//------------------------------// // Cutie Mark Crusaders: Warriors of Love (Mahou Shoujo Sweetie Belle Universe) // Story: Sparkle Dash Family: TMP Stories // by ssjgokillo //------------------------------// The Sparkle Dash Family Prompt 439: Reimagine My Little Pony as a Magical Girl series. Disclaimer:  I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (Warning: This is an AU chapter, it does not follow the continuity of Sparkle Dash Family. If that doesn't sound like fun to you, feel free to skip this.)         The class of room 2-B of Ponyville Middle School sat in varying degrees of attentiveness as their teacher Ms. Cheerilee went over the lesson.  Students that were lucky enough to sit by the window found their attention drawn to the outside, where the tall skyscrapers of Ponyville shone in the afternoon sun.  Colorful automated carriages could be seen blazing down the road that passed the school, filled with busy ponies on their way to work.         The students found their attention wavering mostly due to the subject matter; cutie marks and their origins.  After all by the time they reached middle school most ponies had already received their cutie marks.  What was the point of knowing where the mysterious tattoos came from?  Ponies had them since anypony could remember.  They appeared when you found your special talent.  It was as simple as that.         “For a long time ponykind has assumed that we’ve always had cutie marks.  However recent archeological findings such as artwork and writings have indicated that cutie marks may not have appeared on ponies until sometime after the fall of the Crystal Empire.”  Ms. Cheerilee clicked the button on the control she was holding, and a picture of shattered pottery appeared on the board.  It depicted many ponies, all without cutie marks.         “Archaeologists having even theorized that the first cutie marks may not have appeared until after the fall of Everfree, which as I’m sure you all remember happened after the mysterious disappearance of Princess Luna.”  Ms. Cheerilee took a moment to look over her students, spotting a yellow hoof raised near the back row.  She just barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes.  “Yes Applebloom?”         Applebloom, a yellow furred filly with a red mane and tail, fiddled nervously with the pink bow that kept her mane tied before she asked her question.  “Ms. Cheerilee, if cutie marks haven’t always been around, then how did everypony know their hidden talent?”         “Nopony really knows Applebloom.  That was almost a thousand years ago after all.  There is a lot about that time that we don’t know.  There’s still arguments within the scientific community about whether or not unicorns were capable of doing magic other than simple levitation they can do today.”  Ms. Cheerilee said.         Another hoof went up, drawing Cheerilee’s eyes to a white furred filly whose mane was two-toned pink and purple.  “Do you have a question Sweetie Belle?”         “Yes ma'am!”  Sweetie Belle said, “I was just wondering… if we haven’t always had cutie marks, then does anypony know where they come from?”           “Why?  You looking for hints on finding your’s blank flank?”  A taunting voice said, causing the rest of the class to laugh.  It was no mystery as to who had said the spiteful thing.  It was the same filly who always harassed both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle for not yet having their cutie marks, Diamond Tiara.         Sweetie Belle felt her face heating up in embarrassment.  It was rather unusual to be a filly as old as she was and not to have found her special talent.  A fact that Diamond Tiara and her friend Silver Spoon were always quick to reminder her of.         Ms. Cheerilee cleared her throat, grabbing everypony’s attention.  “That is quite enough of that thank you.  And Ms. Tiara, please keep your comments to yourself.  Unless you wish for me to speak with you father… again.”         Diamond Tiara shot the teacher a glare and sunk into her seat.  Sweetie Belle turned and gave Applebloom a small smile.  It was always nice to see Diamond Tiara put in her place.  Even if it never really stopped the abuse from the rich filly.         A few minutes later the school bell chimed, signalling the end of the day.  Ms. Cheerilee dispersed the images displaying on the board and stepped behind her desk.  The students of class 2-B were are visibly excited at the prospect of being released for the day.  “Alright students, that’s all for today.  Don’t forget that your papers on the Buffalo-Pony Wars of 1763 are due tomorrow.”  