//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Cozy Mark Crusadin' // by 5u0myn0n4 //------------------------------// Cozy Glow slowly opened her eyes. She was dazed, and just regaining consciousness. As her vision became clearer, her surroundings revealed themselves to her. She was inside of some kind of tent, and bound to a board on the ground. *Ugh* "What the!? Get me out of this thing! Or I'll-" She looked to her side, and she briefly saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders peeking inside and watching her. They realized they were spotted, and swiftly fled. *Grr* "So they're the ones behind this." she said to herself. It'd been ages since Cozy had seen the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but unlike before, the CMC knew what Cozy was about, and wouldn't be fooled as easily by her tricks. "Oh, Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Cozy cried out. "Come inside. Long time no see." she said, in the same exaggerated tone she used when they first met. The CMC entered the tent, appearing very short on patience. "There's no sense in tryin' to trick us, Cozy Glow. We know what yer about." Apple Bloom said. "Is that so?" Cozy said, changing to a more serious tone. But the CMC could easily see past her ruse, and they weren't in the mood for games. They were taking matters seriously, and were on careful watch as to not be duped again. "What wer ya thinkin' Cozy Glow? Tryin' to dispel all the magic like that?!" Apple Bloom asked. "Lying to Twilight and the others like that, just for your own selfish gain." Sweetie Belle added. "You lied and deceived everyone! You built up trust with everypony in that school, and you abused it. It's going to take a lot before you earn our trust back." Scootaloo said. Cozy's jaw dropped at how unwelcoming the Crusaders were. "Oh, come on, Crusaders. You act like nopony's ever done anything unsavory that was later forgiven." she said. "If ya want forgiveness, then you'll haf'ta earn it." Apple Bloom said. "Well, how am I supposed to prove myself tied down like this?" Cozy asked. The CMC looked at each other. She sort of had a point. But she was cunning, and her trust couldn't be taken at face value. "First, answer us this. How did you get out of Tartarus? And what are you doing here?" Apple Bloom asked. A tricky question to start things off. That one took some thinking from Cozy to come up with a sneaky response. "I'm here because... um, well... I'm here on some important matters." Cozy answered. "Such as..." Sweetie Belle asked. "A um... someone I know, they asked me to do them an important favor, and I'd hate to disappoint them." Cozy said, in a whimsy tone. The CMC had a hunch she was being deceitful, But she was being vague, which made it hard to tell. "Won't you please untie me Crusaders? I'd hate to let them down..." Cozy put on a sappy face and made her eyes twinkle. The CMC looked at each other with unamused faces. "What if she's lying?" Apple Bloom asked. "She's definitely lying." Sweetie Belle added. "For sure." Scootaloo added. "Cut me a break..." Cozy said to herself. "Well if you aren't going to offer me anything, then why are you talking to me?!" "She has a point. What exactly is our plan?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Yeah, let's discuss this, over a routine huddle outside." Apple Bloom said The CMC left the tent to discuss things so Cozy couldn't hear. "Scootaloo, we already gave Cozy Glow our CMC treatment when we thought she was flunking Twilight's school." Apple Bloom said. "For all the good that did..." "Well, she wasn't being honest back then. We didn't know what we were up against. But now we have a better idea." Scootaloo said. "We just have to go deeper inside and figure out what she's about, and then we might be able to help her for real." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, unsure. "Sounds doable, I suppose." Sweetie Belle said. "Okay. She gets one chance. The CMC went back into the tent to speak with Cozy. "Cozy Glow, wer willin' to offer ya a chance, as long as you..." Apple Bloom started, but she stopped speaking when she saw... The CMC entered the tent, and saw an empty bed with the rope in an unorderly pile. And a giant hole in the tent. "And... she's gone." Sweetie Belle said. "There goes her one chance. Gone before it even started." The CMC peaked their heads through the hole in the tent, and saw Cozy Glow zipping off, and fleeing the area. "COZY GLOW!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. The CMC ran after her, but she was too quick to chase, so they watched her flee. "She's getting away!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "Not on my watch!" Scootaloo exclaimed. Scootaloo dawned her purple helmet, and hopped aboard her scooter. With he pitter patter of her wings, she revved up like an engine, and she was off zooming after that no good pegasus filly Cozy Glow. Cozy was flying through the forest, simply trying to get as far away from the CMC as possible, when she looked behind her and saw Scootaloo on her scooter. She was almost as fast if not faster than Cozy. Before she knew it, they were in hot pursuit. "What the?!" Cozy exclaimed. "How are you-" "Cozy, come back!