Chapters The "therapy". as it's called, is simple. Cozy is led into a room filled with colorful images of nature drawn by fillies and colts and nothing else, and given an extended hug by the chaser -- or Cadance, whatever -- while she mutters soothing words of praise and encouragement.
It's dumb. It's all so dumb.
But Cozy kind of likes it, too.
Three days into the therapy, she's able to figure out why the warmth from Cadance feels so familiar. Cadance is a mother, and gives the same hugs to Fury Fart -- or Flurry Heart, whatever -- whenever she needs some comforting. Cozy didn't have any proper maternal figure growing up, and so her desire for Cadance's warmth is because she sees her as a substitute parent.
That was what Cadance herself told her. That if she receives a mother's love, she can start on the path to reformation. Because child villains are not just molded by the mannerisms and behaviors of the community at large; they are molded by terrible parents first and foremost.
Cozy scoffed at the idea. Called her out on how much of that was pure bullshit and how not every pony was of the "well done, son" or "well done, daughter" type, let alone her. She called it quits early and walked out.
But as she sits in her hospital room, she starts to think that maybe, just maybe, Cadance might be making a point. After all, she's the Princess of Love for a reason. Flurry Heart is growing to be a somewhat adjusted future heir.
But Cozy doesn't want to give up control. Does she even have control, here in this hospital? Control beyond just telling the nurses what she wants for her daily three meals?
She once had it, flying across Equestria in a desperate bid to escape her stone prison, resorting to running when she realized that her body had somehow grown while she was trapped and now she had bigger wings she had to deal with, and then flying again. She's not even sure how Cadance was able to spot her.
Now, she doesn't have any control. She's stuck in a dimly-lit hospital room, with nurses who stand guard outside her door and have to take her everywhere on the hospital grounds because these hoofcuffs weren't just on her for funsies.
It sucks.
But maybe, just maybe, the warmth can help with that.
The closer Cozy gets to being released from the hospital, the closer she gets to Cadance.
When she wakes up, she calls out for "Mom". When a nurse comes in Cadance's stead, she whines and cries for "Mom" until she comes. No matter what, she refuses to be pulled away, and refuses to cooperate with the other nurses.
She wants to stay with Mom forever. And she's sure Mom wants to stay with her forever.
"Sweetie? We need to talk," Mom says, sitting on a bench outside a row of houses. "It's about your...erm...living arrangements. For after you're discharged."
"Okay!" Cozy chirps in response, sitting on the bench next to Mom.
"I'm aware you used to live in Ponyville before you got..." Mom hesitates. "...beaten by Twilight and her friends, correct?"
Cozy nods enthusiastically, only the first half of the question having been registered by her brain. She thinks she knows where she's going, and she can't help but wag her tail excitedly like a dog.
"If you'd like...would you like to live with me?" Mom asks. "You'd have Flurry Heart as a wonderful sister, and Shining Armor too. Oh, and of course, me."
"Yes! Yes, I'd love to live with you!" Cozy leaps towards Mom and wraps her front legs around her to give her a big hug. "Thank you so much!"
Cadance laughs. "It's no problem. How about we do this?" She points ahead of her. "There's a store over there that sells clothing. Not Rarity's...though I'm surprised she hasn't opened shop here yet." Her head swivels towards Cozy, and she smiled. "Why don't we go there and pick out some winter wear for you? We don't want you catching hyp-"
"Yes! Let's go!"
Cozy takes off, barely hearing the cry of Mom telling her to come back. She's so excited to go see this new store, to go shopping with Mom, that she can't wait for her to get off of the bench and get going.
It's not until a minute or two in that she stops and looks around and finds that Mom hasn't followed her.
She rushes back to Mom crying and blubbering that she was worried she would never see her again and that she was afraid she was lost.
Mom, for her part, comforts her new daughter, stroking her back and calming her down enough for the two of them to begin making the journey to the store together.
By the time Cozy is released from the hospital the day after, doctors can't figure out the reason for her abnormal change in behavior. All they can chalk it up to is "mental stability", and that's what goes on her medical chart.
Cadance tells them not to worry about it, that everything will be fine with Cozy once she gets used to her new home.
After all, her reformation tactics are going quite well.
The snow litters the cold and harsh tundra, bringing along with it a bitter chill and a sharp breeze that picks up intensity here and there. Apart from some rock faces, some mountains, and the two ponies still standing, there doesn't appear to be anything for miles.
Cozy Glow lets her wings take a rest, planting her hooves in the snow with her back to the pony who had been relentless in hunting her down. And for what? To throw her back in Tartarus? To put her back into the stony prison she got out of? To kill her? Why aren't any of the other princesses hunting her down? As far as she knows, this other pink pony is the only chaser.
"What do you want?" she snarls.
No answer.
"We can continue this game of cat-and-mouse until one of us drops dead. I don't care. I'll lose you eventually, somewhere in this world."
Still no answer. Cozy is tempted to turn around, but something in her gut tells her that to face her enemy would mean getting handed a loss. So she stays where she is, and continues.
