I move very slowly and mechanically this morning. While I do so, I do not check the time because I don't care anymore. Nothing matters anymore.

I crawl out of bed, take a shower, brush my teeth, then get dressed for school. I try my best not to think or feel about anything because I don't want to face the awful truth that might confront me today.

But many times, as I prepare for school, I just can't help it. Stray thoughts whizs into my head too fast to stop it. During those times, I am faced with an awful truth that's too painful to fully admit to myself.

And that truth is . . .

That's it.

I'm done.

I am defeated.

All my plans are for naught.

I most likely lost my opportunity to attack Diamond Tiara subtly. Now, if I ever do it, it will have to be a direct assault, and there are far too many consequences for me to name off the top of my head.

But the situation is likely even worse than that. I don't see why Button Mash will protect my secret now that he finally unveiled the Shadow Queen. He said he would unmask her. I used to laugh at him for that declaration.

I don't find it funny anymore.

My life is very likely to change for the dramatically worse soon, and I have no contingency plan prepared to stop it. I don't even know how to brace for the impact.

So my mind resets to its default settings. It simply freezes, too scared to make another move. With flaws and mistakes burying me from all around, I feel terrified that any move I make might make it somehow worse. With all the blunders I've made recently, it feels too likely that I'd make another if I make any attempt at a deliberate move. I can't even calculate the odds of that anymore.

So I don't make a plan. I just move without thought or feeling as much as I can.

My “sister” notices my silent and stiff behavior. In the bathroom, while we are brushing our teeth together, she looks at me with tender concern. I am not looking at her, but I still notice her looking at me both from the corner of my eye and the reflection of her in the mirror ahead of us.

At one point she opens her mouth as if to speak and reaches a hand out to touch me.

“DON'T . . . touch me!” I order her firmly as I freeze and stiffen, afraid she might not cooperate with my demand.

She withdraws her hand, sags her shoulders, and looks sad. Eventually, she quietly withdraws.

I realize that, to her, this new attitude of mine is coming out of nowhere. Last time she checked, we were smiling, laughing, and playing together. Bonding like we never have before.

How could she know that, in all that time, I was mostly pretending to care for her in order to get close to her and get her to drop her guard around me? I wanted her vulnerable, but the irony is, when I finally succeed in that goal, I get declawed.

Now I can't hide my frustration anymore. The truth is a strong part of me is weary of pretending. First I lose my passion for deception, and now it feels like I lost my ability to do it completely. A strong part of me no longer cares.

I don't really care about anything . . . or at least that's what I keep trying to tell myself.

But that is yet another lie. I may not be good at it anymore, but it remains a subconscious habit.

My mind does not sync with my reality again until I finish dressing. When I make that last tug on the bow under my neck, it's like it reboots my mind and causes me to wake back up.

I examine myself from toe to head.

I am wearing my cute black shoes that are open at the top but secured by two black straps over my feet. I am wearing white socks that extend up two inches below my knees. I am wearing a fluffy red dress that expands away from my waist. It is secured by two straps over my shoulder. Beneath that is a white, long-sleeved blouse with frills at the end of the sleeves. The collar of my white blouse covers the strap of my bow around my neck, revealing only the small red bow that has the image of a red rook in the center. My face has only a small touch of blush around my freckled cheeks. I also have a hint of blue eyeliner around my eyes and on my eyelids. My lips are cherry red. My teal hair is coiled in many curls and secured by another red bow on top of my hair.

I lean forward and press both of my hands to the side of the tall rectangular mirror on our door that survived last night's tantrum onslaught by yours truly. I use my arms to push me away from the door while still leaning on it.

So . . . this is me. This is Cozy Glow. This is my life. It may not be much anymore. My life is probably in shambles right now, but this is what I have. This is all that I have to work with.

I give a tiny smile at my reflection.

I still think I look as cute as a button, and somehow, despite my absent-mindedness this morning, I manage to get myself straight and look pretty decent.

I wish I still had my pony face, though. That was cuter. I miss that.

I sigh while still staring at my reflection.

This is it. I don't know what's going to happen anymore, and I don't even have a plan for it. All I know is my life has to move forward, come what may.

Alright, then.

I push myself away from the door to stand up straight again. I give my dress a final tug to make it as neat as possible. After that, I reach to the top of the corner of our dresser drawer to retrieve my thankfully still intact smart glasses, not that it means much anymore. The glasses themselves function just fine, but now my cellphone is broken. Without that, there is no way for these glasses to connect to the internet anymore or anything else that was stored on my cellphone.

Oh well. At least they still correct my vision until the batteries run out.

I take a deep intake of breath, then slowly release it.

Let's do this.

* * *

It is a quiet and somber ride to school that day as our mother drives us in her electric car. I ride in the front passenger seat and mostly just keep to myself.

For a brief while, our mother put on her traditional podcast of all kinds of science lectures, but seeing me wince at it several times, she eventually just turns it off then proceeds for the rest of the journey in silence.

For the first three-quarters of our journey, it rains outside. At first it is a light amount of rain, then medium, then none as we near the school. Mom adjusts the windshield wipers speed in accordance with the degree of the rain.

I wistfully look out the window to my right. At first I am staring at the various passing things of our familiar town, but eventually my attention shifts to the droplets of the rain itself. I watch as the droplets slide down the window towards the rear of the car due to wind friction. I admire how the water droplets refract the light, even though it is a dark and gray morning. I grin slightly at this sight, finding a tiny amount of joy in the simple things.

Largely because it helps to take my mind off of big things.