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Why should I?!" Cozy yelled back. The chase continued, but quickly, the gap between the two was closing. Cozy flew through tight spaces and close branches, and tight bushes to try to lose Scootaloo. But Scootaloo was skilled, and kept in pursuit. Scootaloo leapt up over a branch, and landed back on her scooter, and kept on the speed. Cozy was amazed at Scootaloo's dexterity and skill. Scootaloo chased Cozy Glow. After Scootaloo cleared the brush, she saw Cozy Glow floating a few meters from an edge of the cliff. Scootaloo came to a screeching halt, and skid across the ground, and very nearly fell over the edge. "Can't reach me from here? Can you? No you can't!" Cozy Glow teased Scootaloo. "Sucks being so disadvantage, isn't it?!" Scootaloo glared at Cozy Glow, and slowly turned around and walked away. "That's right, turn around, go home, ya poor wittle filly! You're done! You're way over your head, you'll never be a-" "AAH!!" "WOAH!!!" Scootaloo ran forward and lept off the cliff and latched onto Cozy Glow. "Get off of me!" The extra weight of Scootaloo brought Cozy downward. Cozy kicked and fidgeted to get rid of Scootaloo. And finally, she was successful, and Scootaloo lost her grip. "AAHHH!!" Scootaloo plummeted. Scootaloo's life froze, as she fell. Somehow, I always know this is how I'd go... she thought in her head. Right before she hit the ground, she miraculously didn't. "Huh?" She looked up, and saw Cozy Glow holding onto her forelimbs. "Wow. Thanks Cozy Gl-" *plunk* Cozy Glow let go of Scootaloo and she plopped onto the ground from a very short distance. *Ow* *groan* "Dumb filly. Why would you do something so stupid like that? Sheesh." Cozy Glow left Scootaloo in the dirt and started for the other direction. "Hey, what gives?" Scootaloo asked. "Don't think I saved you because I care for your safety. It's just, I don't need the guilt of your death on my conscience. I've got too much going on as it is." Cozy explained. "I find that hard to believe. How do I know you haven't killed a pony already?" Scootaloo asked. "Golly, you make me out to be a stone cold killer." Cozy said, in a sarcastic tone. "Am I really so bad?" Scootaloo lunged forward, but Cozy flew up and hovered above Scootaloo. "I'm impressed with your horizontal prowess, but it seems you're still vertically challenged." Cozy teased. Scootaloo simply looked up with a pouty face. "Aww, I think I've wasted enough time here. I've got other plans that don't involve you fools." "Of course you got plans. You've always got some kind of world ending scheme on your mind. That's all you do!! You never give up, do you? Why of all creatures obsessed with power and world domination is it you anyway? A stupid little pegasus filly! What could you possibly gain, by lying to your close friends like that?!" Scootaloo asked in tears. "You don't know what I've been through! If you knew, you'd understand my actions." Cozy said. "You think you have things so rough?! I don't even know where to begin?! You don't know how lucky you are! You don't have overbearing yet simultaneously invisible parents, ready to rip you away from all the friends who care about you!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "You don't have to go about every day living with the burden of being born cursed to never being able to live up to your potential!" "Your ramblings have exceeded my attention span. Please use fewer words." Cozy said. "You can fly! You don't know how fortunate you are!" Scootaloo exclaimed. Cozy paused. Did this lowly pegasus call Cozy fortunate? "You seriously think that you have it harder than me?! Not even close!" Cozy exclaimed. "I had that School of Friendship under my hooves, until you and your six student friends took that away from me!" Cozy shouted in Scootaloo's face. Scootaloo got angry and shouted back. "What I have, and what you had at the school, that's not the same!" she said. "Oh, definitely not. I'm not some pushover wimp with self-esteem issues who just hangs with more fortunate ponies in order to feel better about themselves!" Cozy ranted. "You better watch what you say!" Scootaloo said. "It isn't like that!" "Oh, so that Rainbow Dash didn't take you under her wing because she pitied you? Did she take you under her wing when you did something spectacularly amazing? Or when you spectacularly failed?" "If you say one more thing! I'll... I'll..." "You'll what? Drown me in your tears? I'd like to see that actually." Cozy patted Scootaloo's head and smirked. "I at least I have friends who care about me? Who even likes you? No one! That's who!" Scootaloo