I place another card on the table, then sigh a bit as I glance up at the dark-skinned policewoman watching over me in my room, although she is not looking straight at me. It's clear to me, based on this woman's body language, that she does not want to be here. The only reason she's in here is to do her duty as an officer to make sure I don't cause anyone else trouble and to make sure I don't harm myself.

This whole time that she's been here, however, there was only one full sentence she ever said to me. She said, “Heh. Ain't you that criminal kid with the big brain?”

I knew exactly what she meant, but that question still made me uncomfortable. I felt nervous to admit the truth so, instead, I simply shrugged. It was a neutral answer, after all. Not exactly a lie.

In response, the policewoman gave me a huffy grunt, then never spoke with me since.

Because of that response, despite her close proximity, I feel terribly lonely. Even the game I am playing is called “Solitaire,” which helps to remind me how alone I am in this room.

I could feel the policewoman judging me from across the room. She probably regards me with disgust because, in her eyes, I could have been an individual who had the potential to do enormous good in the world, but instead I used it for selfish purposes. In her eyes, I think that she thinks it's such a waste of great potential. Since she feels that I've squandered my life, she equally pities me as well as feels revolted.

If she's going to stand there and judge me like that, I wish she would yell at me for it. That way, at least, I'd hear another human voice in the room. It would be some little reminder that I'm not totally alone.

But . . . I guess I'm going to have to get used to this. People know what I've done, so most will keep their distance now or keep their guard up around me if they have to deal with me.

A pang of pain squeezes in my chest when I realize that. I can't say I don't deserve it, but it still hurts to know how alone I'll likely remain in the future.

This policewoman is right. I am human trash, but it would be hard to explain to every single person how and why I ended up like this, so I guess I'll just have to get used to being shunned. I don't know if I'll ever really get used to it, though. It feels like being denied food, except it's nourishment that my soul needs.

I notice how intensely my excitement rises when I finally hear a knock on the door. The level of brimming excitement I feel seems to resemble the kind of excitement puppy dogs feel when their owners return. Right now I can't help it. I am starving for attention and worried I won't receive what I need.

The door cracks ajar a bit as I hear my mother's voice ask from beyond, “Knock-knock. May I please come in?”

When policewoman glances at me, she notices me nodding eagerly and giving a, “Come in,” non-verbal gesture with my hands.

“I don't care,” the policewoman says back to my mother. “She's yo daughter anyway. Yo can come on in whenever you want to.”

“Actually . . . that's not exactly true,” Twilight says as she steps inside. I notice that she does not have glasses on her face, and her hair is straighter, which instantly allows me to deduce that this is actually Princess Twilight, not my mother.

The policewoman regards Twilight with confused suspicion as she asks, “Yo mean this ain't really your daughter?”

“Well, that too, but more to the point . . . I'm not her mother. I'm sort of more like her identical twin.”

“Oh! I see,” the policewoman remarks in surprised realization. “Now that yo mention it, ah can see some differences, but yo resemblance to ‘er mother is indeed uncanny.

“Regardless, yo family so yo can come on in whenever ya like.” The policewoman then thumbs out the exit and asks with a little hope in her voice, “Yo want me to step outside? Ah can do so as long as yo take ma place and watch her.”

“Don't worry! I'll keep an eye on her,” Twilight tells the policewoman brightly. “Actually, both of us will.” She regards someone who is still lingering outside my room and gestures for that person to come in. As she does so, she says, “Come on in. Don't be shy.”

Two visitors? This must be my lucky hour!

I know for a fact that the doctors in this hospital discouraged more than one visitor at a time, even if they are just family, but something tells me they don't care as much as they used to. I seem relatively stable, so I think their policy on that decree is starting to get more lax as time goes on.

I look out the exit of the door as I witness another visitor step in, then widen my eyes in shock.

OH MY GOD! IT'S ME! It's the humanized version of pony me!

Except . . . she's quite a bit younger. She looks to be about eight to twelve years old.

The policewoman regards this in surprise as well. She looks back and forth between me and my counterpart, then says, “OH MY GOD! Is this a joke? Am I on camera o’ somethin'? Am I in the 'Twilight Zone' 'ere?”

Princess Twilight widens her eyes in surprise as she asks the policewoman, “The what zone, now?”

“Yo neva' watched dat show? The 'Twilight Zone'?” the policewoman double checks.

Princess Twilight shakes her head, then asks, “Is it any good?”

The policewoman shrugs as she says, “Eh, an oldie but a goodie. It has its moments.” She looks at my pony counterpart again, then glances at me, then back to my counterpart as she rubs the back of her neck while saying, “Well dang, girl! Burn my britches if y'all ain't related. I ain't neva' seen any other two humans look more alike outside of identical twins . . . 'cept for the age gap. The fact dat yo resemble ‘er mother as well is truly uncanny!”

