Cutie Mark Dimensional Crusaders (CMDCs)

by Shadowmane Nox

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Ow!”

Her head throbbing as though she had collided with a tree, Scootaloo could not help but groan loudly as the ringing in her ears began to fade. Despite the haze that still clung to her mind, a single question sprang quickly to the surface of her thoughts.

What just happened?

Slowly the filly attempted to force her eyes open. Yet try as she might, her eyelids simply refused to part. Instead the young pony found herself locked in a world of darkness as she began to recall the events that had led to her current state.

"I guess you were right Apple Bloom. This may have been a bad idea.”

At least I can talk.

Admittedly it was not much, but at least it was something.

“Sweetie Belle, what happened to the diamond?"

Giving up for the moment on opening her eyes, Scootaloo instead tried to raise herself from the ground. However, once again she was met only with failure. Her legs, it seemed, had no intention of cooperating. In fact, she could not even sense her limbs, let alone move them. Instead, it felt to the pony as if every inch of her body had fallen asleep. From her forelegs to her tail she could feel nothing but an unnerving numbness that blocked out all other sensations. Even the ground on which she lay was a mystery. For try as she might, the filly would not have been able to say whether it was rocks or clouds on which she now found herself.

“Apple Bloom?” she tried again, listening carefully for the friends she knew to be nearby. “Sweetie Belle? Are you two alright?”

For several minutes the young pony waited for a response, and when no answer was forthcoming Scootaloo felt her stomach churn uneasily. Thinking back, she tried her best to recall what could have happened to the other Crusaders.

The last thing she could remember was a book. An ancient tome she had borrowed from Twilight’s library. There had been a crystal as well. A diamond Sweetie Belle had taken from her sister’s collection for the spell that was supposed to gain the trio their cutie marks. There had been a flash of bright light, and a sound of swirling wind and roaring thunder. Then...

Nothing... she thought dejectedly. Why can’t I remember anything else?

Slowly the filly could feel the throbbing in her head begin to subside, along with the lack of sensation that had encompassed her body. The first thing to become obvious as the numbness vanished was that, wherever she was now, it certainly could not be the Apple family farm. Instead of warm grass, the ground beneath her felt rocky and cold. Meanwhile, the pleasant smell of spring had been replaced by a dry stench of grime and dust.

“Apple Bloom, say something! Sweetie Belle, where are you?”

Though she called out frantically for her two friends, there was still no answer from either CMC, and immediately the young pony could feel the cold tendrils of panic wrap about her heart. If something had happened to either of them, she would never be able to forgive herself. It had been her idea to use the old spell book after all. Of course the other two had agreed to it, but only because she had been so insistent. And now...

With every ounce of willpower Scootaloo finally managed to force her eyes open. Though almost immediately she found herself wishing that she had not. A dingy stone ceiling lay above her, and a single light swung directly over her head. Despite the ominous feel of the ancient stone overhead, the filly could not help but marvel at the bizarre lamp. It was certainly the strangest lantern she had ever seen. Try as she might she might, the filly could not see any fireflies or flame within the small glass bulb. Instead there was only at twisted thread of sorts, glowing with a dull orange light as the glass swung freely from a thin string.

With the illumination, the young pony tried her best to take in her surroundings. Judging by her position, she was lying on her back in the middle of a small windowless room built entirely of stone. A single door could be seen to her right; hanging decrepitly from its broken hinges. Meanwhile, what appeared to be the remains of several wooden dressers sat pressed against the far wall; their forms broken and rotting. A chair or two lay toppled on their sides near the doorway, but otherwise the dismal room looked entirely empty.

At least that explained why the others had not answered.

The light overhead flickered slightly as a blast of cold air caused it to swing back and forth. Glancing over, the filly spotted a crack near the ceiling of the room that allowed a small ray of red sunlight to strike the far wall. It was from here that the wind was originating, and judging by the shrill wail of air rushing through the fissure, it sounded as though a fierce storm were raging on the other side of the wall.

“Where am I?” Scootaloo groaned as the numbness continued to flee from her body. Perhaps her friends could not answer, but even her own voice was preferable to the lonely howl of the wind.

