Childish Hope

Three hours after her capture, and after a whole series of blurry events, Cozy Glow had been stuck down in a dungeon cell to await whatever was to come, assuming she wasn’t going to live the rest of her life down there doing nothing but regretting coming to Canterlot, where she thought no one would be—which is exactly what they wanted her think.

It was a cold, damp cell with no lighting whatsoever aside from the small window, of which was barred and led to a cliff so nothing that couldn’t fly could crawl out. Whilst Cozy Glow could fly, she was too big to squeeze through. She had tried the moment she came into the room.

The cell was decently spacious. It had a toilet, shrouded in darkness off to the right of the window, and a corner with a mattress, of which had stains all over it and a cup of who knows what next to it. Those were the only things of note; the cell was barren, and there was only a heavy-duty rusted door at the far end of the room, and not even bars to see through and taunt the guards from. Though one may foolishly assume this gives them more free rein to escape, Cozy Glow was due to have a tracker implanted in her body at some point in the near future. Plus, she’s Cozy Glow—they’re keeping an eye on her and have the whole cell area under security.

Taking in the moment, Cozy Glow wondered what was to come. Sure, things may have gone ahead a little bit different than she had hoped. Her initial plan was to come here and settle down for a bit, then move on and find Twilight and prove her forgiveness by returning the hero she and her old allies had taken hostage. However, the Tantabus totally ruined that by taking away her magic and disallowing her to take the hostage with her, as well as her now getting caught, now in a new dilemma: convincing Twilight of her reformation without the help of the hostage. He’s still stuck at the castle, and might even be dead now. The Tantabus could have pre-killed him listening to her plan.

Cozy Glow was screwed, or at least she felt like it. She didn’t see a way out of this, but she was desperate enough to beg. And so, when Twilight would come to see her, she’d do so, she decided. She didn’t have much of a choice now.

Minutes passed, and soon enough, an hour flew by in a while of troubling thoughts. And finally, at sundown, Cozy Glow got a visitor.

The door slowly slid open, making a full grinding sound as the stone floor squealed undue the rust-covered door that could give someone second-hand tetanus.

The figure that came in was, weirdly enough, surprisingly Twilight Sparkle. The door slid shit behind her, allowing some momentary privacy. And when the door closed, the area was shrouded in darkness, hiding Twilight from view.

Cozy Glow got up from the mattress. It was a shock to her that it not only took so long, but it was the least professional setting she could imagine meeting the princess in.

“Hello, Cozy Glow,” Twilight began. “It’s been a while.”

Cozy Glow gulped. “Before you ask, I was only coming here because I thought you weren’t here.”

“And for what?” Twilight asked. “Why would you come here if you weren’t expecting anyone?”

“It’s a long story,” Cozy Glow explained. “But I really wanted to tell you something.”

Twilight remained quiet for a moment. “I don’t want to hear another sick joke, Cozy Glow,” Twilight told her. “I want to hear where he is.”

“Yes, I’ll tell you,” Cozy Glow went on, “but please, let me tell you something important!”

Twilight revealed to be much closer in the darkness than Cozy Glow had anticipated. She stepped out and used her magic to grip Cozy Glow’s neck.

“Where is he?” Twilight asked sternly. She allowed Cozy Glow to speak.

Cozy Glow gulped. “At the crystal castle—it’s seventy miles out, I think, and he’s not dead as far as I know.”

“Thank you for cooperating,” Twilight confided, returning to the darkness. Cozy Glow headed scribbling, and she concluded Twilight was noting down the details Cozy Glow had given to her.

“I really, really wanted to see you… to tell you something serious,” Cozy Glow spoke up again. She stepped a bit closer to the darkness.

Twilight sighed. “Yes?” She asked.

“I… uh,” Cozy Glow started. “I’m not evil.”

“That’d explain the personality shift,” Twilight said.

“Wait, you believe me?” Cozy Glow asked, shocked.

