The three ponies stood atop the hill, looking down on the cave entrance. All three were clad in specially made armour that covered almost all of their bodies, only the wings of the Pegasus and the unicorns horn were visible. They stood silently surveying the area. After a few minutes they retreated back to the other side of the hill.
"Ya think they're in there?" The Earth pony asked.
"I didn't see any sight of movement around the entrance. What about you, did you sense any magic in the area Sweetie?" She asked turning to the unicorn.
"A little. Nowhere near as much as normal though." She replied, as they walked back down the hill. At the base was a campsite that had two other ponies, dressed in a similar manner to the three returning ponies. The armour was a construct of overlapping dull grey plates of steel, that prevented any flesh from showing. The only section that wasn't like this was the small emblem that covered the area the Cutie Mark would be, the emblem was a yellow pony rearing against a blue background.
The two ponies around the campfire turned to look at the new arrivals. The Pegasus walked over to them and they saluted. "What's the report?" He asked.
"There's a small cave over the other side of the hill. Hoof marks on the ground around the entrance suggest recent activity. Apple Bloom reports sensing life-signs inside the cave and Sweetie Belle can sense some magic, however it is much weaker than usual." Scootaloo reported from underneath her helmet.
"Good work. What you say about the strength of the magic is a little worrisome but it's not of great concern. Get some food, we attack in a few hours."
"Sir, yes sir." The three Crusaders chorus saluting their superior smartly before they walk over to the fire and start helping themselves to the cooking stew.
All five Crusaders stood in their armour under the bright midday sun. They crept down the hill to the entrance of the cave the young ones had spotted earlier. They moved like shadows down the hill to form up on either side of the cave, the three young Crusaders on the one side and the two older on the other. Sweetie's horn lit up faintly for a second, Apple Bloom closed her eyes and Scootaloo opened her wings. Sweetie nodded confirming there were no magical traps in the entrance, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom nodded confirming that nopony was walking around or stood still inside the entrance. The two leaders nodded and Tail lifted a hoof, he tapped it against the ground once, twice, three times. On the third tap Apple Bloom swept through the entrance, silent as a ghost, followed immediately by Sweetie Belle and Meteor Storm with Tail Wind and Scootaloo flying overhead.
"Okay Sweetie, set it up." Storm commanded after they had swept the interior of the entrance chamber. Sweetie nodded and started to channel a spell. Her horn glowed faintly as she worked. When she finished she asked "did it work?"
"Yes, flawlessly done Sweetie Belle." Storms voice entered her mind through the newly established telepathic link.
"Wow, this is so cool." Scootaloo thought.
"Alright, there are two tunnels leading off from this chamber. Apple Bloom, Storm and Sweetie take the right hoof one, me and Scoots get the left."
"On it." Apple Bloom replied, speaking for all her assigned team. She joined Storm and Sweetie by the tunnel entrance before they disappeared like ghosts into the darkness.
"Looks like it's just us, little bird." Tail said aloud to the other Pegasus.
"Yeah, lets go kick some Vampire flank." She responded before taking to the air and hovering by the other end. Tail Wind chuckled and joined her, they shared a look before disappearing into the darkness, like wraiths.
They crept along just like they had been taught, making no noise in their heavy armour and hiding in the shadows. Storm led the way along the side of the tunnel. They didn't meet anypony until they had nearly left the tunnel, The Vampire looked just like every other one they had met, black mane-less and bright red eyes. It was facing away from them, so they continued until Apple Bloom was directly behind it. In less than the time it took her heart to beat she had jumped onto it's back and driven one of her weighted and bladed horseshoes through the back of his neck completely separating it's head from it's body before it had a chance to feel the pain. She dropped back to the floor with a muffled thud in a pile of ashes.
"Well done 'Bloom, that was amazing!" Sweetie enthused directing her thoughts through the link to her team mates.
"Thanks, I just trusted my trainin'." She told them, as they moved into the chamber at the end of the tunnel. They emerged behind a stalagmite in a large chamber that housed a large number of beds, most of which were occupied.
"Wind, we made it to the first chamber without incident. There are a lot Vampires in here most are asleep." Storm informed the commander.
"Alright, me and Scoots are coming up on our first chamber now. If you can't take them out one at a time use a sun bomb." Tail instructed.
