The Cozy Glow Sagaby Failwhale34ChaptersIssue #1: CondemnationIssue #2: JailbreakIssue #4: Unknown Pasts & InfiltrationsIssue #5: A Crusading EscapeIssue #3: HuntedIssue #1: CondemnationFrom the infinite cosmos of the universe, countless stars twinkle to and from. It was an endless void of cosmic activity where everything was peaceful, relatively tranquil. That was until- *SMACK* A comic book(?) was haphazardly slammed onto an invisible surface. The Cozy Glow Saga Issue #1: Condemnation The cover had a battered Cozy Glow sitting in her sell with a bitter, resentful glare. Day 300. 65 more days and that would make it a whole year. A year since incarceration. It had been almost one year since Cozy Glow had been sentenced to Tartarus. Everyday, she would draw Tally marks on the pavement of her cell to keep track of how long she had been here in Tartarus. Since the moment she stepped into her cell, she just kept at it. It served as reminder of why she had been sentenced here in the first place. It was why Cozy would always reflect on how she ended up here. Well, most of time anyway. The growls coming from the worst kinds of beasts in Equestria were the reason why. She couldn't have a moment's peace because of these idiot freaks. She couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't even get a wink of sleep because of this. Cozy yell at them to shut up, but to no avail. Her neighbor, or former neighbor, hadn't been any help much either. At first, Cozy had tried to befriend Tirek, but the evil centaur proved he just couldn't stand her. At some point, Cozy would only talk to him just to pass the time. She basically had nothing to do. She couldn't even eat. The food that was given to her was absolutely horrendous. She honestly had no idea how she had even managed to go on without food. It was simply because... she wasn't going to let them win. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction. She had to keep going. Like she always had before. She wasn't going to show them weakness. Not after everything she had gone through. It wasn't like she could rely on Tirek anymore, anyway. A while ago, guards had came and moved him to a different section of Tartarus. Tirek had no objection to this and was simply glad he wouldn't be bothered by her anymore. Cozy was on her own. Like she had always been. Just like... It didn't matter. She had survived on her own before and she could damn sure do it again. 'Didn't work against Headmare Twilight and her dumb friends though' Cozy thought sourly as she tried her best to tune out all noises around her to focus on her thoughts. Her plan to take over the School Of Friendship would've worked had it not been for those students. But nonetheless, Cozy's plan failed and now she was here. But this wasn't over. Somehow, someway, she was going to get out of here. She had to. She wasn't going to spend the rest of her life in this cage. She would find the checkmate to remedy this situation. She always did. But for now, until that day came, she would wait and bide her time. Wait for the right opportunity to come and then she would escape. And then she would- "HURAGGGGHHHHH!" Roared an incoherent voice from below as a tsunami of growls rose up again which snapped Cozy Glow out of her thoughts. "HEY! CAN YOU ALL JUST KEEP QUIET FOR ONCE!?" Cozy snapped angrily. "THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING!" And as usual, she was ignored. She facepalmed before slumping against the bars of her cage. Almost a year and she was still losing her temper over this! Day and night, she tried to listen to all these idiots. Actually... she couldn't even tell if it was day or night at all since the moment she was locked up in here. Ignoring that, Cozy did her best to tune them out for the umpteenth time and go to sleep. Or at least try to anyway. And yet... She couldn't help of think about everything that had transpired up to now. She tried to take over the School Of Friendship to obtain power. So, she could feel powerful. So she could never be looked down on by others like she had been before. Nopony could truly understand her motivations. Nopony could ever truly understand her. Cozy Glow sighed in exasperation as the noises from the other animals grew louder and louder. She curled up on the hard pavement of her cage, trying to make herself comfortable as possible. If only she was a fully grown Pegasus right now. She could've used her fully grown wings to cover herself from the shivery presence that was all around Tartarus. 'Instead I'm locked up in here with all of these idiots' Cozy bitterly thought as she covered her ears to try and zone of out of all the incoherent noises that were happening all around her. She really wanted to hit something right about now. Maybe those guards would suffice when they came back the next day. Or Cerberus. Actually, scratch that, she'd be crazy to try and hit the bestial guard of Tartarus. 'And it would be pretty stupid to do something like that in hindsight' Cozy considered as she absentmindedly sat up to look at the Gates Of Tartarus. The Gate to freedom. Her ticket out of here. Oh, how she longed to get out of this place and have that taste of freedom. And then go after those who had wronged her like she had intended to originally. Not just those at the School Of Friendship, but those before as well... Her hatred for those who had wronged her all throughout her life rung deep. Cozy seethed angrily knowing those ponies living their oh-so happy lives. With friends...and...family. 'Stop it!' Cozy scolded mentally. 'Don't dwell on that.' There were a few rare times where she thought about that. And them. Cozy sighed as she tried to rid herself of these absolutely annoying thoughts. She couldn't dwell on the past. Not right now, anyway. Not when she had to come up with a way to get our of here. A part of herself wondered why she hadn't given up after almost a year here, but she simply shunned those thoughts away as she already remembered her motivations. She would have her revenge and those who had ruined her life. She would get the power she needed to accomplish. And she would never feel weak again. Never again. And with those firm thoughts in mind along with all the incoherent noises coming from down below, Cozy Glow laid back down and slowly but surely went to sleep. Issue #2: JailbreakThe scene of Cozy Glow going to sleep morphed into that of a comic book panel at the end of the issue before it was closed. A moment later, another comic book was haphazardly slammed on top of the previous Cozy Glow comic. The Cozy Glow Saga Issue #2: Jailbreak On the cover, it showed Cozy Glow dodging one the mighty paws of Cerberus as his paw hit a wall behind her. 'What I would give for a nice warm bed right now' Cozy mentally groaned as she willed her body up from the hard pavement beneath her and went ahead and added another tally mark since it was now Day 301. She had honestly meant what she had said. She missed the comfort of her nice warm comforting bed that she had had back at the School Of Friendship. Almost a year and she still wasn't used to the poor sleeping conditions of this desolate place. 'Adding that to my to-do list if I ever get out of here' She was almost tempted to fully give up and adjust to being here for the rest of her life. Almost tempting. Cozy let a sigh as she ran a hoof through her mane. The cunning filly's once curly light blue mane was now messy and severely frazzled. Her yellow bow that usually kept them was doing its job, just barely. She could really use a mirror right about now. Her hooves were absolutely filthy and her tail was beyond frazzled. Her stomach began to rumble as she leaned against the bars. Cozy was so hungry. She wanted to eat but she didn't want to give the guards the satisfaction. It was a show that she wouldn't back down to them. That she would she would continue to revolt. Which is what most ponies would call stubborn pride. But today, Cozy was feeling more hungry than she'd ever been before. She wasn't sure how much more she could endure at this point. The moment she was sentenced in Tartarus, she had looked high and low on possible ways to escape this cage and yet there was nothing. Just nothing! 'How did that centuaring wacko manage to escape here anyway!?' Cozy mentally questioned frustratingly as she paced around her cage in deep contemplation all while remembering when Tirek escaped Equestria a few years go. 'He escaped without anypony even knowing and yet here I am without any knowledge as to how he did it!' It was something Tirek never told her when they were exchanging letters. At that time, Cozy didn't see the need of that information but she wished she had pushed him to give her that info due to where she was now. Gritting her teeth, Cozy sat down putting her hoof underneath her chin. What could she do? What could she do? WHAT COULD SHE DO!? She would not remain in this cage, forgotten and alone. She wouldn't break. She couldn't! She swore she wouldn't! She made a- The sound of doors opening pulled Cozy out of her trance as she quickly turned around and looked below as the Gates Of Tartarus opened up to which a pair of royal guards appeared. A brief glance and Cozy could see that the sun was shining brightly. The first time she had seen the light of day since almost a year ago. She mentally applauded herself for keeping track of how long she been imprisoned. A chorus of growls and roars occurred from the monsters below as the guards each gave them their food. They even stopped by Cerberus to give him his share as well. 'All those big freaks must be having a feast if there roaring like that. How lovely.' Eventually, they ascended up the stairwell to give Cozy her food for the day. Cozy remained neutral but stared daggers at them. The guards would always come in and out everyday to give her and all the other prisoners their food for the day. Cozy Glow, personally disliked them due to the fact that sometimes whenever they’d come to her specifically, they would obnoxiously bang on her cage to wake her up. She’s yell at them to stop it, but in the end, they persisted with this. Though it was some of the time, not all of the time as she would try to be awake before the guards would arrive. It seemed that today was one of those days. “Rise and shine, Glow!” Guard Jerk called as he and Guard Dummy approached her cage. Cozy didn't know their actual names, which she probably never would, so she gave them those names just based on their personalities alone. “Oh golly, you’ve come back!” Cozy smiled gleefully before it turned completely sour. “What kind of horrendous food do you idiots have for me today?” “The usual,” Guard Dummy as he pushed a tray of smelly soup, with a spoon and fork on top. “Hope you enjoy your meal, Glow.” "Oh joy," Cozy scoffed, rolling her eyes as she looked at the tray. "Yippy do for me." "Alright, that's everypony and every creature," Guard Jerk said, intentionally dismissing Cozy's sarcasm, as he turned his attention to Guard Dummy. "Let's go check on Cerberus before we leave." "Right behind you." Guard Dummy affirmed as they descended down the stairway, leaving Cozy alone once again. Cozy glared at their retreating forms before looking down at her spoiled meal for a couple of moments. It was soup, but it looked like yellow goop. ‘Disgusting’ She wasn’t going to eat this. She wasn’t going eat this horrid food and give them the pleasure of watching her succumb to her predicament, here in Tartarus. Moments like these reminded her of why she had to get out here. But what could she do? With those consistent doubts in her mind, Cozy looked down at her supposed food defeatedly. ‘I am pretty hungry’ Cozy thought as she listened into her grumbling stomach. She’d personally listen to her stomach than any of those freaks below. ‘Just one bite wouldn’t hurt’ She was admittedly starving. She had stubbornly denied herself any food. But she needed to eat. One bite. One bite would suffice to satisfy herself. Cozy moved the boll closer to her and looked at the goop nervously. Next to it was fork and a spoon. Would her stomach be even able to tolerate eating this? Would it make her stomach even more grumpy? Cozy flinched at the chorus of growls from below. She couldn’t bring herself to even yell. She also didn’t the Gates Of Tartarus closing which had signaled the guards had left Just one bite and she would call it a day. She would take a fork and have one bite. Where was the harm i-? …Wait, fork!? Cozy’s eyes widened in realization as she looked the front of the cage which contained a small lock. How the hay had she not noticed this before!? Has this place nullified her brain or something!? Cozy narrowed her eyes in bewilderment as she looked between the lock and the cage. There was no way this could work. …Right? ‘I have nothing to lose’ Cozy thought as she stood up, took the fork and trotted up towards the gate of her gage. 