We’re Here For You, Cozyby HenBasketChaptersCall of the MapThe Long Trek - The HoofcartAppleoosaThe DreamscapeOh, F**kApologiesCall of the Map“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. The Long Trek - The HoofcartThe 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. AppleoosaTrouble Shoes was taking his usual early morning walk in the outskirts of Appleoosa, it helped clear his head before the days work. He was about to head back into town when he noticed a hoofcart and caboose abandoned on the train tracks. That’s weird, he thought before heading over to take a look. As he got closer he saw two fillies asleep on the hoofcart, one he recognized, the other he had never seen before. Gently, he moved the two fillies into the caboose without waking them and started pumping the cart towards Appleoosa. As he pulled into the station, he saw the sheriff walking towards the jail. “Sheriff!” Trouble Shoes bellowed. “Get Braeburn,” he added in a normal volume. Apple Bloom was the first to wake up. She stretched her hooves and pushed the covers off her body. Her eyes shot open. There weren’t any blankets in the caboose, just a couple of hay filled mattresses. As she came to her senses, she realized she recognized the room she was in. They had been caught. Quietly, she shook the other fillies awake and told them they needed to escape. They quickly got out of bed and went to open the window, but when they did, a loud clang came from outside. Seconds later, the bedroom door slammed open, revealing Braeburn who appeared to be quite peeved. “Uh, howdy?” Apple Bloom asked. “What were you four doing out there all alone?” Braeburn asked firmly. “Well, you see,” started Scootaloo. “We’re on a mission for the Elements of Harmony, and Twilight didn’t take the news so well.” “So you went off on your own in the middle of the night with nopony to look after you?” Braeburn responded. “We had each other!” Sweetie Belle piped in. “You were found asleep on the rails in the outskirts of town,” Braeburn yelled. “You’re lucky the trains going down here are cancelled.” “But that’s why we took the hoofcart,” Diamond Tiara interjected. “We needed to take a train to Doge Junction so we could get to the Badlands!” “Are you crazy?! Why would you go there alone without an adult?!” Braeburn replied, becoming more engaged. “Because the Map of Harmony sent us,” Apple Bloom spoke up. “It says we need to go to Tartarus.” “Still, why didn’t you bring an adult with you?” Braeburn pried. “They don’t exactly agree with the map,” Scootaloo said. “They think it’s wrong.” “So it was either go against your sisters’ wishes, or go against the map’s?” The Crusaders nodded, followed by Diamond Tiara a few seconds later. Braeburn sat down, he knew what the map was and that it worked in mysterious ways. But he couldn’t figure out why it would send four fillies in a quest their guardians would disagree with. He put his head in his hooves and groaned. “Y’all are in quite a predicament, aren’t ya?” Braeburn asked the four fillies. “The elements of Harmony telling you to do one thing, and the ponies in charge of you saying another. Must be pretty hard, huh?” Before the fillies could answer, Braeburn decided what to do. “You know what? Tonight we leave for the Badlands. I know where they put the hoofcart and caboose, so that will make it a lot easier. You missed the junction to get to Dodge Junction, so we’ll need to head towards Ponyville for a bit. Luckily because of our direction, I can tell them I’m taking them back to Ponyville. Y’all on board?” The fillies exchanged glances before returning their attention back to Braeburn to give him their answer. It had been an hour since the sun had set, and the fillies were starting to get anxious. Despite Braeburn having given them a full day of activities to do, it was hard for them to sit still and wait for the cost to be clear. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Braeburn made the announcement. “Okay, I’m gonna go get the train ready. You four wait a few minutes and then sneak your way to the station. Got it?” With the fillies nodding in response, Braeburn left the house and started towards the train station. On the way, he ran into the sheriff who happened to be heading home from the jailhouse. Braeburn started to worry that the sheriff would notice him or the girls and gig would be up. Much to his relief, the sheriff kept on walking home away from the train station. Braeburn wipes his forehead and continued on his way to the train station. When he finally got to the station, the four fillies were already there. The stallion couldn’t help but shake his head, he could never understand how they could get places so quickly and quietly. “Okay girls, you’re gonna need to be quiet, okay? We can’t risk getting caught.” Braeburn whispered to the fillies, who nodded in return. “Okay, into the caboose you go.” The stallion helped helped his cousin and her friends into the caboose and closed the door. He then made his way to the hoofcart, hopped on, and started pumping the miniature train north to the junction that split between Ponyville and Dodge Junction. Inside the hoofcart, the fillies were getting tired. It had been a long day for them, between the rodeo activities Braeburn has set up for them to do on his farm and discussing their plan to get Cozy Glow out of Tartarus. They didn’t have much luck on the latter. The four fillies were stuck to one bed, they were hoping that they could use both beds, but since Braeburn was with them, that had to stick to the one bed. Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara decided to make the most of it by snuggling up next to each other, while Apple Bloom was busy preening Scootaloo. Eventually, the four fillies fell asleep to the sound of the caboose’s wheels rolling on the tracks. Author's Note Okay, originally I planned on releasing chapters every week, but that was starting to stress me because I’m not good with deadlines. So now I’m just releasing them when I’m done The DreamscapeDiamond Tiara got out of bed and looked out the back of the caboose for a breath of fresh air. However, when she tried to breathe in, she realized that she couldn’t. At first she started to panic, until she realized that the caboose seemed to be floating in space. “Uh, girls,” that pink filly asked, a little uncertain of what was going on. “Is it just me, or is the caboose floating in the middle of space?” “Wouldn’t surprise me,” Scootaloo said without raising an eyebrow. “This is a dream after all.” “Wait, I’m dreaming?” Diamond asked, looking for confirmation. “We all are, silly,” Apple Bloom responded, pulling an apple out of thin air and taking a bite out of it. Diamond Tiara put her hoof up as if to question what had just happened, but put it down when she heard the distant sound of a filly crying. “Is this one of your memories, or is there a fifth pony in here that we don’t know about?” “That crying,” Sweetie Belle spoke up. “It sounds so familiar. I think it might be Cozy Glow!” “But the question is, is she a part of our dream, or is she also dreaming?” Scootaloo interjected. “Only one way to find out,” Apple Bloom said, jumping out of the caboose, landing on the invisible ground. The remaining fillies followed suit with Diamond Tiara taking up the rear. As the fillies walked towards the crying, Diamond Tiara was trying to piece things together. “So, how exactly are we sharing the same dream? Doesn’t Princess Luna need to do something for that to happen?” “You know how when we got our cutie marks, there was a big magical anomaly? We think it may have something to do with that,” Sweetie Belle explained. “It usually happens when we’re close together, so the magic may have seen you and decided you needed to be in the dream. Nopony really knows how it works. Now, as for Cozy, if it is her, I really have no idea. That Princess Luna might be behind.” Diamond Tiara took a little to process Sweetie’s explanation. After a few seconds of silence, she simply said, “Got it,” and continued walking towards Cozy Glow. When they finally reached the crying filly, they noticed she looked terrible; her coat was filthy, her mane tangled, and her eyes were swollen and bloodshot. The four exchanged glances, trying to figure out how Cozy looked as bad as she did, despite only being in Tartarus for a few days. After a long pause, Scootaloo put a hoof out to get Cozy’s attention, only for it to get swayed away by the disheveled pegasus. “Get away from me!” Cozy shrieked, only to calmly add on, “I don’t wanna hurt you, Scootaloo. I don’t wanna hurt any of you more than I already have.” The salmon colored filly began to cry again. Scootaloo took a step back. “H-how did you know it was me?” “This is a dream, right?” Cozy asked hoarsely. “I can feel all of you here. I just don’t know who the fourth one of you is.” The fourth one of course being Diamond Tiara. The pink filly stepped forward to introduce herself to Cozy. “Hi, I’m Diamond Tiara. I’m friends with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I assume you’re Cozy Glow?” “What about it, have you come here to laugh at my defeat?” Cozy snapped. “Or have you come here to spit in my face?” “Cozy,” Sweetie Belle said, slightly offended. “We would never do that to you. Even though you did do a lot of nasty things, I believe there’s some good in that heart of yours.” Cozy’s eyes teared up again. “I- I- I wanna be good, but I c- I c-can’t! He won’t let me!” Sweetie Belle slowly knelt down and hugged Cozy, who fought at first but gave up after less than a second. Taking a deep breath, Sweetie asked a difficult question. “Who? Who won’t let you?” She summoned a manebrush and started stroking Cozy. “He won’t say,” Cozy started to respond. “He just whispers things to me. Tells me to do shit I know I shouldn’t do. He’s not my conscience, but he some- he some-” Cozy started to shake violently. “Go, run! He’s taking over again! Save your— Foolish foals,” Cozy started to float and her voice dropped several octaves. “You really think you can save her? Think again, you’re young and weak. You can’t help her, not without your sisters.” The four fillies looked at each other in confusion and fear. ‘Cozy’ began to laugh. “What, scared are we? ‘Oh no! How did the big scary voice know?’ I know everything foals. And now that you’re here, I can enter your heads and have five ponies do my bid—” A large beam of magic exited Sweetie Belle’s horn and hit Cozy. “Leave my friends alone you piece of shit!” Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Diamond Tiara looked at the unicorn in shock. Sweetie Belle was the last pony they expected to use profane language. “A challenger? Ah, I haven’t had one of these in a couple of days! Give me your best, foal!” An idea entered Sweetie Belle’s head. “Why not take on all four of us? You said you wanted a challenge, right?” Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “Sweetie Belle, are you cra—” Sweetie put a hoof over her friend’s mouth. “Shut up and trust me on this, Scoot.” “Very well. I shall take on all four of you, but the loss is on you. It will only extend your suffering!” “I’m not so sure about that, actually,” Sweetie Belle responded. “You see, you’re forgetting one very important piece of information. We’re friends, and we would do anything to protect each other.” The four fillies began to float, orbs of energy circling them. “You made a mistake threatening ponies with friends, and now you must pay.” “Foolish foal, you don’t possibly think I’ll fall for some light show you dreamed up? Please, I’ve seen better tactics from squirr—” Before the voice could finish, a beam of magic hit Cozy Glow, causing her to fall to the ground. The other four fillies slowly floated to the ground before running to Cozy to make sure she was alright. “Cozy!” Apple Bloom shouted on her way. “Are you alright?” “He-he’s still there,” Cozy said weakly. “Just not as loud. Thanks. How did you do that?” “It was a big risk,” Sweetie Belle replied. “But, it turns out, no matter how many friends you have, the magic of friendship still works. Just please hang tight. We’re in out way to Tartarus to save you.” Cozy’s face lit up before a loud rumbling sound echoed through the dreamscape. Cozy’s eyes immediately shrunk with fear, before a hole opened up below her sucking her in. A few seconds later, a bigger hole opened up below them, sucking them in as well. When the fillies finally came to, they saw Braeburn laying in the bed across from them, smiling. “Well,” he said. “You four are finally awake. You must have had quite the dreams last night. It sounded like you were fighting monsters.” Diamond Tiara looked him square in the eye and said, “You have no idea.” Oh, F**kOh, F**k It was cold and dark, all cries out for help were responded to with an echo. Cozy looked around, scared. This wasn’t a dream or Tartarus. Where was she? Finally, the mysterious voice that coerced her to take over the School of Friendship spoke up. “What just happened back there, foal?” “I-I’m not a foal,” Cozy responded, ignoring the question. “I’m almost thirteen!” “Answer me!” The voice was starting to get angry. “I-I don’t know,” Cozy said, obviously knowing what did happen. “Don’t lie to me foal,” the voice demanded. “I can tell when you lie in here.” “And where exactly is here?” Cozy inquired. “We’re in your brain, foal,” the voice responded, slightly annoyed. “Your dream left you vulnerable, and your ‘friends’ using their magic to push me back allowed me to pull you to where I reside.” “But why?!” Cozy asked, both scared and angry. “So you can’t block me out!” The voice was on the verge of yelling. “If you had done your job properly, I’d be sitting on a celestiadamn throne!” “You?” “I mean we, you wanted power, didn’t you foal?” Cozy had had enough. “I wanted friends. I thought power was the way to get them, but I was wrong! Ever since I met the Crusaders, I real—” The voice cut Cozy off, still quite steamed. “Oh shut up foal, you don’t really care about friends do you? You’re just looking for a way to get back at your parents for abandoning you.” This hurt Cozy deeply. As she started to cry she responded to the voice. “Don’t talk about them! They don’t care about me, so I shouldn’t care about them!” The voice had an idea. “If you did become the empress of friendship like I wanted you to, you could have had revenge on them!” “But I don’t want revenge,” Cozy was on the verge of sobbing. “I want a life away from them!” “But they made you feel like shit. Isn’t it fair that you return the favor?” The voice knew Cozy was about to break. “No, it is not!” Cozy’s voice was very unstable by now. “Just shut up!” “Those students ruined your plans. How does that make you feel?” Almost there. “They were your plans! Just leave me alone!” Cozy broke, she started sobbing, curled up in a ball in the middle of the black void, completely alone, with nopony to comfort her. The voice chuckled, and the void disappeared, revealing Tartarus. Cozy continued sobbing in her cell, with Tirek watching in disgust. This is the kid he decided to coerce? Tirek thought to himself. She can’t even go one night without crying her brains out. For fuck’s sake. “I’m worried about Cozy,” Apple Bloom told Sweetie Belle, who was brushing her mane in front of a small mirror in the caboose. “She seems disturbed.” “Disturbed?” Diamond Tiara interjected. “That poor girl is possessed. Didn’t you see her try to fight whatever we fought against?” “Yeah, she did seem pretty scared,” Scootaloo said, busy preening herself. Sweetie Belle set down her brush and exhaled sharply. “I just don’t know what to do! We’re just kids. Apple Bloom, you’re the oldest out of us, and you turned 15 just a few weeks ago! Why couldn’t our sisters have taken care of this?!” Sweetie Belle was on the verge of breaking down when Diamond hugged her. “It’s gonna be okay, Sweetie. If the map thinks we can do it, then we can. You girls have hearts as strong as horses, right?” This made Sweetie Belle smile, it had been a few years since the Equestria games, but the song they sang to help Scootaloo come around and come to the Crystal Empire still rang true in her heart. “Yeah, we do,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Don’t we girls?” “Yeah!