"Okay, Apple Bloom move around to that entrance over there and take a peek through." Storm told the Earth pony aloud, quite enough that a mouse wouldn't be disturbed by the noise. Apple Bloom nodded her acknowledgment and moved off sticking to the shadow. A minute passed before Apple Bloom reached the other doorway undetected. She flattened herself to the wall next to it closing her eyes and sensing anyone standing on the far side, when she didn't she risked a look around the door.
"It's empty." She informed her leader and team mate.
"Good, stay there and you may want to cover your eyes." He warned his horn lighting up as he began to work a spell. He stored the power pulling it from deep within himself and pushing it into a pool just behind his horn. When he had gathered enough he started to force the raw energy into a form that he could use. It took him a few seconds to prepare the spell. When he was done he launched a small point of light from his horn to float near the ceiling of the cave, then with a final flourish he released the spell and the small ball of light exploded. The explosion was soundless and had no shock wave, but it did bring an intense heat and an almost blinding light, as if someone had concentrated sunlight and shined it directly into their eyes.
When the heat and light subsided Apple Bloom looked around to see the destruction that had been wreaked by Storm's spell. Ash covered everything, beds, tables and chairs. Nothing was burned but the ash was everywhere, the remnants of over thirty Vampires. Storm strode through the destruction, pulling a biscuit out of one of the pockets inside his armour as he did so.
"I hate that spell. I really need to refine it so that it takes less energy to cast. Perhaps reducing the amount of heat produced?" he muttered to himself as he ate. He finished his snack and looked to the two other Crusaders. "Come on, there are more further in." He told them before he walked through the door he had sent Apple Bloom to check less than three minutes previous.
They had cleared the first two chambers they had met in seconds. There had been four Vampires in the first, they had fallen to a triplet of silver feathers in the back each. Six in the second, that had taken a little more work and planning. They had stopped by the entrance to assess the situation, three were sleeping two were playing cards and one was reading.
"Are there normally this many awake? I thought they were nocturnal." Scootaloo asked.
Sweetie paused to look through her friends eyes. "What do you do when you can't sleep? I read a book." She answered returning to her own eyes.
"I guess. It really freaks me out when you do that you know."
"Sorry, but how else was I supposed to know what you were talking about?" Scootaloo grumbled quietly, her friend was right even if it did feel horrible to have a second conciseness using her eyes.
"We'll move in and take out the three that are awake first, I'll take the two playing cards you take the one with the book." Tail told her in a voice almost less than a whisper.
"Got it, we take them out on the move and we can get to the beds before those two get out if they aren't actually asleep." The other Pegasus returned, eyeing her target.
"Good call, on my word." He told her preparing to move, wings raised and poised to throw the blades strapped to his wings, half crouching to allow for a faster take off. She emulated him on the other side of the entrance. "Mark."
She pumped her legs, throwing herself through the entrance faster than a diamond dog with it's tail on fire. she lined up her target as she was moving, only needing to slow down a fraction to throw her feathers while maintaining her heading, she landed by one of the beds and twisted so that the leading edge of her right wing met and passed through the neck of the sleeping Vampire. The whole thing took ten seconds. Tail looked at her smiling "Just like we practiced." He said, then jerked his head to another chamber.
They entered to find something they hadn't expected. They were in a room, that looked almost like a temple. There were pillars and statues and at the far end a shrine. A shrine that had a picture of a purple cloud and a pure white crescent moon as the centre piece. From an entrance further along the wall to their own came a pair of Vampires, they took three steps before spotting the two Pegasi. They were just about to shout awakening every Vampire that still slept within the caves when they turned into ash. Sweetie stood behind them her horn glowing as she levitated two razor sharp swords with a silver edge.
"Good timing." Tail commented, nodding to Storm. The group moved down the right side of the hall towards a door that stood at the far end.
As they walked, looking out for anymore restless Vampires, Scootaloo inspected some of the statues. Some of them looked like Nightmare Moon. that was to be expected in a place dedicated to worshiping the dark mare, but some looked like strange alien creatures, similar to diamond dogs but not quite, and a few looked like regular ponies turned into stone, like Twilight after she met the cockatrice. The thing that freaked her out the most however was the ones that looked like regular ponies seemed to be moving, never while she was looking at them but every time she looked back at one after looking away to check for Vampires, they appeared to be in a slightly different position. There was nothing she could say for definite as it was subtle, a slight shift of an eyebrow here, down turned corner of a mouth there, but she was sure it was happening.
