Entering the portal back in the closet at Canterlot had led Cozy Glow to a dark, confined void. And it was no different this time, only the darkness was less prevalent and the dark void had a table.

Everything in the room was at a decent enough light level to be seen, including the creatures surrounding the long table. They all were blots of darkness that resembled that of the Tantabus’s physical appearance.

Across the table was a rather large entity, barely fitting in the chair and representing a fat, scrawny giant. It had sharp claws, tentacles where its legs would’ve been, and no facial features at all; only a bulb sat atop it’s head, bent over like a flower in the rain. The most obvious thing of all was its huge belly, which was reminiscent of a pregnant mare’s, only this thing was clearly not pregnant: it was gluttonous. A rather avid consumer. And, of course, the whole being was made of the same astral goo the Tantabus consisted of.

The Tantabus caught Cozy Glow staring in disgust at the strange creature, and it explained what was going on.

“That’s Gulosus,” the Tantabus explained. “They’re a friend I encountered in my mind. They don’t speak, but we’ve had a lot of discussion using telepathy. And they LOVE the taste of filly flesh.”

Cozy Glow gulped. “They’ve eaten children before?”

“Once,” the Tantabus recalled, stepping in front of Cozy Glow. “And they loved it.”

Cozy Glow looked at the other creatures sitting at the table, all staring at Cozy Glow with their expressionless bodies. They all just looked like blobs of dark mesh.

“Those spawned in nightmares,” the Tantabus explained. “They’ll grow up to be like me and plague dreams and feed off negative emotions. Of course, that means they need a hefty meal once in a while in their youth, and it’s a good thing that you’re here to oblige.”

Cozy Glow wanted to run, but no matter how anyone put it, she just couldn’t. Here, in this tight black box with ten different dream-born monsters, all hungry to consume her soul and physical body, Cozy Glow couldn’t run anywhere but to her doom. All she could do was hold off and fight, which she would’ve done if she could.

Before Cozy Glow knew what had happened, she crumpled to the floor, having gone completely limp but not numb. She couldn’t move a muscle in her body, but none were tense at all, just rubbery. She couldn’t fight back, thanks to whatever the Tantabus had just injected into her evident by the needle they had just then set on the table.

“Now you won’t be able to resist,” the Tantabus regarded. “You’ll endure everything.”

“What?” Cozy Glow yelled. The only thing that worked fine was her head, which was still decently weak but able to move enough.

“You’re going to be awake until the very last drop of blood leaves your body, until I digest your soul to the last molecule, till there’s nothing left of you. You will feel absolutely everything,” the Tantabus gushed.

“You’re a monster!” Cozy Glow screamed.

“I’m not a monster,” the Tantabus claimed. “I’m a living figment of pure unsaturated negativity with a sick sense a pleasure.”

The Tantabus used their astral magic to levitate Cozy Glow’s almost immortal corpse to the table. The filly pleaded and screamed, but the muzzle-cap was lifted back to her face to silence her cries. Even though the Tantabus loved it, the others weren’t fans of a whining meal.

Cozy Glow was sat on the top of a silver dish, big enough to hold a grown mare. That was the only thing on the table, but not for long as the Tantabus conjured up ten strange devices, one for every creature to have.

The contraptions all looked like straws with knives at their end, like a bendable syringe for drinking. To Cozy Glow’s dismay, that’s exactly what they were.

The Tantabus, without warning, stuck the sharp ends of the tubes into Cozy Glow’s chest. It was as if ten knives had been shoved into her most precious organs, but of course Cozy Glow couldn’t die. Her screams of distress weren’t heard, but the Tantabus—closest to Cozy’s head—leaned over the table to whisper to her.

“Hush,” the Tantabus said. “Save your screaming for when I eat your soul. We’ll have our own personal screening for that!”

Cozy Glow began to sob as the astral blobs, the Tantabus, and Gulosus began to suck Cozy Glow’s blood out of her body like vampires who’d been asleep for decades. The sharp puncturing feeling in her chest only worsened as they rid her of her internal liquids.