Sometimes it gets darker outside, especially as we pass through a short tunnel. In that moment my own reflection stands out to me on the wet window. At that moment, it reminds me of my own pony face back in Horse-Land as I rode on the train on my way to Canterlot. I remember thinking about how that was what pony Cozy should have looked like if she was allowed to grow up to match my age, but instead she's frozen in stone.

In stone . . .

. . .

Yes. I remember. I remember how I trotted into the gardens and found her statue. I remember how it rained that day too. It made her seem to cry.

“Help me!” I recall hearing a wail of desperation in my mind at the time. “Somebody . . . ANYBODY . . . help me! Pleeeeeeeasse.”

Tears rise in my own eyes now at that agonizing thought.

Is it my turn now? Will I be encased in stone too?

Maybe it won't happen literally. Perhaps it will only happen metaphorically. If I go to jail for all that I have done, at least it won't be as bad as being frozen in stone.

And, perhaps, Sunny will finally be set free too. If all my crimes are about to be laid bare anyway, then at least it comes with that silver lining.

* * *

I find it strange that Mom drops us off in front of the school instead of parking at her usual spot. I'm not the only one to notice this, either.

“Why are you dumping us off here?” Diamond asks our mother. “You need to come to this school, too.”

“I got a few more errands I need to run,” our mother explains, “but I didn't want it to make you two late, so you both go on ahead of me.”

“Errands?” I question her.

For some reason our mother gives me a very meaningful look, then she seems to brush it off lightly as she says reassuringly, “It's nothing, Honey. We'll talk about it later. For now,” she gives me a shoo-shoo motion, “you two run along, now. You don't want to be late for class.”

She's up to something. I can tell. It probably has something to do with last night's temper tantrum of mine, or maybe Button Mash got a hold of her.

Well, whatever. No matter what it is, it isn't something I can stop, so I might as well obey her by heading off to school.

“Fine,” I say flatly as I unbuckle then open the car door. “I'll see you later, whenever that is.”

“YOU TWO HAVE A GREAT TIME AT SCHOOL!” our mother bids us as we both exit the car.

Shortly thereafter, our mother drives off. Both Diamond and I notice she is exiting the entire campus. Whatever she's up to, it isn't here.

“What do you think she's up to?” Diamond asks me curiously to my side.

Although I know she really is curious, I also sense she's just trying to break the ice between us by starting a conversation, but I won't be baited that easily.

I'm in a very bad mood today.

“Doesn't matter,” I say dismissively as I turn to face the school. “She'll tell us when she's good and ready.”

Or rather, tell me. I'm willing to bet high odds that, whatever she has in mind, it has something to do with me.

But I won't bother to calculate the exact odds. I'll probably just get it wrong again, same as I always do lately.

“What's with you today?!” Diamond asks behind me with some irritation but mostly in pain and concern. “Or last night, for that matter.”

I ignore her and keep on walking silently to school.

At first I am stuck on a single-minded course to get to my classroom until shortly after I enter the building through the glass doors. It is then that I notice an unusually thick crowd in the large reception hall of the school.

I was about to ask what is going on, but Diamond beat me to it.

“What's going on here?” Diamond asks the crowd aloud. “Did something happen?”

“Diamond,” Silver Spoon broaches as she parts from the crowd. She gives a “Come here” motion to Diamond, and Diamond specifically, I notice. “Come to me,” Silver bade aloud. “Get away from her.”

Diamond looks confused as she asks, “Why? What's going on here?”

“Really?!” I ask incredulously. “You're all going to do this to me now before classes have even started?

“Okay.” I scan among the crowd. “Where is Button Mash? I'm sure he put you all up to this.”

“How did you know it was me?” Button Mash asks as he reveals himself from the crowd wearing a red t-shirt and blue pants. “Do you have access to some inside information that would warn you that something is amiss?”

“I don't have inside information, and even I can tell something is amiss,” Diamond said aloud. “I thought that the weird vibe was limited to just my sister, but now it's starting to look to me that the whole school has caught a nasty case of the crazies this morning.”

“Diamond, please trust me! Come over to me!” Silver Spoon requests more firmly.

Instead of that, Diamond stands in front of me protectively as she says, “No! Not until you all explain to me why you are all acting so crazy this morning. Have I entered the Twilight Zone when I wasn't looking?”

“I've been there ever since Mother adopted me,” I scoff as I cross my arms across my chest.

“You know what I mean,” Diamond says back to me with a slight snicker.

“We're acting this way because Cozy Glow IS the Shadow Queen!” Button Mash firmly announces.

Okay. I guess we're doing this now. This is sooner than I expected, but I still foresaw this coming.

“WHAT?!” Diamond screeches, then resumes in a tone of denial, “That's really crazy talk! Button, she's our friend, and my sister! How and why could you possibly accuse her of being someone that horrible, and why would she do it anyway?”

“So I can use it to destroy you,” I admit to Diamond in a hard tone from behind her.

I see Diamond stiffen for four seconds, then she turns around and faces me in shock as she asks, “What?!”

“You heard me!” I blare at her with incredible fury. “All of this . . . everything . . . I did it all in preparation to attack you. Just you. You, Diamond fucking Tiara . . . were my primary target all along.”

“What?!” Tears start to rise in Diamond's eyes as she continues to regard me.

Meanwhile, everyone else in the room is stunned that I'm finally admitting my crimes openly.

“But . . . why, Cozy? Why do all this just to attack me personally?” Diamond asks as her voice wavers with pain. “What did I ever do to you?”

“You really don't remember me from our childhood, do you?” I ask in an accusing tone as I narrow my eyes at her. “The greatest crime you have ever done to me, the one which RUINED my life,” Diamond is not the only one taken aback when I passionately shout out the word “ruined,” “and you don't even consider it worthy of remembrance? Oh, how I despise you!”

