Cozy was playing in the garden behind the mansion with her new friend, Numb Glitter. He was a colt, about her age, that her father had taken under his wing a month ago. He was from a commoner family her mother had to seek out for one very specific reason: he was a unicorn.

As the Dim family was the only one around knowing how unicorns should be educated, he was now a permanent resident of the mansion and, of course, after his magical teaching, he would marry Cozy Dim Rook.

The filly had been assured by her father that it was an occasion to kill two birds with one stone. She would have a unicorn husband, and her father would have a young colt to study and, perhaps, find a way to transform her into a unicorn as well.

While she didn't mind the second part, the first one had revealed itself to be a bit problematic, in her opinion. For a very simple reason: Numb was very, very, very dumb. But, for now, it meant she had a friend to toy with a bit. That was new.

"But with hide and seek, don't I have to find you just once?" he asked.

"No, no," she said with a smile. "You have to find me three times. It's in reference to the three tribes, of course. And if you can't find me, then you'll owe me a favor."

"I didn't know it was played like that..." Numb said, uncertain.

"Well, maybe in your muddy village it was played differently," Cozy dismissed with disdain. "But you are in the Dim family. You'll need to play like a unicorn."

"You're not a-" Numb began, Cozy's eyes immediately filling with anger, making him reconsider. "Aright, I'll count to twenty then."

He turned around, closing his eyes and began to count out loud. A mischievous smile appeared on Cozy's face and she immediately flew up in the air, despite her father forbidding her to do so, and she perched herself into the nearest leafy tree. She watched, as Numb finished counting and went around to seek her, refraining a laugh as he passed under her branch.

She waited a few seconds, before she teased "Over here!", forcing him to turn back, looking confused. It took him a good five minutes of walking in circles – and a quite loud giggle from Cozy – for him to find her.

"Hey, you flew up there, that's cheating!" he said.

"It's not," she said, hovering down towards him.

"Your father said you can't fly in here."

"And I'm sure my future husband won't snitch on me," she playfully replied, resting a hoof on his muzzle.

Numb blushed, nodding hesitantly.

"So, I still need to find you one more time...?"

"That's right," Cozy replied. "But this time, in the mansion. You stay there for twenty seconds, and I head inside to hide."

"You're not playing a trick on me, right?" Numb worried. "You'll hide inside, not outside?"

"You have my word!" Cozy assured.

"Alright... One... Two..."

The little filly hurried inside. She wasn't lying, she was just going to hide somewhere he would not find her.

The old maid's bedroom had become her favorite place to hang out lately. Her father had sealed the dumbwaiter in the room below, but she had left the window open, so she could come in and out, flying, as long as she made sure nobody ever saw her and the shutter was kept almost closed.

I didn't really realize it back then, but my way of seeing things had changed a lot, since my father had tried to... kill me. I wasn't trying to impress him anymore, nor to respect what he had told me. He would find a reason to beat me either way, so, for me, it had just become a game of play pretend. Lying had worked, appealing to what he wanted to see, but not in good faith, had better outcomes. And I had my little safe room.

The filly laid on the bed, giggling for herself, imagining that dumb commoner looking around the whole house to find her. Oh, how much she loved that feeling.

She grabbed a book about the adventures of some princess of love, and began to read. The game was meant to last at least twenty minutes, she had time before he would give up.

After a bit, she heard noises coming from the hallway. Small footsteps that halted in front of the door. For a moment, her heart stopped beating. No, that was impossible, he could not find her like that, couldn't he!? He could not know about this place!

And indeed, he couldn't. Instead, she heard him mutter something. Cozy carefully flew to the door, sticking her ear against it to listen. But he had stopped talking, instead now there was a noise of magic being used. What was he doing?

She heard a lock sound, but not coming from the door. No, it was coming from... the ceiling? She thought a bit and realized: there were folding stairs leading to the attic right there in the hallway. As she thought that, she heard the stairs being deployed. But they were magically sealed, how could Numb...? Or was it her father?

"What are you doing?" suddenly said a voice, coming from further away in the corridor.

Cozy heard Numb reply:

"I'm looking for Cozy, sir. We're playing hide and seek."

"She won't be in the attic," Cozy's father said, his voice getting closer. "She can't get there."

"She could fly up there," Numb argued. "From outside."

"I forbade her to fly on our property."

A little silence followed. Cozy couldn't see what was happening, but they didn't seem to move. Her father's voice became a little angrier. No. Rather, it gained back the only tone she ever knew him when talking about her.

"Did you see her fly?"

"I did, but I'd request you do not hold it against her," Numb solemnly said. "I managed to get her trust, I'd rather not lose it."

There was something in his voice that Cozy didn't like. He wasn't saying this to protect her. At all.

"The shutters are closed and the entrances to the attic are sealed," her father continued, returning to a way more regular tone. "How did you even open this one?"