“Cozy Glow, I don’t want to hear your jokes,” Twilight scolded. “You’re here for a reason, which we’ll find out even if it means torturing it out of you. And believe me, I really don’t want to hurt a child, but you’re a lunatic. You don’t become good overnight, no matter how much you think you’ve changed. So no jokes, or else you’re staying down here.”

Cozy Glow started to panic a little. “Torture? Please tell me you’re joking now, too,” she asked in a trembling voice.

“Whatever gets the truth out of you,” Twilight replied. “A guard will be in soon to give you some food.”

Cozy Glow hadn’t realized how hungry she had gotten. She hadn’t eaten in now over a day, since dinner the night of her escape.

“And Cozy Glow,” Twilight went on. She stepped out of the darkness, revealing a surprising look of sadness in her eyes. “I really hope you’re telling the truth about spike. If he is still being held hostage and you help us find him, well… let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.”

Twilight turned to leave. When she stepped into the darkness, Cozy Glow decided to tell Twilight one last thing.

“I tried to bring him with me,” Cozy Glow remarked.

Twilight stopped in her tracks and remained silent for a moment. “And what happened to that, if so?”

“I was stopped by someone. One of my old allies, of course one of my now enemies,” Cozy Glow answered. “Assuming you believe I’ve changed.”

Cozy Glow could sense something oozing around in Twilight. Call it blood, but it felt as if the presence of a severe hatred had entered the room. A hatred for Cozy Glow.

“Stop trying before I do something illegal,” Twilight said as calmly as possible. “Even though the law practically doesn’t exist anymore.”

She left the cell, but not without slamming the door, leaving Cozy Glow to sit with her thoughts.

She’d felt a stab of pain when Twilight left. It was as if she had ruined something, like dropping an ice cream. She seemed on the right track… but the mention of almost bringing spike and reconciliation of her being good now must’ve hammered away at something inside of Twilight. And Cozy Glow knew it was Twilight likely missing her adopted brother, but she’d have to keep that tucked away in her thoughts until the right time to apologize.

The evening turned to night as the next half hour passed. Cozy Glow had gotten dinner—soup, water, and a helping of berries—and gnawed and gulped it down hungrily. Before she knew it, it was time for some well deserved rest.

At the break of dawn, Cozy Glow awoke to a guard waking her up. He informed her that she was going to be moved elsewhere, somewhere more fit for living in for however long this was gonna go for, which could be for forever.

She prepared for ten minutes, doing usual morning routine stuff like combing her hair and brushing her teeth—with the shitty tools she was given to do so. But, nonetheless, the job had been done, and a group of four guards arrived to escort her through the castle.

The whole place was a maze, a blur of familiar and similar looking halls and rooms, but most notably she was brought through the main entrance area. She got stern looks from the guards she passed, but none made any rude faces nor gave her a piece of their mind in any verbal manner. If they all had telepathy, like the Tantabus, she would’ve likely learned a few new words worse than cunt and fuck.

Alas, she arrived at her room, which was the only room in this hallway, like reserved for special guests who need privacy. However, Cozy Glow was gonna have limited privacy with guards, well, guarding her door, the hall itself, her windows, and checking on her every half hour.

Upon entering her room, she was shocked to see that it was surprisingly barren; a small bed was in the room, as well as a nightstand with a small lamp. Aside from a bookshelf (mostly filled with dictionaries and romance novels) and, of course, a bathroom, the place was pretty bare bones. But what would one expect her to get? A master bedroom? Cozy Glow had been given a downsized bedroom that had only essential things like mild entertainment and a place to sleep, and somewhat deservingly so; she was the one who had the idea to kidnap Spike. She was the reason Twilight’s adopted brother had been taken, because she thought it would give them the advantage—which it did.

Cozy Glow was left alone in the room for a bit. She was able to make her bed and finally go to the bathroom in peace. She got to even catch of a glimpse of herself in the mirror, since her old holding cell never had one. She looked like a mess, and she could see the scar where her horn used to be. But this moment wouldn’t last. Eventually, whatever
was coming to her was gonna catch up—and it probably had something to do with spilling information.