“How did I get here?”

While her limbs were still little more than a dull sensation on the periphery of her consciousness, the pain of sharp rocks digging into her back was more than the filly could bear. With a deep breath she threw herself sideways, trying her best to lift her body off the ground.

It was only then, as she attempted to stop from tumbling back to the stone floor, that the pony realized she was not truly alone.

Across the room, pressed up against the far wall, was the strangest looking creature Scootaloo had ever seen. Bizarre did not even begin to describe it. The animal, whatever it was, had a mane on top of its head. However, it appeared to be completely lacking hair anywhere else on its body. It did not even seem to possess a tail, though it was difficult to say for sure as dark colored clothes covered everything but its head.

Unsure of what else to do, the filly remained frozen in place; eyes locked with those of the creature. She was relieved that it did not seem dangerous at least. In fact, it made no move at all. Instead it chose to simply stay crouched awkwardly across from her, its weight resting on two forelimbs that certainly did not appear strong enough to hold it up for long. They were thin, and completely lacking in either claws or hooves. Instead, they seemed far more suited for grabbing items than for walking. Its hind legs, in contrast, were too long and forced the creature to crouch awkwardly on its knees rather than rest on its feet.

Overall, in appearance at least, the animal did not seem all that threatening. But in the back of her mind the filly could feel a twinge of unease. She was sure she had never before seen such a bizarre creature. And yet... there was something eerily familiar about it.

Slowly Scootaloo took a step forward, struggling to overcome the numbness that still clung to her limbs. As she did so, the stranger also made a move towards her. A look of timid curiosity was apparent on its hairless face, and the young filly was glad it seemed as interested in her as she was in it.

"Hello?” the pony inquired gently. “Can you talk? My name is Scootaloo."

She received no response from the stranger. However, whether this was simply because it could not speak, or would not, remained to be seen. With a determined frown the filly took another step forward before trying once again.

"I'm looking for my friends. Ponies like me. Have you seen them?"

This time she realized that there had been a response... of sorts. As she spoke, Scootaloo watched the creature's mouth move as though to imitate her. Unfortunately it seemed unable to actually put any sound to the words, for the only voice the filly could hear in the room was her own.

"Please!" she begged, getting annoyed as the stranger mimicked her yet again. "I need your help! My friends..."

In an instant the young pony felt the words die in her throat. Her eyes went wide with fear as her heart suddenly jumped in her throat. For it was only then that she noticed the second lamp hanging from a string over the stranger's head. As a gust of wind poured through the crack in the wall, the glowing bulb above Scootaloo passed back and forth, flickering as it went. Meanwhile, the second light swayed gently from its wire as well… matching its partner swing for swing.

The two bulbs weren't just similar. They were completely identical!

A mirror?

With a shriek Scootaloo fell backwards, her eyes wide with fear as the reflection copied her every motion.

"Oh no!" she gasped frantically, numbness vanishing with a sudden rush of adrenalin. "No no no no no no!"

Everything felt wrong. So wrong!

Gone was her soft orange coat of fur. Instead she now found her body assaulted by a barrage of strange sensations as the stranger's clothes... her clothes... rubbed against bare skin. On instinct the startled filly brought her hooves to her face, only to realize a moment later that they were no longer hooves at all. Instead she gasped in surprise as soft palms touched her cheeks; staring uncomprehendingly at the bizarre looking appendages sticking out of her sleeves.

"What… what happened to me?"

Scrambling across the floor to the mirror, Scootaloo winced in pain as the knees of her legs scraped along the rocky ground. However, at the moment such discomfort was the furthest thing from her mind. As soon as she reached the mirror, the pony frantically pressed herself against the glass, her eyes taking in every inch of the alien reflection facing her.

"Is this... really me?"

Now, at least, she realized why the ‘stranger’ had seemed so eerily familiar. Despite the extreme changes that had struck most of her body, her pink mane seemed completely unaltered. Similarly, the frightened eyes staring back at her were just as purple as she had always remembered them being. However, these small similarities only served to juxtapose the terrifying transformation that had taken place. There was no sign of her tail. Nor were her precious wings anywhere to be seen. Glancing around, the filly grasped awkwardly with her new forelimbs in the hopes that both were simply concealed by the clothes she wore. However, such hope was short lived as she felt flat patches of skin beneath the rough fabric.