Gulosus reached a scrawny arm down behind its throne and pulled out a razor shape cleaver. This was a familiar tool, finally, but not one that comforted Cozy Glow in the slightest. Gulosus then steadied it over Cozy Glow’s right wing… and sliced it off clean.

The muffler disallowed anything but moans and groans to be heard as Cozy Glow began to let out a gut-wrenching scream of agony that would’ve made the rain-boom look minuscule. Tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the table, and to no surprise the Tantabus enjoyed the sight so much they began to slurp up Cozy Glow’s puddles of sadness in a disturbing fashion, only making Cozy Glow more uncomfortable as she wailed to little avail, felt her blood gushing in her chest, and experienced horrible pain in her middle portion. The filly almost pissed herself seeing Gulosus pick apart her right wing with intent, and then revealing its full mouth: a gaping hole, a throat pipe with at least a hundred razor-sharp teeth guarding it. A true behemoth of a supernatural predator.

The smaller critters slurped up Cozy Glow’s blood with joy. Cozy Glow tried to move but still couldn’t move anything besides her jaw and her head, of what little she could do with those thanks to the muzzle-mask.

The Tantabus finished drinking Cozy Glow’s savory tears and, of all things, got on top of the table. As the Gulosus mashed its teeth on Cozy Glow’s bony wing, the Tantabus got on top of Cozy Glow and began to speak to her telepathically.

“Enough stalling… I want your soul,” it reminded Cozy Glow. The Tantabus then started to morph into a blob-like shape, only more narrow as it slid over Cozy Glow’s face, under her mask, and into her mouth.

The filly choked the Tantabus’s form down her throat, to wherever Cozy’s soul would be. And, as if by miracle (but of course not to open up a great escape), Cozy Glow slid into a final nightmare.

From the almost unbearable consumption ever, Cozy Glow slid into an unbearable dream world. It wasn’t all that different from the void she was in before, it basically being a decently well lit black box, but it was definitely extremely dark. The only light source, of all things, was Cozy Glow; her chest burned a bright pink glow, casting strange light in the darkness around her.

She was inside some kind of dark dreamscape. She was… her raw form. Cozy Glow’s most pure and unmistakable form. A form one could judge by their cover, because the cover was gone.

Cozy Glow took the form of herself, but brighter and more colorful. The unmistakable feeling one would get looking at her was a feeling of safety. Cozy Glow was truly a changed pony, but no one could see it besides herself and the Tantabus.

“I’ve sent your consciousness to the nearest dark void I could find,” the Tantabus said from the darkness. “And I’ve taken the liberty of showing you your true self. Your unmistakable true self.”

“I feel so whole,” Cozy Glow spoke. “Like I’m the true me.”

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” the Tantabus said. “You’re in a state of limbo here. Time moves ten times slower. I’ll savor half of your soul for after your physically departed, but I’m eating the other half now.”

“Why do you do this?” Cozy Glow yelled, looking around the darkness.

“Natural selection, if you would be fine with that answer,” the Tantabus joked. “But I really do this because, well, souls taste good.”

“Is this what Starlight saw?” Cozy Glow asked.

“Yes,” the Tantabus replied. “This is similar to her fate… only not the same void.”

Cozy Glow thought for a second. “Isn’t the nearest black void inside the Pony of Shadows?”

The Tantabus didn’t reply. But someone else did.

“Cozy Glow?” Starlight called out of the darkness. Then, a faint light-pink glow came out of the darkness. It was Starlight’s soul—or what was a left of it.

The two souls both embraced in an awkward hug. Starlight knew Cozy Glow was pure of heart after seeing her spiritual composition, but she still had some less than pleasant memories with her—let alone Starlight had been trapped in darkness for ages.

“Looks like we have a mistake here… but no matter,” the Tantabus remarked. “I’ll have you BOTH now. I’ve been savoring Starlight in the Pony of Shadows for too long. And after I eat your souls, I’ll come back and eat both of your bodies until they’re nothing but scrambled molecules in the atmosphere!”