They reached the door at the far side, three young Crusaders to the right, their older counterparts to the left. "Okay, the leader of this group should be in here somewhere." Tail informed them, in a whisper. "We go in and we kill him, if there are any other true Vampires in this cave they will notice and we may have to fight our way out, Everypony ready?" He asked receiving nods in reply from everybody. "Lets do this then." He said opening the door and slipping silently into the room on the other side.
The room appeared to have been mined out as apposed to the naturally formed caves they had been fighting through. The walls were smooth with tapestries hung around, there were rugs on the floor, large comfy looking chairs, a fire sat in a fire place against the right wall, Storm informed them through their psychic link that it was enchanted to remove the smoke and transform it into water and coal. At the far side of the room was a large four poster bed that took up the whole wall, at least six ponies could easily fit in its silk sheets and not touch the sides. On the bed lay a Vampire, just as Tail had said there would be. "I'll cast a silencing spell on you all so you can sneak up on him." Storm said retreating back out the door so the light of his horn would not wake their target. He re-entered a few seconds later.
"Good, Sweetie you and Storm stay back here, Scoots you and me will hide near the ceiling and Apple Bloom, you'll have to get close to make sure you can finish him if we don't." Tail instructed flaring his wings in preparation for take off. Apple Bloom nodded and started forwards, sticking to the shadows. Scootaloo took off slowly, not making a noise or disturbing the ground with her down draft. The two Pegasi flew along the ceiling until they were five feet away from the Vampires bed.
Apple Bloom reached the side of the Vampires bed in a few seconds, crouching down ready to jump out with her razor sharp shoes at the slightest movement from the sleeping monster. Tail carefully landed on one of the bedposts, wings flared for balance. Scootaloo did the same on the other side, there was a soft 'thunk' as her hooves touched down. Everyone tensed up as the Vampire moved grunting quietly, relaxing again when he stared softly snoring.
"Ready." Scootaloo said aiming her wings to give the creature six razor sharp silver daggers to the heart.
"Ready" Storm and Sweetie Belle said together, swords raised and spell already in their minds.
"Ready" Apple Bloom said after checking the edges of her shoes, making sure they were all still sharp.
"Do it." Tail ordered, flicking both his wings, causing him to rise back into the air and sending six feathers flying straight at the Vampire, Scootaloo did the same from her perch. A total of twelve silver feathers with blades that could slice the hair in a ponies mane flew at the Vampire.
They all embedded themselves in the pillow and mattress of the bed.
"It was an illusion, we have to get out of here they know!" Tail roared turning and flying straight at the two unicorns and the door behind them. He was joined not long after by Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. They charged out the door to face a half circle of the stone ponies. "How did I not notice Golems." The Pegasus stallion complained.
"Don't beat yourself up. We haven't seen them for years." Storm consoled his friend while using telekinesis to smash two of the Golems together. Apple Bloom reared bringing her fore hooves down on the head of one of the constructs as it charged her. Scootaloo took off Tail close on her heels and together they strafed the line of Golems while Storm attacked with equal parts magic and hoof-to-hoof when the got to close and Sweetie sliced them to ribbons with her swords, protected from close range encounters by Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom dodged a right hook from one of the Golems causing its fist to crash through the skull of another that was running at her from the left. She grabbed the Golems outstretched arm with her forehoof and pulled it right while twisting anticlockwise shattering the arm halfway. She discarded the broken remains before driving her hoof into the creatures neck. Sweetie brought her swords round again in a wide arc, doing damage to a large number of the Golems. When her swords met up again she picked one Golem sneaking behind Storm, she brought one sword straight, firing it into the constructs chest and pinning it in place while she brought it's partner around in a devastating overhead swing that completely shattered it's whole upper half.
"Scootaloo, we should use the Whirlwind." Tail called to his younger counterpart through their link.
"Good idea. Everyone get to cover." She called, turning in mid-air to face the other Pegasus. Tail rose straight up while Scootaloo started forwards on an intercept course. They both reached a hoof out and as they passed locked forehooves, causeing Scootaloo to spin around Tail like the sails on a windmill. A second later and they let go of each other, Scootaloo back winging wildly to bleed as much speed as she could. Tail continued his spin, however, and as he spun he released the metal feathers on his wings, causing them to fly off in all directions. The silver darts landed amongst the Golems striking everywhere, decimating them.
When the barrage finished none of the Golems were standing. They all stood panting for a second, the Golems were little more than rocks on the ground. "We need to move, me and Scoots can only do that once more and the Golems will reform soon." Tail told them, starting to lead the way.
