//------------------------------//
// Introduction 
// Story: The Crusaders of Justice 
// by WezzaHD 
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Scootaloo ran, she ran like she never ran before. She had to find her, she didn't know where she would be at this hour, though. She didn't care, she would find her. For a split second, she saw a figure in the Everfree forest disappear in it's darkness. She didn't think, she just ran in afterword.

She was in the Everfree at night, those two were never a good combination, but that didn't matter to her now. She just had to find her and see what this was all about. She couldn't see two feet in front of her, but she looked and saw a light in the distance, and a light stuck out like a sore hoof in there. Scootaloo saw her, she was getting in a chariot with no windows. She screamed after her. She heard, but didn't turn back. She merely entered the box with wheels they called a chariot, and the doors closed. She saw an indigo pony with black hair and a light blue cloak to match, as well as a green stallion with a manic grin dressed the same way.

Two large ponies came out in the dark. Like the first two, they wore those same light blue cloaks. They stared at her for a second, before she felt a hoof meet her face and force her to the ground face first. She tried to get up but she was bucked to a tree. Her body slammed into the trunk of the tree and she fell once again. They chuckled at her, and walked over to where she was lying. She suddenly sprang up and hit one. He stumbled back, mostly out of surprise and she went for the second one, who quickly blocked and threw her back on the ground. She saw a crest on the chariot. A crest showing three light blue ponies surrounded by a hurricane.

The red pony came out of the chariot. He looked down on her and grinned. He looked at her, and grinned. She knew it was a threat. Even a child could understand that. He turned around and left, once again entering the chariot. her sight was going. In her last seconds she saw the vehicle take off. So focused on that, she didn't even notice the brand new cutie mark on her flank.



(years later)

A shadow ran through the night, with six Shadows following closely behind. The figure ran through the cold darkness, and darted to the left. She was shot at by a blast of magic from one of those chasing her. She just managed to avoid it, and quickly went to the right, and the gang of unicorns followed closely behind, shooting blasts and levitating weapons. They suddenly got her in a corner, and began to slowly advance towards her. She looked, she had nowhere to run, she didn't have wings, so she couldn't fly away, and she didn't have a horn, so she couldn't blast her way through them and even if she did, there were six of them and one of her. She clutched her saddlebags in a futile attempt to keep them from getting what they wanted.

"You know what we want, just give it to us and we promise you won't die." One of them stepped forward and spoke with a gruff voice. He held out his hoof and stood there, while the earth pony trembled in the corner, he knew they would get what was in the bag either way, but he knew what was in the bag, and who knew what they wanted with it. He gave up, and held out his saddlebag.

"Good" The leader nodded as he snatched it away, and looked inside. The others stepped forward.

"W-Wha?" The earth pony stuttered "But I gave you the bag. What more do you want?"

"Just to make sure you stay quiet. Can never be too careful, you understand" he grinned as the others got in closer. He was backed in a corner with nowhere to go. He proceeded to leave with the acquired item on his back.

They were nearly in her face, she whimpered. Each of them was tall, built and mean. One raised a hoof to attack her, a flash of what looked like red knocked him to the ground.

The leader turned around to see one of his ponies lying on the ground with a black eye. "Crap" he thought to himself "Why did they have to show up? Not now"

"Alright, we're going, everypony. Hurry up"

"Already? We're in no rush" He turned around and saw two figures in red hooded cloaks. They walked up to him and he backed away, cursing to himself As they were now surrounded. These three were a huge problem ever since they made their presence known a month ago to them. They had cost them one of the crystals, too. She nearly had his head for that.

"Get them!" He yelled. The ponies rushed the three. The three unicorns of the group pointed their horns at them and were ready to fire. One noticed, and threw a ball at them.

"Argh!" they growled as a flash of light from the ball momentarily blinded them while of the first one rushed one of the unicorns, knocked him to the ground and disappeared. The other two shook their heads to try and get their vision back, but their eyes still hurt. One was levitated with a green aura and slammed to the wall, while the other was punched in the face by the first cloaked figure.

He noticed that one was still standing in the entrance of the alleyway. Him and the other two earth ponies that were left rushed her. She easily beat down the two lackeys that had charged, but she didn't notice leader who had stopped at the last second, and had something in his hoof, that appeared to be a sort of horseshoe. He grinned while she had just finished handling the other two when he thrust his hoof at her. She quickly turned around and blocked it, but she froze for a split second and dropped to the ground. He grinned as he stood over her.

"This is an enchanted horseshoe. It shocks the nerves of whoever is in contact with its outer structure. Did you think I wouldn't come prepared this time?" he gave her a violent kick in the face to ensure she would feel something tomorrow and ran off while the other two rushed to their friend and ran over to the earth pony who they were harassing. The others got their bearings back and ran, but were caught by the trio.

"Are you alright, miss?" One asked. She looked at them, they were still in a dark alleyway, so she couldn't see their faces, but she saw one with wings pointing out of holes in the cloak.

"Y- yes, I'm fine, thank you" she stuttered.

"What did they take from you?" the other non- unconscious pony questioned. She hesitated, then sighed.

