The sun shines down upon Sweet Apple Acres as a cool wind blows through the apple trees. Sitting on one of these trees is a small clubhouse, with three fillies within.
Apple Bloom looks around at her three friends, smiling, “So, Crusaders, what are we gonna do today?”
Sweetie Belle grins, “What if we were to try gossiping?”
Scootaloo looks over at her, “Gossiping?”
Sweetie nods, “Yeah! Rarity does it all the time!”
Scootaloo shakes her head, “That’s dumb. Who wants to spent their entire life gossiping?”
Sweetie narrows her eyes, “Yeah, well, you’re dumb. Gossip is a lady-like way to spend your time.”
Apple Bloom looks between the two, “Now, girls, let’s not get into any fights.” She smiles, “Here, I have an idea. What if we were to become weather ponies!”
Scootaloo looks outside, “Clear. And it’s gonna be clear for the rest of today. Why would we become weather ponies when the cloud factories announce their schedules.”
Sweetie Belle moves up to the window, “Actually, it’s not clear, Scootaloo. There’s some clouds over there.”
Scootaloo trots over, “That’s odd, Rainbow said today was supposed to be clear.”
Apple Bloom giggles as she trots over as well, “Maybe she slept through the change?”
Scootaloo looks over, “Oh hardy-har-har.”
Sweetie Belle narrows her eyes, “Hmm, that cloud is an odd shade of nepeta.”
Scootaloo looks over, “What is nepeta?”
Sweetie Belle motions to the far off cloud, “A slight sickly green, like that.”
Scootaloo looks, only to narrow her own eyes, “Hey, does it look like it’s growing to you two as well?”
Apple Bloom looks closer, as the cloud slowly grows larger, and the green tint in it grows as well.
She looks to the other two, “Girls, we should probably get to the storm shelter, just in case.”
Scootaloo nods, “Yeah, let’s go there.”
Apple Bloom backs up, and turns to the door, “Come on, girls.”
Scootaloo follows her, but Sweetie Belle stays still. Her eyes are locked onto the glowing and growing cloud, “Are you... evil?”
Scootaloo turns to look at Sweetie, “Come on, Sweetie.”
Sweetie doesn’t pay her friend any mind, her ear twitching, “Plague?”
Apple Bloom turns around as well, “Sweetie, we gotta get to the shelter before it reaches us.”
Sweetie raises an eyebrow, “You know Twilight?”
Scootaloo steps closer, “Sweetie?”
Sweetie pauses, “Huh. So, it’s all magic?”
Scootaloo steps up right beside Sweetie Belle, “Sweetie, you alright?”
Sweetie nods, “Thank you for the warning.”
Scootaloo touches Sweetie’s shoulder, “Sweetie?”
Sweetie Belle snaps out of her trance state, and she looks over at Scootaloo, “Yeah?”
Apple Bloom speaks up, “You were staring at the cloud and talking nonsense, Sweetie.”
Sweetie glances back, as the cloud now gets closer and closer, “Huh.”
Apple Bloom motions to the door, “It’s getting closer, we need to get out of her now.”
Sweetie sends one final glance at the cloud, before nodding, “Yeah, let’s go.”
———
The sun shines high above Canterlot, as a squadron of Royal Guards and Night Guards rush around. Princess Luna and Celestia stand in their throne room, their eyes locked onto a single dead rat in the center of the room.
A thestral Night Guard rushes up to Luna, and salutes, “We’ve completed our search, Princess.”
Luna nods, “What did you, Commander Hypnos?”
The thestral nods back, “We didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, Princess Luna.”
Luna looks at Celestia, “We still have a problem, sister.”
Celestia nods, her eyes scanning the room, “There is a chance this might be a false threat, Luna.”
Luna shakes her head, “The rat is too big to be one of ours.”
Celestia looks back, “That is not entirely true. Rats can be large, Luna.”
Luna frowns, “If you-“
Celestia shakes her head, “You need not lecture me, Luna. I am not treating this like a joke. I am just saying there is a chance this is a false alarm.”
Luna steps closer, “Ordiria-“
Celestia narrows her eyes, “Luna, please. I was right there beside you.”
Luna narrows her eyes, “Yet here you are, ignoring it.”