"I undid your rune, sir."

"You can do that?"

"Yes, sir," Numb politely said.

Cozy smirked. Oh, the little foal wasn't getting out of this one unharmed. Breaking the rules? Undoing the spell? He was in for a good punishment.

"Impressive," Cozy's father replied. "You truly are gifted."

The filly's heart sank, her schadenfreude-born smile disappeared, leaving only wide opened eyes on her face. Yet, deep down, she should have known.

"Thank you, sir. I'm not sure I could put the rune back, though."

"It's fine, I'll show you how to do it. Honestly, it's not that complicated, I had hoped my own child would be able to do the same before its tenth birthday, but, alas..."

A little silence followed, during which Cozy slowly landed, haunted by the voice of her father, sounding so... gentle. Yet, she could not move her ear away.

"It's a good thing I'm here, then," Numb tried, a little smile clearly audible.

"It is," Cozy's father approved.

The filly was glad she had landed, her wings wouldn't have been able to keep up with her erratic heartbeat. She felt like she was about to throw up, but something prevented her from totally believing him.

I thought he was saying this just to dupe him. He constantly lied to outsiders, why would he stop with Numb? It was just basic manipulation, all of this was fake.

She heard her father closing in, pulling on the stairs to fold them back, when Numb suddenly asked:

"What is up there?"

The stairs stopped. Her father had stopped.

"Do you wish to see it? I think you'll find it... amusing, or at least interesting."

"I think I'd like to, sir."

The stairs were deployed again. Cozy couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had never been invited to go there, she didn't know what it was, and she was her daughter! She had lived here for years, he had been there barely for a month!

But she couldn't join them. She knew they wouldn't let her. But she wanted to go there, to see what had lied above her head for so long.

She suddenly thought about something. The dumbwaiter, maybe it went up to the attic?

The steps of her father followed by Numb climbed up the stairs. She rushed to the shaft, flying up in it, only to be blocked by a metal plate barely one meter above. There was the support supposed to hold the food in the dumbwaiter, it was as far up as it was possible. She could lower it to free up the way, but that would probably make too much noise, her father would hear. And, on the other hand, she couldn't make out anything outside of barely audible muffled sounds, coming from the attic.

She went back to the bedroom, an angry pout on her face, listening at the door, waiting for them to come down, which took a few minutes. They were talking.

"Do you understand why I did this?" her father asked.

Numb seemed to think for a moment, before he answered:

"To preserve the purity of the family's blood?"

"Exactly," the stallion replied, the sound of stairs folding back being heard.

The conversation followed with the master of the house teaching Numb how to re-apply the rune. A rune whose sole purpose was to prevent Cozy from going up there. The filly carefully listened, as they went away, then rushed to the shaft, lowering the plate with the mechanism until it was below her floor. Up the dumbwaiter she flew, realizing that the shaft was opened on top, directly into the attic.

Cautiously, she approached the top, her small hooves grabbing the ledge, and she slowly lifted herself into that dark gloomy place. Her first peak in the attic. That large place which covered the whole mansion.

At first, she didn't see much. Because there wasn't much to see, even through the darkness. Shapes, here and there, stashes of boxes, of old clothes, of used tools, and the smell. The deep disgusting smell of rot, of mold, from a place that hadn't been aired in years.

And then, she saw it. In a corner, secluded near a blocked and small round window, barely letting in a single stream of light. She caught a glance of that forsaken silhouette.

She lifted herself up, mute and in shock. Without caution, only animated by a disbelieving curiosity, she walked up to it, coming to a halt right in front. She looked up, her eyes wide, a displeasing feeling in her guts, as she could only stare at it. And it stared back.

Cozy only reappeared at dinner. By this point, Numb had long stopped his search for her, and when she showed up, he could only apologize for not finding her and wonder where she had been. To which, she'd barely replied with "a place you'll have to find during our next game," with a distant gaze and absent-minded voice.

She didn't say much during dinner, no one ever forced her to say anything anyway. Her parents were very much happy having this young unicorn to chat with. At least, he could understand magic. She left the table with permission, heading for her room.

"Numb?" the master of the house called, as the young foal was looking at Cozy going away.

"Yes, sir?" he politely replied, turning to him.

"Tonight is your special training," the stallion said, standing up. "There was a breakthrough in my discoveries."

"What kind of breakthrough?" the foal wondered, standing up as well and following him outside the dining room.

"I've heard rumors about ponies becoming something more than unicorns. Becoming gods."

With Numb hooked and impressed by such a revelation, the two of them made their way to the cave, where the young unicorn would practice his magic, under his master's guidance.

"How is such a feat possible?" Numb asked, as they arrived in this dimly lit dungeon, surrounded by cold stones and floating magic torches.