"A gauntlet"

"What? What would they want with one hoof gauntlet?"

"There's a legend which states that it is part of a dangerous weapon that can only be activated when all the pieces are together. I don't know if it's true or not, but if it is then we are all in grave danger."

"Thank you" they disappeared into the night. She went off into the darkness. Frightened, how would she explain this to the museum curator?



Applebloom woke up on her bed. She looked down quickly. She was still in her costume, but her mask and cloak were on the side, she looked at it, it was yellow with goggles on the eyepieces. She groaned. Something had hit her, hard. She tried to get up but she still felt that pain. She would have to make some adjustments to the padded clothing.

"Oh good, you're awake" She looked and saw a masked pony with a red hooded cloak that had the hood pulled off. The mask that went down to the neck of the costume was white, with purple shades to cover the eyes. There was also a purple hat on her head which concealed her horn.

"Ah'm fine, Sweetie Belle" she sighed. She was caught off guard, she never expected Hardhitter to come prepared for them. Him and his group had been causing a lot of trouble when the lights went out, and they were collecting these ancient artifacts. Sweetie Belle told her everything, and it wasn't good, now they knew it was for some weapon? She knew they would have to look into this some more. They needed to know that if this weapon could still be dangerous, and where they were hiding the pieces, and where the still- missing ones were first.

"Where's Scoots?" She asked. Sweetie sighed

"On her own, you know she doesn't take failure well. She'll get the indigo dye off her wings then be training by herself for the next couple of days"

Scootaloo took a lot of things way too seriously, but she did understand why. Hardhitter and his gang were annoying, and he had expected them, and . She saw Sweetie thinking about this just as she was.

"where do you think he got that thing from?" She finally asked Applebloom.

"Ah don't know"

"It's not like any known weapon used by the royal guards. considering who they work for, I wouldn't be surprised considering who they work for"

"We knew what we were getting into when we decided to do this"

Hardhitter and his ponies had run off into the dark and stopped at a house. He stopped and looked inside the saddlebags once again

"Alright, I'll deliver this to Diamond in the morning. You all stand guard and make sure those three don't come back." They nodded and entered their small base. It was dirty and disorganized. The type of place a petty gang might hang out. But if they found him, they would trace them back to here and their boss would get off Scot free. They were expendable. She was a mule, but she was a mule with money. That's why he worked for her.

He grinned as he looked at their acquired target. ancient who- knows- how- old artefact. It was actually in good condition Despite its age. He thought back to the mare whom hey had taken it from. Frail, weak. Those words came to mind when he thought of her. He wished she was a unicorn; the theft would have been so much more satisfying if she just had that horn on her head. He shook his head. He shouldn't be worrying about that. It was easy, that was all that mattered.

Scootaloo was in a flew up into the air. She was in a field outside the enlarged town. she flew past the trees in a zigzag formation, just like she saw Rainbow, but nowhere near as fast do. flew up into the air, not going too far up and dived down. She tried to keep herself steady, going in a completely straight line, but she couldn't hold it. She crashed down onto the ground with a face full of dirt in her mouth. She was glad she wasn't alone on this, she was glad she asked her friends for help on this. She was still surprised they said yes, though. Especially since Applebloom now technically worked for Diamond.

She thought about how things had been so bad lately. So bad that they had to go out at night as masked crime fighters was pretty bad. She chuckled to herself. Had it been Diamond Tiara taking over most of the import and exports of the town, or had it been Twilight becoming a shut- in.

Ever since her father has stepped down and given her his business, Diamond Tiara had diversified the business to not only endorse food products like the ones on the Apple family farms, but also construction and the most notable was making weaponry for the guards of Canterlot.

Princess Twilight kept to herself. Rainbow's disappearance had taken it's toll on her, as well as her other friends. It was a sad time for each and every one of them. They were never the same again. Applejack focused more on her work and family than with her friends, Fluttershy was with her animals more than ever, Rarity didn't have the will to work, and Pinkie Pie and Twilight had both become depressed. After a while they had gotten better, they still weren't the same, but the scar had faded. Twilight was close to becoming her old self again. Then, a few years afterwards, Spike was gone. He had been gone for nine years, while Rainbow was gone for eleven. This broke Twilight. She cut herself off from the world, never speaking to anypony again. Scootaloo couldn't recall a time she had left the castle after that. She probably had, but at a time when nopony was outside, like the night time. She heard even Celestia herself tried to get Twilight to leave, but she wouldn't budge.

Both happened at roughly the same time and since the Princess of Friendship ignored the city, that gave a lot of ponies a green light to do what they want, mostly Diamond. She got up and looked at a newspaper. She was still the number 1 businessmare in Ponyville. She had enough money and power to do what she wanted. And she did.

She could only imagine what would happen if she got what she wanted this time.

Diamond sat in her chair, a pile of paperwork on her desk, but she didn't have to deal with it. She had a secretary right in the room with her.

"Silver, look through this for me. Tell me what's worth signing and what isn't. Anything that isn't throw out"

"Yes, miss Tiara" Silver Spoon said in a monotone and took it to her desk. Diamond was on top of Ponyville, and soon Equestria.




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