//------------------------------// // Call of the Map // Story: We’re Here For You, Cozy // by HenBasket //------------------------------// “Good night girls,” Apple Bloom yawned, shifting to get comfortable in one of the guest beds in Twilight’s Castle. Even though they said they were fine, Twilight insisted that the Crusaders spent the night in her castle to make sure they were alright after Cozy’s attack on the school. “So, what do you think happened to Cozy?” Scootaloo inquired. “Ah heard she got sent to Tartarus and put next to Tirek,” the farm horse responded. “WHAT?!” Sweetie Belle’s voice squeaked, something that hadn’t happened in a long time. “But she’s just a filly, she’s our age!” “Yeah, I don’t care what she did, that’s just cruel to do to somepony our age’” Scootaloo added on. “They didn’t even check to see if she had parents, or a mental illness or anything!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Girls, that’s enough. Cozy got what she deserved, and that’s that. Now go to bed, or you’re grounded tomorrow.” “Yes Twilight,” the fillies reluctantly responded. “Good, tomorrow we’re gonna go to a psychologist and run some tests to make sure you’re okay to go back to school. Good night.” Twilight turned off the light and closed the door. That night, the Crusaders had a shared dream, a common occurrence after they got their cutie marks. However, this particular dream was lucid, something that usually only happened when something import was going on. Scootaloo was the first to speak. “Is it just me, or did Twilight say that we’re gonna see a psychologist tomorrow?” “Yeah,” Sweetie responded, “if anypony needs one, it’s Cozy.” “She did fuck up pretty badly, though,” Scootaloo admitted. “I just wanna know what happened to that innocent filly we helped pass her test,” she started to tear up. “She was blackmailed,” a familiar voice responded, “by Tirek.” “Princess Luna, what are you doing here?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Your dreams called out to me. You three are pretty upset about this, aren’t you?” The fillies silently nodded their heads. “Listen, I’m really not supposed to be here. Celestia would have my flank if she knew I was here. Oh, and before I go, you’re cutie marks are glowing in the waking world.” The world around them started to blur to black as they started to wake up. Slowly, they started to see the guest room in Twilight’s Castle. It was still dark outside. The trio quietly walked downstairs to the map room, their cutie marks floating, waiting to tell them where to go. As they walked up to the map, they noticed a fourth cutie mark. A tiara. The map was sending Diamond Tiara with them. There was a knock on the front door, Scootaloo ran to open it, and saw the pink earth filly standing at the doorstep with a pulsating cutie mark. Scootaloo silently gesture for her friend to come inside, and the two went to the map room. “Okay, what is going on here?” Diamond Tiara whispered. “The friendship map is calling us somewhere,” Sweetie Belle explained. “It calls ponies to solve friendship problems only they can solve. If we wait, it will tell us where we need to go.” As if on cue, the four cutie marks loathing above the map started to spin and raise up. Eventually the spinning stopped, and the cutie marks landed near a cave with a gigantic door. “Tartarus?” Diamond Then asked louder than she wanted. A little more quietly, she added “Why in Equestria is the map sending us to Tartarus?” “Ah think it has something to do with Cozy Glow.” Apple Bloom answered. “Before you say anything, yes she is the filly that tried to destroy Equestria. But the thing is, we don’t believe she was doing it willingly, be believe that Tirek was manip—” “Girls!” Twilight shouted. “Do you have any idea what time it is, and why is Diamond Tirana here?! You didn’t even… ask… me…” she trailed off as she saw the group’s cutie marks floating above Tartarus on the map. “No,” Twilight said. “You aren’t going to Tartarus.” “Well why not?” Scootaloo snapped. “Seems like the map has a better conscience than you and the other princesses do! Cozy is a filly. A fucking child! And you have the gall to not just deny deny her therapy, as she is clearly fucked in the head, but then you send her to Tartarus! That’s no place for a pony, let alone a little kid! I used to look up to you Twilight. Now, I’m embarrassed that I did. You claim to be the princess of friendship, but you never even gave a mentally disturbed kid a chance. You just threw her in a dark cave with no care whatsoever. Maybe that’s why the map chose us, because we actually care about other ponies, not just their actions. Come on girls, let’s go somewhere where she won’t find us.” Twilight just stood there, trying to process the string of words that came out of Scootaloo’s mouth. She heard the four go upstairs, probably so the Crusaders could get their things. She started to think that maybe Scootaloo was right, that maybe Co— No, Cozy Glow was a monster that deserved to be locked up. She even denied Twilight’s offering for help. What pony would do that? “That was quite something Scootaloo,” Diamond Tiara said after a long silence while the Cutie Mark Crusaders packed their belongings along with some extra pajamas, pillows and blankets. “And I thought I went over the top when I stood up to my mother.” “She didn’t know any other way to act, Di. That’s how she was raised.” Sweetie Belle said, trying to comfort her friend. “But Twilight should know better. She’s been the Princess of Friendship for three years now, she fucked up and you know it.” Scootaloo added on. “I have everything. You girls ready?” Twilight heard hoofsteps coming down the stairs, she got up to talk to the girls, but they were already at the door. “Girls, wait. You can’t go out there alo—” “Fuck you, Twilight.” Scootaloo interrupted. “Fuck you and Princess Celestia.” Before Twilight could say anything else, Sweetie Belle slammed the door shut, causing an echo throughout the castle. “Oh no, what have I done?” Twilight asked nopony in particular.