"Please! This can’t be happening. It just… can’t."

It was all just too much, and for several minutes the frightened pony simply remained where she was; kneeling before the mirror as she stared at the strangers face.

… her face.

It was impossible to tell for how long she remained in that position. Hours might have passed, or even days. In the end, it did not matter. It was not until she saw the tears dripping down her pale cheeks that Scootaloo finally allowed her shock to fade, if only slightly. Wiping her eyes, the young filly found her fear slowly ebb away as resolve moved to take its place.

"I can't spend my time crying like a little filly." she snorted angrily as one final tear succeeded in rolling down her cheek. "Come on Scootaloo! Pull it together.”

It was obvious that the spell had somehow caused this. Why it might have done so she could not even begin to guess. However, the reason it had transformed her into this... creature… did not matter. At the moment her only goal was to find her two best friends.

"After all...” she whispered, her face set in a determined frown. “That's what Rainbow Dash would do."

Glancing down at her altered form, the filly took a deep breath as she pushed against the mirror with her front limbs. This body was not meant for crawling. The bruises on her knees were enough to tell her that. But how was she supposed to walk on only two legs?

"Spike can do it!" she grunted while using the mirror and wall to steady herself. "It can't be too hard."

Slowly she stood to her full height, grabbing the wall for support as she wavered uneasily. It was certainly awkward standing on only two limbs, but her body seemed surprisingly keen to remain upright. As a strand of pink hair fell to cover her eyes, Scootaloo instinctively brushed it away, shuddering slightly as she once again caught sight of the hairless paw at the end of her forelimb.

"This is too weird."

Glancing around the gloomy room, the first thing to become immediately obvious was how much further away the floor seemed. Despite her current situation, Scootaloo felt a small smirk creep onto her face.

"I bet I'm even taller than Rainbow now."

Carefully the pony spun around until her back was pressed tightly against the wall. Then, taking a deep breath to steady herself, she closed her eyes nervously

"Ok... one leg at a time."

Slowly she allowed her right leg to move away from the wall. After it had touched the ground again, she ever so carefully put her weight on it. After confirming that it would not collapse beneath her, she quickly pushed away from her stone support, eyes still closed as she waited to fall forward on her face. However, much to her amazement, instinct was quick to take over. Without thought her left leg moved forward to support her, and before she knew it the filly found herself standing in the middle of the room.

"This isn't hard at all." she exclaimed excitedly, spinning around in celebration. Unfortunately, this proved to be a very poor decision. Almost immediately she lost her balance, and with a loud thump toppled over, landing on her rear with a pained grunt.

"Ow!" she groaned, rubbing her bottom gingerly as she carefully rose once again to her feet. "Ok, maybe that was not such a good idea."

Looking around the room, it was easy enough to find the only exit. The old door she had spotted earlier stood across the room, hanging weakly on only a single rusty hinge. Moving carefully so as not to lose her balance again, Scootaloo crossed the floor and carefully touched the dusty metal handle. A moment later she cringed as the entire door toppled to the ground with a loud crash. Cautiously the young pony clambered over the splintered mess and peered her head out into the hallway beyond.

Where in Equestria am I?

The dark corridor was no better than the room behind her. Dust and grime covered every inch of floor that could be seen, and several sections of ceiling had collapsed leaving small piles of rubble around which she would need to navigate. Wherever this was, it certainly looked as though it had been abandoned for a very… very… long time.

Further down the hallway a shrill howling could be heard; a roaring of wind coming from somewhere within the shadows. If nothing else, such a sound meant there was probably a way out. Although she hated the idea of going out into a storm, staying here would not do any good. Carefully Scootaloo stepped out into the dingy corridor, struggling to see anything in the gloom.

As soon as she had taken her first step from the doorway, there came a small clicking sound from behind her. It was a soft clattering of stone striking stone, a sound so small as to be almost lost in the howl of the wind. However, determination or not, the young filly’s nerves were already on edge, and such a disturbance was more than enough to cause her heart to beat painfully within her chest. In an instant the startled pony spun about, and immediately she was forced to grab a wall before losing her balance yet again.

