Empathy Cocoa

by CozyGlow5

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Starlight Glimmer, Comedy, Cozy Glow, Random
Length: 1151

Only a completely heartless pony would turn down a cup of empathy cocoa. So then why isn't Cozy Glow drinking hers?

Starlight Glimmer offers Cozy Glow a cup of empathy cocoa. She doesn't drink it. What in Equestria could be going on in the mind of that seemingly innocent filly?!

A goofy one-shot poking fun at the idea that Cozy ignoring her empathy cocoa must be a sign of her being evil. I have zero talent for picking up on foreshadowing like that, and find it both amusing and amazing that any fans were able to pick up on it.

Published 2025-02-05 00:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2025-02-05 00:10:01 UTC

It even has a marshmallow in it!!

Starlight Glimmer sighed as she looked at the newly organized books lining the bookshelf in the guidance counselor’s office. She had to admit that organizing books was relaxing (though she would never say such a thing to Twilight); however, it still left her feeling empty. She was supposed to be a guidance counselor, not a librarian. “Not much need for a guidance counselor at a school of friendship,” she said dejectedly before hearing a pony behind her.

“Augh!” Starlight yelled, startled, as she fell off the stool she was standing on. “How much of that did you hear? Uh, never mind.” She quickly tried to regain her composure by teleporting herself behind her desk and smiling nervously at the pink filly standing in front of her. Starlight couldn’t recall her name at the moment, but she knew it was Cozy…Cozy something. “Welcome!” Starlight cried warmly. “Can I get you a comfort pillow? Security blanket? Empathy cocoa?” She held out a steaming mug to the young filly.

Cozy Glow looked at the mug of hot chocolate and swallowed anxiously. “Uh, I just need some advice,” she said, not making any sort of motion to drink the cocoa. Starlight temporarily wondered why this was the case. Usually ponies were happy to take her up on her offer of empathy cocoa. She decided, however, to ignore this concern for the time being.

“Oh! Well, I have plenty of that!” Starlight cried. “Anecdotes, insights, midnight confessions…I’m babbling.” She cleared her throat. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

Cozy looked at the guidance counselor nervously. “I think I got my friends in trouble,” she said as she shifted her gaze to the floor. “They helped me study for my friendship test, and I failed it…on purpose.”

It was like she didn’t notice the mug of hot chocolate sitting on the desk in front of her. She hadn’t so much as looked at it since Starlight had set it there.

“Why would you do that?” Starlight asked the young filly. No, no, that wasn’t the right thing to say. “Uh, sorry. Listening.” She used her magic to hover her own cup of hot chocolate to her mouth, and took a sip. The sweet taste of chocolate greeted her tongue. It was delicious as usual. (Naturally. She’d gotten the recipe from Pinkie Pie.)

Cozy looked at the ground again, away from the warm mug sitting on the desk. “Well,” she explained, “the Cutie Mark Crusaders wanted to go to this school more than anything. So I thought if I showed Headmare Twilight they’re bad at friendship, she’d let them come here with me.”

“That’s devious!” Starlight replied eagerly, before remembering that that probably wasn’t the sort of advice that Twilight wanted her dishing out to impressionable young minds. “I-I mean, I see,” Starlight stammered as she took another sip of cocoa. She wondered if maybe now that Cozy had gotten her confession off her chest, she would drink some of her own hot chocolate.

But she didn’t. The poor mug of hot chocolate remained abandoned on Starlight’s desk.

What kind of pony left a mug of empathy cocoa completely untouched like that? Starlight tried to remember the last time somepony had come into her office and hadn’t taken even a sip of her famous hot chocolate. (Well, Pinkie Pie’s famous hot chocolate.) Some ponies even asked for seconds. What was going on with Cozy?

Cozy said something, and Starlight realized in horror she hadn’t been paying attention at all. She’d only heard something about “a lot to learn about friendship.” Starlight smiled and tried to act like she had, in fact, been paying attention. “Actually,” she said reassuringly, “I think you’re doing all right.” She then proceeded to console Cozy by telling her that despite the fact that what she’d done was wrong, her heart had been in the right place.

Starlight was talking, but her own brain wasn’t processing any of the words she was saying. She couldn’t stop thinking about the hot chocolate. It was becoming evident that Cozy wasn’t going to drink that cup of cocoa. But why not? What sort of horrible, twisted things had to be going on in the mind of a little filly in order to deter her from drinking a cup of hot chocolate? Only a horrendously evil pony with a heart of stone would ignore a cup of Pinkie Pie’s velvety, rich hot cocoa!

“So, you do have a place for them here?” Cozy asked eagerly, springing up into the air with an adorable grin on her freckled face.

It even had a marshmallow floating on top. How could a pony Cozy’s age turn down hot chocolate with a marshmallow?

“Hmmm…” Starlight said, tapping her chin with her hoof.

Cozy couldn’t really be evil. Could she? She was just a little filly. There had to be some other explanation…

“Well?” Cozy prompted her.

Starlight shook her head and tried to bring herself back to reality. She couldn’t get so distracted while on the job. “I have an idea,” Starlight answered. “I’ll need to talk to Headmare Twilight about it, but I think we’ll be able to make something work.” She smiled warmly at Cozy, trying to ignore the thoughts racing around in her brain.

“Oh, golly, thank you, Counselor Starlight!” Cozy cried. She wrapped her forelegs around Starlight’s neck in excitement. Starlight smiled and hugged her back. Cozy then turned to fly away, but before she could get out the door, Starlight found herself calling Cozy’s name.

“Um, Cozy?”

The pink filly fluttered back into the room and smiled at Starlight. “Yes?”

“Don’t you want to take your hot chocolate with you?” Starlight asked, gesturing to the mug. “You didn’t even touch it.”

Cozy swallowed hard. She’d been hoping Starlight wouldn’t notice. The last thing she wanted was to seem rude or impolite. “I’m really sorry,” Cozy apologized, “but I’m lactose intolerant. I can’t drink hot chocolate. I really appreciate the offer, though.”

“Oh,” Starlight said, her face coloring as she recalled some of the thoughts that had run through her head. “Well, have a nice day, then!”

Well. That was embarrassing, Starlight thought as Cozy fluttered out the door. At least she hadn’t shared her suspicions with anypony else.

Author's Note

And that's it! Hopefully I didn't waste too much of your time with this.

I've always found it amusing that Cozy neglecting to drink her empathy cocoa is seen as a sign of her lacking empathy and/or being evil, whereas in truth, there are many things that could be to blame. Maybe she just doesn't like chocolate? :unsuresweetie:

Anyhow, thanks for reading. I whipped this thing up in less than an hour to amuse myself, so I don't care for it dearly the way I do some of my other fics. Feel free to bring on the downvotes. :rainbowlaugh: