A True Princess

Chapters

A Second Chance
The First Judgment
Slight Readjustments
The Way to the Heart
Friendship School Reunion
We Fought the Law
Expanding Interests
Faire-ly Entertaining
Big Plans for the Weekend
Adored By All
Who are our friends?

A Second Chance

Being turned into stone was a thankfully rare experience. Very few ponies had had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of that spell.

Flurry Heart took a deep breath as she looked upon one of those unlucky few.

She seemed innocent enough, especially compared to the centaur and the snarling insectoid mare beside her. Her hooves were clasped around her cheeks, a look of horror frozen on her face.

They’d said she was crazy. Unrepentant. Defiant. A complete psychopath.

But right now, she was her best bet.

Taking a steadying breath, Flurry lit her horn and focused the spell. She started at her hind legs, and the stone slowly gave way, revealing a filly with a pink coat and curly blue ringlets in her mane.

As the last of the stone vanished, the filly collapsed forward and let out a gasp as the sensation of feeling returned. She sat up and groaned, rubbing her head.

“Cozy Glow,” Flurry said, trying to sound confident without startling her.

Cozy’s eyes snapped up, her eyes wide, her ears pinned.

Flurry winced. Nailed it. She tried to soften her voice as she continued. “I am Flurry Heart, and I have a proposition for you.”

“Who, me?” she asked, pointing innocently at herself. She giggled cutely, and held out both hooves and shook them. “No, no, I’m not Cozy Glow.” She pointed over to her left. “She is.”

Flurry instinctively turned to look.

A flurry of wingbeats made her spin back around. Cozy had taken off in a desperate bid to escape.

But being turned to stone tended to take a toll on a pony, and her flight ability was somewhat hampered. Even though she was only running on the ground and not flying, Flurry caught up easily, and tackled her to the ground. “Cozy!”

“Let me go!” Cozy squealed, struggling to escape.

“Quit-! I’m not-!” She was a squirmer! “Would you-?

Cozy got in a lucky shot to her stomach with a hind leg, and Flurry was stunned enough that Cozy could wriggle her way free. She took off, her little wings buzzing furiously.

Oh, mom’s gonna flip, Flurry thought urgently. She lit her horn and spawned a shield around the little pegasus, a modification of her dad’s spell.

Cozy hit it, rebounding off, then buzzed around like a bee against a window, hooves tapping, desperately looking for any weakness in the spell, but of course she found nothing. She let out a distressed squeak.

And for the first time, it really dawned on Flurry that despite everything she had done, she was still just a young filly, and right now, she was scared out of her mind. She tried again, even softer this time. “Cozy, my name is Flurry Heart, and I’m here to help you.”

“Help me?” Cozy repeated dubiously. She slowed her wings and dropped to the bottom of the shield, turning hesitantly to face her.

Flurry inhaled. Progress. “That’s right. I’m here to offer you a chance for redemption, to be a part of pony society again.”

“No more stoning?” Cozy asked hopefully, her head tilting slightly to one side.

“No more stoning,” Flurry confirmed.

Cozy gave her a sideways glance. “What’s in it for you?”

“Nothing,” Flurry Heart said, hoping it didn’t come out too fast. “Just… giving a pony another chance, that’s all.”

It could have just been a shadow, or a trick of the light reflecting across the spell; but for the briefest moment, Flurry thought she saw a scowl flitter across Cozy’s face. But then it was gone, leaving only the large eyes and confused little smile of a filly. Maybe she’d just imagined it.

Either way, Cozy didn’t seem fully convinced, so Flurry pushed onwards. “Believe me, I’m your best shot at getting back to a normal life. Nopony else wanted to give you a chance.”

Cozy considered this. “So basically, my options are say no, and go back to being a statue; or say yes, and possibly be a statue?”

Flurry inhaled, ready to correct her, and then realized that yes, that’s basically what it boiled down to. “Yes?” she wheedled. Not a particularly strong argument when she put it like that.

So it was a bit of a surprise when Cozy smiled brightly. “Well, golly. It’d be pretty silly of me to turn down an opportunity like this. I’m in,” she said cheerfully, pressing a hoof against the shield as if for bumping. “I promise, you won’t regret it.”

Flurry sighed with relief. That was easier than she’d expected. “Alright,” she said, canceling the spell and bumping Cozy’s hoof. “We’re going to the Crystal Empire, so let’s get flying.”

Cozy winced. “Gee. That sounds really far away.” She extended her wings, and they sagged like they were wet. She gave them a half-hearted shake. “Getting turned to stone really takes it out of a pony. Can you give me a ride?” she asked hopefully.

Flurry shook her head.

Cozy’s eyes widened further, her ears dropped back, pulling out all her cuteness stops.

Flurry shook her head.

Flurry Heart sighed as she flew, with the little pegasus clinging tightly on her back. Her resistance hadn’t lasted long. That probably wasn’t a good thing.

But she had to admit it was adorable how she snuggled on tighter as the air grew colder.

Finally, the spires of the Crystal Empire came into view. She landed lightly and ruffled her wings. “We’re here,” she said. “You can walk the rest of the way.”

Cozy alighted and stretched, extending her forelegs and wings and pawing at the ground as she yawned. She shivered and fluffed her wings to give herself a little more warmth. “It’s pretty chilly up here,” she observed.

It was strange just how normal this conversation was. This was the little filly that had almost destroyed Equestria twice? She shook her head.

The walk up to the castle seemed to take a lot longer than it normally did, that crystalline path seeming to stretch out for miles. The crystal ponies didn’t seem to recognize Cozy, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that somepony was about to scream and darken a few shades and set off a crystal pony stampede, and then everything would really be a mess.

Cozy seemed to notice. She gave her a gentle bump with her hips. “You alright?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” Flurry said, trying to sound unconcerned.

“If you say so. Something tells me you didn’t exactly get permission to bring me back to the land of the living,” Cozy said.

Right in one, though Flurry didn’t want to tell her that. “This plan was signed off on by an alicorn princess,” she said tactfully.

Cozy giggled knowingly. “I was an alicorn, once,” she offered.

“Let’s… not start with that,” Flurry suggested as they climbed the steps to the castle.

They entered the throne room, Flurry looking straight ahead, and Cozy admiring everything from the decorations to the windows.

“Mom, Dad?” Flurry started.

Cadence looked up. “Oh, hi, Flurry. And…”

The pen she was holding fell to the ground.

Cozy gave her a hopeful smile.

It was not reciprocated. “Cozy Glow?” Cadence whispered, horrified.

“That’s me!” she said cheerfully. She looked over at Shining Armor, who was glaring and had already dropped into a defensive position, his horn already lit. “Golly, what a strong and mighty stallion you are!” She turned back to Cadence. “And you, Your Crystallness, you’re obviously her mother. It’s clear to see where her good looks come from.”

Cadence looked at Flurry. “Flurry Heart,” she said, her voice clipped. “My chambers. Now.”

Flurry’s heart dropped into her hooves. She slowly followed her parents, tail lowered, into the other room. She glanced back over her shoulder.

Cozy gave her an encouraging smile, but then she disappeared from view as the door shut behind her with a loud sense of finality.

The First Judgment

“Flurry,” Cadence said calmly as she sat on the edge of the bed, though Flurry had seen Cadence in enough situations to know that she was actually furious, “would you care to explain what’s going on?”

“I unstoned Cozy Glow and am going to reform her through the power of friendship?” It had sounded like a solid plan in her head, but saying it out loud made it sound like she was missing a step or three.

Cadence seemed to agree. “Flurry, that’s… I mean…” She shook her head, unable to find the words. “What were you thinking?”

“I needed to find something for me to do,” Flurry said. “Something only I could do, to play my part. You sang me that. And reforming Cozy Glow is something nopony else has done, and I can do it. I know I can.”

“That… is what I sang,” Shining conceded irritably, “but this isn’t what I meant. I meant you have worth just for being you, the things you do right now do matter, and you’ll find out what you’re meant to do in your own time, even if it takes a while. I mean, I never planned on being a ruler of the Crystal Empire, but I’m here now. And I’m doing a good job.” There was a brief pause, and he glanced over to his wife, and Cadence quickly nodded to confirm this. He looked back towards Flurry and continued. “You’ll find what you’re meant to do, Flurry. I promise.” He inhaled through his teeth. “But Cozy Glow? This is a bad idea.”

“I can do this,” Flurry insisted.

“All you’ve done is act without thinking,” Cadence said as kindly as she could. “What was your plan if she attacked you?”

“She doesn’t have magic,” Flurry defended herself. “I’m faster and stronger than her, anyway.”

“Cozy Glow doesn’t fight that way,” Cadence said gently. “What she lacks in physical strength, she more than makes up for with guile. Every time we’ve faced her, she’s used subtle tricks and mind games to further her own agenda. Flurry, you’re a good young mare, but you’ve never had to deal with somepony who lives and breathes deception like that. I don’t think you’re ready for that kind of fight.”

“I don’t think she’d fight me, though. I really feel like she has a chance to be reformed through friendship,” Flurry repeated.

“And I feel like you’re taking a risk you don’t need to take,” Shining countered. He exhaled. “Look, I get it. Friendship is magic; but some things might be too big for friendship.”

“I bet that’s not what Twilight would say,” Flurry challenged.

“You what?” the Twilight in the mirror shrieked.

Flurry Heart winced. Her father taking her bet right away on what Auntie Twilight would say should probably have been taken as a warning sign to switch tactics, not an invitation to double down and call her on the crystal mirror.

Twilight shook her head and began pacing. “I can’t- you- I mean- Why?” she finally asked.

“Because I think she has a chance through fr-”

Twilight looked at her, and Flurry’s voice trailed off. “And you didn’t think that I, the Princess of Friendship, probably should have been looped in beforehoof?”