"You know, getting out of that stone prison was actually pretty easy. I don't know how, though, but that doesn't matter. What matters is getting my revenge." Cozy snorts. "And not for Chrysalis or Tirek. They were useless. I can just as easily try again and be successful the second time. All I need is a little time to plan."
Silence meets her. Slowly, Cozy's body begins to untense as she moves out of fight-or-flight mode. With how cold it is, there's a good possibility that her chaser is beginning to freeze. But she doesn't turn to check.
"Golly, you sure are a listener!" she remarks with a giggle. "For an alicorn, guess that's pretty rare, huh?"
She regrets saying the words the second they leave her mouth. What is she doing taunting her attacker? That'll get her on a fast track to getting hurt for sure. She clears her throat.
"Hey, you wanna keep going? It's been fun seeing Equestria and what pathetic creatures I can start crushing under my hoof! Professor Pinkie said there were yaks up here; maybe we could go and see them?"
The question is innocent enough. The silence, however, is getting on Cozy's nerves.
"Aw, come on! It's no fun having a one-sided conversation. You know what they say about monologuing."
She isn't sure what else to expect. That doesn't mean the straw isn't breaking.
"It's kinda cold, don't you think?"
An eye twitch. And then another. And then another. And then, after a minute, Cozy bites the bullet and whirls around, letting her piercing eyes bear into Cadance with full force.
"All right, I'm gonna ask you again: what do you want? Why aren't you saying anything?! Are you just shutting up in the hopes that I'll spill my future plans to you or something? 'Cause news flash: it's not gonna happen!"
With her facing Cadance, Cozy can now see the alicorn in full. Her entire expression, from her calm purple eyes to her upright ears, is calm. Surprisingly so. No...suspiciously so. Why is she standing there like that? Has she frozen without becoming some kind of a pony ice cube? It's hard to tell behind the eyes. Cozy is a master manipulator, but even she struggles to figure out what her opponent is thinking.
She scoffs. "I don't need the silent treatment, you know. What's stopping me from just flying away right now?" A blink, and then a forceful kick that sends a bit of snow flying. "Rhetorical question. You'd probably just keep chasing after me 'til I collapsed. Isn't that right?"
She knows better than to end her spiels with questions, but still does so anyway. And as she does, she suddenly gets an idea. If her chaser can't be swayed by dangling the proverbial "let's keep going" carrot in front of her, then perhaps a little taunting will do the trick. Something to really get under her fur and skin. Cozy is good at that.
"Golly, I dunno why you're wasting your time here with little ol' me. Don't you have your stupid kid to look after? What's her name...Fury Fart?" She bites her lip and snickers at her scatological joke. "Yeah, that sounds fitting for a filly who's still in diapers. It'll be a long time until she's able to break into these babies!"
She bobs up and down on her gangly legs, flashing a sickening grin to the chaser, who only blinks slowly. To Cozy, that's enough of a reaction for her to keep going.
"And your dopey husband, isn't he a piece of work! It's amazing how that idiot even managed to get brainwashed by Chrysalis to begin with! And you let him into the royal guard?!" Cozy cackles, the cold weather causing a few tears to threaten to leak out of the corners of her closed eyes. She raises a hoof to wipe them away as she gives a sigh. "Bet if Chrysalis were freed like I was, she could do it again. But since she can't..."
The sentence goes unfinished, but doesn't earn any reaction this time. Cozy pouts at this.
"Grogar's Bell made me an alicorn, and that didn't pan out...but if I took your magic, I wonder if I could become one again? 'Princess Cozy Glow' has a great ring to it!"
Another blink. Cozy can't tell if it's a reaction to what she's saying, or if it's due to the cold weather. Given the timing, though, she chooses to believe in the former, which only incenses her more to her delight. More and more, she bullies, insulting everything from the chaser's leadership to her people and all the way down to the other princesses. To her, it's nothing more than insult comedy, never mind the fact that she's the only one laughing. She makes it a challenge to get the chaser riled up by any verbal means necessary.
This doesn't last for as long as Cozy wants to. The weather is a problem, what with the wind lashing against her body and threatening to turn her into an equine ice cube. Soon, she begins to wish she had led the chaser to somewhere in an indoors environment.
"You...are so..." she tries to sputter out, only to suck in a mass of cold air on an inhale that leads her into a coughing fit. Her eyelashes have icicles on them, the tip of her snout is beginning to turn red, and she's beginning to grow tired. She can see that the chaser is still not reacting, instead watching with...is that amusement? Intrigue? She can't tell through all the blowing snow.
I'm going to die here. If I fly away, she's just gonna chase me again...but if I can get to a cave nearby or something, at least...
Even she knows those are false hopes. There's nothing like that around her, and trying to find one would only end in certain death before she even got there.
Though, then again...staying here would end in certain death, when she thinks about it.
She bites her lip and squeezes her eyes shut, regretting that her second chance was wasted on something as stupid as this. Freezing to death in the land beyond the Crystal Empire? Seriously? Not being in the line of fire of a magic blast or messing with the wrong artifact or having her plans for Equestrian domination blow up in her face? Clearly being trapped in stone does something to a pony's intelligence, and she hates it.