Nothing.

The corridor behind her stretched into the distance, its length disappearing into the gloom and shadows. Yet, asides from a small rat climbing a pile of rubble, the hallway was completely empty.

Great... Scootaloo berated herself as she worked to regain her composure. I really am a chicken! I'm jumping at rats. Even Fluttershy isn't scared of rats!

"Target acquired!"

With a yelp Scootaloo fell backwards, barely managing to catch herself by grabbing a broken section of wall. Two paces away, the air above the stone floor shimmered as though it had suddenly turned to water. Then, like a wrapper being peeled from candy, the glimmering air folded away to reveal what Scootaloo could only describe as a giant… or a monster... or both.

The behemoth towered over the petrified pony; its form a mass of dark metal embedded with humming blue lights. Its face, if it could be called such, was nothing more than a mirror-like plate of black glass. And as she stared up at the beast, Scootaloo could see her own terrified eyes reflected in its surface. Had she tried, the filly was sure her head would have barely reached the creatures' chest. Though there was no way she would allow herself to get close enough to see for sure.

"Confirmed! High concentrations of Telson radiation detected!"

The voice emerging from the monster was as terrible as its appearance. Cold and emotionless, the sound grated at the filly’s ears as she took another terrified step backwards. Yet even in her fear the pony found something strange in how the giant spoke. It was not talking to her. Of that much she was certain. But it sounded as though she were only hearing half a conversation.

"Inform Sanctuary there is a confirmed intrusion at Rupture 103. We have eyes on target. Order echo team to remain on standby."

Scootaloo watched wide-eyed as there arose a clicking of metal against metal and the monster's right arm opened to reveal a strange cylindrical tube. A small whirring sound quickly filled the air, and within moments a bright red light appeared on the very tip of the tube. For a moment the young filly stood as still as stone, paralyzed with fear as the behemoth pointed its arm in her direction. However, as a small cloud of dust fell from the ceiling, the terrified girl found her eyes drawn to a beam of red light that seemed to pass between the creature and herself. Glancing down, she found a small red dot dancing on the very middle of her chest.

"HNQN System online. Delta 2 now moving in for capture."

The giant took a single step forward, and in that one fraction of a second instinct took over. Though she had barely learned to walk, with a rush of adrenaline Scootaloo felt her legs move as though of their own accord, sending her into a sprint down the hall. Almost immediately there was a sound like the crashing of thunder, and immediately the pony was showered with a storm of broken stone as a small hole appeared in the wall behind her.

Too terrified to even think, the filly instead allowed fear to take over. As if in a dream she let her body carry her through the corridor, dodging around piles of rubble and cracks in the floor as she worked to put as much distance between herself and the giant as she possibly could. Yet even as she ran, there arose a loud crash of metal against rock as the monster gave chase. As for how fast the beast was... Scootaloo could not begin to guess. Terror would not allow her to look back even for an instant. Instead all she could do was run. Run for her life. Not thinking, nor even caring where her feet carried her, just so long as it was far away from the massive metal beast.

"Negative capture. Target is still active. Delta 2 commencing pursuit.”

While she ran, Scootaloo could feel her panic drive away all else. Darkness began to creep into the edges of her vision, and the only sound that could be heard was the pulsing of her own blood in her ears. The thought of finding her friends faded into the back of the filly’s mind, and escape became her sole driving purpose.

Please somepony… anypony… help me!

A cold gust of air brushed past the fleeing pony’s face, and suddenly she realized how loud the wind had gotten. Up ahead, at the very end of the hall, sat a closed door. Yet even though it was shut, red and orange sunlight poured through the spaces around its edge, illuminating the exit in a halo of light from a setting sun.

Leaping over one final pile of rubble the pink-haired filly skidded to a halt in front of the weathered door. Behind her she could still hear the sound of the giant hot on her tail. Gritting her teeth, Scootaloo slammed her body against the wooden portal, and was immediately rewarded with a groan of rusted hinges giving way. The door fell forward with a loud crash, carrying her with it. Landing on top of the door, the pony grunted in pain as the air was knocked from her lungs; however, the sound of the monster’s footsteps was all the motivation she needed to continue on. Immediately she rose to her knees, hair whipping about her head as wind rushed all about her, but the moment her eyes fell on the sight before her, Scootaloo felt all the strength leave her limbs. Wherever she was...

