//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 ~ Remorseful Reunion // Story: The Crimson Crusade // by PonyThunder //------------------------------// "You're old? What in Equestria happened back in there?" said Scootaloo. "I-I don't know," Apple Bloom replied, her voice shaking. It almost felt like she was in a dream. "Did you get a better glimpse of what that creature looked like?" asked Sweetie Belle. "It looked so...sad." "I thought it looked scary. Did you see its messed up wings?" said Scootaloo. "Its horn was so dark and...twisted. How was it making us feel so tired?" Sweetie Belle continued. "It said we were under some kind of spell," said Scootaloo. "Do you think Twilight knows anything like that?" "I know unicorns can do temporary age transformation spells, but I've never heard of anything like this." Apple Bloom sat idly and listened to their conversation. It went back and forth so fast that she had trouble keeping up. All she could think about was how her joints felt, how much she just wanted to lay down and take a nap, and how confused she felt at the sudden turn of events. One moment she was on an adventure in the mountains, and in the next she was laying unconscious in a cold, damp cave. After a few more seconds of listening to their conversation, however, she realized exactly what they had encountered. "It was a Niril," she said flatly. "Oh. That makes sense," said Sweetie Belle. "But didn't Ms. Cheerilee say nopony has ever seen what a Niril looks like?" "Maybe they have and just didn't come back to tell anypony..." Scootaloo said ominously. The implication floated in the air for a few seconds until Sweetie Belle looked toward Apple Bloom, sympathy filling her eyes. "If that's what Nirils do to ponies, I think you might be right. It almost did that to all three of us." "Yeah, thanks Apple Bloom," said Scootaloo, realizing the sudden gravity of her situation. "If it weren't for you, who knows what could have happened." Apple Bloom's wrinkled lips formed a slight smile, knowing Scootaloo's words were sincere. The reality was that she was the one who took the brunt of the creature's attack, and there was no telling whether or not she would return to normal. Suddenly, they heard the sound of cracking tree branches followed by a loud thud in a nearby clearing. "What was that?" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. They instinctively rushed off in that direction, followed slowly by Apple Bloom as she carefully made her way down the uneven path in front of her. On the grassy ground in a nearby clearing was a mess of leaves and tree branches. A few trees at the edge of the clearing appeared to have been blasted by something that fell from the sky, evidenced by an elongated crater dug into the dirt. Dust was just beginning to settle as they arrived at the scene, and at the end of the mounds of dirt was a familiar-looking pegasus. "Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo yelled, her eyes welling with tears. Scootaloo galloped toward her. Rainbow Dash lay in the dirt, her body bruised and wings tattered. As Scootaloo came close to her, she slowly opened her eyes to meet her gaze. "I found you," Rainbow Dash said. She tried to get up but felt a sharp pain in her left wing, which she had apparently landed on top of. "Don't move," said Sweetie Belle, catching up behind her. "It may be broken." "Wouldn't...be the first time..." Rainbow Dash replied, trying to return to a more comfortable position. "What were you doing?" asked Scootaloo. "Trying to find you," she repeated, wincing. "But I flew for too long and ran out of breath." She sighed. "Twilight was right..." "Will you be alright?" Scootaloo replied worriedly. Rainbow Dash assessed her bodily state. Everything dully ached from her head to her hooves, but sharp pangs kept surging near her wings. Based on how severe the pain felt, that this was one of the worst crashes she'd ever had. "I should be fine," she replied halfheartedly while swallowing the pain. "I've been in dozens of crashes worse than this one." Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom eyed her physical state uneasily, but Scootaloo appeared to believe her. Or at least, she was who wanted to believe her the most. Apple Bloom came closer so she could see better. "...who is that?" Rainbow Dash asked. "It's me," Apple Bloom replied, her voice still shaking. "It's Apple Bloom." Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes. "Did I mess up my eyesight or something? Because...you don't look like Apple Bloom. Or sound like her, for that matter." Just that moment, they heard faint calls coming from far away. The voices became closer and closer until finally, Rarity, Applejack, and Twilight appeared on the opposite end of the clearing. They quickly came together, exchanging hugs and greetings, while Apple Bloom approached slowly from behind. "Who is that?" said Twilight, echoing the words Rainbow Dash said moments prior. "Where's Apple Bloom?" said Applejack, too focused to see who Twilight was referring to until a couple seconds later. "What in tarnation...is that you, Apple Bloom? What happened?" Sweetie Belle replied for her. "A strange creature filly-napped us and brought us into some cave!" "What?" Rarity exclaimed. "Filly-napped? This far from civilization?" Twilight seemed even more perturbed. "What did this...creature look like?" Scootaloo replied, almost nervously so. "It had a tattered mane, a gnarly looking horn, wings that were--" "It was a Niril," said Apple Bloom. "I got a good look when it did...this to me." The rest were stunned. "...Apple Bloom?" said Applejack. "Is that really you?" She took a moment to ponder if she really was Apple Bloom anymore, but nodded that she was. "The Niril turned me this way," she said. "Are you sure it was a Niril?" asked Twilight. "Even in all my texts on the Lirin and Nirils, there aren't any visual depictions of the latter. Only a few passages that describe them as somber and apathetic." "That sounds about right," said Scootaloo. "That thing was a major downer." Twilight thought for a moment, surprised they had witnessed a Niril so soon. And when she finally realized Rainbow Dash was lying in a crater, she became even more so. "Rainbow Dash!" she exclaimed. "What happened?" She winced, then sighed. "You were right. I think I have a broken wing." "Darling," said Rarity, "are you sure that's all? You look as if you well, um..." "Fell to the ground like a rock?" Applejack bluntly interjected. "Yeah, that," Rainbow Dash said, giving her a sneer. "We need to get you fixed up right away," said Applejack as she began rummaging through her saddlebag. "I told y'all it don't hurt to be prepared." Twilight turned back to the others. "Did the creature you saw in the cave say anything else?" "Only that it had been waiting a long time, or something. It had some sort of plan," said Sweetie Belle. Applejack began wrapping some bandages around Rainbow Dash's wing. "What plan?" said Rainbow Dash, suddenly angry. "What did it get out of this?" "Quit movin'!" exclaimed Applejack. "Do you want to make this worse than it already is?" She sat back down. Apple Bloom cleared her throat, speaking slowly. "I saw the creature for a few moments after it finished the spell. It turned a dark blue color and had a younger, more vibrant voice." They all looked at her with a mixture of awe and pity. To Applejack, it was quite the shock to see Apple Bloom in the state she was in, let alone hear her voice in the same almost sage-like quality that Granny Smith spoke with. "I think it drained the life from me and...took it for itself. And it would have taken it from Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo too," she said, glancing in their direction. "But I think it took more from me because they got away." "That's awful," said Twilight. "Can't you reverse the spell?" asked Scootaloo. "I wish I could," said Twilight, remorsefully, "but this kind of magic is well beyond my capabilities. Temporary age transformations are one thing, but it only affects outward appearances." She took a few moments to collect her thoughts as she looked at Apple Bloom. Based on her uncertain demeanor and the way she stood with shaky joints, it was clear that wasn't the case for her. "But I have a plan. If we can find where the Lirin are, perhaps they might have a way to bring things back to normal." "And how do we know these Lirins won't just make things worse?" said Rainbow Dash, still laying on the ground as Applejack wrapped bandages around her. "The Lirin are a peaceful and harmonious race of ponies," said Twilight. "At least, according to the texts." Somehow, that didn't alleviate anyone's doubts. "Well, that's all fine and dandy," said Applejack as she ripped off the end of the bandage with her teeth, "but we still haven't found that special barrier of sorts. And apparently only younger creatures are capable of gettin' past it, if'n we do find it." She spit out the end into a nearby bush. "I guess we'll have to figure things out as we go," said Twilight. "For now, lets keep hiking and find that barrier." A few minutes later when they were ready to go, they began to reassemble and head back up the trail. Apple Bloom was in the back, thinking about her interaction with the Niril, until she realized exactly where it must have been going. She cleared her throat and spoke. "The creature left further into that cave. That's where I think the barrier will be." "You want to go back to where that thing did that to you?" said Applejack. "Are you sure that's where it will be?" asked Twilight. "I'm sure," Apple Bloom replied, turning around slowly and hiking in the opposite direction without saying another word. They watched in awe for a few moments as she trooped onward, completely certain of herself, but quickly reassembled into hiking formation and began to follow. For a brief moment, Rarity rose a hoof in protest to keep searching for her bag, but quickly put it down when she saw Applejack begin to trot up next to her elder sister. Something told her now wasn't the time to be concerned about missing beauty supplies.