The four fillies started walking away from Twilight’s Castle and toward the center of town so they could catch a train that would take them as close to Tartarus as possible. The fillies felt cool breeze against their fur as they quietly walked through the dark, empty streets of Ponyville. The only sound there was was the breeze and their hoofsteps. After a while, they were near Diamond Tiara’s house. The rich pony decided to speak up.
“You know girls, I was saving up money to buy a new dress, but I feel like this is more important than that,” she said, hoping to break the silence that had been there since they had left. “I know a way into my room that won’t disturb anypony inside.”
“Go ahead, Diamond. We’ll wait here for you,” Scootaloo encouraged. The pink filly nodded and ran quietly out of sight.
“Ah’m not complaining, but why do you think the map chose her to come along with us?” Apple Bloom asked her two remaining friends. “Ah barely know why it chose us.”
“Maybe we’re the only ones who can help Cozy? From what I can tell, we were her first friends here.” Sweetie Belle suggested.
“And Diamond knows what it’s like to be blackmailed into doing something she doesn’t wanna do,” Scootaloo added.
“Ah guess you’re right. Both of you. Ah’m just surprised it chose us over our sisters and their friends.” Apple Bloom admitted.
“They failed her, Bloomy. They failed us, they failed themselves. They failed Equestria with their punishment. The map sees that. I see that.” Scootaloo reassured. “I just wish they would.”
The Crusaders heard some rustling coming from a bush. Worried, they started looking for a place to hide before realizing it was only Diamond Tiara.
“Okay, I got my money. You girls ready?”
The four fillies set off again to the train station, hoping it was still open at that hour. Much to their relief, it was. Diamond walked up to the ticket counter and tapped on the glass.
“Excuse me, when is the next train out to Dodge Junction?”
“Sorry honey, all trains going south of Ponyville are cancelled by order of the Princess,” the mare in the booth sweetly responded. “You’ll have to walk unless you think you’re strong enough to use a hoofcart.”
“I think we’ll be able to handle it,” Diamond Tiara responded, looking back to her friends.
The mare looked out the window to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders standing there waiting for their friend. The mare smiled, and turned back to the pink filly.
“Follow me, dear,” the mare said. “And bring your friends along too.”
The mare took the fillies around to the back of the station where there was a hoofcart and a small caboose on a siding. The mare helped the girls onto the cart and gave the cart a push as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo started pumping the hoofcart’s levers. Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara made themselves comfortable in the caboose before realizing that there were only two beds.
“You know,” Diamond Tiara said, slightly blushing, “You can sleep in the same bed as me. I mean if you want to.”
The unicorn smiled, she got up and moved to the bed where Diamond was and laid down, resting her head on the filly’s back. Diamond flinched but eventually calmed down before rolling over and hugging the unicorn, and the two eventually fell asleep. Outside, pumping the hoofcart, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were talking about Cozy Glow.
“Ah know Cozy did some bad things, but somehow Ah feel sorry for her. She sounded somewhat… sad when she looked us in that closet. Almost as if she didn’t want to do it.”
“I know what you mean, Bloomy. Even before she became Twilight’s helper, she seemed like she wasn’t completely there, like something was eating away inside of her”
“Ya think maybe we shoulda told somepony, Scoots?”
The pegasus’ ears flattened and wings relaxed before finally responding, “Yes, but I thought they wouldn’t listen to us. I mean we’re just kids, what do we know about depression?”
Apple Bloom let go of the handle and walked over to Scootaloo, “Listen, we may not know much about that, but we did know Cozy better than anypony else in Ponyville. Ah’m sure they woulda believed us. Now come on, we should get some sleep. Diamond Tiara and Sweetie Belle can take over for us.”
The yellow earth filly knocked on the caboose’s door but got no response. She opened the door to see Diamond Tiara and Sweetie Belle asleep in each other’s hooves.
Smiling, she walked over and gently woke the two fillies up. “Alright you two, it’s your turn work the hoofcart.”
The two got up and went outside to start pumping the handles. Tired, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo got into bed and fell asleep.
“So, about earlier…” Diamond Tiara started to say before Sweetie Belle cut her off.
“Don’t worry about it, Di. I don’t think they really—”
“It’s not that, Sweetie. It’s that it made me feel something. I think… I think I like you. As in like like you. It’s just that, I’ve never had a crush on another filly before, not even Silver Spoon.”
Sweetie Belle blushed before softly giggling, “I kinda could tell, with you over to your bed, and rolling over to hug me. The thing is, I have had a crush on you for a while, but was too scared to tell you because I was afraid you wouldn’t feel the same way…”
The two fillies stared at each other, not saying anything, but they didn’t need to, their smiles spoke more than words ever could. The only sounds were the rolling of the wheels on the track and the squeaking of the hoofcart as they continued their trek into the dark night.