No Sweeter Innocence

Cozy Glow miscalculates, and now Flurry has to suffer for it.

She's planned this break-in for two weeks, since the day after their date in the Umbrum prison, going after a journalist who's decided to poke her head into Flurry's business. A Princess Summit was upcoming next month, and the staff had already begun to talk about Flurry's absence from much of the planning and pre-events leading up to it.

The journalist in question, an earth pony named Byline, had begun asking questions about her disappearances, and also the spate of petty and not-so-petty crimes plaguing the empire— Flurry's twisting mind had woven itself into a shape that allowed her to shoplift or inconvenience "innocent" ponies, but anything risking minor bodily harm or livelihood, like burning down a market stall, was reserved for "bad" ponies who had managed to get away with some crime or other.

The couple had only caught wind of the investigation because some of the maids had been gossiping about Byline's snooping while in Flurry's earshot, and an intercepted letter had revealed that she was definitely building up to some sort of exposé.

Obviously, this couldn't be allowed to happen, and it would also be another chance for Flurry to practice her less-legal skills. She was getting quite good at the more subtle arts.

Thus, on a day when the journalist is out of town covering a fashion show in Vanhoover, a disguised Flurry and Cozy talk their way into Byline's apartment building— it's so easy to lose one's key, you see. Once inside, they make their way to the unit in question, and Flurry picks the lock on Byline's front door.

That is their first mistake.

"Did you feel that?" Flurry hisses as the door opens. "Magical surge. Very faint. Some kind of silent alarm, I think."

Cozy bites back a curse. "We still have a few minutes before anyone shows up," she says, tamping down the panic rising in her throat. "Not like the Guard has ponies patrolling every single street all the time. We just need to get this done fast."

Caution thrown into the wind, the pair burst into the apartment. Row upon row of filing cabinets greet them, but luckily, what they're looking for is right on the table.

"No way she doesn't have copies of these," Cozy mutters as she flips through page after page of schedules and reports, linking various incidents to Flurry's absences.

"We might as well take them anyways," Flurry says. "It's going to be obvious that someone broke in."

"Still, go grab some other files to make it less obvious," Cozy instructs. "And mess this place up a bit too."

In short order, most of the furniture is overturned, papers scattered everywhere from the filing cabinets to look like they were all haphazardly searched. Flurry even makes a show of breaking the lock to the safe in the bedroom and stealing the bits hidden within.

"Let's go," Cozy says after thoroughly trashing the place. "We should still have a couple minutes before anyone—"

"Stop right there!"

Cozy realizes that they're trapped as a guard steps inside, pointing a spear at them. "You're under arrest for—"

Whether it's a result of Cozy's training or Flurry's own aptitude, the disguised alicorn thinks fast, not giving the guard a chance to raise any more of an alarm or prepare a defence. A bolt of magic flies towards him, slowing to a crawl as it shreds through the guard's shielding spell. The unfortunate mare's eyes widen as she realizes how powerful the shot is, right before getting flung back with enough force to crack the wall behind her.

Cozy makes her way to the window as the guardsmare slumps to the floor, unconscious. "Little help here?" she snaps, struggling to open it.

"I— I didn't mean to hit her that hard." Flurry rushes over towards the body. Blood is already beginning to seep from... somewhere.

"Forget about her!" Cozy barks. "If we don't get out of here right now we're both toast!"

Flurry hesitates, and Cozy doesn't bother biting back the curse this time.

"Flurry Heart," she says through gritted teeth. "You're not weak anymore. You made a choice, and you have to live with it. Now be the pony you wanted me to make you into, and open this damn window, or you're never going to see me again."

Another moment's hesitation, and Flurry acquiesces under Cozy's glare. Her horn lights up and the frame of the window snaps as she shoves it up with immense force. And then, they're both out, making their way through a series of back alleys and emerging onto a busy street as two normal ponies with nothing to hide.

Flurry doesn't say a word as they make their way back to the safe house, but the nervous glances she throws and the way her shoulders hunch in on themselves speak volumes. Cozy hasn't seen her this off-kilter after an excursion since the first couple days of their partnership.

It isn't until the door is locked behind them and they're both standing in the sparsely decorated living room that Flurry finally breaths again, taking big, gasping lungfuls of air as she skirts the edge of hyperventilation— assuming alicorns could even be afflicted with such.

"I—" Flurry rests a hoof against the table, holding onto it for dear life as she tries to stop shaking. "My blast was just supposed to stun her."

"Well, I'd say she was pretty stunned." Years ago, in some book on psychology, Cozy had learned something about children. Specifically, when they got hurt, they would often panic and cry much harder if their guardian also appeared to be in great distress, but if the one assigned to keep watch over them appeared calm or ever cheerful, then they tended to also assume it was no big deal.

