Stories of the Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders

by Prince Luna

The Residential: Day 2

“The fallen angel becomes a malignant devil. Yet even that enemy of God and man had friends and associates in his Desolation; I am alone.”
― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein.

The Residential: Day 2.

---

DONG!
Twilight Sparkle bolted awake.
DONG!
She was surrounded by complete darkness.
DONG!
She inhaled deeply.
DONG!
There was no noise around her but the loud brass ringing.
DONG!
She kept her breath inhaled as to concentrate.
DONG!
She focused magic to her horn.
DONG!
A small pink aura surrounded her horn.
DONG!
The light from the aura brightened the area around her.
DONG!
She took another look around.
DONG!
There was still over encumbering darkness.
DONG!
She increased the magical energy and brightened light from her horn.
DONG!
She sighed with relief and closed her outstretched wings. She was still in the library and had simply fallen asleep. She carefully slopped off of the sofa she lay on and positioned her hooves close to each other, pointing her head in the air and unleashing a blast of magic with her horn. The pink light rose up in a spherical shape and expanded to fill the ceiling of the room, turning a bright white as it grew, lighting up the whole room.

She looked down to the table before her and saw the book, still closed. She brought it into the air with a levitation spell then sat back down on the chair. She quickly opened the cover and turned the first few pages.

They were blank. So were the next few. She quickly flipped through the whole book. Every page was blank. She could only sit and stare at the book. She then looked beside her. The red pegasus ghost slowly approached her on hoof, walking through the table in front of her. He finally stood before her.

"Princess Sparkle. We have been awaiting your arrival for a long time," he said, though the ghostly mouth did not move. He sprung out his wings and the pages of the book began to flip as wind in the room picked up. The ghost began to glow as he closed his eyes and arched his head backwards. He rose up into the air and the light emanating from him filled the library, swallowing up everything visible.

The light then dimmed and Twilight found herself in midair. She struggled and quickly put out her wings, flapping furiously, but she didn't hover. She was suspended at the high angle without flight, looking down. What was below her was one of the rooms of the manor house, but it seemed to be decorated differently. There was only a dresser and two slabs of wood with blankets on them, as well as an oil lamp in the center of the room lighting it up. There was a familiar pony in here too. A red pegasus with neat brown hair and a feather quill cutie mark; the very same she had seen as a ghost. He held a book under his wing which Twilight once again recognised from its brown leather cover. It was the very book that he had led her to, just without the words on the front. She heard footsteps, as did the pegasus, who quickly shoved the book under one of the blankets. From the en suite at the side came a yellow unicorn with a somewhat messy black mane and the cutie mark of orange and blue hooves crossing one another. He levitated before him with a blue aura another oil lamp, which he blew out and set down.

"Are we now prepared for the feast and fire?" the red pegasus asked.

"Indeed," the yellow unicorn replied, "after just flushing away the troubles I am more than ready to go."

Twilight gagged a little after that statement, but then took in the peculiar way in which they were speaking.

"Then let us depart, Consonance," the red pegasus said.

"Quite," Consonance replied, trotting out of the door.

"Oh!" the red pegasus exclaimed, "my mistake, Consonance, I still have some more preparation to do."

Consonance laughed, "you forgettable scamp, Red Rune! I shall await your presence by the flames along with our teachers and fellow pupils."

Red Rune nodded as Consonance left the room. Twilight looked as the pegasus picked up the oil lamp in the middle of the room with his muzzle and entered the en suite.

"What could all this mean?" Twilight said, her voice echoed, "with the dialect they're using and the standard of the room...I'm looking into the past!"

Then, there was a loud crash. This room had a large glass window and it had just been broken through from the outside. Inside the room now stood a light brown pegasus, covered in red blotches. His eyes were bloodshot and his pupils small. He looked around quickly, his head darting at a furious pace, his wings were kept tightly at his side.

Red Rune's voice emanated from the en suite, "Consonance? What was that noise? Has something broken?"

There was no reply, the brown pegasus grinned at the en suite door. He slowly outspread his wings to reveal, in the right one, a bloodied and sharp looking knife.

He chortled maniacally yet quietly and whispered to himself in a more casual and broken accent, "this'll show them upper class snobs what for! If we city folk can't live 'ere, nopony can!"

