//------------------------------//
// Eclipse 
// Story: Cursed Crusaders: Outset 
// by Caffeinated Pony 
//------------------------------//

	I woke up looking over at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They always seemed to end up on each other by morning. The vampire was in a tangle of limbs, her face pushed against the earth pony's chest. I had heard them talking about why she did that a while ago. Something about her liking to listen to Bloom's heartbeat. At first it had creeped me out a bit… but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. My unicorn friend didn't have a heartbeat anymore, or a heart for that matter. I guess it was just a natural fascination with something she didn't have anymore.

I got up, looking at my wings. My feathers were messed up from sleeping on my them, half of them crumpled and shifted awkwardly to the left or right. I occupied my time with preening them while my mind wandered. The task that Celestia had set me out to do weighed on my mind. Not because it was hard, but because it simply shouldn't be my job in the first place. Of course, I couldn't just say no and walk away. If it was just me, I would gladly do just that and tell the princess that she could find somepony else. I had to do it for Sweetie Belle though… and to a lesser extent, Apple Bloom.

As if she'd heard me shifting in my bed, Sweetie Belle opened her eyes. Her irises looked like piercing circles of bright green in the dark, with no white to highlight them. I waved a hoof to her, and she shut her eyes again. No words passed between us, but there was no need. She was just checking on me. I knew that she didn't really sleep, neither did any of the alicorns. She had just been laying there, relaxing herself. I wished that I had the patience to lay next to somepony for hours on end. The boredom would make me move eventually. 

I got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. I tapped the crystal on the wall and it lit, letting me  see where I was placing my hooves. I looked back out into the bedroom to see the clock. It was a quarter until seven in the morning. I sighed, leaning against the door. In fifteen minutes guards would probably be there to whisk us off to do Celestia's designated chores. I grumbled to myself and walked over to Apple Bloom, nudging her with a hoof.

“Hey… we have to be up soon.” I said, yawning.

Apple Bloom opened one eye, looking from me to the unicorn beside her. She nodded, then slowly stretched. While she was getting herself up I went to the bathroom again to splash cold water on my face. I knew that I could probably get away with sleeping on the train, but I didn't want to miss my stop and have to ride all the way back to Canterlot. Then board again, and then make the train ride all the way back. That would take forever, and I didn't want to be away from my friends any longer than I had to. While I did that I could faintly hear the two whispering to each other, though I didn't know what.

I had learned to mind my own business when it came to my friends. They were a little more than friends to each other, not that I minded at all. I just didn't need to know all the unimportant mush they liked to do while I wasn't there. I'd caught them kissing each other plenty of times over the last year. The most awkward situation had been last winter, when we were stuck inside for Hearth's Warming break. There had been no school, so we had to find things to do for a week. I had been at Sweetie Belle's house when I walked into her room. I found them on the bed, Sweetie Belle on top of her crying while she drank Apple Bloom's blood. The farmhand had been petting her mane telling her things would be okay. I had just quietly walked back out, feeling like I had witnessed something really private. I still felt strange just thinking about what had been going on before I had walked in.

Once I was mostly awake I heard a knock at the door, and Apple Bloom got out of bed. Sweetie Belle retreated to the back of the bedroom to avoid the light that would come in from the door.  I left the bathroom and answered it, finding two guards standing there. 

“We came to escort Scootaloo to the train station.” The white-coated stallion said, seeming like he had just gotten out of bed as well.

I looked back at my friends and waved a hoof at them. “I've gotta go guys, the guards are her for me. See you tonight I guess. Maybe tomorrow if the weather's bad.”

Both of my friends waved to me, and I stepped out into the hall. The cream colored stallion that stood to the right of the door yawned, shaking his head to wake himself up. I knew the feeling. Once I was outside the other guard motioned for me to follow him, and I began to walk. One of them was a unicorn while the other was a pegasus. The sun could be seen rising through the windows in the hallway, cresting the side of the mountain beautifully. I let the sight wake me up as we walked. Of course it took forever to walk anywhere in that place. It made me feel like it had been made primarily for unicorns and pegasi. Of course I couldn't fly, since the unicorn stallion wouldn't be able to keep up without teleporting. I heard that it tired them out, to cast spells repeatedly. I wondered how many Sweetie Belle could do. I occupied my mind with estimation while I walked.