A few seconds later and Apple Bloom who was bringing up the rear was attacked. The Golem ran at her with a spear attached to its side that was made of the remains of another Golems leg. Apple Bloom swept her leg in an arc across her body knocking the spear to her right exposing the Golems left side. She swung her left hoof round decapitating the construct. "They've reformed, we need to move faster." She called before setting off at a full gallop after her friends.
She caught up to them halfway down the tunnel Scootaloo and Tail Wind had used during the infiltration. They had slowed due to the sudden appearance of what looked to be twenty or more Vampire thralls with a few piles of ash covering the floor around the four comrades. Sweetie was swinging her sword round in an arc in front of her slicing through the necks of a five ponies and cutting lines into the chest of three others. They were quickly taken out by Storm using hoof-to-hoof or one of the Pegasi. Suddenly, a trio of Pegasus thralls sprung up, crossbows attached to their hooves and fired at them. Sweetie screamed as one bolt found it's mark deep in her right flank, at a point between two segments of her armour.
"They've done it now" Tail muttered as Storm stopped the small movements that indicated he was watching his targets or casting a spell, and stood still. His horn lit up and the air around him began to shimmer and roil like the air over a fire. Then the thralls, every single one at the exact same time except for the Pegasi, exploded in a shower of blood and gore.
"Half the time and twice the energy it takes to sneeze." The enraged Stallion muttered. He gripped the Pegasus trio in his magic, and with a thought broke their wings. He then proceeded to smash them into the ground over and over again like he was using their faces to flatten the uneven subterranean passage. When he was finished there was barely enough to distinguish them as ponies. He casually tossed the mangled corpses into a pile to one side. He turned to the other Crusaders. Tail was bent over Sweetie, he had removed the bolt and drew his medical supplies from the compartments hidden in the linings of his armour, Apple Bloom was facing the opposite direction in a ready stance, while Scootaloo stood to the side of Tail assisting where required.
"Stand aside Tail, I'll do this myself." Storm commanded. Tail did as instructed, partially out of fear but mostly because he knew what Storm was about to do would be faster and they needed to get out of the caves as fast as possible. Storm bent low over the injured Unicorn, his horn still lit. The edges of the wound were surrounded in his blue aura and skin seemed to form across the gap, it appeared to anyone watching that the wound was healing at a greatly accelerated speed. When he drew away the area looked as if nothing had happened to it. The teal stallion staggered to the side, drawing a biscuit out of a pocket by hoof, rather than his magic as he normally did.
"You used to much energy, you can't fight in this state. Eating only replenishes so much you need to rest." Tail told him, helping the now healed Sweetie Belle to her feet, Scootaloo gave her a quick hug before turning around to watch the tunnel behind them, occasionally flicking a few feathers so her Earth pony friend didn't get overrun.
"I can rest later. Lets get moving before to many Golems get here." He argued.
"Fine, but you are not using magic." Tail told him, placing an inhibitor sheath on his horn and locking it to his helmet. Storm grumbled a little but didn't move to remove the cone that now covered his horn. Tail turned helping Scootaloo and Apple Bloom push the Golems back before they all moved off for the cave entrance and freedom.
They exited the cave and ran, moving as quickly as the could for a river that they had found while scouting the area. They knew the Vampires wouldn't be chasing them but they wanted to cross a river to be certain. It took them a while to get their bearings and head in the right direction. Tail and Scootaloo took off flying in wide circles over head like they were trying to create a low speed tornado, in reality they were searching both for the river and to be sure they were not being followed by any thralls that had escaped Meteor Storms ire or by Golems. It took them seven minutes to find the river and cross it, Storm standing guard while Sweetie Scootaloo and the others rested for a second.
"I told you to rest Storm." Tail wind admonished. "I will order you if I have to." he threatened when the Unicorn showed no sign of having heard him.
"Fine." The stallion turned towards the group, found a patch of grass and collapsed onto it. "Happy?" he asked.
"Very." Tail replied. He looked to the sky tracking the suns position, it was now half way towards the horizon, they had only been in the caves a few hours and they still had plenty of daylight left. "We'll set off again in an hour." he informed them before resting his head on his hooves and closing his eyes to sleep. Half an hour later and Storm removed the cone from his horn, immediately lighting it up and casting a spell to hide their hoofprints from view. He replaced the cover on his horn and returned to his dreams. They got up and set off cantering west at a steady clip, putting as much distance as they could between them and the cave that they had attacked. It took them four days traveling at that speed to reach the entrance to the cave that had become all their homes.