Flurry looked down, trying to suppress a grimace.

Twilight shuffled, clearly wishing she was physically there to give her a comforting hug, and tried for damage control. “Look. I understand wanting to help. And it’s not like there isn’t precedent for unstoning.” She lifted her head. “Right, Discord?” she called.

But nothing happened.

“Discord?” Twilight tried again. “Oh, well. But-”

“You aren’t going to, like, summon him or anything?” Flurry asked.

“No,” Twilight said irritably. “If I tried, he’d probably appear in a bathtub and let me tell you, I don’t need to see what he’s using as a bath toy this time.” She shuddered at the memory. “So many tentacles…”

“There’s no need for rudeness,” another voice broke in. “His name is Sam, and he exists in only three dimensions.” Discord’s head emerged from Twilight’s tail. “I have a certificate saying so.” And he held it up, this hand coming from Twilight’s mane.

Twilight rolled her eyes, unconvinced. This probably wasn’t helped by the fact that it looked like the certificate had been written in green crayon.

Discord emerged fully, then turned to Flurry and forced his way out through the mirror. His bushy eyebrows stuck to the glass somehow, stretching as he pushed through, making it look like he had long hair covering his face by the time he got the rest of his body out. “So, you’re the one who made me go all-” and here he wiggled his whole body, giving the impression that he was mostly jello as opposed to solid (which, for Discord, might have actually been the case).

“That was me,” Flurry admitted. Discord terrified her, and she’d learned very quickly that honesty was the best policy with him—mostly because it bored him into finding somepony else to bother. “Are you against it, too?”

“Me?” he said, placing his lion paw against his chest as if taken aback at this accusation. “Oh, my, no. I think it’s a great idea.”

Twilight pointed demonstratively at Discord. “That,” she said firmly, “right there. That should be proof enough that this is not a good idea.”

“Oh, pish posh,” Discord said dismissively. He snapped his fingers, and a pair of green drapes appeared and closed in front of the mirror. “Pay no attention to the mare behind the curtain,” he said airily as they fell to the ground, unnoticed. “I believe in you, because that’s what friends do. I think this will be a great learning experience for everypony.” He straightened up. “And, oh, look at my wrist. Friends also have tea parties to get to. On today’s menu: cucumber sandwiches!” He demonstrated, holding up what appeared to be a cucumber cut lengthwise, stuffed full of cheese, lettuce, tomato, and hay bacon. “A BLT cucumber sandwich, to be exact.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said airily as Flurry quickly pressed a hoof against her own mouth to suppress her gag reflex. “Didn’t need to see that.”

“Oh, everypony’s a critic,” Discord huffed, and he fed himself to the sandwich and vanished.

Shining shook his head. “Well, I mean, that’s one endorsement,” he said. “But…”

And then he paused.

“You’re not seriously thinking…” Cadence started.

“No, no,” Shining said quickly. “I mean, it’s a terrible idea. Nopony’s denying that.”

Flurry gave him a flat look. Apparently, she was just furniture.

“But I mean, if it’s happening, here is the best place. Winter is coming, so it’s not like she can just fly away. She’d be a popsicle in no time. We’d just have to post guards at the train station and she’s as good as stuck here. We don’t have a lot of artifacts here, and the ones we do have are locked up and require alicorn or dark magic, which she doesn’t have. We can keep an eye on her.” He turned to Flurry. “You can keep an eye on her. If you’re sure this is something you want to do, then you need to be 100% on her case, 100% of the time. Anything you do, she does; anything she does, you do. Stay on her like sweet on a crystal berry. Literally all of Equestria depends on it.”

“I can do it,” Flurry asserted.

They looked at Twilight.

Twilight hesitated. “I mean, Discord wouldn’t say that if he didn’t mean it,” she wheedled.

They all looked towards the one with all the real power in the room.

Cadence looked between them and heaved a sigh. “Against my better judgment,” she started guardedly, “I’m going to go along with this, but I’m increasing the guards around here. And around her.” She looked at Flurry. “I’m trusting you, ok?” she said pointedly. “She’s manipulative and controlling, and that cute exterior is nothing but a front. If anything seems wrong, you snap your wings shut and stone her. If you can’t do it for any reason, tell one of us, and we will.”

“I, uh, can’t actually do that spell,” Shining interjected awkwardly. “But I’ll hold her in a shield spell until your mother gets over.”

“And I’ll be in Ponyville,” Twilight added, “but if you call me by mirror or dragonfire, I’ll drop everything and come if you need me.”

Flurry nodded, a smile spreading across her face. She jumped up and gave her mother a hug.

Before long, they emerged from the chambers. Cozy Glow hadn’t moved from her spot. She looked over, her ears raising hopefully.

“Cozy Glow,” Flurry said.

Cozy held her breath.

Flurry smiled. “Welcome to the Crystal Empire.”

Slight Readjustments

Flurry’s confidence had been shaken by her parents’ less-than-enthusiastic reception, and the suspicious looks from castle workers who quickly looked away when they realized they were being noticed really didn’t help. The additional guards already roaming around the castle didn’t help, either. Their eyes were narrowed and focused on the filly wherever they walked. Flurry, standing right next to Cozy, felt a little bit like a tiny ewe at a Crystal Faire petting zoo.

She hadn’t thought things could get much more awkward, but she’d been wrong. As she led the way into their dining room, she realized that her mom had not been exaggerating. Additional guards lined the walls. There was even that one pegasus guard standing up in the rafters.

Cozy either didn’t seem to notice their presence or didn’t mind. During dinner, she was the model of politeness. She used all her silverware correctly, took small bites, didn’t speak with her mouth full; she even used her napkin properly.

But her parents mostly just watched her, as if expecting her to suddenly scoop up a knife and take Flurry hostage or something like that. And they weren’t doing a good job of keeping their suspicions hidden.

Flurry tried to eat, but she wasn’t hungry. The fluffy bread and crystal berry jam in her magic felt heavy and tasteless in her mouth, like she was eating an actual crystal.

She’d tried that before, once. Crystals were pretty but weren’t very good to eat.

She was second-guessing everything, now. Her parents disapproved, but she… she could do this. She determinedly took a big bite of her roll. She was an alicorn. She was a princess. A princess with a purpose! There was nothing she couldn’t do.

Except eat a roll, apparently, as she realized far too late that she had taken too big of a bite. She choked.

Cozy noticed, and gently slid her own water glass over, and Flurry snatched it and gratefully gulped it down.

“Saved your life,” Cozy said with a wink.

For some reason, the others did not seem quite as amused as Cozy was.

Flurry slumbered in bed as the sun rose. The light streamed in, and she groaned. She wrapped her hooves around something warm and soft, buried her face in it, and let out a sigh. Winter may have meant Twilight was raising the sun later, but in her humble opinion, it was still way too ear-

She leaped up with a shriek as she realized that what she had felt and touched meant there was another pony in her bed!

Cozy sat up, blearily rubbing her eyes. “Mhm… whazzat?”

“What are you doing in my bed?” Flurry demanded.

Cozy’s ears pinned. “Y- you said I could,” she protested weakly. “I got cold last night, so I found your room and asked; it was late, and I-”

“No, no, it’s no problem,” Flurry said hurriedly as she dropped back down to the bed. She didn't remember this at all, but still. “Just… I was a little surprised, that’s all. I must have been asleep when you asked, and I didn’t realize you were here. I don’t mind, really.”

Cozy looked only slightly mollified. Her ears still drooping, she self-consciously scooted ever so slightly away.

Flurry winced. Not the greatest start to their first full morning together as reformation buddies. She hesitantly reached out, trying not to spook her, and gave her a side-hug.

Cozy flinched at the contact, but slowly, hesitantly sank into the touch.

Flurry smiled. She could do this. She was feeling better about this already.

Cadence sighed and massaged her temple with a hoof. She was feeling worse about this already. As grateful as she was that Flurry had only gotten a little scare from her uninvited guest, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Cozy was somehow toying with them, in a ‘I know where she sleeps and you can’t stop me from getting there’ sort of way. None of the night guards she’d interviewed reported noticing Cozy move in the night, and that just made the cold pit in her stomach grow.

So when breakfast time came, she gently pulled Flurry aside. “Flurry, about last night,” she started.

“It’s fine,” Flurry insisted again. “She was cold. It’s not that big of a deal.” This really was getting old! Why didn’t her parents believe in her?

Cadence sighed, knowing that if she pushed further, Flurry would just dig in deeper. “If you say so. But I still don’t like it. Just… be careful.”

Flurry huffed. She’d show her.

Cozy Glow sat in the middle of the front row of the classroom, with a smile on her face and her hooves pressed daintily together as she patiently waited for class to start.

There was a buffer zone of empty desks around her, with only Flurry Heart in the radius. Some of the other ponies had even voluntarily shared desks (and chairs) rather than sit closer. It would have been funny, if it weren’t so awkward.

Flurry’s ears twiched. That whole private tutoring thing sounds really good right about now. ‘No, mommy, I want to go to school like the regular ponies do’- what was I thinking?

Their teacher, Crystal Lily, entered. “Good morning, class…” Her voice trailed off, and the papers fell from her hooves.

Cozy didn’t react in the slightest, though it had clearly been her that caused this reaction. She just sat there primly.

Crystal Lily had a bit more of a reaction. She quickly tried to recover. “It’s great to see,” she said with some forcedness as she walked around her desk, pressing herself against it to put some distance between her and Cozy, “all of, er, you. Let’s begin with Ponish.” She quickly wrote a sentence on the board, one with multiple grammar errors, and the students began writing the needed corrections.

After a couple minutes, she stood back up, careful to not turn her back on Cozy. “Can anypony tell me what’s wrong with this first sentence?”

Cozy politely raised her hoof. She was the only one; most ponies seemed desperate to not call attention.

“Anypony?” she tried, clearly desperate to not call on Cozy.

Flurry hit her forehead on her desk. This was going to be a long day.

Flurry sighed as she pulled her lunch out of her backpack. It had been even longer and more awkward than she’d feared, and it was only lunchtime. She didn’t usually dread her afternoon classes, but she was now.

Cozy also had a lunch provided from the palace kitchen, and she delicately opened her own lunchbox. She excitedly clapped her hooves together.

Flurry’s eyes flicked over to her own lunch. She didn’t think it was anything too special today, but that was pretty cute.

Her mouth tightened as she heard the unmistakable clippy steps of Lilac Ribbon approaching. Lilac didn’t try to start anything with her, probably because she was a princess, but her appearance was a sure-fire way to put a damper on everypony else’s day.

Sure enough, she came close(ish) to Cozy. “Well, well, well,” she started pompously.

“Golly. Those are some deep thoughts for such a shallow mind,” Cozy said airily, not even taking her eyes off her lunch.

Flurry snorted into her sandwich. She’d been quick with that one.

Lilac’s eyes narrowed. “I know what you are,” she said coolly.

“Very hungry,” Cozy said with a little grin.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do-”

“I’m trying to eat a sandwich,” Cozy said innocently. She held it out. “Did you want some?”

“I don’t want any of your stupid sandwich,” Lilac hissed.

Cozy gave her a sideways look and scooted herself away ever so slightly. “Sorry I asked,” she said. “You know, you’re not very nice.”

Lilac looked gobsmacked at being told this by a foal who had nearly destroyed Equestria multiple times. “I’m not very nice?” she stammered.

“There, you see?” Cozy said comfortingly. “Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.” She beamed, as if proud of her.

“I- I’m not-!” Flustered, Lilac stomped her hoof. She thrust her nose up into the air and stalked away.

Flurry couldn’t help but smile, and she shared it with Cozy. Cozy gave her a little wink and returned to her sandwich.

The rest of the day was still awkward, with both teachers and students giving the both of them a wide berth, but the rumors of Cozy knocking Lilac down a peg spread, and by the last period, a few of the students weren’t flinching quite so much at Cozy’s presence.

Flurry thought this was a win.

The Way to the Heart

Early the next morning, Flurry walked into the kitchen, and paused. She sniffed at the air. That smelled good. Muzzle lifted and eyes half-closed, she followed the smell deeper through the halls, and found her way into the kitchen. She poked her head in and saw Cozy, hovering in the air, humming contentedly to herself as she put the finishing touches on a batch of cupcakes, topped with pink frosting and covered with blue sugar sprinkles.

“Now that’s a fun breakfast,” Flurry said, reaching for one.

“Not yet!” Cozy playfully swatted her hoof away with her tail. “I’m bringing these to school today. You can have one then!”

“That’ll be fun,” Flurry said, already looking forward to it.

“I hope so,” Cozy said, setting the frosting bag down. She looked at Flurry with hopeful eyes. “I bet this little treat will help them want to get to know me.”

“I think you’re right,” Flurry agreed. “Especially if they taste as good as they smell.”

Cozy giggled. “They will.”

When Cozy brought them out before lunch, Flurry gladly took one. For one wild moment, she expected it to taste wrong, but it was sweet and moist and the sugar crystals added just the right touch. It was absolutely delicious, and she let Cozy know.

But when the tray came back to Cozy, it looked just as full as it did when she’d started. Her brow furrowed. She looked to her left, then her right. “Oh,” she said quietly. Her offering had remained completely untouched, and she knew why. “It’s ok,” she said quickly. “See?” She picked one up and took a bite. “It’sh good,” she said, her mouth still full.

For some reason, this didn’t seem to convince her classmates. Nopony took a step forward or reached for one, or even met her eyes.

Cozy looked around, her breathing becoming a little more ragged. Almost desperately, she began shoving more of her cupcakes into her mouth, as if to demonstrate definitively that they were safe.

Flurry winced, but wasn’t sure how to insert herself into this situation.

And then she didn’t have to. With a soft clink, Cozy’s hoof hit an empty plate. She looked and realized that she’d eaten them all. “Ah,” she said softly. “I’ll just… take this back, then,” she said, picking up the tray. She brusquely wiped a hoof over her eyes and quickly buzzed out of the room.

Flurry looked around at her classmates, but nopony would meet her eyes, either. Irritably, she shoved the rest of the cupcake in her mouth and chased after her.

It didn’t take long to find her. She was curled up with her back against the wall, wings wrapped protectively around herself, holding the tray over her legs like a shield.

Her heart went out to her. She neared and crouched down nearby. “Hey, Cozy,” she started gently.

“Hey,” Cozy sniffled.

Flurry shuffled awkwardly in place. “Look, what happened back there-”

“I get it,” Cozy said plaintively. “Nopony trusts me.”

“You’re trying,” Flurry said comfortingly. “You’re doing so well. I know it’ll take time. Honestly, they didn’t like me, either, when I first started. Something about almost destroying the Empire on accident. But most ponies are cool with me now. And honestly, they’re missing out. Your cupcakes were great.”

“Thanks, Flurry,” Cozy said. She brushed against Flurry’s hoof. “You’re a good friend.”

Flurry smiled. “I try. Come on. Let’s get back to class before they tell my mom I was cutting class.”

Flurry was working through a math problem in her room when the clock nearby dinged. Gratefully, she threw her pencil down and trotted over to the dining room, ready for dinner.

She was the first one there, and was soon joined by both parents, and just her parents.

Cadence looked over at Cozy’s empty seat and frowned.

Flurry glanced over and winced. She was supposed to be keeping an eye on her, huh? Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen her since they’d gotten back from school. “I’ll go look for her,” she said, pushing her chair away from the table.

The first place she decided to look was Cozy’s room. For some reason, her parents had decided she’d fit best in a separate wing. With a burst of pink light, Flurry Heart appeared in front of the room, startling the guard posted there, and gently knocked on the door. “Cozy?” she asked hesitantly.

Her answer was a soft groan.

“Cozy, can I come in?” Flurry asked, concerned.

“Mm-hm,” came the weak answer.

She nosed open the door and glanced around. This was her first time in Cozy’s room. At first glance, it looked like any of the other guest rooms in the castle, decorated but not personalized. Her backpack hung on one side of the chair, but there wasn’t much else. With the bland walls and sparse decoration, it didn’t look like a little filly’s room at all.

But there was a filly here. Cozy lay on the bed, curled up. Her stomach was looking a little distended.

“Are you alright?”

“I ate too many cupcakes,” she groaned pitiably.

Flurry Heart hesitantly stretched out her hoof and rubbed her stomach in a small circle.

Cozy made a soft nicker and seemed to settle down a bit.

“I guess you’re not making it back for dinner?” Flurry asked

Cozy groaned and closed her eyes.

“I’ll take that as a ‘no’,” Flurry said.

Cozy forced a weak smile that quickly faded, and closed her eyes. “It was silly of me. I should have known.”

“You tried,” Flurry said, as comfortingly as she could. “They'll come around, I'm sure of it.”

“Thanks, Flurry,” Cozy said. She winced again. “You’d better get back. I don’t want you getting in trouble because of me.”

“Don’t worry,” Flurry reassured her. “You just get feeling better.” With soft steps, she moved out of the room, and as soon as the door was shut behind her, Flurry appeared in a flash of light back in the dining room.

“Where’s Cozy?” Shining asked.

“She’s just in her room. Tummyache,” Flurry said coolly.

“Oh,” Shining said. Social convention dictated that he ask questions about her, and offer help if needed, but he had absolutely no desire to do that, so he settled for taking a drink of his crystal berry juice.

Flurry explained anyway. “Yeah. She was trying to do something nice for her class and baked a bunch of cupcakes, but nopony ate them.”

“Mm,” Shining murmured.

“Thought they were poisoned.”

“Reasonable,” Shining commented.

Flurry glared at him. Not helping!

“You know, this Crystal berry juice is just superb today,” Shining said, twisting the glass in his hoof, as if admiring the refracting light in it.

“You are so bad at deflecting conversation,” Flurry said witheringly.

Cadence pursed her lips and nodded, wryly agreeing with her daughter.

Shining shrugged and took another drink.

Flurry huffed. “She is trying,” she insisted, “but nopony is giving her a chance.”

“She was pen pals with Tirek,” Shining pointed out. “Most ponies like their magic.”

Flurry huffed into her salad. He’d see.

Friendship School Reunion

Cozy Glow hummed to herself as she dusted off the nightstand. She lifted the book to brush underneath, and set it back down in the corner.

There came a knock at the door. Cozy adjusted her bow to make sure she was at her cutest, and then opened the door to see dragon, a griffon, a hippogriff, a changeling, an earth pony, and behind them all but nearly as wide as them all, a yak.

There was a brief, pregnant pause as both parties sized each other up.

Cozy smiled. “Well, I hope you’re here to apologize,” she simpered.

Flurry looked up in shock at the sound of a filly’s scream. She rushed into the room to see Cozy pinned under a very angry yak, and let out a startled scream of her own. “Let her go!” she ordered.

“Yona does not want to,” Yona protested.

But Yona found she had no say in it; she was unceremoniously lifted up and dumped on the ground by magic (much to Sandbar’s consternation).

“What do you think you’re doing?” Flurry demanded.

“We heard Cozy got freed and we came to put her back where she belongs,” Gallus said.

“Judge, jury, and executioner,” Cozy murmured as she pushed herself up, loudly enough that everycreature could hear. “The Tree of Harmony has made a lot of changes since I’ve been gone.”

