack on the table, that's when it hit me. "DAD! YOU'RE STILL HERE!" Before he could respond I flew towards him and hugged him as hard as I could. “Y-yes? I mean-” “You never stay in the morning, oh golly, is it something important? Is grandpa going to visit us?!" "Sweet Celestia Cozy, is it so hard to believe I wanted to spend more time with you and go late to work?" "YES! Who’s coming?!" Dad rolled his eyes, "Nopony, to your sadness, my pals are going to cover me, but I'm already going to work." Daddy hugged me back and lifted me up with his magic. "Where's mommy?" I say looking around, she is always the first to wake up. "Your mother had… a rough morning honey, soon she arrives." I scrunched up my face as I tried to get out of his magical grip, but it was in vain. "No no no, I got you now!" He declares, laughing evilly. Oh no, Celestia, have mercy on my soul. “Because I'm the tickling monster! muahahaha!" "Stop it!" I scream between laughs and laughter, after a couple of seconds he lets go of me while laughing too. I shake my head and straight my mane while gazing at him. He just shrugged, smirked and laid in the chair. "You're mean." "I know, and I'm the best father due to it." He said, sighing heavily and going back to reading his paper. I stick my tongue out at him before flying to the shelf!” When I open the shelf I am surprised with a lot of nothing, I grunt and fly to the others, after opening them all and finding nothing but an empty bottle of wine I find the last shelf. I open it and there is a stale and hard bread as stone, I feel a smile forming as I take the bread and set it on the table. A small sound of crack echoed with the bread hitting the table while my father was startled and fell off his chair. He stood up, a little astonished and began to poke the bread. "What is this?" "Bread? Food I guess.” I say picking up a small blunt knife to start cutting it. “Dad, the knife didn't bend! This bread shouldn't even be that old!" I lick my lips as I tear off a sizable piece of bread, but before I could eat it my father snatched my precious bread out of me! "Good joke Cozy, where's the bread?" "Don't know dad, this is the bread on the shelf." He blinks for a couple of seconds before making that face, serious face, furrowed brows and slow breathing. "I leave money for your mother to buy food before leaving for work, you've been eating… this." He signals by shaking the bread in the air with his magic. "For how long?" “Has it been a while, mom's in trouble? Oh golly if she is gonna get in trouble so this is the first time! I swear!" Dad stared at me for a few more moments before a horn from the street caught our attention, almost as if by magic he seemed to wake up and put it on the table, he sighs and levitates his keys and opens the only shelf that has a lock and from there he takes a jar. When I open it I feel my mouth watering and my heart racing! There it was! A cookie! He smiled and levitated two more and handed them to me. "Time to go to school sweetie." I wave vigorously as I immediately swallow one of the cookies and tuck the other two into my backpack and fly towards the exit. Before I leave the house I can hear Mom coming down the stairs and I spy on her, a pegasus with very beautiful pink fur and golden eyes like Newly minted bits. She was in bad shape, some bruises near her face and back. She had a rough morning. I open the door of her house and fly smoothly towards the waiting school bus. The last thing I want is to get my hooves dirty in our muddy backyard. "You cunt, didn't I tell ya to buy food!? Where is the alcohol?!" I looked around as I flew, There was a broken swing in one of the trees. Dad says he is gonna fix it, other than that only and tall grass. I like to hide in it. “Fuck you, I g-got necessities, besides, there is bread, see? ” The shrill sound of the bus horn wakes me from my almost daily-trance about a repaired balance, the driver, a Pegasus, beckons me to go and then points to his other hoof as if he had a watch. "You-you piece of - you- that money is for my daughter! How many days has she gone to school eating this-this bread?! come here!” When I got on the bus I looked at its floor, the whispers started immediately. I quickly looked for an empty seat and when I found one I sat on it. There was no one beside me, so I could lean on the window. Today, today is a new day. You never go at night to the kitchen if you hear noises coming from there!I was sleeping peacefully, can’t tell exactly if I was dreaming or not, but a loud noise woke me up. Scratching my eyes I yawned, my wings and back a bit sore due to basically sleeping on the ground. Another burst of sound echoed through the half-open door of my room. Frowning my face I get up and start flying towards the hall. I slowly open my door and peek out of it. This time the cacophony of sound could be more translated to a laugh than a new hole in the house where a current of wind would, believe or not, create loud noises. When I approached the stairs I could see that the lights were still on. Did I… Did I forget to turn it off? I hope some of them are awake or I’m gonna have some serious problems. I noticed too that the daddy room’s doors were half open too. I tried to peek in it a bit but the angle just allowed me to see daddy's desk. shrugging I continued flying towards the stairs and I stopped atop it. “I did it, Wheel your old morsel! I did!” I heard daddy's voice! Though the sound of something hitting wood caught me off guard and I squealed a little. I put my two hoof’s over my mouth hoping that nopony has heard it. Slowly I hand off my hooves from my mouth and peek at what's happening in the kitchen. Dad's sitting together with mister Wheels around the table, three heavy books in front of them. “This is dope, you did it ya son of a respectful mare.” Mister Wheels chuckled gazing at the books. “I know! I mean, I finished the third one a couple of hours ago and I can’t believe dude, I… I did it.” “Yeah, and to think you were just a homeless foal,and now look at you, a roof over your head, a beautiful wife, dude, you grew up in life!” “Slow down there mister gangster, my roof got a bunch of holes and I work fourteen hours a day, there’s a long, long street to trot yet.” “Yes but, I mean, you literally searched food in trash cans and alike, I mean, you did pretty well!.” “Kinda, if I work until death maybe I can furnish half the house, then my daughter would have to work half her life to finish furnishing it all. Maybe my grandchildrens have a normal life, dunno, like some fancy pants I know.” “Ohh no! Cursed be the universe! I wasn't born in an alley!” Mister Wheels raised his hoof’s in the air dramatically and dad started laughing. "Cease your frivolities, I don’t want to wake up the entire house.” Daddy said, putting his hoof over the books. I thought about trying to lean over to get a better look at the books, but they were too far away from me to even read the title. Mister Wheels sighed and leaned his body over the table. “I read the first one, kinda… dunno, not gonna judge you, but damn, I wanna read the sequels!” He extended his hoof to grab the book in the middle, but dad stopped him. “No!” Mister Wheels blinked surprised. “I mean, the second book has a… sad ending.” Daddy handed to his friend the third and biggest of the books. Mister Wheels just shrugged and grabbed the book. “Lemme see here… hmm… Hi cozy! This book will teach you how to behave and react to some of the problems you may face in the noble court! It is… a humble and direct title.” “There is no reason to pamper the title.'' Dad shrugged and to my enormous surprise grabbed a bottle of wine from the floor and started drinking! I thought dad ~~hated~~, disliked drinking. “Personally I like the first one more.” Mister Wheels put his strange hat on the table and also grabbed a bottle of wine from the floor! They banged their bottles and cheered softly. “I think I remember the title… ahmmm. Don’t say! It was… Maybe you’ll hate me in the future, but I did what I did for your best. Ohhh, the drama! No really, you gotta start improvin’ your titles.” “Who cares? Those books aren’t for random ponies, it's for my daughter.” “And your best buddy!” Mister Wheels chuckled, drinking a sip of his drink and opening the book on a random page. “Lemme… how to behave in a mask- masqueri- masquerade ball? What?” “She needs to be prepared for everything.” Dad takes a sip of his bottle. It’s weird seeing him drinking. I tried to get more comfy on the stairs, so I stopped flying and stood atop the stairs. Happily our old stair didn’t make a sound. “I know, but damn! How do you react when your father-in-law dies? That's… she is nine dude!” “As I said, everything.” F-father-in-law? “Mmkay, but, have you ever talked to her, like, explained your plan?” “Actually no, I don’t think it’s necessary, that's why I ask for her forgiveness in the first and second book. But hey! I filled the gaps in the first book!” Dad said, handing the first and thinnest book. "Really? So, what’s she gonna do?” “She is going to Bighorns School.” Mister Wheels choked and started coughing on his drink. He punched his chest some times and gazed perplexed at dad. Bighorns School? I never heard of that school, I touch my forehead unconsciously for a bit. “That's a unicorn school!” “I will find my way.” “S-she is a pegasus! They're gonna eat her alive!” “It is… a necessary burden she’s going to face. I preferred Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but I prefer not messing with our beloved princess.” Dad chuckled, he always does when talking about the princess. I don’t know why, but he dislikes her. “B-but the fee! I mean, that’s a lot of bits per month. “As I said, I will find a way, maybe another job?” “c’mon bro, I can give you some bits.” “No. Your bits are dirty.” They gazed at each other for a few seconds in an awkward silence. “If you say so.” "T-that’s not what I meant! You know what I was trying to say!” Dad said, shaking his bottle and blushing. I didn’t get it. “Well, ya earned a lot of bits workin’ for my pa, then a good sum more from me since my beloved pa finally found his end. That he forever trot in the Evergreen. But heck, destroyin’ more than four thousand bits ‘cause it was tainted was savage! ya could just have given me that!” “Tainted, tainted bits could ruin everything, besides that, I must do it. Nor you. Nor my father-in-law. Me.” I tried to get closer, I could barely hear them since they’re starting to basically gossip! For every step I descended from the stairs, a part of me said it would be the last, that they would see me, or that the stairs would creak like it never did before. Even so I descended a good five steps before I started to understand them more clearly. “Well, if you ever need some help, ya know, just kick mah door and I'll get some nice jobs for you in my workshop.” “Pfff, workshop, that's how you’re calling it now? You pa had more creativity calling it a post office.” “Welp, what am I gonna say? The guards have become a heckin’ smarter since you worked for us, but hey, you didn’t get the nickname neck-N-string for makin’ silly-dilly friendship-collars, did ya?” Dad rolled his eyes and continued drinking. They continued chatting for a bit, mister Wheels just bracking how they had a hard childhood. I heard carefully some parts dad never told me. When I ask about his childhood he normally vaguely answers or bribes me off with ice cream. I try every time I can, to talk about his childhood. “Ballet!” Mister Wheel yelled! “Shhh dude! You’re going to wake the whole block!” “Sorry, but, really? Ballet?” Wait, am I going to do what? “What am I going to say to you? He always wanted a daughter to have ballet classes and become a famous ballet dancer. Just joining the useful to the pleasant.” “And who is he?” Dad smiled smugly, opened the second book quickly, grabbed a photo and throwed it to mister Wheels while closing the second book. “A fan of yours, Fancy Pants is his name and he has a newly born son who is, fortunately, not betrothed. Yet.” “Well, not wantin’ to dump your dreams, but there are a lot of young fillies who also dance ballet, and… does classic poems and play piano?” “His wife likes poems and he likes piano. But that's not the grant prize. Its Cozy inheritance that will grab his attention.” “I… sorry I didn’t get it.” Dad sighed. “You were always slow weren’t ya? My wife's dad got lots of land, and farms, like, a lot. When he passes away or suffers, don’t know, an accident.” Mister Wheels grinned. “My wife is going to inherit that, and so does Cozy. Tell me, what kind of noble don’t want free land?” “Wow, that's dark, almost like you just married Sprint for her inheritance!” Dad just smiled. A strange and dark smile. I- I-I didn’t like that! “Don’t start with your wow’s, m’kay? Everything I did, do and will do is for her! I mean, c’mon dude! I literally searched for food in trash cans when I was a child!” “Yeah but, she's gonna be mad, what if she doesn’t want it?” “Oh, believe me, she will. The only thing I can’t control is what kind of cutie mark she is going to have, but I can put her in the right direction and wait, hoping for the best.” Mister Wheels raised his bottle of wine. “For the best. And that healthy be Cozy Glow!” “She is going to be the best, ya gonna see it, I’ll make sure of it, she will be such a good damn gift that Fancy Pants gotta accept the deal and BAAAM! She got a new life.” I stood gazing at dad for a few seconds. Then I sobbed. I froze, put both my hoof on my mouth and I flew towards my room. I carefully closed the door and threw myself on my pseudo-bed. I gaze at my bedroom roof for some seconds before some tears start forming. “A gi-gift. Am I a gift? J-just a mere pawn?” I mumbled. I turn my body and see a chessboard on the ground with some pieces on it. “Mate in four.” I whisp, moving the black rook to be sacrificed and destroyed by the queen. Then I froze and wiping my tears I got up. “No.” I said, smiling a bit. I move the queen instead. “Mate in six.” I smirked, grabbing the same black-obsidian rook and gazing at it. Author's Note There is a thing I always get myself thinking about. In Portuguese we don’t have this problem but in English we got hand, like, human hands and all and the verb handed. Knowing MLP this would be adapted, but for what? Hoofed? If there is a adaptation for this I’d love if you tell me so I fix it in others chapters. Because, dunno, seems odd a pony saying: he handed me that thing or alike