Her only hope lies in the pony ahead of her, just staring, with her stupid fancy magic and her stupidly big wings...if Cozy had her horn still, she could probably whip up a simple warming spell. Those existed, didn't it? They had to exist. That pony's probably using one right now, and the thought only makes her angrier. Her anger -- for the chaser, for the cold, for the lost chance -- appears to be the one thing that's keeping her warm, like adding logs to a fireplace.
The more she thinks about that pony using a warming spell on herself, the more enraged Cozy gets. In an effort to dispel it, she tries to charge, only getting one or two gallops before falling over into the snow. With an aggravated scream, she tries getting up again and again, but it's only after the third time that her weak body can't take anymore and stays down.
"Damn it!" she screams, pounding the snow with her hoof as hard as she can, which, by this point, is really more of a light poke. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
Her eyes shift to the area ahead of her, and then promptly widen as she gasps.
The chaser is coming closer.
A horrible feeling of deja vu washes over Cozy. To be trapped in stone again would be awful, but to remain trapped here would be like getting a syringe full of friendship pumped into her. If she couldn't live, she'd sooner want to be killed than have to go back to that hell again, so having the chaser ominously stalk over to her feels like a lose-lose-lose situation across the board. Grinding her chattering teeth together, she tries to fly, but finds that her wings have gone numb. With that option shot down, she then tries to get up on her hooves, but finds that she can't even get off of the ground anymore.
"S-Stay away from me!" she screeches. "Don't come any closer!"
The chaser doesn't listen. She continues to walk at a steady pace, her eyes boring into Cozy. Frantically, Cozy tries to slide backwards on her belly, but can't.
I'm a sitting duck.
She doesn't want to give up. Not on life, not on this pursuit, not on her one chance to learn from her mistakes and successfully get all the power she could ever dream of. But by this point, it would take a miracle from something, or somecreature, willing to let her live. If it happened once when she was locked up in Tartarus, it could happen again, right?
...Right?
Her eyes close. She doesn't want to see the chaser come any closer. She buries her face in the ground, keeps her hearing alert, and waits.
The crunching of snow feels like drops of water hitting a cave floor. She's not sure if it's the chaser, or if it's somecreature else.
And then suddenly, she is embraced in warmth.
It's the last thing she remembers before consciousness, and everything else she could ever want, slips out of her grasp.
"You're so smooth-brained, it's unbelievable how badly I botched raising you. If you don't clean your room by the time you get home from school tomorrow, then you can consider yourself kicked out, do you understand me?!"
Cozy Glow didn't respond, which earned her a slap on the cheek.
"HUH?!"
"...Mhm."
"Good."
Cozy bit her lip for a moment. "But...it's winter, and-"
"Here's a news flash for you: I don't give a shit!" Warm Embrace turned on her heels and began trotting away. "You're a pegasus. When it comes to the weather, you can fend for yourself, unlike those sorry earth ponies and unicorns out there."
Not having the heart to say anything else, Cozy made her way up to her room. She tried not to cry, because crying meant you were a weakling, but by the time she closed the door behind her, she was well past that point.
"When's Dad gonna come home?"
The rhetorical question was a whisper.
"...Dad's not coming home."
The answer was just as much.
She remembered the night when she was woken up by her father coming into her room and telling her he was going to run away. He would find a motel somewhere nearby, he had said. He didn't have enough bits to secure a more permanent living area, but perhaps ponies were willing to cut a deal with him. He kissed her on the forehead lovingly, trotted out, and never looked back.
Her throat closed up. She pounded the ground twice, her little body heaving with sobs. All this because she didn't feel like cleaning her room. It was fine, surely? Some stuffed animals on the ground, some books she forgot to put away when she was done reading them, but nothing that would indicate she was some kind of a hoarder.
...Maybe she was a hoarder.
The name, spoken by her mother, bounced around in her brain for the better part of an hour.
"Oh, please, I apologize for my daughter. She has some mental degradation and it can be hard for her to behave in public."
"It's no problem! However, I will have to ask you to pay for that item. We have a 'you break it, you buy it' policy at Maneard's."
"Right, right. Give me one minute."
Cozy looked away. She wanted to apologize to the cashier, but the words wouldn't come out. She saw a few other fillies and colts with their families, laughing and running and asking if they could buy this and that and the other thing. The bile of jealousy began to rise, not just because of the leash that was tied around her, but because those children had families that loved them. And what did she get? The short end of the stick. Why did she have to be cursed like this? With a mother who had an ironic name and a father who left while he still could?
Her father... he had control. He was a full-grown pony. He could leave whenever he wanted, do whatever he wanted to, go wherever he wanted to go.
As much of a filly as she was, Cozy wanted that freedom, too. She wanted to leave. She wanted to go and live in a place where she could support herself.
There was only one pony that stood in her way, a pony that was currently dragging her out of the store and was almost certainly plotting a fitting punishment for her little punching bag. Said punching bag didn't say anything, but did begin walking in order to keep up with the brisk trot of her captor.