'Gotta try something' Cozy looked out her cage to see nopony nearby watching her. Cerberus was most likely eating whatever food that guards had left for him below. The coast was clear. Though that wouldn’t mean anything if this attempt failed. Still, Cozy had nothing left to lose. So with a deep breath, Cozy stuck her head of the cage and stuck the fork into the lock. She used all her weight try and twist the lock for it to hopefully be unclosed. Cozy could hear insides of the lock. It didn’t seem like there was any progress. She had actually unlocked a lock before. Maybe it took time. Maybe the fork wasn’t a good enough object to unlock. Maybe she should’ve tri- CLICK! That sound caused Cozy to take a step back from the lock. She did a double take as the lock was seemingly unlocked. To make sure she wasn't going insane, she decided to push the cage door to see if it would open. And it did open. She... had done it. 'I did it' Cozy thought before resounding thoughts of happiness took over as she pumped her hooves up and slowly but surely flew out of her small cage. 'I did it! I actually did it! I-' "GRAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" That thundering growl immediately silenced Cozy's mental celebration. 'Oh yeah, almost forgot, I'm not exactly free of this place yet' Cozy mentally reminded herself as she slowly peeked below to see Cerberus away from the door and munching on his food, which was good old meat. Very good food for a dominant beast like him. But that wasn't what Cozy's focus lied. It was on the Gates Of Tartarus. Her gate to freedom. All she needed to do was sneak past Cerberus and then she'd be home free. Though it might be best that she fly away from Tartarus when she did so. It wasn't going to be easy getting past the Guard Of Tartarus. Cerberus had a huge sense of smell and he could easily sense and see her if she tried to fly past him. Cozy would have to take it one step at a time. "Okay," Cozy muttered as she took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." She flew up and lowered herself towards the ground. However, Cozy decided to lower herself right behind the cages of the other beasts. She couldn't risk the possibility of being caught. Not now. She soon touched the ground and quickly hid behind the cages as quietly as she could. It seemed that Cerberus' sense of smell was even greater than Cozy had even imagined it to be because Cerberus' ears perked up as his head shot up from his meal. He sniffed very loudly, sensing something was off. He rose and continued sniffing out the problem. Seeing this through the bars of the cages, Cozy stood on her hind legs and held her breath as Cerberus roamed by. His footsteps practically thumped against the ground as he made his way towards the flight of steps. 'He's distracted! Now's my chance!' Cozy quickly galloped towards the gates as quickly and quietly as she could. There it was! She was finally escaping! She would be free at last! He plan was gonna work! "RAARGGHH!" Well, it almost worked. Cozy yelped as she turned around to see a Bugbear in a cage, glaring at her. She had been so focused on escaping without Cerberus' knowing that she had forgotten about her other surroundings. Cerberus, who had still been making his way up the stairs, heard this and turned around. Much to his shock, he saw Cozy Glow, somehow out of her cage. (Play This) He growled as he jumped and landed on the ground right before her. Between her and her ticket to freedom. Cozy wobbled from his impact. 'So much for a quiet escape' Cozy gulped as she looked up to Guard Of Tartarus fearfully. “Golly, Cerberus, fancy seeing you here.” Cerberus only glared at the pink Pegasus filly and as he began marching towards her. “Okay, I know it looks like I was trying to make a getaway,” Cozy as she took a couple of steps back. “But it’s really not the case. I was just gonna go get some of that nice bit of fresh air. So, would you mind stepping aside please?” The giant three-headed dog responded roaring, right in her face. He reared his paw back and sent it right at Cozy. 'Well, it was worth a shot.' Thinking quickly, she flapped her wings and flew into the air, thankfully avoiding Cerberus’ big paw as it collided with ground, sending shockwave through the realm. The other monsters were roaring in excitement as they were enjoying what they were seeing. Cozy wasn’t going to dwell on that as she had to focus on other matters. Trying to escape Tartarus and avoid being crushed by three headed dog. Cerberus roared in anger as he picked up ab empty cage and threw the cage at Cozy. “Whatcha!” Cozy shrieked as she flapped her wings, doing her best to dodge all of the oncoming movables, however she couldn’t dodge Cerberus’ paw as he was able to strike at her side with her paw. “OW! This is really unnecessary!” Cerberus, if anything, ignored her protests and began chasing her on foot. For a giant beast, he was fast. But Cozy could use that to her advantage. Noticing a section of Tartarus that was empty, Cozy, all while clenching her side, flew straight towards it and stopped right by it. Cerberus rounded the corner, roaring as he began charging towards her. Cozy didn’t move. No expression of fear was present on her face. Just determination. As the Guard Of Tartarus got closer and closer. Cozy lowered herself, like she was ready to pounce on him. But she wasn’t. She was waiting for the right moment. At the last second, as Cerberus was about to smash Cozy into the wall, she flew up into the air. Which caused Cerberus to full on the collide head-first into the wall in front of him. Causing the wall to rumble. ‘Yes!’ Cozy though gleefully as she watched Cerberus struggle to bring himself back to his feet. A huge piece of rock came down landing hard on Cerberus’ heads as his eyes all went to the back of his heads as his body collapsed on the ground. "And down goes the big dog," Cozy said with clear satisfaction in her voice. “Agh!” Cozy looked to her side to see a claw mark at her side. It didn’t look bad as Cerberus’ claw had seemingly grazed her. She’d have to sort that out later. Not sure if she was being delusional, Cozy lowered herself down to the giant’s face to see if it was true. She put a hoof on his face, only to quickly withdraw it when hearing Cerberus moan in pain. Cerberus was down. Cozy had bested the Guard of Tartarus. ‘I actually did it!’ Cozy though in disbelief. ‘How bout them apples?’ Cozy turned around to see the mess that had been made from her little clash with Cerberus. But she didn’t care about that. She began flying in the air as she flapped her wings as hard as she could. She didn’t care about the protesting roars from the other beasts. She didn’t care about the moans of pain from Cerberus. All she cared about was her freedom. With that in mind, Cozy pushed open the Gates Of Tartarus and headed past them. There was a magic seal on the gate, but those from inside, like Cerberus could exit. The gates soundly closed behind her as she took in the beautiful sun staring back at her. She had done it. After almost a year of imprisonment, she had finally done it. Cozy Glow was free at last. Issue #4: Unknown Pasts & InfiltrationsThe scene of Cozy Glow flying through the forest morphed into that of a comic book panel at the end of the issue before it was closed. A moment later, another comic book was haphazardly slammed on top of the previous Cozy Glow comic. The Cozy Glow Saga Issue #4: Unknown Pasts & Infiltrations On the cover, it showed Cozy Glow hiding in trees above while Royal Guards were patrolling the grounds below. “Pinkie Pie, could you please stop bouncing about? Now isn’t really the time for that,” Rarity complained as Pinkie Pie continuously bounced up and down the room. Everypony, except Rainbow Dash and Spike, was seated in the the comforting seats of the Friendship Express with the beautiful countryside flying by through the windows. It was only three days ago when they had all been informed about Cozy Glow’s escape from Tartarus. Since then, many of Celestia’s royal guards had been sent out to search for the manipulative filly, but with no such luck. It was clear that Cozy knew she was being pursued and so far done her best to evade them. How long was anypony’s guess. “I still can’t that Equestria is in a frenzy over one filly,” Spike as he sat next to Twilight. “This ain’t just one filly, Spike,” Applejack pointed out. “This is Cozy Glow.” “The filly who manipulated every creature at the School Of Friendship.” Starlight began. “The filly who trapped us in Tartarus,” Rainbow Dash added. “The filly who took the magic away from those poor creatures and hurt Cerberus,” Fluttershy whimpered. “The pony who tried taking all the magic of Equestria,” Rarity said, blowing a strand of her mane from her face. “And the pony who never got to eat my cake!” Everypony deadpanned at Pinkie, who seemed unperturbed by their stares. “What?” “Anyway,” Starlight began, turning her attention away from Pinkie. “I think it’s obvious that we don’t go to Tartarus since she’s clearly gone by now and instead search for clues of any of Cozy’s possible whereabouts.” “Agreed,” Rarity nodded. “That dastardly child is smart and knows how to not be found.” “But where exactly can we even begin?” Rainbow questioned. “Cozy’s clearly a step ahead of us since she most likely knows by now that we’re coming for her." "And given her tactics, how exactly are we gon' catch that lil' varmit?" Applejack questioned further. "U-um, how do you think we should go about this, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, but received no response. "Twilight?" Everypony turned to look at the Princess of Friendship, who looked rather...distracted. She was intensely looking through a folder of papers. At least that was the case until Spike snapped his fingers in her face, which made her flinch. "Wha-oh, sorry girls, what were you saying?" "Are you alright, darling?" Rarity asked worriedly. "You seem a bit...hassled." "Yeah! Whatcha lookin at Twi?" Pinkie as she popped out from behind Rarity. "Why's it got you downcast?" For a moment, Twilight was silent. Deep conflict was clearly evident in her eyes as she sighed. "Have any of you ever wondered about why Cozy did what she did?" Confusion crossed the faces of everypony present. "Well, yeah, she wanted to steal all the magic in Equestria to get power for herself," Starlight shrugged. "Why do you ask that, Twilight?" With her magic grasping it, Twilight levitated the folder that she had been previously searching up to everypony present. “This is Cozy’s school application. It looks pretty normal but it’s missing key details of…her.” “What exactly are you getting at, Twi?” Rainbow asked. “What I’m getting at is the fact that we don’t know who Cozy Glow is. What were her true motivations? What happened to have made her that way? And most importantly, did she have any family?” “Those…are pretty good questions, Twilight. But weren’t her records checked already? Not much was found on Cozy,” Spike pointed out. “Ooh, what if we just find Cozy and ask her, ourselves?” Pinkie raised her hoof eagerly. “No offense, Pinkie, but I highly doubt that Cozy would tell us anything given the fact that she’s actively on the run from us as she speak.” Applejack replied logically. “But Twilight still does make a good point though,” Fluttershy commented silently. “Who is Cozy Glow?” TWEEEEEEEEEETTTT!! Cozy Glow jolted upwards with a yelp as she frantically looked out the window to only see the train come to a halt at the platform. Cozy peered through the window to make sure she was at the right place. ‘Houses, Town Square and that oh so familiar castle? I’m definitely here’ An expression of triumph crossed Cozy’s face for a moment. She had made it. After leaving that old forest, she had managed to find come across railway line and stow herself away on a passing train which rode for hours on end. But it had been worth it. She was back in Ponyville. The place where her downfall had begun. But now wasn’t the time to think about that. She had wanted to come here for a reason and she wasn’t going to waste time, dwelling on past failures. Cozy trotted out of the caboose and quickly jumped into some bushes that was right outside the station platform. She cringed while doing so, still favoring the wound on her side. She couldn’t fly here. Not without the risks of being seen and recognized. ‘Alright, this should be a simple in and out task’ Cozy thought as she peered the leaves, looking on as the citizens of Ponyville went about their day. ‘I just gotta get to my stash close by the School Of Friendship without being seen by anypony. No pressure.’ It sounded simple enough. And last Cozy checked, it was summertime which signaled that school was closed. So Cozy didn’t have to worry about being seen and having to make it through a hundred students. Also, if what she heard from those guards were true, then Twilight and her friends aren't in Ponyville for the time being. Getting through Ponyville however… ‘Could be harder than I thought’ Cozy pondered as she galloped towards and hid behind a tree. 'But then again, its certainly not the first risk I've taken. And my rather...filthy appearance should throw ponies off my trail. But it would probably be best that I just run. So here goes.' With firm determination, Cozy took off galloping from the tree and into the town of Ponyville. As she went, the ponies waved and said their hellos to her as she passed, but she didn't wave back. Why would she? Everypony in this town was just a simple waste of her time. She had to keep moving anyway. Cozy couldn't just stop to let those ponies take a good look at her and then report her to somepony or Celestia for crying out loud! So, she just kept going. She ignored the ongoing waves from ponies, the confused glances and glares that were sent her way, and even brushed aside ponies that were in her path. She needed to get to her stash and get out of this town as soon as she could. Hopefully before the next train arri- 'Wait, I need a shovel!' Cozy abruptly stopped in realization. Her stash was buried underground, which she used a shovel to do so. Why hadn't she remembered to retrieve one!? Maybe she could just sneak into Sweet Apple Acres and steal one without any of them noticing. Applejack wouldn't be there, but Granny Smith and Big Mac would be. 'And let's not get started on those Cutie Mark Crusading idiots!' Cozy thought angrily. 'The moment they see or recognize they'll try to report me to Twilight.' "Here ya go, Big Mac." A grown male voice interrupted Cozy's process of thought as she heard two male voices converse. One of them had to have been Big Mac since he was literally just namedropped. "Come back when you're done digging up the tree planting holes, I need those extra shovels for later. Okay?" 'Shovels!?' Cozy trotted up nearby a house and looked behind it to see Big Mac conversing with another stallion, most likely another citizen of the town. 'Does he have what I need?' Sure enough, the strong stallion did. A carriage that contained quite the pile of shovels. And one would suffice enough for her. "Yep," Big Mac responded in his usual manner as he soon began to depart with the carriage rolling behind him. Cozy slowly, but carefully trotted as quietly as she could to the carriage as it did. Looking around paranoidly, Cozy quickly glanced at the pile and grabbed a lasso and a shovel. She didn't know why she had taken the lasso but something in her mind told her that it would come in handy. At this point, she just cared about getting out of this town. The Castle Of Friendship had reached her vision, which meant the school was drawing in. Cozy rounded a curve as she passed the castle. And she stopped. Because there it was. The School of Friendship looked glorious as ever. The way it stood, so tall and beautiful to glance at was simply a marvel. But not to Cozy. This is where it happened. In her mind, this was the place of her downfall. Where her condemnation had begun. This place had always been nagging at the back of her mind. She remembered the moment she had been surrounded by everypony and every creature. She practically had no choice but to give up. She was sentenced to Tartarus with the intention of being forgotten. They probably intended to leave her there until the day she died. Nopony would have even cared to even think about her. Of what she had been subjected to. Of what she endured! Cozy frankly never had a good life to begin with. The last year especially, provided evidence for that. If anything, about a year of her life had been take from her. ‘And I’m going to take it back!’ Cozy mentally shouted in her head as she opened her eyes in anger and flew up to a tree by the school. She raised the shovel and threw it into the ground as hard as she could and dug. And dig. She had keep digging to get what she needed. Ignoring the dirt that was ending up on her coat and her mane, Cozy continued. But she soon began to grow a bit tired. A bit of a while must have passed because a hole was now present where Cozy was standing. And Cozy saw it. In the dirt, something in between it that was red. It was…familiar. ‘Could it be? Is it really still here?’ Cozy thought as she nonchalantly dropped the shovel and dug her own hooves into the dirt and shoved it aside. And sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed. ‘Ha! Checkmate, it’s here!’ A dirty, dark red backpack lied in the dirt as Cozy looked at it with a hopeful smile. She zipped it open to take a look see if her stuff was in there and it was. A supply of food, a few small bags of bits and… A chessboard game. And an old worn out photo. Cozy had always loved playing chess. From the very first time she played the game, she had just been very good at it. It had simply been natural born talent of hers. One of the benefactors that resulted in her earning her cutie mark. But that picture... A reminder of her past and what things were once like. It highlighted the good and the bad of the life that she used to live. But that didn't matter. With a sigh, Cozy placed the photo and chessboard back in her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. All the supplies she needed were in there. It was time to go. Cozy had overstayed her welcome. She had gotten what she had came for and she had to leave. She would just gallop through the town as quickly as she did earlier and catch the next train without anypony noticing. 'This actually worked' Cozy thought with a relieved smile as she began to trot away from the school. 'Nopony has seen me, so getting back to train station should be no problem.' "COZY GLOW!?" A unison of voices shouted which caused Cozy to stop right where she was. Voices that Cozy recognized in an instant. She hoped they weren't who she thought they were. Cozy turned around and to her dismay, were three fillies, the same age as her. One earth pony, one pegasus and one unicorn. The Cutie Mark Crusaders. And they looked pretty shocked to see her as much as she was to see them. 'Well, so much for not being seen.' To Be Continued... Issue #5: A Crusading EscapeThe scene of a shocked Cozy Glow encountering the Cutie Mark Crusaders morphed into that of a comic book panel at the end of the issue before it was closed. A moment later, another comic book was haphazardly slammed on top of the previous Cozy Glow comic. The Cozy Glow Saga Issue #5: A Crusading Escape On the cover, it showed Cozy Glow flying away from the pursuing Cutie Mark Crusaders and the citizens of Ponyville. If there was a time Cozy Glow didn't want to be her, now would probably be the time. Throughout her young life, she had always prided herself in staying three steps ahead of others and always getting what she wanted. Lately, that hadn't been the case as not only was she now being hunted by Celestia's Royal Guards but also Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Cozy knew she would eventually be pursued but not that soon. Maybe she had gotten rusty due to her imprisonment or she had just been laser focused on escaping and getting her stash. Either way, none of that mattered right now mainly due to the intense stare down between herself...and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. 'Why did it have to be them of all ponies?' Cozy mentally groaned as she closed her eyes in frustration. She had successfully gotten her stash but her plan of doing it unseen had pretty much gone up in smoke, much to her shock and dismay. The Crusaders were equally shocked as well as it was clearly visible on their faces. Cozy's escape from Tartarus had made headlines across Equestria so it wouldn't have been any surprise that the citizens of Ponyville would be notified about her as well. But they didn't think they would find her here. Due to her disheveled state, they almost hadn't recognized her. "So ya really did escape!" Apple Bloom finally spoke, breaking the intense silence. "You're right about that." Cozy retorted firmly. "I'll admit it was pretty hard, but it was worth it. I'm out and I'm never going back." "Well, that depends on if you learned your lesson." Sweetie Belle said, pointing a hoof at her. "And if you're sorry for what you did last year," added Scootaloo. Cozy scoffed. "And if I don't?" "Then we'll have to report ya ta Princess Twilight!" Apple Bloom said firmly. Cozy's expression turned sour as she stared the Crusaders down for what felt like hours before finally responding. "Go ahead, do it," Cozy growled. "But there's just one problem though." "Which is?" Scootaloo questioned skeptically. "By the time you tell Twilight about me... I'LL BE LONG GONE!" Cozy yelled as she quickly soared above the heads of the Crusaders, much to their surprise. There was no way she was gonna sit here and wait for Twilight and her friends to catch her. She had to get out of here now. "COZY STOP!" Yelled Sweetie Belle as the three fillies soon chased after Cozy. The chase was on, much to Cozy's dismay. This was the last thing that she needed right now. But she couldn't remain in Ponyville, that was a certainty. Which was why she was galloping away as fast as she could, with her red backpack still slung over her shoulders, leaving behind the School and Castle Of Friendship. And back into the town of Ponyville. Maybe if she could lose them through the ponies going about their day. "Somepony stop her, that's Cozy Glow!" Apple Bloom yelled as everypony immediately stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards her. A large crowd gathered in front of her as they eyed her suspiciously. Cozy could hear all of their murmuring voices. "Is that really her?" "Those stories of her escape are true!" "We should call the Princesses!" "She tried to steal all of the magic in Equestria!" "She manipulated all of us!" "Let's keep her here until the Princess Twilight gets back!" Ok, Cozy definitely heard that last one and that was a definite no-no. Her path was blocked and she was gonna have to give these idiots a distraction. "Hey look, Princess Celestia's here!" Cozy suddenly pointed a hoof to the sky as everypony looked up to see but found there was no Celestia at all. They quickly redirected their attention back to Cozy...only to find that she wasn't there. "SUCKERS!" Cozy laughed as she was already soaring away from them. It wouldn't last as the crowd began galloping after her. 'Well, horseapples!' "Jeez!" Cozy yelled as she dodged a tomato in mid-flight before dodging several more objects that were coming her way. She looked back to see the crowd and could see the angry morons were still in hot pursuit. "Hey, watch it, I'm flying here! I mean, come on! Aren't these odds a bit overkill!?" "Then stop running!" A voice from behind her shouted. "Then stop chasing me!" Cozy fired back, not bothering to acknowledge who said that to her. At this point, the chase had gone through the town and past Town Hall which meant the train station was coming up fast. 'But I gotta lose these idiots!' The train station drew nearer and nearer, which meant Cozy had to act fast. Her gaze suddenly landed on a lone carriage that was filled with a big supply of gems. They were recently acquired by Rarity, who planned to use them for her dresses. Though that wouldn't be happening because Cozy took off her backpack and opened it up to take out the lasso she had taken earlier from Big Mac and twirled it around to launch it around one of the wheels of the carriage. With her quick thinking, she raced past the carriage and used all of her might to pull wheel with a resounding snap. With one of its wheels missing, the carriage tipped over onto the ground, spilling its gems everywhere. It was a huge mess that caused blocked the crowds path. They wouldn't be getting past that roadblock anytime soon. Cozy breathed a sigh of relief and satisfaction. Her adrenaline was running high. She was safe. She had once again prevailed against the odds that were stacked in front of her. TWEEEEEEEEEETTTT!! 