After ten minutes we came to an entrance to the castle, and they led me outside. They very quickly walked me through the courtyard, not stopping to look at anything. Soon we were heading down the streets  of Canterlot, which were starting to get into the morning rush. The guards seemed to clear a small path through the crowd near them, as I would expect them to. They unicorn stood a bit taller than the ponies on the street, while pegasus guard was slightly shorter. I looked to see I was nearly eye level with him. Soon we were approaching the busy train station, and the guards led me into the main entrance. They paid for my ticket and gave it to me before we went to stand near one of the benches.

“So… uh, what's it like? Being a guard?” I asked looking between the two.

“Pretty boring most days.” The pegasus replied in a grouchy tone.

Something about the way he had spoke told me neither of them were actually supposed to talk to me. Whether that was just the rules or an order that came from Celestia, I didn't know. I respected it though, as maybe they both just wanted to get this over with just like I did. I could empathize with that. I looked at the clock as we waited, tapping my hooves on the concrete platform beneath us. After a lot of waiting the train came, and I stepped towards it. I stopped once I realized the guards weren't following.

“Are you coming?” I asked them, confused.

“We were to return to the castle once you boarded the train. Ride until the last stop, then disembark. The home of the pony you're looking for is due west of the train platform you'll be arriving at. You'll see a wilderness path running through the forest from the village.” The unicorn said.

I sighed, shaking my head before boarding the train. Celestia really didn't want me to have any fun at all on this trip. I had the long train ride ahead of me with nopony to talk to and a seat all to myself. I went to the back and sat down there, watching others board. I looked out the window, and put any thoughts out of my head. I had a long six hours of sitting ahead of me…



I jolted awake to the sound of the train whistle. I had fallen asleep somewhere past Ponyville, and now we seemed to be approaching my stop. It was actually the very last stop on the line, one that led to a small fishing village. I yawned and watched the train approach the platform, slowing down as it went. As I stood, two other ponies were already at the front near the door. I walked up the aisle as the train finally lost all forward momentum, halting. The doors opened and I walked out, blinking as the sun hit my eyes. The two ponies went off on their own business while I tried to find a map of some sort to get by bearings. After some looking I found one sealed inside of a safe plastic case near the side of the platform. I peered at it, finding what was west from there. Once I had a heading, I took off in the pioneer's direction.

My wings looked amazing from the air. I could see the way the sunlight filtered through them from the ground, making beautiful streaks of gold in my shadow as I flew. I looked to the south, seeing a wall of clouds off on the horizon. I would have to get back to the platform by the time the weather hit. If I didn't the rain might be too heavy for the train to run by there. I didn't want to be stuck out there because of some lousy thunderstorm, so I picked up my pace. My wings beat like the metronome, steady and sure as they carried my light body through the air. I crossed over a forest as I flew, looking for a path. 

The hour passed me by, and the wall of clouds was looming closer. I finally found the path that the guard mentioned, winding through the woods below me. I silently thanked fate that I hadn't been born anything other than a pegasus. It would take an earth pony or unicorn an eternity to walk so far. I smirked, humming to myself as I followed the path to my destination. As the beat of my wings became more hurried. I came to realize that the storm was rolling in faster than I would get there. I would either be flying back in the rain, or risking a flight down close to the ground. Not only would that be tiring, but dangerous if lightning struck. I accepted that I would have to walk back and kept my pace.

Eventually I saw the house in the distance, nestled deep in the woods. The place was three stories tall by the looks of it, made out of brick. I began my descent and landed in front of the home, admiring the neatness of the it all. A statue of a very menacing dog stood outside. Whether it was to deter animals from approaching or not, I couldn't tell. Either way it was effective in making me not want to come any closer. If I had been some random pony walking through the woods, nothing about this place would make me want to stop by just to say hello. However, I had to do this for my friends. I approached the door to the abode, looking around for any sign that somepony had been there recently.

