Several creatures were currently chipping off Cozy Glow from the petrified form of the Legion of Doom.
"Princess Twilight, are you certain that this is the right thing to do?" A griffon said.
"It is. It's time for that mare's mask to come down. Now that I know of her final secret. One she made sure no one could find out about. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed, because I am. But then again..." Twilight trailed off.
"Princess, is everything--" the griffon started to speak up.
"It's nothing. Just thinking back to three months ago is all." Twilight said.
One hundred eighty three days ago today, after a year of pregnancy with Flash Sentry as the father, Twilight gave birth to the second alicorn foal in the history of Equestria.
But the colors of that foal shocked everyone who was there, as such, the colors of the foal were not announced to the general public. Only Twilight's friends, the two former Princesses of Equestria, Twilight's family, the Canterlot royal guard, and the doctors at Canterlot Hospital were the ones who knew the subject of the foal's colors with the public at large being kept in the dark.
Three Months earlier...
It was a normal day, for eleven months, Twilgiht Sparkle, ruling princess of Equestria, had been carrying a foal. She, her husband, her sister-in-law, and her brother were enjoying a picnic in the Canterlot gardens.
"So, any idea when the baby is coming?" Cadence asked.
"Mom's already been asking. The baby is due any day now." Twilight said.
"Admittedly, I can't wait to be an uncle. I just hope that your child isn't as problematic as the one I had." Shining Armor said.
"Your daughter was the first born alicorn who proceeded to destroy the crystal heart and almost doomed the entire Crystal Empire. How could any foal me and Twilight have; even if it turns out to be another Alicorn foal; be worse then that?" Flash Sentry argued.
"...You have a point Flash." Shining Armor said.
"Oooooh..." Twilight suddenly gasped.
"What? I said I agreed with him." Shining Armor said.
"It's not that..." Twilight said. "M-my water just broke! Flash, get Spike, NOW!" She exclaimed.
Flash sentry did so right away.
Present time...
After being chipped out, Twilight proceeded to undo Cozy's Spell, but also make it so Cozy Glow would immediately slip into a deep sleep upon being freed. This worked Flawlessly, and Twilight took the now unconscious yet freed Cozy Glow up to the bedroom she shared with her husband.
"You were quite the actress; I'll give you that Cozy Glow. Not even I found about this final secret of yours until three months ago. Considering who I just found out who your mother is, perhaps I really shouldn't be so surprised. But then again..." Twilight shook her head as she placed the unconscious Cozy Glow in a bed, with a clear view of an alicorn foal in a cradle nearby. "...I shouldn't dwell on that now. There will be time for you to tell the truth when you wake up. So, rest up Cozy Glow." Twilight said. She quickly fed her alicorn daughter before leaving the room and locking it behind her. As Twilight waited outside, her mind wondered once again back to when her Alicorn daughter was born...
Three Months earlier...
It was a whole three hours before Twilight had given birth and the baby was declared healthy. But as soon as the baby was successfully allowed to be seen by its mother, Twilight had Spike send out a letter to each of her friends, her family, and even the now retired Celestia and Luna. Once everyone gathered at Canterlot Castle with Flash Sentry next to Twilight, they were generally confused.
"So spill, what bundle of joy did you and Flash end up having?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Rainbow...yer just excited that all we were told is that it was an alicorn filly." Applejack said.
"Well duh! Somepony's gonna teach that little tyke how to fly when she's three years old." Rainbow Dash said.
"Well, it's just while it is true, I am now the second to have a naturally born alicorn foal...it's...the nature of the filly in question that has raised some considerable issues." Twilight said. "W-with everything..." She added.
"My former student, just what could possibly change anything?" Celestia asked.
"...Perhaps it's better if you see for yourselves..." Flash Sentry said before he and Twilight parted, showing off the filly in question.
"...No. Bucking. Way." Rainbow Dash said.
"Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?!" Rarity exclaimed.
"S-sister..." Luna said. Celestia said nothing, holding her sister close.
"Th-that's not possible. It's not possible. R-right Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.
"Even my Pinkie sense didn't see this one coming. Not at all." Pinkie Pie said. Applejack meanwhile said nothing.
"Hey Twilight, doesn't she look a lot like..." Night Light started.
"I think that's the point dear..." Twilight Velvet said.
"The great and guiding Trixie is both astonished and flabbergasted." Trixie stated.
"Wh-what on Equees..." Sunburst said.
"You said it Sunburst." Starlight said.
"Tw-twily..." Shining Amor started but couldn't finish.
