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Description

Hey, Crusaders! Welcome back to my map-ordained mission of drawing a comic in response to every new episode of season 8! This week’s comic is based on Surf and/or Turf. I always love a good Cutie Mark Crusaders episode, and this was no exception. It was cool to see how Hippogriff society has been progressing now that they’re not hiding from any giant monkey people anymore, and to see Scootaloo achieve her dreams, albeit in a roundabout way. The central conflict resonated with me personally since my parents are divorced and I’ve had to travel back and forth a lot myself, though Terramar’s parents seemed pretty happy to see each other in the episode, so they’re probably not divorced… just… separated? I dunno, Hippogriffs are weird.
 
If I had any issues to bring up, it’d be the subject of today’s comic, specifically in regards to the Cutie Map. In seasons 5 and 6, I thought the Cutie Map was a fantastic storytelling device and recurring through line, pairing up Elements of Harmony that might not be seen together too often and sending them to some cool new location where they use their contrasting personalities and differing strengths to solve a problem in a way only they can. But nowadays it’s just kinda seems like an excuse to send somepony, major or minor, regardless of connection to the map itself, to some other part of the world so we can have an episode there. The contrasting pairing element seems to be gone completely, and the character choices seem to be less significant as well.
 
Putting aside the fact that it’s an enigmatic magical device that can somehow monitor all of Equestria and even further beyond and I really shouldn’t be questioning these things (which becomes more awkward once you realize someone actually planted that tree and those ponies are now in modern-day Equestria), but remind me why the map summoned the Crusaders specifically again? Why were only they the correct ponies for the job? I guess they interact with somegriff their age to determine what the problem is on a personal level, but they weren’t even able to solve the problem on their own! It was TWILIGHT who provided them with the solution, somepony who was not summoned, and in past Cutie Map episodes was established that it would’ve been a BAD thing if she tried to solve problems she wasn’t summoned for! I dunno, I think the map’s starting to get senile over time.
 
Hope you all are able to find the place in the world where you truly belong! Looking forward to the next episode!
 
Twilight Sparkle and My Little Pony belong to Hasbro and DHX.

safe2255079 artist:bjdazzle131 twilight sparkle369523 alicorn333138 pony1686471 g42115230 surf and/or turf915 book45600 comic139785 cutie mark50926 map1936 mount aris268 rant118 season 8 homework assignment25 table13945 the cmc's cutie marks5331 throne4559 throne room1914 twilight sparkle (alicorn)154232 twilight sparkle is not amused2118 twilight's castle5870 unamused25353

Comments

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Scp-3125
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).
My Little Pony - 1992 Edition
Wallet After Summer Sale -

Memetic eldritch horror
Maybe the tree can see the future and knew she was gonna go anyway, so technically it DID summon her, looks like it can tell you what to do twilight, and youre just it’s puppet
Red-Supernova
Solar Supporter - Fought against the New Lunar Republic rebellion on the side of the Solar Deity (April Fools 2023).
Betrayal! - Betrayed their team for a badge. Shame forever!
Non-Fungible Trixie -
Ten years of changes - Celebrated the 10th anniversary of MLP:FiM!
My Little Pony - 1992 Edition
Friendship, Art, and Magic (2020) - Took part in the 2020 Community Collab
Wallet After Summer Sale -
Thread Starter - The Mega Man thread!
Not a Llama - Happy April Fools Day!
Friendship, Art, and Magic (2017) - Celebrated Derpibooru's five year anniversary with friends.

Passionate opinionator
Seeing how Twilight always thought it was a rule from the map to never bring along others who weren’t summoned from the map, I wonder how she’ll react once she realizes that.
 
I can understand that the map calls for certain characters to solve the friendship problem whom need to think outside the box but what is always stopping them from bringing other ponies along with them. Is the map gonna do anything about that? Is it gonna use its magic to explode or prevent the unsummoned pony from leaving? We haven’t seen any consequences yet but I think Twilight doesn’t want to risk it.
cloudkicker108
Birthday Cake - Celebrated MLP's 7th birthday

かたわれ時
That we know of. That we’ve seen. Equestria’s a big place.
 
I was referring more to a specific act. The CMCs simultaneously received their cutie marks after all three avowed that their friendship with each other was more important than anything else. I highly doubt anypony else got their cutie marks directly from that declaration.
 
I will grant you that those 3 being so close to each other and being related to the Mane 6 AND living in the same place as the map would make them good candidates for friendship problem summoning. Not as good as the Mane 6 themselves, but better than, say, Prince Blueblood.
 
Fair enough.
BJDazzle
An Artist Who Rocks - 100+ images under their artist tag
Artist -

Dumb Pony Artist
The CMC’s are certainly the only fillies to get their cutie marks at same time AND from the same specific catalyst (Again, just like the mane 6).
 
That we know of. That we’ve seen. Equestria’s a big place.
 
I will grant you that those 3 being so close to each other and being related to the Mane 6 AND living in the same place as the map would make them good candidates for friendship problem summoning. Not as good as the Mane 6 themselves, but better than, say, Prince Blueblood.
cloudkicker108
Birthday Cake - Celebrated MLP's 7th birthday

かたわれ時
@BJDazzle  
1: That connection illustrates just how strong their friendship is (not unlike how the mane 6 getting their cutie marks at the same time illustrates the power of friendship between them). The map is connected to tree, which is connected to the elements, which are closely tied with friendship.
 
2: The CMC’s are certainly the only fillies to get their cutie marks at same time AND from the same specific catalyst (Again, just like the mane 6).
BJDazzle
An Artist Who Rocks - 100+ images under their artist tag
Artist -

Dumb Pony Artist
@Background Pony #3512  
1: That proves they have a powerful connection with each other, not with the map or the tree or the elements.
 
2: Who’s to say the CMC are the ONLY ponies their age to get their cutie marks at the same time, whether they know it or not?
Background Pony #07F7
You probably Here’d about force bonds, the more friends twilight make the more attachments to friends and families
Background Pony #8F6D
I feel like you’re overlooking the fact that the CMC have some extra significance of their own. We’ve known since season one, after all, that Twilight and her friends had a special connection to each other prior to even becoming friends, and in part 1 of “The Cutie Re-Mark” she mentioned something I think is important.  
Twilight Sparkle: “Obviously, the long term effects of the simultaneous acquisition of cutie marks has yet to be determined, but… [I] can speak from my own experience that the power of Cutie Mark Magic is very real, and in the instance of my friends and I, it can be traced to a single event!”
Twilight Sparkle: “And the most powerful thing about Cutie Mark Magic that I found is the connection I share with them.”
The CMC, unlike most other ponies, got their marks at the same time. They share a connection similar to the kind Twilight and her friends do.  
 
Given that fact, doesn’t it make sense that they more than anyone else their age could be called by the map?
Background Pony #0144
Rule could be that the map can send anyone who’s friends with any of the thrown owners.  
throwner
Crowley
Wallet After Summer Sale -
Magical Inkwell - Wrote MLP fanfiction consisting of at least around 1.5k words, and has a verified link to the platform of their choice
Birthday Cake - Celebrated MLP's 7th birthday
The End wasn't The End - Found a new home after the great exodus of 2012

Can't we all get along?
Now that I think of it, there are two things I’ve noticed;  
  1. Twilight was all about insisting that you aren’t allowed any other ponies to go with you on missions… but the map’s never done anything at all to imply such a rule.  
  2. How do you sign waterproof paper? Wouldn’t it also repel wet ink?