'And that would be my que to leave' Cozy thought as she flew over to the caboose of the train. She softly landed inside as took one last look at the town of Ponyville. 'See ya Ponyville. It's been a blast.' Her thoughts of everything that had came her way blurred as the train left the station. She had no idea where the next stop would be but it didn't matter. No matter what odds came her way, she would overcome them. She had to. As always, Cozy Glow would survive and prevail. Author's Note Sorry if this is rushed. Issue #3: HuntedThe scene of Cozy Glow being free morphed into that of a comic book panel at the end of the issue before it was closed. A moment later, another comic book was haphazardly slammed on top of the previous Cozy Glow comic. The Cozy Glow Saga Issue #3: Hunted On the cover, it showed Cozy Glow hiding in trees above while Royal Guards were patrolling the grounds below. 'Hurry! Hurry!' That was the repeating word going through the mind of Twilight Sparkle as she and Spike flew towards Canterlot Castle. She almost didn't bother to acknowledge her friends, who had been waiting for them at the Castle Gates. Though, they didn't just sit around and were soon galloping or flying right beside her. “Oh, good. We're all here,” Fluttershy happily said as they ran towards the castle. “So everypony got an urgent summons to the castle with no explanation?” Twilight asked her friends. “Yup! I just love a good mysterious summons.” Pinkie happily took it in stride as she briefly placed her mane over her mouth like a vampire cape. “What's it about?” She asked the annoyed cyan Pegasus flying by her side. “Do you think it's a surprise party?” She asked a taken aback Fluttershy. "Is somepony getting married?" She asked an equally confused Starlight Glimmer. “Hey! Why are we running?” “Because something could be terribly wrong!” Twilight answered fearfully. “Somepony turned bad? Another evil creature back for revenge?!" “Don't you think you're bein' a little paranoid?” Applejack asked her finding this a little off. “Why else would the Princesses send scrolls in such a hurry? Something is wrong! I can feel it!” Twilight pointed out still being serious about all of this. “Good point. They know better than to make us worry.” Rarity acknowledged as she turned to Applejack in agreement with Twilight. “Plus, I like it when you run so fast, the walls get all blurry! Wheeee!” Pinkie said as her eyes looked hypnotized from the very fast speeds they were running in. “Race ya!” Rainbow challenged Pinkie as she flew off ahead leaving Pinkie in the dust as they all make their way to the throne room where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are waiting for them in their throne seats, with multiple Royal Guards in front of them. “Ah, Girls. Thank you so much for coming.” Celestia warmly greeted the seven. “What's wrong, Princess?!” Twilight asked in a bit of a panic. "Is another evil creature back for revenge on Equestria?!" "Not exactly," Luna cryptically. "It is an evil threat that we're all familiar with." "Indeed," Celestia added, giving the girls all a serious look. "An evil threat has escaped from Tartarus." "ESCAPE!?" The girls cried in unison. "W-who?" Twilight asked anxiously. Equestria had been safer than ever for the past year and it now looked like that was coming to an end. Celestia sighed before answering, "The filly known as-" (Play 0:33 to 0:38) "Cozy Glow!?" Twilight exclaimed, trying to grasp on what she just heard. "She escaped Tartarus!?" "We are afraid so," Luna assured. "We had sensed some sort of chaos that was occurring there but by the time we had arrived, we were too late. We found Cerberus, unconscious and Cozy's cage empty." "We've sent some of the guards into the hills to search for her but they've all come back unsuccessful." Celestia further inputted. "She somehow beat Cerberus?" Rainbow Dash asked in total disbelief. "It seems she did," Luna nodded. "Cerberus has recovered and has resumed his post at Tartarus but we can't ignore the fact that Cozy Glow has escaped and is now on the loose in Equestria." "Especially given her actions last year," Starlight agreed as everypony's memories flashed back to when Cozy had plotted to not only take over the School Of Friendship, but to steal all the magic in Equestria. And she had very, nearly succeeded. "That is right, Starlight," Celestia responded. "Cozy proved just how much of a master manipulator she is. And given how she was almost successful in stealing all Equestrian magic, she is a threat that isn't to be taken lightly despite her age." Twilight was silently processing every word that Celestia and Luna had been saying. Cozy Glow had somehow broken out of Tartarus and was now on the loose in Equestria. She had always had mixed feelings on the manipulative filly ever since she revealed her true colors last year. Cozy had only wanted Friendship to gain power. She hadn't shown any remorse for her actions and therefore was justifiably locked up for her crimes. However, Twilight also had to acknowledge that Cozy was still just a filly, who probably didn't know any better. And despite that, Cozy needed to face consequences for her actions. So, Twilight had decided to firmly respect Celestia's decision. Over the year, she honestly didn't have the time to dwell on any of that since she had been pretty swamped with Princess duties and running the School Of Friendship alongside her friends. Now, school was out for the summer. It had pretty much been pushed all the way to the back of her mind. Until now. "And who knows what kind of revenge plan, that crazy filly is plotting?" Spike pondered, which left everyone in deep thought. 'My plan is to lay low' Cozy Glow thought firmly. Having decided that she had flown far enough from Tartarus, she hid in a forest that was a few miles away from the mountains. 'Maybe hiding there, I could've found a good place to maybe sleep around there.' Cozy hadn't been tending on staying in the forest. She had stayed in the opening pathway for a little while to get her bearings after her daring escape, but began flying through the forest shortly after that. She honestly thought it was better that stayed off her hooves for now, due to the minor pain in her side. The scratch, courtesy of Cerberus, hadn't been deep and had simply grazed her but it was still painful. Not wanting to take any chances with her wound, she had used her yellow ribbons that usually kept her mane and tail together to tie them around her midsection. 'I really hope that keeps my insides inside' Cozy thought with clear concern as she continued flying. 'If it doesn't, I'm gonna have to find a town full of ponies and hope they have a hospital.' But that was another problem that presented itself to pink Pegasus filly. 'Everypony most likely knows what I did and they won't hesitate to notify those wackos in Canterlot and Ponyville. Can't trust anypony.' The best case scenario would be to probably steal some medical supplies from a hospital without being seen. 'Not the first time I've had to steal from other ponies anyway' A smug smirk almost appeared on Cozy's face. 'All those times of pickpocketing really do teach you things.' It was a habit she picked up in order to survive. She had learned the hard way that you can only rely on yourself and not friends. She had only pretended to desire friends to obtain the power she wanted. The power she desperately needed. But her plan had failed. Tirek had ratted her out to Twilight and her friends and Cozy had faced almost a year of incarceration because of it. 'Note to self: never working with anypony or any creature again' Cozy's thoughts dwindled for a moment as her mind went back to Tirek again. She could've possibly been able to free him when Cerberus was unconscious, but quickly decided against it. 'That big jerk can stay there for all I care.' Cozy had sought Tirek's guidance in her quest to steal all magic from Equestria and he had given it to her. When they were writing letters, he had even assured her that he wouldn't tell anypony that all of it was her doing. But apparently, that had all been lies. Tirek had ratted her out the first chance he got and Cozy paid the price for it. She had been an idiot for trusting him. In the end, like she had before, she had to look out for herself. And she wasn't planning on going back for seconds. So for a good long while, Cozy continued in flying through the forest. She didn’t know how long she had been at it before she finally scrounged through some heavy bushes and collided face first into a pond. SPLASH! “Ugh!” Cozy groaned angrily as she picked herself up. “Stupid bushes!” Each bush she had pushed through had seemingly gotten bigger and heavier. It wasn’t anything compared to the Everfree forest, but still. ‘I mean what kind of… oh wow’ Cozy's attention was longer centered at the forest, but at her reflection. For the first time in almost year, Cozy hadn’t been able to look herself in the mirror at all. Her mane was messy and absolutely drenched. Her face was a bit battered. Not to mention, the ribbons that were currently holding her wound in place. And her the red in her eyes conveyed the little amount of sleep she had gained in Tartarus. The adorable and cute image that Cozy had created for herself was gone. ‘Can’t worry about my appearance right now’ She decided. ‘Just keep going’. There had to be some sort of nearby- “You all heard that?” Cozy’s body instantly froze with the exception of her ears perking up at the sudden voice. It was a bit distant. And it sounded like it was coming from a Stallion. It couldn't be coming from right behind her. No, it was "Heard what?" Another voice asked, this time coming from a Mare. "I heard a splash sound coming from around those bushes." "Maybe it was a Cragadile." "Can't be too sure. Let's take a look." "Ah, Might as well. We've already swept through the mountains, looking for that Cozy Glow kid." 'CRAP!' Cozy's heart started beating fast. Those were royal guards! They'd been sent to find her and take her back. Back to Tartarus. 'Gotta hide!' She looked around desperately for any possible hiding spot. She could hear the hoof steps growing nearer and nearer. Where could she hide? Where could she hide? Whe- 'Wait, that could work!' Cozy's gaze landed on a tree across the pond. A medium tree with hollow roots. And it had a hole that looked just big enough for her size. The hoof steps, that were getting nearer and nearer, snapped her out of her thinking. 'Can’t wait around for that answer! Gotta hide and NOW!' Without any further hesitation, Cozy flew across the pond and into the hole, It was a bit dark, but she could manage it. She could see all the roots on the ground too. She anxiously peeked through the roots as the bushes from across the pond shook as a couple of royal guards emerged. Their mouths seemed to be moving. Maybe Cozy could listen in on whatever conversation they were having. The guards looked around with narrowed as they looked suspiciously. “Hmmmm,” One guard pondered. “Coulda sworn I had heard something, coming from here.” “Or maybe you’re just going crazy,” Another snorted which caused the others to snicker. “Shut up!” The guard snapped. “We were sent out here to find that little runt and I’m just being cautious. We’ve searched the mountains and now the whole forest, but no luck. Come on lads, let’s head and report back to Princess Luna.” They all started trotting back to where they came, but one guard murmured something that was quite an important piece of information to Cozy Glow. “At least Princess Twilight and her friends are gonna join in on this search. They’ll most likely have better luck than us.” By now, the guards had all left. But Cozy hadn’t moved from her spot. Because the situation was only being made clear now. All of Equestria was searching for her. Twilight and her friends were looking for her. And they weren’t gonna stop until she was put back in that cage. Cozy ran a hoof through her drenched mane. ‘It’s just me against all of Equestria. I’m all alone. Twilight and her friends are apparently already looking for me. And they won’t stop.’ Cozy finally stepped out of the tree with a determined glare before taking off flying. She had trust her instincts and she had to trust herself. All of Equestria was gunning for her. Well, let them come. She had gotten herself this far and she couldn’t stop now. She wouldn’t. She was alone against a million ponies. But Cozy Glow wasn’t going down. Not without a fight.