Twilight gasped. The door to the en suite opened and Red Rune trotted out with his eyes closed and oil lamp in hand.Twilight called for him to look out but he couldn't hear her. As he was outside of the door he set the lamp down and exhaled happily. He opened his eyes and his pupils shrunk at the sight before him.

"W-who are you? Why are you holding that sharp instrument?" Red Rune asked in panic.

The brown pegasus slowly crept towards Red Rune, brandishing the knife with intent to attack, "I'm sick an' tired of these posh yobs rubbin' their wealth in my face, I am. Everypony in this 'ouse has gotta pay!"

Red Rune trotted backwards as the killer moved forward, "b-but I do not reside here. I have no money at hoof!"

"I don't mean pay as in money," the pegasus grinned.

Red Rune bumped into the sink of the en suite, he cold no longer move back. Twilight couldn't see into the room, but she flinched and covered her ears as she heard blood-chilling cries of pain and maniacal laughter.

"Stop! Please make it stop!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. A bright light filled the room and the screams faded away, Twilight found herself back on the sofa in the library, weeping into her hooves.

She looked up and saw the ghost again, the book closed itself and he looked at her, a frown on his face.

Twilight sniffed and held back her tears, "so you must be Red Rune."

The ghost nodded. Twilight spoke again, "so is what you've shown me the a lead to the strange disappearances here?"

Red Rune was about to move again, but light filled the room from outside, the sun was rising and its golden glow filtered through the window, fading the ghost away. Red Rune flew towards Twilight and with only a second to spare, a whispery voice emanated.

"The key is Con-" then the ghost disappeared completely as the large library was filled with sunlight.

Twilight looked beyond the window for a moment and those last words echoed through her mind. She then thought back to the vision she was shown. Processing this information for a moment, Twilight came to a temporary conclusion.

"Whatever took Regal Crown must be related to that awful brown pegasus," she thought, "maybe it's his spirit or something that's taken him away."

Twilight looked at a large clock on the wall of the library, "it's morning. Better get ready for breakfast," she said as she trotted out of the room.
She looked back in the room sighed, "we'll find you soon, Regal Crown. I promise," she said as she shut the door. What she didn't see was behind the door, in the library, a round pitch black shadow appeared on the floor of the library, bubbling slightly, and moved under the door, scaling the wall in the opposite direction to Twilight.

***

Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders, GO!
We're on an adventure, we're on a quest,
to find out what we do the best.
Our cutie marks are what we seek,
we'll push our selves every day of the week!
Cutie Mark Crusaders! Cutie Mark Crusaders!
Apple Bloom's the handy one,
give her work in a minute it is done.
Sweetie Belle, she just loves to sing,
she wrote this song, it has her ring.
Scootaloo is rad and cool,
try her stunts and you'll look like a fool.
But then Shiner already has his mark but,
he'll help us make our talents spark!
Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders!
Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders!
Teenage Cutie Mark Crusa~ders!
There's no limit to what we will try!
No matter how many rules we will defy,
WE WILL GET OUR CUTIE MARKS IN TIME!
Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders!
Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders!
Teenage Cutie Mark Crusaders YEAH!

***

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were bustling in their dormitory, awake and ready for the day to start. Diamond Tiara was snoozing on the top bunk she had claimed.

Apple Bloom looked up to her and grunted, "are ya gonna get up any time?"

Diamond Tiara yawned, "I don't want to be seen with you dweebs. I'll leave after you do."

"This ain't fair y'know. We sure ain't lyin' in. We got breakfast to get to, now hurry up."

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes and got cozy in her blanket. Apple Bloom sighed, but Sweetie Belle looked ot her and shook her head.

"Look like after breakfast we've got ziplining," Scootaloo commented, looking at the schedule on their door, "that's gonna be great!"

"Yeah," Apple Bloom snickered, "you'll finally know what it's like to fly!"

"Hey!" Scootaloo shouted, her wings folding in. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle just laughed as the three ponies left the room.

***

In the dining hall, the crusaders had already found Shiner, who had his face in a cereal bowl, breathing into the milk and almost half asleep. He didn't notice the girls behind him giggling, as well as a majority of the dining hall looking at him. Scootaloo crept up to him and moved her mouth right to his ear and quietly took a deep breath.

