The Grid

by Valuable Ashes

The Mini-Store (Start Here)

One early morning, in the heart of Manehatten were a trio of friends. They were inseparable and quite fond of each other. In their younger years they were known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders because before they had found their marks of adolescence, they would try to find whatever their mark by means of experimentation.

On the trio's flanks were purple shields with an emblem in them to differentiate their talents alongside their goals. Even then, they were still the Cutie Mark Crusaders. After finishing up school in Ponyville, they moved to Manehatten to go to college.

Ten years later, shortly after they all graduated from college. The CMC were worried by the lack of competence the local police have. Some days they would hear gunshots in the night then when they stop that's when they would hear sirens. Then later, in the morning the newspapers would be filled with murders. The solution? The trio founded a militia. They named it after themselves, The Crusaders.

Even then, they knew they couldn't make money off of the militia and so they have jobs to keep them fed. Aside from the actual jobs they have, the militia hasn't been doing much to increase their reputation. Rarely they would find mares being mugged by stallions and stallions trying to mug the Crusaders with varying degrees of success. That was until Sweetie Belle bought a Colt 1011 to ward off any thieves. Loaded with blank rounds if threatening them isn't enough.

Of course, this raised a lot of questions from ponies if a unicorn was waving a firearm in the air. So the Crusaders went on a shopping spree in one of the popular clothe stores in Manehatten. Specifically, Rarity's Boutique.

While Rarity is on a trip with the other element bearers to Yakyakistan, Sweetie Belle could practically feel her presence in any store she goes in to. Realizing that buying simple green shirts isn't going to make them stand out in the crowd, Apple Bloom requested a tailor to put the word "CRUSADER" in white bold text on the front of the shirt.

Satisfied with their new uniforms they paid the tailors and went to wear them every time they would go on duty.

A month passes and nothing exciting happens. They had doubts that they were wasting their time or was too small of a threat to dangerous gangs in the city. Apple Bloom decided to talk about it at a local store, Mini-Stable, and the future of the Crusaders. They would have been finished talking about it if only they didn't have such dilemmas on picking their food.

"Do you guys want fish or chips? Fish and chips?" Apple Bloom asked the other two.

"What about our drinks? Do we take root beer? Or chocolate drinks?" Scootaloo asked Apple Bloom.

"Or how about we grab what we want and sit down? I'm getting hungry over here" Sweetie Belle replied.

The earth pony and pegasus looked at each other then nodded in agreement. However, before Apple Bloom could grab a bag of chips, she saw something outside the window.

There were two white featureless vans parked outside. This alone raised some red flags. She could question more about it but was stopped by the van's doors opening. Five ponies in total came out of the two vans. They were wearing bandannas around their muzzles.

The rest of the Crusaders looked out to see what Apple Bloom's sudden pause in movement meant. There were four unicorns and an earth pony outside. Then something horrible happened. A unicorn pulled out a sub-machine gun.

Apple Bloom's eyes widen and reflexively ducked behind the shelf. The two Crusaders followed suit almost immediately. Then the unicorn opened fire. The sub machine gun was aimed at its first victim through the store's glass door. A middle aged earth pony purchasing something in packets. He never was able to pay as three bullets found their way into his head. The unicorn pony behind the cashier falls onto the floor moaning in pain.

A pegasus mare and her filly yelped and hid under the coolers in the front of the store. The unicorn outside emptied out his magazine and reloaded. Just as Apple Bloom peeked out again, the other three unicorns and earth pony pulled out varying small arms and shot wildly into the store. Bottles and chip bags were shot open, spilling out food and water to the floor.

"What are we going to do now?" Sweetie Belle yelled in all the gun fire.

"We can't stay here. We've got to fight back" Apple Bloom shouted back at her. "Hold them off until the police arrive"

"I'll help the pony behind the counter" Scootaloo reached out a hoof but quickly retracted it as another surge of bullets tried to eviscerate her foreleg.

Even though Apple Bloom was shaking and scared, she tried to not let it get the better of her. Their first real fight just mere seconds away from her. She shook her head then looked at the ponies around them in the store. An earth pony beside them was in a fetal position clutching his sling bag tightly. A mare and her filly was just behind the shelf they were hiding behind and a unicorn writhing in pain behind the counter.

Her face took on a determined expression as she examined the odds stacked up against each other.

"No matter what happens. We must save these ponies" The other two Crusaders nodded.

The guns outside stopped firing and everything was silent. Scootaloo took this chance and vaulted over the counter to the fallen unicorn. Whoever that was shooting at them missed the speedy pegasus by a mile.

As the bullets tore through panes of glass and a weeks worth of snacks...
...the Crusaders need to defend the store.