"The princess. She transformed a pegasus into an alicorn a few years ago, and she did it again recently, this time on a unicorn. Equestria now has four princesses, instead of the one we had a few years ago."

The stallion faced his student, his face serious, as he followed:

"For years, I thought I could do that to my daughter. There was only a precedent with one pegasus, after all. But now, now that it is proven to be possible with unicorns, things may have changed, for the better in your case, Numb."

"You're not going to transform her anymore?" the foal asked, like he already knew about his plans.

"Turning a unicorn into an alicorn has always seemed easier, in my mind. Our bodies are already infused with magic, whereas my studies on pegasus have shown they quite lack this quality. Extracting a pegasus' essence and giving it to you appears to be a better solution, I had many more test subjects being pegasus than unicorns."

"But then," Numb said, frowning a bit. "There will still be a pegasus in your line, sir. She could birth another non-unicorn."

"There won't be a pegasus in the line," the stallion simply replied.

They both stared at each other in the eyes, coming to a silent understanding.

"Then who-" Numb began.

"My father was from a pure-blood unicorn family too. I'll seek someone from that side, for you to marry. For now, keep my daughter's trust, just in case I can't find a suitable replacement."

"I hope you will..." Numb winced. "She is a bit... dumb, if I may say, sir. And annoying."

"She is quite intelligent, actually," the great unicorn politely argued, before adding in a sigh. "For a pegasus, that is. Of course, she is limited by her kind, you must have seen the same with your own parents. I'm sure she would have been a genius amongst unicorns, but, alas... fate hasn't been kind to me on that end. For now, she still believes I'll turn her into a unicorn. Keep that dream alive for her, will you? You'll still need her, if you truly want to become of my blood."

"Yes sir."

Hidden behind the slightly opened door, Cozy's eyes were filled with tears. She had followed them to check, to be sure about it, to desperately know if there was any hope, after her discovery in the attic. And she had her answer.

I thought I didn't care anymore... But they both showed me that, up until this point, I actually did.

She ran away in silence, to cry in the attic. To go to the only thing she could trust now.

I was the tool. And a broken one at that.

The next day, early in the morning, she was at the front of the mansion, looking at the path leading out of the property and into the woods.

"There you are," Numb said, heading down the manor's steps and walking towards her. "What are you doing?"

Cozy waited for him to come next to her to answer, looking into the distance:

"I'm thinking about the Well of Shards."

"The what?"

"Father didn't tell you?" she said, turning to him with surprise. "Well, I should have guessed, he likes to keep that a secret to strangers. Maybe I shouldn't say anything."

"No, no," Numb invited, smiling with curiosity. "Please, tell me."

A grin appeared on Cozy's face, as she replied:

"You see, it's an ancient well, lost in the forest. There's no water inside, but thousands of small little shards made out of crystal, and it's said they enhance magical abilities. Father goes there once a year and picks them up for his experiments."

"Oh... I think I see what you're talking about," Numb realized. "The little needles he has in the cave? They increase magical abilities?"

"Only for the unicorn that picked them up from the well," Cozy explained. "But yes. Father brought me there once, hoping I could become a unicorn, but I wasn't able to pick any of them, and I almost died falling into the well."

Numb's face became thoughtful. Cozy saw into his eyes, he was considering the possibility, but she needed to really convince him. So, she added, innocently:

"But I doubt he'll show you. It's a family secret."

"Hmm, could you show me instead then?" Numb proposed, with an adorable false-naivety.

Cozy looked on the side, tilting her head away.

"Oh, I don't know. It can be a bit dangerous, out there. With the wolves and the snakes..."

Numb snorted with laughter, waiving a hoof.

"If it's only that, I can manage with my magic."

That confidence made Cozy's smile even brighter, happy.

"Great! Usually, I can't go there on my own," she said, standing up, ready to go.

"I'll protect you!" Numb said, putting his torso forward.

"I'm sure you will," Cozy added, coming by his side and leaning a bit against him.

Numb blushed in response, but that was short lived, as the filly began to walk.

"Quick, before Father sees us," she said, trotting her way out of the property.

The little unicorn followed in her steps. They couldn't see each other's faces, but both their smiles were filled with mischief.

It took a little while, maybe half an hour, for their walk in the forest to become interesting. The dense foliage, on their unmarked path, suddenly began to show signs of sparsity. The glorious and high trees left place to white dead trunks with no branches.

"Huuu... Are you sure this is the right way?" Numb asked with a bit of fear.

"Oh yes, the dead trees are a sign!" Cozy said with excitement, rising in the air with her little wings. "The well absorbs the nearby magic, it kills the trees. That's how the shards are formed."

"Oh..."

Never mind the large claw marks on the ground, Cozy made sure the path they were taking avoided them. That was the advantage of seeing the world from higher up.