“Remember what?” Diamond whines to me. “What did I do?”

“Think back, Diamond fucking Tiara! Think back real hard. Think back to the days when we both had an assignment to our parents to observe them for work-study. As it so happens, both of us chose our fathers, and both of them were in the same place when we met each other.

“And yes, I am talking about my birth father this time.

“Unlike your father, however, mine worked at the mattress factory for several years. Your father bought out the factory two years prior, but he never visited it until that fateful day. That's also the day when we met each other.

“Work-study my ass. You and I were both basically in the way, so they sent us to wait for them in your father's office while my father gave Filthy a tour of the factory.

“So we were sitting alone in that office . . . together. I tried, for a short while, to start a conversation with you, but you shot me down every time, claiming I was, and I quote, 'A filthy peasant who is unworthy of your ears.'”

Which is basically what Diamond's mother said to her on the day she was kicked out of the mansion. Go figure. I knew, ever since then, where Diamond's nasty attitude came from beforehand.

Diamond, for her part, looks even more pained at this reminder.

“Back then, I thought to myself, 'Well, fine! Be that way, you mean girl.'

“I was willing to let the issue drop like that. The silence made me uncomfortable, but it was ten times better compared to when you spoke. If you had not said anything else, I might have been fine with you.

“But noooooooooooooooooo! You got thirsty, then demanded for me to go out and get you a soda. To your very thin credit, at least you were willing to pay for it, but you ordered me to get it as if I were your servant, which I later realized was exactly how you thought of me.

“I even told you off by reminding you of that fact. In reply, you actually told me that since my daddy worked for your daddy, that it meant I was technically your servant. I said no, that I don't work for you because I'm not being paid by you and I did not choose to serve under you.

“You were furious. After that, you told me that if I didn't do this service for you, then you would talk to your father about firing my father.

“By then I was livid with fury at you, too. I decided to call your bluff and basically told you to go to hell.

“In retrospect, I suppose it was true that you were used to having all of your orders obeyed. You couldn't believe that this worthless 'peasant' girl you just met defied your orders.”

From the look of Diamond's face and eyes, it becomes clear to me that she still doesn't remember this, but what I'm describing makes too much sense to her. She must have determined that it really does sound like her old self. A version of herself that she's now ashamed of, which makes her deeply regretful now. At least this means she probably believes me.

“Anyway,” I give a casual shrug, “in the end, you stomped off in a huff to get the damn soda yourself, but you vowed to remember this indignity and carry through with your threat.

“At the time I dismissed your threat, but two days later my father actually was fired!”

“Really?” Diamond asks me. “I swear to God, Cozy, I don't remember any of this.”

“Yeah!” I narrow my eyes at her sharply. “That's become clear to me, now.”

“So that is why you hate me so much? Because you think I got your father fired many years ago?” she checks.

I shake my head at her. “No, Diamond. That was only the beginning of the hell you put me through.

“You see, after my father got fired from a job he held for twenty . . . years . . .” I pause for a moment to let that sink in, then resume, “ . . . he shut down. He really didn't know how to move on with his life, so he just gave up and turned to drinking.

“Now, what I'm about to tell you is only recently recovered knowledge. Apparently I suppressed most of it, and very likely I still am suppressing most of it. The few bits I do remember is my parents shouting at each other and keeping me up at night, but eventually their argument escalated to physical violence. More than half of me suspects I've also been a victim of sexual assault by my father as well.”

The present assembly of students (and a few teachers too, by the looks of it) gasp in astonishment, but Diamond looks devastated.

Good! Twist in agony, you arrogant bitch!

“I barely remember any of this, which might be a good thing, but . . . in the end . . . I lost both of my parents. Either they give me up for adoption or they were forced to after they get arrested, and THAT, Little Miss Prissy, is why I loathe you with a passion!

“I was not joking or exaggerating when I say that you RUINED my life! Thanks to you, I went through hell before the worst part of this whole process, the loss of my birth parents!

“I was abandoned. Unloved and unwanted until, miraculously, my new mother showed up, but now I have to share my room, and her affection, with the one person in this whole world who deserves it the least!

“God DAMN you, Diamond Tiara! I hate you so much with a passion!

“I schemed for years to exact the perfect revenge against you. Running against you for the position of Student Council President was part of my plans. I wanted to rip something from you and get you under my feet, just as you tried to do to me when we first met. But, unlike you, I succeeded, you miserable cunt!

“Of course, not everything is as it seems. Yes, I am good with crowds, but I had help from my minions in the background. Information is power, Diamond Tiara. Gathering it and using it smartly can set one on the path to control everything. You were the one who taught me that, but I'm ten times more talented at it than you are.

“It was hard, though, working on two jobs like this. One in the light, and the other in the shadows, but it was worth it. I kept imagining how much I would get you to scream in agony. That's what gave me purpose. That is what gave me strength even when I felt weary.

“And it's not really that hard, once you know how to manipulate the system.”

I playfully skip past Diamond Tiara, towards the larger crowd, as I sing in a tone that mocks Diamond's own words she once sang as a child.

“Eh . . . veryone . . . has . . . their lit-tle se-crets.

“I know you do!” I point at Coconut Cream. “Obedience . . . to me . . . will help . . . you keep . . . them safe!” I continue to sing.