“You’re up to something,” Gallus accused angrily. “Whatever it is, we’re not going to let you do it.”

“Do what?” Flurry asked.

“She’s Cozy Glow!” Sandbar said.

“You’re very observant,” Flurry snarked. “But you can’t just rush up here and just attack her when she hasn't done anything.”

“Anything that you know about,” Gallus said darkly. He looked around, as if some evidence of her wrongdoing would stand out. His eyes landed on a book on the bedside table and he scooped it up.

“A history book?” Silverstream asked. She opened her beak, clearly about to ask if it had the history of the lovely staircase she had just climbed, but Smolder jabbed her elbow in her ribs.

“Devious.” Gallus turned it upside down to see where the pages naturally fell open—this would show what she’d been reading most. He held the place with a claw and flipped it over. “Ah ha,” he said triumphantly. “The Crystal Heart.”

Flurry snorted. “Oh, yes. Only the most important artifact in the Crystal Empire and the only reason it exists at all. Why would she be reading about that?” she asked sarcastically.

Ocellus scratched the back of her neck. That sounded interesting to her. She couldn’t fault Cozy for that.

Cozy sighed softly, drawing attention back to herself. “No, I understand. I almost hurt a lot of ponies, and other creatures, too. But I promise, I’m changing,” she said with a hopeful smile. She brightened as something occurred to her. “Say, you all must be tired from the long journey. Would you like to stay for dinner?”

There was a brief pause. Gallus and Smolder shared a look, and Ocellus took a tiny step back.

Cozy sighed. “I’m not cooking,” she explained wearily.

Gallus exhaled. “Ok, well…”

“I could go for something,” Smolder said.

“We could stay for a bit, I guess,” Sandbar conceded.

“Great!” Cozy said, all smiles again. “I’m sure Princess Cadence will be so happy to see you all.”

Cozy was right. Princess Cadence was a most gracious host, thrilled to see them, and dinner was a lively affair, with all of them sharing the various lessons on friendship they had learned (and, in the case of Yona and Sandbar, a little more than just friendship).

But amidst the great stories and the multiple glasses of crystal berry juice, Flurry kept stealing glances over at Cozy, wondering if she was feeling targeted at all by this. She could tell that she wasn’t the only one watching Cozy; Smolder in particular kept shooting her glares when she thought nocreature else was looking.

After dinner, she meandered over by her dad. Honestly, she didn’t really feel like either parent was on her side right now, but at least he’d supported her idea. “They don’t trust her,” she said.

Shining shrugged.

Flurry shot him a glare.

Shining held up his hooves disarmingly. “Last time they met, there were a lot of rainbow lasers. I can’t really blame them for being suspicious.”

Flurry thought she could, especially after the stories she’d heard about when they had first met, but she didn’t say anything else.

The next morning, Flurry headed down for breakfast bright and early. She met Cozy on the way, and gave her a good-morning sidehug, one that was eagerly reciprocated.

But she felt her good mood sour as she opened the door to the dining room and saw that the table was much more full than usual. “Hey, everycreature,” she said slowly.

The six waved with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

“So, I have some fun news,” Cadence said lightly. “All six of the Friendship Students have decided to stay here a bit longer.”

Flurry couldn’t tell if she was merely making an observation or if she was being smug about this, and that irritated her further. She looked at them. “Didn’t want to leave, eh?”

“There’s so much to learn here,” Ocellus said.

“And so many stairs!” Silverstream added excitedly.

“I hate traveling in the cold,” Gallus commented, ruffling his feathers.

“It's a romantic getaway,” Sandbar suggested.

“Is snowy, like home! But not as good as yak home,” Yona quickly clarified.

“I’m just here for the food,” Smolder said.

Flurry glowered. That all sounded about as fake as the costume jewelry she wore as Princess Celestia in the pageant, and part of her wanted to let them know just how ridiculous they were being.

But as if reading her mind, Cozy gently set her hoof in front of Flurry’s. “It’s always good to make more friends,” she said lightly, “and the Crystal Empire is a wonderful place. I’m sure you’ll love it here.” She gestured to Flurry. “Come on, let’s eat.”

Flurry felt this was a point in favor of her reformation, and shooting as long a smirk as she dared at her mother, she slid into her seat.

Flurry thought she was a patient mare.

She realized she would need to reassess that after realizing that she had seen five of the six students at some point today, casually watching them (or in Yona’s case, not casually at all; and while a yak won’t notice when a crystal pony bumps into them, the pony will).

She was mentally waiting to check off the inevitable appearance of Ocellus, but then it occurred to her that Ocellus was a changeling, so it was more likely that they hadn’t ever actually been alone at all. She scowled. “I can’t believe they’re following us.”

“I can,” Cozy said lightly. “Ready for lunch?”

“Sure,” Flurry said, glad for the distraction.

Cozy reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a bag for Flurry, a bag for her, and then kept pulling out more, setting them down on the table.

Flurry raised an eyebrow, which raised further as she realized that Cozy had drawn little faces on each bag, with one representing each of the six.

“I figured if they were going to stay with us all day, I should pack lunches for them, too,” she said lightly as she placed lunchbag number six on the table. She looked around. “Under strict supervision in the kitchens,” she added loudly, for the benefit of anycreature who just so happened to be in hearing distance.

“I don’t think they’re going to bite,” Flurry said.

Cozy flashed her a knowing little smirk. She reached for the one with Smolder’s face, picked it up, and let it fall to the table. It hit with the tell-tale tinkling sound of multiple gems hitting crystal.

There was the rustle of a bush, and Smolder was halfway there before she froze in place, eyes widening, realizing with embarrassment that she had been the first to crack and reveal herself.

But as a dragon, nothing made her feel better than Having Stuff That Was Only For Her, and gems in a lunch sack definitely fit that definition; so with as much dignity as she could muster, she marched to the table and opened it, roughly enough to show she was tough, but gentle enough to not lose any of the precious gems inside, and she shoved a clawful into her mouth. “This means nothing,” Smolder insisted.

“Of course not,” Cozy said.

With the first barrier broken, the others emerged and joined them at the table.

Yona picked hers up and lifted up her sandwich suspiciously. “If this not good, yak smash,” she warned Cozy. With narrowed eyes, she took a bite. An inscrutable look crossed over her face as she chewed. “No smash,” she finally said grudgingly, and she kept eating.

Flurry felt herself relax. Cozy was going to win, by killing them with kindness.

But Cozy was not out of surprises just yet. As soon as they made it back, she had sought out Cadence and asked her to go for a walk with her. After a slight hesitation, Cadence agreed, and they walked out into the gardens.

Flurry bit her lower lip, feeling terribly conflicted. She knew her mother still wasn’t completely on board with this, and she wasn’t sure she wanted Cozy to be with her mom without her there as a buffer; but at the same time, Cozy had asked to go alone, and joining would only make her look desperate. Besides, she trusted Cozy, and the efforts she was making for reformation.

Maybe.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait for long. As she and the students came in for dinner, Cozy and Cadence were already there, standing by the side. Her mother was sharing knowing smiles with Cozy, who was hovering in the air next to her, looking undeniably smug.

Hoping this was a good thing, Flurry sat down.

“So, before we get started,” Cadence said, “Cozy Glow has something to share.”

Cozy giggled. “So, I’ve seen how close Yona and Sandbar are,” she started. “And I think it’s an admirable thing. So I made... these!”

Flurry thought that was an odd choice of words, but she was quickly distracted by the sparkling gems on silver chains that Cozy retrieved from behind her wings.

“Party favors?” Smolder asked, intrigued.

“Heartstones,” Cozy said. She booped Smolder on the nose. “Not for eating!” She looped them around Yona and Sandbar’s necks so they could take a closer look.

“Shiny!” Yona cheered, examining it. Upon closer look, it was a gem that had been carved into the shape of a heart.

Sandbar held it up to the light. “Whoa,” he said, impressed, turning it to catch the light.

Ocellus leaned in. “It looks like the Crystal Heart,” she said, intrigued.

“It’s supposed to! It’s an ancient Crystal Empire tradition,” Cozy explained. “Cadence helped me find the gems. Couples wear them as a display of their love.” She grinned. “Read it in a book.”

Gallus shot her a glare.

Flurry giggled. This was going well.

Early the next morning, Shining Armor was getting ready for his morning run when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see a crystal guard, holding a newspaper.

“Your majesties,” he said worriedly. “You’re going to want to see this.”

We Fought the Law

Whatever Cadence had expected when Shining Armor had gathered her and their six visitors into a private room, it hadn’t been this. She lowered the newspaper. “You’re kidding me.”

Shining shook his head uncomfortably. “I had them check it. It’s still on the books,” he confirmed.

Cadence raised the newspaper again. Splashed across the front were multiple pictures of Yona and Sandbar, with one of them touching noses together. The problem the writer had was not that they were together, but that the Crystal Empire had a law that their relationship was violating. “I just… a single-species relationship law?” she repeated as she read through the article again. As the Princess of Love, this restriction felt unnecessarily arbitrary.

“How do you even enforce that?” Smolder asked.

“A thousand years dungeon,” Shining answered.

Sandbar barked a laugh, but it quickly faded, his mirth replaced with horror. “Wait. You’re serious?”

“Yak hate dungeon!” Yona shouted, stomping on the ground. “Yaks need to be free! Smash things! Feel wind in hair! Smash things! Eat snow! Kiss Sandbar!”

Sandbar choked, but he did not disagree.

“You’re not really…?” Gallus started.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Shining said regretfully. “We said we’d obey the rule of law, in direct contrast with Sombra. We don’t enforce this law, we’ll get accused of selectively enforcing laws for our friends. We do enforce it, it’ll start a feud with the yaks.”

