Chaos Redacted

Mirrors were interesting. When there wasn’t one nearby, you could trick yourself into thinking that you look like your most ideal self. That you could be incredibly attractive or regal or any number of things. Then, with a single look on its reflective surface, the falsehood falls away and you’re left with the grim truth. Your actual self. This destruction of ego was fascinating. Because of that, however—

Cozy Glow hated mirrors.

The particular standing specimen by her bedside was cracked. This was due to the recent blunt trauma that had been applied to it. It had it coming, though. She’d looked into the glass surface to invalidate the opinions of those pesky losers from her class and found them far too accurate for her taste. Then, she’d decided that she no longer required a mirror. At least, not an intact one.

Shattered, jagged pieces littered the floor, reflecting her opulent bedroom of pastel pinks and blues. Most of the mirror was, unfortunately, still together and had multiplied her horrible truth exponentially, and at different angles to really hammer in her displeasure.

Curly blue locks and big amber eyes in a round foalish face with, and this was truly the nail in the coffin, freckles. She was the epitome of foalish good looks and that was the problem.

Certainly, she’d used this appearance to her advantage before. Gotten out of some of her failed schemes to pin it on the ‘mean-looking colt’ and suckered many an adult out of valuables and information. However, Cozy was a conqueror. A strategist. A thinker. No one wanted to take the poster filly for foalhood innocence as their new dictator.

Modifications to her appearance could go a long way. Unfortunately, makeup was at best a salve (which she happened to be terrible at using) and, though surgery was forever, no doctor would allow that while she was still a foal. Again, cuteness wasn’t the worst thing to have, but adaptiveness was the most important trait anyone could have and, being a one-trick pony with said trick having an eventual expiration date was non-ideal.

Of course, her mark granted contingencies. Alternate routes in which looks and smarts failed to prevail. The most obvious being friends. The greatest weapon of all.

Friends filled in gaps. Friends covered weaknesses. Friends were always loyal because devotion was a core tenant of being that in the first place. It was the one thing Princess Sparkle Butt had right. Cozy respected and hated her in equal measure because how dare she attain it before her.

Regardless, it wasn’t the time for self pity. Her plans had folded and now she needed a new plan of attack. A new avenue of power.

She couldn’t get a puppet on the student council, since said puppet decided to throw her under the proverbial cart, but she could try elsewhere. The junior cheer squad was popular. Intelligence had a keen edge and could be honed in a few study groups. Why, she could even—

I don’t need you, Cozy. You’re like, bad and stuff. I can run the student body by myself. Besides, don’t you hear what they say in class? I should rule because unlike you I look like a Princess and you’re a spoiled foal—

Cozy grabbed the mirror and threw it to the ground with a howl of rage.

“Ah, yes. The first tantrum due to failure. I remember it well~”

She whipped her head toward the source of the voice. She found nothing.

“Who’s there?!” She stamped a hoof. “Show yourself!”

“Well, if you insist~”

A shadow stretched across the room from behind her. She whirled around to face… she didn’t know.

It was bipedal like a minotaur, but much more thin. An hourglass shape in silhouette, with a head in the shape of a spout of water constantly spewing upward. It wore a one piece dress that hugged the creature’s form and dragged behind like a red carpet. It was difficult to look at since the patterned fabric kept changing and twisting, cycling through the most obnoxious colours and motifs.

In its presence, Cozy felt… small. Smaller than she’d ever felt. It was so domineering, exuding the air of regality and fear in equal measure. It demanded respect. Fealty. Acknowledgement. It was— it was—

“How do I become you?” Cozy asked.

The entity cackled. It was a high-pitched sound lined with razors.

“All in due time, sweetness~”

“Golly gee, miss, how utterly useless,” Cozy replied in a mocking tone. “I asked a pretty clear question.”

“And I gave a clear answer. It’s not my fault you don’t recognize the partnership~”

“Partnership?” Cozy grinned, all teeth. “Like a friend?”

“Friend? Well, I suppose that is one interpretation.” The entity fanned themselves with a hand. “I prefer ‘partner’ or ‘minion’, but I suppose I can allow the change in title just this once~”

“Oh, thanks, friend.” Cozy giggled. It was a sound like piranhas clacking their teeth together. “Now, as a friend, what do you want?”

“I saw the results of the student council elections~”

Mocking laughter. Betrayal. Taking power that was rightfully hers.

“You saw that, huh?”

“Yes. It was a stroke of devilish genius to put a puppet in the chair while you controlled things from behind the scenes. Unfortunate that your puppet grew a spine~”

“She was supposed to be a friend, but clearly I need to choose better,” Cozy growled. “I wonder if you can do better?”

“Easily, and happily.”

“Golly gee! Well, if you say so, lady!” Cozy rubbed her hoof into one cheek, eyes wide open in feigned innocence. “Yeah, right.” She blew a raspberry. “What even are you?”

“Unsure, but unnecessary.” The entity glided around her, waving a hand idly. “You have potential, and I have a history of making that potential shine. Though, also irrelevant, I’m from another world~”

“Another world? You expect me to believe that?”

“How else do you explain this?” The entity gestured at themself.

“Fine, I’ll give you that one, but what makes you so useful?”

“Because where I was from—” The entity leaned down, enveloping Cozy in its shadow “—I was a Queen.”

“Queen?” Cozy’s eyes got wide and bright. “Like a Princess?”

“Similar, yes~”

“You ruled over people?”

The entity laughed. A deranged high pitched sound. “Obviously! What’s the point of being Queen if you can’t keep insignificant losers under your six-inch heel~”

“And you can teach me that?”

“Teach you? No, I’ll remake you.” The entity’s arms hovered around Cozy, caging her in. “You’re perfect for a little scheme I have brewing up.”

“Weeeell, I’m not so sure—”

“I want to make you Empress of the Crystal Empire.”

Cozy stopped. Never had she ever felt her brain screech to a halt, but, in that moment, she struggled to find words to say.

“The Crystal Empire?” The entity nodded. “Ruled by the Princess of Love?” Another nod. “That Crystal Empire?”

“Yes, that exactly~” The entity poked the air with a finger to punctuate her point.

“How exactly do you plan to achieve that?”

“Lots of effort, some manipulation, and bringing over a— what’s the word you used? Oh yes, friend~”

Empress Cozy Glow. There was a nice ring to it that resonated with her. Ruling over an entire empire with all her little friends doing whatever she told them to. Certainly, this weird thing was strange, but if it could give her the crown, then who was she to question it?

“What do we do first?” Cozy asked.

“We need to get a new friend.” The entity pulled out a strange metallic square, flipping it open to reveal a strange monitor. “Someone to help us get started. As well as one other teenist tiny thing~” The entity asked with a sickly sweet voice. Cozy recognized it, as she used it often herself.

“What do you want?”

“An anchor,” the entity answered. “Or a partnership, if you prefer. I need someone to keep me rooted to this world, and you’re the best-suited~”

“When I get results, I’ll agree to your teensy tiny thing.”

“Good enough~” The entity tapped at several little squares below the glass on her flip brick.

“Oh, one more question before we move forward, though,” Cozy said.

“And what’s that?”

“What do I call you?”

“Oh! How rude of me. I never told you.” The entity framed their face with one hand. “I went by a different name back in my home world, but I’ve decided to embrace my new one provided to me~

“Call me Prom Queen~”