A cutie mark does matter!The school bell rang and the sound invaded the classroom. I moaned in discomfort at that dizzying sound! I tried to cover my ears but it was in vain. Sighing I lift my face from the desk and peek to my left. Unicorns and more unicorns. I growl frustrated and using what I have left of willpower I decide to look to my right. More unicorns, although this half of the class, like me, lacks a cutie mark. "Well well well, if isn't the bird's brain. I really thought you wouldn't come for the test and finally fly to the hole you came out of." I hear an annoying and indistinguishable voice coming from behind me. "Yes Mint? How can I help you?" I say trying to disguise my contempt for him. I stretch my hooves and wings a little and the whispers have already started. He didn't respond. He just snorted and stretched his hoof at me like it wasn't even worth talking to me. After a weird moment he coughed and I made a point of levitating the other tests to me. "Oh, you silly, why didn't you just say so?" Using my best giggle I gave him my test. He rolled his eyes and continued to gather the tests from the others. I watched him trot to the other desks, now he wore a sincere pseudo-smile. He continued his crusade around the classroom, even though I was angry with him and his perfection I couldn't contain my sigh as I leaned over the table. I envy him. His fur was ivory-white. If everything goes wrong in his life he can become a royal guard. He has a good cutie mark of bits being passed from one hoof to another. He will probably be a merchant or something. Or a politician. Besides that, he's the best student in our class, the smartest, the fastest, but most of all, he's a unicorn, everypony here is after all! Another thing that bothered me was those sycophants who accompanied him, I can't say why, but that unnerved me in an abnormal way. "Okay students, everypony can go for the break." Everypony started to celebrate, some even teleported out of the classroom amidst laughter and whispers. Mint was one of those, but not before handing the exams to the teacher who responded with a simple nod. "What's she doing here? Wasn't this unicorn school supposed to have only unicorns? I'll never understand." "I heard her father threatened the good principal , that's why she's here." "No! I heard he actually bribed the good principal with, like, lots of bits!” "Nay, he must know about some gossip or he's helping the principal at the factory where he works. There's no way a nobody like him threatens the good principal ." "My dad isn’t a nobody!" I yelled, slamming my hoof on the desk and quickly flew towards those three little brats. They gulped and runned away with their tail between their hoofs. "Except Miss Cozy Glow." The teacher said, her voice high and authoritative. Sighs and laughter echoed from the last ones to leave the classroom, I swear I heard some bad -words directed at me. She stands up slowly, a test levitating at her side as she heads towards my desk which I promptly reoccupied. “They-they started and-” She smashed her hoof on the desk at the same point I did. I shivered and closed my eyes in fear, but after some time of silence I peeked a bit. On the desk there was my test, oh golly. I gazed at my teacher. She was a tall-yellow mare with little eyes and considerable-oversized glasses which I never saw her using, just hanging there like a trinket or alike. She snorted and now it was her time to gaze at me, then at my test. "This." She said pointing to the test. I looked away, then I looked at the door and many of my colleagues were there spying on us! Even Mint! Before I could say anything the teacher followed my look and slammed the door with her magic. I hope she hitted any of them. "This." She repeated more vigorously again. She took one of the many chairs and sat by my side. "This." I repeated with her pointing at the test too. She didn't seem to like it. She snorted and started scratching her head with one hoof. After some time she shrugged and started reading my test. "Describe three characteristics of magic-developed unicorns, you wrote, snobbish, strong and rich." "I-" "And about this one? The thaumaturgic system in unicorns can be represented by." She said and raised a hoof as if she expected me to continue. I didn't. "Leaving it in blanck would be better than saying they're better because of their horns." "B-but they-" "And what about the first question? I'm tired of being in dad's plans? Look Cozy, I'm not paid enough to deal with whatever you're dealing with right now, and your family problems are yours alone.” She hates me too. All of them hate me. I'm nothing but a stain in their school. A pegasus in a unicorn-only school. What-a-hay I say! "But, I'm paid enough to care about the grades from my second best student, you know the answer for all of those questions, you stayed during the break to ask questions and I remember answering them all.” "Then I'll ask you, why did you wrongly answer them on purpose?" "And why does it matter? No matter how hard I try, I'll never be better than you guys!" "Do you mean unicorns?" "YES! Half of these questions are related to them! Besides, Mint is better than me at everything!" "Is that so? Just because you never beat him in the test, do you think he is better than you?" “H-he is better than me…” I muttered, feeling my eyes moisten a bit. “Fair enough I think. But from what I heard earlier from you, there is one pony you consider better than Mint, right?” I looked at her a little confused, trying to decipher who she was referring to. “Your dad Cozy, I've had the pleasure of meeting Mr. String once, and all I can say is that he cares about you. I am aware, as well as everypony in this school that you have problems… financially if you prefer.” S-she is gonna mock us! and make fun of us! S-s-s-s-she is the worst! "And you're such a brat." What? “The fee in this school is the highest in the entire country, but only behind Celestia School for Gifted Unicorns in prestige. To stay here you gotta have great grades or you can be expelled!” This thought invaded my mind, the mere idea of it giving me chills over my spine. No, I can't allow it! “And since your father is just a factory worker, I highly disbelief he can pay another entry fee or convince the good principal again.” I analyzed her, this gotta be a scam or something, she can't be giving a damn about me, just daddy does it, this is probably a prank, they are still spying on us? She sighed heavily and put on her glasses! “Let's play a game Cozy?” "I'm too old for games." "Hmmm, okay, call it a share of stories, just tell me, what was the biggest surprise you've ever witnessed?" I hesitated, is… is this part of the prank? I-I-I don't get it, why is she caring about me!? I-I'll answer her. "One day I woke up at night due to some loud noises and I flew to the kitchen." "And?" "And now I don't fly to the kitchen anymore at night." She just… she smiled! Well, she smirked, but still a smile! “Just it? Okay Cozy, let me tell you a story about a surprise.” I get myself a bit more comfortable in my chair which is quite different from the ones we got at home. This chair is padded! "It started in the first trimester, another normal year at this prestigious school and in the midst of so many unicorns I see a pegasus. A small, shy pegasus." "At first I thought it was time to find another job, look what a tragedy, a pegasus in my classroom! I was just waiting for the first test to expel her. I did a particularly difficult test and focused on unicorn biology.” I nod, remembering the nightmare that was the first test. “Three students were expelled for not meeting our school expectations. When I corrected your test, I expected the most grotesque mistakes possible. ” I smile a little remembering the nights I spent awake reading those gigantic books, I mean, one of them literally weighed more than me! "My point Cozy is, you're smart and cunning like few. Personally, between you and me. I think you're smarter than Mint. Because he got everything, his books, money, toys I guess? But you got something money can't buy, determination." The smile she'd been wearing throughout the entire conversation quickly faded as she stood up and placed her hoof over the test. "You have until the end of break to finish this test." I blinked a couple of times then I looked at her, then at my new and blank test. "B-but we had four hours to finish this test!" “Well, you know the questions and the answers, just fill in the blanks. By the way, you have twenty minutes from now on.” My left eye twitches from pure nervousness, but then a feeling filled me. I put my hoof in my bag, got one cookie and swallowed it in one bite and then got my pen. I stared at the test for some seconds, I glanced at my teacher and she was at her table gazing at me. Gulping, I started my test. The school bell rang once more. My colleagues started filling the classroom once more. But I didn't mind them. My eyes were focused on the test, my breathing heavy and slow, my heart pounding like a drum, and I struggled one last time to wipe sweat off my forehead and keep it from falling on the test. Again. My teacher is standing beside me, I bite my lips seeing the last question in blank. "I-I know the answer." I mumbled to myself in disbelief while she grabbed my test with her magic and troted towards her desk in silence. Mint stopped beside me and coughed the fakiest cough ever coughed. "Maybe next time, Gross Clown." I just shrugged and sighed before laying on my desk. That's how it is. He is the best and I'm nothing but a dumb pegasus. And useless blank flanks. The school bell rang for the last time of the day and everypony dropped their feathers immediately and soon the whispering and gossip began. It was nice to know that these whispers weren't about me, but about the test. There is a bet of who nailed the test and Mint is the favorite, obviously. The teacher got up and coughed to clear her throat, the gossip ceased as everypony stared at the imposing big mare holding what might have been an expulsion letter for some. “I'm happy to say that the grades were all acceptable.” Immediately sighs of relief and small celebrations started to break out among my classmates. Particularly between the blank flanks as we were called. “But I must emphasize the best grade in the class, missing just two questions, a round of applause for---" Mint raised and started to wave toward the others. I don't know why the drama, he’s the best after all. I grab my backpack and shove a cookie in my mouth, I was about to leave, the clapping had already started even before the teacher had finished and- "Cozy Glow!" The palms ceased, my cookie fell from my lips but I grabbed it in the middle of the air without gazing away from my teacher and my test she levied in the middle of the air. "Holy cookies." I whispered, taking a bite off my cookie and sitting down. The teacher frowned and looked at the others. "Why did you stop clapping? I think those were sounding really good.” slowly clapping sounds filled the air again, is this some kind of lie? A prank? Only when I looked to the side and saw in disbelief Mint watching the test did I realize. I won. I. won. "She, I mean, wasn't there a draw?" Mint said, his voice almost cracked, such was his stupor! "You got three questions wrong, she just two. This is a lot of things, but I assure you a draw isn't." I wanted to do many things, I wanted to mock him, I wanted to yell some bad words I learned a while ago, but somehow, I can't tell in words how, I just got up from my seat and troted towards my teacher. When I got near her she blinked at me with a shy smile and handed me my test. I nodded and troted toward the exit yet a bit surprised. In my hoof I could see clearly. 38 - 40 written in red ink. When I got out of the classroom I kneeled, I smiled unconsciously before pressing the test against my face and I started crying, I… I did it, I beat him! I--- I did it! The last bus just left, normally I would sigh sadly, but not today! Today I did the impossible. I. Beat. Mint Pride! I giggled a bit, shaking my test before keeping it in my school bag. "Cozy?" I froze, and my smile faded like water dripping from a sink. "Yes, Mint?" I said reluctantly, I closed one of my eyes and with the other I spied expecting the worst. But instead of being assaulted with rotten eggs or similar he just stands there, gazing at the floor and poking some stones. "I think I was a bit too… you see, you're, you and… what I want to tell you is… you're smart.” He said, looking away dramatically like his pride was just shattered in a million of pieces. Good, because it just did. "Oh, you silly, one day that was supposed to happen right? We were the best, right?" His face changed into a million expressions, rage, surprise, flattery and- he just blushed? “W-well, of course I-we are the best, I mean… congrats Cozy.” He smiled and handed me his hoof. I looked at it for a bit, not knowing exactly what to do. He retrieved his hoof after that. "S-sorry, too fast? I-" Before he could finish that sentence a horn from one big and fancy cart stole our attention. One big unicorn wearing a suit approached us and nodded to both of us. "Master Mint, your cart awaits you." He said while pointing to that cart. A neat cart. Mint sighed, looked at me and smiled. "See ya, Cozy." He troted with que unicorn toward his cart and soon They left. I... I wanted to say something, but I did not find the words. After some minutes my card arrived, different from Mint's cart, this one is the simplest possible, two wheels and a raw wooden frame guided for a trusted friend of daddy. “Suup lil' Coz?” "Hi Mister Wheels." "Same place as always?" I nodded and he started guiding the cart. After a couple of minutes we stopped in front of our stop. I quickly flew off the cart and nodded at him. He just took off his little hat and nodded back smiling. "Same time?" "Yeep mister Wheels." I stood in front of the building, "Piano." I said to myself. That is one of the things I do after class, then ballet and classical poetry. With a long press on one of the piano keys I finished my fourth practice today. I can’t tell how, but I'm always sweating in the end. "Magnifique ms. Cozy Glow! Divine I must say!" My teacher said, wiping a tear from his eyes and gossiping to his colleagues. I quickly looked at my flank, this is the day! I nailed it today! My cutie mark is… Nothing. Again. I felt my cheeks twitching uncontrollably. I wanted to… scream. I just don’t know what to do or say. I’m… this is what am I good at? I’m better than one foal whose cutie mark is a piano! I… I don’t know. "Divine ms. Cozy, for one second, I thought you barely scratched Frank List mastery in piano. Maybe one day you could overcome him and become the greatest pianist ever!" I just shrugged. I didn't get a cutie mark. Peeking to my side I saw many of the other students giving me a look of few friends. At least they aren't all unicorns. I just left, mister Wheel was waiting for me outside and we quickly reached the ballet school. I drank my whole water bottle in one gulp. This is a hecking day. After that I read the scoreboard. Cozy Glow - 96 Little Feather - 95 Ballet Shoes - 92 Curly Horn - 92 Bubble Gulp - 90 I bit my lip again and looked at my blank flank I... I won... One of my colleagues threw their ballet slippers on me, it didn't hurt, at least not physically. "You piece of-of-crap! That was my day! I got the cutie mark for ballet! You didn't! You're here for years and you didn't get it! So how about you stop humiliating us in front of the jury? You make us look like a crap of a joke, your cutie-less. I just hugged myself and protected my head just a moment before many other ballet slippers flew at me. They're all unicorns. This is a unicorn school. "Hmmmm, not bad, not bad at all actually." “What do you mean my dear colleague? That was… spectacular! For one second I could close my eyes and felt like I was in the classical era! I'm speechless!” The last judge didn't say anything during my presentation, she just took off her glasses and put them on her desk, smiled and nodded. "Good." That was everything she said and both her colleagues were awestruck by her speech. "Very good actually." She poked her… pet rock. “Boulder liked it too.” "Well Miss Cozy Glow, considering that Maud Pie is the most rigorous judge I have ever had the honor of working with, I must say that your poem, Why the leaves fall, is the winner." The judge in the middle spoke. I quickly looked to my side, I expected anything, a quill, a scroll just like daddy, anything, but there was nothing there. I leaned to them, wrapped my poem in my wing and I flew offstage. "Wow Cozy, you nailed it!" "That was, like, sick!" "Have you heard of Miss Maud? She never said anything to our poems, just nodded or waved her hoof! You made her speak and smile!" That and many other compliments come from my colleagues. This school is open to all races, and so this wasn't a toxic environment, but their compliments sounded empty and I can see some looking envily at me. They got a cutie mark in poems, I don’t. "Thank you mister Wheel." He waved to me, shaking his little hat in the air. What did he call that? A feldora I think. I sighed and gazed at my home. It was an old and rustic house and some planks filled some holes on the roof. "There is no place like home, shaking and howling with wind-" I sang to myself. I walked into the house, Mom was sitting at the table, her crystal goblet full of purple liquid that she watched moving. As soon as I closed the door she noticed my presence, slowly she looked at me and I could see her... face. She had a black eye, and-and had what appears to be a nosebleed? "Mom, your snout." She touched her snout, a bit of blood, in her hooves. "Oh, this?" she gazed at her hoof, she wanted to say something, her silence saying thousands of words. I put my backpack on the floor and I flew to our freezer. I opened it and there was nothing but bags of ice. I grabbed one and handed it to mommy. She grunted something and took it with her magic and pressed it against her black eye, that's how Mom says thank you. I think. I hope. I licked my hoof and started cleaning her snout, after a couple of moments I finished. Her eyes ajar a bit and sleepy she shakes her head, finishes her drink in one gulp and throws herself over the table. "Go to your room Cozy." "Mommy, I got something cool to tell you!" I smiled and flew toward my backpack. I grabbed the first place tape of the ballet competition. When I was about to show her she hit the table. "I said. GO TO YOUR FUCKING ROOM!" I shivered and my ears folded. My smile faded. I kept the tape in my backpack and started walking towards my room. Before going up the stairs I stopped when I heard my mother sobbing, I peeked at her and I could see her filling her glass again and a sunbeam that came through holes in the ceiling, illuminating her cutie mark. A pair of pink ballet slippers together. I threw my school bag on the corner of my room and I sat on my desk. I looked at myself in the half -broken mirror and I tried to smile, but I couldn't. I opened the only drawer of my desk and took out a small chessboard. I placed all the pieces in place and started playing it, remembering when grandpa came to play with me. Even old and sick, he used all kinds of medicine, and even so, always found a way to play at least one round with me. "Checkmate." I chuckled, moving the rook and basically killing the king. For one second I smiled smugly and looked at my flank. Still blank.