The bile of jealousy was gone.
And what festered in its place was pure rage.
Reading the documented cases of abuse by ponies over the years, Cozy only found a select few that dealt with the abused killing their abuser and freeing themselves from their confines. She quickly realized that simply fleeing from them was not an option, because what was stopping them from coming to find you and hurt you again? If she ran away and left her mother behind, she had to wait for nature to take its course.
That would not do. No longer did Cozy want to constantly be putting her hooves up in an effort to stop her mother's hoof from crushing her. She wanted to raise her legs up to their full height, sending her mother toppling onto her back and flailing like a stranded turtle.
She wanted control. And control meant that her mother's life had to be sacrificed.
There were many ways to kill a pony. Poison in food or drink, a knife through the body, or a simple hip-check off of an elevated surface were three of the more torturous ways of doing it, something that would make the victim suffer until the gift of life was taken from them. That was the category Cozy was looking for. The problem, then, was deciding on a course of action.
By that point, news of the Bearers of Harmony and their actions had spread, as did their backstories. Cozy knew them well from when her dad had told the story of a young pegasus named Fluttershy specifically, how she had fallen all the way to the ground but had gotten saved by a horde of animals before she made impact.
Please. Her mother drove away animals more than she brought them in. There would be no pony around who could save her, and Cozy would make sure of it.
The setup was removed from the equation entirely -- Warm Embrace had been sitting on a cloud, watching the sunset, like any ordinary pegasus would of their own volition. She was alone, just as she had driven away friends and family alike who wanted nothing to do with her.
Cozy was no weather pony. Being a pegasus, though, she knew a few things about how weather in Equestria was made.
For example, "may lightning strike you down" could just as easily become literal if given the right circumstances.
Cozy had waited until a day came when thunderstorms ravaged the area, because that meant she could grab a cloud that still had some kick left in it and give it her own brand of kicking. She tried to make her wing flaps quiet as she hovered above her target, glaring at the cloud as though trying to make it cease its thunderous rumbling.
When she was sure she had proper aim, she began flying up into the sky as quietly as she could, then curved downwards and began her quick descent. Her front hooves struck the cloud, which sent down a lightning bolt that landed mere inches from the pony she dared to call her mother all this time.
Warm Embrace stumbled backwards with a gasp, and before she knew it, she was plummeting towards the ground with a screech. Cozy hovered just above the cloud, watching her fall with an innocent expression splayed across her face.
The screech eventually faded away into nothingness, and Cozy began descending once more.
Some pegasi who were skilled enough with their wings could right themselves immediately after falling from the sky or tumbling head over heels. Cozy was not one of them. Her dad could, and he tried to teach her too, but she just couldn't come to her senses in time as she did somersaults and watched the world spin and spin in her vision.
At the very least, though, when Cozy began falling, her dad would always be there to catch her. Her mother, much less so. Her mother would push her off the cloud and watch her fall, letting her laugh ring through the open air. The only thing that stopped her were the legal obligations, of course. Legal obligations stopped Cozy from receiving the worst of the worst. Legal obligations were a barrier.
But they only went one way. And as she kept staring, kept waiting for her mother to shoot up into the sky and come at her with the speed and grace of a Wonderbolt, her heart began to beat faster and faster, until she sighed in relief.
Warm Embrace did not survive the fall. Her body splayed out on the ground, blood forming a pool around her, ponies gathering around her and expressing reactions of shock and grief.
"Golly," Cozy remarked, landing with her hooves touching the blood as tears began to pool in her eyes. "Can somepony pretty please get her medical attention?"
Cozy left the next day.
She didn't stick around for the funeral. She didn't stick around to see what would happen to the house now that the only living adult was now dead. She gathered up her things, got a wagon, and began her journey towards a town she had only been informed of by her dad once before.
Realistically, she could try and find her dad. It was possible that any mare or stallion who asked her about her lineage would hoof her back to him because he was her legal guardian, unless she happened to lie and state that she was an orphan.
But seeing her mother lying on the ground, and bobbing and weaving her way through the emotions ponies should have, awakened something in her. A realization that she was now free of the control of somepony else, and yet had control herself at the same time. A realization that she could share the wealth and control ponies just as her mother did, but better. Like a princess, even. Like Mommy's and Daddy's little princess.
Ordering funeral arrangements, and advocating for the one that hurt her so to the point of screaming and crying in ponies' faces, was only the beginning of a long, long adrenaline high.
And when she arrived in a quaint down-to-earth town and found that it had a school she could attend, she knew exactly what she was going to do.
A friendship school meant lots of ponies. Teachers who would teach, but who also had control over what they taught and to who. A principal who had even more control. And the students, who willingly went and submitted their own autonomy to these supreme authorities for the sake of getting knowledge about a subject that would help them in life.
It was so flawed, when she thought about it.
She could make it better.
She would make it better.