Issue #1: CondemnationFrom the infinite cosmos of the universe, countless stars twinkle to and from. It was an endless void of cosmic activity where everything was peaceful, relatively tranquil. That was until- *SMACK* A comic book(?) was haphazardly slammed onto an invisible surface. The Cozy Glow Saga Issue #1: Condemnation The cover had a battered Cozy Glow sitting in her sell with a bitter, resentful glare. Day 300. 65 more days and that would make it a whole year. A year since incarceration. It had been almost one year since Cozy Glow had been sentenced to Tartarus. Everyday, she would draw Tally marks on the pavement of her cell to keep track of how long she had been here in Tartarus. Since the moment she stepped into her cell, she just kept at it. It served as reminder of why she had been sentenced here in the first place. It was why Cozy would always reflect on how she ended up here. Well, most of time anyway. The growls coming from the worst kinds of beasts in Equestria were the reason why. She couldn't have a moment's peace because of these idiot freaks. She couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't even get a wink of sleep because of this. Cozy yell at them to shut up, but to no avail. Her neighbor, or former neighbor, hadn't been any help much either. At first, Cozy had tried to befriend Tirek, but the evil centaur proved he just couldn't stand her. At some point, Cozy would only talk to him just to pass the time. She basically had nothing to do. She couldn't even eat. The food that was given to her was absolutely horrendous. She honestly had no idea how she had even managed to go on without food. It was simply because... she wasn't going to let them win. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction. She had to keep going. Like she always had before. She wasn't going to show them weakness. Not after everything she had gone through. It wasn't like she could rely on Tirek anymore, anyway. A while ago, guards had came and moved him to a different section of Tartarus. Tirek had no objection to this and was simply glad he wouldn't be bothered by her anymore. Cozy was on her own. Like she had always been. Just like... It didn't matter. She had survived on her own before and she could damn sure do it again. 'Didn't work against Headmare Twilight and her dumb friends though' Cozy thought sourly as she tried her best to tune out all noises around her to focus on her thoughts. Her plan to take over the School Of Friendship would've worked had it not been for those students. But nonetheless, Cozy's plan failed and now she was here. But this wasn't over. Somehow, someway, she was going to get out of here. She had to. She wasn't going to spend the rest of her life in this cage. She would find the checkmate to remedy this situation. She always did. But for now, until that day came, she would wait and bide her time. Wait for the right opportunity to come and then she would escape. And then she would- "HURAGGGGHHHHH!" Roared an incoherent voice from below as a tsunami of growls rose up again which snapped Cozy Glow out of her thoughts. "HEY! CAN YOU ALL JUST KEEP QUIET FOR ONCE!?" Cozy snapped angrily. "THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING!" And as usual, she was ignored. She facepalmed before slumping against the bars of her cage. Almost a year and she was still losing her temper over this! Day and night, she tried to listen to all these idiots. Actually... she couldn't even tell if it was day or night at all since the moment she was locked up in here. Ignoring that, Cozy did her best to tune them out for the umpteenth time and go to sleep. Or at least try to anyway. And yet... She couldn't help of think about everything that had transpired up to now. She tried to take over the School Of Friendship to obtain power. So, she could feel powerful. So she could never be looked down on by others like she had been before. Nopony could truly understand her motivations. Nopony could ever truly understand her. Cozy Glow sighed in exasperation as the noises from the other animals grew louder and louder. She curled up on the hard pavement of her cage, trying to make herself comfortable as possible. If only she was a fully grown Pegasus right now. She could've used her fully grown wings to cover herself from the shivery presence that was all around Tartarus. 'Instead I'm locked up in here with all of these idiots' Cozy bitterly thought as she covered her ears to try and zone of out of all the incoherent noises that were happening all around her. She really wanted to hit something right about now. Maybe those guards would suffice when they came back the next day. Or Cerberus. Actually, scratch that, she'd be crazy to try and hit the bestial guard of Tartarus. 'And it would be pretty stupid to do something like that in hindsight' Cozy considered as she absentmindedly sat up to look at the Gates Of Tartarus. The Gate to freedom. Her ticket out of here. Oh, how she longed to get out of this place and have that taste of freedom. And then go after those who had wronged her like she had intended to originally. Not just those at the School Of Friendship, but those before as well... Her hatred for those who had wronged her all throughout her life rung deep. Cozy seethed angrily knowing those ponies living their oh-so happy lives. With friends...and...family. 'Stop it!' Cozy scolded mentally. 'Don't dwell on that.' There were a few rare times where she thought about that. And them. Cozy sighed as she tried to rid herself of these absolutely annoying thoughts. She couldn't dwell on the past. Not right now, anyway. Not when she had to come up with a way to get our of here. A part of herself wondered why she hadn't given up after almost a year here, but she simply shunned those thoughts away as she already remembered her motivations. She would have her revenge and those who had ruined her life. She would get the power she needed to accomplish. And she would never feel weak again. Never again. And with those firm thoughts in mind along with all the incoherent noises coming from down below, Cozy Glow laid back down and slowly but surely went to sleep.
Issue #2: JailbreakThe scene of Cozy Glow going to sleep morphed into that of a comic book panel at the end of the issue before it was closed. A moment later, another comic book was haphazardly slammed on top of the previous Cozy Glow comic. The Cozy Glow Saga Issue #2: Jailbreak On the cover, it showed Cozy Glow dodging one the mighty paws of Cerberus as his paw hit a wall behind her. 'What I would give for a nice warm bed right now' Cozy mentally groaned as she willed her body up from the hard pavement beneath her and went ahead and added another tally mark since it was now Day 301. She had honestly meant what she had said. She missed the comfort of her nice warm comforting bed that she had had back at the School Of Friendship. Almost a year and she still wasn't used to the poor sleeping conditions of this desolate place. 'Adding that to my to-do list if I ever get out of here' She was almost tempted to fully give up and adjust to being here for the rest of her life. Almost tempting. Cozy let a sigh as she ran a hoof through her mane. The cunning filly's once curly light blue mane was now messy and severely frazzled. Her yellow bow that usually kept them was doing its job, just barely. She could really use a mirror right about now. Her hooves were absolutely filthy and her tail was beyond frazzled. Her stomach began to rumble as she leaned against the bars. Cozy was so hungry. She wanted to eat but she didn't want to give the guards the satisfaction. It was a show that she wouldn't back down to them. That she would she would continue to revolt. Which is what most ponies would call stubborn pride. But today, Cozy was feeling more hungry than she'd ever been before. She wasn't sure how much more she could endure at this point. The moment she was sentenced in Tartarus, she had looked high and low on possible ways to escape this cage and yet there was nothing. Just nothing! 'How did that centuaring wacko manage to escape here anyway!?' Cozy mentally questioned frustratingly as she paced around her cage in deep contemplation all while remembering when Tirek escaped Equestria a few years go. 'He escaped without anypony even knowing and yet here I am without any knowledge as to how he did it!' It was something Tirek never told her when they were exchanging letters. At that time, Cozy didn't see the need of that information but she wished she had pushed him to give her that info due to where she was now. Gritting her teeth, Cozy sat down putting her hoof underneath her chin. What could she do? What could she do? WHAT COULD SHE DO!? She would not remain in this cage, forgotten and alone. She wouldn't break. She couldn't! She swore she wouldn't! She made a- The sound of doors opening pulled Cozy out of her trance as she quickly turned around and looked below as the Gates Of Tartarus opened up to which a pair of royal guards appeared. A brief glance and Cozy could see that the sun was shining brightly. The first time she had seen the light of day since almost a year ago. She mentally applauded herself for keeping track of how long she been imprisoned. A chorus of growls and roars occurred from the monsters below as the guards each gave them their food. They even stopped by Cerberus to give him his share as well. 'All those big freaks must be having a feast if there roaring like that. How lovely.' Eventually, they ascended up the stairwell to give Cozy her food for the day. Cozy remained neutral but stared daggers at them. The guards would always come in and out everyday to give her and all the other prisoners their food for the day. Cozy Glow, personally disliked them due to the fact that sometimes whenever they’d come to her specifically, they would obnoxiously bang on her cage to wake her up. She’s yell at them to stop it, but in the end, they persisted with this. Though it was some of the time, not all of the time as she would try to be awake before the guards would arrive. It seemed that today was one of those days. “Rise and shine, Glow!” Guard Jerk called as he and Guard Dummy approached her cage. Cozy didn't know their actual names, which she probably never would, so she gave them those names just based on their personalities alone. “Oh golly, you’ve come back!” Cozy smiled gleefully before it turned completely sour. “What kind of horrendous food do you idiots have for me today?” “The usual,” Guard Dummy as he pushed a tray of smelly soup, with a spoon and fork on top. “Hope you enjoy your meal, Glow.” "Oh joy," Cozy scoffed, rolling her eyes as she looked at the tray. "Yippy do for me." "Alright, that's everypony and every creature," Guard Jerk said, intentionally dismissing Cozy's sarcasm, as he turned his attention to Guard Dummy. "Let's go check on Cerberus before we leave." "Right behind you." Guard Dummy affirmed as they descended down the stairway, leaving Cozy alone once again. Cozy glared at their retreating forms before looking down at her spoiled meal for a couple of moments. It was soup, but it looked like yellow goop. ‘Disgusting’ She wasn’t going to eat this. She wasn’t going eat this horrid food and give them the pleasure of watching her succumb to her predicament, here in Tartarus. Moments like these reminded her of why she had to get out here. But what could she do? With those consistent doubts in her mind, Cozy looked down at her supposed food defeatedly. ‘I am pretty hungry’ Cozy thought as she listened into her grumbling stomach. She’d personally listen to her stomach than any of those freaks below. ‘Just one bite wouldn’t hurt’ She was admittedly starving. She had stubbornly denied herself any food. But she needed to eat. One bite. One bite would suffice to satisfy herself. Cozy moved the boll closer to her and looked at the goop nervously. Next to it was fork and a spoon. Would her stomach be even able to tolerate eating this? Would it make her stomach even more grumpy? Cozy flinched at the chorus of growls from below. She couldn’t bring herself to even yell. She also didn’t the Gates Of Tartarus closing which had signaled the guards had left Just one bite and she would call it a day. She would take a fork and have one bite. Where was the harm i-? …Wait, fork!? Cozy’s eyes widened in realization as she looked the front of the cage which contained a small lock. How the hay had she not noticed this before!? Has this place nullified her brain or something!? Cozy narrowed her eyes in bewilderment as she looked between the lock and the cage. There was no way this could work. …Right? ‘I have nothing to lose’ Cozy thought as she stood up, took the fork and trotted up towards the gate of her gage. 