See Who I Am: A Crusaders' Tale

by SilverMuse

Chapter 2: Midnight Crusade

The sun sank toward the horizon, and a small filly took a silent moment to watch the familiar dark blues blend with greens and yellows, then oranges and reds. Luna would soon raise her moon and send her stars to light the sky. After a long day of work, Apple Bloom was ready to rest. She could smell dinner cooking even from the barn, where she was depositing a small bucket full of bruised apples they’d not be able to sell.

The thought of dinner, a short nap, then the secret meeting with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had become the only thing that had kept her moving. She had a sneaking feeling that she might not be able to even lift a hoof tomorrow from soreness.

“Apple Bloom!” Applejack called from the farmhouse. “You can c’mon in for dinner soon as you’re done with those apples!”

The little filly nearly cried with relief to hear the word “dinner.” She forced her now leaden limbs toward the farmhouse, thinking for the first time that day that she’d rather skip out on crusading tonight and actually stay in bed. One hoof in front of the other, she finally made it to the dinner table. She looked up to find her siblings looking at her with mixed expressions of understanding, pride, and… was that sadness?

Applejack smiled, her green eyes wavering ever so slightly. “Ah’m right proud o’ the work you did t’day, Apple Bloom. Not ev’ry filly can stand up t’ that long of a day, an’ you did it without any complaints.” She looked over at her brother. “Our little filly’s growin’ up, Mac.”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac nodded in agreement, a kind smile of encouragement directed toward Apple Bloom.

The filly smiled tiredly back at both of them, the warm feelings of accomplishment, pride in her work, and love for her family filling her belly even more satisfyingly than the delicious meal.

The three siblings ate their dinner with gusto, pausing to make the occasional comment about how the first day of the season had gone. As Applejack stood to clear the dishes away, she looked over at Apple Bloom, whose head was jerking with the effort to stay conscious.

"Hey, sugarcube," she murmured with a small nudge of her hoof. "Looks like it's time for you t' get some shut-eye."

"But Applejack..." she tried to protest.

"No buts this time, AB. Ah reckon it's best you jus' rest for th' evenin'." She stopped to think for a moment. "Shoot, guess that means you'll miss the meteor shower later."

"It's OK, Applejack." Apple Bloom stifled a large yawn. "Reckon there'll be others."

Applejack smiled, the surprise at her sister's response vanishing almost instantly.

"C'mon, then, sleepyhead." The farmpony nudged her sister again. "Let's get'cha all tucked in."

~*~

Across town, a young white-coated unicorn rolled her eyes at the image in the mirror. Why did Rarity’s designs always have to be so precise? She felt like she hadn’t been able to move a hoof for hours! Just as she felt a frustrated scream about to burst from her throat, her stomach interrupted with a loud growl.

Rarity looked up from the hem she was fixing. “Opal, was that you?” She glanced over her red-rimmed sewing glasses at the prissy longhair lounging on the nearby chaise.

Sweetie Belle couldn’t suppress her groan. “No, Rarity!” She frowned at her sister. “It’s dinnertime, and I’m really hungry!” Her head hung. “Not to mention really tired of just standing here.”

The older unicorn’s azure eyes widened as she turned to look at the ornate clock hanging on the wall. “Sweetie Belle! Why didn’t you tell me it was getting so late?” A light blue aura surrounded nearly everything in Sweetie Belle’s vision as Rarity began packing up her work.

“You were in the zone…as it were,” the filly mumbled, more to herself than to the sister she figured wasn’t really listening.

“Well, next time you simply must speak up! We’ll have to eat quickly if we’re to make it to the stargazing meadow near Sweet Apple Acres in time to be fashionably late!”

“Rarity?”

“Yes, darling?” The sapphire eyes landed on the young unicorn for what she thought must’ve been the first time that day. “What is it?” Rarity’s voice sounded concerned.

“Well…” Sweetie felt her vocal chords clench around the lie she was about to tell. A familiar tiny bead of sweat formed at the base of her left ear. “I just… am really... excited to go to the meteor shower with you later!” She smiled broadly, internally cursing herself for being unable to say what she’d meant - no, what she’d needed - to say.