“Well golly!” my pony counterpart says as she strikes a cute pose for the policewoman. “I guess I sure have one of those faces, huh?”

“Oh, ain't ya just the sweetest little Sug'ah?” the policewoman beams at my counterpart. “Now you be a good little girl and don't follow in the footsteps of your little doppelganger, ya hear?”

“Well gee, Miss! I sure will try my awful best!” pony Cozy promises with an enthusiastic swing of a fist across her chest level and a very familiar, wide, fake smile.

“Now dares a good little girl!” the policewoman cheers. “Y'all have a good old time. I'll just be right out there in dem hallway, so call me if y'all need annathang.”

“Right. We'll keep that in mind,” Princess Twilight promises.

“We sure will indeedy!” my pony self promises in a bright, overly cutesy way.

The policewoman exits and closes the door. At that point, Princess Twilight and my pony self turn to regard me again. While doing so, Twilight puts a hand on the left shoulder of my pony self.

“I'm sorry it took a while to arrange this meeting, but I wanted to prove to you that I kept my word to you,” Twilight explains to me in a tone of apology. “I have indeed freed your pony self from her stone prison and I wanted to show her to you so that you know that her future will be much brighter than her past was.”

“Oh golly!” my pony self exclaims. “She surely does look just like me, huh? Well, except for the 'being human' stuff.” She presses her hands to her cheeks as she notes, “I don't know how this species manages to get on by trotting on only two legs. It sure is a big mystery.”

“They manage it,” Twilight assures my pony self. “but I know what you mean. It took me a little while to get used to it too, just like it did for you when you first came through.”

In response, my pony self blushes bright red, feeling embarrassed at the reminder.

“Something else I want to inform you,” Princess Twilight goes on, but she's saying it back to me again, “that I have officially adopted her as my very own daughter in Equestria. Apparently her parent's situation is just as complicated as I feared, but,” Twilight shakes her head. “I'm sure I don't have to remind you of that, and I don't want to get into too many details in fear of rubbing it in. I'm sure both of you suffered through an awful tragedy, so I want to do my best to make it better.

“And yes,” Twilight raises a hand to forestall a rising question in my eyes, “this does mean that Tirek and Chrysalis are free as well. I assure you, we are taking every precaution to make sure they don't get into trouble again, but we also want to make sure they have a fair chance to be rehabilitated.”

Twilight shakes her head fiercely as she says, “I can't just allow their imprisonment in my gardens to serve as a reminder of my failure to them. It's too cruel, which is why it has always bothered me. I used to get nightmares about it, too. If you don't believe me about that, you can ask Princess Luna.”

I look at her in confusion.

“Um, Mother,” my pony self brings up as she tugs on her mother's skirt, “I don't think she knows what you mean by that. Maybe that means Princess Luna has a different role in this world? You did say that this world has less magic than ours does.

“Huh.” My pony self looks around the room with an intrigued expression. “How ironic. I tried to drain all of the magic back in my world at one time. It turns out that all I had to do was skip out into another world that inherently lacked magic. That would have been fine.”

“Well, that's true, but . . . then you wouldn't be a pony anymore, either,” Twilight reminds her new daughter. “If you had a choice, would you want to remain in this world, now that you are aware of it?”

“Um . . .” my pony self considers that point, then shakes her head. “Nah-uh! I like being a cute and cuddly pony!”

Actually, that makes two of us! Why won't you extend the same offer to me, Twilight, except in reverse?

“Also, in my world, I am a pegasus,” my pony self goes on. “That means I can roam free high in the skies if I want to.”

Dang it! My pony self is making me so jealous right now! I wonder if she's doing that on purpose just to be mean.

“Plus, I got a sweet new mother who's a pony princess!” my pony self cheers enthusiastically. “That means I get all the sweets and candy that I want! I wouldn't trade that for anything else in all the worlds.”

“Well,” Twilight gains a droll look, “it is true that being royalty does have a lot of perks, but you'll soon learn it has a large price tag on it as well. Being a Princess of Equestria is a big responsibility. There are so many creatures to take care of but, fortunately for me, I have a lot of help to aid me in taking care of it, and I have lots of friends as well. You could have all of that too, Cozy, if you just learn to let others into your heart.”

“I sure will try my hardest, Mother,” my pony self outright lies to her mother. I am virtually certain of it.

“Now,” my pony self goes on, “if you don't mind, I'd like to have a few moments alone with my alternate self. I think I need that privacy with her to have a true heart to heart talk with her.”