The destiny, is a nasty thing isn't?I’m sitting in the school yard, drinking my juice box and pondering about life. I see a little fly landing a few inches from me. Grinning, I step on it. “And like that, your life ended.” I say to myself. The last days were horrible, mom got more and more… hard mornings and daddy is mad at something. But here I’m, waiting for the day of the meeting. Counting it if you prefer. Pondering about my life, it’s my life and only mine. But dad, I just can’t say no to him! Every time I tried, he just stared at me and I lost it. I sigh and look at what remained from that fly. Did it… hurt? So fast, the fastest way off to all your… my problems… mayb- “AND SHUT UP YOUR DIRTY LITTLE FLANK BLANCK!” Ahmm, well, maybe I- “HECK NO! YOUR OPPRESSION ENDED TAINTED FLANK! OUR VOTES ARE OUR VOTES!” What’s their problems?! I’m having an existential crisis here! Do you mind? Both unicorns puffed, raised their heads and trotted away from each other. Finally peace! Well, where was - “AND WE. ARE GOING TO WIN!” “IN YOUR WET DREAMS YOUR FLANK BLANK!” AHHHHHH! What's their problem! I finished my juice box and started looking at them. My classmates are divided in two groups, with or without cutie marks. I love their hate. At least when it’s not directed at me. They continued arguing fervently for some minutes straight until they started walking to two different directions. I’d hate this time of the year. I gazed at the poster pinned beside the building and read it. Vote for your class president! Don’t miss it! Blagh. Every year is like this, the tainted flanks will compete and bribe flank blanks to vote them in or similar. Although, this year some feud happened, dunno, and the flank blanks are going to compete. Considering they are like, twenty and the tainted flanks are just a dozen, they can easily win. But I know that at least three of them are going to compete for them, and for the tainted flanks, Mint is their shoot. I roll my eyes. If I was betting in somepony, it would be in the tainted flank, at least they’re united. Hoping they’re done, I close my eyes and start my existential crises once again and again, their sporadic curses continue to annoy me! [i[OKAY! I’M DONE WITH IT! I crushed my juice box with my hoof and threw it over my shoulder and walked toward them. Then I stop, how do I solve this? At that time something sparkled in my head. I’m sitting in the kitchen, drawing and chewing some candies mister Wheels gave me before bringing me home. The door slammed violently and dad trotted in. His face twisted and eyes filled with anger. He threw his briefcase on the floor and layed on the table “H-Hi da-” “Not now Cozy.” I Frowned my face and gazed at my last colored-pencil. I started drawing a bit more. Even though I know I’m not the best at drawing, I still like it alot. When I finished I showed it to dad. “Dad! Look! It’s you, me and mommy!” I Said while showing him a poorly drawn picture of me, him and mommy. He just snorted and smiled a bit. “How do you… just you to put a smile on my face Cozy.” He chuckled and kissed my forehead. “Did you have a rough day?” “I-I… Cozy, do you know Princess Twilight?” “Of course! She is the newsted of them. And also saved Equestria a couple of times.” “Yes, but… what does she represent?” “Friendship?” Dad nodded while biting his lips. “Considering you’re in a unicorn school, have you heard of friendship magic?” He said, raising an eyebrow. “Yes?” “And what do you think? Is it the strongest kind of magic? “I think so? considering what Twilight faced.” “Well, it is the-the strongest magic.” Dad mumbled, biting his low libs and leaning on his hoof. His eyes fixed on a non-existential point between me and the stairs. “What happened dad?” He threw himself back, the chair cracking and twitching barely holding itself in one piece. He put his hoofs on his head and started frantically scratching his mane. “Fuck this world.” “What-” “I HATE THIS FUCKING CRAP-PIECE OF WORLD!” Dad yelled, slamming both his hoofs on the table! My drawings flew all over the place and my few pencils fell on the floor, some of them cracking in the process. “FUCK!” Dad hit the table again. I shivered this time and folded my ears again. Just when dad said another pair of bad-words he seemed to notice my reaction. “So-sorry sweetie, ya shouldn’t see me like this. I just. Fuck.” Dad's face started twitching in pure anger, he started biting his lips again, but this time he was full in and before he could hurt himself I grabbed his hoof. Like magic, he stopped with… that. “What happened, dad?” Dad sighed and started rubbing his eyes. “My boss, somepony should earn a promotion today, and you know what? Our beloved Princess is right, Friendship is magic.” “I didn’t follow.” “Some… the new guy, the funny guy. The literally worst employee the company ever employed got the promotion, when I… I confronted my boss and he just said… he was good company to talk to...” Dad opened his mouth but didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds. “Meritocracy, meritocracy is a myth, a joke. Cozy, you don’t grow up in life for doing well at your job, you grow up for being a nice dude, with nice stories and good connections. I worked there for five years… I deserved… I needed that promotion…” “It's okay dad, you’re a good employee!” Dad just laid his head on the table. “I gotta get another job, fuck those bills.” Oh, yes, bills. My smile faded like dad’s smile while I thought about it, this world, after all the bed-stories, it just seemed so cold, impetuous. Sometimes I joke to myself that some old-horror-stories could learn a thing or two from reality. I looked away from dad and gazed at my last pink pencil broken on the floor. “Sorry sweetie, you shouldn’t hear me saying, using such language. Where is your mom?” I pointed upstairs and dad nodded. “You know those words I used, they’re bad okay? I don’t want to hear you using it, okay?” “Yes daddy." “It’s just, I’m so severe with your mom when she uses it and… I never thought I would be the first to yell it to you. Sorry Cozy.” I grinned a bit. “It’s okay dad, I heard worse at school.” Dad snorted a bit and laughed! I looked at him and he was laughing! “I don’t doubt you, but still, no bad-words okay?” I nodded and I was about to grab my drawing from the floor when dad cleared his throat and gazed at the window. It's already night. 10 p.m. more exactly “Cozy, friends… there is power in having friends. You gotta learn how to use them, how to exploit their positions, make their influence be yours. If you’re going to learn one thing from your old stallion, learn this." Dad gazed at me. “Have as many friends as you can, then use them to get what you want. Don’t let nothing stay between you and what you want. Okay?” “Okay dad.” I smug and scratch my hoofs. I fix my mane and clean some dust from my fur. I put my best smile and trot towards the tainted flanks. Blagh. They’re all whispering between them and I needed to cough three times to get their attention! “Oh golly! I sure hope I didn’t bother you guys! But I just heard all that comotion and I thought if I can help you!” They all blinked perplexed at me and the smaller one scratched his head. “Who called the chicken? Get lost flank blank!” “Yeah! We don’t need help from your kind.” “Cutie-less or pegasus?” “Both dump-ass” I rolled my eyes and started flying some centimeters from the floor, just enough to slightly bigger than them but not too much. “But I’m not just a pegasus-cutie-less. I’m also the best student! This gotta have some prize.” Many of them opened their mouths to reply to me, some even to curse me, but none of them spoke, they just gazed at each other and then they all opened space for me to see Mint Pride who just tried miserably to look away naturally. “What do you say, Mint?” They all said in unison. They’ll listen to him. He coughs a bit and gets close, too close. Before I could say anything he whispers in my ear. “I’m sorry.” “Wha-” He pushes me away and raises his snout in the air. “And what kind of help can you provide us? Your lucky pegasus.” “Yeah! You just got lucky! He beat you all the other times! He is better than you!" “Yes! Get lost cutie-less!"" “Blank flank!” I blinked a pair of times, trying to process what just happened and I swear I was just about to swear… I hate this language. But you get it! But then I saw Mint sweating and looking at me. Ohhhh. I get it! “Well, so good luck losing to some puny-cutie-less-ponies!” Waved my head and turned, but Mint yelled. “Hey, what do you mean by losing? We got twenty votes for me here.” “Yes mister second place, but they’re like, twenty, they just need a neuron to beat you guys.” One of the tainted flanks coughed while pointing at the other group. “They seem pretty divided to me, we're gonna win.” “Nope, it’s a strategy, to delude you and make you think you got the advantage.” They all started gossiping and whispering at each other. My smile grew a bit. “So, how can you help us beat them?” The smallest of them said. I rolled my eyes from his attempts to look menacing or… I actually don’t know what he meant by turning his head in that angle. “Simple, vote for me!” I say pointing at my chest and closing my eyes. Silence, I expected many things, and yes, silence was one of them. As soon as I opened my eyes they started laughing. Some rolling on the floor, some just laughing wildly and some putting their snout on some ponies on the floor in an attempt to smother their laugh. So predictable. Mint, however, just gazed at me confused. When they finished laughing, the smallest of them looked at me again. “Wait, you’re, like, for real? Oh boy, the audacity of this b-” “As I was saying, you vote for me, I win ‘cause I got some favors on the blank flanks to charge in. So with me you have a 100% chance to win.” Their smiles and hubris started to shader, now they gaze at each other worried and reluctantly. “This seems unfair, and what do we gain from it?” “Oh you silly, you got everything you already got, I’m not messing with whatever you’re into. I just want to settle this feud.” “For the sake of?” My mental sanity, or what is left of it. “For the sack that’s what a friend should do!” Some of them snorted and some laughed dryly at the last part. “Still, we have no warranty that you’re gonna keep your word!” “Oh please, Lamp Blue, we all know that half the school is on your daddy’s payroll, you’re not the brightest lamp here. If you wish, just sabote me after the elections and then you can get rid of me.” He blushes wildly and tries to hide behind the others. “Only if Mint is on it.” One of them spoke. “Yeah! If he is up to trying to compete I'll stick with my boy!” “Same here!” And a bunch of similar answers. I looked at Mint. He scratched his head sometimes before getting closer and whispering in my ear. "Yeah! go there Mint, threaten her!” “What are you up to?!” “Do you trust me?” “I-okay, I do.” He sighed and walked away from me. “You hear me?! Those are the conditions!” He blinked discreetly at me. Ohhh cute… I-I MEAN-MEANT DUMP! Don’t blush don't blush don't blush! In answer I just nodded since I didn’t trust my voice to answer him properly. “So we're done here, don’t wanky us, pegasus. Let’s go boys, we gotta vote her in.” They all trotted a bit far away from me, after some time processing how it all proceeded amazingly well, despite the last bit, I shook my head and walked toward the other group. “I'm the one with the best grades! So I should be the leader!” “Nonsense, I got the best grades in leadership and crowd control!” “Also nonsense! Those grades do not even exist! I’m the most beautiful and with the most bits! So I should be the leader!” They continued debating vigorously. I sneaked the best I could before coughing to clear my throat and catch their attention. “My comrades, my folk, my good colleagues, I have come with a solution!” I raise my hoof to the sky before landing it on my chest. “Vote for me!” They all gazed for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. humpf, so predictable. Again. “Y-you? c’mon now, you’re a pegasus!” “That too, but besides it, we got it covered, I’m gonna be the new president! Now dump-ass, line up and prepare to vote!” “Pff, no way, I prefer voting in a door than in you.” “ 'Kay girls, I get it, you all are pretty cool and all, but, what’s your plan? Your promises? What's going to change in this school?” “G-going to change?” “Yes! like, oh golly! There are so many things! For start, you could limit the amount the parents can donate to the school. Or maybe better food in the canteen!” Okay, I gotta put it on my list, I’m sick of eating just wet flour. Being poor, it sucks. “W-well, we kinda decided this all this morning, we don’t have that stuff Y’know.” “Ohh, fear not my folk, I got it all covered! As I said, you just need to put me in and I’m gonna fix all your problems!” And my mental sanity of course. “R-really? Even the bully?” B-bully? Ya gotta have a heck of a nerve to say this to me… “And what about the bench fee? And the ball fee?” “No more fees!” I said raising my hoofs and many of them started cheering. “Wait a minute, don’t pretend we didn’t see you talking to the tainted flanks! You are plotting with them aren’t ya?” I turn to answer him, but when I just turn I can’t see him, more exactly, among the many multi-colored ponies, I couldn’t tell who said that. “Right! And you aren’t a unicorn! You're a pegasus!” Again I turned, and again I couldn’t tell who said that. “You’re totally backstabbing us! You’re with them!” This time instead of continuing this fool-me-game I flew up a bit and got a vision of them all. They looked at me a bit amazed and fearful from what I could be plotting now, but I just waited. Extending my hoof at them I shouted. “What? No more arguments? If you got some horns you better spit it out! ‘Cause I'm gonna tell you one thing! You can pretend I was not here and let me win, ‘cause YES, the tainted flanks are supporting me! And I’m gonna win, you’re just too divided to even realize you must stick together! So I’m giving you the opportunity to help me assure my victory! Not for me, but for the flank blanks! I got your backs when I got there… so, what do you say my folk, can I count with you?” They started looking at each other, frowning and humming about what to say, but then the smallest of them all stepped ahead and looked me in the eye. “You got our back?” I nodded and flew towards her. “In every situation. I got you, you all!” And so again they started cheering and stuff. I even squeezed when some of them grabbed me and lifted me up in some kind of celebration. “COZY!” They shouted with joy. I even smiled a bit while they carried me toward the class. This feels different. I like it, it feels... good. Scratching my head I finish my drawing. It's about me weeding an unknown foal. “Cozy Glow.” A big question mark on his face since I never met him and his fur is white like fresh milk. I blushed a bit while a face started filling the gaps and the question mark. “Cozy Glow.” I sighed, nah, that would never happen, dad knows what’s better, I think, I hope. “And Cozy Glow. Heck.” I raise my head, some of the teachers are in my class, Sunny Side, the most eccentric of our teachers are counting the votes of our election. Cozy Glow - 33 Mint Pride - 0 Powerful Blast - 0 Sneaky Peak - 0 “I don’t know what your little brats did or what she said to you. And I’m pretty sure this is against the rules, but heck, congrats Cozy, you just did it.” I felt some light from behind me blinding me, probably some of my loyal voters pranking me a bit. I raise my head and trot toward the teacher where I should hear my prize. A big piece of blue cloth. yes, it’s sick, I know. When I was about to reach it, I remembered something. I sit at the back of the class. I hear many gasps and some of them are even pointing at me. Rude. Then I saw Mint also gazing at me! I blush a little and I fix my mane the best I can before following his eyes. He is… he is looking at my flank? Curious if I got pranked, I looked at my sides. “HOLY FUCK I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!” I slam the door opening it and chase in. Mom is half-sleeping on the table hugging a bottle of wine and looking everywhere half scared and half confused. When she spotted me in the middle of her panic, she just mumbled something and went back to laying on the table not before taking a sip of her wine. "Mommy! I bet you can’t guess what happened today!” She looked at me with her expression-less face and sighed. “You’re not letting me sleep until I answer right?” “Nope!” “Well, you got expelled?” I