Cozy Glow and Starlight Glimmer huddled close as the Tantabus cast an eerie glow over the whole dark chasm, revealing its true form once more: a tall, scrawny being with rows of razor sharp teeth and knife-like talons.

“I’ll start with your… fuck it, I’ll eat you both whole!” The Tantabus yelled. It made a swift grab for Cozy Glow and Starlight—and in a shocking turn of events, their lanky claw was reeled back by… a lasso?

Applejack held the entity’s hand back as Rainbow Dash zoomed into the space from a blinding light—a portal to the dark chasm from the outside world—and bashed her back hooves into it’s chest, sending it tumbling backwards.

“What is the meaning of this? Can’t someone eat in peace?” The Tantabus attempted to fight back with their other hand, but Rarity used her magic to hold the other claw steady, disallowing it to slap or grab any of the heroes trying to kill it.

Twilight blasted the creature in the chest, leaving a nice burn mark. But it healed quickly.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie then came in to give the Tantabus a piece of their mind. Pinkie Pie climbed the Tantabus’s skinny back and bit it in the neck, making it shout in a burst of shock. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash then began to pound on its face and chest, beating it to a pulp.

This all allowed Cozy Glow and Starlight to make their get away, aided by Twilight out the portal. With one last look to the Tantabus, who was almost out of their constraints, the battle seemed to start to favor the Tantabus. Everyone then began to retreat, the first out of the realm being Starlight, followed by Cozy Glow’s soul and everyone else.

The Tantabus wasn’t dead, but it was surely pissed. And there was bound to be some upset dinner guests back in the other realm.

The first thing Cozy Glow noticed when she woke up was that she wasn’t back at that table being eaten alive and in constant unbearable agony. She was back at the dining room in the real world, also in constant unbearable agony.

Cozy Glow’s right wing—or where it used to be—was completely gone, and her stub that was left squirted and oozed blood. It was only slightly relieving to see she hadn’t died of blood loss… yet.

Her chest had ten distinct needle holes in it, all giving off a horrible ache. Whilst no bones her broken, it certainly hurt like hell.

And as a new, added bonus to her now mutilated form, Cozy Glow found she had been being cut up when she escaped. Her left hoof had a nice slice about an inch deep, and all of her main was unevenly cut.

She was a disturbed mess of blood, holes, and agony. She almost wished she’d die on the spot, but Cozy Glow got up and walked out of the room to find Twilight and her friends. The filly, even though she cried and screamed, was able to remember that Twilight was last scene in the room with all the villains trapped in the ceiling.

Somehow, Cozy Glow made it there. It was a horrible experience, but she arrived in time to see how exactly it all happened.

The Pony of Shadows—now dead on the floor—was cracked open by Twilight, who must’ve escaped her constraints. All of the heroes she’d come around on—Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Starlight Glimmer, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack—all stared at her as she stood in the doorway, bleeding to death.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Cozy Glow choked out as she fell to the floor in a heap of blood and tears. Her consciousness slipped away as she passed out before them all.

Two days later, Cozy Glow sat in bed, chatting away with Twilight. She hadn’t miraculously died that night, but was damn well close to doing so. She had lost a lot of blood, but thankfully, Tirek had plenty to give, so he (not willingly) gave up some of his.

All of the villains who survived were in captivity in the dungeon of their own castle. Chrysalis slept soundly whilst Tirek bickered to the guards about being unfairly defeated. King Sombra, now as powerless as a mere slave, spent his days alone in a cell. The Windigos, all tamed, accepted their new leaders, whilst Grogar had retaliated. But everyone was put in their place, whilst the Pony of Shadows died without a host, returning to a state of pure dark matter in the cosmos.

