No Sweeter Innocence

Cozy Glow waits until half-past-six to return to the safe house.

As expected, Flurry is waiting there for her. “You’re late,” she says shortly.

“And you showed up on time?” When Flurry nods, Cozy chuckles. “Well, that sounds like your problem.” She walks up to her and pulls her head down for an aggressive, possessive kiss, her tongue invading Flurry’s mouth for a moment before darting back like a viper.

“Are we having more sex today, then?" Flurry blushes and looks away as she asks the question. Out of shame or desire or both, Cozy doesn't know.

Not that it matters either way.

"Maybe later tonight," Cozy says with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "We have other plans for now."

“Oh?”

“We’re going shopping!” Cozy declares cheerfully. "After you cast a disguise spell on yourself so you don't have to deal with ponies kissing your hooves."

Flurry frowns but holds her tongue, magic washing over her as she takes on the form of a teal unicorn with a pink mane.

"Yeah, that'll work." Cozy makes a point of putting her wing over Flurry as they walk out of the apartment building, an assertion that she still possesses Flurry even if they're out in public.

"So how was your day today?" Flurry asks as they make their way down the streets. The disguised alicorn can't hide her regal bearing, but Cozy does a good job hiding her gait, pulling her down into a slouching position as they walk.

"Boring," Cozy replies. "This place sucks."

Flurry frowns. "Why don't you leave, then?"

"Equestria sucks too." Cozy shrugs. "At least the Empire doesn't have as many alicorns in it."

"Oh." Flurry is quiet after that.

They make it to the other end of the city, and Cozy leads Flurry down a row of shophouses.

"So what did you need to buy over here?" Flurry glances down the shops, a fairly typical mix of stores selling everything from produce to furniture.

"Oh, we're not buying anything." Cozy stops outside of a jewellery store. The sign above says Precious Memories, with a picture of a laughing mare holding up a hoof encrusted with a diamond ring. "I'm looking for a pretty necklace, something to wear if I ever get invited to a fancy gala, but the prices are outrageous. That's why you're going to steal it for me instead."

Flurry tenses. "Do you really expect me to rob some poor businesspony simply because you asked?" she hisses, taking a step back from the store as if it's on fire.

She's far too late to avoid being burned, though.

"And here I thought you were here to learn how to be more like me," Cozy tsks. "Lying, cheating, and stealing is the kind of stuff you wanna do, right?"

"Not at the cost of some innocent pony's livelihood." Flurry stands her ground, a righteous fire in her eyes.

"Oh, did I forget to mention?" Cozy laughs. "They're not innocent at all. Precious Memories' jewellery is actually sourced from mines in the former Storm King territory that still use slave labour. There's a bunch of back-and-forth trading to hide where the gems actually come from, but the owners definitely know that the stuff they're buying is cheap and illegal for a reason."

That righteous fire turns to wrath as Flurry sets her sight on the store, her body leaning forward and her stance radiating aggression. "Are you sure?"

"They do a good job of hiding it, but I like to keep tabs on what's going on underground," Cozy replies. "Anyways, the thing about stealing is that you need to act like you're not doing anything wrong. Remember, they won't be suspicious of some random mare who looks and acts nice as long you don't give them a reason to be."

"Right." Flurry's expression sets into one of determination as she steps forward, and Cozy pulls her back.

"You look like you're gonna burn the place down in cleansing fire, little snowstorm," Cozy admonishes, waggling her hoof at her. "You have a pretty smile, so use it."

Flurry glares at her, but a moment later she's wearing a practiced smile as if she's the happiest mare in the world. Cozy assumes that it must have come from a lifetime of training in being a guest at royal events, and it looks so real that she can hardly see the slight strain in her lips and the pain in her eyes.

"Much better," Cozy says, giving her an approving grin. "Alright, let's go shopping!"

A cheerful jingle announces their entrance into a homely place that smells of the painted oak walls and floors that give the store a soothing warmth. "Welcome to Precious Memories!" an older mare announces, the kindness and gentleness in her voice matching her overall demeanour. "I'm Precious Metals, but you can call me Precious. How may I help you today?"

Flurry seems disarmed by Precious' matronly bearing, but she is not so naïve as to assume that bad ponies will always wear a mask of evil. "Hi!" she chirps brightly after a moment, transforming into another pony entirely. "My sister and I were looking to get some matching bracelets. She's leaving for Saddle Arabia next week and I wanted something to remember her with."

The lie flows off her tongue so smoothly that even Cozy is surprised, keeping silent as Precious replies, "Well then, you've come to the right place, dearies. I think some emeralds would go wonderfully with both your complexions." A nostalgic light enters the mare's eyes. "My sister and I used to wear matching necklaces all the time," she says, her hoof moving to gently touch the diamond hanging around her neck. "I got my cutie mark making a pair of sapphire ones for ourselves as fillies."