chuckled with the mere mention of it. “No you silly! I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!” I bragged while showing her my flank. All the time her eyes were half open, but when she heard me saying that she gazed at me with her eyes widened! I got her attention! I closed my eyes expecting many things. Knowing mommy she wouldn't not care much, maybe she would just shrug, maybe tell me to shut up and go to my room. What I didn’t expect was a dry and expontaneous chuckle. I opened my eyes and looked at her a bit curious. She was no longer laying on the table, instead she even put her bottle away while gazing at me and laughing occasionally. “What's wrong mom?” “A piece of chess? I’m morbidly curious about how you got it.” “Well, that's a thing, I guess it’s about… my fr-coleaguess? I helped them solve their feud and BAM! I got this beauty!” I said, shaking my hips. “You are... my, heavens and above, you are so screwed. My, Celestia, have piety of you.” Mom said shaking her head and laying again on the table “I, I didn’t, what do you mean?” “What day is today Cozy?” “Last day of the month, why?” “Oh crap! Your dad is gonna be right here!” She is right! Daddy always gets home early at the end of month. Mom hides her bottle magically and throws it on the shelf before trotting towards her room. Just when she disappeared on the stairs, the doors opened again and dad was standing on it. Right when I turned to talk with him he passed by me and sited. I heard the most heavy sigh dad ever sighed, tough day. “Hi sweetie.” He said without looking at me, just gazing at that invisible point he always gazes at when he is mad or tired. Today he may be both. I sat too. “Hi dad, tough day?” “You have no idea. I got a new job with Wheels, so we will be able to pay the bills. Did you know your ballet class just doubled the fee last week?” Did it? They didn’t tell me, I shook my head in denial. “Well, in one hour I'm gonna go to my new job, so daddy needs some rest now sweetie.” He said, trying his best to smile. That was a total mess, but he tried at least. “Wait, help me here, you go to work at 8 a.m. and get home normally at 10 p.m. now you’re going to have a new job at… 6 p.m.? “No sweetie.” she said, his voice a bit cranky. “The first part is okay, but now I get a new job from 11 p.m. to 6 p.m. but on the first day I gotta start early.” I blink a pair of times. “This gives you… three hours of sleep?!” “Indeed it does. B-but this will end soon! I promise! Just the rise of the fee ends and everything goes back to normal. I guess. I hope.” “How much time.” “A month or two.” That's… a lot of time. “So daddy gonna sleep now okay sweetie, I need to recharge my energy and all but you know what I say, today is a new day!” He tried to laugh, but he just did a shy chuckle. When he got up and did his first step on the stairs, I called him, and he stopped and stared at me a bit tired. “I got a surprise for you.” I said while trotting towards him, a bit surprised he didn’t notice my cutie mark for himself. He blinked his eyes a bit tired, I was scared he would just tell me to zip it, but he waved his hoof towards me and I nodded with a smile on my face. I showed him my cutie mark, a bit nervous with what mom said and dad's eyes widened when he realized what that was about. A smile starts to form, but quickly disappears from his face. “A piece of chess.” “Y-yes! I got from- “Tell me, how in the nine circles of the Tartarus, a piece of chess is related with ballet, piano or classical poems?” “I-” “I BEG YOU, HOW IT’S RELATED?!” Dad yelled, hitting his both hoofs on the floor and walking towards me. “I-I it’s not I thi-” “So, you’re telling me that those bit’s I used for you to have a good cutie mark are useless and you get this shit? A fucking piece of chess?! I’m gonna kill you grandpa.” “N-no! my talent is not to play chess! I think-” “SO WHAT IT IS?!” Dad yelled again. I folded my ears and felt the wall behind me. I can’t walk backwards anymore. “I-I-I-I think it’s s-something about se-self sacrifice.” I whispered the last part. Dad's eyes went wide a little and his rage seemed to cease. “Self sacrifice?” He whispered to himself. “Y-yes, like in chess, castling. The rook put itself in a more dangerous position to help the king. I think it has something similar, maybe a metaphor.” Dad stared at me for a few seconds before he started shaking his head frantically. Then he yelled, then screamed. He raised his hoofs in the air and I wheezed in fear and raised my hoofs to protect myself. Dad yelled again while he smashed his hoofs on the table, breaking it in two! He turned to me, his eyes impregnated with anger in a scale I never saw before! “I didn’t raise a child to do self-sacrifice!” “Bu-” He slapped me, my cheeks hurt and burned due to pain. I gaze at the floor stunned with his actions, he never hitted me. Never. He grabbed me by my mane and raised me a few inches from the floor. “I wanted a boy, but I got a girl, I wanted a unicorn, but I got a pegasus, I WANTED A FUCKING GOOD CUTIE MARK AND YOU GOT A PIECE OF CHESS?!” His grasp intensified while he shaked me. “Leave her alone String.” Me and dad looked in the eye of each other before dad turned to see mom standing on the stair looking at us. “Get lost.” Dad was about to turn to me when mom hitted the stairs. “I SAID LEAVE HER ALONE.” Dad let me go and I had to flap my wings to keep from falling to the ground. “Get lost Sprint, Imma talk with you later.” Mom Gazed at dad for a few seconds, then at me, after sighing she leaves to her room. She said something, but I was unable to hear it. Dad stayed looking at the stairs for a couple of seconds before turning to me. I shivered and looked away, I was at the edge of crying, he was mad at me! He never… I felt so cold despite my burning check. “Cozy.” Dad said, his eyes gazing at my flank. “You are a special filly, and you’ll NEVER do this self-sacrifice bullshit. I’m clear.” “Bu-” “NEVER! You’re going to be somepony, not a nobody. Now with me. About your… self sacrifice cutie mark. ” “I-I-” “REPEAT!” "I’ll never do it, please don't hit me again!” I closed my eyes and raised my hoofs. Dad sighed and walked towards the door. “D-dad?” “I’m gonna work.” He shouted while slamming the door. I shivered with the sound of it. I looked at the stairs and I was surprised to see mom again in the stair staring at the door. She smacked her lips and waved her head. “You’re so stupid Cozy.” With that said she trotted up to her room. I touched my check, yet a bit astonished. It hurts, I say to myself feeling the tears forming. “Why is everything so complicated?” I dislike, no, I hate this life. I screamed internally, failing to hold my cry. The days went on, soon it became weeks, and then months until finally the day came. I sighed looking at myself in my half-broken mirror. My mane, which was smooth like mom’s mane, is now curly and tight with a yellow ribbon. I touched the ribbon for a few moments, personally I didn’t like it, neither did I dislike it. But my dad said it's the last possession of his mom he owns. It’s important to him, I smiled with the thought of how much he cares about this ribbon, and yet he gave it to me. My dress is not what I’d say pretty, but well, my opinion doesn't dictate what is pretty or not. Mom and dad said it’s pretty so I'm gonna have to believe them. I flew a bit and saw white lines adorning this golden fancy cloth. I know a pony or two who'd pay lots of bits for this. Is it rented? Probably. I opened my door and flew towards the hall but I stopped at daddy's room. The door was opened and mom was inside it. She was… astonished, her pink fur contrasting with the golden dress she used. She was smiling while she put on makeup, her golden eyes almost shined, she seemed almost… not her. Using her magic she levitated some ribbons and other adornish to put on her dress. I could not hold a smile, she was gorgeous, her mane almost seemed alive like Celestia mane! Then mom spotted me, at first she probably thought I was nothing, but after a quick check she saw me. Her smile faded immediately and she closed the door with her magic. Oh shoot. I headed towards the kitchen, flying on the stairs and sneaking up on daddy and Mister Wheels who were shouting and arguing about Tirek, a minotaur who got defeated by Twilight some time ago. Dad hitted the table. “Ten bit’s that bastard’s gonna show up in a year, those punks always do.” Mister Wheels smiled maliciously. “I fucking-double it! And it's gotta happen in half a year! Mark my words!” They both burst into laughter. “Ahremm. Language please, there is a child present.” They stared at me and both blushed. Mister Wheels even bow his head and shaked his hoof. “I’m deeply sorry your majesty, such language shall never cross my lips again! For I make an oath to retain my curses for my mind only!” “Heck, you found a book or something to speak this fancy.” “Stop dad, that was beautiful, Mister Wheels.” “Indeed it was. And for your knowledge sir Silk String, yes, indeed, I found a book about speaking fancy, a trilogy in fact.” “Zip it Wheels, we’re not royalty, just Cozy will be in some years actually.” I landed on the floor and looked at daddy's clothes. Quite simple compared with mine or mommy clothes. Just a black suit with a blue tie. Mister Wheels whistled and nodded. “What a stallion, right princess? Gonna tell you a thing, if I was not as straight as the Lon’ Straight Street between Manehattan and Portmare I would tighten him up!” “D-dude! She is a kid!” “Nahh dad. Had heard worse in school.” “Tell ya, those schools, even the fancy ones are getting worse than my points!” “Whatever, zip it near her okay?” “Oh, what an outrage! Didn’t thou hear my recent declaration to the miss?” Me and dad chuckled from mister Wheels jokes. “Yeah, it’s happening.” “Yes it is.” Dad sighed and Mister Wheels grabbed his fancy hat. I pointed at it. "Feldora!" “Almost princess, it’s a fedora, best of the hats. If there should be a hat to rule them all, then it shall be a fedora!” “'Kay fancy boy, you got your time of fanciness now cut it.” Mister Wheels raised an eyebrow and threw his hat at the table. “Get and wear it.” “What? Your hat?” “Yes, my bro isn't goin’ to a fancy party naked in the head. I know ya could’t find a topper as you wanted.” “It’s… it’s your pa’s fedora.” “He would've wanted it. But I want it back! 'Kay?” Dad grabbed the hat and looked at his friend. “Thanks, I know how much this hat means to you. I’m going to keep it safe, you got my word.” “Well, from what I see, you also gave your sentimental stuff away.” Mister Wheels said while playing with my ribbon. “I’m ready.” Said mommy trotting down the stairs. Daddy got up and I followed him and when the door was opened we all saw the biggest of the carts! White-ivory and golden lines- wait, is it made out of ivory? I-I dunno. “Pretty sick uh princess.” Mister Wheels whispered from behind me. “I prefer your cart, it’s more authentic.” I didn’t turn to him, but from his laugh I bet he is smiling. Today, to- “Today is a new day.” Dad said to himself before entering the cart. I never saw a house this big! It broke the rules of houses, it’s a mansion! I could barely count the windows! “Big-fancy-house!” I shouted excitedly. “Cozy, manners dear, please.” Oh right. Yes. I sat, put my back against the bench and sighed a bit disappointed. Dad poked my shoulder and pointed to the house. “You’re going to live here one day.” I put on the best smile I could and nodded. When dad looked away I sighed. I don’t want it, do I? If I thought the exterior was huge, I could barely guess how big this hall is! I thinked about flying towards the ceiling, maybe it’d take thirteen seconds to reach it! thirteen seconds! Dad poked me out of my fantasy and we all trotted in. A pony wearing a fancy suit announced our names and some of the guests gazed at us. They're so many! And they’re all looking at us! At least for a couple of seconds before they went back to do whatever they were doing. Mom and dad walked holding each other hoof like a lovely couple toward the center of the party. They seemed happy. Both smiling and waving to the other guests. A part of me wanted to believe in them. I was following them during the whole party, remembering from all the rules, all the mannerisms and words I should avoid. I tried to keep my head up, chest stuffy and ears alert. "My, my, my, if my eyes don't deceive me, it's Silk String! I thought I was going blind or something." A fat- I mean a robust and tall, silver-colored unicorn approaches us wearing a blue suit and a truly bizarre hat. I mean, it's really weird. It's adorned with... well, sticks, I guess? No, they're more like... exotic branches. An exotic hat indeed. Dad and mom bowed to him, so did I . “Your highness, it’s an honour to be here. But if you allow me.” Dad looked around and the noble noded. “I expected a humble party, just for you to see my daughter.” “But it is! I only invited my closest friends!” “I see, you have… a lot of friends, your highness.” I looked around and started to count. When I finished I saw thirty four different couples! “Oh yes indeed my friend, as you well know, the more friends you have, the more power you have mister neck-N-string.” Mom was drinking something and almost choked with mister noble last words and dad became some shades whiter. “Yes, I know a lot about you my friend. This way please.” He pointed to the corner where a few ponies stayed. I was about to follow them when mom got me by my wing! That 's rude mom! “Stay here Cozy, you can’t and shouldn’t hear them talking… and just in case, look for an escape route okay? “A wha-” “Just do it.” I nodded and started gazing at the ceiling. A dome filled with paintings decorated the ceiling. The windows were just stained glass telling tales. I lost myself while walking towards one of them. It showed two alicorns, a blue-dark and a white one, both falling from the skies and from where they should be standing. There is a crown with many rubies and sapphires and emeralds and… a lot of gems actually encrusted on that gorgeous piece of art. But a bit over the crown a paw of a lion and a claw of an eagle waited, or was going to grab the crown? “Beautiful isn't it?” “Yes, it is.” I said to my mysterious friend. I extended my hoof and touched the crown, it was magic, it almost called me. My eyes shined with a feeling I can’t describe before I let my hoof off the stained glass. Something called for me to touch the crown again but I resisted the urge and turned to my mysterious guest. My eyes widened, my heart sped up, and my mouth went dry in an instant “M-miss Dedicated Poem?” I almost screamed internally seeing mister Fancy Pants wife! She fits the description! cream fur with wine-red mane and eyes pink like a recently-bloomed rose! Her eyes widened slightly from behind her fan. “I see my name has even reached your kind, my little filly. Pardon me but, you’re Cozy Glow?” Closing my eyes and remembering everything my dad has ever told me I bowed to her. Nor too much, nor too few. “It's an honour, your highness.” She giggled softly, almost like a child. “You even know how to talk and bow! Astonish for your kind my little filly. Tell me, my husband informed me that you write and appreciate classic poems, does that proceed?” “Indeed your highness.” “Ohh, how exotic! I would love to hear classic poems from pegasus! Please, amuse me!” I froze, what is a classic poem from pegasis? is it different? I never heard about this sub-class! “I-I pardon your highness?” “You know, poems of pegasus and alike! I’m excited! When I heard you were I pegasus I almost got a stroke, but then I found out you do poems? This can be interesting I thought at the time and here we are! Amuse me, please.” She said waving her fan. Now it was my time to have a stroke! I don’t know what to do! I’ll fail and she will be mad and mister Fancy Pants will be mad and dad will be mad! I’ll fail and the marriage… the marriage will be cancelled. I’ll be… free… “Miss Poem? Is this marvelous voice I heard yours?” We both looked at mom who stayed besides Miss Poem and magically floated some cups of a pink liquid. “My eyes are lying to me, Miss Sprint? Is it you?” Mom nodded and when Miss Poem started giggling she closed her eyes and mom shook her head with a clear message: Get the heck out here! I quickly did it and disappeared from there but not before hearing a bit of their talk. “My, my, the years darling, they were not friendly to you if I may say so. But tell me, are you still doing ballet since your… tragic incident?” Oh no. oh nonononono! I turned expecting to see mom smashing her cups on Miss Poem face, but mom just sighed and… and laughed! Not wanting to press my luck I followed mom’s tip and I got the heck out there. I continued walking in the middle of the party, eating some goodies from the very-big-long-really-long table filled edge-to-edge