“Not just the yaks, it’ll make a lot of crystal ponies unhappy, too,” Cadence pointed out. “I’m not happy. This kind of thing isn’t what the Crystal Empire stands for.”

“Can’t you just repeal the law?” Ocellus asked hopefully.

“That’ll take time,” Cadence said tiredly. “Again, to try and distance ourselves from Sombra, we can veto laws before they become laws, but once they do become laws, only another law can reverse it.”

“And if the Crystal Parliament isn’t in session, no law can be made.”

“Bummer,” Smolder grumbled. “That’s one nice thing about the Dragonlands. The Dragon Lord can just be like,” she raised her arm like she was gesturing with the Bloodstone Scepter, “‘that law is stupid, nodragon do that anymore’, and that’s it.”

Gallus grunted, unsure if that was actually a nice thing or not.

“So… now what?” Ocellus asked.

“We’ll bust you out! We’ll bring you a cake with a file baked inside,” Silverstream suggested.

“You don’t know how to bake,” Gallus pointed out.

“And you should save your ‘brilliant plans’ for a more private location,” Smolder snarked, pointing a thumb at Cadence.

“Nocreature is going anywhere. We’ll figure this out,” Cadence said firmly. “But I am open to any ideas,” she added in a less-confident voice.

As if on cue, the door opened, and Cozy Glow came in, hovering in the air, a scarf wrapped around her neck, with Flurry following closely behind. “Well, here’s everypony!” she said brightly. Her brow furrowed as she took in the sight. “Golly. Why does everypony look so glum?”

“Do you have to be here right now?” Gallus grumbled.

“We actually have a situation here,” Shining agreed.

“I don’t see why she has to be excluded,” Flurry said pointedly.

So, with the scattered eyeroll and grumbling, the two fillies were brought up to speed.

“Wait,” Cozy said, looking down. “I remember reading something about this. King Sombra was not actually a unicorn, but a shadow pony.”

“I’m sure that’s helpful somehow,” Gallus said.

“Be nice,” Ocellus hissed.

“So of course he’d want a law passed to make sure that any relationship he had would never make an heir. Since it wouldn’t be legal, it wouldn’t be legitimate, and any foal would have no claim to the throne.”

“Thank you, for that… inspiring history lesson,” Gallus said, doing his best to suppress the sarcasm in his voice, “but we’re still figuring out how to fix this.”

“I can help with that, too,” Cozy said, a hint of smugness in her voice. She turned to the royals. “One of the changes you made lets a pony-generated referendum be brought before you for consideration. There’s technically no cooling-off period; once it hits the threshold, you only need to formally respond within two weeks.”

Flurry nodded hopefully, liking where this was going.

“As long as we get enough signatures from the crystal ponies saying they don’t agree with this law, you can just say, ‘the ponies have spoken’ and strike it from the books without actually doing anything. That way, we can technically revoke the law before it needs to be enforced, and you haven’t ‘enforced your will’ or played the tyrant. All you’ve done is listen to your ponies.”

“That’s… really clever, actually,” Shining conceded.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Smolder asked, cracking her knuckles. “Let’s get going!”

Flurry smiled as the pony signed, and as he turned away, she let out a sigh and wiped her brow. This was a lot harder than she’d thought it would be. While nopony had shot her down and most had readily signed, there were many crystal ponies, and honestly, she was getting exhausted having to explain the same thing over and over.

She glanced over and saw Cozy Glow, holding a clipboard and talking to another pony. She was working just as hard as the rest of them. Flurry allowed herself a small smile.

Princess Cadence stood up in the tower, looking down at the crystal ponies congregated below. On one side of her stood Shining Armor and Flurry Heart, with Cozy hovering next to her and the six behind them, and on the other side, two guards standing in front of a wagon, loaded with stacks of paper. With a little smile, she started. “My little ponies, thank you for gathering on such short notice. The petition brought before us today needs no introduction, and our response needs no explanation. The love and kindness of the Crystal Empire shone through, and as we’ve seen before, love wins in the end. This law will be removed from the records, never to be enforced again.”

As the ponies stomped, Yona cheered and jumped onto Sandbar, sending them both tumbling to the floor with a crash.

“Medic!” Gallus called.

Expanding Interests

Flurry wandered into the kitchen, and just as she’d predicted, she found Cozy there, putting the finishing touches on a three-tier cake, decorated with the cutie marks of the royal family.

Flurry winced. Cozy was a skilled baker, but she was getting a little tired of eating so many sweets, and a part of her wondered how her body would handle the excess of sugar if she were not an alicorn. She tapped a hoof on the table, alerting Cozy to her presence. “Baking again?” she started gently.

“I have to do something,” Cozy said, a hint of desperation in her voice, her hooves squeezing around a piping bag. “I’m so tired of reading, and if I spend another day in the library by myself, I’m going to crack.”

“Yeah, it’s not my favorite place, either,” Flurry said. Try as she might to get Cozy more involved with her classmates, it seemed that Cozy was always reading or baking or doing something all by herself. But she wasn’t sure what to do. The last time she’d tried to help Cozy set something up, nopony had shown up to her chess tournament, and that had hit Cozy so hard Flurry hadn’t dared ask her to try again. “I’m sure we can find something else you like to do,” she floated.

“I guess,” Cozy said, her ears drooping.

Flurry slid into a seat and looked around, trying to think of somewhere else to take this conversation. “It’s kinda quiet now that they’re gone,” she tried.

“Yeah,” Cozy said, setting the bag down. “Are your parents disappointed?”

Flurry huffed,. “Probably. I still don’t think they trust you.”

“Yeah, I can’t blame them,” Cozy said sadly. She brightened. “Want to try some of my cake?”

Flurry’s smile grew a little forced.

With a sweet taste still lingering in her mouth that she thought she might never be rid of, Flurry walked down the hallway, trying to think. There had to be something they could do with Cozy to help show that she was reforming. She needed a win, something specific she could point to, to show that change was happening.

Maybe she could convince her parents to give Cozy another shot?

As luck would have it, she spotted Shining, walking the other way, carrying a rough-sewn saddlebag that she knew contained multitudes of dice and myriad rulebooks. Her ears pricked. “Hey, Dad,” she started.

“No,” Shining said shortly.

“What?” Flurry defended herself. “You didn’t even know what I was going to say.”

“I am not teaching Cozy Glow Ogres and Oubliettes,” Shining said firmly. “The last thing I need is to give her more ideas on how to take over Equestria.”

Flurry huffed. “You’re not being fair.”

“Ooh, and you fail your Persuasion check,” Shining said airily, walking away again.

Flurry stuck her tongue out at his departing form.

Having struck out with her father, Flurry decided to ask her mother. Of course, with her being against this idea from the beginning, she didn’t have much hope for this course of action; but she was determined to try anyway.

Cadence exhaled slowly. “Yes, she helped out with that whole law thing, and she’s made… so many cakes… but that doesn’t mean she’s reformed.”

“Then help me think of something she can do.”

“You mean besides going back on that pedestal?”

“Mom,” Flurry whined, but Cadence’s expression was clearly unrepentant, so Flurry dropped it. She thought for a bit. “Can we get her a job around the castle?”

Cadence inhaled, as if to say no, but then swallowed it. “What did you have in mind? Is there something Cozy wants to do?”

“Nnnno,” Flurry admitted. “Just… shaking the hopper, seeing what shines.” She brightened. “The cleaning crew is always looking for more ponies.”

“The cleaning crew,” Cadence said coolly. “So, working for most of the day with minimal supervision and receiving keys to any room in the castle not blocked by magic?”

Flurry scowled. Well, when she put it that way… “Tending the gardens?”

“Pruning shears. Chainsaws. Shovels and wheelbarrows.”

“She’s a natural in the kitchen.”

“She’s also a child and not only can she not legally work the full shift, she isn’t tall enough to reach things without flying, which is a contamination hazard.”

Flurry huffed. “Are you going to shoot down everything I say?”

“Only if there’s an obvious issue that you haven’t noticed,” Cadence said gently. “I understand this is important to you. Really. But this is not a game. Cozy Glow is dangerous. I don’t want you or anypony else getting hurt.”

“Please. She’s surrounded by guards 24-7. Has she even tried anything?” Flurry challenged.

“There haven’t been any reports,” Cadence said guardedly, like she was choosing her words carefully.

“See? If anything, we’re stifling her.”

“I’m not relaxing the guard requirements, Flurry.”

“Work with me here,” Flurry whined. “What kind of hobby can you do by yourself but still let everypony see you?”

Click.

Cadence’s eyes flicked over to Shining Armor, mostly to gauge his reaction.

He seemed a little confused, mostly because his mouth was full of his breakfast. The thought that somepony would want to take a picture of food instead of just eating it was foreign to him.

In fairness, this might have been a holdover from his army days. When there was food, you ate it, and fast, or there wouldn’t be any.

Still, Cozy was having fun with her new photography hobby. She adjusted some of the settings on the camera and took another picture.

After breakfast, Flurry sidled up to her mother. “So…?” she prompted.

“You did it,” Cadence conceded. “You found her a fun, harmless hobby. Besides, she’ll be in a darkroom for most of the time, so she’ll still be easy to keep track of.”

Flurry huffed irritably.

Faire-ly Entertaining

“The Crystal Faire is one of the biggest events in the Empire. Established by Princess Amore, it quickly became an annual tradition to help the crystal ponies renew the spirit of love and unity to help protect the empire from any harm. While the tradition faded during Sombra’s reign, Twilight Sparkle helped restore it, and it’s been held every year since.”

