Apple Bloom Goes Crusading

by Brass Polish

5 Comrades

So that afternoon, Apple Bloom went around Ponyville talking to ponies her own age about the plan to overthrow Glean Fetcher with the Alicorn Amulet. Naturally, the first ones she talked to were her best friends.

“You mean if we take turns using it, we won’t get corrupted?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“Zecora will keep an eye on us so none of us wear it too long,” replied Apple Bloom.

“I’ve always wondered what it would be like to use magic,” said Scootaloo. “I guess we could give it a try.”

Next, Apple Bloom spoke to Button Mash and Gilt Eyes.

“This’ll teach him to attack my parents,” said Button Mash with determination.

“Well, I don’t want to lose my power,” Gilt Eyes said thoughtfully. “Even if it is useless.”

Both colts agreed to help Apple Bloom. But after she’d gotten their approval, she had trouble finding other foals to join her. Twist, Rumble and Featherweight were too frightened about possibly losing their minds and becoming evil, so she could not convince them to even give it a shot.

“I wish I could get Babs Seed to join us,” she said to herself. “She wouldn’t be afraid to use it.”

But she was trying not to arouse suspicion, and bringing Babs to Ponyville would raise a few questions.

Gilt Eyes was fuming when Apple Bloom suggested asking Snips and Snails.

“They are unicorns, after all,” said Button Mash. “They know as much magic as you do.”

“But they’re dummies,” Gilt Eyes protested. “If they do agree, they’ll get carried away with how much power they get. And if they don’t agree, they’ll blab to somepony about us.”

However, Snips and Snails were very mature about the subject. They couldn’t forget what Trixie was like when she had the Alicorn Amulet, and they didn’t want any of their schoolmates to fall under its influence.

“You’re sure we won’t get all mean and nasty?” asked Snips.

“Zecora will be making sure we all take it off before it can make us evil,” Apple Bloom assured them.

There were only two school-age foals left to ask, and Apple Bloom knew Gilt Eyes would think they were even worse than Snips and Snails.

“What do you want?” scowled Diamond Tiara.

Apple Bloom straightened up and put on a serious face.

“I need your help,” she said.

Her serious face began to fail when she saw their reactions to her plan.

“Is your brain blank, too?” asked Diamond Tiara.

“You expect us to wear a necklace that makes ponies evil?” asked Silver Spoon.

“Well, it can’t make you two any worse,” Apple Bloom snapped.

Diamond and Silver glared.

Apple Bloom sighed. “Look, I’m sorry I said you were lying about Glean Fetcher. But most of the foals in school are too scared to do anything. I know you two aren’t too scared. You went straight to Twilight after you saw him. You weren’t fooling around.”

“Are you saying you need our help because we’re brave?” asked Silver Spoon.

Apple Bloom nodded.

“Well, say it then,” said Diamond Tiara.

Apple Bloom groaned, and said “We need your help because you’re brave.”

“Alright,” Diamond Tiara smirked. “We’ll help you. Right Silver Spoon?”

“Right.”

“Bump, bump, sugarlump, rump!” the three of them chanted, performing the hoofshake that went with it.

The following morning, each of the foals who would be practising using the Alicorn Amulet told their families that they were all playing hide and seek together. The only ones to be slightly suspicious were Applejack and Rarity, as they knew their little sisters never played with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. The explanation they gave was that they were settling a bet with them, so Applejack and Rarity did not think on it for long, but warned them not to get into a big fight. The foals who had not agreed to join them kept their promises to keep it a secret, so no one in Ponyville had any reason to suspect that they were going to take turns trying on a potentially harmful object.

The nine foals met Zecora at a field in the Everfree Forest. She had the wooden chest from her house with her when they arrived.

“Already, I am proud of you all,” she said when she saw how many foals Apple Bloom had brought. “It is very bold of you to answer this call.”

Snips and Snails smiled smugly.

Zecora opened the chest. “First, you must practise self-control. So who would like to be the first foal?”

She looked in Snips and Snails’ direction. They immediately abandoned their smugness.

“Apple Bloom’s the one who brought us here,” said Button Mash. “Why doesn’t she go first?”

“Yeah,” Snips agreed instantly. “Apple Bloom should definitely go first.”

