It was a night that will forever be burned into the memories of everypony. One fateful night in Equestria everything changed. The princesses who had ruled over the world with kindness and heart were gone, and a new ruler had taken their place.
Years have passed since that event. Ponies have grown up, aged, and moved on with their lives. Equestria has become a very different place over the span of these years.
Our story begins when a face resurfaces in Equestria. When a weathered, scarred, but familiar face steps into the light.
This is the fanfic based on Astringe's Bad Future series on DeviantART. He did some great designs of the characters, so make sure you give that gallery a peruse before you read the fic.
Also worth mentioning, he's been nice enough to plop any pics he does based on chapters I've written into this separate gallery, so there will be less spoilers for readers just jumping in to the story.
NOTE: The canon of my story picks up at the start of Season 3, where it begins to diverge away from the canon of the show. I've never read the IDW comics nor have I seen Equestria Girls, so the events of my story aren't canon at all with them.
Now has it's own TVTropes page!
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/BadFutureCrusaders
I have been waiting for this for some time now. Hopefully it will be worth the wait.
I came here for Snails.
I'll stay for the idea.
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Oh, he'll be there.
As long as this ends happily...I'm game
Hell ya .
The wait is over, incoming story behind those wonderful images :)
So the Masquerader is Cadance!
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The Masquerader has blue, pink, and white. She's all three. That's my theory anyway.
I say the masquerader is Pinkie Pie. The white coloured hoof could pass as pink in strange lighting, but most distinctively, the curl on top of her head is clearly pinkie pie hair.
The pegasus is Scootalo, Appel bloom is going to tire to kill Scootalo!!!!!
I think the masquerader is tiring to get together the Cuittymark quasders.
I don't suppose that this is how Scoots lost her eye?
Noo tell me scoots is alive. Her n sb r my fav crysaders
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probably not. dont think it would be beneficial to the storyline.
3308052 Scoot was already described in the previous chapter as wearing a bandanna like an eyepatch.
Yay! The author mentioned me! *squee*
For my next prediction, Apple Bloom transforms into Cthulhu! Right? Guys, did I get it?
No, but seriously, the Masquerader is Pinkie Pie, and putting out the bounty on Scoots is her fiendish plan to re-unite the CMC, cause that's just a Pinkie thing to do. Yes?
3336181. Im With You
3336181 Personally, I think the Masquerader is Sweetie Belle, but I guess we'll see.
hmmm.....I think the Masquerader is Cadance
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Nah, Sweetie Belle's already been revealed as having her own role elsewhere, heading the Diamond Dogs. Personally, I think it's quite improbable that the Masquerader is Pinkie, but I don't have any better guesses at the moment. Cadance is plausible. Fleur de Lis is possible, but quite unlikely.
3338047 It's obviously Celestia in disguise. Geez. What are you thinking?
I think the Masquerader is a combination of Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. Am I right?
I think I know what just not how to explain it. Probably a hysterical AJ or Big Mac trying to get then away from civilization.
And
Here's an important lesson for all Fimfic readers... never check Fimfiction minutes before you go to bed, otherwise you'll never go to bed. Damn this story has me hooked.
In that case I do something completly wrong because I check fimfictoin when i'm seposed to sleep
hmmm
Oh the Fluttershy you know is dead alright...
I know clutz is a character from the pictures.
But god damn that hint. I can't find it.
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read it again... the mask mare told her to catch the pegasus alive.
All I've gathered is AJ and Big Mac are dead.
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Maaaaaaaaaaaaybe. You'll have to follow and find out.
huh, so it's Cadance... and if it isn't then you did a fantastic job fooling me. I had thought from the picture on deviantart that it was fleur de lis
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. Or from what I believe, anyway.
The Masquerader is more than just Cadance
Probably Chrysalis or some such.
I'm betting Celestia, It's gotta be Celestia... god, I can't wait for the rest of this!
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Generic shop keeper: "No luck catching them masqueraders then?"
Nick Frost: "It's just the one masquerader actually"
Simon Pegg:
It isn't Cadance. Well, perhaps I should specify.
This dark wanderer is either Cadance or Chrysalis. I'm guessing the former, but that does not rule out the latter. However, we have no reason to believe that every time they show up they are the same pony. I am thinking it is a 'group' of ponies trying to right the world, but they all appear as a 'mare shrouded in mystery'.
The introductions continue, I look forward to seeing more.
-Lumino
From what I can gather it seems twighlight took over and did something that messed everything up.
First of all the crown described sounds like a more fancy version of twighlights crown from equestria girls. Second the pony that attacked Scootaloo Dash and Flutters said "Sparkle wants the yellow one too"
It's also been mentioned that she was "queen of equestria". No other ruler has been queen, only princess.
Can't you guys see the cover art? Twilight is the new ruler of Equestria and Sweetie Belle is the one in the cloak.
I could be wrong.
Damn you cloaked figure. Fucking with my mind.
I have a theory, based on art from Deviantart made specially for this story, that this cloaked something is actually a bodily combination of princesses including/excluding Crysalis. Like an equinian LEGO toy of some sorts. And this crown is needed for their (maybe?) disconnection, so to say. This thing still posess some kind of alicorn powers, like silent teleportation or earth pony muscle power, but, I suppose, nothing even close to match Twilight. And It actually want to become Them again. That's imho, anyway.
Story is very good so far. Will be waiting for further development of plot
...
This statement in fact has a second meaning which I overlooked...
It's Cadence isn't it?
It's obviously Sweetie Belle, duh.
Hmm, so Apple Bloom knows nothing, now I wonder what the past held for Scootaloo? A touching and powerful chapter, as always. I always like how the world just seems to come alive with the way you write it. But instead of the happy and vibrant life we see from pony stories, this is a weight that presses down on the reader. We start the chapter with hope, the two friends are together, but we are slowly being pushed down by the memories of what lead them to this place. It is a heavy story, and you are doing the art work justice.
Keep up the good work;
-Lumino
Lovely chapter. I should have read this earlier. I did notice one error, however. In the first paragraph, 'dying' should be 'dyeing', unless you meant that the landscape was being murdered by the sun, which I somehow doubt.
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Wait, what?! Damn Microsoft Word and it's spell-checker!
hmm..
I look forward to the next installment.
Oh wow.. Cadance, what are you up to with all this? Hmm! Love it.
Interesting
Hmm... I felt that the transition between Scootaloo's dream and reality was a little awkward but otherwise this was a very good chapter. Keep at it, I want to see where this goes.