She gave the students a moment to gather their belongings before turning to Dinky Doo, the current class president.         Dinky stood and faced the rest of the class.  “Please stand.”  She waited for all the students to scramble to their hooves, quickly putting away last minute items.  “Bow.”  She said, before she turned and bowed to Ms. Cheerilee with the rest of the class.           Cheerilee nodded in response.  “Dismissed.”  She said simply, and the students began filing out of the classroom.          The two fillies walked out of the school building.  Applebloom had spent the entire walk from the classroom complaining about Diamond Tiara.         “Can ya believe the nerve of her?  Calling us blank flanks!  And in front of Ms. Cheerilee too!”  Applebloom blew a lock of hair that had escaped from her bow out of her face.           Sweetie Belle nodded along, knowing it was best to let simply let Applebloom rant without adding any fuel to the fire.  It was business as usual really.  A similar scene had played out practically every day after school since the two had met at Diamond Tiara’s cute-cenera two years ago.  They’d been inseparable since then.  Banding together and trying their best to find their special talents.  It hadn’t just been the two of them however.  There had been a third filly in their little group.         “Oh look, there’s Scootaloo…”  Applebloom said, snapping Sweetie Belle out of her reminiscing just in time to see the orange pegasus filly look at them, before turning around and taking off on her scooter.  “Grrrr!  Why that little… who does she think she is?  Ignoring us like that!  I have half a mind to go teach that chicken a-”         “Just leave her alone Applebloom.  And stop calling her a chicken!”  Sweetie Belle said.         Applebloom had the grace to look sheepish at Sweetie Belle’s reprimand.  “Sorry Sweetie Belle.  Hows about we stop by that new Sugarcube Corner that just opened up and I’ll buy ya a milkshake?”         Sweetie Belle smiled at the thought.  She did love Sugarcube Corner’s milkshakes.  “Wait a minute… another Sugarcube Corner?  That’s like the fifth one in town now!  Are they trying to open one up on every corner?”  She asked in disbelief.         The two friends made their way towards the sweet shop, chatting happily and moods brightened by the prospect of sugary sweets. Sweetie Belle sighed in relief as she flopped onto her bed.  She had spent most of the afternoon with Applebloom, heading home only once her friend had to go home to help with the chores around the farm.  It still surprised Sweetie Belle that there was still a farm right on the outskirts of the metropolis that was Ponyville, even after being friends with Applebloom all these years. She sighed again.  Thinking of Sweet Apple Acres (the farm that Applebloom called home) always made her think of the time she spent on the farm.  The time spent with both of her friends, before Scootaloo changed. The orange pegasus filly had always been the most gung-ho member of their little group.  Always ready to try whatever she crazy stunt she could think of in order to get their cutie marks.  Her reckless behavior often got them into trouble, but was also one of the reasons they had so much fun. It had all changed so suddenly.  One day Scootaloo stopped coming to their clubhouse after school.  Then she stopped hanging out with them at school.  When Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had asked her about it, Scootaloo had just said she was too old to play their little foal’s games anymore.  Applebloom had been quite upset at that, and the two fillies had fought right in the middle of the school courtyard.  After everything was over Scootaloo just avoided the two of them, and Sweetie Belle still wasn’t entirely sure what they had done wrong. Sweetie Belle turned her head and looked out the window.  Night had fallen and the stars that could be seen over the city’s lights were twinkling in the sky.  The image of the “mare in the moon” was really visible, as if the black shapes stood in stark contrast to the pure light of the moon.   In fact Sweetie Belle could almost swear that the moon was glowing brighter that night.  It could have just been a trick of the light, as it also looked like four stars were slowly closing in on the moon, as if they were about to crash into it. Sweetie Belle watched in fascination as the stars (which she still wasn’t sure weren’t just tricks her eyes were playing on her) moved closer to the moon.  They inched closer and closer until finally they came in contact with the celestial body.  Suddenly the light of the moon intensified, lighting up the sky like a pale sun. She wasn’t sure why she did it.  