The Crimson Crusade

by PonyThunder

Chapter 3 ~ Sister Separation

Birds soared high above, chirping and flying amidst the trees as they hiked up the mountain trail. The path was well-worn at first, flattened by countless hoofsteps of hikers that had climbed through the terrain before. But as they ascended higher and higher into the mountainous terrain, the trail became less worn and more difficult to traverse, which some took well more than others.

"Oh, for Celestia's sake!" Rarity whined after hitting her hoof on a tree root. "Surely we must be getting close by now? My hooves are starting to bruise."

"Not quite," said Twilight, who was leading at the front, followed by Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. "You'll know we're close when the trees start disappearing. That's when we're getting high enough in elevation."

Rainbow Dash slipped her saddlebag off for a moment and hovered a few feet above the ground. "You know, all this could be remedied if I just took a quick flight over--"

"Rainbow Dash," interrupted Twilight, "You can't fly at these altitudes."

"Sure I can," she replied indignantly.

"Not what I meant. If you try flying much higher than this and exert yourself, you might pass out and plummet back to the ground due to lack of oxygen."

"But...it would just be a...fine." Rainbow Dash lowered herself to the ground and reluctantly slipped her saddlebag back on. "What's in this thing anyway? It feels like a sack of rocks."

"That there is Rarity's 'essentials'," said Applejack, stopping so she could make air quotes with her hooves.

"I'll have you know I severely cut back what to bring on this trip," said Rarity, "and what's in that bag really is just the essentials."

Rainbow Dash opened the bag up. "Sunscreen, aloe vera, bandages...this is actually useful stuff."

"What?" said Applejack. "That there is my pack! Give it here." Applejack looked through the saddlebag and verified its contents.

"Wait," Rarity said nervously, "if that's your pack, where is mine?"

Rarity started scanning the group and Applejack looked at her. "Uhh, Rarity, you're not wearing one."

"What do you mean I'm...not...wearing...one?" Rarity said while patting herself on the back.

Twilight stopped hiking and sighed. "We should go back and retrace our steps to find Rarity's bag. I'm sure it hasn't been missing very long."

"Yes, we should do exactly that," said Rarity. "I think I left it back where we stopped for a rest."

"We can just find it on the way back," said Applejack. "Somethin' tells me we won't need no brushes or fashion supplies up here in these parts."

"I only brought one brush, thank you very much!"

"Girls, please," said Twilight. "We shouldn't waste too much time. It's already starting to get dark. Rainbow Dash, can you fly up in the air, briefly, and get a quick overview to look for Rarity's bag?"

"Absolutely!" she replied, taking off like a rocket.

"Now," said Twilight, "Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, can you go with Applejack and Rarity to look for the bag on hoof?"

There was silence.

Applejack looked down the path behind them. "Apple Bloom? Scootaloo?"

"Sweetie Belle? Darling? Where are you?" called Rarity.

"Oh no..." said Twilight. "Where in Equestria did they go?"

---

In another part of the mountainous forest, a creature crept alongside the hiking trail, watching them as they continued their ascent. It had been so long since it had seen any creatures aside from birds or squirrels, or even the occasional bear. And as it kept a steady distance between itself and their pack, it felt an increasing desire to lurch out and begin its attack.

Wait. Be patient. Don't ruin this opportunity, it thought to itself every time the desire came back. But it had already been so long, and so lonely, that it had begun to forget how long it had truly been. Then, the moment arrived.

The three smaller ones stopped to climb on some boulders, leaving them less protected by the elders who continued on, seemingly unaware. Another urge resurfaced; an urge to strike. But it waited more, just to ensure everything went just right. It crept along the forest floor, taking silent steps as it moved closer and closer to their group. The orange one was on its own, higher above the rest, but it focused its attention on the two that waited below. Take only what you need, it thought to itself.

As the orange one descended, it readied itself behind a clump of boulders. It waited again, and resisted the urge one final time. When they are together, strike.

---

"Hey, shouldn't we hurry up?" said Apple Bloom.

Scootaloo was attempting to climb to the top of some boulders. Her voice was faint and distant. "But I'm almost to the top!"

Apple Bloom sighed. A few minutes later, Scootaloo began the slow trek downward, which took just as long as it took for her to climb up.

Sweetie Belle found a rock to lounge on while they waited. "What do you think the Niril are like?"

"You mean the Lirin?" replied Apple Bloom. "These names sure are confusing."

"No, I actually meant the Niril. Ms. Cheerilee didn't seem to have much to say about them."