said. "Ouch. Hitting it where it hurts." Cozy said, half sarcastically. Scootaloo's words hit Cozy where it hurt. She thought deep, and realized she had a point, and she didn't like it. *groan* "Okay, so manipulating a school of easily tricked ponies isn't the same as what you have. But I don't even have that anymore. I don't have followers. I don't have family or everlasting friends to fall back on..." Cozy said, looking down. Friendship is a disease. echoed in Cozy's head. "At least you have all those... all those friends of yours. Running away from your parents, who came all this way to make sure you were safe. You don't know how fortunate you are having them, your crusader friends, Rainbow Dash and her mane 6 friends. You have them as your friends who'll listen to you, and don't question your authority. For all the flack I gave you, at least your friends care that you're safe." "I don't have anyone who takes me seriously..." Cozy said. Cozy shed a single tear. "Is that so... Cozy Glow?" Scootaloo asked. Scootaloo thought, and she thought she knew the reason why Cozy Glow was unhappy. "I think I might see your problem. You treat friendship like a numbers game. Or a power contest, but it isn't like that at all. Making friends isn't about having followers or subjects, it's about having friends who care about you. Who worry for you when you run away, or think about harming yourself. Friends who don't think any less of you, no matter how much less of a pegasus you think you are..." Scootaloo started to break down too. "You have some pretty low self-esteem, Scoat." Cozy said, deadpan. "What you make up for, your wings might not be able to lift your body, but you found a way to highlight your strengths regardless, and you were wonders on that scooter." "Thanks, Cozy. I-" Scootaloo paused. Did Cozy just compliment her? "So... what's your next plan, Cozy? Now that everypony knows of your lying manipulative nature, who's going to be your friend now?" Cozy thought of the legion of doom, and their time climbing Mt. Everhoof. The trio only succeeded when they worked together. Cozy recalled how much better it felt helping each other. But then came the snarling Changeling Queen, who recognized what was happening and rejected the notion of friendship before it could consume the trio. Cozy recalled the guilty disappointment deep inside because of that. She had never felt that feeling before. It felt good. So to shoot it down, felt like a wasted opportunity. Now here came Scootaloo questioning who Cozy Glow wanted for friends? If she answered truthfully, it'd give away the entire surprise plan. Scootaloo recognized the inner turmoil of Cozy's mind, and decided to speak. "Say, Cozy. If you promise not to run away again, I promise we'll hear you out." Scootaloo said. "Why?" Cozy asked. "I trapped you in a closet and only pretended to be your friends to get Twilight's attention. You guys don't owe me anything." "Well, it's not about that. Helping creatures in need is at the core of what we, the Cutie Mark Crusaders do best." Scootaloo said. "You're still willing to help? After seeing the real me? Even after all those horrible things I said to you just now." Cozy asked. "My friends don't think any less of the real me, and I promise not to think any less of you." Scootaloo said. Cozy Glow wondered. She didn't realize Scootaloo had so much baggage she carried. Maybe she would understand her situation after all. But before she could make up her mind, they heard two distant voices call out. "Scootaloo!" two distant voices exclaimed. Cozy turned her head and saw them. "It's you two!" Cozy exclaimed. *gasp* "Scoot's got 'er cornered!" Apple Bloom shouted. "No she doesn't!" Cozy cried. "Now's our chance!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. Cozy tried to fly away, but Sweetie Belle used her magic to halt her wings. "What the?" she cried. Sweetie Belle used her magic to press Cozy Glow against a tree, and Apple Bloom tied her to the tree. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle did a hoof bump. "Cutie Mark Crusaders save the world!" they exclaimed together. "You fiend! You tricked me!" Cozy Glow exclaimed. Scootaloo put on her serious face and spoke against her two crusaders. "Untie her." Scootaloo demanded. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, confused. "What?" they asked simultaneously. "But why?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Because." Scootaloo walks up to Cozy and starts untying her. "This is no way to treat a friend!" Scootaloo said. "Friend?" Cozy asked under her breath. Scootaloo had finished untying Cozy. And remarkably, Cozy remained in place. She turned her head, and tried not to make direct eye contact with anyone. Scootaloo and Cozy didn't reply. So Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle reluctantly helped Scootaloo untie Cozy Glow. And miraculously, Cozy Glow stayed put, and didn't flee the scene.