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo replied, high-hoofing Sweetie Belle. They held their hooves up to allow Diamond Tiara to join, who after a second of consideration, put her hoof up to theirs. “Let’s go save Cozy,” the pink filly said confidently. “And kick the flank of whoever is inside her head!” “Assuming we can get it out of there,” Scootaloo added. “We only seemed to push it deeper into her head.” “But that was a dream, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom pointed out, before realizing the corner she got herself into. “Who knows what will happen here in the real world.” The fillies jumped when the cart’s breaks squeaked and slowed to a halt. Then there was knocking on the side of the caboose closest to the hoofcart. Braeburn was shouting something. “Run! Go fast now!” Braeburn shouted, before jumping off the hoofcart. The fillies obeyed, jumping out of the caboose and running away from the tracks, just in time, too. A train came barreling by, smashing the hoofcart and caboose, sending them flying into the air. However, the train didn’t go much further, its breaks has been on as it went by them. Before anypony could say anything, six ponies exited the train looking quite upset. “Oh fuck,” said Scootaloo. “They found us.” ApologiesThe four fillies reluctantly started towards the train. “Where are you four going?” Braeburn asked them. “What happened to saving your friend?” “It’s over, cuz,” Apple Bloom replied. “They’ve found us and there’s no use running now.” Braeburn couldn’t think of what to say next, but he felt like he had to do something. He pulled down his hat and ran off into the distance as the fillies continued their walk of shame towards the train. As they got closer, the adults ran towards the fillies and started scolding them, all talking over each other. Overwhelmed by all the commotion, Sweetie Belle shrieked. “Shut up! Please, one at a time. We can’t listen to all of you at once.” Twilight took a deep breath. “You’re right, Sweetie Belle. I’m sorry. However, what you four did was incredibly dangerous and immature. You shouldn’t have gone without an adult. Even then, it’s a dangerous endeavor. Cozy Glow is a very—” “She’s hurting, Twilight,” Sweetie Belle interrupted. “Something- er, someone forced her to do that. She wants to be good, but she can’t.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “And how did you come to this conclusion, exactly?” “Something changed about her, Twilight. We thought it was from her stressing about finals. She acted like she didn’t know us at times, and wanted to have sleepovers with us at others. When we tried distracting her when she was taking over the school, she- she-” At this point, Sweetie Belle broke down crying. There were just too many emotions going through her head for her to process. “She acted like she didn’t know us,” Scootaloo picked up where Sweetie Belle left off. As she stroked her friend’s back she continued. “Also, I could have sworn there was a hint of fear in her eyes. L-like she didn’t wanna lock us in that closet.” “Then there was the map. It called us to Tartarus,” Apple Bloom added. “And Cozy is the only one we know who’s in Tartarus. A-and then last night, we all had this dream. She was crying, Twilight.” “Hold on a second,” Twilight inquired. “Did you all have this same dream?” “Yes, Twilight. We did.” Diamond Tiara spoke up. “I don’t even know her and I could tell she was legitimately hurting inside. She said something about ‘him’ forcing her to do all those things.” “You mean Tirek?” Twilight asked, confused. “She willingly talked to him.” “I’m not so sure about that, Twilight.” Sweetie Belle said, igniting her horn and projecting the dream they had had. Sweetie Belle struggled, the memory projection spell was a highly advanced one, and she didn’t have much practice with it. The projection was grainy, and the audio muffled. However, it was good enough for the alicorn to see Cozy’s troubles. “I had no idea,” said Twilight. “I thought she was just bad. I never thought she might have needed help.” “None of us did, Twi.” Applejack said, walking over and putting a hoof around the alicorn. “We were just so surprised that a little filly could do such a heinous thing, we didn’t even think to stop and figure out why.” “I can’t help but feel like I failed her,” Twilight sighed. “She was my assistant and I didn’t even notice she was hurting.” “No, Twilight,” Scootaloo said. “If anything, we failed her. We should have let you know when we noticed she started acting differently. But we didn’t. Also, I wanna apologize for what I said to you a few nights ago. I was upset and tired, I wasn’t thinking straight. Can you forgive me?” “Oh, Scootaloo,” Twilight responded, nuzzling the filly, “of course I can. Now, let’s go save Cozy!” Twilight illuminated her horn, creating a bubble around the ten ponies, and with a flash of light, they were at the gates of Tartarus. Author's Note Sorry for the delay, I got caught up in my other story. As for the short chapter, I didn’t have many ideas of what to happen between the M6 and CMC making amends, and them reaching Tartarus.