“Oh, Sweetie Belle, you are just too precious!” Rarity wrapped her young sister in a large hug. “I’m sorry if I’ve been a bit preoccupied - this order is for a very important pony. But no! I should not let myself get so wrapped up in my work so that I begin ignoring you again! After all, I do remember last year before the Sisterhood Social…”

Rarity’s voice droned on, like a bee buzzing around Sweetie Belle’s head. She’d long since learned not to fight Rarity’s sudden affectionate spells, which were generally accompanied by a dramatic monologue. Even so, she’d be the first filly on the playground to admit that she loved both them and her sister dearly, even if Rarity could be, well… Rarity.

“...and I shall never forget that lesson!” Rarity finished with a bone crunching squeeze.

Sweetie Belle looked up and saw that her sister’s eyes were fixed on the picture she’d drawn that day before the Sisterhood Social, bedazzled with sapphires that she’d stolen from Rarity’s stash. She blushed a little to see the emotion as well as the beginnings of tears in the older unicorn’s eyes.

The picture had earned a permanent place in the boutique, right next to Rarity’s favorite vanity. It was too heavy to hang, of course, but the little end-table that housed it had had no previous function and served its current purpose admirably.

“Well,” Rarity said briskly, withdrawing her forelegs from her sister and sniffling almost imperceptibly. “Let’s go get ready, shall we?”

Sweetie Belle simply nodded and followed her sister out of the room, her mind churning with plans about how to go crusading without disappointing anypony.

~*~

Scootaloo paced in front of the Golden Oak Library, which currently had no lights on and was completely silent. Her scooter and helmet leaned crookedly against the tree right next to the door. The young pegasus was grateful that Pinkie Pie had turned the meteor shower into a widespread event - nopony was to be found in this part of Ponyville.

Her hooves made little sound on the dirt path. She was always the first one to show up for crusading that happened on non-school days, and she didn’t suppose it had much to do with her scooter. A strand of fuschia mane fell into her eyes briefly. As she brushed it away with a hoof, she sat and regarded the ‘Closed’ sign hanging in the library window.

She would never begrudge her friends their families, nor the time they “had” to spend with them. But she couldn’t deny a growing ache of loneliness pulsing in her little chest, strangely linked to each beat of her heart. Usually she kept such feelings locked up tight, but it had been getting harder to do that lately, especially with the Cakes….

Orange ears perked up at the sound of hoofbeats drawing closer. Scootaloo turned to see her two best friends running up to join her, one nearly vibrating with unspent energy and the other… well, frankly, Scootaloo was surprised Apple Bloom was able to run, judging by how tired she looked.

“Sorry we’re late!” Sweetie Belle squeaked when they reached the spot where Scootaloo had planted herself.

Apple Bloom yawned.

“That’s OK,” Scootaloo replied. “What happened, Apple Bloom?”

“Wha-?” Her red-orange eyes blinked slowly. “Oh. Ah jus’ had mah firs’ day o’ Applebuck Season.” She shook her head a little. “It was way more work than Ah expected. ‘S a good thing Sweetie Belle came t’ wake me up, otherwise Ah’d’ve missed our crusade!”

The pegasus filly shared a look with Sweetie Belle, raising her eyebrow.

The unicorn’s cheeks turned from white to pink and her gaze dropped to the path. “I, um… had trouble lying to Rarity. So I went over to Sweet Apple Acres with her, then slipped away to wake up Apple Bloom.”

“What?” Scootaloo gasped. “So when she notices you’re gone, they’ll all come running this way?”

Sweetie Belle blushed even brighter. “I’m sorry….”

Apple Bloom patted her shoulder. “It’s OK, Sweetie. It jus’ means we better get a move on!” She turned to survey the building in front of them. “So… is it unlocked, or do we hafta do this th’ hard way?”

Scootaloo jumped to her hooves. “Only one way to find out!” She trotted up to the door, experimentally tugging on a handle. She frowned when it did not give way but, upon trying the other handle, smiled brightly. “Success!” she whispered as the lower left half of the door swung open.

The three fillies crept into the dark library, the threat of being found out giving them extra caution.

Thunk. THUD.

“Ow…” Scootaloo’s voice drifted from somewhere in the darkness ahead of the other two fillies.