I take a deep breath then release it. When next I speak, it's in a normal tone again as I sweep my gaze across the crowd, then I say, “For example . . . You!” I point at Coconut Cream beside me again, since she is next to me anyway. “Remember how I helped arrange for a little payback against Toola Roola for that little insult she gave you on your cellphone? Welllllll . . . it turns out that that text message came from me! I was impersonating Toola Roola when I hacked into her account,” I point casually at the other stunned girl, “just to persuade you to crawl into my dark web . . . and you did it! You totally fell for my trap. Once you did that, I also had evidence that you did it, and that is the dirt I had on you.”

Coconut Cream gasps at me in shock, then looks at Toola Roola with immense crushing guilt as she realizes, for the first time, her former friend was innocent all along.

“And how about that, Ladies and Gentleman!” I cry out in dramatic showmanship while inwardly feeling more than a little insane. “Why are you all just standing there and gawking at me when you could be recording this? Most of you have smartphones, right? Well, prove that you have a brain cell left in your head and use the darn things to record my confession. If you do, it will last longer.”

My suggestion stuns them, but most of them cooperate a moment later because they realize I have a good point.

Of course I have a good point! I'm a mad genius, after all!

“That's it!” I coax. “All cameras on me. Dance for your Queen, you brainless little sheep.”

I twirl away, then say, “And oh . . . what do we have here? Not enough evidence gathered against me? Well, how about I prove myself a little clearer? Especially now that you morons finally got the wits to aim your cameras on me.

“Oh! And be sure to hit the record button too! That's pretty important if you want to record something. It looks like a shiny red button on your cellphones.

“Anyway.” I playfully skip over to a green-skinned boy named Tuti Fruiti. Once there, I say aloud to him, “Oh, I know that you are a special case that I find interesting. More than most that I know who stand in this room, I know you are especially eager to turn eighteen.”

I see him widen his eyes at me, then cringe in incredible embarrassment, for he knows what I'm about to confess.

“Do you all want to know why he's so eager for that magic number?” I ask aloud to the crowd. “It's because he gains legal responsibility over his destiny after that, and that's especially important to him because he has a certain process he wants to begin in his life. A process that will upgrade him into a member of the fairer sex.

“Oh!” I reach forward and pat him on the cheek in an obviously patronizing way. “I'm sure you're going to look so precious in a dress! The reason I'm so confident of that is because I already have loads of pictures of you trying them on. However, I'm sure you'll look even cuter in them once they 'fit' properly.”

I pat him on the head then playfully skip away while calling back to him over my shoulder, “Keep up the dream! I look forward to the day when I can greet you in our bathrooms.

“See, everyone?” I call aloud to once again address the whole room. “Everyone has their little secrets. The trick is to use that information in order to get you against each other. I had you all cross networked back and forth so that everyone had their own little role in my grand scheme. Your knowledge, in turn, is compartmentalized into small individual roles. All of you only know what you did on my behalf as well as what I have over you, which includes the deeds you've done for me. The more you cooperate with me, the deeper you sink into my shadowy web.”

“If what you say is true, then why admit all of this now?” Diamond asks me with pain but also a small bit of bitterness.

I shrug and say, “Lots of reasons. Most of it had to do with some of you being brave and standing out from the crowd by admitting your secrets. One of you did it before doing even one single deed for me. The irony is Sweetie Belle claims she did it because she was inspired by me as Cozy.

“And then there is you, Button Mash.” I eye him and tilt my head to the left. I give him the slow clap as I say, “Bravo. You did a swell job indeed. I must say, I really didn't think you had it in you to actually unmask the powerful Shadow Queen, but you did it. You actually accomplished what you set out to do. In the process, you bit the hand that fed you.

“I had such an ingenious plan for you all. Not all of it was bad, either. Some of it you might have approved of.

“And to think . . . I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for your meddling, Button Mash. Both you and Rarity . . . and Sweetie Belle . . . and Sunset Shimmer . . .” I look and am more and more depressed as I continue the list, “. . . and Pony Twilight . . . and Ghost . . .” I sink to my knees in depression beside the glass case and shelves full of the school's trophies. “. . . and Cozy Glow. Oh she, above all, really got in my way.”

“So you admit what you did to Sunny?” Button asks. “But . . . you seem to regret that, so why frame her at all?”

“Isn't it obvious?” I ask sadly as I continue to eye the floor. “Sunset Shimmer could unravel all of my plans with one simple touch. Her magic allows her to read memories, both past and present. As a result, she was too much of a threat to me.

“Plus there was one other thing that happened that caused her to be an especially strong threat to me. Sunset Shimmer has a way to communicate with the horses back in Horse-Land-”

“EQUESTRIA!” several people correct me simultaneously.

“-which could have been a threat to me if she later found out.”

“Like the fact you came to visit me in my lands?” I hear my mother ask to the right of me. I look over to her then widen my eyes, stunned to see that there are now two versions of my mother standing near the entrance of the school. That, and Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.

I wonder, for a moment, if they are the versions from Horse-Land or from our own world.

Probably my own world.

Between the two versions of my mother standing there, I'm pretty sure the one wearing glasses and the same clothes I saw her wearing in the car is my mother.

I guess I now know what “errands” my mother was up to this morning.

“Well,” I look down with regret, “I guess you finally fixed that portal to Horse-Land, Mom. I'm sure it wasn't easy considering I was hiding some of its magical components.”

“Indeed, it wasn't easy,” my mother agrees. “But together, with all of my friends, there is magic in us aplenty. It was enough to open a portal for a brief moment and send a message on through. The next time we opened the portal, Princess Twilight tossed us a new magical device to help power the portal.”

“Then I guess you know everything,” I lament. “Everything I have done.”

“Not everything,” my mother disagrees. “There sure is a lot I still don't know about you, Cozy, but I'm willing to learn . . . if you're willing to tell me.”