Finding there was no indication of whether anypony was home or not, I knocked on the door. I tried not to be too loud, but in the relative quiet of the woods everything sounded that way. I paused, waiting for an answer. None came. Once I had waited a fair bit longer, I knocked again, this time with the full force I could put into my hoof. The door rattled on its hinges, and the sound echoed through the woods behind me. After waiting another minute, there was still no answer. I sighed, shaking my head. Celestia had said that this pony was getting older. Maybe she was just napping and wasn't getting up? I tried the handle, finding it to be unlocked. I opened the door, knocking one last time as I entered the house.

The living room was nice, with assorted carpets set beneath chairs and a couch near the fireplace. An enormous crab was hung above the mantle, being nearly the size of me. I looked around, trying to see if the pony I was looking for was home. I had no idea were anything was, so I wandered into a nicely kept kitchen, looking around. The cupboards were all fully stocked, and by the looks of things whoever lived there had done the dishes recently. I walked back into the living room, calling out.

“Anypony home? I'm from Canterlot… Celestia was wondering why you weren't sending any letters.” I shouted, hoping somepony would hear me.

I walked to the stairs, dragging my hooves somewhat. Part of me said that whoever lived there had probably gone into town to buy some things and had forgotten to lock their front door. Another part of me was suspicious. I began to climb the steps, the boards creaking loudly. Surely if anypony was there they would have heard me by then. I had to make sure though, so that Celestia couldn't send be back there. I wasn't about to sit around and wait for some old mare to get back from going to the market either. I wanted to be back with my friends in a warm room, not in the middle of nowhere. I arrived at the landing, looking around. There were plenty of open bedroom doors, none of which held any importance. They also lacked the pony I was looking for. 

Just as I was about to walk back downstairs, satisfied in my conclusion that nopony was there, I heard the scuffing of a hoof at the end of the hall. I looked down the corridor to see a bedroom I hadn't paid any attention to before. The only sight I had into there was offered by the cracked door, which showed a bed in dissaray. The blanket was thrown off the bed and extended far out onto the floor. The stand next to the bed was knocked over, the lamp that had sat atop it tossed aside, the bulb broken. A meager amount of light was offered through the thick curtains in there. It was just enough for me to see a set of bright insectoid eyes come into view at the bottom of the doorframe, looking right through me.

I immediately moved to go back down the stairs, thinking to jump down them. The walls were too narrow, and I couldn't open my wings to slow my fall if I leapt. I heard a high-pitched shriek just as I was rushing to get back to the first floor, nearly slipping on the hardwood floor before regaining my footing. By the time I was running across the living room floor the Changeling was hurtling towards me, its mouth open and fangs outstretched. I opened the door a moment too late, and it sank its teeth into my shoulder. I shouted in pain and turned sharply, my wings opening. Its brittle teeth snapped and it screeched at a deafening pitch, the incisors and one of its frontmost teeth now embedded in my shoulder. The moment that I was free of the creature I ran out of the house and into the woods, praying that it wouldn't follow.

The teeth stuck in me stung like nothing I'd ever felt before, trickles of blood running down my right foreleg. To avoid using the muscles in my shoulders I took off, getting above the treetops just as the clouds were rolling over the bright blue sky above me. I felt a light drizzle begin to fall as I flew away, gritting my teeth through the pain. I knew better than to try and pull the nearly two inch long daggers out. I would have to face a legitimate threat of blood loss then. Instead I kept them in even though it was excruciating, making my way back east.

After a few minutes of flying I felt myself weakening. I had once read that Changelings had venom, though it was a heavy sedative more than it was a legitimate threat to a pony's life. I felt my view of the world growing fuzzy, and I stretched out my wings for the last time, gliding to a stop. I barely managed to land between some trees, my legs not responding to my attempts to stiffen them on contact with the ground. The result was me nearly tripping and falling onto my face, stumbling my way over to a tree. I collapsed against the oak, blinking and trying to think of what to do. All of my instincts were telling me to panic and keep running. My body wasn't responding at all, the adrenaline pumping through me useless in the face of the tranquilizing venom.

I took a few deep breaths and used what tiny amount of strength I could muster to drag myself to a small dip in the earth at the foot of the oak tree. At least I would be slightly harder to spot that way. My vision shifted until everything was a nonsensical, fuzzy mass of green and brown. I shut my eyes, resting my head against the soft grass. The last thing I thought of was Sweetie Belle, and how disappointed she would be that I wasn't back for dinner.