Cozy opens her eyes, which meet a sparkling crystalline ceiling that looks like it was just installed. She groans and tries to lift her head up, but finds that she can't. Worse still, the warmth she felt is now gone, replaced by some cheap blankets and bedsheets.
"H...hello?" she rasps, looking around the room for any sign of life. Nothing presents itself, not even the chaser.
As much as she hates to admit it, she would be scared, if she didn't feel so tired. She tries to lift her entire body up this time, but can't. It's almost like she's bound to the be-
...Wait.
She is bound to the bed.
With what little strength she has, she thrashes about, trying to free herself by jerking her hoofcuffed legs left and right. But the bars placed up around her don't budge. With that option shot down, she goes for her wings next, but can't unfold them. The rattling of chains all but confirms that her torso is wrapped in them in order to keep her wings strapped to her body and prevent her from flying.
Her gaze moves to the door, where she can swear she sees a pony moving off to the right side. A guard, perhaps? Or the chaser? It's hard to tell.
Another pony comes into view and opens the door. The tall stature, pink fur, and long horn is instantly recognizable to Cozy.
"Hello, Cozy Glow," the chaser greets with a small smile. "How are you feeling?"
That question gets a small moan.
"One of the palace nurses will be in soon to check on you." The chaser glances at the screen next to the bed. "Vitals seem to be steady."
Cozy takes a few heavy breaths, then mutters in a weak voice, "Let me go."
"I'm afraid I can't do that just yet. You need to get better first."
"W..." Cozy coughs. "What do you want?"
That question makes the chaser's look turn serious. "You were wrong to run away after you became freed," she began. "Even putting aside the fact that a filly like you shouldn't have been able to fly far up north into the Crystal Empire's territory on her own wingpower, you nearly died instead of coming with me." Her eyes glinted with some sort of an emotion Cozy couldn't place. "Why did you run?"
Isn't it obvious? Who wouldn't run after being freed from their infinite punishment and given a second chance? Wasn't like I was gonna stay there and have Twilight and her little cronies capture me, let alone the likes of you. The brain forms the words, but in her weak state, Cozy can't spit them out. She resorts to a simple roll of her shoulders instead.
"Cozy, this is going to sound a little farfetched, but hear me out." The chaser moves to the side of the bed. "Perhaps you were freed so you could be reformed. I've met fillies like you before, charged with hatred and darkness instead of love. There are many out there in Equestria. Almost too many." She takes pause for a second before continuing. "My theory is that your anger has to come from some biological root. Perhaps you didn't have a good home life growing up. If that's the case, then love is-"
"And this is what you call love?" Cozy spits, her voice hoarse as she moves her leg upwards to show the chaser her binding. A cough or two is pushed out from her lungs, but she doesn't care. "You save me, then you leave me here to get better...and then what? Do I get executed? Do I get a shard of your little Crystal Heart embedded in me as a mercy kill? Or does Fury Fart do the honors?"
Her rage only worsens her condition as she begins coughing with all the intensity of a cat trying to throw up a massive hairball. The chaser doesn't flinch, instead putting on a look of pity. "When you start getting better, then we can start with your reformation."
Cozy lets out a final cough, then her muzzle wrinkles in disgust. "Reformation? What, are you gonna hug me to death?"
The chaser smirks. "Yes, actually."
"Golly, that's so funny I forgot to laugh. I really would if I didn't feel so dehydrated." Cozy points to the door and puts on a display of puppy eyes. "Surely you can find room in your heart to give this poor sick filly some water?"
"Of course! Be right back."
Only after the chaser leaves does Cozy realize that her manipulation tactics really are a no-sell. She slams a hoof down onto the bed with a cry of frustration. If she can't manipulate the pony holding her hostage, if she can't control her, then what good was she? She fooled three alicorns but couldn't fool a fourth one? What was wrong with her? Was it because she was sick?
As she lets the thoughts churn in her head, the chaser returns with a crystalline cup of water in her blue magic. "Here you are," she says, holding the cup close to Cozy's lips. "Go ahead and sip."
Cheeks turning red, Cozy does as she's told, sipping the water eagerly. She's not sure if it's because the water is magical in some way or if it's just due to her being hydrated, but she regains a bit of energy back.
"What happened to me?" she asks, her voice a little stronger.
"You collapsed in the snow. I brought you into my warming bubble and took you to my castle to recover," the chaser explains. "You developed hypothermia, Cozy. If I had left you, you would've died."
Cozy jerks her head away, only turning her head back slightly when she feels a gentle hoof on her cheek and shoulder.
"You're getting to be a little warmer. That's good." The chaser smiles. "My nurses do want to keep you here for a little bit, though."
The hoofcuffs rattle. "Chained to the bed?"
"Not quite. Tomorrow is when we start the reformation process."
"But I'll still be hoofcuffed."
"...Yes."
A tsk sound leaves Cozy before she bitterly remarks, "Golly, that's a real pity."
"If you cooperate, then it should only be temporary," the chaser assures. "Now, after the nurse sees you, try to get some more sleep, okay? Dinner should be in about a couple hours, so you're welcome to tell her what you want to eat."