"Get some food then some rest everyone, full debrief in the command centre at eight hundred hours tomorrow." Tail commanded as he walked towards the designated building, Storm not far behind. The three Crusaders headed for the mess hall. They entered and sat down looking around for Applejack or Rarity, but neither was anywhere to be seen. A series of explosions filed the room covering the tables with confetti, and sent the Crusaders into defensive stances, Apple Bloom crouched, Sweetie horn lit holding her swords and preparing a combat spell, and Scootaloo in the air with her wings ready to fling her sharpened feathers at whoever decided to attack them. A figure moved towards them in the darkness that covered a small corner of the room. Scootaloo reacted on instinct and sent six feathers directly at the creatures head. It jumped to the right with a cry, the feathers whistling past, missing by less than a hair.
"Ah'm friendly! Ah'm friendly!" Applejack's voice shouted, the figure took a step towards them and into the light revealing itself to be the owner of the voice.
"AJ, I could have killed you!" Scootaloo shouted. "Why would you think it was a good idea to surprise us after we spent the past week fighting things that can sneak up and kill us in seconds?!"
"It's alright Scoots ah'm fine, no harm done. We were trying to throw you a surprise party, guess we didn't think that you might still be jumpy from the raid." Applejack calmly explained.
"Where's Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked looking for her sister sheathing one of her swords. Just as she was about to slide the second into the sheath on her back a voice came from behind her.
"Right behind you darling!" Rarity shouted, expecting Sweetie to jump turn around and maybe give her a hug.
What she didn't expect was to be pinned against the wall that was behind her with a sword across her neck. "Rarity! Why did you sneak up on me after you saw what almost happened to AJ?!" Sweetie cried.
"Well I didn't see what almost happened to Applejack, but I can guess that it was similar to this. Now if you could please let me down."
"Sorry." Sweetie apologized, sheathing her sword and releasing her sister.
"Nothing to apologize for for dear, I shouldn't have snuck up on you. I guessed you would all be a little jumpy but when I saw you all talking to Applejack I thought it would be alright."
"We almost killed the both of ya" Apple Bloom told them sternly. "It may be a good idea to approach us from the front under the lights in future. Now enough chit-chat, I want to eat." Three stomachs grumbled in agreement with her words and the five ponies sat down to the food Applejack and Rarity had prepared.
"Three ponies stand before us today. They have been trained and tested in the fires of battle. They have returned from the battlefield whole and have proven themselves to be strong of character and spirit, I will vouch for them, are there any others who will do the same?" Tail Wind asked of the assembled ponies. Rarity and Applejack stood looking on while the three young Crusaders stood in a line in front of them wearing a set of bright, shining silver ceremonial armour. Captain Storm and Commander Wind were wearing the same as they faced the Crusaders.
"I will vouch for their character." Storm proclaimed. "I have fought beside these three young warriors, I have led them and in every order I gave they excelled. They have demonstrated to me their loyalty to both the crown and each other. I have also witnessed their great bravery in the face of the unknown, when we fought an enemy nopony has seen for several years I ordered them to destroy it and was not left wanting."
"In light of these statements, it is my honour to welcome these three young ponies into the order of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. May the sun always guide your path and warm your backs." Tail smiled as he looked at the three proud faces, his pupils, his comrades and in no small way his friends.
"May the moon hide you from your enemies and guard your dreams." Storm proclaimed next also smiling. "Welcome to the order. Captain Sweetie Belle and Captain Apple Bloom I pronounce you both knight-errant and Lieutenant Scootaloo I pronounce you Knight Sergeant. May your shields stand ever ready to protect the innocent and your swords to vanquish those that threaten the safety of all Equestrians!" Storm proclaimed stamping a hoof. Applejack and Rarity stamped their hooves in applause while the three young ponies shouted and jumped in celebration.
The stallion smiled. His shadow had returned from a cave he had set up only a few weeks ago.
"They attacked I take it?" He asked.
"Yes, the cave was completely wiped out." The shadow answered.
"But they fell for the illusion?"
"Of course, they didn't realize it was an illusion until they had attacked."
"Not that one, I already knew they would fall for that one. Have they realized the whole thing was an illusion? That I am not extending my reach west?" Moon Shadow asked, turning to face the pony that was as much a part of him as not.
"No, i don't believed they do." It replied.
"Good". The dark stallion smiled and turned to face his army as his shadow rejoined him. "They won't know I'm coming until it is far to late. But when they do they will have no choice but to die and join me in creating the eternal night our mistress wants."