“That is… correct, Cozy,” Crystal Lily said, as if the words were hard to say. She tapped her hooves together. “And this year, we have the opportunity to help out.”

The foals chattered excitedly, sharing their favorite parts of the faire.

“Crystal berry pie!”

“Crystal corn-on-the-cob!”

“Funnel cake!”

“Ring toss!”

“Flugelhorns!”

“Jousting!”

“We’re probably going to be doing more set-up and clean-up than anything else,” Cozy commented.

“And… once again, that’s correct, Cozy,” Crystal Lily said, prompting groans from the class. “There will still be time to join in the celebrations,” she emphasized.

Cozy glanced at Flurry Heart. What could have possibly been a smirk flashed across her face, but she was already lifting herself off her chair with her wings. “Oh, don’t worry, Miss Lily. We’re not really disappointed, are we?” she asked the class.

Flurry didn’t think they were agreeing with her. Quite the contrary, actually.

But Cozy had already continued on, bypassing any objections. “After all, we’re all part of the Crystal Empire, so really, we’re all a part of history. Besides, the events are wonderful, but in a few years from now, we won’t remember what jobs we did or what particular event we missed out on; we’ll remember the good times spent with our friends, and the good feeling of knowing we helped make those memories for others. In fact, Lilac, didn’t you get your cutie mark at one of these?”

Lilac’s ears pricked up as she was put on the spot. She was briefly torn between being contrary just to be contrary with Cozy, and taking the opportunity to draw attention to her cutie mark; and the second option won. “I did,” she said, subtly flicking her tail up to do just that.

“What if it's somepony else's turn to get their mark and it just doesn't happen because we didn't step up?” Cozy simpered. “It’s up to us to make sure that it can, and make this a Faire to remember! Who’s with me?”

Flurry had sat through quite a few speeches in her day, and while she recognized this style of propaganda, she had to admit, this was effective. As the class volunteered all at once, Cozy's organizational skills shone through as she divided them up.

“Nicely done, Cozy,” Flurry said once everything was done.

“Of course!” Cozy said. “I was serious, by the way,” she added. “I really think this Faire will be unforgettable.”

Flurry smiled and waved from the balcony. I probably wouldn’t have been so eager to do princess duties if I’d known there would be so much… smiling and waving, she mused. It seemed like that was all she’d done, like some kind of living prop. Still, she kept smiling as she stepped back by Cozy to let her mother go to the front of the balcony. She watched as the crowd listened, raptured, as Cadence spoke. She knew the speech by now; she was fairly certain everypony here did, too. Maybe she'd switch up the speech when… if… she let her give it.

Oh, they were bowing. She quickly followed suit.

And then a collective gasp made them look up.

The Crystal Heart was glowing, but it wasn’t the only thing glowing. Cozy was raising up, though her wings remained stationary, and a beam of power connected them. Her curls were spinning, like static electricity was building up in her mane.

“Uh, guys?” she asked, clearly on the verge of freaking out, “what’s going on?”

There was a flash of light, and Cozy hit the ground. She groaned as she pushed herself up, seemingly not noticing that her body had taken on a crystalline glow.

As the crowd of ponies chattered, Flurry noticed something else. Her cutie mark had changed, and now a crystal heart appeared behind her rook. Her jaw dropped in shock.

For her part, Cozy looked shocked, too. “Golly,” she said, but that was all she could muster.

“I guess you’re really part of the Crystal Empire now,” Cadence said.

“I... wow,” Cozy Glow breathed, staring awestruck at her updated cutie mark. “I- I don’t even know what to say.”

Flurry Heart ran up and hugged her tightly. She’d done it!

She caught her parents’ eyes and couldn’t suppress a smirk at her success. Well, she wouldn’t be smug about it.

Too smug, anyway.

Big Plans for the Weekend

Flurry blearily stepped out of her bedroom and stretched her wings. She rolled her neck out, and then stopped short. To her surprise, Cozy was already awake, and was sitting cutely on one of the plush chairs against the wall, hooves curled, mane fluffed, bow sitting precisely on top of her head. It almost looked like she’d been up early and waiting for her to wake up. “Hey, Cozy,” she said, suppressing a yawn. “Early start today?”

“Yes, actually,” Cozy said brightly. She held up a manila envelope. “I was going to submit these pictures to the Daily Flugelhorn. Wanna see them before I do?”

“Sure,” Flurry said, meandering over. She lit her horn and slid the pictures out.

And then her eyes widened in horror.

It seems Cozy had been taking pictures of more than just her breakfast. Inside were a series of pictures, and they all seemed to have one thing in common: Cozy, looking uncomfortable, apprehensive, and embarrassed.

This was likely because of what she was wearing. In some, she wore tight socks, the kind designed less for utility and more for fashion. In others, she wore saddles just a little bit too big for her, but with the straps pulled tight, digging into her body. In one picture, she had a bit clamped in her mouth, the kind definitely not used for pulling carts.

And in a couple of these pictures, a smiling Flurry Heart was visible in the background.

“Cozy,” she breathed, “what are these?”

“Pictures,” she supplied unhelpfully.

“Why are you dressed like that, and why am I in them?”

“That’s a great question,” Cozy said loftily. “But a better question is, how could you do this?” she said primly as she swiped the pictures back. “At least, that’s what everypony else will be asking.” She giggled as she held up the envelope. “I’m sure the Empire will be just buzzing with rumors when they get published. Abusing a poor, helpless filly like me; and one accepted by the Crystal Heart, too! Who knew you had it in you?”

Flurry suddenly realized that she had an opportunity, and could not waste it. In one motion, she lit her horn and fired a blast of magic, incinerating the envelope Cozy held.

She yelped and jumped out of the way, now hovering in the air, far too late to save her pictures. Cozy looked at Flurry, eyes wide.

And then her smile turned devious. “Is that it?”

“Uh…” Flurry had thought that she had just put a decisive end to this, but now she wasn’t so sure. Her mother’s warnings of Cozy playing mind games came flooding back to her. There had to be something else going on here, but what? She couldn’t help but feel like she was about to step in a trap.

Suddenly, a door burst open behind her, and Flurry Heart spun around at the sound of galloping hooves.

Cadence skidded to a stop, holding a newspaper in her magic.

A newspaper with identical pictures printed on the front page.

Flurry’s eyes widened in horror.

“Surprise,” Cozy sang softly under her breath.

Cadence understood in an instant. She rounded on Cozy, eyes widened in furious recognition. “You,” she breathed.

“Me,” Cozy confirmed with a little smile.

Cadence and Shining Armor paced angrily in front of Cozy Glow, who looked remarkably calm and undisturbed for having two of the most powerful ponies in all of the Crystal Empire (if not all of Equestria) angry at her.

“How could you do this?” Cadence asked.

“You came into our home. We helped you,” Shining continued.

“Golly, was that a bad decision,” Cozy muttered flippantly.

Shining glared at her.

Cozy smiled cutely, scrunching up her face to emphasize her youthful freckles.

“Wipe that smirk off your face, young mare. I don’t think you realize just how much trouble you’re in,” Shining growled.

“Oodles, I’m sure,” Cozy said blithely. “I suppose you’d like to turn me to stone now.”

“Oh, the thought has crossed my mind,” Cadence said airily.

“What makes you so sure we won’t?” Shining asked pointedly.

“Because right now, I’m your best chance at resolving this whole mess with as little scandal as possible. You need me to go out there, explain that I took those pictures myself for reasons only known to me and that Flurry Heart had absolutely nothing to do with it, and then I’ll be re-stoned for my crimes.”

Shining’s lip curled, baring his teeth, but he said nothing. She was right, and it was infuriating.

“Right now, the crystal ponies are freaking out.” Cozy leaned in and held the back of her hoof against her cheek, like she was telling a secret. “Between you and me, things are looking pretty dark right about now.” She giggled.

“Why are you being so calm about this?” Cadence asked curiously.

“Because friendship is magic,” Cozy said delicately.

Flurry blinked, surprised. She was definitely not being friendly right now!

Cozy noticed her reaction. “Oh, not you,” she scoffed. “You’re pathetic. I’m thinking bigger. Much bigger.” She looked between them expectantly, and then her eyes narrowed in disgust that they weren’t picking up on it. “I’ll give you idiots a hint: it involves the Crystal Heart.”

“The Crystal Heart?”

“It’s the most important, most powerful artifact you have here, and I’m a pegasus,” Cozy growled irritably, flaring her wings. “Of course it’s involved.”

“What are you planning with it?” Cadence demanded.

“Oh, already done,” Cozy said sweetly. “See, the Crystal Heart out there is a fake.”

“A what?”

“You’re lying,” Shining accused.

“Am I?” Cozy challenged, scooting eagerly to the edge of her seat, eager to share—or, more likely, to prove him wrong. “What did you see at the Faire? Everypony was looking down, and then they saw the Heart glowing, connected to me, and then I turned crystal and my mark changed. Everypony thought this meant I was accepted by the Heart. But I wasn’t the recipient of that power. I was the source.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was a simple thing. I transferred its essence into myself and replaced it with a carved fake.”

“Impossible,” Shining said. “You’ve had guards watching your every move this whole time.”

“Oh, please,” Cozy scoffed. “It’s too easy to get rid of them. All I have to do is-” here, she closed her eyes and started panting, followed by a couple short, high-pitched, breathy moans, which quickly evolved into a devious smile, “-and whaddaya know, they’ve all got someplace else to be. Anyway, now that its essence is mine, I can control it. I can release its power, like I did at the Faire, or I can dampen it.”

“Why would you dampen…?” But Cadence’s voice trailed off, and her eyes widened.

The cold wasn’t the only thing the Crystal Heart kept out.