“We've known all along about the transgressions of your pony self, darling,” Rarity tells me candidly, “and we never held it against you.”

That declaration virtually seals it for me. These are the human versions of my mother's friends.

“I wanted to be honest and upfront with you about the fact that we knew from the very beginning,” Applejack admits.

“But we didn't want to depress you,” my mother adds, “or give you any reason to think that we held something that your alternate self did against you. I,” she places a hand on her chest, “also didn't want you comparing yourself to someone else. You are your own unique self, my dearest Cozy. Here, in this reality, you are my daughter . . . and that is the only thing that matters to me. Can you say the same?”

“As you can see,” my mother's counterpart gestures to my mother standing beside her, “I did not lie to you. Your mother, and all of her friends, knew about you all along, but that did not matter to them. They have a lot of experience seeing past other’s faults, or even potential faults.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie agrees with a roll of her eyes. “We have a veeeeeeeeeery forgiving group.”

“I hope you can say the same,” Princess Twilight says to me hopefully. “You're probably thinking that I came here to condemn you, but nothing could be further from the truth! Instead, it is I that came here to beg for your forgiveness for what you've been put through back in my lands.”

“Lies!” I hear the Dark King whisper into my ear with his creepy multi-voice. “They are here to deceive you! To trick you into lowering your guard! Do not listen to them, or you will share the fate of your counterpart, for that is the only justice that they understand!

“Friendship,” the Dark King spat in a mocking way. “forgiveness, honesty . . . these are all buzzwords they spit out to try to corrupt or imprison you. It's all a power play.

“You saw the truth with your own eyes, and you risked a lot to get there. Everything else they say is empty of meaning.”

I know, I mentally agree with the Dark King. Friendship is a lie! I've known that for years, but some are so foolish that they actually believe in it themselves.

“Indeed,” the Dark King agrees with a sinister gurgle that almost sounds like a purr of a large cat. “That is why they must be guided. That is why they need a ruler. Through that authority, we guide the weak and the foolish in order to prevent them from destroying themselves.”

Do you really believe that, or are you just trying to manipulate me too?

“Why can't it be both?” he asks me. “The truth can be a powerful tool of persuasion. You should know that better than most of your kind.”

“No matter what you've done . . . or planned to do . . . nothing can change one indisputable truth,” my mother goes on. “You are my daughter, Cozy Glow, and I will always love you. I will also always forgive you. Can you say the same about your new sister, Diamond?”

“Wait, what?” Silver Spoon looks at my mother in confusion. “How did you know about that? She made that confession before you arrived.”

For the first time during this encounter, my mother adopts a smug look as she admits while pushing up her glasses with a single finger (like an anime bad-ass, in my personal opinion), “Well, my daughter is not the only one who can plant eavesdropping devices. Technology is kind of a specialty of mine!”

“It's why we knew we had to pick up the pace to get here,” Rainbow Dash admits. “Originally, we were planning on having this intervention after school but . . . when your mom picked up on the fact that the others in school confronted you first, I used my Equestrian magic to get them here lickety-split.”

“Huh? What about me?” someone hidden in the crowd asks aloud.

Rainbow Dash facepalms, then announces, “I wasn't talking about you, Lickety Split.”

“Equestrian magic . . . of course,” the Dark King points out as if he suddenly recalled that fact. “That could be a major problem for you, but fortunately for you, I have a solution.”

And what is that? I quickly ask the Dark King mentally.

“That is simple. Give me your body!”

“We were planning on having this conversation in privacy, but things being what they are,” Applejack gave a helpless shrug. “Sometimes life is too complicated to get everything the way we want them to.”

“Cozy,” my mom steps forward and hugs her clasped hands tightly on her chest, “I overheard what you said to Diamond about why you despise her, but she was just a little child herself back then who was suffering her own form of abuse. Please, Cozy, I beg you . . . let your hatred go. It won't serve you anymore. You don't need it. We can be a family now. A loving, happy family.”

“I know what you are thinking. You're thinking that your mother is innocent in this,” the Dark King surmised. “You are probably right. She's been deceived, too. For all her vast intelligence, you’ve got to admit . . . she is quite naive.

“If you need evidence of that, then look no further than at yourself. She took you in. She willingly ingested you, this poison, and she was blind to all of your crimes for years simply because she 'loved' you and wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt.

“That's noble, but ultimately foolish. If she is that susceptible to mind tricks, then imagine how easily the others could sway her.”

“We're sorry we weren't more honest with you earlier,” Princess Twilight adds. “To be honest, that is a lesson I still struggle with sometimes.”

“We all do from time to time,” Applejack agrees with a half shrug. “It can be a very hard lesson to learn, but a very important one.”

“And now that everything's out in the open and we are telling you that we forgive you, there is no reason to withhold your evidence that you used against Sunny,” Rarity tells me encouragingly. “Tell us where those files are and everything will be fine! You'll see! Nobody here is going to press charges against you, darling. Not even Sunny.”

“Now that is a bald-faced lie!” the Dark King spat in disgust. “Even if she meant it, that is a foolish belief. Surely she cannot convince everyone you've wronged here to drop the charges. Somebody in this room will stay on the offensive, which means . . . your life is forfeit anyway, so why not give it to me? With it, I can exact revenge for us both, for I have a score to settle with these bitches myself!

“You do believe that, don't you? Unlike them, I have no reason to lie to you. The truth is evidence enough.”

“Cozy,” Diamond spoke remorsefully, “I really don't remember this crime that you accused me of, but if you say I did . . . then I probably did. I guess something that severe wouldn't be easily forgotten.