Cozy gives a noncommittal grunt, if only so the chaser will leave her alone. When the door opens and closes again, she stares up at the ceiling.
She hates to admit it, but that warmth from before actually felt...good. It was a sort of warmth she had never felt before. Not a warmth that came about when her plan to steal the magic from Equestria was going off without a hitch or when she teamed up with the Legion of Doom and became its leader, but a warmth that she had only felt from her dad a few times before.
She hates to admit it, but...she wants more of it. And it was being offered.
Maybe she could play along, if she got more warmth from the chaser out of it. Maybe the chaser was on to her ways, but she had one more gambit up her sleeve.
At the end of the week, Cadance calls Cozy to the hospital cafeteria. The question of "why" is only answered by one of the nurses with "she said you'll find out when you get there".
Naturally, Cozy is suspect. Is this a trap? Is Cadance just playing her heart and leading her on under the guise of "motherly love"? Will she serve her poisoned food for a quick and easy death?
Whatever the motive, she has no control over the matter. Hesitantly, she leaves her room and walks with two nurses to the cafeteria, side-eyeing other ponies with their bodies made of crystal who shrink away from her or mutter amongst each other.
The cafeteria is on the other side of the hospital. By the time Cozy gets there, she feels like she ran the length of an average marathon. Blaming it on her recovery from hypothermia, she looks around, finding it to be populated with only a few medical professionals. Not that she cares all too much, but it beats the only two views she's gotten of her room and the therapy office.
She's led to where Cadance is sitting, at a table near a window. Cadance waves, and Cozy weakly waves back.
"Hello, Cozy Glow!" the princess chirps. "How are you feeling?"
Cozy doesn't answer initially, instead sliding into her seat. She can't make eye contact with Cadance. "Fine," she mumbles.
Cadance frowns. "You don't sound fine. What's on your mind, sweetie?"
If Cozy had been planning to eat something, she sure isn't up to it now. Something about the word "sweetie" makes her stomach flip. Cadance certainly hasn't been using those terms around her before now. But there's a problem that takes priority over that, and it's the fact that she has to tell Cadance something. She isn't fine, but she isn't keen on spilling her guts out. Maybe, though, she could use this to her advantage.
"I'm bored," she laments. "I don't wanna see the same shit in this stuffy little hospital. I wanna go outside. I hate being cooped up in here, doing nothing but watching the world go by outside while I'm just wasting away in bed. I get it, okay? I'm recovering from hypothermia or whatever. But you're telling me that I can't even go outside for a minute or two? You're telling me that I gotta stay in here because, why? Because you're afraid I'll hurt all the doctors? Your subjects? You?!" A snort. "Please. Is this some kind of plan to kill me? Because as much as I hate to admit it, it's working."
It's a ramble that's brought on by an unexpected burst of anger, but it's one that manages to quiet the entire room. Cadance takes a slow sip of her drink, not taking her eyes off of Cozy for even a second. Cozy glares at the two nurses in particular, who stay put and don't falter in their expressions. She almost wants to snap at them to leave, but she knows she'll get told they can't.
Once Cadance sets her cup down, she blinks. "Cozy, I've been meeting with doctors and looking at your medical records. In a few days, you'll be able to go outside."
Cozy grinds her teeth, trying to resist the urge to call the other pink one across from her out on some hefty bullshit. "A few" really means "three", but it's subjective across all creatures. For all she knows, Cadance was telling her she had to stay inside for a week.
"This is not because of your past actions, but because it's still cold outside," Cadance assures. "We want to make sure your symptoms don't worsen."
For a minute, Cozy thinks about this. She's being given a continuation of her second chance at life. If she dies from hypothermia...well, it'll be a really shitty way to go out, if one asks her. Besides, if she's sick, she can't exactly game Cadance into doing what she wants. And she feels like she's on the path to mending.
"Okay. Fine." Cozy crosses her forelegs. "But you're telling me this all isn't because I nearly destroyed Equestria twice? Don't you find some fault with that?"
Cadance takes another sip. "Don't get me wrong. What you did was horrible, and I was fully on board with Celestia, Luna, and Discord turning you, Chrysalis, and Tirek to stone. But I had time to think afterwards, and I came to a conclusion." Her eyes shimmer with hope. "You're a child. Throughout history, Equestria has had very few child villains. As a result, we are unprepared to punish them effectively. And that is what I'm hoping to change, starting with you."
"So why did you chase me to the ends of Equestria when I escaped, then?! We could've saved ourselves both the trouble if you had just, oh, I don't know..." Cozy shrugged. "Hugged me mid-flight or something!"
A shake of the head, which made tri-colored curls bounce almost hypnotically. "Please, Cozy. I'm asking you to trust me. Trust that I know what I'm doing. Perhaps you don't want to reform, but that won't stop me from trying."
If there's one thing Cozy knows about her enemies, it's that perseverance is a treasured virtue that is shared among most. Knowing this allows her to realize that Cadance isn't going to give up easily, if at all. She's giving her a choice -- either reform, or die knowing there was an attempt.