"Oh. I don't know. She did say the Lirin transformed when they get real sad, though. They're probably kind of boring and depressing."

Sweetie Belle leaned back uncomfortably against the rock, wondering if Nirils were what Lirin turned into when they couldn't decide what to do with their lives.

Suddenly, Scootaloo hopped onto the grassy path with a thud. "I did it!"

"Took you long enough," Apple Bloom said rather curtly. "We got separated from our sisters."

Scootaloo put her saddle bag on. "We'll be fine. They were going so slow. We can just catch up."

They quickly set hoof on the path and began walking at a brisk pace. After a few minutes though, a strange noise emanated from a rocky outcrop as they passed by.

"What was that?" said Sweetie Belle.

Leaves and bushes rustled in what seemed like the wind.

"It's just a breeze," said Scootaloo. "We're pretty high in elevation."

The sound of hooves trotting came rushing towards them. They quickly became louder and louder until suddenly they were gone. A second later, in what seemed like an instant, a creature swept towards them through the air and enclosed them with a bag, enveloping them in darkness. Immediately, the only noises that could be heard were the galloping hoofsteps of whatever had taken them, and the incessant screams of Sweetie Belle. Moments later, however, both sounds gradually faded as they drifted into a deep, deep sleep.

---

"Sweetie Belle? Where are you, darling?"

"Scootaloo? Come on, we were almost there!"

"Apple Bloom? Where in tarnation are y'all?"

Their voices echoed off steep cliff faces far away in the distance as they called out in hopes of finding them. The sun was beginning to set below the horizon and the birds who had been chirping begun to rest.

"For Celestia's sake," said Rarity, "we've been searching for twenty minutes now. Surely we couldn't have gotten that separated."

"You'd be surprised," replied Twilight. "It's not entirely uncommon for mountain hikers to go missing for days at a time, especially when they become lost and lose their bearings."

"Psst, Twilight," whispered Applejack, "this probably ain't the time to be the voice of reason."

"But um," Twilight continued, "ponies traveling in large numbers are considerably less likely to become lost, if they stick together at least."

"Much better," Applejack replied.

"I'm telling you," said Rainbow Dash, "If I could just fly up for a couple minutes, I'd find them in no time." She hadn't found Rarity's bag and came back from her brief flight feeling winded. Twilight was right about the altitude, but Rainbow Dash didn't care about that at the moment.

"And I'm telling you it's not safe." Twilight replied.

"Come on," Rainbow Dash complained. "I can't just stay grounded knowing they're lost out there and you know it. Let me fly!"

Twilight noticed that Rainbow Dash seemed more concerned than annoyed, and she couldn't help but admire how she didn't just flap her wings and fly away despite her warnings. "Not for more than a little bit...just be careful," she replied.

Rainbow Dash nodded graciously, leaping into the air once more with a single fluid motion of her wings.

---

The air was cold and damp inside the musty cave they had suddenly found themselves in. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom struggled to move as they on stone cold floors in an attempt to break free from the bags that had been used to snatch them up in.

"I can't break free!" Scootaloo said with desperation.

"Me neither!" replied Apple Bloom, kicking against the fabric with all her might.

Sweetie Belle woke up and started screaming.

Suddenly, steps began to echo from further inside the cave.

"Would you quit making such high pitched noises?" Said a frail, gravely voice. They stopped struggling immediately, surprised by the sudden voice. "Thank you, that's much better. All will be well in time, if you cooperate."

The creature slowly removed the bag that enclosed them, and they stood in silence, taking one or two moments to assess the situation. The creature that stood before them was old and wrinkly with a jagged horn and mangled tail. Its mane was matted and tangled, with tufts of fur that looked like they were falling out in several places. It also had what looked to be like wings, but they looked practically useless. Worst of all, its eyes were dead and tiresome, casting an eerie glaze at the three of them in the dimly lit cave.

"Run!" yelled Apple Bloom as she turned around in the other direction. Almost immediately she found herself stopping, frozen in place by apathy and a lack of will to move. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had as well, feeling tired and weak as their legs buckled beneath them.

The creature didn't seem alarmed. In fact, it lowered its voice so that it could speak more clearly. "Every move, every action, every bit of energy you expel, is multiplied ten-fold and redirected into me," the creature said calmly. "You would be wise not to try to escape, or worse things may happen."

The three of them turned around with tired faces and bags beneath their eyes.

"Good," said the creature as it walked slowly around them in a circle, eyeing them eerily.

"What do you wan't with us?" said Apple Bloom. She immediately felt short of breath.

