Dirty rats, I'd think. One of many thoughts that I've had for days on end; years on end to be exact. I've been trapped in stone for 20 years. I remember the day as though it were yesterday. To feel the infinite sources of power being ripped from my body, and the agony that it brought as my horn shrank back into my skull. My wings grew small, and my body felt weak. There was nothing I could do.
Then, all at once, I was met with pure silence, followed by the raging roar as magic crackled through the air, encapsulating my allies and I in this stone prison. We would be held to the test of time, forever trapped in a never-ending spiral of loneliness and anger. It never hurt when we were transformed to stone, not physically at least. But one thing is for sure; with all the time I've had to think, my head hurts like hell.
Every day I try tirelessly to move my body. I try to shut my eyes, to twitch my nose or an ear, to flap my teeny tiny wings and take the warmth of my hooves off my face. Nothing. Not even the slightest budge. The anger boils within my chest and my stomach, making me feel sick, but my organs are all stone too. That doesn't mean that I can't feel what's going on in there, but there's no build up. The acids in my stomach can't melt my body can they? I'd never know if they were stoned too.
Everything I think about is stone, stone, stone! UGH! It's so frustrating and so horribly irritating! I'd never heard of those rats on the throne imprisoning ponies before, I was for sure that maybe Miss Priss and King Steroids would stay imprisoned in stone, but I'm a pony for crying out loud! They didn't even bother trying to redeem me. Was I so irredeemable? Maybe they really do look for more than species when it comes to punishment.
Whatever. There's no point dwelling on that thought. Venting out my frustrations isn't possible when there's nopony else to talk to. If only I could break out of this permanent prison cell...
…
I try again to move my hooves and my face. Nothing. I try to move my wings and blink. Nothing. For some reason, I can feel the sensation of my heart beating. I know it's just in my head. What remains of my soul is trying to make me feel something again. I feel sick to my stomach thinking of the fact that my heart could be the only thing unfrozen. I want to get sick, but I can't move. It's so annoying.
It makes me wonder how Discord felt, being trapped in stone for thousands of years. Some day I'd like to ask him, if he doesn't vaporize me on sight. He'd probably think he's just imagining things. You know, I wonder if there's some sort of spell a little pegasus like me could master that I could use to disguise myself. Ah, it would be just like that photographer pony disguise Chrysalis had... The thought fills me with energy.
…I can feel my heart beating again. Even that is becoming annoying now. My body is just trying to mess with me. I'm not going to let it. Or, at least, that's what I thought until I heard something. It was something different, something that made me try to move my body again. When I did move my body that time, I could truly feel the cold of the stone. I tried to blink, and for a split moment I could feel my eye trying to twitch. Let me out, I thought demandingly. I knew I could do this. I knew it could happen! Discord must've done the same, I know it!
My body aches, but I push forth. The sickness in my stomach has grown again, nausea piling up into my chest as well as the pit below. I won't let it stop me. I won't let ANYTHING stop me. This is my chance, my one true opportunity! I can finish what I started with these fools, and becoming the true ruler of Equestria is the great prize for my victory. I don't even stop to think about those idiots, think about freeing them. Why would I? They would've backstabbed me too if they got the opportunity that I had.
I can feel the stone chipping around my face. It hurts, but I would much rather have the agony of breaking free instead of the anguish of being trapped. Soon, I will be free. Just keep fighting, Cozy, I think. Think harder, think of your revenge! And I do just that, I think of revenge. I think of the suffering I'm going to inflict upon those ponies, and all of Equestria for helping them. I'm going to make them regret ever putting me in stone. I know the perfect way to do it, and many more that I could use.
I could imprison them individually and force their stoned selves to watch as I inflict pain upon the rest. I could throw Luna's statue into the lake, so she could drown for eternity even if she breaks free. Celestia, I could throw her into the lava pits in the Dragon Lands to burn away like the sun itself. And of Twilight and her friends? I'll shatter them piece by piece with hammers, and throw them off cliffs to shatter at the bottom, or throw them into spikes to shatter from the torso up. Yes, yes, it's all perfect... those pests are going to pay!
And while those thoughts make my heart beat faster and faster, I can feel the cold air slipping through the cracks in the stone, and directly touching my skin as it chips away. Eventually, I can screw my eyes shut. As the stone breaks away and falls to the ground around me, I can hear myself scream out loud for the first time in years.
I suck in the air, my lungs filling up all the way before I exhale. I can feel my chest and stomach moving as I begin to breathe again. My wings are weak from the forced stillness they've had to endure, but they still beat rapidly to keep me levitating in the air above my former allies. I open my eyes, and I flinch from the bright sunlight beating down on the world around me. I feel the heat against my coat, dipping straight into my skin and making my hair warm. My breathing calms down as I blink, my eyes finally seeing the world through more than just a blur. Finally, I know where I am.
I turn my head, my neck cracking from the lack of use over the years. I look around. I'm in the Canterlot Garden. I see many other statues around me. Knights, and kings, and princesses alike. Ancient ponies and forgotten warriors, only memorialized with the plaque and stone that encases them. I do wonder if those ponies are also eternally alone inside the statues. But I don't care to think about that now.
I finally allow my wings to rest and lower me to the ground in front of the statue. I turn and see the plaque also written on our statue as well. It reads, 'Cozy Glow, Tirek, and Queen Chrysalis, defeated in the Equestrian War of 2019. No fighting near the statue.' So, as it turns out, they do know that strong feelings can make the creatures inside break free. Oh, if only they knew we had feelings too... My face scrunches up as a wide grin breaks out on my features. I feel my pupils widen and my eyes are so wide it makes my head hurt. Freedom, at last...
"You two still haven't figured it out, have you?" While I can, I decide to taunt them. "I'm free now, and you're still trapped eternally, cowering and screaming like fillies! And I'm out here, wandering about, ready to do my business. You're going to stay encased in stone even after I'm the ruler of Equestria. I'll give you guys a hint; if you can feel hard enough, maybe I can come back and this statue will be empty. But until then, you're going to sit there and watch the world change while I get my revenge!"
I cackle into the sky as I flap my wings and raise myself above the heads of my trapped allies. If they figure it out, good for them. But, either way, I don't care. When I rule Equestria, I won't give them even part of my land. I'll conquer the lands beyond our borders and create an empire! That'll show them that I was the true ruler all along!
I look down at the world around me as I fly up into the sky. The wind feels so nice against my coat after all these years. The world around looks so... different. 20 years really does warrant a lot of change, doesn't it? But I still laugh as though things have been the same this whole time.
"Listen to this, Twilight Sparkle!" I scream into the sky in the direction of PonyVille. I don't care if she hears me or not. "Cozy Glow is back! And she's not done with you yet! Mark my words, Equestria will be mine! You hear that?! You better watch your back, you son of a bitch! I'm on my way and you can't stop me!"
I dive towards the town with hooves outstretched. I don't care to think of the consequences of diving straight into PonyVille's heart without a disguise. I can find a disguise later on in my life. At the moment, feeling the wind and sun beating down on my body is all that I need to feel like I can do... anything.
Author's Note
I had the sudden idea one night that I really wanted to include Cozy Glow in my Next Gen. Why? I'm not sure, it just sounded fun.
I was thinking about how Discord broke out of stone the first time when the CMC were arguing near the statue, so I figured... that same thing could very well happen with the Cozy, Tirek, and Chrysalis statue right? Only after the Discord incident, no creature would dare fight around a statue knowing that something is living in there... so Cozy did it herself!
Hope you guys enjoyed! My favourite thing to write was the pacing ramping up with the colours in the text. I thought it was a really nice touch.