The prison door in the basement burst open, and giant, skeletal beings, with flaming eyes and long teeth, looking like reanimated corpses from a dark nightmare given the barest imitation of life, poured out.

Cozy grinned and triumphantly raised her hooves as they swarmed the castle and soared over her head. “Say hello to my new friends: the umbrum.”

Adored By All

“What have you done?” Cadence breathed.

“Oh, you know,” Cozy said, sounding eerily calm among the screeching umbrum. “Just ensuring my place as ruler of the Crystal Empire. And after that, I'll conquer the rest and crown myself Supreme Empress of Equestria!”

“You won’t get the chance,” Cadence said, lighting her horn. She cast the spell.

But Cozy formed a shimmering shield around herself and it ricocheted off. She returned fire, but Shining formed a shield of her own.

He glared at her, daring her to try to breach it.

But Cozy had no intention of trying. Instead, she powered up a blast of crystal energy and shot it at the floor below.

While Flurry and Cadence had wings and so instinctively spread them when the floor disappeared beneath them, Shining was not so lucky, and hit the ground hard.

Cadence dropped to check on him. She looked up, furious, her eyes narrowed, her teeth bared, and her horn blazing.

Cozy flew in circles, protected by the shield as Cadence fired blast after blast of magic at her. A few stray shots made the umbrum outside screech, pained by her love magic, but this was drowned out by the sound of glass shattering from her stray bolts.

Cozy giggled. “Ooh. Let’s see, here, um, seven, fourteen, sixty-three years of bad luck there!” She laughed. “Not that it hasn't been a gas, but I really must be going.” She reared up and blasted the ceiling, sending stones crumbling down.

Flurry did her best to cast a shield, but the stones were heavy, and she grit her teeth, struggling, until she disappeared under the avalanche of rubble and crystal.

Cozy casually blew off the tip of her hoof and flew away.

Ten minutes earlier…

The door to the train carriage opened, revealing six familiar friends.

“Yona like being back in the Crystal Empire,” Yona said, taking a deep breath in through her nose.

“That makes one of us,” Smolder grumbled, shivering. “I’m freezing my scales off here. I don’t know what the Cutie Map was thinking, sending us way the crack out here, but it better be good.”

As if on cue, a blast of magic rattled the Empire, and screeching ponies of shadows emerged from the ground.

The six watched, dumbstruck.

Smolder was the first to speak. “I just had to open my mouth,” she muttered, grabbing her head with a claw.

“You just had to open your mouth,” Gallus agreed. He turned to Ocellus. “Ocellus? What do you have?”

“They’re the umbrum, the shadow ponies!” she gasped. “I- I thought the Crystal Heart kept them all imprisoned!”

“Something must have happened to it,” Sandbar realized, horrified.

“Crystal Heart Recovery Mission!” Silverstream cheered.

Smolder grabbed her beak to shut it. “Let’s see if we can find Princess Cadence, first.”

Bolts of magic came pouring out of the castle, colored a familiar blue.

“Ooh!” Silverstream turned to Smolder and grabbed her shoulder, shaking her. “Quick! Say something about free burritos!”

There came a knock at the castle door.

One of the umbrum opened it to see a blue griffin standing smartly on the doorstep.

“Greetings, guys,” he said easily, giving them a smart salute. He paused. “At least, uh, I think you’re guys?” he amended hesitantly.

The umbrum looked unamused.

He cleared his throat and continued in a voice of supreme self-importance. “My name is Gallus, and I’m the griffon representative from Griffonstone. We’ve heard there’s been a regime change here in the jolly old Empire, so we came to see if we needed to re-establish trade routes, determine how we would receive your tributes of bits, advise where you should construct additional pylons; you know, that sort of thing.” There was a brief pause. “If you do have the tribute of bits, I’ll be happy to take them now,” he offered hopefully. “Just to get that taken care of right away.”

There was the faint sound of hoof on forehead in the background.

The umbrum started forward, teeth bared, chittering.

Gallus took a slow step backwards. “Now, now,” he said nervously, “I don’t think you’d like to risk an international incident-”

“There will be none left other than the umbrum,” one said. “We have waited centuries for this, and we will leave you destroyed in our wake along with the ponies.”

Gallus clicked his beak. “Yeah, let’s just skip ahead, then, shall we?” He dropped to his stomach, revealing an orange dragon behind him, arms spread, head thrown back, her chest full of air.

They barely had time to register this before Smolder breathed out a long stream of fire over him.

The umbrum were forced back, screeching in pain as the magical fire burned them.

“Dragon fire,” Smolder said proudly, pounding on her chest with a fist. “Works every time.”

The umbrum screeched again, warning the others of this new threat. Her dragon fire clashed with the dark magic, canceling it out; but she was still only one dragon, and the umbrum were swarming. Before long, Smolder was starting to get winded, and they found themselves surrounded, back to back.

“Anycreature have any other ideas?” Gallus asked.

“Quick, Smolder, say something,” Silverstream urged.

But before she got the chance, Cozy landed in a three-point stance. “You again?!” she shrieked.

“Where’s the Heart?” Sandbar demanded.

“Take a wild guess,” Cozy growled, magic brimming on her hooves. She shot a beam, hitting Silverstream.

“Silverstream!”

And then her shrieks turned to laughter. “That tickles!” she said.

One of the umbrum hissed. “Light magic can’t hurt them,” she said as if explaining the obvious.

“Oh, well, I’m sure I’ll think of something,” Cozy snarled. She crossed her forelegs over her body, forming a bubble shield around her body. She rose up into the air. “If I can’t hit you with magic, I’ll hit you, with magic!” she screeched, and she brought her hooves down.

With an explosion of dust and debris, she crashed right through the ground into the next floor below. She waved a hoof to clear it and counted the groaning students. Her brow furrowed as she only counted five. She looked around, then looked up.

And her vision was suddenly filled with brown.

Yona had managed to jump out of the way of the first impact, remaining on the higher level. She landed hooves-first, and the force of the impact was enough to break through the floor again and send them both crashing down to the next level below, landing hard enough to leave a crater from the impact.

“Yak smash,” Yona said proudly, if a little disorientedly.

Cozy rolled over to a prone position and coughed. Crystal magic sparked across her body, healing the various cuts and bruises she’d received, and she let out a cry as the magic fixed the hind leg that had broken under Yona’s weight in the landing. She stood up and irritably dusted herself off. “You guys think you’re so clever,” she hissed. “But if you knew anything, you’d know the Crystal Heart is an unlimited supply of magic. All you’re doing is delaying the inevitable. And you don’t have any rainbows on your side this time.”

“Actually-” Silverstream started.

Cozy looked up and to her shock, realized that they were all glowing and floating.

“-mm, yeah, we do, yeah,” Silverstream finished brightly.

“I’m starting to think you’re the one who doesn’t know anything about magic,” Sandbar said.

“You’d be surprised at what we can do together,” Gallus agreed.

“Friendship is magic!” Yona shouted.

“You should try it sometime,” Smolder added smugly.

A beam of light burst from each student, converging together to form a rainbow of light above them. The completed rainbow shot further up into the air, split into two, and came back down, the two bands spiraling around each other.

Cozy Glow could only stare as the bifurcated rainbow came barreling towards her like a runaway train. It hit the ground in front of her and wrapped itself around her like a tornado of light. She instinctively reared up and tried to form another shield around herself, but the magic of the Crystal Heart passed right through the rainbow like it wasn’t even there. The vortex grew brighter, and the blast turned everything white.

When it cleared, Cozy lay sprawled out on the ground, eyes unfocused, her cutie mark back to the regular rook motif; and the Crystal Heart, now separated from her, lay spinning nearby.

The students cheered.

Cozy rolled over and made a desperate crawl for it, but Gallus was faster. He scooped it up in his claws.

This is when they realized that despite their beauty and power, the rest of the world doesn’t pause for rainbow lasers. Umbrum swarmed around, shrieking, desperate to regain control of the Crystal Heart for themselves. Gallus let out a shriek of his own and flew up, dodging their reach.

“We’ve got to get it back to the dais!” Sandbar shouted. “That’ll trap them again!”

Gallus looked around at the gathering umbrum and made a quick decision. Four of them could fly and be outside in no time; Yona and Sandbar would have to make their way to the top floor on their own. “Smolder, go long!” he called, and he hurled it like a frisbee.

With practiced ease, Smolder snatched it out of the air, held it to her side protectively, and started flying, beginning a desperate game of keepaway.

The umbrum shrieked and swarmed, but Smolder blew a wall of fire as a diversion and smashed through a window to escape. Somewhat disoriented, she tossed it back to Gallus.

Gallus swooped through the broken window, caught it, and flew until he was surrounded, and threw it to Ocellus.

Ocellus squeaked as she tried to catch it. She desperately scrabbled for it, but it bounced off one hoof, then the other, then the first one again, and finally she lost control entirely.

Thankfully, Silverstream was already on her way. She grabbed it out of the air and aileron rolled to the side, dodging the umbrum from one side, but quickly finding herself overwhelmed on the other. She screamed, and then saw her salvation come in the form of a giant shaggy yak who had made it back into the fray. “Yona!” she yelled as she hurled it.

Yona caught it and let out a yell and charged forward, head lowered. The first few umbrum she hit went flying by sheer force, but the others quickly adjusted their tactics. They swarmed behind her, grabbing onto her hind legs and weighing her down, draining her momentum and quickly dragging her to the ground. She was unceremoniously turned over and pinned down, and though she struggled valiantly, promising all manner of smashings in store for her assailants, the umbrum began digging through her coat.

“Where is it?”

Off in a nearby alleyway, Sandbar was walking, trying not to draw attention to himself while knowing that he already stood out just for not being a crystal pony.

And then he nearly walked right into a small umbrum.

“Hi,” he said uncomfortably.

It looked at him.

And then screeched.

Well, that hadn’t worked. Sandbar started sprinting. The dais was in sight, but he could feel their approach. He looked around urgently, but all he could see was his friends struggling with the umbrum as even more were looking at him like Yona looked at a smashable object. Not seeing any other option, he summoned all his earth pony strength, lifted the Crystal Heart over his head, and threw it as hard as he could in a desperate attempt to restore it to its rightful place through sheer, dumb luck.

They watched with bated breath as it sailed through the air, careening towards its spot between the two points.

And then a light blue umbrum leaped up and caught it with her teeth, bringing it and their hopes to a sudden, harsh stop.

The students gasped.

“You see?” one gloated, sliding aside so it could walk by. “Powerful as it may be, your magic of friendship still has limits. You never stood a chance. And now, with the Crystal Heart, there’s nothing that can stop us! Ponies first, then all others will-!”

But just then, a gleam of magic made them all look.

The umbrum who had caught the Heart had carefully slid it back into its place on the dais. It began spinning and glowing brightly, and she sat back, as if enjoying the show.

“What? No!” she shouted. “Betrayal! Treachery! How could-?!”

The umbrum burst into flames, and Ocellus pointed towards the Heart. “Pretty light,” she said helpfully, as if that explained everything.

Now restored, the magic of the Crystal Heart bloomed, and the umbrum were unceremoniously dragged back into their prison by beams of sparkling magic.

But they were not to be denied their chance at revenge.

Flurry Heart’s ears pricked as she heard a familiar scream. Cozy had been scooped up and dragged backwards, carried through the air and back into the prison with the umbrum.

There was a brief pause as everycreature took a moment to process what had just happened.

And then Flurry Heart dove in after her.

Who are our friends?

The Prison of Shadows was a dark, dank place. Flurry crinkled her nose at the stench. She lit her horn and gasped.

An umbrum with jaws open in front of her let out a startled whine and backed away, seemingly burned by her magic. It rubbed its face, then stalked the outside of her magic radius, teeth bared, watching her with its creepy, glowing eyes.

Flurry swallowed. Protected by her magic, she slowly walked forward. More umbrum swirled around, eager for a chance for revenge, but any who dared cross the edge of her magic quickly retreated with a screech of pain.

In the distance, she saw a small pile of pink fur, curled up on the ground. She quickly neared, and one hoof gently rose. “Cozy?” she started hesitantly.

Her words were quiet. She almost missed them.

“I almost had it this time.”

Flurry hesitated.

Cozy looked up, eyes wide with fury. “I almost had it this time!” she shrieked, leaping to her hooves, her face contorted in pure rage. “I was so! Close!” She stomped a hoof angrily, emphasizing each word. She let out an incoherent scream of rage.

Flurry’s breath caught in her throat. Deep down, she’d dared to hope that it had all been an act, or umbrum influence; but here, without witnesses, it was clear that everything Cozy had done had been completely of her own volition.

Cozy was so enraged that she was almost frothing at the mouth. “I did everything right!” she ranted. “I was patient! I timed everything out perfectly! I had ponies on my side! I got the class to like me! I turned everypony against you and exploited their feelings! I had an army! And I still! Failed!” She drew out the last word, and it sounded like an animalistic wail.

Flurry Heart licked her lips. She should have felt a lot of things. Anger. Rage. Betrayal. Fury. Cozy had gotten closer to destroying the Crystal Empire than she ever had, and she’d done it all intentionally and with a smile.

But right now, all she felt was pity for this foal who could not understand. “Why?” she asked finally.

“Why what?” Cozy snapped.

“Why did you do this? You were in a good place. You were making friends. You were making a difference. You could have been a part-”

“A part,” Cozy scoffed. “If you really thought I wanted to stay in your shadow like some sniveling, tagalong little sister, you’re more pathetic than I thought. I had you figured out day one. You’re a redundant freak with giant wings, trapped in your parents’ shadow. Alicorns are immortal. I know. I was one, once. You’d be stuck under Cadence’s wings as a nopony, a redundant princess, forever. You needed a ticket out, and you chose me as the easiest way. ‘Oh, look at Princess Flurry Heart. She redeemed Cozy Glow! Guess she isn’t useless after all!’.” She barked a laugh. “You were using me, just like I used you. Except, guess what, I’m better at it,” she finished in sotto voice.

Flurry opened her mouth, then shut it. Cozy had just exposed something she’d never articulated, but her words were spot-on.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Cozy needled.

“You…” Flurry sighed, sinking to her haunches. “Yes. I was thinking mostly of myself. At first, anyway. But then, something changed.” She looked up. “It wasn’t about me. It was about you.”

Cozy scoffed.

“Cozy, you were doing great things. You are so focused on what you don’t have that you don’t see what you do. You don’t need a crown, you don’t need an umbrum army-”

“It was always temporary,” Cozy mumbled. “The Heart needs the light from the Crystal Ponies to work. As soon as I’d taken over the Crystal Empire, I was going to seal the umbrum away again, recharge the Heart, and then take over all of Equestria.” She angrily ripped out one of her own feathers and spat it away.

“See, that’s my point! You can’t see that you, as a pony, have worth, that what you do… even if it’s… small… matters… Ugh!” She rested her head in her hoof, realizing where she had heard those words before. “I guess I owe mom and dad an apology after this.”

“Whatever,” Cozy huffed. She stood again. “Come on. Let’s get out of here. This place stinks and it gives me the creeps.”

“‘Let’s’?” Flurry repeated, as if confused.

“Yeah, yeah, I know how this goes,” Cozy grumbled irritably. “You get me out of here because ‘the Power of Friendship’-” she made air quotes with her hooves, “-means you won’t leave a friend behind, I’ll go confess to my crimes, you can stone me again, and you’ll get your life back, just the way you like it, and who knows? Maybe I’ll get another chance in a thousand years or so.”

“I don’t think so,” Flurry mused. “I mean, I still have to answer for my choices, like trusting you.”

“If it makes you feel any better, you weren’t the first and you probably won’t be the last,” Cozy said comfortingly.

“I also have to live with the fact that I almost destroyed my home.” She snorted. “Again,” she added wryly. “And this time, I don’t have the excuse of being a tiny foal.”

“Don’t give yourself too much credit,” Cozy said with a wink.

“And it may be awkward without you there to explain what really happened about those pictures, but I think I’ll manage it. If not, well, maybe Cloudsdale could use a princess.” She cracked a wry smile. “Or I’ll just wait for anypony who remembers to die. I’ll have time.”

“Wait,” Cozy said hesitantly. The tone of voice Flurry was using was starting to concern her. “You’re not going to just leave me here, are you?” She raised a hoof. “I mean, you came to rescue me, right? Because friendship?”

“That was my intent,” Flurry conceded, “and you’re right that I wouldn’t leave a friend down here.” She stood up and took a steadying breath. “But I think you’ve made it very clear that you are not my friend.”

“Y- you can’t be serious,” Cozy said, coming up closer now. Her eyes widened and her ears drooped. “Flurry Heart?” She reached out.

But Flurry took a step back. “You made your choice, Cozy. And now I’m making mine.”

“You can’t do this,” Cozy protested. Her fear turned to anger. “You can’t do this to me!”

Flurry turned to walk away, pausing only to brusquely wipe a hoof across her eyes. “Good-bye, Cozy Glow.”

Cozy took off, trying to catch up to her, but Flurry solidified her shield, and Cozy bounced off, bouncing backwards on the ground. When she got up, all she could see was the tip of Flurry’s tail disappearing through the wall, and then she was gone. “Flurry Heart? Flurry Heart!” She rushed over and pounded a hoof against the wall. “Flurry Heart!”

But try as she might, the stone remained cold and inert.

Slowly, it dawned on her that Flurry was not coming back.

She slowly looked behind her, and saw the ghoulish, grinning faces of the gathered umbrum.

“So, Cozy Glow. Looks like you’ll be staying with us for the foreseeable future,” one said, a cold smile curling at her lips. “Well, we’re glad to have you. We’re going to have so much fun together, aren’t we, friend?”

“Look!”

Flurry Heart stepped out of the door and let the magic fall, sealing it again. She stumbled forward, and Shining caught her before she hit the ground.

“Are you alright?” he demanded. “What were you thinking?”

“I was a foal,” Flurry said, her words tumbling out of her mouth. “A silly, foalish foal.” She paused. “That’s weird to say.”

Shining conceded. “That is a strange constr-” He shook his head. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine. I’m just dumber than a box of crystal shards. I just… I really thought I could get through to her. I thought I had. I thought she was changing.”

“Cozy is… not like other ponies,” Shining said.

“But you tried,” Cadence said. “Even after everything Cozy had done, you saw the possibility for good in her. You were her friend. She refused it-”

That was putting it mildly.

“-but you were earnest. You have a kind heart. I’m proud-”

“We’re proud of you,” Shining agreed.

Flurry winced. She couldn’t accept this. “It wasn’t just… I was trying to…”

“Prove you could?” Cadence supplied dryly. “We’d guessed as much. Your Aunt Twilight had similar concerns.”

“It’s such a good song,” Shining said.

“But she figured it out. And so will you. I promise.”

Flurry forced a smile. “Thanks.” She had recovered enough to push herself up. She looked around at the gathered crystal ponies, and the six. “I think my first duty is to get this place cleaned up.”

“Oh, yes. And then after that… you’re grounded.”

Flurry winced. “How long?” she asked.

“For the rest of my life,” Shining said.

“Longer,” Cadence interjected.

Flurry sighed. “Better get started, then.” As she did, she noticed the six starting to help, and she smiled.

She was going to be just fine.