Call of the Map“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.
The Long Trek - The HoofcartThe 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.
AppleoosaTrouble Shoes was taking his usual early morning walk in the outskirts of Appleoosa, it helped clear his head before the days work. He was about to head back into town when he noticed a hoofcart and caboose abandoned on the train tracks. That’s weird, he thought before heading over to take a look. As he got closer he saw two fillies asleep on the hoofcart, one he recognized, the other he had never seen before. Gently, he moved the two fillies into the caboose without waking them and started pumping the cart towards Appleoosa. As he pulled into the station, he saw the sheriff walking towards the jail. “Sheriff!” Trouble Shoes bellowed. “Get Braeburn,” he added in a normal volume. Apple Bloom was the first to wake up. She stretched her hooves and pushed the covers off her body. Her eyes shot open. There weren’t any blankets in the caboose, just a couple of hay filled mattresses. As she came to her senses, she realized she recognized the room she was in. They had been caught. Quietly, she shook the other fillies awake and told them they needed to escape. They quickly got out of bed and went to open the window, but when they did, a loud clang came from outside. Seconds later, the bedroom door slammed open, revealing Braeburn who appeared to be quite peeved. “Uh, howdy?” Apple Bloom asked. “What were you four doing out there all alone?” Braeburn asked firmly. “Well, you see,” started Scootaloo. “We’re on a mission for the Elements of Harmony, and Twilight didn’t take the news so well.” “So you went off on your own in the middle of the night with nopony to look after you?” Braeburn responded. “We had each other!” Sweetie Belle piped in. “You were found asleep on the rails in the outskirts of town,” Braeburn yelled. “You’re lucky the trains going down here are cancelled.” “But that’s why we took the hoofcart,” Diamond Tiara interjected. “We needed to take a train to Doge Junction so we could get to the Badlands!” “Are you crazy?! Why would you go there alone without an adult?!” Braeburn replied, becoming more engaged. “Because the Map of Harmony sent us,” Apple Bloom spoke up. “It says we need to go to Tartarus.” “Still, why didn’t you bring an adult with you?” Braeburn pried. “They don’t exactly agree with the map,” Scootaloo said. “They think it’s wrong.” “So it was either go against your sisters’ wishes, or go against the map’s?” The Crusaders nodded, followed by Diamond Tiara a few seconds later. Braeburn sat down, he knew what the map was and that it worked in mysterious ways. But he couldn’t figure out why it would send four fillies in a quest their guardians would disagree with. He put his head in his hooves and groaned. “Y’all are in quite a predicament, aren’t ya?” Braeburn asked the four fillies. “The elements of Harmony telling you to do one thing, and the ponies in charge of you saying another. Must be pretty hard, huh?” Before the fillies could answer, Braeburn decided what to do. “You know what? Tonight we leave for the Badlands. I know where they put the hoofcart and caboose, so that will make it a lot easier. You missed the junction to get to Dodge Junction, so we’ll need to head towards Ponyville for a bit. Luckily because of our direction, I can tell them I’m taking them back to Ponyville. Y’all on board?” The fillies exchanged glances before returning their attention back to Braeburn to give him their answer. It had been an hour since the sun had set, and the fillies were starting to get anxious. Despite Braeburn having given them a full day of activities to do, it was hard for them to sit still and wait for the cost to be clear. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Braeburn made the announcement. “Okay, I’m gonna go get the train ready. You four wait a few minutes and then sneak your way to the station. Got it?” With the fillies nodding in response, Braeburn left the house and started towards the train station. On the way, he ran into the sheriff who happened to be heading home from the jailhouse. Braeburn started to worry that the sheriff would notice him or the girls and gig would be up. Much to his relief, the sheriff kept on walking home away from the train station. Braeburn wipes his forehead and continued on his way to the train station. When he finally got to the station, the four fillies were already there. The stallion couldn’t help but shake his head, he could never understand how they could get places so quickly and quietly. “Okay girls, you’re gonna need to be quiet, okay? We can’t risk getting caught.” Braeburn whispered to the fillies, who nodded in return. “Okay, into the caboose you go.” The stallion helped helped his cousin and her friends into the caboose and closed the door. He then made his way to the hoofcart, hopped on, and started pumping the miniature train north to the junction that split between Ponyville and Dodge Junction. Inside the hoofcart, the fillies were getting tired. It had been a long day for them, between the rodeo activities Braeburn has set up for them to do on his farm and discussing their plan to get Cozy Glow out of Tartarus. They didn’t have much luck on the latter. The four fillies were stuck to one bed, they were hoping that they could use both beds, but since Braeburn was with them, that had to stick to the one bed. Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara decided to make the most of it by snuggling up next to each other, while Apple Bloom was busy preening Scootaloo. Eventually, the four fillies fell asleep to the sound of the caboose’s wheels rolling on the tracks. Author's Note Okay, originally I planned on releasing chapters every week, but that was starting to stress me because I’m not good with deadlines. So now I’m just releasing them when I’m done