… it was not Equestria.

In the light of the setting sun she could see the outline of a great wall in the distance. The massive barrier rose like a mountain against the horizon, casting a shadow on all the land that lay before it. Even now, on the edge of the twilight hours, the colossal structure stood out from the surrounding land, its top lost in a haze of clouds while its base ran out of sight in both directions. Yet this was not the only sign that told the filly she had left her home far behind.

Far closer than the wall stood dozens of towers; giant spires of cracked stone and broken glass whose peaks rose high enough to scrape the sky. Long ago each and every tower may have been a magnificent sight to behold, but now they were little more than decrepit ruins. Massive holes lay in the sides of most, creating gaping cavities where entire sections of the buildings had crumbled away to reveal floor upon floor of abandoned rooms and hallways.

It was in one such room... and one such tower... that Scootaloo now found herself.

Barely five paces away the floor dropped suddenly as if half of the building had simply fallen away. The result was a ruined room open to the elements, ending in a drop that would have made the highest cliff in Ponyville seem a minor inconvenience.

No escape…

A crack like thunder shattered the air behind her, and as it did the young filly was thrown face first to the ground as something struck her back. Stars danced before her eyes, and without delay a numbing sensation spread outwards from the point of impact until it encompassed every inch of her body.

"Target captured."

Laying with her face pressed against the cold stone ground, unable to move even a single muscle, Scootaloo felt tears welling in her eyes.

Sweetie Belle… Apple Bloom…

Behind her the sound of footsteps could be heard coming from the doorway, and with each step the terrified pony could sense the monster drawing closer. Yet all she could do was lay there, as motionless as a statue, waiting for the beast to reach her. It did not take long, and soon enough the pony felt a cold hand grasp the back of her head. Slowly she was turned over, the icy palm cradling her head far more gently than she would have ever thought such a monster capable of. Finally she lay facing the twilight sky, staring into the reflective face of the monster as it knelt down at her side.

"Scans show subject has been brought down." the creature intoned. "Partial shut-down of PNS confirmed. As predicted, paralysis appears limited to the somatic nervous system."

Raising an arm towards the motionless girl, the beast waved its hand slowly over her body. As it did so, Scootaloo felt a slight tingling sensation wherever its palm passed.

"No concussion detected. Minor bruising from impact of HNQN round. Otherwise no significant damage. Subject is experiencing no negative feedback from HNQN field. Tell the doctor congratulations. Her system is now eight for eight."

The strange beast withdrew its arm to tap its face, and as it did so a seam appeared in the middle of the mirror-like surface with a hiss of escaping air. Spreading quickly downward the line spread until the entire surface had been split cleanly in two, and as the wind continued to rage about them, the metallic pieces of the creature's head folded backwards to reveal a grim face.

Magic... Scootaloo thought as both glass and metal disappeared until the stranger's head was left bare. A magic helmet!

The first thing the frightened filly noticed was that the stranger did not appear so different from her. Or more accurately, how she looked now. Like her new form, the stranger had a mane of hair on top of his head. Though his was dark blue in color and pressed back as if to give it a windswept appearance. The rest of the creature’s face appeared completely free of any other type of hair. Meanwhile his eyes, as green as emeralds, sparkled happily as his frown slowly became an amused smile.

"Woah…" the stranger commented, shocking Scootaloo with a voice that seemed surprisingly young for such a large body. It certainly was nothing like the emotionless tone she had heard before. "You're a cute one."

As he raised a metal-clad hand towards her face, Scootaloo instinctively tried to flinch away from his cold touch. Yet no matter how hard she struggled, her body simply refused to move even an inch. Yet before a single finger could reach her cheek the stranger’s smile faded slightly. Cocking his head, it looked as though he were listening to a voice the pony could not hear.

"Negative..."