In response, Twilight regards her daughter a little cautiously.

“What's the matter?” my pony self asks her mother with a slightly sneering, taunting voice. “Don't you trust me? I thought my mother was supposed to be the Princess of Friendship! That's what you tried to teach me back in the day when I attended your school.”

“Trust is earned, Cozy,” Twilight scolds her daughter a bit firmly, “and you have broken that trust many times. Not only that, but you have also broken my heart.”

“Well gee, you caught me!” pony Cozy exasperates sarcastically as she puts her hands on her hips. “I was going to use that moment of privacy to open her window here and fly myself to freedom, but I guess you're too smart for me! Gee whiz, I can't pull a fast one over your eyes anymore, huh?”

Twilight looks at my window thoughtfully, realizing her daughter kind of had a point with that one.

“Both you and the cop woman will be right outside as well,” my pony self reminds her mother. “I'm not going to go anywhere, and I'm not going to try anything funny when I already have a sweet gig with you right now. I want to return to my home in Equestria anyway, Twilight, so I have no motive to betray your trust right now. I just want to say a few words to someone whom I think might understand me, but I can only be that open in privacy. That's all.”

Twilight sighs as she looks back at her daughter. “Well, alright, Cozy. I'll give you this one. I'll give you another opportunity to earn my trust. Don't betray it, or I'll start getting more strict with you.”

Looking between these two, I notice that they have considerably more tension between them compared to my mother and I. I guess the reason has much to do with their history between them.

“Don't worry about it!” pony Cozy assures with her bright, fake, happy smile. “I won't try anything funny. I promise! Besides, why would I ever want to hurt someone who looks almost as adorable as me?”

Twilight gives a pushing motion towards her daughter twice as she says, “Okay, okay! You win. I'll just be right outside if you need me, and remember . . . only I have the means to return you to Equestria, and I'm not returning alone.”

“Nor would I wish you too,” my pony self assures her mother then gives her a slightly impatient shoo-shoo motion.

Princess Twilight leaves shortly after, which leaves me alone with a disguised filly who brought her world to its knees twice. For that, I equally respect her as much as I secretly fear her.

“Well, that was exhausting!” my pony self exclaims irritably while still regarding the closed exit of the room. “Friendship this and friendship that! Blah-blah-blah! She acts like it's a crime that not every-pony's cutie mark represents friendship! I suppose I shouldn't expect less from the Princess of Friendship, but aren't you as sick of it as I am?”

As she asks me that question, she turns to regard me.

Honestly, I recall thinking words very similar to this many times throughout my life, but I'm beginning to think of this mindset as ignorant. There were plenty of reasons why I closed my heart against trusting anyone else. I feared that if I let anyone else into my heart again, like my birth parents, then they'd betray me too.

Was that what happened to my pony self, I wonder?

“Oh wow!” my pony self marvels as she draws closer while more carefully examining me from head to toe then back to my head. “You really are me, ain’tcha? It's so cool to see myself from an outsider's perspective like this . . . aside from examining myself in a mirror. The only difference is the fact that you're older and far more 'human',” she uses finger quotes on that word, “for my taste.”

After she uses finger quotes, she pauses to admire her own hands. She wiggles each of her fingers then shakes both of her hands, then she giggles.

“Well, these are certainly neat,” my pony self says in amusement as she regards her alien hands. “These certainly come in 'handy', don't they?” She giggles again, then says, “Ah, but I still much prefer my own hooves to these . . . things . . . as well as my own wings besides.” She then regards me with false pity as she says, “Oh, you poor, pathetic copy of me. Stuck on the ground all of your life. Never knowing the joys of flying high through the air.”

Well . . . I don't know about that. I've ridden on a jet plane before, but it probably doesn't feel the same. I wonder how pegasi handled the chilly weather way up there, or the thinner oxygen . . . unless Equestria has a different environmental system.

Consulting my memories as Sombra for a moment, his mind comes up blank on that regard when it comes to environmental differences between our two worlds. Whenever he flew, he did it in smoke form. That form didn't need to breathe in the first place, especially when he was unable to take physical form due to the loss of most of his magic.

“I also heard that you can't talk anymore, huh?” my pony self checks as she leans forward towards me slightly. “Well golly . . . that certainly sucks. I guess these people traumatized you so badly that they scared you mute. That certainly isn't ideal, but don't you worry!” She passes me an all too familiar fake smile as she pats my left hand. “I have a plan that will eventually avenge us both! I'll make the others of both of our worlds pay for what they did to us!”

I raise my left eyebrow at her, suddenly feeling very alarmed.