"RISE AND SHINE, SLEEPYHEAD!"

Shiner bolted awake, bringing the cereal bowl up with him as it was stuck to his face from his snoring. It fell off and ponies around him laughed. He blushed, then smiled as his friends came to sit with him.

"So why're ya so sleepy this mornin' Shiner?" Apple Bloom asked.

"It was the other three in my dorm," Shiner sighed.

"Scribs, Stell and Metal? What was wrong?" Scootaloo giggled.

Shiner shook his head, "they were up all night talking. I didn't get what most of it was about but I caught something about a card game and...ugh," Shiner's head fell to the table again as he fell asleep.

The crusaders came and sat down with him and left him to try and catch up on his sleep. The hall was quieter than the night before with all the tired mumbles of the early bird ponies as opposed to the rowdy roaring, but breakfast was finished quickly nonetheless.

Thankfully for Chemist Carpenter, he didn't have to get the sleeping Shiner to get attention for him, it was quiet enough for everypony to listen to him anyway.

"Good morning students!" He announced, seemingly full of energy, "today is the first day of your activities. I trust you've all seen your timetables?"

Groans from the students mainly displayed negativity, they had only just woken up after all. Chemist Carpenter sighed.

"Well, groups one, two and three, you'll be ziplining, and Princess Twilight will be accompanying you to where the instructor will be showing you what to do. The other two groups, you're with me and we'll be going hiking!"

Frustrated moans erupted from the once quiet students, obviously for those with the destiny of an early morning hike. Sweetie Belle looked around for a second and turned to her friends.

"Hey guys?" she asked, "this is only our class. I swear Dr.Carpenter said something about another group being here..."

Apple Bloom shrugged, "maybe they left before we came up?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head and took another sweep of the room to look around. Scootaloo then noted that they should get ready for their activity.

***

Later on, the three groups -the crusader's minus Diamond Tiara, Shiner's and the third group - and Twilight gathered just at the entrance to the manor house, on some gravel by a small grassy area. Behind them was a bridge that led to a gymnasium hall, the exit and the path to go underneath the castle in what used to be a moat, which in itself led to various different places around the manor grounds. The crusaders then found out who the third group was composed of; Snails, Twist, Shady Daze and Quick Quilt. Twilight sighed, they were waiting for Diamond Tiara and she was taking her precious time. She turned to the crusaders.

"Girls. Do you know how much longer she'll be?" she asked.

They shook her heads, then Scootaloo spoke up, "she could take all day for all she cares."

"She'd better get here soon, I need to tell you about my discoveries this morn- er...last night," Twilight quickly changed her story as to set a better example to the girls.

"You actually found something?!" Sweetie Belle gasped.

Twilight nodded, "major."

Then, Diamond Tiara finally appeared, wearing nothing but her signature tiara on her head. Everyone but Quick Quilt sighed in disgust at how long it took her to prepare absolutely nothing. Even Twilight showed negativity. Quick Quilt however ran up to the earth pony, "Diamond Tiara? Oh my gosh! You're in this group?"

"Yeah, I'm with those losers though," she laughed, pointing a hoof at the crusaders.

"Well, like, whatever. Come and hang out with me, girl!"

Scribble Dibble sniggered and whispered to Stellar Spike, "I didn't know Diamond Tiara had friends."

The two giggled, but Diamond Tiara glared at them and they quickly stopped and stood up straight. Twilight called the groups to follow her down the moat, which would lead to a short forest path to a clearing with the zip wire. She stayed on a few feet ahead with the crusaders and Shiner, though the other ponies were quite content in their own ways. Twist and Snails just walked closely together, somehow not walking into anything while keeping their eyes set on one another. Diamond Tiara and Quick Quilt generally just vented about themselves, seemingly not even listening to one another but still getting along. Scribs, Metal and Stell kept bursting out with their own inside jokes and Shady Daze seemed to just keep his eyes on Sweetie Belle as they gradually made their way to the zip line.
Along the way, Twilight explained in depth to the crusaders what she had seen when the ghost of Red Rune had given her a vision of the past. Sweetie had brought a notepad with her, which she wrote down these details on, which seemed to cause a quiet squee from Shady Daze's direction.