Snails nodded.

“You did want to use it on your own before,” said Scootaloo to Apple Bloom.

“I know,” Apple Bloom was shivering a bit. “But…”

“Now that you’ve got us, you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Sweetie Belle said with an encouraging smile.

So Apple Bloom stepped forward and Zecora gave her the Alicorn Amulet.

“When you put it on, try to close that chest lid,” said the zebra. “Then take it off right away. Are you ready kid?”

Apple Bloom nodded, looked at the open wooden chest, and placed the amulet on her neck. She didn’t feel any different, but she knew she couldn’t keep it on for long. She stared intently at the chest, concentrated on the lid, and then watched as it glowed red and snapped shut. She took the amulet off as soon as the chest closed. Everypony was gazing at her with impressed and amazed faces.

“How do you feel?” asked Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom considered. “Normal, I guess.”

“You’re not evil now, are you?” Snails whimpered.

“I don’t think so,” replied Apple Bloom. “It did feel weird using magic.”

Button Mash found Apple Bloom’s trial run with the amulet very encouraging. “Can I go next?”

“If you feel you are ready, very well then,” said Zecora. “You shall try to open that chest again.”

Button Mash hesitated for a few seconds after Apple Bloom handed the Alicorn Amulet to him. He was strongly reminded of a video game where the players could collect power-up items when they found wooden chests. Once he put it on, he put all his focus on getting that lid open. In a flash, the lid glowed red and the chest flew open.

“Just like Super Seabiscuit Sisters!” beamed Button Mash as he took the amulet off.

“Who’s next?” asked Apple Bloom.

No one came forward.

“Go on,” said Zecora. “Be brave like Button and Apple Bloom. How about you, young Silver Spoon?”

Silver Spoon flinched.

“Go ahead,” said Diamond Tiara. “If those two can do it, so can you.”

“Um… alright,” Silver Spoon gulped.

She walked up to the chest and Button gave her the amulet.

“OK,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Here I go.”

She put the amulet on, eyed the chest, willed it to close, and took the amulet off as soon as the lid came down.

“Way to go, Silver Spoon!” Apple Bloom cheered.

Silver Spoon smiled. “That was kinda fun. Come on, Diamond Tiara. Give it a try.”

So Diamond Tiara went next. Just like the first three who tried out the Alicorn Amulet, she put it on, willed the chest open, took the amulet off, and did not feel the least bit changed.

“Gilt Eyes, how about you go next?” asked Button Mash.

“But I can already use magic,” said Gilt Eyes. “Look.”

He shut the wooden chest using his own magic.

“The point is to use magic with the amulet on,” Zecora reminded. “Resist its magnetism, and you have won.”

So Gilt Eyes tried using his magic under the influence of the Alicorn Amulet. Unlike the earth ponies who had tested it before him, he felt different when he put it on. He was sure he could feel his power growing. But he didn’t do anything beyond what was instructed. He magiced the chest open and removed the amulet from his neck.

“Well, that wasn’t too hard,” he said. “Wanna try it, Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie Belle didn’t say anything, but accepted the amulet when Gilt Eyes passed it to her. She too felt change when she wore it, and she’d never gotten the hang of simple magic like telekinesis before. Even so, she did not feel an urge to keep wearing the Alicorn Amulet after she’d magiced the chest shut.

Snips went next, followed by Scootaloo, and finally Snails took a turn. And not one of them left the amulet on for too long to feel power-hungry.

“Congratulations. I’m very impressed,” Zecora beamed. “All nine of you have passed the first test.”

Apple Bloom and her companions all smiled. They too were happy with how their endeavour was going so far.

“I think you are ready to step up your game,” Zecora went on. “Now where is Spike? I thought he came.”

Spike had gone with Zecora to the field before the foals arrived, but he hadn’t forgotten what Trixie did when she wore the Alicorn Amulet either. He didn’t want to get turned into a bouncing ball again. He had hidden behind a tree watching them try the amulet on one by one.

“Young dragon, please put away your fears!” Zecora called out. “I am sure you won’t be harmed by these little dears!”

Having seen them keep their heads when opening and closing the chest, Spike decided he’d take the risk.

“Here I am,” she said, walking out from behind the tree.