For that present moment, Cozy Glow savored her time of peace to reflect on how to approach the idea of her being reformed once more to Twilight or her friends. If Cozy Glow could prove she was normal now, or at least more normal than before, she’d be saved. But there was no way at the time aside from convincing. She’d have to wait for a golden opportunity, one she’d hoped would arrive sooner rather than later.

Cozy Glow lied down on her mattress and began to relax for a little while, but not to long in her thoughts were interrupted by a guard entering the room to check on her. This was gonna be a reoccurring event.

They left quickly, making sure the door was locked. Cozy Glow wasn’t gonna have much fun falling asleep depending on how often they popped into her place—but she assumed that the check-ups would become less frequent during the night as to allow her some sleep. She was a child, after all, and Twilight knows that Cozy Glow is a light sleeper.

It was noon when Twilight came into the room. Cozy Glow didn’t even look up, assuming it was a guard. She continued to relax, but Twilight’s voice startled her.

“Cozy Glow,” Twilight announced. “You need to come with us.”

Cozy perked up, slightly groggy from lying down for so long with her own thoughts. “Oh, okay,” she murmured, getting up from the bed.

Twilight held the door open for her, and Cozy Glow walked out into the hall. Two guards kept her between them, disallowing much room for her and disabling and means of escape. Twilight let the lot of them down the hall and down a pair of stairs, then down another long hall to a door. The door screamed bad news, being shrouded in darkness and made of some kind of tough mineral.

“What’s going on?” Cozy Glow asked.

Twilight didn’t answer. She let the guards take Cozy Glow in, and she shut the door behind them. Twilight wasn’t going to be observing what was gonna happen, or at least not be in the room. Cozy Glow wasn’t sure why.

“Woah,” Cozy Glow gaped when the light turned on. A chair sat in the room, but it had straps in it to keep whoever needed to sit there in their place. And Cozy Glow had a pretty good idea who it was.

“I don’t think I’m up for this,” Cozy Glow said. “Can we try something else less… intimidating?”

The guards didn’t reply. They only moved her over to the chair, and it was clear she was gonna be forced into it. So, she reluctantly complied, allowing the guards to strap her in.

Cozy Glow knew it wasn’t an electric chair. It had no some above where the head would go, like you’d read about in books. The real threat here was yet to be revealed to her, but it was so in due time.

“I’ll tell you guys what you want to know,” Cozy Glow explained. “Just don’t hurt me, okay? I really will comply.”

They continued to not respond. The lack of any words being said to her killed her. But what came next made her heart sink.

There was a curtain at one end of the room, hiding something behind it. A guard pulled back the curtain and revealed… a set of hooks.

It hit Cozy Glow what was truly going on when she saw the ceiling had bars on it. The hooks seemed to be attachable to the ceiling. And to her internal organs.

“Wait!” Cozy Glow yelled. “You don’t have to do that! I’ll tell you what you want to know!”

“Calm down, Cozy Glow,” Twilight’s voice broke in, coming from a speaker across the room. “You won’t be harmed at all if you just tell us what we want to know. I personally don’t condone torture, but we as a collective deemed it necessary if you don’t cooperate. Any failure to cooperate now will spell out a world of pain, to for your sake, do so. I really don’t want to see you… well, you know.”

Cozy Glow’s heart pounds as the hooks were set on the table next to the chair. “Where are those hooks going?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Not in you if you cooperate. If you don’t, they’re going into your wingspan,” Twilight regarded.

Cozy Glow gulped. All she had to do was cooperate and tell them what they wanted to know. She was gonna tell them stuff anyways, but this wasn’t what she had in mind. Then, a terrible thought crossed her mind: what if it’s not something she can answer? They couldn’t torture her if she didn’t know, right?

“Tell us, Cozy Glow,”’ Twilight began. “Why are you here?”

“Huh?” Cozy Glow choked out.

“Why are you here? What was your intention coming here?” Twilight explained.

Cozy Glow remained silent, staring at the speaker with grim eyes. She knew that she had to tell the truth, but she already tried it once, and Twilight assumed Cozy Glow was just getting a sick kick out of claiming to be on their side now. But what if she lied now, and said she was coming to kill them all or infiltrate them somehow? It wasn’t her goal, but it was more believable.

“Please don’t make me answer that,” Cozy Glow pleaded. “You wouldn’t believe it.”

A guard raised a hook with their magic. “Don’t make me repeat myself, please,” Twilight boomed.

Cozy Glow gulped and proceeded to attempt to answer. “I… I wasn’t coming here for anything ill intended,” Cozy Glow choked out, fearing the worst. “I just wanted to help. I really have reflected, and I’ve seen where I messed up, so I came to help you all.”

The guard with the hook moved it towards Cozy Glow’s left wing. He he’d it steady in front of her wing, and proceeded to delicately spread it out.

“I was gonna bring Spike! I swear, I really wasn’t here to do anything bad, honest!” Cozy Glow yelled.

“Put it in her wing,” Twilight commanded.

Cozy Glow heart sank. “No, please! I’m serious! It’s the honest truth!”

“It can’t be, Cozy Glow,” Twilight explained. “You’re not good. It’s simply too hard to believe that you can change so soon.”

“But—“ Cozy Glow argued, but was cut off as an intense pain shot up her body. A hook had been stuck into her wing, blood gushing out over the chair.

Cozy Glow, expectedly, screamed and panicked. She recoiled in her chair, attempting to break free to zero avail. She was at the mercy of her old enemies—which, when it hit her, was an alternatively frightening thought, since they still assumed she was horrendously evil, putting on a stupid act.

When Cozy Glow had calmed down after having a mask that muted her slipped onto her face, Twilight’s voice returned.

“I’m sorry, Cozy Glow. I don’t want to see you like this, but it’s just how it is,” Twilight said calmly, trying to soothe Cozy Glow. Twilight didn’t seem to be liking it, but at the same time, Cozy Glow felt that horrible hatred towards her slipping back as Twilight went on.

“Let’s try again,” Twilight announced. “What’re you doing here? No more lies.”

The mask was slipped off Cozy Glow’s face by a guard, allowing her to answer—and hopefully truthfully, as they assumed she hadn’t been so.

“Please, Twilight,” Cozy Glow tried again. “I can’t answer that.”

“Do you want another hook in your already bloodied wing?” Twilight asked. It wasn’t much of a a question; it was more of a challenge.

“No!” Cozy Glow burst out. “I mean, no… I just… I don’t know.”

“Guards, another hook,” Twilight demanded. A guard used their magic to raise a hook to Cozy Glow’s right wing this time, ready to push it into her tender skin. They attached it to the ceiling, alike to the other one.

Cozy Glow burst out crying. She was trapped, with no foreseeable way out of this. She’d tell the truth, she’d get a hook in her wing. Her only choice there was to get through all the hooks without fainting and possibly not be able to fly for a year or so, assuming she isn’t killed tomorrow or whenever they try again with whatever method they go for next.

Then, as if a miracle had occurred, a voice popped into Cozy Glow’s head. It was the Tantabus.

“Listen up, you cunt. You need to tell them what they WANT to hear, because they won’t believe the truth. I need you in good condition. So tell them this: you were sent by Grogar to spy on Twilight to find out any information that could’ve been reliable.”

Cozy Glow’s eyes went wide. Somehow, the Tantabus knew exactly where she was, and it was able to send her telepathic messages. But Cozy Glow was grateful for the shocking aid from the Tantabus, though confused why they would help her out.

“Wait,” Cozy Glow cried. “Here’s the truth… I was sent by Grogar. H-he wanted me to spy on you, Twilight. But I was caught.”