with food! After a couple of minutes avoiding mom and Miss Poem and eating a bit more of goodies of of course, I found daddy and mister- is that a piano over my head? Why is there a piano floating in the middle of the party and why do I seem to be the only one caring about it? “Cozy dear! Please come here.” I looked at the piano for some more seconds before going after daddy. After I arrived Fancy Pants started looking at me from hoof to mane. He walked around me and even poked me sometimes! “Seems pretty healthy and she even got some fat here! Impressive, considering your situation, String.” I felt sick, each time he pokes me I feel immeasurably sick and this served to remind me about one thing I heard years ago. I'm just a gift. “Thank you your highness, if what we discussed was settled them-” “One more thing, little one. I sadly can’t see your cutie mark due to your beautiful dress, do you mind telling me about it?” I tried to look at dad but my head just didn't move! Then my own head moved on its own and gazed at Fancy Pants! His horn is shining- OH! oh… “Don’t mind him, just tell me, what’s your cutie mark?” “It-it is-” “Hmm, what’s the matter? You don’t have one yeet? "I-I- got one!” “And so?” “It is a ro- a tower! A pink-salmon tower, your highness.” “Wow, amazing little one, but tell, what you salmon tower stands for?” His eyes stretched to the point I couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not. "Friends.” "Friend?” He said a bit surprised and I can hear dad sighing. “Yes, your highness, it defines my total ability to make friends, because as you know, friends mean power and influence!” His magic grip stopped and I felt again my ability to move my head. “What, if I may ask of course, does a tower, a pink-salmon tower and friends have in common?” Gulping, I looked at dad and he was sweating. “Do you know chess? Your highness?” “Yes of course, little one!” “So you know about castling?” “Ahmmm, I’d not mind you refreshing my memory.” “You see your highness, when it’s necessary, the rook can change positions with the king, and so make a connection with the other rook. And nothing, your highness, nothing I say, has more destructive power in chess than a pair of rooks!” “Still lacking the friend thing little one.” “You see, that's the best part! The rook not only saves the king! It also got a better position to create… connections with other pieces… and so reach the objective... by exploiting the other pieces since the rook is the piece which makes more mates…” Celestia… my talent is to manipulate others… I… it’s… “I can’t tell if it’s a good thing or not, but it may help my son in the future little one. Personally, I prefer something like piano. You see, one of my dreams in my old days is to have a daughter, or a daughter-in-law, to play piano for me. I would like you to play a bit for me and my guests, since I know you can do it.” He clapped his hoofs and the piano which floated in the air landed in the middle of the party! “I-” “But of course my daughter can do it, your highness!” Dad looked at me and whispered in my ear. “You must nail it, Cozy, or we’re gonna lose him.” I gulped while looking at that enormous piano. It has to be bigger than a conventional one. “Any preference, your highness?” “You see, as a pony with many friends, it reached my ear that some ponies call you the new Frank List. Which, pardon my language, you must have guts to own this title and not having a piano’s cutie mark, don’t you agree? “I- yes your- I mean- I- my teacher nicknamed me this your highness.” “Well, you didn’t try to wash this nickname away didn’t you?” “No your highness.” “So it's decided, I want you to play La Campanella from Frank List.” Oh no, no no no no no no! “A wise choice, your highness!” No dad! That's many things but a wise choice it’s not! “I’ll be waiting.” Waving his head, Fancy Pants trotted slowly towards the center of the party. “Okay Cozy, you have one job, you know that music right?” “Y-yes but-” “Now go there, and nail it like you never nailed a music before.” “B-but dad-” “No Cozy! I don’t want buts, I want you to go there and play that piano!” “O-okay dad.” I flew toward the piano causing some gasps from some guests. I think not all of them noticed I’m a pegasus. I sat and touched one key. The piano came to life in an instant and when I stopped pressing it the sound ceased. I sighed, this music is a nightmare. I closed my eyes and sighed again, then something sparkled in my head. If I fail, I won't marry. I just need to fail and, and I win? Dad and mister Fancy Pants coughed. I just need to fail. I pressed another key and the piano roared again filling the salon with its music. I don’t see anything, I don’t hear anything but music. How much time has passed since I pressed this key? I can't tell, but I quickly started pressing the other keys. Key after key I played, and note after note the piano produced and soon his roar became a shy song, and then I heard the gasp of my spectators when the hard part began, and the song became music. I just need to miss a key, be late to press one, but this thought never crossed my mind. I opened my eyes. my body is almost moving alone. The piano was so large I had to move my whole body to press a key in one extremity and quickly get back to press another key in the other extremity. Soon I began sweating from sheer excitement. Why did I have to have this cutie mark? Why not piano? I love this. I bit my low lips while continuing to press the piano keys more and more fast. Then I slowed, and after three solid presses I finished. I… I did it… dad… When I turned I saw dad and mister Fancy Pants shaking each other's hoofs. I sealed my destiny
...Author's Note I don’t like telling you guys what's gonna happen in the chapter ‘cause it feels like a spoiler. Sooo, look at the tags, yes the red ones. Yeah, it’s there for a reason and the reason is this chapter. (except death) welp, I warned you. ... I’m sitting in the middle of the school, many of my… loyal voters are around me. I grab one grape from the many plates around me and eat it slowly. I don't remember the last time I ate grapes. I clapped my hooves and another round of plates emerged. This time I didn’t spot anything particularly good. I clapped my hooves again and they left. "This is bullcrap! She was cutie-less not too long ago!” “Shut up! You want trouble?!” “Yes Blue lamp, do you want me to expose your nasty doings? What about the bribery you daddy has been doing for years?” They both gulped before leaving. This is so easy and they barely resist my threats! I got elected and had access to the school files. Now I rule this class. I looked around and many of my loyal voters gazed at me with frowns and angry faces. I just needed to raise an eyebrow and they happily started smiling and nodding happily at me. Then one pony stepped in front of me, I smiled because he is one of the onlys I couldn’t find a flaw to exploit or bribe to become my... friend. “Mint! My friend! Want some grapes? Or maybe some nuts?” I happily said, but before I clapped my hoofs he said to me stop. “Cozy, this is wrong! What you’re doing here is wrong!” “Oh my, but what did I do? Tell me, Blue Lamp, did I force your father to bribe your teacher? Or you Shining Star, did I force your father to embezzle money from lunch?” They both wisely shaked their heads of course. "See? I’m being a great friend by not telling the authorities! Isn’t it super cool!” “NO! I mean yes? You know what I meant! You can’t treat them like this! They are ponies too! “Oh, like me when I arrived here? they-YOU treated me like a piece of crap from the very first step I took inside this school!” “I already said I’m sorry!” “BUT THEY DIDN’T!” I shouted hitting the bench. Blue Lamp raised his hoof. “No, you can’t say you’re sorry!” Blue Lamp lowered his hoof. Mint looked me up and down before sighing and walking away. “I thought you were better than us all. I was wrong.” I wanted to yell at him, but I didn't have the right words. I wanted to be mad at him, but couldn’t for some unknown reason. Then, for some ungodly reason I wanted to cry. No, I said to myself biting my lower lips and holding in this ungodly feeling. I closed my eyes and started breathing slowly. In and out, in and out. When I finished I witnessed Mint trotting away, but he stopped and looked back at me. I wanted to raise my hoof and call him, I wanted to tell him some of my problems I vehemently kept to myself, but I just snorted, crossed my hoofs and looked away. He… he has no use for me... “-And tell ya one thing princess, your daddy always cried when some bully beat the heck outta him! But me and another pal of us avenged your dad! Ahh, the good ol’ days.” “No way!” I giggled at the Mister Wheels story. He alway got a new one every day, and he keeps calling me princess due to my… wedding. I asked him to stop but after a day or two he seemed to forget or just ignore my request, so I just gave up and rolled with it. “Yes! Totally! Your daddy is probably still a push-over, at leas’ when he is not workin’.” I chuckled with the idea of daddy being a push-over. Mister Wheels stopped in front of my house and I left his cart. I turned to him to say thanks as I always do but I noticed his fixed gaze at my house. A bit curious I followed his look and what I saw made me do a little jump! In one of our windows a pegasus flew away desperately and before I could say anything mister Wheels opened his wings and chased him! I blinked a pair of times before processing everything, that’s daddy’s room! I grabbed my bag and flew in. I almost headbutted the door due to my hurry! “MOM!” I shouted while throwing my bag on the stairs and flying to her room. When I opened the door I expected… I don’t know what I expected but it certainly wasn’t mom sitting over her bed with a coup floating magically around her. "Mom?! What happened?!” She just sighed and put her coup away. “Shit.” She said dryly. From under her bed she got a fancy bottle filled with something pink. Before I could say anything she opened it and started drinking directly from the bottle! “Get out!” “You’re ok-” “STOP PREDENDING YOU CARE ABOUT ME AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY ROOM!” She yelled and prepared to throw the bottle at me! I shivered and closed my eyes ready for the impact, but using her magic she stopped the bottle and… and started petting it? Before I could say anything Mister Wheels entered from the window with a k-knive in his hoofs?! When he basically chased in he looked around the room and he threw himself against the door. “Is the house clear?” His voice, direct and firm, almost didn’t sound like him. “Yes Whe, it is.” Mom said, hiding the bottle under the bed and looking at him. Mister Wheels nodded, keeping his knife in his fedora. He approached mommy and grabbed by her shoulder. “Did he hurted you? Are you ‘kay?” Mom just shaked her head and he released her. He put one of his hoofs on his mouth and started looking around before staring at mom again. “He threatened you? He stole anything?” He said, his voice high and filled with authority, again, almost didn’t sound like him. Mom shakes her head again, this time Mister Wheels shouted in anger and layed on the window. “Fuck, I lost him on some alley, shit! Just say a word and I get tha’ fella head for ya Sprint, I marked his face!” “N-no, he was a… client.” “A CLIENT? What kind of client leaves a house using a window?!” “That kind of client.” “Oh, shit.” Mister Wheels' ears folded and he looked away. “So, is the house clear?” Mom nodded with her half-opened eyes, she seemed almost elsewhere. “You know, I... I mean, he is my-” “I understand Whe, I’m not gonna be mad at you.” Mister Wheels gulped, took off his hat quickly and trotted away. I turned to mom and her face scrunched up in anger. Now that was my time to gulp and walk away! But when I was about to leave, my mom called me. “Cozy?” “Y-yes?” I said while a bit nervous and understood half the things just happened. “Put… put some ice in the freeze for me, please.” I quickly nodded and flew to do it! It’s the next day and we’re all sitting at our now-mended table and eating a bit of cheese and not-so-old-bread. It’s early, 7 p.m. more exactly. Mom didn’t even touch her food and I already finished mine. When dad ate the last part of his bread, he cleaned his throat and looked at us. “No one got nothing to say? Maybe, dunno, confess anything?” He said using that face and staring at mom and then at me. I started looking away, scratching my neck and trying to whistle but failing miserably . “Well, Wheels told me some wild… thing, happened yesterday, and I should talk with you. I really don’t want to ask directly at him, so, what happened?” Mom took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After dad decided it was foolish to gaze at someone with closed eyes he looked at me! I gulped immediately. “Tell me Cozy.” I looked at him a bit nervously. “Please don’t be mad!” Mom sighed her deep breath out. “I would never be mad at you darling, now tell me.” Dad said undoing that face and smiling at me. I was about to look at mom but he softly hitted the table and widened his eyes towards me. “Somepony was here yesterday. He fled from your window.” Dad's eyes slowly seemed to process what I said and immediately that face came back. He looked at mom and then he got up. Mom stared at him, her eyes filled with a mix of determination and anger but dad walked by her and punched the floor! He started punching it in some points until one plank just popped out of place. He then kneeled and put his hoof on that hole and got a jar half-filled with bits. He hugged it in relief. I looked at mom trying to understand what’s happening and she seemed equally confused too. Dad put that jar on the hole and put the plank in the same place again, sealing that hideout. Then he gazed at mom and got up. “I don’t care who you sleep with or how you make your bits to spend on cheap booze, but you brought a stallion to this house while Cozy was here, and this I’ll not tolerate.” “B-but she wa-” Dad slapped her in the face violently! The sound was so loud that I flinched. Dad turned to me and smiled, g-gently? “Sweetie, since today is Saturday and you have some hours before you go to ballet, what do you think about going to the park? Mommy and daddy gotta talk for a while.” I looked at mom, she covered her hurted face with her hoof and looked away from me. “S-she is in trouble?” Dad just smiled in answer and mom got up and walked to her room. Gulping, I got up and trotted towards the door. “You know the park, right? Where Wheel works, just go talk with him or alike; don’t speak with strangers!” Nodding, I left the house. I heard some yells and bad-words. I heard some screams. And then I heard nothing. “To-today… is a new… a new…” After dad got to work I walked back home. The table got turned over, mom's food laid on the floor and the table seemed a bit more shaky. I looked around, everything seemed dark, even with holes in the ceiling the sun fails to illuminate the house. I flew upstairs and I noticed one step of the stairs looked broken like somepony smashed it. I gulped and continued flying up. Dad's door knob is missing and the door looks a little dented. When I touched it it moved easily. I don’t have to go there, I said to myself when I heard a sobbing coming from there. Licking my dry lips I slowly started opening it. I gasped with what I witnessed, I immediately flew downstairs, opened the freezer and got as many bags of ice I could carry. When I got back I felt an urge to puke, but I swallowed that and gazed a-at my mom. She is laying against the bed. Her pink fur is covered with some bloodstains and a blood pool on her back. But the worst was her face. Her snout seemed broken, her face swollen with bruises in such a way I can’t see her golden eyes. Blood dropped from her half open mouth and some part of her mane were missing, just to be found in some random part of the room; in her neck I could see some kind of marks like something pressed her there. I put the bags of ice on the bed and grabbed one. Where should I put it? I questioned myself. Then mom coughed and some blood came out of her mouth. That sound, that was sick, sounded like some part of her just broke from coughing and her own breathing sounded… wrong. Not knowing where to put the bag, I gently placed it on her head. She instantly reacted, she raised one of her hoofs, which was bent at an unnatural angle, over her head. “Peasee, stolp peaseee!” She cried in sheer panic and fear. I never heard her voice so broken and fearful. I never heard a voice this broken or fearful actually… “It’s me, mom.” I said and her movements ceased. “Gow awey!” “But you’re hurt! I-" “GOW AWEYE!” She yelled, spitting blood and curses toward me. I quickly got to my room and hid myself under my blanket. I was shaking all over myself, I peeked my