“These fools won't know what hit 'em!” my pony self promises darkly as her facial expression twists into an evil smirk. “Sure, I'll have to endure many painful lessons about 'friendship', 'tolerance' and 'forgiveness'. Blah-de-blah! All of that sickening stuff, but I'm still on the fast track to what really matters around here. These fools don't really know it yet, but friendship is power!” She clenches both of her fists in front of her. “And these fools just put me in a key position to gather more of it! I'm now the adopted daughter of one of the most powerful mares in all of Equestria! From that strategic position, I'll accumulate all of my resources! Then . . . when I have gathered all of my resources and put them in key positions, I'll usurp my mother's crown and put it on myself! After that, I'll be the most powerful mare in all of Equestria, and others will have to bow to me! I'll rule Equestria as the first Empress of Friendship, then nopony will dare cross me again! Not even Chryssy or Lord Tirek! I'll be unstoppable!”

Wow! Was that really what I once sounded like? No wonder I ended up attracting King Sombra's attention. I truly didn't realize, until now, how much of a megalomaniac I was as well.

That's very interesting to think about because this is a vivid reflection of who I used to be. I thought so much like her when I was that age, but that's actually the point. I grew up . . . and she didn't. She was trapped in stone that whole time, which leaves everything about her stunted. Not only is her mindset and plans several years old compared to me, but her emotional and physical maturity is as well.

This feels so eerie! It's like literally talking to my past self when I was still a child. I used to be just like her, except I grew up and learned some very harsh lessons since then. Precisely why evil plans like this just don't work.

Even if she does succeed, it will ultimately backfire on her. If she's anything like me deep down, then she doesn't wish to be alone either. That's her greatest fear, but her own path sets her up for isolation. If she became an Empress like she says she will, then it only holds other “lesser” creatures at a distance. A distance that will gradually hurt her in ways she probably wouldn't fathom for quite some time. Instead, she'd likely get worse by bitterly lashing out at everyone, determined to find some excuse why this is anyone and everyone else's fault. A true megalomaniac wouldn't examine themselves closely enough to realize that their faults lie within.

A wave of pity and concern washes over me for my pony counterpart. I don't want her to suffer the same lessons that I went through, nor do I wish others to pay the price necessary for those lessons either. I've got to warn her!

For a moment, I pick up my pen and notepad, determined to write her a note in the hopes of getting her to understand that the path she is leading is ultimately self-destructive, but I widen my eyes as it occurs to me that, in all likelihood, she won't be able to read anything other than Equestrian script. Fortunately for me, I can read it, but unfortunately for us both . . . I never learned how to write it! Sunny showed me how to read Equestrian script digitally, and I used the same method to type out the text. At the time, I thought that was enough because it allowed me the power to read her Equestrian text on her stolen computer data. However, the exact pen strokes I would have to make to handwrite out Equestrian script is unknown to me.

For a moment, I consult Sombra's knowledge on how to do it, but there I run into another problem. He does know how to write out Equestrian script, but only by using the magic of his horn to manipulate a quill. Writing it out by hoof or by mouth, on the other hand, is something he doesn't know how to do, and he certainly doesn't know how to do it by hand.

Oh my God! I can't communicate with this little filly!

I look at her with horrified astonishment. When I do so, I notice her regarding me curiously with a tilt of her head. She notices the fact that I reached for the pen and notepad. She continues to regard me curiously, wondering what I'm going to do with it.

Damn it! I can't use it to communicate to her, but at least I can get her to understand that as well.

To help explain to her what I was going to do with it, I show her the notepad which has notes on it that I wrote for others prior. In this particular case, it's an answer to a question a nurse asked me earlier.

“Um, gee whiz, I hate to break it to ya, but I can't read any of this,” pony Cozy tells me.

I roll my eyes and nod in understanding.

“Oh. I see,” my pony self realizes. “And you can't read or write in Equestrian script, huh?”

Well, she's half correct. The irony here is she might be able to write in Equestrian script and I can read it, but there is no need for her to do so. She can just speak to me.

“Oh, my poor, poor me!” She pats my hand affectionately. “But as I said, don't worry! I'll make sure everyone else will pay and suffer for what they did to us! I'll twist them in so much agony that they'll wish they never even messed with us!”

I grit my teeth. This is so frustrating to not be able to communicate with and warn her! I've got to do something, and I've got to do it now! If I don't, I'll lose my chance to fix this later. She'll return to her own world, way outside of my reach. After that, every problem that I went through may simply repeat for her in her world. Next time the real King Sombra may rise from the grave and take her over. Even by herself, she can do considerable damage, especially considering how gullible I suspect most of her fellow ponies are.