Maybe some foalish thought that this was like a shooting star.  But when Sweetie Belle saw the moon light up the sky, she made a wish. She wished that her friends would be friends again. And she wished for her cutie mark. When she opened her eyes again, she regretted not making a third wish, which would have been for something to protect her from the bright glowing object that was falling from the sky straight towards her window. “AHHHHHHH!”  Sweetie Belle rolled off her bed and quickly scrambled under it hoping it would protect her from the incoming impact.  She waited and trembled under the bed, wondering whether or not she would survive, and whether this would destroy her sister’s shop. As the seconds ticked by and no explosion came Sweetie Belle became curious.  She peeked her head out from under the box spring and looked around to see her room completely intact.  In fact the only thing different about her room was that it looked like the sun was streaming through her window. She crawled out from under her bed and stood back up on her hooves, before she froze at what she saw.  It was immediately apparent why it was so bright in her room; there was a glowing orb floating in the center of the it. Sweetie Belle watched in shock as the orb flew around her room, knocking pictures of her and her friends off the wall and some of her books from their shelves.  The orb seemed almost curious as it flew around her room.  It would stop at random items as if considering them before moving on. Finally the orb of light hovered over one of Sweetie Belle’s stuffed animals.  It was of a dark alicorn filly that she had been given when she was younger, a plushie that was designed to look like the storybook pictures of Princess Luna.  The orb flew a couple circles around the plushie, before slowly lowering towards it.  Sweetie Belle watched in amazement as the orb sunk into the fabric as if it were water, before it was finally submerged within the plushie. With the light from the orb gone her room fell back into its normal brightness.  Sweetie Belle hardly noticed however, as she was stared at the Luna plushie and tried to figure out what had just happened. “Ah yes!  This will do just nicely!”  Sweetie Belle felt her entire body freeze up as a filly-like voice came from the Luna plushie.  After a moment the plushie stood on its little cloth hooves and turned to face her. “Hewwo!  My name is Woona, and I’m here to…” Sweetie Belle didn’t catch the rest of what the possessed plushie was saying, as she had promptly fainted. While Sweetie Belle was always grateful that her older sister, Rarity, allowed her to stay in her house, she was not so grateful for her sister’s cat.  Not that the cat, Opalescence, was that bad of a cat.  She just had a bad habit of pawing at Sweetie Belle’s mane when she was asleep. “Opal… cut that out…”  Sweetie Belle mumbled, pushing away at the paw that was pressing against her muzzle. “Opal?  Did we not just say our name is Woona?”  Sweetie Belle’s eyes flew open at the sound of the voice.  She quickly sat up, her eyes instantly flying to the alicorn plushie that was standing next to her.  She half-hoped that she was still asleep. “Who...Who are you?”  Sweetie Belle asked as she scooted away from the fabric alicorn. The plushie actually rolled its eyes and crossed its forelegs over its chest.  “How many times must we repeat oursewves?  Our name is Woona!” Sweetie Belle nodded, not wanting to make whatever this was angry.  “Right, sorry uh… ‘Woona’.” Woona waved a hoof.  “Tis awright young one.  We take no offense, we understand this must be surprising for you.” That was the understatement of the century.  “So uh… it’s nice to meet you and everything but… what are you?  And what are you doing in my room?”  Sweetie Belle looked past Woona towards the door of her room, trying to figure out if she could make it past the plushie and out the door. Woona looked surprised at Sweetie Belle’s question.  “Oh!  That is right!  we didn’t get to finish our introduction earwier!  As we said, we are Woona, and we are here as your spirit guide to help you wearn how to use your powers in your fight against Nightmare Moon.” Sweetie Belle stopped inching her way around Woona and stared at her.  “Holiday whoobi what now?”   Woona sighed and sat on her haunches.  “Awwow me to expwain.”  She said. And explain she did. She told Sweetie Belle of a princess that once safeguarded the dreams of ponies all across Equestria.  How through the princess's careful guidance of the dreams, ponies were able to realize the true potential, their “destinies” as it were.  