As he spoke, the stranger withdrew his hand and stood to his full height. Unfortunately, that simple motion was enough to once again remind Scootaloo just how tall he truly was, and almost immediately she could feel terror begin to regain control.

What in Celestia’s name does it want? The filly asked herself as dark thoughts spun through her mind. What is it?

"I said negative. The situation is under control. Tell Echo team to remain on station and prep for dust-off. I’ll carry her down as soon as I'm finished here."

The stranger paused, and the small grin reappeared on his face as he looked back down at Scootaloo.

"No, you heard me right. Definitely a ‘she.’ Not a bad looking ‘she’ either. I don’t see any scales or claws at least. Confirmed. Transmitting sensor data. Beginning active scans now.”

A small orange sphere appeared as if out of nowhere, floating in the air before the blue-haired creature’s right eye. As Scootaloo watched apprehensively, the tiny ball of light flattened itself into a circle before setting itself against her captor’s eye like a monocle. From where she lay the filly could see strange symbols passing over its glowing surface, and though their meaning was unknown to her, the stranger nodded appreciatively as the shapes sped past his vision. Suddenly his face turned serious, and though it was difficult to say for sure, it seemed to Scootaloo as if his uncovered eye was staring at her with a mixture of amazement and disbelief.

"Can you read me Sanctuary? Good, because you’re not going to believe this. Subject is a human. You heard me! Human female. Height... 167 centimeters. Weight just below 58 kilograms. Skeletal maturation places her at around seventeen years of age, and I’m showing no detectable pathogens in her system. Asides from the bruise I gave her she seems fine."

The creature paused as he once again appeared to listen to someone else speaking. Meanwhile Scootaloo found her heart beating ever faster as she attempted to piece together what the stranger had said. He had called her a ‘human.’ Though the word meant absolutely nothing to the pony, it must have been something important. As for the rest... much of it made no sense. She had no idea what a pathogen was. But there was at least one thing she had understood. The stranger had said she was seventeen years old. Seventeen!

But I’m just a filly! I’m not seventeen!

"Check the scans yourself. She’s as human as I am. No physiological discrepancies whatsoever. I’m telling you, she could pass off as just another high school student. What? Roger that Sanctuary. Standby."

Scootaloo found her thoughts momentarily interrupted as the giant’s glowing monocle changed from orange to bright blue. As it did, he gave a low whistle and allowed his gaze to move along her body.

"I take back what I just said. She may be human, but that's not all she is. QLE scans are off the charts. I'm showing upwards of 400,000 events per microsecond. Damn... This girl is like a living Cigam reactor. It looks like our resident psycho has a new toy to play with… what a waste.”

For just a moment the stranger met the filly’s gaze. His eyes had lost a great deal of their warmth, and he shook his head sadly as the shimmering monocle vanished.

“Alright, it looks like we’re done here. I'll prep the subject for transport. Inform the captain I'd like to give her my report in person. I have a feeling she's going to have some questions about this one. Our ETA to Stronghold will be 19:15. Lieutenant Soarin… signing out."

Comments

[SoullessDCLXVI]

Soarin? Neat. I like where this is going.
4.bp.blogspot.com/-94VWahxq2QU/TdwFfFO2t8I/AAAAAAAAAJA/mmKEtAvI1gc/s1600/peter+griffin+-+go+on...++%25281%2529.jpg

[Pixels]

cdn.derpiboo.ru/media/BAhbBlsHOgZmSSJFMjAxMi8wOC8wMi8yMV8wMV8yNl82MTFfNjU0NDhfX3N3ZWV0aWVfYmVsbGVfc3dlZXRpZV9kZXJlbGxlX3llcwY6BkVU/65448__safe_sweetie-belle_reaction-image_sweetie-derelle_yes.jpg

[martyrex]

interesting i'm fallowing

[Ponaygurl]

Looks like this could go somewhere. Following, and I give you five Twists!

[Master brony UNSC]

HAHA soarin at the end of this

[FlamingTorpedo]

Nice introduction, good plot. Me gusta, I hope to see more.

[Musleblast]

It is sad that this fiction has not been updated in a long while. This story is amazing, and I hope that the author will someday come back and at least finish what he started.