“You okay, Scoot?” Apple Bloom felt the area in front of her with a flailing hoof, unable to see her fallen friend.

“Yeah,” came the disgruntled reply. “Where are the lights in this place? We aren’t gonna find anything if we can’t see!”

Without any indication, light suddenly flooded the main floor of the library.

“Ta-da!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, standing just inside the door where they’d entered, her hoof still resting on the light switch. She wore a satisfied smirk that matched the glint in her pale green eyes. “‘In any civilized building, the lights are just inside the door so nopony will get hurt!’” She trotted over to a bookshelf and began scanning the titles.

“Well it’s a little late for that part,” Scootaloo grumbled, eyeing the large wooden statue of a horse’s head that always sat in the middle of the room. Now, it lay on the floor where it had toppled when she’d bumped into it. She rubbed a hoof gingerly over the growing goose egg on her forehead.

Apple Bloom perused another section of shelves, a hoof tapping her chin in contemplation. “Ah don’t see why Twilight wouldn’t let us read some of these… Beginner’s Guide to Spelunking couldn’t be all that bad for us t’ read, whatever it is….”

Scootaloo snorted. “Yeah, she really overreacted when I asked to check out Daring Tricks for Pegasi.”

“Well,” Apple Bloom replied. “Ah suppose she thought you might want t’ get good at flyin’ by itself first.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothin’! Ah’m jus’ sayin’ she’s tryin’ t’ keep you safe!”

“Fine,” Scootaloo huffed. “But right now we need something to get us our Cutie Marks. Would that be under ‘C?’”

“Dunno,” Apple Bloom answered quietly, eyes darting toward the door. “Might be we should split up an’ cover as much as we can.”

“Good idea!” Scootaloo affirmed. “I’ll do this shelf.” She trotted off to the opposite wall of books.

“Girls!” Sweetie Belle’s eyes were wide and fixed on a worn, thickly-bound book on the third shelf up. A small, silver inscription on the spine pictured four scattered stars of various sizes over a spiral pattern. “I think I found something!”

After two failed attempts to climb onto each others’ backs to reach the book, Apple Bloom heaved an exasperated sigh. She trotted away, only to return with a step ladder. The other two fillies blushed at the oversight, but Sweetie Belle was quick to clamber up the sturdy steps to retrieve what she’d found. She set it on a lectern near the bookshelf.

Three large pairs of eyes stared down at the tome entitled, Advanced Spells for the Scholarly Unicorn.

“Wonder who wrote this book?” Apple Bloom pondered.

“Who cares?” Scootaloo countered, flipping open the cover. “We need our Cutie Marks, and now we’re going to get them!” She skimmed the Table of Contents for a spell to use. “‘Turn apples to oranges,’ ‘Spells for defense,’ ‘Spells to cure a hangover…’ whatever that is!” Scootaloo frowned in concentration. “A-ha! ‘Spells to alter fate!’”

“This makes me nervous,” Sweetie Belle whispered. “Are you sure this is a good idea? Magic can be complicated. Remember Apple Bloom’s Cutie Pox?”

“Do you want your Cutie Mark or not?” Scootaloo snapped as she flipped to the section she wanted.

“Ah’m sure it’ll be fine.” Apple Bloom’s eyes held a spark of determination, and she gave Sweetie Belle a reassuring grin. “That was a potion, after all!”

“Here’s one! It’s called ‘A Spell to Discover One’s Special Talent.’”

Two pairs of wide eyes widened even more. The third looked away as Scootaloo focused her attention back on the book.

“It looks like all we have to do is chant it.” The orange pegasus flipped the page back and forth, finding no other information or instruction.

“That sounds easy enough!” Apple Bloom grinned, looking toward Sweetie Belle. “Ready, Sweetie Belle?”

The unicorn sighed, an unhappy look still on her face. “If you’re sure it’s a good idea….”

“Great!” Scootaloo wrapped a foreleg around each of her friends, drew them close so they could all see the text, and began chanting:

“Talent and destiny, in one mark combined….”

~*~

The navy backdrop of the sky glistened with fiery rain, causing even Luna’s brightest stars to seem dimmer than usual. Nearly all of Ponyville was gathered on the highest hill in the currently fallow Northeast field at Sweet Apple Acres - the best view in the area.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash sat next to one another, enjoying cups of punch (courtesy of Pinkie Pie) and each others’ company.