It's a sadistic choice. Still, that doesn't mean she can't give Cadance a bit of a challenge.
Angrily, she raises a hoof and slams it on the table, making the saucer and cup rattle slightly. She glares at Cadance with two layers of fury and resignation, with a glint of smugness in between. "Fine. Go ahead. Try. See how far you get," she remarks. "I look forward to it."
Cadance gives a pleasant smile. "I'm happy to hear that." Her head turns towards the doorway where the cafeteria lays. "Would you like some lunch while you're here?"
Almost immediately, Cozy is prepared to say no. Being called that word has already soured her appetite. But at the same time, who knows when she's going to eat again? She can't challenge Cadance on an empty stomach.
So, trying to rid her thoughts of that word, she responds with, "Sure. What's on the menu?"
It's on Monday that Cozy is finally deemed healthy enough to go outside. Never mind the fact that she still has to wear cuffs around her hooves and can't fly; just going outside is enough of an accomplishment.
Cadance decides to relieve the nurses of their duties, taking Cozy outside herself but not going any farther than the property line that splits the hospital off from the rest of the Crystal Empire.
Instantly, Cozy feels freer. For the first time since being saved, she tries to fly, only to be told that a spell has been placed on her wings to prevent "anything bad from happening." She knows what this means, of course, but that doesn't mean she can't complain about it.
"I understand your frustration," Cadance says, watching Cozy cross her forelegs and sit on her rump and pout. "But if you continue to behave, we can take the enchantment and the cuffs off."
"Yeah? And how long is that gonna take?"
Cadance taps her chin inquisitively. "Let's say...another week or two."
Cozy's jaw drops. Her anger nearly reaching its boiling point, she begins to sputter. Has she not been good for the past five days? Does she need to try harder at being good? Is she not trying hard enough?
With a resigned sigh, she nods. "Okay. I guess I can wait that long."
"That-a-girl." Cadance plops a hoof onto Cozy's mane and ruffles it, which causes Cozy to push her away in discomfort. "Now, where do you want to go? There's a playground over there for fillies and colts to play on, if you want to go there."
Looking around, Cozy can't find much of anything else that would excite her. She can't remember the last time she played on a playground, either, let alone with other kids. She nods, and walks with Cadance over to the large structure that's just as crystalline as the rest of the things and people in the city.
"Unfortunately, it's a little too big for me to play on," Cadance explains, moving to sit on a bench nearby. "But if you need anything, I'll be here!"
"Okay!" Cozy chirps.
She begins to make her way towards the mini rock wall. Climbing it without the aid of flight is tricky, let alone with hoofcuffs on, and it takes her a couple minutes before she manages to reach the top. From there, she trots across the bridge towards a set of two slides and looks down at them curiously. They're nothing fancy, unless she counts their crystalline material as fancy, which she doesn't. Still, she can't help but briefly wonder if they're safe to slide on. Goodness forbid a shard scrapes her underside or something.
After a bit of debating over the safety of the slide, she decides to go for it, sliding down on her stomach and landing gracefully on her hooves. She turns and stares at the slide for a moment, a disappointed look settling across her features. That wasn't really fun, or at least not as fun as she thought it was going to be. Suddenly, it dawned on her that maybe coming to the playground wasn't a good idea after all.
As she turns to leave, a nearby fixture catches her eye.
A set of ten swings.
Before she knows it, she's trotting over to them and taking a seat on the furthest one to the left. Her mind pushes forth a memory, of her dad's huge hoof giving her a gentle shove, sending her soaring higher and higher, until she felt like she was going to actually go soaring. Unfortunately, no one's around to give her a shove, and having restraints around her makes her incapable of using her wings or back legs for momentum. So all she can really do is just...sit there.
To pass time, she tries to think of ways she can manipulate Cadance further. The sooner she gets out of that hospital, the sooner she can continue capitalizing on her second chance.
But...she can't think of anything. Her thoughts are filled with warmth, of that huge feathery wing wrapped around her smaller body, of that soft voice calling her "sweetie". Her brain is telling her that she wants it, that she wants more of it. But she doesn't. That mare she dared to call a mother treated her as nothing more than a pawn in the chess game of life, until she gained the upper hoof and declared checkmate.
This isn't checkmate. Cadance hasn't won. Not by a long shot.
But fuck , is she one hell of a good player.
Cozy moves off the swing and heads over to Cadance, looking up at her with disinterest. "Can you push me, please?"
Cadance obliges, though Cozy has to wonder why those words came out instead of the request to go back to her room.
When one settles into a routine enough, time can feel like it's zipping by, even when one is just riding the waves of the day as it comes.
It's only been over a week since she was admitted to the hospital, and Cozy is slowly adapting. Worse still, she can feel her brain shifting, like removing a bottom block from a Jenga structure. Every hug, every kind word, every good thing done for her strikes a chord within her that she knows is related to not having a maternal figure to look up to. She knows it's all in the name of reforming her and making her good.
She wants to hate it.