As the living trees became an exception, the earth itself turning gray and bland, they approached a large cave. The little filly rejoiced:

"The well is inside!"

Numb looked at the opening in the rocks. A deep unsettling void, surrounded by dead stumps and a heavy white dust.

"I'm... not sure I want to go in there..." Numb slowly said.

"It's fine, I tell you," Cozy pushed, flying towards the cave. "No creature ever comes here."

The little foal looked at her with uncertainty. But, after all, she wouldn't lead him towards danger. She was there too, she would be in danger as well. And she wasn't a unicorn, he was, and a gifted one at that.

So, he went forward.

"Is it far into-" he began, setting hoof in the cave, suddenly interrupted by a loud roar coming from inside.

Numb took many steps back, scared, as loud and dry stomps came from the cave, quickly, two red spheres appearing in the darkness and rushing towards them.

Numb yelled in terror and immediately turned away, galloping his way out. Cozy was already flying away, with a bit of a head start.

"You said there were no creatures!" the little unicorn shouted, panicked.

"Oops?" Cozy shrugged with a giggle, turning mid-air to face him, flapping her wings backward.

She wasn't even trying to be subtle, and even Numb understood that. His face went from scared to angry. He was about to cast a spell at her, but the loud steps coming from behind made him turn his head instead. Rushing out of the cave, he saw the monster.

A tall creature, as big as a small house, made out of dry bones and dead branches, white and terrifying, with a face resembling that of a bear.

"A-A timberbear!" the little unicorn shouted in horror, as the creature was launching itself after him in a skeletal roar coming from beyond this realm.

"Oh, yeah, you should be careful!" Cozy shouted. "Its claws drain all the life force from whatever it touches!"

The little filly was getting away, but not as fast as she could. She was still looking back on the desperate little unicorn trying to run away from a beast fifty times its size.

"Come on, you're a unicorn, shoot a spell at it!" she said, giggling for herself with a mad pleasure.

Even if he knew she was mocking him, he still tried it. It was his only option, that thing was gaining upon him. One bolt of magic was cast, headed for its red glowing eye, but the timberbear turned its crane head to the side, deflecting the spell, only looking even more enraged afterwards.

"Why did you do this!?" Numb shouted, terrified and on the verge of tears, trying other non-effective spells. "What did I do to you, Cozy!?"

"Oh, not much," the filly said, flying higher to stay out of danger. "I just can't let my father have a unicorn for a son."

Numb turned his confused eyes to her, she returned a cruel glaze with a sadistic smirk.

"I heard you talk," she added. "You think I'd let myself be disposed of?"

"I wasn't gonna let him!" Numb begged. "I was waiting to be powerful enough to stop him, to protect you!"

"Yeah, as if," Cozy dismissed with an unimpressed eyebrow raised.

The timberbear leaped forward, about to pounce on the little unicorn. With all his heart, Numb begged:

"Please, Cozy! Help me!"

The giant claw swooped down on him, causing him to yell in terror and pain, but that didn't last. In an instant, his flesh melted, his fear disappeared, his cry became silent, and the only things remaining were his bones and blood, scattering into the distance, propelled by the impact.

Cozy stayed in the air, looking at the angry monster clawing the ground below itself, as if to make sure its victim was truly gone.

"Sorry, I can't do that," the filly said in a suddenly cold tone. "I'm too dumb. I'm a pegasus, remember?"

She hovered around the scene for a moment, staying out of reach and out of sight of the creature down below. The timberbear finally growled and went back to its cave.

Cozy moved down, finding something she had spotted flying off into a nearby tree. She took the crane in her hooves, staring at its empty orbits.

"How do you feel?" she asked with a little giggle. "Pretty numb, I'm sure."

She maniacally laughed herself off, going back to the mansion.

But she wasn't meeting with her father. No, she was packing stuff. She only added the crane as another thing in her small saddlebag, along with some food, water and a little photo of the only person she could ever count on moving forward: herself. She would not be a tool, not anymore. Others would be, to her.

She had to leave. She would look for a place to stay, a place to get out of here. Far from this valley. Everyone had lied to her, everyone had used her, because she was weak. Well, her lies would be her weapon as well, in a place where she would be able to tell them.

Noon came, and the small silhouette of a filly flew out of the mansion. Without a word for her parents, without looking back, fleeing the home of those who wanted her dead. She left, with words in mind. With the counsel of the only sensible person she had met in that place.

She left, because that's what the pegasus in the attic had told her to do.

Author's Note

This is the chapter where I went "OH SHIT I STILL HAVE SO MUCH TO CRAM IN SO FEW WORDS!"

Also I just realized there's a bunch of things you can see as symbolism, like Cozy's father saying it's "killing two birds with one stone" while pegasi have been compared to birds in the chapters before. I did not intended for that but it's really funny and I kinda like it. Serendipity kinda.