“I'll admit, I have done many things in my life that I now regret. I used to be a very nasty person, but I can change! I want to change! I want to be your sister! I love you! You lifted me up when I was feeling so down that I was willing to kill myself. Regardless of your motives, that is what you accomplished. You made me into a better person, so let me return the favor.” Diamond reaches a hand to me and says, “Come on, Cozy. Let's move forward and heal together! Let's laugh and play just like we used to.”

As I look at her hand, I realize she means what she says. She only stands to gain if she can convince me to forgive her. That's easy for her to say because she hasn't gone through what I have.

“No . . . she went through worse,” I hear Sunset's disembodied spirit say. “Look at her, Cozy! Really look at her! Are you sure she is your enemy? Can you not see the obvious signs of her being a kindred spirit?”

“Even if that's true, it doesn't matter!” the Dark King warned. “Perhaps Diamond is innocent, at least of any recent crimes, but that does not change how she damaged you in the past, and that doesn't change the sinister plans the others have for you now.

“Eternity in stone, Cozy Glow! Can you really afford to take the chance to trust them after seeing that? They weren't even that cruel to me, and I have terrorized Equestria beyond anything you can ever imagine. Their 'justice' comprises of a swift end to anything they regard as a threat to them, and like it or not . . . you are a threat to them. You can't help it. You are that dangerous. You are a villain, like me. You said so yourself, so many times.

“Since we are kindred spirits, let me help you! Give me your body! Obviously you know what I'll gain in this deal, so you can trust my motives, unlike them. You can also believe me when I say I seethe with rage against them, and I am mighty. I have POWER! I can make them pay!”

I focus again on Diamond's offered hand, then I scream in rage as I smash the glass case beside me that is full of the school's trophies. The glass case shatters around my raging fist. It also cuts me up a bit, but I'm too pissed to notice.

“Laugh and play, you say?” I growl acidly. “Forgive and heal together . . . after all that you have done to me?

“I loved my birth parents, Diamond! They are a part of me, and they always will be.”

“We're not seeking to replace them, Cozy!” my mother objects. “I never had that goal. Instead, we're here for you because we love you!”

“Your mother is right,” Princess Twilight agrees. “All of this pain, anger, loneliness, and bitterness is now pointless. You don't need to be like that any longer!”

I growl in anger at her words as I remind myself that she is one of my bitter enemies, too. I was going to leave her alone, all locked up in her own world, but she came at me again. She is threatening me once again, and now she's roped my mother into this too!

I will make her pay for this! I will make them ALL pay for this . . . at any price!

Dark King, do it! I invite him. Take my body and use it to make them suffer!

“Oh Cozy . . . no!” I hear Sunset lament.

“Gladly!” the Dark King eagerly accepts.

But on one condition! I warn him. My mother is not to be harmed. She, above all, is innocent in this affair, and I do owe her.

I hear the Dark King growl a bit, then he asks, “Can I at least scare her a little? She needs to know that we are not to be trifled with. If she does not learn to respect our power, then she'll just come after us again. True, it will be with the best of intentions, but the best of intentions is the road to Tartarus. Your own counterpart would verify that if she could.”

“Cozy, don't do this!” Sunset begs. “Please think this through! These are not your enemies! Nobody is except for him!”

“You're quick to judge others and dish out labels,” the Dark King mocks Sunset. “Meanwhile, I've been completely transparent about my intentions from the start. I never hid the fact that I'm only doing this to gain something from Cozy, but that's precisely why she can trust me. Everything in life has a price. She knows that, just as I do. The reason why we are alike is because we both know the truth.”

Why are we still debating this? I said for you to take me, so just do it, dammit!

“As you wish,” the Dark King accepts then moves to do so.

A shadowy presence soon fills my mind and chills my body, causing me to shiver all over. After that, I feel the phantom sensation of falling for a brief moment.

Seconds later, though, I open my eyes again, but this time it's not under my control.

“It doesn't matter how low you sink, Cozy,” Sunset announces with steel in her voice. “You are my friend, and I will never give up on you because that is what friends do.”

I see myself looking down at my body. I am looking down at my hands, in particular. In any case, I see an inky black aura hover around my body as if I am leaking black smoke.

I also hear startled gasps from the others. Apparently, they can see this too.

“My-my-my,” the Dark King said through my voice with his continued creepy multi-voice, but one difference about it is the fact that it includes my voice now, and I felt my vocal cords vibrate as he spoke through me. As he said that, he slowly takes off my glasses, folds each stem then drops it to his side. “This is a most unexpected way to make your acquaintance again, your majesty! But then again, we are very old friends, aren't we? And I do ever so much know how much you value friendship!”

Everyone in the room seems startled and confused. Some are also concerned.

Princess Twilight, on the other hand, seems to be the only one in the room who has any idea who this is.

“It can't be!” Princess Twilight gasps. “Sombra? Is that really you?”

Wait, that's your real name? I ask him from within. Why didn't you tell me?

Would it have made any difference if I did? King Sombra asked back the same way. No matter what name I wear, I am still the KING!

Remember our deal! Don't hurt my mom! I remind him insistently.

Don't worry, little poppet! I keep my word. Sombra expresses to me with a sinister chuckle. I'm just going to scare her a little. As I have promised, I won't hurt her. You, on the other hoof . . .

“Wait . . . are you telling me this is a super bad guy?” Rainbow Dash asks with an edge of excitement in her voice.

“In the body of our friend!” Fluttershy quickly and sharply reminds.

“Yessssss!” King Sombra agrees with a sinister hiss through my voice. “In the body of your 'friend'. Let's not overlook that important detail, shall we?”