"I just think it'll be a nice way to remember her when she's not here," Flurry says.

Cozy mostly keeps quiet as Precious shows Flurry a number of different options, only chiming in to point out that this one looks really pretty or that one is a bit too big for her tastes.

Of course, she also asks Precious to show her to the restroom at one point, shooting a knowing wink at Flurry as she does so. By the time she comes back, she sees Flurry shaking her head.

"Sorry to waste your time," she says. "But I'll be sure to come back when I need something for just me."

"It's no trouble," Precious replies, sounding genuine. "An old mare like myself is always happy for just the company." She glances at both of them. "You two take care of each other, you hear me? Family's more important than most ponies think."

"We will," Cozy promises before they make their way out.

They maintain the illusion of a pair of sisters walking down the street until they're far from any possible prying eyes. At which point, Flurry casts a cloaking spell over them before producing a ruby necklace from her saddlebag. "It goes with your eyes," she mumbles, handing it over.

Cozy takes it with glee, watching the glint of the gem in the dying sunlight. "Aww, you shouldn't have!" she says, saccharine sweetness dropping from her tone as she leans forward to give Flurry a kiss on the cheek. "No, really," she adds, a moment later, faking seriousness. "Didn't your parents ever teach you that stealing is wrong?"

Flurry paws awkwardly at the ground. "That necklace might as well have been stolen in the first place, if the gems in it were mined with the blood of the innocent." She refuses to look at Cozy as she speaks. "I'll alert the guards and have them run a thorough investigation. Meanwhile, I got to practice a valuable skill I can use in the future, and nothing I took would not have been seized anyway."

"Yeah, about that." Cozy makes a show of clasping the gift around her neck, letting the chains snap shut with an audible click before upending Flurry's world. "I made it all up."

"You— what?" Flurry's eyes widen in surprise that borders on panic.

"Everything I said about Precious Memories was me just making stuff up," Cozy explains. "I've never even been to that store before."

Panic turns to anger as Flurry glares at her. "But why? Why would you make up such a horrible story about someone?"

"Because you still think you're a 'good' pony." Cozy rolls her eyes. "Which means it's only okay for you to do bad things to bad people, because they obviously deserve it, right? But now you're the bad pony, so how does it feel?"

"I— you tricked me!" Flurry points an accusing hoof at her, desperation lacing her tone as her eyes dart about widely, as if scared that she'll be imprisoned right on the spot for her crimes.

"You asked me to teach you," Cozy replies calmly. "If I didn't try to pin some random crime on that pony inside, you wouldn't have tried to steal from her, and there wouldn't have been a lesson. Two of them, actually, since now you need to learn how to deal with those pesky feelings of guilt. Really, you should be thanking me."

"I just wanted to be strong," Flurry whispers, clutching at her chest as if she's in physical pain.

"And you will be, after you get over this." Cozy raises a hoof to boop her lightly on the nose. "I'm doing this for you, little snowstorm, because there's no such thing as a good pony or a bad pony. Just those that can hurt others, and those that get hurt. And I don't think you've been hurt before, have you?"

Flurry shakes her head, silent.

"Then you know which kind you are. And if you want to do what I did, then you have to be able to take whatever you want." Cozy pulls her close, nuzzling her throat before speaking directly into her ear, sweet malevolence tainting her tone. "Don't worry, though, I'll be there to help you every step of the way." Her head dips back down to pepper kisses down Flurry's neck. "Now, why don't you take us back to the safe house and I can help you forget the icky feelings and focus on the good ones?"

Beneath her touch, Flurry's entire body tenses. "I shouldn't," she whimpers as Cozy's teeth graze across her flesh, making her shiver with need. "This is a mistake."

"If you were that good pony you thought you were, you would've already given back the necklace and confessed to your parents." Cozy doesn't let up, using her lips and hooves to keep Flurry off-kilter as she infects her with her poison. "So why don't you stop pretending and have some fun? You can kill me in the morning if you find your pesky moral compass again."

No further words are spoken, but Flurry manages to cast her spell and take them right into the bedroom.

"Good girl." Cozy gives Flurry a pat on the head, before pushing her down onto the bed. "Now, just lie back and let good ole Cozy Glow take care of you, okay?" Her hoof drifts downwards, and Flurry lets out a gasp of surprised pleasure. "You can think about ethics and other boring stuff in the morning."

The fire leaves Flurry's eyes, replaced by a dull, almost blank look, and Cozy knows she has won this victory. She knows that, when morning comes, it will have been too long to make amends, and Flurry will have to accept that the leash around her neck has tightened even further as they plunge deeper into the darkness. And then, Cozy will finally have the satisfaction that she craves.

They have sex three times that night.

Cozy Glow never bothers to reach orgasm.