The guard let the hook dangle and allowed Cozy Glow to relax her right wing. Then, Twilight spoke.

“Thank you, Cozy Glow. It seems you understand now,” she spoke.

Cozy Glow sighed in relief. The first hook hurt and still gave off an awful ache, but it seemed that Cozy Glow might get out of this without any more injuries than just the one.

“Now,” Twilight continued. “What is Grogar and the others planning?”

“Planning?” Cozy Glow questioned. She knew about an attack happening in two weeks, and was eager to share it. However, the Tantabus threatened Cozy Glow.

“If you tell them anything about our impending attack, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your very short existence.”

Cozy Glow gulped, understanding that she now had to lie, though unwillingly.

“We’re not planning anything at the moment,” Cozy Glow replied to Twilight.

A guard spread out Cozy Glow’s wing, preparing to stab the elevated hook through its tender skin.

“Not again, Cozy Glow,” Twilight groaned. “Lying will only land you in horrible pain, so please, for my sake, tell the truth.”

Cozy Glow felt the hook scraping her wing. It was going to impale her any second, assuming she remains quiet or chooses her words unwisely. She had to tell them, even if it meant a great disadvantage for the Tantabus and her enemies, as well as bad dreams.

“Okay!” Cozy Glow yelled, feeling the hook pressing into her soft tissue. “We were discussing something about an attack on you guys soon. I think it was two weeks from now.”

“There we go, Cozy Glow,” Twilight said soothingly. “Just two more questions, and then we’ll put some ice on your wings. And hey, maybe we’ll allow you something nice to eat.”

The guard let the hook go, and it dangled beside Cozy Glow. The hook in her left wing still burned, and she dreaded the idea of it being pulled out—a whole new pain on its own.

The Tantabus returned to Cozy’s thoughts in the next instant.

“You have royally messed up. I can’t allow you to be in bad shape for it, but you must not share information like that. You must follow my lead—a few pricks in the wings don’t hurt too much, right? If they really do, you’re going to fucking hate what I have planned for you if you don’t cooperate. Follow my lead, not theirs.”

Cozy Glow started to cry again. She was really getting scared now. Her miracle had quickly turned into a new problem of its own. She was now forced to either get a hook shoved into her wing every time she fails to cooperate with Twilight—or suffer an unknown pain from the Tantabus, whatever it’s planning and what it wants her for.

“Like I said,” Twilight said, acknowledging Cozy Glow’s distress and discomfort. “Two more questions. Then you’re safe. All you have to do is answer truthfully, even if it’s hard to do.”

Cozy Glow sniffled, allowing the tears to come to a halt.

“Please stop,” Cozy Glow pleaded. “I can’t do this… you don’t understand.”

“Two questions, Cozy Glow,” Twilight went on. “As much as you have changed, I know my #1 student is still buried down in there somewhere. So comply.”

Cozy Glow weakly nodded, ready to get this over and done with.

“Now,” Twilight resumed. “I asked you this yesterday, but I’m going to ask you one more time for absolute confirmation: where is Spike, and is he okay?”

“He’s fine, I swear,” Cozy Glow gaped. “He’s…” she then trailed off as the Tantabus burst into her thoughts.

“You already gave them details about our castle. Don’t give them anymore. Tell them he’s at a secret base in the Everfree Forest. It’ll buy me some time. And if you don’t, you WILL regret it. Don’t test my patience.”

Cozy Glow choked up a new response. “He’s trapped at an outpost in the Everfree Forest. It’s not far from here, so you can search there soon.”

Twilight remained silent. It seemed like a heavy weight was lifted from the room, that being hatred. However, residue was still present, and it wasn’t gonna go away without a proper rinse.

“Okay,” Twilight continued. “Now for one last question, and you’ll be out of here.”

There was a pause. In that pause, the Tantabus communicated.