Thus, Cozy tamps down her own worries for the moment, smiling nonchalantly at Flurry.

Flurry's breathing slows, though the sound still comes out harsh as she shakes her head. "It's been too long since I practised self-defence magic. I didn't reduce the power properly and—" Tears well up in her eyes and she stares at Cozy, pleading silently.

"She'll probably be fine," Cozy says, and it's probably the truth. "Guards aren't supposed to fly solo so I'm sure her backup arrived sooner rather than later. Either way, she knew what she signed up for."

"She wasn't supposed to be there." Flurry glares at Cozy. "You said we still had time."

"Hey, don't put this on me." Cozy glares right back. "You're the one who fired the shot. Not my problem you don't have as much control as you thought you did, Honestly, it's a good thing that it happened."

"How can you say that?" Flurry demands, taking a step forward as power and rage radiate from her uncloaked body. "I hurt somepony really badly and I don't even know if she's still alive and you're telling me it's a good thing?"

Cozy stands her ground. "Yeah, because you weren't ever going to do that on purpose. The first time's always the hardest, but you don't have to worry about that anymore!" She smiles broadly, mocking her protégé's distress.

"You're despicable," Flurry spits out, closing the distance between them in a swift step until she's less than a couple feet from physical contact.

Cozy leans forward, grinning. "Sure am," she says brightly, her eyes narrowing. "Thing is, you knew that already. Actually, you knew that from the very start."

She reaches out with a hoof, gripping Flurry's chin as she continues to speak. "Honestly, it's funny. We've been ignoring it the whole time, but we both know you're hiding something."

Flurry stills, her body taut as a coiled spring. "Everyone keeps secrets," she says cautiously, batting away Cozy's hoof. "I'm sure you have a bunch too."

"Obviously, but what I don't understand is this wishy-washy horseapple nonsense you've got going on." Cozy points at the small pile of trinkets that Flurry has stolen for her. "You told me you wanna be a strong ruler who can do what the other princesses can't. That's why I decided to take you under my wing. But every time I actually try to get you to do something deliciously ruthless, you back off and call me names."

She narrows her eyes. "Makes me wonder if you even want this, or if you just want an excuse to make Mommy and Daddy pay a little more attention to you."

For a moment, Flurry looks like she's going to actually murder Cozy. Tension fills the air, sharp and heavy, as the silence grows dense between them. And then, the teenage princess lets out a deep sigh, the anger draining from her body as she droops down. "You're right," she says. "I— it's not fair to you. I'm sorry." She bows her head, cheeks burning and voice trembling as she adds, "But I'm never going to be okay with hurting random ponies that I don't think deserve it."

"Fine," Cozy says. "We can play judge, jury, and executioner." She gives Flurry a mocking curtsy. "And you made your judgement, Your Majesty, so now you have to live with it. But don't worry, you have another case to review already!"

With a dramatic gesture, she throws the stack of papers they pilfered from Byline's apartment onto the table, allowing them to fan out and cover the wooden surface with their damning words.

Cozy gives Flurry a peck on the lips, surprising her. "Don't know how much time we have, so we should probably get reading. If we're fast enough, we might have time for some fun." Her voice drops low and she runs a hoof suggestively across Flurry's withers to ensure she isn't misunderstood.

Flurry nods silently, looking away as she heads over to the stack of papers.

"She's a threat, obviously," Cozy states after an hour of reading.

"There's no hard proof," Flurry argues. "It's all coincidences and 'those two mares kinda acted the same and maybe one of them was nobility.' No court would ever even entertain a case like this."

"You're not stupid, little snowstorm," Cozy says, setting down an interview transcript with one of the guards at the palace. "You know that doesn't matter."

"There are crazy tabloid stories about the princesses all the time," Flurry responds. "Normal ponies don't pay them any mind, and while this may end up being published in a more reputable paper, it's unlikely to get much traction given the lack of tangible evidence."

"And what if your parents or aunts decide to start paying more attention, huh?" Cozy crosses her forelegs, eyes narrowing. "What happens when they find out about me?"

"It—" Flurry glances back at the papers. "We've at least delayed her." She tries to sound logical, but Cozy can hear that hint of desperation beneath her voice. "The Princess Summit is in a couple weeks, and after that, everypony, including my family, will be too busy dealing with the press and executing whatever plans they come up with and all the politics stuff. The news coverage is going to drown out this article too. It'll be fine."

"There's a lotta ways that could go wrong." And Cozy doesn't like this new rebellious streak in Flurry. "And it'll all come crashing down on little ol' me if it does. Guess you princesses really are the type to let your friends take the fall if means you don't have to do something uncomfortable." Cozy affects a hurt tone, turning away from her love. "Princess Twilight left that lesson out of her curriculum for the rest of us."