King Sombra gets my body to rise up then spins about on a dime to face my mother and all of her friends, including a certain disguised horse from Horse-Land.

“In every dealings we have with each other, it is important to evaluate all the factors involved in each encounter,” Sombra lectures them. “For instance, this glass shard I have in my hands here.” Sombra lifts said object to demonstrate the fact that he (or she?) has it, then proceeds to place it against my own throat.

“NO!” my mother screams at me, greatly startled.

“Do human throats get cut as easily as pony throats, I wonder?” Sombra asks aloud. “If you don't wish to find out then toss me all of your magic crystals.”

“No! Wait!” Princess Twilight calls out to discourage her friends, then she speaks to me, or rather the entity within me, next. “You're bluffing. If you kill Cozy, then you lose the only vessel you have in this world again.”

I feel Sombra lift my right eyebrow curiously at Princess Twilight as he says, “I'm surprised to hear that from you, your majesty, but then again . . . I've always known you to be a hypocrite.

“Regardless, you should ask yourself one critical question; between you and me, which one of us do you think is more willing to harm Cozy Glow?”

Princess Twilight narrows her eyes at me, but she cautiously says nothing yet.

“Let's find out, shall we?” Sombra invites then proceeds to cut my throat. He barely got an inch across my now bleeding throat, however, when my mother screams in pain.

“NOOOO! NOOOO! For God's sake, please no!” my mother cries out. “Don't harm my daughter!”

“And my sister!” Diamond cries out in agreement.

She's still going on about that? That kind of surprises me under these circumstances.

“Here! Take it!” My mother tosses her tiny magic purple gem in my direction. It lands smoothly by my feet.

Sombra bends down to pick it up, then looks across my mother's friends.

“Anyone else feel the same way about Cozy?” Sombra checks with them. “If you do, a generous donation of magic crystals would help to prove your point.”

Reluctantly, one by one, the others toss their gems at my feet, too.

“Excellent!” Sombra cheers as he scoops up the rest of the crystals. “Crystaaaaaalllls!” he purrs with pleasure.

“Well, you got what you wanted!” Princess Twilight calls out. “Now let Cozy Glow go! Take me instead if that is what you want.”

Sombra crushes all the gems together. When he opens my palm, I see that the six gems have fused together.

“Now that is an interesting proposal,” Sombra muses. “You offer yourself to me willingly?”

“If it will help free Cozy, then yes!” Princess Twilight assures.

“Now that is an ironic declaration considering what you did to Cozy's counterpart, though I wonder if you're bright enough to notice that you don't quite have the same leverage in this situation.”

Sombra lifts up the hand that holds the fused crystals. I see a dark aura glow around my hand that is filled with black and purple popping energy.

“I, on the other hoof . . .” Sombra began then trailed off as that same dark aura surrounds my mother and all of her friends. They all lift up two feet off the ground. Based on the way they are gasping, it also sounds like they can't breathe!

You said you wouldn't hurt my mother! I sharply remind him.

Hmm. I lied! Sombra inwardly taunts me. But don't worry, my little poppet . . . I still don't intend to kill them. If I were to do that, they won't suffer as much as I intend them to.

The fist that grasps the fused crystals draws closer for a second. Similarly, they do as well. After a moment, Sombra throws the fist that holds the crystals forward as if he's tossing a baseball except he never unclenches my fist.

In response, my mother, and all of her friends, are tossed out of the school. They shatter right through the glass doors and slide on the ground fifty feet beyond the exit of the school. Blood also drags on the ground due to the fact they are cut up by the glass shards that linger with them along their way out.

Most of the crowd that remains within the school scream in panic and attempt to flee, but Sombra telekinetically shuts all the doors leading out of the reception hall and somehow locks them, perhaps magically.

“Ah-ah-ah!” Sombra taunts them using my voice and body. “I didn't give you permission to flee. You may leave when I say you can leave.

“For now, I bid you to join me.

“Oh, and ah . . . keep rolling with those marvelous technological wonders you have. If your devices can indeed somehow preserve individual moments, then I want this historic moment noticed and recorded.”

Fearfully, some do aim the cameras of their cellphones right back at me.

“Enjoy the show!” Sombra bids.

I am startled as, in the next moment, my vision suddenly darkens into . . . well, I don't know what to call this. The world somehow gets obscured. It also kind of looks dark, decayed, and twisted. It feels like I can't breathe, and I am surrounded by a deep chill.

From this weird perception, I somehow fly up to six feet off the ground and zoom out of the school, right through the shattered glass doors. I fly down to the top step leading up to the school. From there, my vision returns to normal. Most of the chill that surrounds me also goes away. I still feel the chill inwardly, but the outward environment returns to normal.

Did you enjoy that? Sombra asks me curiously. That was a brief shift to the Shadow Plane. You can say that it is my home Plane of Existence, in a way.

Honestly . . . it's pretty disturbing.

One gets used to it in time, Sombra assures me. As I told you before, monsters do not need to fear other monsters when they have claws and fangs of their own.

Yeah. I remember you told me that.

More importantly, is my mother okay?

See for yourself. She's moving, isn't she? She's also getting back up along with the rest of her so-called “friends”.

I see he is telling the truth.

“I have to thank you all for this wonderful gift of crystals,” Sombra expresses. “I don't think any of you, except for the Princess, has any idea what you just hoofed to me. With these crystals, you just hoofed me the keys to Equestria itself,” he lifts up the fist that holds the fused crystals. “These are the last remnants of the Elements of Harmony, aren't they? I know this because I sense the familiar energy signature. I am sort of an expert with crystal magic, you know.”

I am forced to look at my fist that holds the crystals as a dark, purple, and black popping aura grows around that hand.

