The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Lyra Heartstrings in: Flesh and Stone

by ADRNEL

Chapter II

"Scootaloo, wait up!" exclaimed the filly unicorn to her friend, galloping after her across the fields of Sweet Apple Acres.

Scootaloo sees her friend Sweetie Belle fall behind, so she stops and waits for her to catch up."We have no time, we need to see Twilight and see if she can come up with a spell to get Apple Bloom back here!" urged Scootaloo as Sweetie Belle catches up.

"I know, but I still have trouble believing that Apple Bloom somehow ended up in that book!" stated an exhausted Sweetie Belle, pointing to Scootaloo's saddlebag that holds the book, Scootaloo was about to respond but they then hear the sound of a twig snapping.

---

70 years ago...

In the middle of the dark and rainy Ponyville streets, Lyra is holding Apple Bloom tightly, comforting her.

"Lyra, what's going on? How did ah end up here?" asked a scared and lonely Apple Bloom. Lyra was about to answer but is interrupted by the sight of a carriage heading towards them. The carriage stops in front of them as an Earth pony stallion, wearing a trenchcoat and fedora steps out, he has a white coat and grey mane, with a hammer and sickle as a cutie mark. Lyra knows instantly who he his.

"Vodka, what are you doing here?" spat Lyra, holding Apple Bloom even more tightly.

"The boss wants to see you," explained a grinning Vodka, he then sees the filly. "and the blank flank too."

"Tell your boss that I'm going to have to decline his request." stated an annoyed Lyra. Vodka just chuckles.

"The boss told me that you'll say that," grinned the stallion, he then opens the carriage door to reveal Lyra's friend Bon Bon gagged, her legs tied and with a black eye. "So he thought that this will give you more incentive to see him." he explained, unfazed by the sight. "Now get in before you catch a cold from the rain detective."

Lyra thinks about it for a minute, before silently and reluctantly agreeing. Both Lyra and Apple Bloom get in the carriage, followed by Vodka. They are then driven off to another part of town.

---

"What in tarnation is going on? Where am ah?" said a scared Apple Bloom, demanding answers.

"You're in Ponyville," answered Lyra while removing the gag from Bon Bon's mouth. "But I believe that more important question is WHEN are you."

"What?" said a confused Apple Bloom.

"That statue didn't just transport you to another location, but it transported you to a diffrent time, 70 years to be exact." explained the mint green unicorn.

"How?" Apple Bloom is more confused than ever.

"That statue wasn't an ordinary statue," stated Bon Bon, "It's a living being, a hunter, who preys on random ponies, sends back in time and then feeds of their potential energy while the victim is doomed to live a full life in the past." she explains with seriouness while being untied by Lyra.

"I've been sent back in time?" stated Apple Bloom, slowly beginning to cry from what she's heard. "Ah's gonna be stuck here?"

Just then, the carriage stops and Lyra, Apple Bloom and Bon Bon are ordered out. The three step out to be met with the sight of Fluttershy's cottage.

"Fluttershy's cottage?" asked a confused Apple Bloom.

"Not yet it isn't, right now it is the home to the most influencial stallion in Ponyville." stated Lyra.

The three are forcibly escorted inside the cottage by Vodka. Once inside, they are met by white coated Earth pony stallion with a black mane, wearing a business suit with a wormwood flower as his cutie mark. "Why hello there, welcome to my home." politely greeted the stallion.

"Cut the manure Vermouth, what do you want!" spat Lyra to the stallion.

Vermouth just smiles, "Oh Lyra, hotheaded as usual I see, how about we take this conversation to my study and maybe we can straighten things out." he explains. Vermouth walks towards his study, while the three reluctantly follow him. Vodka and two guards also follow them.

Once inside Vermouth's study, the three take their seats in front of his desk while Vermouth goes to his bar. "Any drinks? Non-alcoholic for the filly of course." asked Vermouth while pouring himself a glass of cider. The three say nothing, Vermouth quickly finishes his drink and sits behind the desk.

"Why are we here?" asked Bon Bon, getting impatient.

"I'm here to offer you deal." explained Vermouth. "Something that's right up your alley."

"What is it?" spat Lyra.

"As you two may know, I'm an antiques collector, always trying to find the most rarest, unique and valuable objects from the past, and you two happen to be experts on a particular antique that I want." stated the stallion, unfazed by Lyra's attitude towards him.

"And what is that?" asked Bon Bon.

"Thousands of years ago, during the reign of Discord, chaos was the law of land and as a side-effect, caused several normally non-sentinant objects to become alive, statues from the Canterlot statue garden being one of them, after he was defeated and sealed away, most of the statues returned back to normal, but a few managed to escape, and became the creatures of legend and fairy tales, creatures so frightening and scary, that they even give Celestia nightmares. I'm talking about the Weeping Angels." the sound of thunder booms outside as he says it. Lyra and Bon Bon are in shock, while Apple Bloom is confused. "I want a Weeping Angel in my collection, and I want you to help me capture one."

Lyra just gets angry. "Those creatures will never be a part of your collection, they would rather snap your neck, and trust me, if they feel that their potentional victim won't give them enough substanance or have a low tolerance for the victim, they WILL not send you back in time, they will KILL you with their stone hooves." Lyra then gets up and leares at Vermouth.

Vermouth remains unfazed. "I guess that's a 'no', no matter, I already captured some of them myself without your help, so you're useless." He then gives the nod to Vodka and two guards, who are standing by the door. "Take Lyra and her friend here to the statue in my room, and take the blank flank here into the basement." Vodka and the guards agree, the guards foricibly takes Bon Bon and Lyra while Vodka grabs Apple Bloom by her mane and drags her out of the room.

"YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS! THE ANGELS WILL NOT LET YOU!" yelled Lyra before being forced out of the room.

---

"LET ME GO!" yells Apple Bloom to Vodka as they reach the top of the stairs into the dark basement.

"Sorry blank flank, boss' orders." smirked Vodka as he takes Apple Bloom and pushes her down the flight of stairs. He then takes out a matchbook and throws them down the stairs after her. "Oh, and I suggest you use those matches if you want to live to see the morning." chuckled the stallion as he walks out and closes the basement door behind him, leaving Apple Bloom alone in the dark.

---

In the middle of Ponyville, in a dark, empty, and rainy street, both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are standing together, looking around and confused.

"Now what!?" asked Sweetie Belle to Scootaloo, not knowing what to do next.

Author's Note:

2nd chapter.

Story seems to be getting intresting. Hope you enjoy it.

Comments and reviews welcome!