Cadence was the one who broke the pattern when she said the forbidden words. "It's a baby alicorn version of--"
Cozy Glow groned as she woke up. But before she could say anything, not only did she realize she was freed from her stone prison, but the pegasus caught a glimpse of the alicorn filly in the room. Cozy Glow gulped before she noticed the door opening and Twilight Sparkle came through the door.
"...Cozy Glow." Twilight said. "It seems that, even you being evil was an act. Everything about you has always been an act. I'm surprised your cutie mark isn't something that can relate to acting. Then again, that would've given things away, wouldn't it? Because then I'd know that everything about you is an elaborate act; a play you're performing so that I would never find out your deepest secret of all." She explained as she turned her attention to the alicorn filly. "But you can stop acting now. I know who your mother is. And considering everything, it's no wonder you seemed like my equal deep down. Because of the truth of your deepest secret. That you, Cozy Glow, are my daughter from the future." Twilight said.
Cozy Glow hung her head in defeat and in a flash of red light, she was an alicorn again. "...I'm just glad it's over..." The new alicorn said. If one compared Cozy Glow to the alicorn filly in the crib, it'd be easy to see the resemblance. Because Cozy Glow was a dead ringer for being an older version of Twilight's daughter.
"You never really were evil. And you never really considered friendship to be power. It was all an act so I wouldn't find out. That must have been really hard for you to make sure you wouldn't slip; to make sure not a single soul figured it out. Not even your own mother." Twilight said.
"I did what I had to do under your orders mom. I will admit, there was a couple of times I almost slipped. Such as that test. I almost slipped and said 'my mother' when Spike asked me who the Princess of Friendship is instead of 'your mother'. And then, there was the time Chrysalis asked me about my cutie mark." Cozy Glow said. "I told her it was because I had become near unbeatable in chess and general strategy. In fact, I even went so far as say that I was amongst the best of the best when it came to being a strategist. But I told her there was only one person who ever outsmarted me, the only one who ever outplayed me. I'm just glad that Chrysalis chose not to press me for more information." She continued. "I think the fact she didn't press meant she figured I meant you. But if she had pressed, I don't know if I could've prevented myself from slipping up and revealing the truth." The alicorn concluded.
"Well, I suppose you got lucky on that front. As the ruling princess of Equestria, I cannot believe you would take such risks. But as your mother, I can't help but appreciate the plans you've laid out all in an effort to make sure I'd never find out the truth." Twilight said.
"Right...so what happens now then huh? You know who I am now." Cozy Glow said.
"...I'm going to send you home." Twilight said before opening a time vortex. "Because that's the right thing to do." She added.
"...Fair enough. See you on the other side then." Cozy Glow said before she hugged Twilight. "Take care of baby me, mom." Cozy Glow said before she flew into the time vortex.
"...I will, my daughter." Twilight said before she turned her attention to baby Cozy Glow once more. "...I will..." Twilight finished as her mind once more traced back to three months ago.
Three months ago...
"--Cozy Glow." Was how Cadence's sentence finished.
"I'm just as shocked as you all are. But it would explain everything." Twilight said. "I never found anything on Cozy Glow. Her parents, her true motives, not even a birth certificate. It was if Cozy Glow shouldn't ever have existed." She added.
"So, then the reason why it looked like Cozy Glow couldn't and shouldn't exist at all..." Rainbow Dash said.
"That's right. It's because she technically hadn't been born yet." Twilight said.
"L-like I said..." Pinkie Pie said. "Even my Pinkie Sense couldn't predict this outcome." She added.
"What are you going to do Twi?" Applejack asked.
"...In three months time, I'm going to do the right thing..." Twilight said. "...I hope that's okay..." She added.
"Such a decision is never easy, my former student. But if that is what you wish to do...I will not stop you." Celestia said.
"Thank you Celestia. For everything." Twilight said.
Present time...
Some cooing from her daughter brought Twilight's thoughts back to the present. "I am not looking forward to what happens when you become six years old, Cozy Glow." Twilight said as she fed her daughter once more. "...But it'll be worth it." She added.
In the future...
Cozy Glow groaned as she opened her eyes once more, having landed on her bed back in her own time. And as if on cue, older versions of all those who were there for her birth came in.
"...Cozy Glow, my daughter. Your back." Twilight said. Cozy Glow, with tears in her eyes glomped her mother.
"...Mother..." Cozy Glow said. "I thought I'd never see you again after being sent back into the past." She added.
"I had hope that my past self would figure things out sooner. I guess it took her until you were born for her to figure it out." Twilight said.