But "hatred" seems to be turning into more and more of a construct nowadays, and she finds that she doesn't get angry as much as she used to.
Yesterday found herself gifting to Cadance a drawing of the two of them playing in a small field of grass together. Today, she will be rewarded with a surprise, and she's positive she knows what it is.
A spring in her step accompanies her and two other nurses as she begins to make her way towards the therapy room. She's never been a happier filly, knowing what's about to come. She's going to be free. She's going to have control again. The control she gave up when she found herself in this hospital is being gifted back to her, and all because she was good.
Cadance waves her inside and she hops through the entryway, the two nurses following suit. She eagerly sits in front of Cadance, looking up at her with big wide eyes.
"Ooh, someone's excited!" Cadance says. "Bet you figured out the surprise already, huh?"
"Yeah!" Cozy grins. "I'm ready!"
With a giggle, Cadance steps back and lights up her horn. With two sharp bursts of light blue magic, the chains binding Cozy's hooves are broken, and with a tendril of magic gently circulating her wings, the enchantment on them is released. Almost immediately, Cozy tries to take flight, flapping her wings and lifting herself into the air.
"Hey, it's working!" She lands. "Does this mean..."
"It doesn't mean you're discharged from the hospital yet," Cadance says. "You'll be kept here for the next two days to make sure you're cured and to make sure there aren't any other underlying health problems we need to address." She clutches a hoof to her cheek and smiles. "Though you will need to continue your therapy sessions with me as part of aftercare."
Cozy knew that Cadance had gone into some tougher subjects with her only a couple days ago. Particularly, Cadance was interested in knowing about her past with her mother, and Cozy relented only because she was in her truly warm embrace. She told her everything, nearly every detail -- but came to her senses and made sure to leave out how her mother died. That would ruin the whole plan, after all.
Cozy nods. "Okay." Her eyes grew watery. "But can I still go outside?"
"Of course you can, sweetie. Right after therapy."
The old Cozy would have thrown a fit right then and there. The new Cozy lets her expression twist into anger for only a few moments before it relaxes, and she takes a deep breath. "Okay. That sounds good."
For the next hour, she settles her head into Cadance's chest fur as the older mare asks her more about her personal life and even shares anecdotes from her own. As bizarre as it seems, Cozy trusts her. Moreso than her bitch-ass mother, and moreso than her runaway dad. Leaning on her, it's almost like she's pulled into a trance.
"I wish I could stay with you all the time. I wish it would just be me and you, all the time."
The thought slips out, but it catches Cadance's attention all the same. She looks down and rubs Cozy's mane with a smile as she whispers, "I know, dear. I do too."
It takes both nurses to pry Cozy away from Cadance when therapy is over, and when she's put back in her room, she buries her head under her pillow and cries.
Carefully, Cozy makes her way through the castle, guided by Cadance. It took a lot of begging to convince the princess herself to come instead of one of the palace guards, but her cuteness won her over without much of a fight.
"And this will be your room." Cadance opens the door, revealing a bedroom that looked like it had no one in it. "Feel free to make yourself comfortable. I'll be in the throne room if you need me."
Cozy turns. "B-but...you can't stay?"
"Unfortunately, no. I have duties I must perform as a princess." Cadance kisses Cozy on the head gently. "Including your adoption papers."
This is enough for Cozy to allow her mother-to-be to leave, exchanging goodbyes with her before stepping inside and examining her new room. It doesn't look like anything fancy -- just a bed with some shelves and a window on the side wall. But it's her new room in what has become her new home since being discharged from the hospital, and she's grateful for the Mom who accepted her with open hooves.
A pulling feeling begins to form in her gut, and she exits the room. It's only been a few minutes, but she needs to see her Mom, even if she's busy with princess stuff. Surely she can make time for her, right? Moms always made time for their children.
As she walks down the hallways, Cozy's ears pick up on the sound of talking. A masculine voice, mixed in with the sound of cooing. She drifts towards it and peers around the corner to find the sources of the voices, a white-coated stallion and a light-magenta-coated baby alicorn, talking to Cadance. The baby alicorn she recognizes as Flurry Heart. The stallion...Shining Armor. Her dad.
One thing is certain: they're trying to steal Mom away from her.
She squints. Anger that has barely been seen in the final days since she entered the hospital begins to form. How dare they speak to Mom like that, when she is Cozy's Mom and only Cozy's? She should go tell them off right now! Beat them up! Protect her Mom!
Something in her, deep inside, tells her that it's a bad idea. Her dad looks powerful. So does her sister-to-be. And Mom did tell her that she was busy. But at the same time, she wants Mom all to herself, because if Mom went away...
With a huff, she sharply turns on her heels and walks back to her room. In her mind, a new mission forms, a way for her to capitalize on her second chance.
No matter the cost, it will just be her and Mom in the end.
Author's Note
Behold: one of the most last-minute contest entries I will ever write.
Not the ending I had planned for this story, and it's incredibly messy, but I left it open-ended to explore Cadance's side of the story or to explore a sequel down the line because I really enjoy this pairing and I want to write more of it one of these days.
