//------------------------------// // Snatch and Grab // Story: Fuel the Eternal Flame | A DOOM MLP Crossover // by NotAnEditor //------------------------------// There was nothing like a warm spring morning for the pink colored mare. Daisy strolled happily on one of the paths at the edge of Ponyville, basking in the cozy sun as she clopped her way down the stone roads of her hometown. Swaying back and forth in the green-maned mare’s jaws was a bucket of gardening supplies she had purchased from a local shop. The cream of the crop fertilizer bag sat in the bucket gently, several other seed packs and trowels alongside it.  She grinned, the garden-loving mare knew that these plants had to become the best in Ponyville. Her, Rose and Lily Valley challenged each other to a garden off. Everypony would marvel at her lawn compared to them, that was her objective. The three were good friends but very competitive when it came to their flowers. Suddenly, the mare saw a flash of orange fly past her, the bucket disappearing from her jaw. “Hey!” she jumped, turning to where the flash went. A filly pegasus flew off, her dark purple mane and tail flowing in the wind as she flew off to the distant woods.  A pair of hooves rushed over to her. “Quick! Get that pegasus!” Applebloom exclaimed, Daisy recognizing her.  “Applebloom?! Did that filly steal something from you too?” Daisy asked the young earth pony. She jolted back a little, being off-put by the appearance of the young earth pony. The white in her eyes were filled with red, bloodshot veins, her hair was messy and all over the place with several loose strands and her coat was faded of color ever so slightly. “Yuh! Come on!” Applebloom grabbed her hoof swiftly, leading her off towards the distant woods the pegasus rushed into with an incredible strength for her age. “AH! Hold on!” Daisy demanded as she was dragged off into the woods. “Slow down!” she shouted, bushes rushing past her. The strange looking filly glanced back at her “We’ve gotta catch up to her!” “These woods aren’t safe!” the mare exclaimed, shouting as she suddenly felt a large root block her path. Her hoof slipped from the young earth pony’s, the green-maned mare tripping and falling straight onto her face. Her ears rang as she opened her eyes slowly, vision doubling as she looked around at her surroundings. She could make out three small figures surrounding her, staring down at Daisy. As she managed to muster enough strength to witness the three, she immediately recognized them. The Cutie Mark Crusaders. They all had this desperate, bloodshot look on their faces just like Applebloom had before. In the center of the three stood the pegasus of the group, Scootaloo. A sly smile grew across her muzzle as she held the bucket in her jaws. Daisy could swear she saw a threatening zap of red electricity flash across her purple eyes. “W-What are you three fillies doi-” a painful aura surrounded her head, magical electricity swirling as Sweetie Belle prepared a spell. Suddenly, everything zapped to darkness. ~ “How’d ya do that, Sweetie Belle? I thought you didn’t really study magic.” Applebloom asked, going over to the unconscious mare. The filly rolled her eyes rudely. “Not like you’d understand how to do it.” she insulted as Applebloom nudged the now sleeping pony. All three fillies looked just as dreadful as Applebloom. “Don’t think you’re so high and mighty, unicorn!” random spurts of aggression had grown apparent in the trio since the two had been introduced to the excess amount of apple-lava. “Unicorn? Oh, don’t bring stuff like this up in front of an unfortunate earth po-” “Quiet!” Applebloom demanded from her fellow fillies. “We’ve gotta get Daisy to the pool.” she informed the two. Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes, huffing some furious air out before coming over to help drag the full-grown pony with her friend. Their enhanced strength certainly helped as they swiftly dragged the mare across the forest floor. Her green mane collected crunched up leaves and twigs as they were dragged along. Scootalloo joined, assisting them by grabbing one of Daisy’s front hooves to help move her. “I can’t believe she actually fell for that!” Scootaloo laughed. “She ran right into our hooves.” Applebloom agreed with a maniacal grin.  “Somepony’s a little attached to her gardening supplies!” Sweetie Belle swung the bucket in her mouth. It was easy to speak around the thin metal handle. Applebloom snickered. “Well, of course she is! Her name is literally Daisy.” “Don’t tell me what's obvious, earth pony.” she infighted with her friend. Applebloom huffed angrily. “Whatever ya say, horn-face!” The three broke through a large swath of foliage, dragging the mare along towards the pool of apple-lava that sat in the familiar clearing. “Bring her over there.” Applebloom demanded, letting go of the hoof and moving closer to the lava. The remaining two dragged the mare with ease to the pool, drifting her across the grass and floating her across the body of liquid. The apple-lava sizzled and crackled around Daisy. Rather violently, the two shoved the pony deep in the pool. The adult pony jolted to consciousness from the stimulating effect of the substance, eyes flying wide and open. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo grinned evilly as they held her beneath, witnessing bubbles of air floating from her mouth and burst at the top, a horrified look staring up at them. Daisy couldn’t believe it, staring up at the two fillies she knew from the small town in horror as they drowned her in the strange stuff. She tried to shout, simply wasting air as she felt the burning substance enter her mouth. A soothing feeling consumed her as it did, comforting her soul. The tight feeling in her chest released and it felt as if she could breath as freely within the water as she could in the air. It all entered in and out her lungs as smooth as oxygen. The energy stopped burning her squinted eyes and felt like they were healing them. The two fillies watched as a much more calm feeling engulfed the pony’s eyes, lids half-closed as they released their hooves from her. They could see the vessels within her eyes congesting with blood, seeing her pelt’s color fade as they lifted her out of the water. “I see.” Daisy said simply, her voice much more soulless than before. “I understand.” Applebloom greeted Daisy with a nod, the small filly having to stare up at her. “Good” Scootaloo tilted her head. “Well, what now?” The country filly read the mare up and down“She’ll have to be judged.” The orange pegasus flicked an ear questioningly. “Judged?” “Yes.” Applebloom’s accent had lessened in depth now that she mentioned the beast. She tried to speak in the most refined tone she could “By who?” Sweetie Belle questioned. The earth pony didn’t need to reply as a rustling shook from the forest. The two fillies jumped a little, turning towards the source. Daisy stood still as a stick, staring off into space like a zombie. Out of the bush slinked out the familiar form of the green monster, although it must’ve been a different race of the beast, its chitin-like armor taking on a purple hue. It crossed through the undergrowth, stepping over the skeletal remains of its ally, hardly giving a glance to them. It paced somewhere between a run and a stride, large hands weighing its arms down as it moved towards Applebloom.  The beast towered over her, snarling something from its mandibles. Applebloom’s face remained stoic as her friends felt a wave of fear roll over them, something inside them commanding them to respect the monster. “We have claimed another.” she declared. “What are we going to do with her?” It inspected the adult pony intuitively, the green-maned mare standing as still as a statue. It raked its claws slowly across Daisy’s side, no marks presenting themselves as it did. It ran its ginormous claw across the grass colored mane as well before leaning in and sniffing her pink fur. Seeing the pony fit, the monster wrapped a strong claw slowly around the back of her neck, the zombie-like Daisy going limp. Like a kitten when its mother bit on its scruff. A flash of purple light brightened the clearing before dissipating to reveal that the mare and the beast had vanished to Celestia knows where.  Once the monster was gone, the commanding respect dissipated from within the other two fillies, them looking to their leader. “What in Celestia’s name was that?!” Scootaloo queried “The monster.” Applebloom answered. “I think it made the apple-lava stuff.” Her accent returned. “And why does it need ponies?” Sweetie Belle queried. Their pegasus friend jumped in as well. “Yeah! And why didn’t it take us?” Applebloom rubbed the back of her head. “Well, thang is the only reason it didn’t take you two after I show’d y’all the apple-lava is ‘cause I had to bargain with it a little.” she explained “Why would it want us?” the curious unicorn queried. The earth pony shrugged. “As sure as you are.” she looked around the clearing. “Welp, our sisters’ll be expectin’ us home in thirty minutes or so, we should get going.” Applebloom turned, trotting off. “See y’all!” The other two fillies nodded a goodbye as well, turning and heading their separate ways back to their homes.