“Hey, AJ.” Rainbow nudged her friend. “Have you seen Fluttershy tonight?”

“Oh, Ah think she went to go chat with Rarity for a bit.” The farmpony looked up, trying to find the yellow pegasus within the crowd.

“No worries, I was just curious. Heard she was looking for you today.” Rainbow lay back, her forehooves under her head. “So how was the first day of Applebuck Season? Do you need us to help out again?”

“Nah, it went really well t’day.” Applejack smiled at the memory. “Apple Bloom is helpin’ out this year an’ that li’l filly is a champ.” Her ears swiveled as she heard rushed hoofsteps approaching.

Rarity and Twilight came running up, the whites around Rarity’s eyes showing.

Applejack frowned and shared a look of confusion with Rainbow Dash. “What’s got your knickers in a twist, sugarcube?”

“Have you seen Sweetie Belle anywhere? She said she was going to go looking for Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and I haven’t seen her anywhere for quite some time!”

“Scoots stayed home tonight,” Rainbow answered slowly. “Said she wasn’t feeling good.”

The farmpony’s frown deepened. “Apple Bloom’s been in bed all night - right after dinner she said she was too tired t’ stay up.” The uncharacteristic nonchalance with which Apple Bloom had spoken earlier finally registered and her green eyes widened. She shook her head, determined to stay calm. “Ah reckon it’s time t’ check on her.”

The four mares trotted briskly toward the farmhouse. Applejack led the way upstairs, pausing briefly in front of her little sister’s door. She looked sternly over her shoulder at the mares who had followed her, whispering as commandingly as her quiet volume permitted.

“Now, don’t anypony panic - might be she’s sound asleep and don’t need us nosin’ around an’ wakin’ her up!”

Three wide pairs of eyes watched her closely as she crept forward and laid a hoof gently on the handle. The farmpony opened the door as inconspicuously as possible, mentally praising herself for having oiled the hinges just the other day.

A thin shaft of light from the hall crept into the room, perfectly highlighting the bed in the middle of the room. She slowly peered around the edge of the door. Her eyes locked on the covers, which were so lumpy they could as easily have been empty as occupied. The green orbs narrowed as she laid eyes on the pillow, however.

It was empty.

Calmly, Applejack withdrew her head and quietly shut the door. She turned to face her friends again, her demeanor unreadable.

“Well.” Her words were measured. “If you were a dishonest little filly, where might you sneak off to this late at night?” The farmpony surveyed everypony in turn.

Nopony spoke, all deep in thought.

“Oh no,” Twilight breathed at last. She looked up with regret, her purple wings fluttering with distress. “The three of them were in the library yesterday, asking me if I could find them a spell to get them their Cutie Marks. I told them no, and that it was too dangerous to try a spell like that… I should’ve known they’d try again! I should have listened when Spike said he saw somepony lurking near the library as we left to come here.”

“It’s not your fault, darling,” Rarity affirmed, a hard glint in her eyes promising punishment for the fillies gone astray. “But we really ought to go after them, now, oughtn’t we?”

“You bet we do!” Rainbow said, a determined frown on her face. “Come on!” She flew down the staircase and out the door without another word, leaving the others to follow.

Once the remaining three mares had galloped out the door, Rainbow tempered her pace to match.

Applejack ran with single-minded determination but had to remind herself not to outpace her friends, even if it would be an easy task. Finally, she could see the lights of the library. They shone brightly relative to the darkened windows all around. Her ears quirked, and she hoped frantically that what she heard wasn’t three fillies casting a spell. She traded a desperate look with Twilight, who seemed to be flagging from the pace.

The four ponies reached the library at the same time, all laying a hoof on the door and opening it as quickly as possible as three young voices continued their chant:

“Through one another your identity you will find.”

It swung open forcefully, and the four mares gasped in unison as their eyes were blinded by a flash of fiery, blue-green light.

Comments

[Unkownname]

Seems interesting. Can't wait for the next chapter.

[Kichi]

this is going to continue?

[SilverMuse]

4810044

Yes, it's still in the works. We have a couple of chapters done, but we're working on revising them right now.