The DreamscapeDiamond Tiara got out of bed and looked out the back of the caboose for a breath of fresh air. However, when she tried to breathe in, she realized that she couldn’t. At first she started to panic, until she realized that the caboose seemed to be floating in space. “Uh, girls,” that pink filly asked, a little uncertain of what was going on. “Is it just me, or is the caboose floating in the middle of space?” “Wouldn’t surprise me,” Scootaloo said without raising an eyebrow. “This is a dream after all.” “Wait, I’m dreaming?” Diamond asked, looking for confirmation. “We all are, silly,” Apple Bloom responded, pulling an apple out of thin air and taking a bite out of it. Diamond Tiara put her hoof up as if to question what had just happened, but put it down when she heard the distant sound of a filly crying. “Is this one of your memories, or is there a fifth pony in here that we don’t know about?” “That crying,” Sweetie Belle spoke up. “It sounds so familiar. I think it might be Cozy Glow!” “But the question is, is she a part of our dream, or is she also dreaming?” Scootaloo interjected. “Only one way to find out,” Apple Bloom said, jumping out of the caboose, landing on the invisible ground. The remaining fillies followed suit with Diamond Tiara taking up the rear. As the fillies walked towards the crying, Diamond Tiara was trying to piece things together. “So, how exactly are we sharing the same dream? Doesn’t Princess Luna need to do something for that to happen?” “You know how when we got our cutie marks, there was a big magical anomaly? We think it may have something to do with that,” Sweetie Belle explained. “It usually happens when we’re close together, so the magic may have seen you and decided you needed to be in the dream. Nopony really knows how it works. Now, as for Cozy, if it is her, I really have no idea. That Princess Luna might be behind.” Diamond Tiara took a little to process Sweetie’s explanation. After a few seconds of silence, she simply said, “Got it,” and continued walking towards Cozy Glow. When they finally reached the crying filly, they noticed she looked terrible; her coat was filthy, her mane tangled, and her eyes were swollen and bloodshot. The four exchanged glances, trying to figure out how Cozy looked as bad as she did, despite only being in Tartarus for a few days. After a long pause, Scootaloo put a hoof out to get Cozy’s attention, only for it to get swayed away by the disheveled pegasus. “Get away from me!” Cozy shrieked, only to calmly add on, “I don’t wanna hurt you, Scootaloo. I don’t wanna hurt any of you more than I already have.” The salmon colored filly began to cry again. Scootaloo took a step back. “H-how did you know it was me?” “This is a dream, right?” Cozy asked hoarsely. “I can feel all of you here. I just don’t know who the fourth one of you is.” The fourth one of course being Diamond Tiara. The pink filly stepped forward to introduce herself to Cozy. “Hi, I’m Diamond Tiara. I’m friends with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I assume you’re Cozy Glow?” “What about it, have you come here to laugh at my defeat?” Cozy snapped. “Or have you come here to spit in my face?” “Cozy,” Sweetie Belle said, slightly offended. “We would never do that to you. Even though you did do a lot of nasty things, I believe there’s some good in that heart of yours.” Cozy’s eyes teared up again. “I- I- I wanna be good, but I c- I c-can’t! He won’t let me!” Sweetie Belle slowly knelt down and hugged Cozy, who fought at first but gave up after less than a second. Taking a deep breath, Sweetie asked a difficult question. “Who? Who won’t let you?” She summoned a manebrush and started stroking Cozy. “He won’t say,” Cozy started to respond. “He just whispers things to me. Tells me to do shit I know I shouldn’t do. He’s not my conscience, but he some- he some-” Cozy started to shake violently. “Go, run! He’s taking over again! Save your— Foolish foals,” Cozy started to float and her voice dropped several octaves. “You really think you can save her? Think again, you’re young and weak. You can’t help her, not without your sisters.” The four fillies looked at each other in confusion and fear. ‘Cozy’ began to laugh. “What, scared are we? ‘Oh no! How did the big scary voice know?’ I know everything foals. And now that you’re here, I can enter your heads and have five ponies do my bid—” A large beam of magic exited Sweetie Belle’s horn and hit Cozy. “Leave my friends alone you piece of shit!” Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Diamond Tiara looked at the unicorn in shock. Sweetie Belle was the last pony they expected to use profane language. “A challenger? Ah, I haven’t had one of these in a couple of days! Give me your best, foal!” An idea entered Sweetie Belle’s head. “Why not take on all four of us? You said you wanted a challenge, right?” Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “Sweetie Belle, are you cra—” Sweetie put a hoof over her friend’s mouth. “Shut up and trust me on this, Scoot.” “Very well. I shall take on all four of you, but the loss is on you. It will only extend your suffering!” “I’m not so sure about that, actually,” Sweetie Belle responded. “You see, you’re forgetting one very important piece of information. We’re friends, and we would do anything to protect each other.” The four fillies began to float, orbs of energy circling them. “You made a mistake threatening ponies with friends, and now you must pay.” “Foolish foal, you don’t possibly think I’ll fall for some light show you dreamed up? Please, I’ve seen better tactics from squirr—” Before the voice could finish, a beam of magic hit Cozy Glow, causing her to fall to the ground. The other four fillies slowly floated to the ground before running to Cozy to make sure she was alright. “Cozy!” Apple Bloom shouted on her way. “Are you alright?” “He-he’s still there,” Cozy said weakly. “Just not as loud. Thanks. How did you do that?” “It was a big risk,” Sweetie Belle replied. “But, it turns out, no matter how many friends you have, the magic of friendship still works. Just please hang tight. We’re in out way to Tartarus to save you.” Cozy’s face lit up before a loud rumbling sound echoed through the dreamscape. Cozy’s eyes immediately shrunk with fear, before a hole opened up below her sucking her in. A few seconds later, a bigger hole opened up below them, sucking them in as well. When the fillies finally came to, they saw Braeburn laying in the bed across from them, smiling. “Well,” he said. “You four are finally awake. You must have had quite the dreams last night. It sounded like you were fighting monsters.” Diamond Tiara looked him square in the eye and said, “You have no idea.”
Oh, F**kOh, F**k It was cold and dark, all cries out for help were responded to with an echo. Cozy looked around, scared. This wasn’t a dream or Tartarus. Where was she? Finally, the mysterious voice that coerced her to take over the School of Friendship spoke up. “What just happened back there, foal?” “I-I’m not a foal,” Cozy responded, ignoring the question. “I’m almost thirteen!” “Answer me!” The voice was starting to get angry. “I-I don’t know,” Cozy said, obviously knowing what did happen. “Don’t lie to me foal,” the voice demanded. “I can tell when you lie in here.” “And where exactly is here?” Cozy inquired. “We’re in your brain, foal,” the voice responded, slightly annoyed. “Your dream left you vulnerable, and your ‘friends’ using their magic to push me back allowed me to pull you to where I reside.” “But why?!” Cozy asked, both scared and angry. “So you can’t block me out!” The voice was on the verge of yelling. “If you had done your job properly, I’d be sitting on a celestiadamn throne!” “You?” “I mean we, you wanted power, didn’t you foal?” Cozy had had enough. “I wanted friends. I thought power was the way to get them, but I was wrong! Ever since I met the Crusaders, I real—” The voice cut Cozy off, still quite steamed. “Oh shut up foal, you don’t really care about friends do you? You’re just looking for a way to get back at your parents for abandoning you.” This hurt Cozy deeply. As she started to cry she responded to the voice. “Don’t talk about them! They don’t care about me, so I shouldn’t care about them!” The voice had an idea. “If you did become the empress of friendship like I wanted you to, you could have had revenge on them!” “But I don’t want revenge,” Cozy was on the verge of sobbing. “I want a life away from them!” “But they made you feel like shit. Isn’t it fair that you return the favor?” The voice knew Cozy was about to break. “No, it is not!” Cozy’s voice was very unstable by now. “Just shut up!” “Those students ruined your plans. How does that make you feel?” Almost there. “They were your plans! Just leave me alone!” Cozy broke, she started sobbing, curled up in a ball in the middle of the black void, completely alone, with nopony to comfort her. The voice chuckled, and the void disappeared, revealing Tartarus. Cozy continued sobbing in her cell, with Tirek watching in disgust. This is the kid he decided to coerce? Tirek thought to himself. She can’t even go one night without crying her brains out. For fuck’s sake. “I’m worried about Cozy,” Apple Bloom told Sweetie Belle, who was brushing her mane in front of a small mirror in the caboose. “She seems disturbed.” “Disturbed?” Diamond Tiara interjected. “That poor girl is possessed. Didn’t you see her try to fight whatever we fought against?” “Yeah, she did seem pretty scared,” Scootaloo said, busy preening herself. Sweetie Belle set down her brush and exhaled sharply. “I just don’t know what to do! We’re just kids. Apple Bloom, you’re the oldest out of us, and you turned 15 just a few weeks ago! Why couldn’t our sisters have taken care of this?!” Sweetie Belle was on the verge of breaking down when Diamond hugged her. “It’s gonna be okay, Sweetie. If the map thinks we can do it, then we can. You girls have hearts as strong as horses, right?” This made Sweetie Belle smile, it had been a few years since the Equestria games, but the song they sang to help Scootaloo come around and come to the Crystal Empire still rang true in her heart. “Yeah, we do,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Don’t we girls?” “Yeah!