In no time, they reached the zip line, but the area seemed completely desolate. There was nopony there, though Twilight had been expecting the instructor.

"I suppose we'll just have to wait until he turns up..." she said to the groups.

There was a small shelter near the zipline for those who were waiting their turn, so the ponies all hunkered in there, chatting away. After about half an hour the instructor still hadn't shown up.

"Now where could that pony be? He was supposed to be here before us," Twilight wondered.

Diamond Tiara made a point of herself to sigh audibly, "I'm bored. I'm going to go and stretch my hooves," she announced.

Nopony seemed to care or respond, except Quick Quilt who leapt to her hooves behind Diamond and followed her.

"Like, where are we going D-T?" she asked.

"Away from those losers," Diamond Tiara sighed, "I heard the sea near here is almost as beautiful as I am."

"Y'know who I really hate the most, D-T? That Sweetie Belle. Like...what a total...ickball! Who does she think she is anyway? Just strutt-"

Diamond Tiara wasn't listening but she interrupted Quick Quilt anyway, "shh...what'syourname...look..."

"It's Quick Quil-"

"SHH."

Diamond Tiara pointed in towards a small clearing past some bushes. There was a strange pile of black ooze on the ground.

"Ew. What is that?" Quick Quilt gagged, "it looks all yuck."

"I dunno," Diamond Tiara replied, "try and pick it up with your weirdo powers."

"My magic?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Quick Quilt quickly built a light red aura, matching the streaks in her bunched up mane, which hovered above the black ooze. Quickly, the aura on the ooze turned black and sharp, then exploded into nothingness with a sharp snap and bright flash.

"What in the hoof was that?!" Quick Quilt gasped.

Diamond Tiara looked to her worriedly, "you mean you didn't do that?"

"Now way. I just tried to get a hold on it or whatever."

Diamond Tiara paused for another second to look at the puddle.

"Touch it," she commanded.

"What?!"

"Touch whatever it is."

Quick Quilt gagged again, "like, why?!"

Diamond Tiara just glared at her. Quick Quilt flinched and moved through the bushes towards the puddle with fear in her hoof steps. She was stood right by it and peered at it, seeing her own reflection clearly in the opaque black splotch. Without knowing it, her eyes turned a sharp green colour and then drained to a bleak grey. She looked up and turned her head around, then began to panic.

"D-T?! W-where did you go?! DT?!" she cried out.

Diamond Tiara walked hesitantly through the bushes, "I'm...right here...Quick Quilt," she replied with genuine worry.

"D-T! OH MY GOSH! DID YOU ABANDON ME?!" Quick Quilt cried, despite looking directly at Diamond Tiara.

"I'm in front of you! Are you blind?"

Then, Quick Quilt galloped on the spot, panting in fear and continued to cry out, "where is everypony?! They've...they've all gone! They left me here! I'm all alone!"

Diamond Tiara ran up to Quick Quilt and tried to put a hoof on her, but a black spark blew her hoof back and sent her flying across the dirt. Then, Quick Quilt seemed to calm down.

"Yes...yes I do need friends...they all left me. What? You'll be my friend? That's perfect," she said apathetically and completely out of character.

Then, the black puddle moved to beneath her hooves. Diamond Tiara could only watch in horror. A small black slither crept out of the puddle and wound itself round Quick Quilt, then more and more until she was completely covered in black. Then she breathed out once and dropped into the black puddle, from which a burst of green light shone and a grey feather shot out of, which was grabbed and brought back down by another black slither. The puddle crept towards Diamond Tiara, who was hyperventilating like crazy. It brought itself out before her and a black arch rose out of it and leant over the earth pony.

"Diamond Tiara?" Twilight's voice called out from afar, "Quick Quilt?"

The black arch shot back into the puddle, which then quickly dissolved into the ground. Diamond Tiara breathed quickly a few more times, then fainted, only hearing her name echoed a few times.

"Diamond Tiara?"

"diamo-"

Author's Note:

This fic is generally considered by me to be by the show's standard of general viewing, so it was quite hard to write the murder of Red Rune without having any characters explicetly say words of death, I kept such things in the text however.
Hope you enjoy this chapter!