hoof and noticed one thing. I’m covered in blood. I got home, Mister Wheels is cool and all, but I wasn't in the mood to chit-chat. I looked at dad’s window now covered with planks. It’s hard to believe it happened two months ago. I flew in and sighed leaning against the door. My loyal voters are plotting something. I can’t tell what, but I smell conspiracies from far away. I put my backpack over the table and put my homework over it, basic math. Gotta take half a hour an- “Cozy, get here.” I raised an eyebrow from mom’s call, shrugging. I just flew towards her room. The door was still a bit dented, but they put in a new knob. I touched it for a few seconds before opening it and going in. Since the window is barricaded, barely any light filled the room. But I could easily recognize mom sitting on her bed. “Yes mom?” She instantly, upon hearing my voice, looked away and the door behind me slammed closed. I looked back and my eyes widened seeing a tall white pony wearing a black suit behind me. “Indeed, she is gorgeous!” A strange and shrill voice said. His voice sounded unnatural. “H-hi mister? Y-you’re one of mom’s friends?” I tried to look at his face, but it seemed blurry, I couldn't recognize anything but a monocle. “And she has good manners? Indeed a rare find.” He said lowering his head to my level. From his blurry face I could recognize a lick of lips. “M-mom, who is he?”I turned to my mommy, already a bit nervous. She just looked at him, I expected now to the part where this crepiness ends and he introduces himself, not what mom just said. “Where are the bits?” The stallion chuckled and from his suit he grabbed two little bags and threw them over the bed, the indistinguishable sound of bits echoed. “Direct to business ahm? Good, here, one thousand bits as we agreed.” “One thousand! Wow! This is going to help us pay the bills!” I chucked cheerful! Just when I was about to touch the bags, mom quickly grabbed them and put them away from me. “M-mom?” “Ohhhh, her voice! Hmmmm, it's just divine!” I turned to him, even unable to see him, I know he gazed at me like a hawk. I gulped, a bit nervous now. “Mom, who is he?” I said again walking away from the stallion who approached me every second. But I never got an answer, when I peeked quickly at mom I saw she was looking at the bags of bits. “Your name is Cozy Glow, little girl?” “Y-yes mister, may I know your name?” My voice failed for one second. From his blurry face I noticed an ear to ear smile and another lick of lips. “She is perfect!” Then I felt… something in my special place! Something poked there! And I did a little jump from sheer reflex! My entire body trembled for a second and I started sweating while looking at his now glowing horn. I tried to say anything but again I felt that pressure on my special place. This time I squeezed and lowered my tail to cover my special place. An Indescribable sensation invaded my body while, for some unknown reason I felt… dirty. “So beautiful. Worth, every, bit.” He said again. I gazed now almost panicking to mom. She was just counting the bits! I retread, with every step he does I take two steps back! Until I hit the wall. Then my heart stopped for a second, there was no more space to retreat! With his magic he started touching my wing, my sides, and then I felt that same pressure in my special place! I wheezed and contracted my body for reflex and only one thing stuck in my mind. This is wrong. “Shhh now little one, you’re gonna love it.” His horn shined again and he lifted me by my front hooves, my entire body exposed to him. I don’t know why, but this felt so wrong, I felt so dirty and tears already formed in my eyes even though I can’t tell why. “Wait, you’re going to do it here?” Mom said, don’t know, my mind is so confused I can barely think. “You can go now dear, go have the life you wanted!” “B-but you’re going to do it here? Now?” “We will have plenty of time to play in my house, but I want to unseal this pretty now! But if you want to join. I'm going to tell you that it is pretty sick even for my standards. But I’ll allow, I can even give you some bit’s for the inconvenience!” “N-no.” “So my dear, the door is right here!” I gulped, then I shivered when I felt his tongue on my belly! I felt sick, my stomach twisted in disgust and I felt like I was about to puke! I tried to shove him away, but his magic held me in place. Slowly his tongue got higher and higher. I felt that pressure again and I squeezed my back hooves together the best I could. It's insane how I can’t describe what I’m feeling without using strange or dirty as adjectives. When he finished licking me he grabbed my face and forced eye contact. “You’re going to love it dear.” Then the pressure came thousands of times stronger and… and something happened! My mouth opened involuntarily and I started to cry. I felt his magic sneaking through my whole body, my wings, my flank, every small part of me. Using my last strength I cried to mom to help me and I looked at her. She was still sitting on her bed. Staring at me. He put his face near my neck and started sniffing and then licked my neck. This is wrong! There is no way this is merely right! Then something happened, the underside of my body started lifting. I tried to resist, to move my hips or hoofs but it was in vain! Soon my special parts were in front of his face! I Was already crying and sobbing, begging for help. He approached his face and I prepared myself for the impossible and inimaginable, I contracted what I could of my body while he got a long sniff of it. He opened his mouth and- “STOP!” Immediately he stopped, and slowly he turned to my mom. “Pardon me? I was about to get in the best part!” “I-I told you to stop!” He released me and I fell to the ground. It hurted, but even so it seemed insignificant compared to what I’m feeling right now. I started immediately curling the best I could and scratching my body trying to get rid of this invisible feeling of dirtiness! “You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, miss?” “L-let my daughter alone or I’m gonna scream.” “Really? Feeling guilty now? Just get the heck outta here! I didn’t ask you to see it!” “Get out of my house.” I opened my eyes after scratching my body for what felt like and eternity and I looked at them. Mom is in front of him, he is a bit bigger than her, but she is using that face. The stallion looked at her for some moments before looking at me. I squeezed and contracted my body from fear of… of anything. “I gave you a thousand, what five hundred bits would do to change your mind?” He said, throwing another bag to the bed. Mom said nothing but pointed her hoof to the door. He stretched his eyes and looked again at me before throwing another bag. “Two thousand bits! With this you may finally drink until you die in some random alley!” Mom's eyes widened a bit, almost unconsciously while she quickly looked at that fortune over her bed. She shakes her head and points her hoof to the door. “You son of a- “ He grumped and looked me in the eyes. Even though he had a camouflage on his face, it didn’t stop the sick feeling I felt when he started staring at me for some time. I curled again and sobbed. “Okay!” He shouted, throwing one big and heavy bag over the bed. “This is the biggest fortune I paid for a filly but she is worth it. Three thousand bits and none more!” Mom's eyes widened like plates while she gazed at that big bag layed over the bed, many bits scattered around her bed. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, just a mute gasp. “Yes, with this you can drink literally for months and still have some bits! Or you could open a ballet class like you dreamed. If you fear your husband I even include here a I-get-rid-of-him ticket. Just. Get out. Mom slowly kneed against the bed, her hoofs shaking while touching the bits. “Good, everypony has their price Miss, now if you excuse me.” He said, opening the door and looking at me again. I gulped and felt a cold bolt going through my spine when he lifted me again! I shaked and resisted the best I could but his magic was too strong. This time he spread my back hoofs and that strange and sick feeling filled me again. I cried for help once again and mom shouted. When I looked at her, she, using her magic, levitated all the bags and threw them at him. I fell and gazed with a mix of disgust and sickness while mom yelled towards him! She threw bag after bag and used many bad-words I had never heard before. Finally the biggest bag hit his chest and mom walked toward him, hitting the floor and using an incessant flow of curses. He retreated surprised with mom’s action and when he stayed on the door he stopped his retreat. "Stop! Dammit! You’re mad! I gave you the opportunity to change your life and you just threw it at me?!” Mom fulminated him with her eyes and he peeked at me. “Two thousand bits for an in and out.” “Wha-” “Ten minutes, I’m giving the best deal of your life! Just give me ten minutes and I will give you two thousand bits! You can keep her if you wish!” Mom blinked for some seconds before smashing the door closed and walking away from it. “YOU BETTER DON’T TELL A PONY ABOUT THIS OR I’M GOING TO HAVE YOUR HEAD OVER MY FIREPLACE!” He yelled from behind the door before leaving our house. Mom sobbed and laid against her bed before bursting into tears. She levitated a bottle from under her bed and grabbed it. Her hoofs shaked frantically and she just threw the bottle away! I was still curled, my body shaking sometimes from an indescribable feeling which was still permeating my body. But gulping and using all my strength I breaked my defensive curl and crawled towards mom. She was crying and sobbing like me a few moments ago. I sat by her and cleaned my throat. “M-m-mom? You’re okay?” She stopped crying and stared at me with her golden eyes moisted due to her cry. “I’m a pi-piece of shit Cozy! I almost! I barely-” She breaked in tears again. I looked her up and down before sighing and releasing some pressure from my chest I didn’t know I was holding, and tears formed in my eyes while that strange feeling started building up again in my belly. I felt something touching my shoulder and at first my shoulders shivered, and soon my whole body trembled and a feeling of panic spread in my body. I gazed at my shoulders and for a second I saw that faceless pony, and a second after that the pony disappeared and mom looked at me with her eyes wide. Her hoof recoiled instantly due to my shudder. Her face trembled in a mix of guilt and disgust before she put her hoof on the ground. “I’m sorry Cozy, I know my words may mean nothing to you, and you may forever hate me, but I’m sorry.” She said, sounding like a squeaky cat before crying. “M-mom.” I Said raising my hoof and reluctantly touching her shoulders. “I don’t hate you, you’re my ma.” She instantly cried before grabbing me and hugging me. I did my best to not squeeze at her touch and after a few seconds I returned the hug. We stayed there, hugging each other for some moments until mom pulled away from me a little bit and grabbed my shoulders. Her eyes were deadly gazing at me. “L-listen here Cozy, your dad, he can’t know shit about what just happened!” “I-” “If you think what he did to me months ago was… too much. He is going to kill me Cozy! For what I did!” “I don’t get-” “I KNOW!” she cried looking down and pressing her head towards my chest. “I know…” She repeated again before sobbing. I looked down, trying to remember what just happened and my belly started to feel weird again. I bite my lower lips. “But mom, you did something bad.” Mom raised her head and I pointed at her with my hoof. “P-please Cozy, he’s going to… to…” “You said bad-words.” I said to her and her eyes widened for one instant. She smiled shyly at me. “Y-yes Cozy, I said.” “And dad said I must tell him, when you say bad words.” Mom nodded “Yes, you must.” She let me go, and a strange and good sensation filled my chest when her touch ceased. I nodded and turned to walk to my room. When I passed the door I heard her muttering. “I’m so sorry.” I closed the door without looking back. I runned towards my room, quickly closing the door and throwing myself on my bed. I covered myself with my blanket and as soon as I did it I started crying for some unknown reason. That sensation of dirtiness filled me again and I put one hoof some centimeters over my groin. I bit my low lips while curling and trembling for a reason I can’t explain. Everything felt so cold, so dark, and for the first time in my life I felt… alone. It's the next day, we are sitting in our kitchen and I stare at the food. I thought about eating it, but an urge to puke filled me. I pushed the plate away and sighed. Mom, who was eating some bread, noticed and dropped her food. Dad was the last one to notice it all. He raised a brow and also dropped his food gazing threateningly at mom before putting his hoof on my shoulder. I instantly shivered and squeezed internally, recoining from his touch. Dad looked at me surprised, his smile fading while he stared at mom. Mom coughed, filled her lungs with air and stared dad back. “What happened?” Dad questioned and mom let out her breath. “I-” “Mom said, bad-words yesterday.” They both blinked at me while I gazed at the floor. Dad laid on his chair which even after all those years didn’t break, just creeks and twisted with his weight while he crossed his hoofs. “Is it so?” I nodded. “I think it’s time for you to go to school, Cozy.” Dad said. I just nodded and grabbed my backpack before trotting outwards. I heard dad shouting, then nothing else. I got out of the cart a bit tired, I turned to mister Wheels and got a little surprised when he showed me a strawberry lollipop. “A tribute, for my princess!” He said bowing and making a fun voice. I chuckled while I took the lollipop and put on my backpack. “Thanks mister Wheels.” “Thou shall know that I am always here for you, my princess!” Mister Wheels joked, bowing his head and taking off his hat. I smiled, stuffing my chest and raising my head. “Then thou shall know your loyalty is known, my friend!” I said trying to do the fanciest voice I could. We both bursted in laughs before mister Wheels trotted away. I turned to my house and trotted in. When I closed the door I trotted towards the freezer but stopped noticing somepony sitting on the table. Mom was there, I saw half her face. In front of her was a closed bottle of wine and an empty glass. I was about to walk away when I realised it. A closed bottle? I thought not remembering a single time I saw her not drinking or opening a bottle to drink. I approached mom and she turned her face to me. Her right cheek was a bit bruised. Sadly, I had seen worse. “H-hi sweetie.” She said with a hoarse voice. I felt something indescribably when she said sweetie, but different from yesterday, this feeling felt good! “Hi mom.” I said sitting by her. She sighed and looked at the bottle. “It's tempting. A torture actually. I never wanted so bad for a drink in my whole life, but I know if I drank it, all that happened yesterday will mean as much as nothing. Despite that, this is the cause of what happened yesterday.” I raised a brow and read the bottle. It's the same fancy bottle mom kept under her room with a pink liquid. I didn’t find anything particularly interesting written in the bottle. “I didn’t get it.” “It's easy to agree with something absurd when you are drunk and filled with luxury and greed.” luxu-what? “I dunno why I didn’t drink yesterday. You and your dad leave and I go drunk or find some… a client to buy me wine. But I didn’t yesterday. I can only imagine what could’ve happened if I had drunk.” Gulping and trying to not think much about yesterday I grabbed her hoof. “You would’ve helped me! You're my ma!” She tried to smile, but it clearly was forced. “I hope so.” Mom raised her hoof and touched the glass softly. “What do you think about your marriage?” “I-I try not to think much about it.” “Yeah, I know. Your daddy Cozy, he is using you, like he used me and many others. Heck! He may not even be a friend of Wheels and may be using him as far as I know!” “N-no! daddy is-” “Do you know how I met him?” She interrupted me and I shook my head curious about that. “I was young and rebelled towards my dad. He wanted me to follow rules, to follow our home tradition, not dance ballet; then I met your dad in a bar; he promised me the world, free of responsibilities and connections with pa. I was a fool believing him.” “T-the world?” Mommy nodded. “The whole world!” She raised her hoofs in the air like she witnessed something majestic. “And we were pretty happy in the beginning. Your daddy worked for Wheel’s pa at that time; like that my life started.” “But?” She looked me in the eyes before gazing at the bottle. “But then you were born Cozy.” I opened my mouth and looked down. Before I could say anything she gently grabbed me for my chin and looked at my eyes. “Don’t dare think about it, Cozy! You are one of the few things I did right in my life! Even if it took years for me to realise it.” I nodded to her. “When you were born, he changed. No more hugs, no more kisses, no more se-love.” She blushed a little. “Then, some days after that my accident.” Mom poked her back hoofs. “Two broken legs; end of my career. Then everything turned about you. Where we spent our bits, what to buy or sell. Everything. Slowly my life turned into a hell and I loved him too much to realize it.” Mom said softly, grabbing the bottle and looking at it. “Just when he hitted me for the first time I realized how fu-bad, my situation was. It was already too late to go back. With him I got a roof over my head; my dad still hasn't forgiven me.” I looked to the floor not knowing what to say. “Golly.” was the only word scaping my lips. “Golly Cozy, just golly to help us now.” She said moving the bottle and watching the liquid inside. “Mom?” I said, thinking about something. “Yeah darling?” My heart warmed a bit from her words but I had to focus and not forget what I was about to say. “Why don't you stand up against dad?” “Pff, really?” She pointed to her back hoofs. “I can barely run, now fight with him? I learned early to just endure it.” “B-but you standed up yesterday!” Her eyes twitched for one moment before she sighed. "That was different.” “You’re a unicorn! You have magic.” Mom touched her horn before looking at me. “I still don’t think I can win, Cozy.” “But there it is! it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about showing what he is doing is not cool!” “That discussion will not end well Cozy.” I looked at her and grabbed her hoof. “Isn’t it a burden you’re willing to face?” She opened her mouth to say something, but she didn’t say anything. Sighing she used her other hoof to hold mine. “I’m gonna try Cozy.” I barely contained my smile before hugging her! “Thanks mommy!” She returned the hug. "Tomorrow! I have a school trip tomorrow and dad doesn't work! So it’s a perfect day! It’s almost destiny!” Mom chuckled to me. I got up and grabbed my backpack. Nothing can go wrong!