'Gotta try something' Cozy looked out her cage to see nopony nearby watching her. Cerberus was most likely eating whatever food that guards had left for him below. The coast was clear. Though that wouldn’t mean anything if this attempt failed. Still, Cozy had nothing left to lose. So with a deep breath, Cozy stuck her head of the cage and stuck the fork into the lock. She used all her weight try and twist the lock for it to hopefully be unclosed. Cozy could hear insides of the lock. It didn’t seem like there was any progress. She had actually unlocked a lock before. Maybe it took time. Maybe the fork wasn’t a good enough object to unlock. Maybe she should’ve tri- CLICK! That sound caused Cozy to take a step back from the lock. She did a double take as the lock was seemingly unlocked. To make sure she wasn't going insane, she decided to push the cage door to see if it would open. And it did open. She... had done it. 'I did it' Cozy thought before resounding thoughts of happiness took over as she pumped her hooves up and slowly but surely flew out of her small cage. 'I did it! I actually did it! I-' "GRAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" That thundering growl immediately silenced Cozy's mental celebration. 'Oh yeah, almost forgot, I'm not exactly free of this place yet' Cozy mentally reminded herself as she slowly peeked below to see Cerberus away from the door and munching on his food, which was good old meat. Very good food for a dominant beast like him. But that wasn't what Cozy's focus lied. It was on the Gates Of Tartarus. Her gate to freedom. All she needed to do was sneak past Cerberus and then she'd be home free. Though it might be best that she fly away from Tartarus when she did so. It wasn't going to be easy getting past the Guard Of Tartarus. Cerberus had a huge sense of smell and he could easily sense and see her if she tried to fly past him. Cozy would have to take it one step at a time. "Okay," Cozy muttered as she took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." She flew up and lowered herself towards the ground. However, Cozy decided to lower herself right behind the cages of the other beasts. She couldn't risk the possibility of being caught. Not now. She soon touched the ground and quickly hid behind the cages as quietly as she could. It seemed that Cerberus' sense of smell was even greater than Cozy had even imagined it to be because Cerberus' ears perked up as his head shot up from his meal. He sniffed very loudly, sensing something was off. He rose and continued sniffing out the problem. Seeing this through the bars of the cages, Cozy stood on her hind legs and held her breath as Cerberus roamed by. His footsteps practically thumped against the ground as he made his way towards the flight of steps. 'He's distracted! Now's my chance!' Cozy quickly galloped towards the gates as quickly and quietly as she could. There it was! She was finally escaping! She would be free at last! He plan was gonna work! "RAARGGHH!" Well, it almost worked. Cozy yelped as she turned around to see a Bugbear in a cage, glaring at her. She had been so focused on escaping without Cerberus' knowing that she had forgotten about her other surroundings. Cerberus, who had still been making his way up the stairs, heard this and turned around. Much to his shock, he saw Cozy Glow, somehow out of her cage. (Play This) He growled as he jumped and landed on the ground right before her. Between her and her ticket to freedom. Cozy wobbled from his impact. 'So much for a quiet escape' Cozy gulped as she looked up to Guard Of Tartarus fearfully. “Golly, Cerberus, fancy seeing you here.” Cerberus only glared at the pink Pegasus filly and as he began marching towards her. “Okay, I know it looks like I was trying to make a getaway,” Cozy as she took a couple of steps back. “But it’s really not the case. I was just gonna go get some of that nice bit of fresh air. So, would you mind stepping aside please?” The giant three-headed dog responded roaring, right in her face. He reared his paw back and sent it right at Cozy. 'Well, it was worth a shot.' Thinking quickly, she flapped her wings and flew into the air, thankfully avoiding Cerberus’ big paw as it collided with ground, sending shockwave through the realm. The other monsters were roaring in excitement as they were enjoying what they were seeing. Cozy wasn’t going to dwell on that as she had to focus on other matters. Trying to escape Tartarus and avoid being crushed by three headed dog. Cerberus roared in anger as he picked up ab empty cage and threw the cage at Cozy. “Whatcha!” Cozy shrieked as she flapped her wings, doing her best to dodge all of the oncoming movables, however she couldn’t dodge Cerberus’ paw as he was able to strike at her side with her paw. “OW! This is really unnecessary!” Cerberus, if anything, ignored her protests and began chasing her on foot. For a giant beast, he was fast. But Cozy could use that to her advantage. Noticing a section of Tartarus that was empty, Cozy, all while clenching her side, flew straight towards it and stopped right by it. Cerberus rounded the corner, roaring as he began charging towards her. Cozy didn’t move. No expression of fear was present on her face. Just determination. As the Guard Of Tartarus got closer and closer. Cozy lowered herself, like she was ready to pounce on him. But she wasn’t. She was waiting for the right moment. At the last second, as Cerberus was about to smash Cozy into the wall, she flew up into the air. Which caused Cerberus to full on the collide head-first into the wall in front of him. Causing the wall to rumble. ‘Yes!’ Cozy though gleefully as she watched Cerberus struggle to bring himself back to his feet. A huge piece of rock came down landing hard on Cerberus’ heads as his eyes all went to the back of his heads as his body collapsed on the ground. "And down goes the big dog," Cozy said with clear satisfaction in her voice. “Agh!” Cozy looked to her side to see a claw mark at her side. It didn’t look bad as Cerberus’ claw had seemingly grazed her. She’d have to sort that out later. Not sure if she was being delusional, Cozy lowered herself down to the giant’s face to see if it was true. She put a hoof on his face, only to quickly withdraw it when hearing Cerberus moan in pain. Cerberus was down. Cozy had bested the Guard of Tartarus. ‘I actually did it!’ Cozy though in disbelief. ‘How bout them apples?’ Cozy turned around to see the mess that had been made from her little clash with Cerberus. But she didn’t care about that. She began flying in the air as she flapped her wings as hard as she could. She didn’t care about the protesting roars from the other beasts. She didn’t care about the moans of pain from Cerberus. All she cared about was her freedom. With that in mind, Cozy pushed open the Gates Of Tartarus and headed past them. There was a magic seal on the gate, but those from inside, like Cerberus could exit. The gates soundly closed behind her as she took in the beautiful sun staring back at her. She had done it. After almost a year of imprisonment, she had finally done it. Cozy Glow was free at last.
Issue #4: Unknown Pasts & InfiltrationsThe scene of Cozy Glow flying through the forest morphed into that of a comic book panel at the end of the issue before it was closed. A moment later, another comic book was haphazardly slammed on top of the previous Cozy Glow comic. The Cozy Glow Saga Issue #4: Unknown Pasts & Infiltrations On the cover, it showed Cozy Glow hiding in trees above while Royal Guards were patrolling the grounds below. “Pinkie Pie, could you please stop bouncing about? Now isn’t really the time for that,” Rarity complained as Pinkie Pie continuously bounced up and down the room. Everypony, except Rainbow Dash and Spike, was seated in the the comforting seats of the Friendship Express with the beautiful countryside flying by through the windows. It was only three days ago when they had all been informed about Cozy Glow’s escape from Tartarus. Since then, many of Celestia’s royal guards had been sent out to search for the manipulative filly, but with no such luck. It was clear that Cozy knew she was being pursued and so far done her best to evade them. How long was anypony’s guess. “I still can’t that Equestria is in a frenzy over one filly,” Spike as he sat next to Twilight. “This ain’t just one filly, Spike,” Applejack pointed out. “This is Cozy Glow.” “The filly who manipulated every creature at the School Of Friendship.” Starlight began. “The filly who trapped us in Tartarus,” Rainbow Dash added. “The filly who took the magic away from those poor creatures and hurt Cerberus,” Fluttershy whimpered. “The pony who tried taking all the magic of Equestria,” Rarity said, blowing a strand of her mane from her face. “And the pony who never got to eat my cake!” Everypony deadpanned at Pinkie, who seemed unperturbed by their stares. “What?” “Anyway,” Starlight began, turning her attention away from Pinkie. “I think it’s obvious that we don’t go to Tartarus since she’s clearly gone by now and instead search for clues of any of Cozy’s possible whereabouts.” “Agreed,” Rarity nodded. “That dastardly child is smart and knows how to not be found.” “But where exactly can we even begin?” Rainbow questioned. “Cozy’s clearly a step ahead of us since she most likely knows by now that we’re coming for her." "And given her tactics, how exactly are we gon' catch that lil' varmit?" Applejack questioned further. "U-um, how do you think we should go about this, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, but received no response. "Twilight?" Everypony turned to look at the Princess of Friendship, who looked rather...distracted. She was intensely looking through a folder of papers. At least that was the case until Spike snapped his fingers in her face, which made her flinch. "Wha-oh, sorry girls, what were you saying?" "Are you alright, darling?" Rarity asked worriedly. "You seem a bit...hassled." "Yeah! Whatcha lookin at Twi?" Pinkie as she popped out from behind Rarity. "Why's it got you downcast?" For a moment, Twilight was silent. Deep conflict was clearly evident in her eyes as she sighed. "Have any of you ever wondered about why Cozy did what she did?" Confusion crossed the faces of everypony present. "Well, yeah, she wanted to steal all the magic in Equestria to get power for herself," Starlight shrugged. "Why do you ask that, Twilight?" With her magic grasping it, Twilight levitated the folder that she had been previously searching up to everypony present. “This is Cozy’s school application. It looks pretty normal but it’s missing key details of…her.” “What exactly are you getting at, Twi?” Rainbow asked. “What I’m getting at is the fact that we don’t know who Cozy Glow is. What were her true motivations? What happened to have made her that way? And most importantly, did she have any family?” “Those…are pretty good questions, Twilight. But weren’t her records checked already? Not much was found on Cozy,” Spike pointed out. “Ooh, what if we just find Cozy and ask her, ourselves?” Pinkie raised her hoof eagerly. “No offense, Pinkie, but I highly doubt that Cozy would tell us anything given the fact that she’s actively on the run from us as she speak.” Applejack replied logically. “But Twilight still does make a good point though,” Fluttershy commented silently. “Who is Cozy Glow?” TWEEEEEEEEEETTTT!! Cozy Glow jolted upwards with a yelp as she frantically looked out the window to only see the train come to a halt at the platform. Cozy peered through the window to make sure she was at the right place. ‘Houses, Town Square and that oh so familiar castle? I’m definitely here’ An expression of triumph crossed Cozy’s face for a moment. She had made it. After leaving that old forest, she had managed to find come across railway line and stow herself away on a passing train which rode for hours on end. But it had been worth it. She was back in Ponyville. The place where her downfall had begun. But now wasn’t the time to think about that. She had wanted to come here for a reason and she wasn’t going to waste time, dwelling on past failures. Cozy trotted out of the caboose and quickly jumped into some bushes that was right outside the station platform. She cringed while doing so, still favoring the wound on her side. She couldn’t fly here. Not without the risks of being seen and recognized. ‘Alright, this should be a simple in and out task’ Cozy thought as she peered the leaves, looking on as the citizens of Ponyville went about their day. ‘I just gotta get to my stash close by the School Of Friendship without being seen by anypony. No pressure.’ It sounded simple enough. And last Cozy checked, it was summertime which signaled that school was closed. So Cozy didn’t have to worry about being seen and having to make it through a hundred students. Also, if what she heard from those guards were true, then Twilight and her friends aren't in Ponyville for the time being. Getting through Ponyville however… ‘Could be harder than I thought’ Cozy pondered as she galloped towards and hid behind a tree. 'But then again, its certainly not the first risk I've taken. And my rather...filthy appearance should throw ponies off my trail. But it would probably be best that I just run. So here goes.' With firm determination, Cozy took off galloping from the tree and into the town of Ponyville. As she went, the ponies waved and said their hellos to her as she passed, but she didn't wave back. Why would she? Everypony in this town was just a simple waste of her time. She had to keep moving anyway. Cozy couldn't just stop to let those ponies take a good look at her and then report her to somepony or Celestia for crying out loud! So, she just kept going. She ignored the ongoing waves from ponies, the confused glances and glares that were sent her way, and even brushed aside ponies that were in her path. She needed to get to her stash and get out of this town as soon as she could. Hopefully before the next train arri- 'Wait, I need a shovel!' Cozy abruptly stopped in realization. Her stash was buried underground, which she used a shovel to do so. Why hadn't she remembered to retrieve one!? Maybe she could just sneak into Sweet Apple Acres and steal one without any of them noticing. Applejack wouldn't be there, but Granny Smith and Big Mac would be. 'And let's not get started on those Cutie Mark Crusading idiots!' Cozy thought angrily. 'The moment they see or recognize they'll try to report me to Twilight.' "Here ya go, Big Mac." A grown male voice interrupted Cozy's process of thought as she heard two male voices converse. One of them had to have been Big Mac since he was literally just namedropped. "Come back when you're done digging up the tree planting holes, I need those extra shovels for later. Okay?" 'Shovels!?' Cozy trotted up nearby a house and looked behind it to see Big Mac conversing with another stallion, most likely another citizen of the town. 'Does he have what I need?' Sure enough, the strong stallion did. A carriage that contained quite the pile of shovels. And one would suffice enough for her. "Yep," Big Mac responded in his usual manner as he soon began to depart with the carriage rolling behind him. Cozy slowly, but carefully trotted as quietly as she could to the carriage as it did. Looking around paranoidly, Cozy quickly glanced at the pile and grabbed a lasso and a shovel. She didn't know why she had taken the lasso but something in her mind told her that it would come in handy. At this point, she just cared about getting out of this town. The Castle Of Friendship had reached her vision, which meant the school was drawing in. Cozy rounded a curve as she passed the castle. And she stopped. Because there it was. The School of Friendship looked glorious as ever. The way it stood, so tall and beautiful to glance at was simply a marvel. But not to Cozy. This is where it happened. In her mind, this was the place of her downfall. Where her condemnation had begun. This place had always been nagging at the back of her mind. She remembered the moment she had been surrounded by everypony and every creature. She practically had no choice but to give up. She was sentenced to Tartarus with the intention of being forgotten. They probably intended to leave her there until the day she died. Nopony would have even cared to even think about her. Of what she had been subjected to. Of what she endured! Cozy frankly never had a good life to begin with. The last year especially, provided evidence for that. If anything, about a year of her life had been take from her. ‘And I’m going to take it back!’ Cozy mentally shouted in her head as she opened her eyes in anger and flew up to a tree by the school. She raised the shovel and threw it into the ground as hard as she could and dug. And dig. She had keep digging to get what she needed. Ignoring the dirt that was ending up on her coat and her mane, Cozy continued. But she soon began to grow a bit tired. A bit of a while must have passed because a hole was now present where Cozy was standing. And Cozy saw it. In the dirt, something in between it that was red. It was…familiar. ‘Could it be? Is it really still here?’ Cozy thought as she nonchalantly dropped the shovel and dug her own hooves into the dirt and shoved it aside. And sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed. ‘Ha! Checkmate, it’s here!’ A dirty, dark red backpack lied in the dirt as Cozy looked at it with a hopeful smile. She zipped it open to take a look see if her stuff was in there and it was. A supply of food, a few small bags of bits and… A chessboard game. And an old worn out photo. Cozy had always loved playing chess. From the very first time she played the game, she had just been very good at it. It had simply been natural born talent of hers. One of the benefactors that resulted in her earning her cutie mark. But that picture... A reminder of her past and what things were once like. It highlighted the good and the bad of the life that she used to live. But that didn't matter. With a sigh, Cozy placed the photo and chessboard back in her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. All the supplies she needed were in there. It was time to go. Cozy had overstayed her welcome. She had gotten what she had came for and she had to leave. She would just gallop through the town as quickly as she did earlier and catch the next train without anypony noticing. 'This actually worked' Cozy thought with a relieved smile as she began to trot away from the school. 'Nopony has seen me, so getting back to train station should be no problem.' "COZY GLOW!?" A unison of voices shouted which caused Cozy to stop right where she was. Voices that Cozy recognized in an instant. She hoped they weren't who she thought they were. Cozy turned around and to her dismay, were three fillies, the same age as her. One earth pony, one pegasus and one unicorn. The Cutie Mark Crusaders. And they looked pretty shocked to see her as much as she was to see them. 'Well, so much for not being seen.' To Be Continued...
Issue #5: A Crusading EscapeThe scene of a shocked Cozy Glow encountering the Cutie Mark Crusaders morphed into that of a comic book panel at the end of the issue before it was closed. A moment later, another comic book was haphazardly slammed on top of the previous Cozy Glow comic. The Cozy Glow Saga Issue #5: A Crusading Escape On the cover, it showed Cozy Glow flying away from the pursuing Cutie Mark Crusaders and the citizens of Ponyville. If there was a time Cozy Glow didn't want to be her, now would probably be the time. Throughout her young life, she had always prided herself in staying three steps ahead of others and always getting what she wanted. Lately, that hadn't been the case as not only was she now being hunted by Celestia's Royal Guards but also Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Cozy knew she would eventually be pursued but not that soon. Maybe she had gotten rusty due to her imprisonment or she had just been laser focused on escaping and getting her stash. Either way, none of that mattered right now mainly due to the intense stare down between herself...and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. 'Why did it have to be them of all ponies?' Cozy mentally groaned as she closed her eyes in frustration. She had successfully gotten her stash but her plan of doing it unseen had pretty much gone up in smoke, much to her shock and dismay. The Crusaders were equally shocked as well as it was clearly visible on their faces. Cozy's escape from Tartarus had made headlines across Equestria so it wouldn't have been any surprise that the citizens of Ponyville would be notified about her as well. But they didn't think they would find her here. Due to her disheveled state, they almost hadn't recognized her. "So ya really did escape!" Apple Bloom finally spoke, breaking the intense silence. "You're right about that." Cozy retorted firmly. "I'll admit it was pretty hard, but it was worth it. I'm out and I'm never going back." "Well, that depends on if you learned your lesson." Sweetie Belle said, pointing a hoof at her. "And if you're sorry for what you did last year," added Scootaloo. Cozy scoffed. "And if I don't?" "Then we'll have to report ya ta Princess Twilight!" Apple Bloom said firmly. Cozy's expression turned sour as she stared the Crusaders down for what felt like hours before finally responding. "Go ahead, do it," Cozy growled. "But there's just one problem though." "Which is?" Scootaloo questioned skeptically. "By the time you tell Twilight about me... I'LL BE LONG GONE!" Cozy yelled as she quickly soared above the heads of the Crusaders, much to their surprise. There was no way she was gonna sit here and wait for Twilight and her friends to catch her. She had to get out of here now. "COZY STOP!" Yelled Sweetie Belle as the three fillies soon chased after Cozy. The chase was on, much to Cozy's dismay. This was the last thing that she needed right now. But she couldn't remain in Ponyville, that was a certainty. Which was why she was galloping away as fast as she could, with her red backpack still slung over her shoulders, leaving behind the School and Castle Of Friendship. And back into the town of Ponyville. Maybe if she could lose them through the ponies going about their day. "Somepony stop her, that's Cozy Glow!" Apple Bloom yelled as everypony immediately stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards her. A large crowd gathered in front of her as they eyed her suspiciously. Cozy could hear all of their murmuring voices. "Is that really her?" "Those stories of her escape are true!" "We should call the Princesses!" "She tried to steal all of the magic in Equestria!" "She manipulated all of us!" "Let's keep her here until the Princess Twilight gets back!" Ok, Cozy definitely heard that last one and that was a definite no-no. Her path was blocked and she was gonna have to give these idiots a distraction. "Hey look, Princess Celestia's here!" Cozy suddenly pointed a hoof to the sky as everypony looked up to see but found there was no Celestia at all. They quickly redirected their attention back to Cozy...only to find that she wasn't there. "SUCKERS!" Cozy laughed as she was already soaring away from them. It wouldn't last as the crowd began galloping after her. 'Well, horseapples!' "Jeez!" Cozy yelled as she dodged a tomato in mid-flight before dodging several more objects that were coming her way. She looked back to see the crowd and could see the angry morons were still in hot pursuit. "Hey, watch it, I'm flying here! I mean, come on! Aren't these odds a bit overkill!?" "Then stop running!" A voice from behind her shouted. "Then stop chasing me!" Cozy fired back, not bothering to acknowledge who said that to her. At this point, the chase had gone through the town and past Town Hall which meant the train station was coming up fast. 'But I gotta lose these idiots!' The train station drew nearer and nearer, which meant Cozy had to act fast. Her gaze suddenly landed on a lone carriage that was filled with a big supply of gems. They were recently acquired by Rarity, who planned to use them for her dresses. Though that wouldn't be happening because Cozy took off her backpack and opened it up to take out the lasso she had taken earlier from Big Mac and twirled it around to launch it around one of the wheels of the carriage. With her quick thinking, she raced past the carriage and used all of her might to pull wheel with a resounding snap. With one of its wheels missing, the carriage tipped over onto the ground, spilling its gems everywhere. It was a huge mess that caused blocked the crowds path. They wouldn't be getting past that roadblock anytime soon. Cozy breathed a sigh of relief and satisfaction. Her adrenaline was running high. She was safe. She had once again prevailed against the odds that were stacked in front of her. TWEEEEEEEEEETTTT!! 'And that would be my que to leave' Cozy thought as she flew over to the caboose of the train. She softly landed inside as took one last look at the town of Ponyville. 'See ya Ponyville. It's been a blast.' Her thoughts of everything that had came her way blurred as the train left the station. She had no idea where the next stop would be but it didn't matter. No matter what odds came her way, she would overcome them. She had to. As always, Cozy Glow would survive and prevail. Author's Note Sorry if this is rushed.