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo replied, high-hoofing Sweetie Belle. They held their hooves up to allow Diamond Tiara to join, who after a second of consideration, put her hoof up to theirs. “Let’s go save Cozy,” the pink filly said confidently. “And kick the flank of whoever is inside her head!” “Assuming we can get it out of there,” Scootaloo added. “We only seemed to push it deeper into her head.” “But that was a dream, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom pointed out, before realizing the corner she got herself into. “Who knows what will happen here in the real world.” The fillies jumped when the cart’s breaks squeaked and slowed to a halt. Then there was knocking on the side of the caboose closest to the hoofcart. Braeburn was shouting something. “Run! Go fast now!” Braeburn shouted, before jumping off the hoofcart. The fillies obeyed, jumping out of the caboose and running away from the tracks, just in time, too. A train came barreling by, smashing the hoofcart and caboose, sending them flying into the air. However, the train didn’t go much further, its breaks has been on as it went by them. Before anypony could say anything, six ponies exited the train looking quite upset. “Oh fuck,” said Scootaloo. “They found us.”
ApologiesThe four fillies reluctantly started towards the train. “Where are you four going?” Braeburn asked them. “What happened to saving your friend?” “It’s over, cuz,” Apple Bloom replied. “They’ve found us and there’s no use running now.” Braeburn couldn’t think of what to say next, but he felt like he had to do something. He pulled down his hat and ran off into the distance as the fillies continued their walk of shame towards the train. As they got closer, the adults ran towards the fillies and started scolding them, all talking over each other. Overwhelmed by all the commotion, Sweetie Belle shrieked. “Shut up! Please, one at a time. We can’t listen to all of you at once.” Twilight took a deep breath. “You’re right, Sweetie Belle. I’m sorry. However, what you four did was incredibly dangerous and immature. You shouldn’t have gone without an adult. Even then, it’s a dangerous endeavor. Cozy Glow is a very—” “She’s hurting, Twilight,” Sweetie Belle interrupted. “Something- er, someone forced her to do that. She wants to be good, but she can’t.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “And how did you come to this conclusion, exactly?” “Something changed about her, Twilight. We thought it was from her stressing about finals. She acted like she didn’t know us at times, and wanted to have sleepovers with us at others. When we tried distracting her when she was taking over the school, she- she-” At this point, Sweetie Belle broke down crying. There were just too many emotions going through her head for her to process. “She acted like she didn’t know us,” Scootaloo picked up where Sweetie Belle left off. As she stroked her friend’s back she continued. “Also, I could have sworn there was a hint of fear in her eyes. L-like she didn’t wanna lock us in that closet.” “Then there was the map. It called us to Tartarus,” Apple Bloom added. “And Cozy is the only one we know who’s in Tartarus. A-and then last night, we all had this dream. She was crying, Twilight.” “Hold on a second,” Twilight inquired. “Did you all have this same dream?” “Yes, Twilight. We did.” Diamond Tiara spoke up. “I don’t even know her and I could tell she was legitimately hurting inside. She said something about ‘him’ forcing her to do all those things.” “You mean Tirek?” Twilight asked, confused. “She willingly talked to him.” “I’m not so sure about that, Twilight.” Sweetie Belle said, igniting her horn and projecting the dream they had had. Sweetie Belle struggled, the memory projection spell was a highly advanced one, and she didn’t have much practice with it. The projection was grainy, and the audio muffled. However, it was good enough for the alicorn to see Cozy’s troubles. “I had no idea,” said Twilight. “I thought she was just bad. I never thought she might have needed help.” “None of us did, Twi.” Applejack said, walking over and putting a hoof around the alicorn. “We were just so surprised that a little filly could do such a heinous thing, we didn’t even think to stop and figure out why.” “I can’t help but feel like I failed her,” Twilight sighed. “She was my assistant and I didn’t even notice she was hurting.” “No, Twilight,” Scootaloo said. “If anything, we failed her. We should have let you know when we noticed she started acting differently. But we didn’t. Also, I wanna apologize for what I said to you a few nights ago. I was upset and tired, I wasn’t thinking straight. Can you forgive me?” “Oh, Scootaloo,” Twilight responded, nuzzling the filly, “of course I can. Now, let’s go save Cozy!” Twilight illuminated her horn, creating a bubble around the ten ponies, and with a flash of light, they were at the gates of Tartarus. Author's Note Sorry for the delay, I got caught up in my other story. As for the short chapter, I didn’t have many ideas of what to happen between the M6 and CMC making amends, and them reaching Tartarus.