Zecora asked the foals to take turns levitating Spike. The baby dragon quickly lost his fear completely. One by one, the foals put the amulet on, raised and lowered him, and passed the amulet on to the next foal. Not one of them hesitated to take it off or try and use some sort of dark magic. Button Mash was the last one to try lifting Spike off the ground, but he found he couldn’t do it. For several seconds, he focused all his energy is raising Spike into the air, but to no avail. Quickly, he removed the amulet from his neck.

“Ah! Very wise, little Button,” said Zecora with delight. “Better to fail than become a glutton.”

“We were really worried there for a second,” said Scootaloo. “Pretty smart of you, Button.”

“Thanks,” said Button Mash, not discouraged at all despite not being able to lift Spike up. “Should I try again or give somepony else a turn.”

“I think you should give it another try,” said Apple Bloom. “Agreed?”

Everyone else nodded. So Button Mash put the amulet back on and glared at Spike again. He thought of nothing but lifting the tiny dragon off his feet. At last, Spike rose higher and higher. Satisfied, Button set Spike back down and took the amulet off again.

“This is great!” Apple Bloom jumped into the air excitedly. “We’ll get to use magic as good as Twilight’s in no time!”

“I will not say I have any doubt,” said Zecora. “But remember, baby steps is what this is about.”

Spike tried not to take that as a joke.

For over a week, the Alicorn Amulet was passed around like a baton. After opening crates and levitating small objects (and animals) on the first day, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Button Mash, Gilt Eyes, Snips and Snails moved on to spells that they learned about from some of Twilight’s books which Spike had smuggled from the Library. Twilight wasn’t likely to look for these books because they were about simple beginner spells. The foals spent days practising growing spells, shrinking spells, colour changing spells, and vanishing spells on things like plants and stones. And not one of them showed any sign of possession during these sessions. None of them ever wore the Alicorn Amulet for more than twenty seconds. They always listened to Zecora’s instructions and advice, and every day, the magic they attempted got more complicated, but there were little to no difficulties. Things were going so well that Zecora felt as though the youngsters would manage to dethrone Glean Fetcher by the next full moon.

No one in the Royal Family had given up on trying to solve the Glean Fetcher problem for themselves, but no feasible solutions were drawn up. And all over Equestria, Glean Fetcher was appearing before unicorns on his list and removing their magic essence. One afternoon, Twilight was having a hard time thinking of a plan because Discord had chosen her Library to complain about Glean Fetcher that day.

“Without my magic, I’m just a pile of spare animal parts,” he griped. “I’m a hot dog, that’s what I am.”

“Why are you complaining about this now?” groaned Twilight.

“Well, if anything, it’s because I keep forgetting that Glean Fetcher’s the bad guy,” said Discord, now starting work on a tower of books. “He treats Celestia and Luna like…”

“Princesses Celestia and Luna,” Twilight corrected.

“Oh, come on. You never complain when I call you just plain Twilight,” frowned Discord. “Oh, alright. He treats Princesses Celestia and Luna like they were his sisters. Every night, they have dinner together and he lets them eat as much as they want and whatever they please. It’s super awkward for them and all, but anyone would expect somepony who overthrows the rulers of the land to lock them up in a dungeon or something.”

“Yeah, he does have a lot of respect for ponykind,” agreed Twilight. “That’s the weakness we all want to take advantage of, but there just doesn’t seem to be a way to do it.”

Discord noticed that Twilight was wearing her crown.

“Why are you wearing that thing when you can’t use it?” he asked.

“I want to be prepared in case something can be done,” replied Twilight.

Discord chuckled. “It’s too bad you haven’t been able to use your element since you got back from that alternate world. First you couldn’t use it to get rid of that Venomodo, and now you…”

“Amber Aldis!” cried Twilight.

“Who?” asked Discord.

Twilight didn’t answer. She simply zoomed across the room and out of the front door.

When she got outside, she stopped in her tracks. There was Glean Fetcher outside the Library feasting on Vinyl Scratch’s magic. His scroll was lying on the ground next to him. Twilight crept up to it and looked over the list. It was in alphabetical order, but Glean Fetcher was obviously choosing ponies at random to visit. To Twilight’s relief, Amber Aldis’ name did not have a checkmark next to it, but the slash that had been through it when Apple Bloom discovered it was gone. This meant she was still a target.