Issue #3: HuntedThe scene of Cozy Glow being free morphed into that of a comic book panel at the end of the issue before it was closed. A moment later, another comic book was haphazardly slammed on top of the previous Cozy Glow comic. The Cozy Glow Saga Issue #3: Hunted On the cover, it showed Cozy Glow hiding in trees above while Royal Guards were patrolling the grounds below. 'Hurry! Hurry!' That was the repeating word going through the mind of Twilight Sparkle as she and Spike flew towards Canterlot Castle. She almost didn't bother to acknowledge her friends, who had been waiting for them at the Castle Gates. Though, they didn't just sit around and were soon galloping or flying right beside her. “Oh, good. We're all here,” Fluttershy happily said as they ran towards the castle. “So everypony got an urgent summons to the castle with no explanation?” Twilight asked her friends. “Yup! I just love a good mysterious summons.” Pinkie happily took it in stride as she briefly placed her mane over her mouth like a vampire cape. “What's it about?” She asked the annoyed cyan Pegasus flying by her side. “Do you think it's a surprise party?” She asked a taken aback Fluttershy. "Is somepony getting married?" She asked an equally confused Starlight Glimmer. “Hey! Why are we running?” “Because something could be terribly wrong!” Twilight answered fearfully. “Somepony turned bad? Another evil creature back for revenge?!" “Don't you think you're bein' a little paranoid?” Applejack asked her finding this a little off. “Why else would the Princesses send scrolls in such a hurry? Something is wrong! I can feel it!” Twilight pointed out still being serious about all of this. “Good point. They know better than to make us worry.” Rarity acknowledged as she turned to Applejack in agreement with Twilight. “Plus, I like it when you run so fast, the walls get all blurry! Wheeee!” Pinkie said as her eyes looked hypnotized from the very fast speeds they were running in. “Race ya!” Rainbow challenged Pinkie as she flew off ahead leaving Pinkie in the dust as they all make their way to the throne room where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are waiting for them in their throne seats, with multiple Royal Guards in front of them. “Ah, Girls. Thank you so much for coming.” Celestia warmly greeted the seven. “What's wrong, Princess?!” Twilight asked in a bit of a panic. "Is another evil creature back for revenge on Equestria?!" "Not exactly," Luna cryptically. "It is an evil threat that we're all familiar with." "Indeed," Celestia added, giving the girls all a serious look. "An evil threat has escaped from Tartarus." "ESCAPE!?" The girls cried in unison. "W-who?" Twilight asked anxiously. Equestria had been safer than ever for the past year and it now looked like that was coming to an end. Celestia sighed before answering, "The filly known as-" (Play 0:33 to 0:38) "Cozy Glow!?" Twilight exclaimed, trying to grasp on what she just heard. "She escaped Tartarus!?" "We are afraid so," Luna assured. "We had sensed some sort of chaos that was occurring there but by the time we had arrived, we were too late. We found Cerberus, unconscious and Cozy's cage empty." "We've sent some of the guards into the hills to search for her but they've all come back unsuccessful." Celestia further inputted. "She somehow beat Cerberus?" Rainbow Dash asked in total disbelief. "It seems she did," Luna nodded. "Cerberus has recovered and has resumed his post at Tartarus but we can't ignore the fact that Cozy Glow has escaped and is now on the loose in Equestria." "Especially given her actions last year," Starlight agreed as everypony's memories flashed back to when Cozy had plotted to not only take over the School Of Friendship, but to steal all the magic in Equestria. And she had very, nearly succeeded. "That is right, Starlight," Celestia responded. "Cozy proved just how much of a master manipulator she is. And given how she was almost successful in stealing all Equestrian magic, she is a threat that isn't to be taken lightly despite her age." Twilight was silently processing every word that Celestia and Luna had been saying. Cozy Glow had somehow broken out of Tartarus and was now on the loose in Equestria. She had always had mixed feelings on the manipulative filly ever since she revealed her true colors last year. Cozy had only wanted Friendship to gain power. She hadn't shown any remorse for her actions and therefore was justifiably locked up for her crimes. However, Twilight also had to acknowledge that Cozy was still just a filly, who probably didn't know any better. And despite that, Cozy needed to face consequences for her actions. So, Twilight had decided to firmly respect Celestia's decision. Over the year, she honestly didn't have the time to dwell on any of that since she had been pretty swamped with Princess duties and running the School Of Friendship alongside her friends. Now, school was out for the summer. It had pretty much been pushed all the way to the back of her mind. Until now. "And who knows what kind of revenge plan, that crazy filly is plotting?" Spike pondered, which left everyone in deep thought. 'My plan is to lay low' Cozy Glow thought firmly. Having decided that she had flown far enough from Tartarus, she hid in a forest that was a few miles away from the mountains. 'Maybe hiding there, I could've found a good place to maybe sleep around there.' Cozy hadn't been tending on staying in the forest. She had stayed in the opening pathway for a little while to get her bearings after her daring escape, but began flying through the forest shortly after that. She honestly thought it was better that stayed off her hooves for now, due to the minor pain in her side. The scratch, courtesy of Cerberus, hadn't been deep and had simply grazed her but it was still painful. Not wanting to take any chances with her wound, she had used her yellow ribbons that usually kept her mane and tail together to tie them around her midsection. 'I really hope that keeps my insides inside' Cozy thought with clear concern as she continued flying. 'If it doesn't, I'm gonna have to find a town full of ponies and hope they have a hospital.' But that was another problem that presented itself to pink Pegasus filly. 'Everypony most likely knows what I did and they won't hesitate to notify those wackos in Canterlot and Ponyville. Can't trust anypony.' The best case scenario would be to probably steal some medical supplies from a hospital without being seen. 'Not the first time I've had to steal from other ponies anyway' A smug smirk almost appeared on Cozy's face. 'All those times of pickpocketing really do teach you things.' It was a habit she picked up in order to survive. She had learned the hard way that you can only rely on yourself and not friends. She had only pretended to desire friends to obtain the power she wanted. The power she desperately needed. But her plan had failed. Tirek had ratted her out to Twilight and her friends and Cozy had faced almost a year of incarceration because of it. 'Note to self: never working with anypony or any creature again' Cozy's thoughts dwindled for a moment as her mind went back to Tirek again. She could've possibly been able to free him when Cerberus was unconscious, but quickly decided against it. 'That big jerk can stay there for all I care.' Cozy had sought Tirek's guidance in her quest to steal all magic from Equestria and he had given it to her. When they were writing letters, he had even assured her that he wouldn't tell anypony that all of it was her doing. But apparently, that had all been lies. Tirek had ratted her out the first chance he got and Cozy paid the price for it. She had been an idiot for trusting him. In the end, like she had before, she had to look out for herself. And she wasn't planning on going back for seconds. So for a good long while, Cozy continued in flying through the forest. She didn’t know how long she had been at it before she finally scrounged through some heavy bushes and collided face first into a pond. SPLASH! “Ugh!” Cozy groaned angrily as she picked herself up. “Stupid bushes!” Each bush she had pushed through had seemingly gotten bigger and heavier. It wasn’t anything compared to the Everfree forest, but still. ‘I mean what kind of… oh wow’ Cozy's attention was longer centered at the forest, but at her reflection. For the first time in almost year, Cozy hadn’t been able to look herself in the mirror at all. Her mane was messy and absolutely drenched. Her face was a bit battered. Not to mention, the ribbons that were currently holding her wound in place. And her the red in her eyes conveyed the little amount of sleep she had gained in Tartarus. The adorable and cute image that Cozy had created for herself was gone. ‘Can’t worry about my appearance right now’ She decided. ‘Just keep going’. There had to be some sort of nearby- “You all heard that?” Cozy’s body instantly froze with the exception of her ears perking up at the sudden voice. It was a bit distant. And it sounded like it was coming from a Stallion. It couldn't be coming from right behind her. No, it was "Heard what?" Another voice asked, this time coming from a Mare. "I heard a splash sound coming from around those bushes." "Maybe it was a Cragadile." "Can't be too sure. Let's take a look." "Ah, Might as well. We've already swept through the mountains, looking for that Cozy Glow kid." 'CRAP!' Cozy's heart started beating fast. Those were royal guards! They'd been sent to find her and take her back. Back to Tartarus. 'Gotta hide!' She looked around desperately for any possible hiding spot. She could hear the hoof steps growing nearer and nearer. Where could she hide? Where could she hide? Whe- 'Wait, that could work!' Cozy's gaze landed on a tree across the pond. A medium tree with hollow roots. And it had a hole that looked just big enough for her size. The hoof steps, that were getting nearer and nearer, snapped her out of her thinking. 'Can’t wait around for that answer! Gotta hide and NOW!' Without any further hesitation, Cozy flew across the pond and into the hole, It was a bit dark, but she could manage it. She could see all the roots on the ground too. She anxiously peeked through the roots as the bushes from across the pond shook as a couple of royal guards emerged. Their mouths seemed to be moving. Maybe Cozy could listen in on whatever conversation they were having. The guards looked around with narrowed as they looked suspiciously. “Hmmmm,” One guard pondered. “Coulda sworn I had heard something, coming from here.” “Or maybe you’re just going crazy,” Another snorted which caused the others to snicker. “Shut up!” The guard snapped. “We were sent out here to find that little runt and I’m just being cautious. We’ve searched the mountains and now the whole forest, but no luck. Come on lads, let’s head and report back to Princess Luna.” They all started trotting back to where they came, but one guard murmured something that was quite an important piece of information to Cozy Glow. “At least Princess Twilight and her friends are gonna join in on this search. They’ll most likely have better luck than us.” By now, the guards had all left. But Cozy hadn’t moved from her spot. Because the situation was only being made clear now. All of Equestria was searching for her. Twilight and her friends were looking for her. And they weren’t gonna stop until she was put back in that cage. Cozy ran a hoof through her drenched mane. ‘It’s just me against all of Equestria. I’m all alone. Twilight and her friends are apparently already looking for me. And they won’t stop.’ Cozy finally stepped out of the tree with a determined glare before taking off flying. She had trust her instincts and she had to trust herself. All of Equestria was gunning for her. Well, let them come. She had gotten herself this far and she couldn’t stop now. She wouldn’t. She was alone against a million ponies. But Cozy Glow wasn’t going down. Not without a fight.