But the princess had a second job, that of guarding the ponies against the many denizens of the dream world that wished to harm them.  The Nightmares.  And while she did her job with pride, there was one flaw.  There was nopony to protect the princess’s dreams.  When the Nightmares realized this they struck, and infected the princess with their darkness.  She was transformed from a beautiful princess into the wicked mare of darkness; Nightmare Moon.  Thankfully, the princess’s sister was able to stop Nightmare Moon and banish her to the moon, where she remained imprisoned for one thousand years.  There was a prophecy however, that foretold Nightmare Moon’s release one thousand years after her defeat. Now Nightmare Moon was free, but she was still weak.  Much of her power came from the dreams of ponies, which she had not had access to for a thousand years.  But Nightmare Moon had a plan.  She planned to use ancient magic to drain a pony of their hope and inspiration: their cutie marks. “However there is another wegend.  One that says a group of fiwwies who have not yet reawized their destinies will call upon the power of dreams and defeat Nightmare Moon.”  Woona finished her story and sat down. Sweetie Belle politely clapped her hooves together as the story ended, before realizing the implications of what Woona had said.  “Wait a second.  You mean I’m part of this group that’s supposed to use dreams to defeat Nightmare Moon?!” Woona nodded.  “You may not reawize it, but you have a great power sweeping within you.  You just need to be abew to unwock it!” “And how do I do that?”  Sweetie Belle asked. Woona smiled and held out one of her forehooves.  “With this!”  She said.  There was a flash of light, then a crystal with a pink hue appeared above Woona’s hoof. The crystal floated from Woona, coming to a stop before Sweetie Belle.  “Wha-What is this?”  The filly asked as she cupped the crystal in her hooves.  It felt warm, and vibrant.  For some reason it reminded her of bright lights and cheering, and something else she couldn’t quite place. “That is your Cutie Crystaw!  With it you can transform from a pwain fiwwy to a Cutie Mark Crusader, protector of justice! “How does it work?”  Sweetie Belle turned the crystal over in her hooves, still marveling at the feeling it produced. “You have to focus on it and think about something you care about.  Something you wouwd fight for, then you say ‘Cutie Crystaw Energize!’  Woona twirled around as she said the last part. Sweetie Belle looked at the crystal, then back to the plushie that only an hour ago had sat lifeless on her bed.  Was this all a dream?  Was any of it real?  She didn’t know, but there was one way to find out. She held the crystal against her barrel.  She already knew what she was going to think of.  It was something she should have been fighting for all this time.  Her friendship with Scootaloo and Applebloom. “CUTIE CRYSTAL ENERGIZE!”  Sweetie Belle shouted. A black alicorn mare sat atop a cobalt throne within the realm of dreams.  Her nebulous mane hung weakly against her neck, a testament to her lack of power after her freedom. She felt a pulse in the dreamscape.  Somepony had just called upon a heavy dose of dream magic.  It seemed that meddling Woona had already begun her preparations. The mare smiled, her fanged maw gleaming in the blue light of the torches of her throne room.  Let the little sprite play her games.  It mattered little.  Soon she would have all the dream energy she would need, and then she would rule over all of Equestria. And then the true nightmares would begin. =-=SDF=-= “So, what do you think?”  Bab asked once her cousin was done with the last page.  She had been eagerly waiting for Applebloom to finish to see what she thought of her manga. “The drawings were really good Babs!  But how could ya just leave the story like that?  I mean, what happens with Sweetie Belle?  And me?  Do I become one of them Crusaders?”   “Of course you do Cuz!  And that’s just the first chapter.  I got a whole bunch more planned, but they take a while to draw.”  Babs said.  She was happy that her cousin enjoyed the story.  She had worked hard on it after all. “That sounds swell Babs.  I’m just glad you gave up writin those boat-fics of yours.”  Applebloom said.  She picked up the pages of Bab’s manga and began flipping through them again, missing the guilty look that flashed across Babs face. “It’s ship-fics Bloom…”  Babs muttered, but decided to let the matter rest.  She wondered if Applebloom would still like her manga as much later on, when she introduced Sweetie’s love interest. The Twilight Knight.