The Rise of Passion

Cozy lightly nibbled on her sandwich as she looked out the window. Grilled cheese with avocado, while sounding strange at first, was actually pretty okay. Even better, there was tomato soup to go with it, made with carrot and crushed red pepper. Both had gone cold while she was waiting to see how long Starlight would take to finish her off, but it was an hour well spent.

The windows were fitted with a mesh screen of some description. She was unaware of what it looked like from the outside, but she was aware enough of how they worked. Somepony would have to be pretty close to be able to see her in the window, and she had to be pretty close in order to see out. For her own safety, the curtains would be drawn if she wasn't looking, anyway.

From her viewpoint, she could see Canterlot Castle, a fair distance away. From the other window, Twilight's School of Friendship in Ponyville. She had to commend Starlight for her choice in rooms. Any other view would not have infuriated her so much. That she felt this angry by design almost made her proud to have such a capable mare as her right hoof. To the right, there was humiliation at the hooves of Twilight and her friends. To her left, the ponies that sealed her away in stone, sitting on the throne that was supposed to be hers. Cozy wasn't one to give out genuine compliments, but Starlight had set her up perfectly.

Then again, she'd had plenty of time. Cozy had no idea how long she'd been set in stone, but it had to have been at least a year. The guards on the street didn't look to be panicking, or even concerned. If her release had been made known, Celestia would have them scouring the countryside for her. It was unlikely that Celestia would relax until she thought she was dealt with.

She heard steps outside the door again and drew the curtain. It was immediately obvious that it wasn't Starlight again. These were not hooves, but claws. Bird, dragon or gryphon. She could rule out most dragons, as these were light steps. Spike was still a possibility, but unlikely. Starlight would have to be lying with that heart rate monitor. If that was the case, Cozy would have gained a bit more respect, but there were other possibilities to examine. If it was a bird, it must have been a big one. An emu or ostrich. Most likely, this was a gryphon, and a smaller one, at that.

The door swung open, and her assessment was proven correct. "Gallus Griffin."

"Cozy Glow."

"What are you doing here?"

"I was sent to see if you're done with your lunch and collect the dishes."

Cozy returned to the window. "You're not surprised that I'm back. I take it then, that you're in on the plan."

"I've already covered a lot of our tracks. It will be a little while before anypony thinks to look for you."

"Good boy." Cozy took a sip of soup from the mug it had been served in. "I'll be done soon. In the meantime, I have some questions for you."

"Ask away," answered Gallus, leaning against the doorframe.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because Starlight didn't hire a maid. The more ponies involved, the more likely this plan is to fail."

"Not the dishes," she groaned. "Why did you want me to be returned from my stone imprisonment?"

"Oh, yeah, that... Well, it's because of love."

Cozy turned and looked at him. "If you start singing about how much you love me, I'm going to vomit."

"Not you!" scoffed Gallus. "Headmistress Sparkle!"

Cozy raised an eyebrow. "Really? You're in love with her?"

"I'm attracted to powerful mares," he admitted. "I draw pleasure from raw power, and she's brimming with it."

"And you want her to spit on you and call you trash."

"Wrong again. I want to conquer her. To dominate her and make her my own. I want her to carry my chicks for all of Griffinstone to see! Every gryphon in Griffinstone will see how powerful she is, and that she is subservient to me, and will know that I am the most powerful among my kind!"

Cozy took another sip. "So, it's a power trip."

"That, and she's really hot."

"So, let me see if I have this right." Cozy finished her mug and sat it down before turning to the window and crossing her front hooves behind her back. "Starlight Glimmer wants to see Twilight Sparkle removed from power, broken and defeated. You want to take the defeated body and fill it with your seed so that she can have your kids. In exchange for this, I am to be given my freedom from being turned to stone. That's a lot for you two to ask with barely any reward for me."

"You can have all of Equestria in exchange for your ear. As long as my own interests are kept, I'll help you take the throne from Luna and Celestia."

"And Twilight?"

"And Twilight."

"And Cadance?"

"With you as my witness, I'll mount the head of Shining Armor on a pike myself!"

Cozy chuckled. "A fine thought, but Shining Armor will belong to me. You are not the only one who wishes to conquer a spouse."

Gallus cleared his throat. "Right, so... You will also have him, then. Do you want his wife and daughter, too?"

Cozy shrugged. "Who's to say at this point? There is much to consider, and I will need time to come up with something. I will also need to regain my strength before we can even think of striking. One more question before you go." She popped the last bite of sandwich into her mouth. "I don't want to keep guessing at who is coming. How many are you that want me to overthrow the Equestrian royal family?"

Gallus picked up the dishes and placed them in his wing for transport. "Right now, it's just myself and Starlight. And you, I guess..."

"So, our peers are not in on it, just the two of you?"

"So far, yes. It is our plan that, eventually, everypony will have accepted it. Whether they want to or not."

"I see." Cozy took a deep breath and turned around. "Leave me, Gallus. I have scheming to do."