“Ah, hello Princess Twilight,” said the unicorn overlord when he saw Twilight. “What perfect timing. Would you care to dine with us at Canterlot Castle this evening? Your brother and Princess Cadance will be there as well.”

Twilight was angry at Glean Fetcher for acting as if he had done nothing wrong, but she wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to visit the rest of the Royal Family when she had a plan to explain to them. So she accepted the invitation, and Glean Fetcher rolled up his scroll and disappeared.

That evening, Twilight flew to Canterlot and found Princess Celestia in the garden at the castle. She was looking at the setting sun.

“He does it all now,” she said when Twilight landed next to her. “He raises the sun at day and the moon at night, he spreads love and light around the Crystal Empire…”

“Princess,” Twilight interrupted, “I have an idea.”

Celestia perked up. “You have?”

“It won’t make Glean Fetcher lose his power, but it should demoralise him,” said Twilight.

She whispered her plan in Celestia’s ear.

The princess of the daytime nodded. “Good thinking, Twilight Sparkle. I’ll pass the word. My advice is to wait until tomorrow morning. Glean Fetcher has set up a room for you and he’ll get suspicious if you request to leave right after dinner.”

“But what if he visits Amber before then?” asked Twilight worriedly.

“I’m sure it’s worth the risk,” Celestia insisted. “He still has over ten thousand unicorns to visit. But I suppose you could leave tonight just in case. I don’t think the guards will object. They’re still loyal to us.”

In the Everfree Forest, Apple Bloom and her companions were progressing beautifully. All nine foals were now teleporting, lifting enormous rocks, making trees dance, duplicating bushes, aging flowers, and making Spike grow and shrink, and still the Alicorn Amulet hadn’t warped any of their minds.

“You have all been at this for a while,” Zecora said to them while they were taking a break. “I think that next practise, you can go freestyle.”

“You mean we can try our own thing?” asked Scootaloo. “Can I go first? Please?”

Zecora decided to say no. She was wondering if Scootaloo was getting addicted. But Scootaloo did not object at all when the zebra said she would let Apple Bloom go first.

Apple Bloom decided to make the trees around Zecora’s hut bare all sorts of fruit. In no time, there were fresh, ripe apples, oranges, bananas, cherries and plums hanging from the branches, which passed the taste test from Snips and Snails. Sweetie Belle went next, and she amazed them all by lighting an enormous technicolour fire from her horn. All too soon, it was Button’s turn. The foals and even Zecora had a laugh when he conjured a game controller and made Spike do everything he made him do for less than half a minute. Diamond Tiara used her turn to transform her cheap plastic diadem into a glimmering gold crown. She changed it back before handing the amulet to Snips, who moulded a big manticore out of dirt and made it roar. Next, Gilt Eyes took his own magic ability one step further and mirrored Zecora’s house. Zecora was very disoriented when she looked inside and found everything on the wrong side of the room. Before Gilt Eyes passed the amulet on to the next foal, he restored the hut to normal. Silver Spoon spent sixteen entertaining seconds walking through the trunks of the trees as if they were illusions. And when Snails’ turn came, he created a basin of pudding out of one of Spike’s scales. No one was surprised.

At last, the Alicorn Amulet was given to Scootaloo. It was clear right away why she was eager to choose her own spell. She used an age spell to make her roughly as old as Rainbow Dash. Her wings were fully grown and she spent a happy twenty-seconds flying above Zecora’s hut before landing next to Apple Bloom, restoring her chronological age and taking the amulet off her neck. The other foals cheered. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon decided not to tell Scootaloo that she didn’t have a cutie mark in that older state.

“This is so cool and totally bizarre at the same time,” said Snips excitedly. “I’ll bet no foal in the history of Equestria has ever done advanced magic like this.”

“No earth pony or pegasus either,” put in Button Mash.

Author's Note:

You know what I'm really ashamed of about this story? I never thought to include Dinky. But this story's long enough as it is, so to write her in now would just make it drag.

Comments

[Rayanne]

Oh that's cool walking through trees sounds awesome hey, where's Twist?