Pretty sick story isn’t it?Everything went wrong. I thought, leaving the school bus and dropping my backpack. In front of me, lots of ponies stared and pointed to my house which was on fire! I flew over then and stopped when a firepony said to me stop. He wore the typical uniform and an axe was strapped to his back. I looked around hoping to see daddy and mommy yelling at each other. Faust, even fighting! I just wanted to see them but as much as I looked I didn’t see anything! Then I heard I bad-word coming from my right and I flew toward that voice! Passing by one last pony I saw mister Wheels surrounded by his employees. He was kneede towards the house, crying and hitting the ground. “Where are dad and mom!?” I shouted flying towards him. He stopped hitting the ground and many of his employees gasped at me. Slowly he looked at me and before I could say anything or react he hugged me. “MY FAUST YOU’RE ‘KAY! I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN THERE!” He cried and pointed to the house. Some guards surrounded us and mister Wheels got up and pressed his face against the helm of one of them! “NOT NOW SHIELD!” Wheels yelled. “You did this, didn't ya marginal?! Your luck ended Wheels, you’re going to jail now!” Many of Wheels employees started grumping and grabbing from their cloaks chains and some crowbars! I looked up and some fireponies tried to approach the house but the flames almost got them! Then one of the windows blew up and a brawl started right behind me. Then I realised something. They still in there! Without thinking much I flew toward my home. I heard mister Wheels shouting something at me and one of the fireponies tried to hold me, but I quickly dodged him. After closing my eyes I flew towards the broken window and got in. It's hot. That's the first thing in my mind. A flame burst a few centimeters over my head towards the window. If I were some seconds later that would have burned me! Without wanting to lose one more second I turned to the kitchen and immediately I kneeled and threw up. Everything was a mess, what wasn’t burning were in pieces and broken. Mom laid near the stairs, her head, half-opened with a strain of blood dripping from her head. The culprit, a leg of our table laid a few centimeters from mom covered in blood. Despite the grotesque scene, her face seemed so peaceful and calm, with a smile on her face. Then a burst of flames comes as if from nowhere and engold mom's body! Trying to look away I saw daddy laind against our freezer, many pages and papers around him. I took one step towards him and jumped when I heard him coughing! He was still alive! I shouted for help but the flames were implacable, my vision getting dizzy. “Get up dad!” I yelled and he just moved his head towards me, the smoke making it hard to see him. I took a deep breath, which proved to be foolish considering the smoke around me and I runned towards dad coughing and spitting smoke from my mouth! When I got near him I kneed. There is a broken bottle pierced in his throat. The bottle, adorned with golden accents, having somehow, a red-pink liquid dripping from it. “D-dad?” I said and his eyes opened for one instat towards me. His mouth moved but no sound came from it. Using what I believe to be his last strengths he grabbed one book from behind him and handed me before his body stopped moving. I looked at the title: ~~The things I did for your good~~. I’m sorry Cozy. I read the last part written with blood. I was about to look or yell at him to get up but another burst of flames made me retreat and close my eyes. When I opened them I saw his body now surrounded by flames! My heart stopped, something inside me, I don’t know what, just broke while I looked at my dad's skin burning and melting like rubber. I smiled. This is wrong! And yet I smiled! “I’m free.” I whispered to myself throwing the book to the flames around me. I looked at mom, she was in the same state as dad. I smiled again while mom’s smile melted to become just flesh and bone. THIS IS WRONG! I Trotted in the middle of the flames, almost as if it wasn’t there. After gazing at the floor and praying to the space to be clear of fire I smiled and punched it. One plank popped out and from there I grabbed a hot-jar half filled with bits! The door was smashed in two and a firepony runned in and shouted while looking around. I shouted back, my vision blurring more and more. I flew towards him dodging the flames in the process. Holding the jar of course. He grabbed me and gave me a mask of some sort and I breathed. It felt divine, like pure air from mountains I never visited. And without losing time he carried me away from the house. One last time, before he runned away I looked back to my parents and my heart... it hurted imensily. And I smiled while whispering. “I’m free.” I’m sitting in the middle of a white-cream room. There are some benches and toys scattered around the room, a window, one door and some posters. I touch one of the toys. I played with the toys; I felt nothing. I gazed at the window and I saw a couple of birds flying away and I sighed. WHY? Why am I not crying? Why I’m so calm?! I’m… I’m relieved. I’m free. almost actually. The door opened and a nurse walked in with a clipboard floating in front of her. When we made eye contact she tried her best to fake it out a smile to me. I just smiled back and got back to play with those not-funny toys. “Cozy Glow?” She said, more reading her clipboard than looking at me. I just nodded while hitting two toy-trains at each other. One thought came to my mind. How would that be? Would be violent obviously, but what about the injuries, the passengers? The impossible angles their limbs wou- WHAT THE FUCK! No! This is sick! E-enough of this! She kneed to my level and smiled. I don’t care how many years of experience this nurse has, I’m gonna wreck her! “Miss?” I said putting my best pupping eyes and childish voice. her eyes wided a bit and a genuine smile came out of her face. “Where are my parents?” Then her smile faded and doubt invaded her mind. She quickly looked in her clipboard and gulped dryly. “C-Cozy, I got-” “ 'Cause dad said we were going to the park today! And I’m super-duper excited about it!” Her eyes twitched and she hid some part of her face behind her clipboard. I got up and flew around the room. “Mommy is going to make her special cookies! Gonna be super WOWWEE! OH! Do you want some? I will keep some for you!” Now she hides her whole face behind her clipboard. After I heard a bit of sobbing she put the clipboard down and looked at me, and again she gulped when I used my puppy eyes. “They are- they-” “Where are they?” I said innocently puting one hoof on my chin. “They are in the hospital! They’re injured, Cozy.” “Oh no!” I put both my hoofs on my face. “Oh golly no! But they’re going to be 'kay right?!” Her ears folded and she started looking away. “You- see, they are really hurt Cozy and-” I holded her hoof and trembled my lips, my eyes at the point of crying. “We’ll try our best!” She sighed defeated! I opened my eyes and flew around her in sheer excitement. “I’m so happy! Miss, can I have daddy’s jar?” “Daddy what?” “It’s a gift daddy wanted to give me today! You see, today is my birthday!” Her eyes widened and her mouth almost fell from her face! It's priceless! “But I really-really want it now! Can I have it?!” “Don’t know Cozy, it’s with some guards now…” I just made my puppy's eyes and she nodded and walked away. When she left I put my smile away and sat on the floor. I filled my lungs and gazed at the toy-trains. I gulped and put my hoof on my chest. Something feels… off. After some time she arrived and gave the jar of bits and said to me not to lose it and I quickly agreed while shaking the jar. She asked a couple of pointless questions before leaving. After some time of peace in my room, I grab my jar which can have hundreds of bits or more and I look at it. “Thanks dad.” I said to myself. Before I could do anything more I got blinded for a ray of light coming from the window. I shaked my head and when my vision came back I was in front of a poster of princess Twilight. She was blinking to me and stayed over some words. In the friendship school, you can learn how to make real friends! I blinked a pair of times. “Friends” I whispered, ripping off a piece of the poster and running towards the window. I opened it and a wind current greeted me. Looking down I saw Mister Wheels entering the hospital. For one second I froze. Doubt filling me. Then I remembered something dad said. “Don’t let nothing stay between you and what you want.” I smiled. Then what mom said. “He was using us Cozy.” Stretching my wings I fly to the horizon holding my jar of bits and a poster about a school filled with ‘friends’ I smirked remembering one thing said by many ponies. “Friends are equal power and influence.” Pretty sick story isn’t it? “Cozy, my Faust I-” Undo the spell Starlight. “I can’t-” We both know you can, now undo the spell. I moaned in a way that only if you were petrified too you would understand. I stretched my little wings and puffed my chest opening my eyes. In front of me was Starlight Glimmer. A pink unicorn wearing some big glasses and with a multicolored notepad with some writing in it layed on the floor. I quickly flew off my pedestal and trotted towards the only door in this black room. Starlight opened her mouth to say something but I put my hoof on her snout. “Na-na! Tell me Starlight, still hope for me? After what I did? What I caused? Tell ya. No!” “One more thing! I’m not the only one around the world, there are many like me! But I was the first to step up and chose my destiny! I’ll not end up marrying a prick boy or end up in some dirty basement!” “And there is nothing stopping me from getting what I want!” I turned and clapped my hoofs evilly. “And what do you want?” She said her voice cranky. "The world!” I laugh maliciously! “And then what?” She said, taking off her glasses. “And after that? What do you do?” My smile stopped while I processed what she just said, but then I just sighed, not in the mood to lie. “Then I join mom and dad.” I said turning and slamming the door. “W-wait Cozy we-” "WASSUP!" a giant-red fist smashed the door open and a red minotaur entered the room. “You’re late!” “Ahhh shut up! It's Chrysalis' fault for taking too long to free me! Now get here!” Tirek said grumpily, extending his massive hand that I quickly got up and sat on his shoulders. I looked at Starlight who gazed at us scared and confused. I raised my hoof and she nodded, knowing what I meant. “This… story, all this!” She said, cleaning some tears from her face. “It's all true right?” I wrinkled my face. “Dunno!” I giggled, blinking with one eye and putting my tongue out! I did two little bumps on Tirek's head and he quickly drained Starlight. He turned and he walked away while I left my wardneer behind. I didn't look back.
Today is a new day.Author's Note This story stuck in my head for a while and finally I decided to write it. should be short. Not more than 10k words. There is also one for Chrysalis and Tirek, but I chose to divide them. Today is a new day. Everything was dark, I tried to move my neck, up, down or sideways, nothing. I lost? again? darn it! I knew I couldn't trust that foal! cursed be the universe! "You’re there Cozy?" Ohhh, and it looks like I already have company, can you hear me? "Y-yes Cozy, we can." Can you let me go? I swear this time I learned my lesson, I'll be a good filly! I swear! "Pff, okay, you said the same thing the last three times, and you tried taking Equestria the last three times!" "Twilight, please." In my defense, you petrified me, a helpless little foal three...four times! There must be a law prohibiting this. "Cozy, please, not now." "Enough of this Starlight, we've tried everything, EVERYTHING, but she doesn't want help." Oh golly, come on guys, I'll give it a try this time, I swear! I pinkie promise! I hear the sound of screaming and what sounds like a... cannon? "Don't dare, joke with this. Pinkie asked to tell you that you're not allowed to make pinkie promises. Forever.” Sad, at least I won't have to listen to that babbler anymore. "Why Cozy? You were making so much progress, you attended meetings, and your test results were impeccable! Why?” “Look Starlight, I know you want to try to help her, but some ponies just don't want help." Pff, you wouldn't understand. "So help us understand, is it about your childhood? You never commented on it." What? I'm still a child! I'm like, thirteen. Write it down, thirteen years old, almost four times ruler of Equestria, seems a good number, right ? "Enough of your jokes, Cozy Glow I- AHHHHH! forget it, look Starlight, I'll see Tirek okay? I think you can handle this." "Happy Cozy?" Well, from the sound of the door closing so abruptly, I see-hear, I hear this as an absolute win. "Want to talk?" Nope, I'm gonna find a way out. "If you saw where you are, I think you'd take those words back. I'm referring to your problem." I don't have problems, you do. "Really? And what would that problem be?" I don't know, maybe because they don't use all the power of their friendships? I used it and almost ruled the country, imagine if I was already an adult! "It's not helping, I want to help you get out of here, to be a better pony." Why? Seriously, I never understood you, you were always around me, monitoring me and everything, golly! You looked like my father! "Father?" Ohhh shi- "You said you were an orphan. did you just-" Yes Shellock, I lied, again. "But why?" My hecking skies, sweet Celestia, why don't you mind your own business, huh? You don't have a bill to pay or a house to clean? A sink to wash? Or maybe grass to mow?!? "Wow." Don't start with your wow's ok? Heck, you're a pain in my flank more than Pinkie were, and that's a thing! "Want... wanna talk about it?" You're with your ridiculously big glasses and multicolored block notes? For your giggles I'm gonna take that as a yes, look, quick question, for you Starlight, what ... What is power? "Power?" Yeah, from a fully-grown failed dictator to a mere thirteen years old, what is power? By your sigh you must have rolled your eyes, oh golly, hope this isn’t a sensitive topic! "Ha ha, well, your little mind games haven't worked on me since your second escape and…yeah, that didn't sound right when I say it out loud.” Starlight focus, be concise and to the point. "Ahmm, power means... power? Being strong?" WRONG! GOLLY! THIS IS SOOOO Tirek! NO! Power, the true power comes from one thing, manipulation, if you manipulate the others, you can have anything! Money, fame, a promotion where you work or even a crown! "Bu- but Cozy-" Starlight, don't argue with an infant, let's play a game instead? "Please, I'm not joking here, I'm trying to help you!" Okay, unicorn, but let's play the game and THEN you help me, does not it sound fun? "Okay… which game?" It's not quite a game, more like a share of stories, you go first, what was the worst part of your childhood. "I'm sorry? What?" Just-just answer me okay. "Well, that was definitely when my childhood friend gained his cutie mark." Oh sweet Celestia! Such a crime! What more? "More, what do you mean with, more?" Pfffffft. That's it? Like, all of it? Welp, that explains a lot about you and your… reformation I guess. Are you writing it all down? “On rainbow paper and wearing embarrassingly large glasses, yes I am. Now it's your turn.” Oh golly, from where do I start, I mean, there are so many things. But first, what do you think I… hate most? “I can't decide between the students, the girls or me, actually.” Funny, I would laugh but you know, petrified and all. “I nailed it so?” Nope, you didn't get any close actually, Starlight, what I hate most is being manipulated, being a puppet in one's plans, I dictate my destiny. Only me. “I-” And about the worst part of my infancy, I think it's quite accurate to say that it all started one day. "Which day?" The day I was born. Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep Today, today is a new day. Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep But yesterday, yesterday was a new day too. "COZYYYYY, WAKE UP DEAR, you're going to be late for school." I sigh as I get up from my… bed. If an old mattress on the floor can be called a bed. I trot towards my mirror, a pink foal with a messy blue mane stares at me. I get a comb to straighten my mane. After finishing I fill my chest and smile. "Today is a new day!" I grab my backpack and quickly fill it with today's class books. My dad calls me one more time, better hurry up, daddy gets angry when he has to call three times. Before leaving I stop and look at my room. It was small, some old toys scattered here and there, my old desk and my… bed. As I was about to go downstairs I heard a moan coming from Dad's room. Mom had a rough morning. Again. "I arrived father." I say for the dark blue unicorn sitting at our table reading the newspaper. "Sweetie, you have to be faster and stop sleeping late." "Yes dad, sorry" he chuckles a little inwardly and goes back to reading the newspaper. I put my backpack on the table, that's when it hit me. "DAD! YOU'RE STILL HERE!" Before he could respond I flew towards him and hugged him as hard as I could. “Y-yes? I mean-” “You never stay in the morning, oh golly, is it something important? Is grandpa going to visit us?!" "Sweet Celestia Cozy, is it so hard to believe I wanted to spend more time with you and go late to work?" "YES! Who’s coming?!" Dad rolled his eyes, "Nopony, to your sadness, my pals are going to cover me, but I'm already going to work." Daddy hugged me back and lifted me up with his magic. "Where's mommy?" I say looking around, she is always the first to wake up. "Your mother had… a rough morning honey, soon she arrives." I scrunched up my face as I tried to get out of his magical grip, but it was in vain. "No no no, I got you now!" He declares, laughing evilly. Oh no, Celestia, have mercy on my soul. “Because I'm the tickling monster! muahahaha!" "Stop it!" I scream between laughs and laughter, after a couple of seconds he lets go of me while laughing too. I shake my head and straight my mane while gazing at him. He just shrugged, smirked and laid in the chair. "You're mean." "I know, and I'm the best father due to it." He said, sighing heavily and going back to reading his paper. I stick my tongue out at him before flying to the shelf!” When I open the shelf I am surprised with a lot of nothing, I grunt and fly to the others, after opening them all and finding nothing but an empty bottle of wine I find the last shelf. I open it and there is a stale and hard bread as stone, I feel a smile forming as I take the bread and set it on the table. A small sound of crack echoed with the bread hitting the table while my father was startled and fell off his chair. He stood up, a little astonished and began to poke the bread. "What is this?" "Bread? Food I guess.” I say picking up a small blunt knife to start cutting it. “Dad, the knife didn't bend! This bread shouldn't even be that old!" I lick my lips as I tear off a sizable piece of bread, but before I could eat it my father snatched my precious bread out of me! "Good joke Cozy, where's the bread?" "Don't know dad, this is the bread on the shelf." He blinks for a couple of seconds before making that face, serious face, furrowed brows and slow breathing. "I leave money for your mother to buy food before leaving for work, you've been eating… this." He signals by shaking the bread in the air with his magic. "For how long?" “Has it been a while, mom's in trouble? Oh golly if she is gonna get in trouble so this is the first time! I swear!" Dad stared at me for a few more moments before a horn from the street caught our attention, almost as if by magic he seemed to wake up and put it on the table, he sighs and levitates his keys and opens the only shelf that has a lock and from there he takes a jar. When I open it I feel my mouth watering and my heart racing! There it was! A cookie! He smiled and levitated two more and handed them to me. "Time to go to school sweetie." I wave vigorously as I immediately swallow one of the cookies and tuck the other two into my backpack and fly towards the exit. Before I leave the house I can hear Mom coming down the stairs and I spy on her, a pegasus with very beautiful pink fur and golden eyes like Newly minted bits. She was in bad shape, some bruises near her face and back. She had a rough morning. I open the door of her house and fly smoothly towards the waiting school bus. The last thing I want is to get my hooves dirty in our muddy backyard. "You cunt, didn't I tell ya to buy food!? Where is the alcohol?!" I looked around as I flew, There was a broken swing in one of the trees. Dad says he is gonna fix it, other than that only and tall grass. I like to hide in it. “Fuck you, I g-got necessities, besides, there is bread, see? ” The shrill sound of the bus horn wakes me from my almost daily-trance about a repaired balance, the driver, a Pegasus, beckons me to go and then points to his other hoof as if he had a watch. "You-you piece of - you- that money is for my daughter! How many days has she gone to school eating this-this bread?! come here!” When I got on the bus I looked at its floor, the whispers started immediately. I quickly looked for an empty seat and when I found one I sat on it. There was no one beside me, so I could lean on the window. Today, today is a new day.
You never go at night to the kitchen if you hear noises coming from there!I was sleeping peacefully, can’t tell exactly if I was dreaming or not, but a loud noise woke me up. Scratching my eyes I yawned, my wings and back a bit sore due to basically sleeping on the ground. Another burst of sound echoed through the half-open door of my room. Frowning my face I get up and start flying towards the hall. I slowly open my door and peek out of it. This time the cacophony of sound could be more translated to a laugh than a new hole in the house where a current of wind would, believe or not, create loud noises. When I approached the stairs I could see that the lights were still on. Did I… Did I forget to turn it off? I hope some of them are awake or I’m gonna have some serious problems. I noticed too that the daddy room’s doors were half open too. I tried to peek in it a bit but the angle just allowed me to see daddy's desk. shrugging I continued flying towards the stairs and I stopped atop it. “I did it, Wheel your old morsel! I did!” I heard daddy's voice! Though the sound of something hitting wood caught me off guard and I squealed a little. I put my two hoof’s over my mouth hoping that nopony has heard it. Slowly I hand off my hooves from my mouth and peek at what's happening in the kitchen. Dad's sitting together with mister Wheels around the table, three heavy books in front of them. “This is dope, you did it ya son of a respectful mare.” Mister Wheels chuckled gazing at the books. “I know! I mean, I finished the third one a couple of hours ago and I can’t believe dude, I… I did it.” “Yeah, and to think you were just a homeless foal,and now look at you, a roof over your head, a beautiful wife, dude, you grew up in life!” “Slow down there mister gangster, my roof got a bunch of holes and I work fourteen hours a day, there’s a long, long street to trot yet.” “Yes but, I mean, you literally searched food in trash cans and alike, I mean, you did pretty well!.” “Kinda, if I work until death maybe I can furnish half the house, then my daughter would have to work half her life to finish furnishing it all. Maybe my grandchildrens have a normal life, dunno, like some fancy pants I know.” “Ohh no! Cursed be the universe! I wasn't born in an alley!” Mister Wheels raised his hoof’s in the air dramatically and dad started laughing. "Cease your frivolities, I don’t want to wake up the entire house.” Daddy said, putting his hoof over the books. I thought about trying to lean over to get a better look at the books, but they were too far away from me to even read the title. Mister Wheels sighed and leaned his body over the table. “I read the first one, kinda… dunno, not gonna judge you, but damn, I wanna read the sequels!” He extended his hoof to grab the book in the middle, but dad stopped him. “No!” Mister Wheels blinked surprised. “I mean, the second book has a… sad ending.” Daddy handed to his friend the third and biggest of the books. Mister Wheels just shrugged and grabbed the book. “Lemme see here… hmm… Hi cozy! This book will teach you how to behave and react to some of the problems you may face in the noble court! It is… a humble and direct title.” “There is no reason to pamper the title.'' Dad shrugged and to my enormous surprise grabbed a bottle of wine from the floor and started drinking! I thought dad ~~hated~~, disliked drinking. “Personally I like the first one more.” Mister Wheels put his strange hat on the table and also grabbed a bottle of wine from the floor! They banged their bottles and cheered softly. “I think I remember the title… ahmmm. Don’t say! It was… Maybe you’ll hate me in the future, but I did what I did for your best. Ohhh, the drama! No really, you gotta start improvin’ your titles.” “Who cares? Those books aren’t for random ponies, it's for my daughter.” “And your best buddy!” Mister Wheels chuckled, drinking a sip of his drink and opening the book on a random page. “Lemme… how to behave in a mask- masqueri- masquerade ball? What?” “She needs to be prepared for everything.” Dad takes a sip of his bottle. It’s weird seeing him drinking. I tried to get more comfy on the stairs, so I stopped flying and stood atop the stairs. Happily our old stair didn’t make a sound. “I know, but damn! How do you react when your father-in-law dies? That's… she is nine dude!” “As I said, everything.” F-father-in-law? “Mmkay, but, have you ever talked to her, like, explained your plan?” “Actually no, I don’t think it’s necessary, that's why I ask for her forgiveness in the first and second book. But hey! I filled the gaps in the first book!” Dad said, handing the first and thinnest book. "Really? So, what’s she gonna do?” “She is going to Bighorns School.” Mister Wheels choked and started coughing on his drink. He punched his chest some times and gazed perplexed at dad. Bighorns School? I never heard of that school, I touch my forehead unconsciously for a bit. “That's a unicorn school!” “I will find my way.” “S-she is a pegasus! They're gonna eat her alive!” “It is… a necessary burden she’s going to face. I preferred Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but I prefer not messing with our beloved princess.” Dad chuckled, he always does when talking about the princess. I don’t know why, but he dislikes her. “B-but the fee! I mean, that’s a lot of bits per month. “As I said, I will find a way, maybe another job?” “c’mon bro, I can give you some bits.” “No. Your bits are dirty.” They gazed at each other for a few seconds in an awkward silence. “If you say so.” "T-that’s not what I meant! You know what I was trying to say!” Dad said, shaking his bottle and blushing. I didn’t get it. “Well, ya earned a lot of bits workin’ for my pa, then a good sum more from me since my beloved pa finally found his end. That he forever trot in the Evergreen. But heck, destroyin’ more than four thousand bits ‘cause it was tainted was savage! ya could just have given me that!” “Tainted, tainted bits could ruin everything, besides that, I must do it. Nor you. Nor my father-in-law. Me.” I tried to get closer, I could barely hear them since they’re starting to basically gossip! For every step I descended from the stairs, a part of me said it would be the last, that they would see me, or that the stairs would creak like it never did before. Even so I descended a good five steps before I started to understand them more clearly. “Well, if you ever need some help, ya know, just kick mah door and I'll get some nice jobs for you in my workshop.” “Pfff, workshop, that's how you’re calling it now? You pa had more creativity calling it a post office.” “Welp, what am I gonna say? The guards have become a heckin’ smarter since you worked for us, but hey, you didn’t get the nickname neck-N-string for makin’ silly-dilly friendship-collars, did ya?” Dad rolled his eyes and continued drinking. They continued chatting for a bit, mister Wheels just bracking how they had a hard childhood. I heard carefully some parts dad never told me. When I ask about his childhood he normally vaguely answers or bribes me off with ice cream. I try every time I can, to talk about his childhood. “Ballet!” Mister Wheel yelled! “Shhh dude! You’re going to wake the whole block!” “Sorry, but, really? Ballet?” Wait, am I going to do what? “What am I going to say to you? He always wanted a daughter to have ballet classes and become a famous ballet dancer. Just joining the useful to the pleasant.” “And who is he?” Dad smiled smugly, opened the second book quickly, grabbed a photo and throwed it to mister Wheels while closing the second book. “A fan of yours, Fancy Pants is his name and he has a newly born son who is, fortunately, not betrothed. Yet.” “Well, not wantin’ to dump your dreams, but there are a lot of young fillies who also dance ballet, and… does classic poems and play piano?” “His wife likes poems and he likes piano. But that's not the grant prize. Its Cozy inheritance that will grab his attention.” “I… sorry I didn’t get it.” Dad sighed. “You were always slow weren’t ya? My wife's dad got lots of land, and farms, like, a lot. When he passes away or suffers, don’t know, an accident.” Mister Wheels grinned. “My wife is going to inherit that, and so does Cozy. Tell me, what kind of noble don’t want free land?” “Wow, that's dark, almost like you just married Sprint for her inheritance!” Dad just smiled. A strange and dark smile. I- I-I didn’t like that! “Don’t start with your wow’s, m’kay? Everything I did, do and will do is for her! I mean, c’mon dude! I literally searched for food in trash cans when I was a child!” “Yeah but, she's gonna be mad, what if she doesn’t want it?” “Oh, believe me, she will. The only thing I can’t control is what kind of cutie mark she is going to have, but I can put her in the right direction and wait, hoping for the best.” Mister Wheels raised his bottle of wine. “For the best. And that healthy be Cozy Glow!” “She is going to be the best, ya gonna see it, I’ll make sure of it, she will be such a good damn gift that Fancy Pants gotta accept the deal and BAAAM! She got a new life.” I stood gazing at dad for a few seconds. Then I sobbed. I froze, put both my hoof on my mouth and I flew towards my room. I carefully closed the door and threw myself on my pseudo-bed. I gaze at my bedroom roof for some seconds before some tears start forming. “A gi-gift. Am I a gift? J-just a mere pawn?” I mumbled. I turn my body and see a chessboard on the ground with some pieces on it. “Mate in four.” I whisp, moving the black rook to be sacrificed and destroyed by the queen. Then I froze and wiping my tears I got up. “No.” I said, smiling a bit. I move the queen instead. “Mate in six.” I smirked, grabbing the same black-obsidian rook and gazing at it. Author's Note There is a thing I always get myself thinking about. In Portuguese we don’t have this problem but in English we got hand, like, human hands and all and the verb handed. Knowing MLP this would be adapted, but for what? Hoofed? If there is a adaptation for this I’d love if you tell me so I fix it in others chapters. Because, dunno, seems odd a pony saying: he handed me that thing or alike