It ignored her question, walking behind them. "It's a shame that such potential will go to waste. Well, not waste. I'll be very resourceful. I've been waiting for such an opportunity longer than I can remember..."

"Let. Us. Go..." said Scootaloo, her voice waning.

"Take my advice and don't struggle. You're trapped in a very complex spell, and I don't want to go through all this trouble again. I'm only taking what I need."

"Please..." said Sweetie Belle, her voice incredibly weak.

The creature continued to circle them, inching closer and closer with each pass. As it did, they grew weaker and more weary until finally, when its mangled body was practically brushing up against them, it placed its horn in their center and began kneeling beside them. Wispy red tendrils emanated from within their bodies, flowing upward into the air like a fog and toward the creature's horn. As it did, they slumped further downward onto the floor of the cave as the crimson aura continued flowing.

Apple Bloom struggled to keep her eyes open as she watched everything unfold. Her consciousness went in and out in bursts, slowly feeling like her energy was being drained away. An overwhelming feeling of apathy and desire for sleep washed over her as the creature moved towards them, but in the last few moments before it could move closer, she had a small moment of clarity and latched onto it with all the mental effort she could muster.

"No!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, immediately exhausting all of her energy, collapsing to the ground.

But the outburst was enough to momentarily disrupt the creature's spell, which gave Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo just enough energy to get to their hooves and begin running towards the cave entrance.

Apple Bloom could not, however, as she was still recovering. The creature scowled, its eyes flaring with intensity as it watched the other two gallop away. But it quickly turned its attention back toward Apple Bloom.

"You'll pay for this," it said with anger. Its voice seemed less raspy, somehow.

After several more seconds of kneeling next to Apple Bloom, its horn began glowing a crimson color, which then spread like a warmth into the rest of its body. Its fur became more full and its wings transformed into a healthier state.

Apple Bloom lay on the cave floor and the creature returned to its hooves with vigor. Curiously, it was also considerably shorter after the transformation, but Apple Bloom couldn't see it. Its voice was suddenly clear and new, brimming with energy, and the sum of its appearance was now a vibrant, deep blue color.

"Thanks, you've been immensely helpful."

Immediately, it unfurled its wings and swept up the air, lunging over her and further into the cave in the process. It left a cold breeze in its wake that washed over her as she lay shivering, at least until the last bit of her energy faded and she went unconscious.

Several minutes passed as faint echoes of dripping water reverberated off the cave walls.

Apple Bloom awoke, slowly. She felt a frailness in her knees as she rose to her hooves, struggling for a few moments to stay upright as they wobbled in place. Somehow, she felt taller as well. Her vision felt fuzzy in the low light of the cave, so she rubbed her eyes. Nothing seemed to come into focus. Tired and confused, she began slowly walking towards the light of the cave entrance.

Outside, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had stopped in a clearing.

"Where is Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle said worriedly.

"I thought for sure she was right behind us," said Scootaloo, panting. "You don't think..."

"No," said Sweetie Belle, not wanting to even entertain the idea.

"We should go back," said Scootaloo, turning toward the cave entrance. "Come on, let's go find--"

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stood in silence as they looked at the figure that was standing just outside the cave entrance.

Scootaloo eyed it carefully. "Apple Bloom? Is that you?"

"What do you mean?" said Apple Bloom, her voice frail and scraggly. "Of course it's me."

"Oh no," said Sweetie Belle.

"What? What's wrong?" Apple Bloom continued, hobbling towards them in the clearing.

"I...I don't know what to think," said Sweetie Belle. "You're...well..."

"Spit it out, won't you?"

"Just...look at yourself," said Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom looked at them oddly, and then herself. She couldn't understand what she saw. That is, until she recognized the same wrinkly old skin that Granny Smith had for as long as she could remember, except that it was a pale shade of yellow. Her shade of yellow. "I'm...old?"

Comments

[Maran]

I thought the pacing was good up until this chapter, but the capture was very abrupt - I thought I had hit the page down button somehow. It could use a scene describing the creature sneaking up on the CMC.

[PonyThunder]

9414244
That's fair, and a good idea. I just added a segment to do just that! Thanks! It means a lot to me to hear the pacing was good to that point though. Getting pacing right is my worst enemy when it comes to writing these stories.

[Relagen]

So that's what Nirils do... I don't think Twilight knows how to reverse that.

[DawnOfsnow]

Oooh, another great installment. you captured each pony’s character really well, and I must say, reading your descriptions of the mountains, of there feelings, just the descriptions in general are such a pleasure to read. That’s the only way I know how to put it. You really did a wonderful job on this!!