Celestia steps right up to Luna, “Listen, Luna, for the last time, I am not ignoring this. I am simply-“
Luna interrupts, “Those years of peace have made you complacent, sister. We should have the entire army rallied, yet here you are, with naught but twenty guards.”
Celestia leans down, getting eye-to-eye with Luna, “Listen here, Luna, you have not the years of experience I now have. Do you know how many false alarms we had? Do you-“
She pauses as she hears a sound from one of her guards.
A cough.
Both sisters look towards the offending guard, seeing him cough again, a dark cloud coming from his mouth.
Celestia looks the guard in the eye, “What was that?”
The guard coughs again, the dark cloud coming out again, “Sorry, Princess, I used to be a smoker when I was younger. Must just be some smoke I kept in my lungs.”
As he says this, another guard begins to cough as well, the same black cloud coming out of his mouth. He says between the coughs, “Must be dusty in here.”
Celestia and Luna look at each other, as the other guards slowly begin to cough.
One of the younger guards collapse in front of them, coughing rapidly. He continues, not getting the opportunity to take a breath, until he can’t cough anymore. He chokes in front of them, the black cloud escaping from his mouth.
Celestia looks at him, her eyes widening, “Glittering Shield...”
Luna looks at her, “Sister, we need a shield! We must not let it spread!”
Celestia keeps her eyes on the young stallion as he slowly stops, dying before her, “Gl-“
Luna punches her sister in the side, “Celestia!”
Celestia looks over at Luna, and nods, “Of course.”
Their horns light up as a shield appears around the room, a mix of yellow and blue. They close their eyes, and fold down their ears as the guards continue to cough.
They are given pause as they hear the coughing all stop suddenly.
Luna slowly opens her eyes, seeing nothing within the darkness. Celestia looks around with her, both given pause as they hear a sound from behind them.
Keeeee...sssseeeeerrrrr
They both turn around, only to see two red dots staring at them from within the darkness. However, slowly, next to the red dots, appears a green light.
The light slowly becomes a figure, who breathes laboriously.
Luna looks at them, and slowly summons her sword, “It is as we feared.”
The figure speaks, “Thou wert right to fear. We art Plague, and we art thine end.”
Celestia narrows her eyes, “Harmony shall destroy you.”
Plague steps closer, “Harmony is naught compared to the awesome power of sickness. Twilight hath defeated us once prior, but nary another time.”
Luna steps forward, “Your Sickness is naught upon our shield!”
Plague laughs, “Our Sickness is awesome in it’s power, for it is pure magic! It surrounds thee now, magic.”
Celestia summons her own sword, “Luna, are you ready?”
Luna nods, “Of course, sister.”
Plague looks at the two of them, his form still obscure within the darkness, “Armageddon is upon thee. Run and hide. Only the worthy shall live.”
Luna shouts, and sends her sword flying through the darkness, cutting at the form of Plague.
Before her sword can hit, it is knocked away, as the red dots appear, and a dark figure obscures Plague.
A sword comes from the darkness behind Luna, blocked by Celestia’s own blade.
Plague moves towards the window, and a bright green glow comes, “Powers of Sickness, Powers of Death, Powers of Destruction, we call upon thee!”
Luna’s horn flickers as they shield outside does similar, and charges Plague.
The red dots appear in front of her, and she stopped in her tracks as swords emerge from the darkness around her, which she can barely block or parry.
Celestia rushes to help her sister, as the red dots glare at them.
———
Apple Bloom rushes to the doors to the storm shelter, looking as the cloud gets ever closer. Applejack looks down at her, and nods, “Mac, Granny, and I are going to make sure my friends are safe. Stay down there, Bloom, ‘til you’re sure it’s safe.”
Apple Bloom nods, “Don’t worry, Applejack, I’ll make sure we stay safe.”
Applejack leans down, and hugs Apple Bloom, “That’s good to know, little sis.” She stands back up, and looks at the cloud, “I’m sure this will all pass quickly. But, just in case, don’t open the shelter to anypony. Mac, Granny, or I will tell you when it’s all done. Just in case it’s changelings, our password is ‘Butter’, alright?”
Apple Bloom smiles, “You got it, big sis. Be safe.”
Applejack nods, “Now, when am I not safe, little sis?” She smiles, “Be back soon.” She then rushes off into the orchard.
Apple Bloom looks after her, as she charges towards the cloud. After a second, she closes the shelter doors, and locks them.