But Cozy Glow spent her past two days healing and making it all up to Twilight and her friends as best she could. She had apologized about all her previous mistakes and behavior, as well as taking Spike away from them. She even got hugs in return. Truth be told, they all had come around to like her after realizing her stories about the Tantabus were true. They even had a decent laugh, but of course, the threat still loomed. The Tantabus hadn’t gotten to feed on her soul, so it would be back—and soon. However, guards always loomed in Cozy Glow’s room, and she wasn’t allowed to sleep alone. Let alone, they had gotten Smolder—who was one of the few dragons left in the city of Canterlot, now staying at the villain’s castle with her other young friends—to send a letter to the Princesses at the Crystal Empire that they have almost won, and that Luna should keep an eye on Cozy’s dreams for the Tantabus. They were slowly reforming the country with the villains mostly out of the way.

“Once again, I’m seriously sorry about not believing you,” Twilight assured. “It’s just… hard to believe that all of that happened.”

“I know,” Cozy Glow coughed out. “It was crazy sounding. I almost thought I was losing it, too.”

“But you weren’t,” Twilight added. “You really needed help, and I wouldn’t help you. I’m… sorry. I really am.”

Cozy Glow nodded. “It’s all okay now. The Tantabus will be back but I’m pretty sure we’ll be ready for it.”

“I hope so,” Twilight whispered.

Cozy Glow sighed. “That thing really likes to torture living creatures. It got a malicious kick out of seeing me get cut up.”

“I didn’t know it would become such a nut case,” Twilight said. “Before it escaped from the dream realm thanks to Grogar’s aid, it didn’t even speak.”

“Oh, it speaks,” Cozy Glow joked. “It’s got a sailor’s mouth.”

Twilight laughed. “Doesn’t surprise me.”

The room went silent. Twilight stared at Cozy Glow and pondered something in her mind. Finally, she got something off her chest.

“I never wanted to torture you,” Twilight insisted. “I’m really sorry that went the way it did. If we knew you were telling the truth, and that you were being controlled, we would’ve shut that down immediately.”

Cozy Glow nodded. “I understand.”

“The majority wanted to do it. I really didn’t, it’s just so… evil. So cruel. That’s why I didn’t come into the room. I could only hear you,” Twilight went on.

“Why didn’t you stop it then?” Cozy Glow asked. “If it was so horrible to imagine, why didn’t you stop them from doing it?”

“It was a group vote,” Twilight continued. “Since you damaged so many lives, I felt it was fair for anyone you hurt to get a say in how we got the information out of you.”

“And they decided that?” Cozy Glow cried. “That’s messed up!”

“They were scared of you,” Twilight explained. “They didn’t trust you. They didn’t think you would cooperate. And they certainly didn’t think to kindly of you aiding in the kidnapping of Spike!” Twilight ended with a stern yell, and the hate in the room began to boil, then cool.

Cozy Glow caught her breath. “I’m sorry we didn’t find Spike,” Cozy Glow soothed Twilight. “But please, calm down.”

Twilight having Spike taken away took a heavy toll on her mind. It made her mildly hostile to Cozy Glow, but of course her conscience fought back and kept her at bay from murder. She knew that the Cozy Glow from before her school-raze-rampage was still in the filly somewhere, but she felt herself also hating Cozy Glow momentarily and even being disgusted. The balance was complex but it was finally settling. The only thing that would make Twilight feel normal again with the whole ordeal would be getting Spike back, and for Cozy Glow, it was to be accepted as reformed.

None of them got that easy. But now that Cozy Glow was confirmed to be good now—as shown when they saw her raw soul in the weird dream void in the Pony of Shadows—Twilight wanted Spike.

The two ponies stare at each other for a moment longer, and then hugged, though awkwardly thanks to Cozy’s bandages and garment.

“I hope you get Spike back,” Cozy Glow confided.

Twilight smiled. “I hope you get well soon, friend.”

The Tantabus laughed to Cozy Glow psychically. “I hope you still taste good.”

Author's Note

Almost done! The story will conclude with the seventh chapter, “Blind,” in a final encounter with the Tantabus… stay tuned 🔆 👀 no promises when it drops.