"I'll be honest, I kind of like you better now that your older." Cozy Glow said.
"Too true, I wasn't as wise as I was back then as I am now. Apparently, that is." Twilight said.
"Wow, I never thought I'd see Twi take a self-jab at herself like this." Rainbow Dash said.
"I honestly never thought I'd see it either, Aunty Rainbow." Cozy Glow said.
"...Ah'm surprised you've never called Rainbow 'Aunty Dashie'." Applejack said. "Because Pinkie's kid calls her that." She added.
"I'm the daughter of Princess Twilight Sparkle, what's Lil'Cheese got for an excuse?" Cozy Glow asked.
"Wow, she's got you there, Applejack." Pinkie Pie said.
"She's talking about your kid though." Rainbow Dash said.
"I think I may have called Rainbow Dash 'Dashie' too much around Lil'Cheese." Pinkie Pie said. Everyone laughed before in walked Twilight's student, Luster Dawn.
"Princess, you called for me?" Luster Dawn asked. "Wait, is that..." She said.
"Luster Dawn, I'd like for you to meet my daughter: Cozy Glow." Twilight said.
"But that doesn't make any--" Luster Dawn started before her eyes went wide. "Bootstrap paradox..." She added.
"Mom, who's this?" Cozy Glow asked.
"This, Cozy Glow, is my student: Luster Dawn." Twilight said.
Cozy Glow flew down to Luster Dawn's eye level and then offered a hoof. "My name is Cozy Glow, I'm the daughter of Princess Twilight Sparkle. It's nice to meet you, Luster Dawn." Cozy Glow said.
Luster Dawn took the hoof of the alicorn. "It's nice to meet you too, Cozy Glow." Luster Dawn said.
"So Luster Dawn, what do you do for fun?" Cozy Glow said.
"How about I show you?" Luster Dawn asked.
"Sure. After all, I think we're going to be great friends." Cozy Glow said as she and Luster Dawn headed off.
"And there she goes..." Applejack said.
"So, any regrets about sending her to the past, my love?" Flash Sentry asked.
"Not one bit Flash Sentry. If anything, it strengthened Cozy Glow as an actual person." Twilight said. "I think being forced to live amongst the commoners has humbled her." She added.
"Too true, she was always thinking she was better than everyone else. I wonder if Blueblood got into her head at some point." Flash Sentry said.
"Actually, I never did tell anyone; not even her; about what happened shortly after I returned her to her own time. And I think it's something she should prefer to never know." Twilight said.
Present time...
As Twilight was once more feeding her child, Blueblood suddenly charged in. "You! I had a feeling. Your daughter is Cozy Glow. As the nephew of ex-princess Celestia, it seems it is up to me to remove you from power and have that daughter of yours killed." Blueblood said.
"If you did that, the ponies would rebel against you. Because simply killing her just because she looks like Cozy Glow is enough for the ponies to want to kill you." Twilight said. "No Blueblood, it is you who would be committing treason. Besides, Celestia crowned me her successor. Not you." She pointed out.
"You were just a commoner who got lucky." Blueblood said.
"ENOUGH!" Twilight yelled out and pinned Blueblood to the wall with her magic. "Blueblood, as ruling princess of Equestria, I hereby strip you of your nobility and sentence you to live amongst the commoners for conspiracy to commit treason against the crown. Perhaps then you'll think twice about using power for your own selfish game." Twilight said before releasing Blueblood. "Now get out of my sight before I decided to make your punishment worse." She added.
"Y-yes your highness." Blueblood said and fled the entire castle.
Twilight huffed and tended to her now crying baby. "There there, Cozy Glow. The evil pony who was abusing his power is gone now." The purple alicorn said, soothing her daughter.
Back in the future...
"Looking back on it now, that was probably where Cozy Glow got the whole 'friendship is power' thing from to begin with. In one way, Blueblood's actions allowed Cozy Glow to come to the conclusion that those that seek power are evil and used it as part of her act." Twilgiht said.
"Well, it worked, didn't it? You never suspected a thing." Flash Sentry said. "Its too bad Blueblood was killed on the streets by one of his enemies three weeks later then, otherwise you might be able to tell him he helped make sure the Bootstrap paradox went off without a hitch." He added.
"I don't have to tell him. He knows." Twilight said, turning her gaze to the outside where Luster Dawn and Cozy Glow were playing.
If one looked up to the sky, they could swear one cloud was shaped like Blueblood's head.
Author's Note
Been meaning to post this AU for the longest time admittedly. I hope you all enjoyed this take on Cozy Glow's motivations done for a contest.