“With these crystals, I will reclaim my power back in Equestria, whereupon I will quickly surpass it. Soon, all in Equestria shall once again know their ruler and KING!”

As if reminded of something, Sombra looks down at my own chest. It is fairly flat, but likely bumpier than he is used to.

“Well,” he says as he looks back at my mother and their pained but rising friends, “I suppose I'll have to get used to the title of Queen now, but eh,” he lifts the crystals higher as they flare with much more intensive magic, then says, “details.” Then he slams the fist into the ground.

As if in response, a dozen black crystals tear up from the earth around my mother and her friends. They reach out of the ground like black, icy claws. The spike's tips are even bent inward towards them just like claws.

At first the crystals are spread in a twenty-foot radius around them but, after they all emerge about fifteen feet out the ground, they quickly enclose upon the entire group. As the spikes travel through the ground, they also tear up the concrete.

They yelp at this, startled, as the crystals close around them as if to crush them between, but it suddenly stops when they are pressed closely against each other.

My perception shifts to that shadowy form again for an even shorter moment. During that time, I fly down in front of the crystal cage. From there, my perception returns to normal again.

“Well, well,” Sombra brings up in a taunting voice. “Isn't this familiar, your majesty? Are we both having feelings of déjà vu here, or is it just me?”

“What do you want with us, Sombra?” Princess Twilight asks him with a strong edge of defiance in her voice. “You have the crystals and you got Cozy Glow. What more could you possibly want?”

“Like Cozy, you also possess an analytical mind whenever you choose to use it,” Sombra observes. “Right now you're doing as I would in your place, assessing everything and attempting to establish my intentions so you can weasel your way into some tactical advantage.

“I applaud your attempt, your majesty, which is why I'll reward you with the answer to your question.” I, or rather he, folds my hands behind my back. I can still feel the crystals in my left palm, but now my right hand clasps over that.

“After all, knowing the answer to that question is precisely part of my plans for you.

“What I want . . . is to rule all of Equestria, and unlike you . . . I rule it through FEAR! Fear will keep them in line, exactly how power like ours should be played.

“Included with that fear, I desire your own as well. I want you to suffer knowing that you soon will be abandoned in this human world while I, meanwhile, return to Equestria and destroy the portal on the other side.”

“You'll never get away with this, Sombra! I will stop you!” Princess Twilight promises harshly.

He tilts my head slightly to the left as he asks, “Now is that any way to address the true future ruler of Equestria? Perhaps you need a reminder who has all the leverage in this situation here.”

The crystals which closely surrounds them grow many inward spikes. They close even further on them, pressing them closer to each other in order to avoid being impaled.

“Let my daughter go!” my mother pleads to me, or rather him. “Please! I'll do anything you say.”

“Then let's start with 'Shut up'!” he orders my mother harshly. “The grown-ups are talking.” He looks back at Princess Twilight. “Now then, your majesty, you were saying?”

This time she says nothing, but she continues to glare at me defiantly.

“Feisty, are we?” Sombra taunts her. “I do recall you declaring that you'll try to rise at me again and again, but guess who keeps coming back to challenge you again and again?” He narrows my eyes at her. “You won a few paltry battles, your majesty, but I plan ahead and will ultimately win the war.”

He makes me take a deep breath then releases it, then says, “You know, your majesty, it just occurred to me that you promised Cozy that you'd free her counterpart, along with Chrysalis and Tirek, then try to redeem them. Cozy's memories also tell me that you were especially interested in Cozy Glow because she is a pony and therefore technically a member of your Queendom.”

“Your point?” Princess Twilight challenges.

Sombra has me wave her aside for a moment as he asks, “I was simply wondering . . . why have you never attempted this with me? Aren't I 'technically' a pony citizen of your lands too?”

Twilight looks surprised and hopeful that he asks. She says, “Yes! You are! If you're willing to join us, we can instead share our power. The power of-”

Twilight got cut off by a scream beside her. She looks to her right, startled, only to find Rainbow Dash got impaled in the shoulder by a crystal spike. Blood oozes down that spike.

Twilight flashes a look of anger towards my body.

“Go on,” he bids her. “I love it when you give me more excuses to enjoy torturing you.”

Twilight holds her harsh glare towards me, but wisely holds her silence this time.

“Oh!” He tilts my head to the right now. “No more pretty and valiant words to say, your majesty?”

Twilight continues to hold her silence.

Sombra sighs, then forces me to say, “Oh, very well. Be that way.

“Be that as it may, our present circumstances are withstanding. Accordingly, I shall leave you all to this miserable world while I return to Equestria and mind rape all of your friends and family, just as you have always FEARED.”

Twilight quakes with fury, but she still continues to hold her silence. She can't move about too much, though. The black crystal spikes all around her and her friends are mere inches away from them. Significantly closer, in Rainbow Dash's case.

“Well, it was a pleasure to see you, as always, your majesty,” Sombra bids as he makes me bow to her a bit. “I'll be sure to pass on your regards to your family when next I see them. Flurry Heart, in particular, could do with some strict re-education.”

“Sombraaaaaa!” Twilight growls harshly. “I swear I will-”

“Rot in this cage while I seize control of Equestria?” Sombra interrupts her. “Good idea! Why haven't I thought of that?

“Adieu, your majesty. May you ever be tortured with nightmares of me raping your friends and family, and this time . . . you don't have Princess Luna to protect you in your dreams. On the contrary, I intend to 'enlighten' her to her true self once again.”

Apparently I take on the shadow form again and fly off into the air.

Next Chapter: Chapter Fourty One: Return to Horse-Land Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 40 Minutes