“Whatever you do, don’t tell Twilight the truth on this one. You absolutely can’t. If you do, you’re going to regret it more than that second hook in your wings.”

Cozy Glow choked. This couldn’t be good at all.

“Where is Starlight Glimmer?” Twilight asked.

“Wait, what?” Cozy Glow asked, genuinely confused.

“She’s been missing before the war even started. No body, no trace, no nothing. What happened to her?” Twilight began to sound slightly hostile, which was probably an attempt to scare the answer out of Cozy Glow.

One problem: Cozy Glow didn’t know the answer to this. But the Tantabus sure did.

“We never filled you in, did we? Good. Now you can’t tell them the truth.”

Cozy Glow started to panic. “I… don’t know. I really don’t know, Twilight. Honest.”

Twilight wasted no time. “If you know something, we’re gonna find out shortly,” she declared. “Another hook, please.”

“No! I don’t know anything about her! I didn’t even know she was missing until you told me, honest!” Cozy Glow was getting ultra desperate. She was in tears when the hook grazed her wing.

“Just one more hook… and maybe you’ll talk,” Twilight decided.

With that, the guard put the to Cozy Glow’s upper most part of her wing—and pierced it through, making way for blood to rush out and dribble down her right wing, now injuring both wings and leaving them caked with her internal fluids.

Cozy Glow wailed in agony as it slid through, and then tugged on her wing. It was especially uncomfortable since both her wings were being stretched out to their fullest extent, and unable to relax in resting position to reduce any bleeding. If she didn’t get help soon, she’d need a blood transfusion.

Her cries were muted by the mask put over her muzzle once again. Twilight’s voice crackled to life on the speaker.

“I don’t want to have to do anymore. This isn’t what I want to do, honestly. But please, be honest: do you know anything about Starlight?”

Cozy Glow began to shed tears of distress. She was panicking and on the verge of passing out. But her wings aching kept her alert and in perpetual discomfort.

Why couldn’t Cozy Glow have been born an earth pony?

The guard removed the cap from her muzzle and allowed her to make her claim.

“No more… I don’t know anything, and if I did, I would’ve told you,” Cozy Glow claimed.

Twilight sighed. “Do you want another hook?”

“No more,” Cozy Glow whispered. “No more… no more… I need to lie down.”

Twilight had heard enough now to conclude Cozy Glow didn’t know anything, or if she did she wasn’t capable of breaking it to Twilight out of some kind of fear. Or maybe an in between. But either way, it was over, and she came into the room and ordered the guards yo let Cozy Glow out.

Taking the hooks out of Cozy Glow’s wings made her cry. A lot, actually. Twilight had to step out of the room as they did it; it was uncomfortable to watch, something a villain would probably get off to.

Eventually, she was ready to get out of there and heal.

The guards had to carry Cozy Glow back to her room, being a little too in shock to properly walk. No one spoke on the way back, and Cozy Glow as given proper care for her wings, with ice and bandages as well as disinfectant. Twilight really didn’t want to do it, but the majority deemed it necessary. They did get useful into out of it, though; they learned (or thought they learned) where Spike was, as well as knew about an upcoming attack (of which was a truth).

Cozy Glow was left alone in her room for the rest of the day. She did nothing but lie down and cry, awaiting someone to talk to—preferably a guard. However, any small talk she tried to make resulted in… well, no talking in return. They had orders not to talk to her, no matter what, probably out of fear of her manipulating them into helping her.

Finally, someone broke into her thoughts: the Tantabus.

“You messed up big time. You told them about our attack. And you got hurt, but I can’t blame you for that… however, you disobeyed my commands still. They know about the attack, so you must be punished.”

“No!” Cozy Glow cried, sitting up on her shabby bed. She gazed around her room, desperate to find a place to hide. It was dark now, and she had yet to turn on her lamp. However, she didn’t need light to see the Tantabus beckoning to her from the closet.

“I’m going to swallow your soul if you don’t comply,” it whispered out loud. And they meant it.