Something snaps in my mind. A flash idea and feeling that lingers within me from Sombra, and something else I can't identify yet.

Without really knowing what I'm doing or possessing a plan, I suddenly and tightly grab her tiny little arm.

“Ow! Hey, watch it!” my younger pony self complains.

I ignore her and just give her a very firm, fixed stare. When she notices it, her own eyes widen. She is freaked out by the intensity of my stare.

But it does not stop there. Oh no! It gets much worse for her! I don't really know how I do it, but I unleash King Sombra's infamous Fear Curse upon her, except with a twist. Instead of showing her what she fears, I show her what I fear instead.

After my eyes flash green, reality melts away for both of us. After that, my life flashes before her eyes, especially the parts of it that had a major impact on shaping the woman I've become today.

She sees me growing up with my parents which include the good, neutral, bad, and really bad moments with them.

She sees me growing up in the orphanage and all of the complicated, mostly negative feelings I had in there.

She sees me growing up with my new adopted mother as well as all of her loving friends.

She sees my bitter resentment towards Diamond Tiara and how it was all based on a lie.

She sees my betrayal of Sunset Shimmer and how that ultimately destroyed me inside.

She sees how my actions led to my being sort of possessed by both King Sombra and a splintered fragment of Sunset Shimmer, and ultimately the fate of them both.

My whole story flashes before her eyes. All of the ups and downs that made me who I am today.

I am Cozy Glow, just like her, but I have several extra years above and beyond her. I grew up and she didn't while trapped in stone. I hope this flash vision helps to close the important gap between us at least enough to give her an enhanced perspective on her own life. I really don't want her to suffer like I have, nor do I wish to run the risk of her getting trapped into stone again. I went through a lot of hardship that ultimately managed to convince her new mother to change her mind. Not only do I wish for her not to ruin that precious chance, but I also hope she'll allow that relationship to flower into something far more beautiful, like the relationship I have with my own mother.

Everything. I put everything I am on the table between us. At least, everything I am as Cozy Glow. I deliberately leave my newfound knowledge as Sombra out of this vision. The years of my own knowledge alone are enough to crush her young mind. I don't need to add over a thousand years of a sinister tyrant on top of that.

Then reality restores back to normal somewhat gradually. I believe neither of us are aware how much actual time passed in real life, but I have a feeling the visions were passed to her in only a few seconds. I know it feels much longer than that. Almost more like an eternity, or several years at least.

Her eye pupils are now very tiny. She's staring at me in extreme shock. The grip I have on her arm reveals to me that she is shivering with fright.

I inwardly sigh. I guess my tactic hurt her after all, but at least this way the damage is confined to her mind alone. That's better than her suffering emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically as well as spreading that damage to several others. It is a very harsh lesson, but it had to be done. With any luck, I just detoured her away from a very destructive path.

I slowly let go of her arm as I continue to stare hard into her eyes, but my expression is softening a bit. The warning look remains on my face, and I nod at her very emphatically, willing her to remember this lesson. I know it's a very cruel lesson, but it might prevent something significantly worse.

My pony self is stunned. It almost looks as if her brain shut down. She's still standing, but she mentally isn't all there yet.

Very numbly and silently, she makes her way to the exit of my room in a heavy daze. Her path to the door wobbles some, both because of the mental shock she just suffered, and probably also because she's not accustomed to human physiology.

In fact, considering all of that, I'm secretly impressed how well she's holding her balance despite all of this. I know, from experience, balancing one's self on four legs is easier than just two despite our wider feet.

She still seems mostly empty when she reaches for the doorknob. I study her carefully at this point, worried she won't be able to figure out how to use that doorknob. As I continue to examine her, I discover, to my relief, my fears are mysteriously unfounded. She manages to turn the doorknob and open it just fine.

Hmm. Maybe her new mother introduced this concept carefully. If so, that is wise planning on Princess Twilight's part.

Before leaving my room, she looks back to me one last time. By then, her expression softened from being totally stunned to merely somber. She says to me something I suspect I'll never forget.

“You really do understand me,” my pony counterpart announces morosely. After that, she looks out the exit and proceeds out without another word or glance back at me.

I sigh in relief as I lay back into my bed. I have a lot of mixed feelings about the encounter. It was so uncomfortable, but also fascinating, educational, and very likely of critical importance.

Please be well, my pony self. I want you to have a better life, from now on, than either of us suffered before. I know our lives have taken many tragic turns, but with a little help from our friends . . . I think we'll experience a brighter future from now on.

Was that interesting? I wonder how many of you saw this coming. Let me know what you think.