Flurry reaches out a hoof. "I'll make sur—"

Cozy bats it away, and the shock and pain in Flurry's eyes nearly stirs something in her heart, but she pushes forward. "I'm your teacher," she hisses. "And I know what's best for you. If you disagree, then maybe you should find someone else." She stands up, taking a step towards the door. "I'm getting real tired of having to drag you through each step towards becoming a better alicorn."

She takes another step. And then another. And then...

"Wait!" A desperate plea, tinged with sorrow and fear. "Wait," Flurry repeats, and it sounds like she's about to cry. "I'll— I'll deal with it, okay?"

Cozy turns around, a sceptical look in her eyes. It's too early to celebrate her victory, not when she hasn't fully achieved it yet. "What, are you going to give her some kind of friendship speech?" she sneers. "Or maybe you'll get your guards to do it, so you don't have to get your hooves dirty, even if they're already covered in mud."

"No, it's— it'll be fine, I promise." Flurry forces a smile out. It might as well be painted on. "You'll see, okay?" Her tears smear the paint, revealing the frown beneath. "I have a plan. Really."

"Hmm..." Cozy taps a hoof against her chin. "Alright, I'll give you until tomorrow, okay?" she says, her own smile much more genuine, and much more sinister.

And then, she walks up to Flurry, and grabs the back of her head, pulling her down for a violent, dominating kiss. "I hope you don't decide to throw away everything I've taught you," she warns.

"I won't," Flurry assures her breathlessly, desperately. "I won't."

"Good. I'm trusting you." Because she has no one else to go to, Cozy doesn't add. "Anyways, I need to go deal with some stuff anyways. If you didn't chicken out, I'll see you here at five."

Another kiss, to seal her position as Flurry's keeper.

And then Cozy leaves, to give her time to imagine what a life without her chains would be like. The terror of that thought should be enough to ensure her will done.

REPORTER REPORTED MISSING, the next day's headline reads.

Cozy Glow is waiting for Flurry Heart when five o'clock rolls around,

"So, what'd you do?" she asks as the alicorn teleports into the living room.

"I took care of her," Flurry replies shortly, her eyes cutting to the side instead of meeting Cozy's gaze. “She won’t be a problem for us anymore.”

“Oh, come on, you can’t just leave it at that.” Cozy reaches out stroke Flurry’s withers as she needles her. “C’mon, spill the beans. Did you kill her?” she presses, unable to think of another reason for Flurry’s hesitance. “How did that feel?”

“I—“ Flurry sighs. “I didn’t kill her. Auntie Twilight, she… she taught me the petrification spell.”

Cozy immediately tenses, her hoof stilling while still tangled in Flurry’s mane. “You turned her to stone,” she says, trying to keep her voice level.

“And I hid the statue where nopony will ever find her.” Flurry concludes.

“You should have killed her,” Cozy hisses. “It’s the safe option.” It’s the kinder one too, but she can’t say that out loud.

“I’m not going to kill her when she’s done nothing wrong,” Flurry replies.

“So you’ll do worse instead.” Cozy snorts. “You alicorns really are all the same, huh?” She can’t decide between pulling Flurry closer or pushing her away, and so they stay in their stillborn embrace as Cozy rages calmly. “So self-righteous, thinking that locking someone up in stone forever makes them better than everypony else.”

Anger finally wins out over revulsion as she grabs the back of Flurry's head, pulling her in so they can mash their lips together. One could say this is an expression of passion, but not in the sense of sexual desire. It is a brutal claiming of tongue and teeth as Cozy asserts her will over another.

Flurry allows herself to be dragged into the bedroom without saying a word, yielding to Cozy's assault upon her body as she's preyed upon once again, more violently than before. Cozy's rage demands that she puts Flurry in her place, needs this young, tempestuous alicorn to submit to her so that Cozy will never end up in that stone prison again. And so, it is not so much that they have sex, but that Cozy performs sex acts on Flurry, hard and fast and rough and furious, until both of them are out of breath.

Afterwards, Flurry speaks.

"So... does this mean we're still..." Flurry trails off, struggling to find an acceptable word to describe the nature of their twisted joining.

Cozy is too drained to make a snide remark, and simply lets her flounder for a time.

"...continuing this partnership," the young princess eventually finishes lamely.

Cozy shrugs. "Sure," she says casually, as if she hadn't threatened to upend Flurry's life the day before. "This is pretty fun," she adds, pressing a kiss against Flurry's belly.

A yawn creeps up on her, and Cozy rolls over to rest her head against an actual pillow. "As long as you keep doing what I tell you."

"Does that make you happy?" Flurry asks, and there's an intensity to the otherwise casual question that nearly makes her sit up and stare.

She suppresses the urge, simply shrugging a second time. "Of course," she replies. "Why wouldn't it?"

"Okay then," Flurry says, and no more words are said as they drift off to sleep.