Ponysona: Arcana Crusaders

by Phoenix Kitten

Sugarcube Chaos.

August 24 1006 Post Nightmare Moon--August 30 1006 P.N.M

The sun was beginning to set over Ponyville. Most of the stores had closed their doors and the families within getting ready to hunker down for the night.

Only Sugarcube Corner remained open as a certain group of friends, minus one, were getting together for a small party.

"Well howdy Twilight! And good evenin' to you too Rarity. Looks like you two are the last to arrive." Applejack greeted the two unicorns while Pinkie bounced around inside, serving cakes and muffins to the ponies already inside.

Both unicorns replied at the same time. "Good evening to you as well Applejack."

"Oh oh oh!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced over. "Is everypony here now?"

A soft chuckle drew the four friends attention to the pale blue alicorn. "I'd say that's everypony Pinkie, yes."

As the orange earthpony ushered her two horned friends in, over at Sweet Apple Acres.. another party was about to get started.

Applebloom laid on her back, watching the stars as they danced about. She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn't notice the sound of somepony, or dragon, approaching.

"Mind if I join you Applebloom?" Spike asked.

"Huh?" The filly asked as she looked beside her. "Oh. Hi Spike. No, go right ahead."

"Thanks." The young dragon smiled as he laid down next to her. "Huh. No moon, that's odd. Would have thought Luna would have raised the moon by now."

"Ah'm guessin' she's a bit busy with whatever it is our kin are all doin' over at Pinkie's."

Spike nodded. "I guess that makes sense." He said before sitting up. "So what are you doing out here all alone?"

Applebloom turned her gaze to the dragon and smiled softly. "Ah'm just enjoyin' the evenin' view like ah always do. Helps me relax after a long day at school." 'and fightin' Shadows in the comic world.' she thought to herself.

"Ah. The stars have a habit of doing that don't they?" Spike smiled. "Even when you're majorly pissed at somepony, just five minutes under all these twinkling lights can make it all wash away."

"Yeah. They sure can." Applebloom agreed as a large flash appeared from Ponyville. "What the buck!?!?" She asked as she rocked herself into a sitting position. "Spike did you see that?"

"I felt it. That was a magic shockwave. From a failed spell."

After a few seconds of listening to Sweetie and Sugar Cube yelling and clutching their heads from the magical feedback, silence resumed and Spike let out a sigh of relief. "Well... that couldn't have been mom or Luna, or even Rarity for that matter."

"Huh?" Applebloom asked.

Spike smiled. "Well if it was Rarity's magic, then we'd all be 2 hands deep in the ground right now. If it was Mom's, we'd be plastered to the barn wall. If it were Luna's, well we'd be on the other side of the orchard."

"oh." Applebloom said. "Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"Who did you mean when you said mom?" Applebloom asked, giving the dragon an odd look.

Spike blinked as he regarded the filly. "Well, Twilight. She's the one who hatched me, took care of me and raised me. So she's my mom."

"Oh. That makes sense. Ah guess." Applebloom thought.

Spike just nodded and siddled closer to the filly and hugged her.

Applebloom leaned into the hug as she looked out over Ponyville, the glow already fading.

Groans sounded from all around the floor of Sugarcube Corner as the occupants began to rise.
Rainbow Dash managed to pull herself up using a nearby chair before carefully moving to her husbands side.

The lime green unicorn stallion rubbed his head, a few pieces of his chocolate brown mane getting spread across his forehead as he slowly sat up.

Applejack was having a similar experience with her coltfriend, attempting to help the dark grey unicorn to his hooves and brushing his light brown mane out of his eyes.

Luna slowly pulled herself off Pinkie from where she was shielding the pink mare from harm and shook her head to clear her vision.

Pinkie for her part slowly sat up, rubbing her forehead and groaning.

Twilight and Rarity laid sprawled behind the counter of the storefront that they had taken cover behind, Rarity slowly getting to her hooves while Twilight snored softly on the floor.

"Is everypony okay?" Rarity called out.

"Ah...ah guess."
"Seems that way."
"I feel a bit odd... but not hurt in anyway."

After that last statement everypony finally got a good look at each other.

The screams could be heard in Canterlot...

August 30 1006 Post Nightmare Moon--August 31 1006 P.N.M

"Hold on a second." the large red stallion said. "If ah'm gettin' this right, then what ya'll are sayin' is that that light show from SugarCube Corner was a failed spell of some kind.."

"That resulted in everypony there swapping bodies." Applejack finished. "So I'm not your sister."

"No.. that'd be me." The dark grey unicorn said as he stepped forward. "So... ah kinda won't be around to help you with the harvest this week."

Big Macintosh chewed on his hay stalk for a few seconds. "Well.. Ah'll find a way to deal with this mahself. Y'all just try to find a way to get back to normal."

Their conversation was interrupted by a panting little dragon running over. "Applejack... please tell me Twilight and Rarity are home and I can grab Sweetie and Sugar Cube and get out of here. The Crusaders by themselves are a pain,but with all the foals here..."

'Applejack' glanced at the unicorn stallion' before answering. "Sorry sugahcube. they said they wanted a little extra rest before you three got back. Ah'd wait until after school lets out."

"But... but..." The dragon stammered before a rope fell around him. "Oh no... I thought I was done with this after the iron pony conteessssst..."

"Got him!"

"Nice job Applebloom!"

Big Macintosh watched the dragon being dragged towards the barn while hogtied. "Ah guess a better go and make sure they don't do anythin' they're gonna regret. Gears. Sis."

The two ponies nodded their farewell and began the trot back to town.

"Ugh." Spike groaned as he was untied. "What was that all about?"

"We need to go do something at our clubhouse." Sweetie explained. "We want you to make sure no pony else follows us. And keep anypony away from it until tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh yeah?" Spike asked the unicorn filly. "What's in it for... is that an amethyst?" He asked as the unicorn levitated a small pink gem in front of his nose.

Sweetie giggled. "Yup. And there's plenty more where that came from." She smiled, producing a small bag of the gems and passing them to the dragon along with the lone gem. "So. Do we have a deal?"

Spike looked in the bag and his eyes bulged. "Yeah.. yeah we do."

"Alright Fillies!" Sweetie called out as she clapped her hooves together. "It's Saturday, so let's get ready! Everypony have their gear? If you think you forgot anything go grab it now, because we are not leaving the Shadow world until tomorrow afternoon, or for the next three days if we factor in the time distortion."

"Ah'm all set!" Applebloom answered back as she tugged her ribbon tighter and hefted her pitchfork and tied it to her back just above her saddlebags.

"Same here." Scootaloo answered as she shadow boxed to warm up. The video camera and spare tapes sitting in the bags next to her.

"Ready when you are." Silver Spoon confirmed as she unsheathed her sword and tied the scabbard to her back, her own saddlebags bulging with food and drinks.

"U-um... I guess I am..." Diamond Tiara nervously answered before meeting Silver Spoons gaze and taking a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah I'm ready." she breathed, hoisting her laptop bag with several spare and fully charged batteries.

"Right. Let's get this over with. Thanks to what Diamond told us we have an objective, a tower in the center of the city that has a weird lock on it. Once every tape for the camera is full, or we run out of supplies we head back to the safe zone and leave." Sweetie explained as she passed a bag of emeralds that were glowing slightly to Diamond Tiara.
"Thanks to what Captain Armor taught me about shield magic, coupled with what I've learned watching my sister work with gems, I have charged these gems with enough shield magic to last for up to five hours at a time. So we won't have to leave somepony behind to guard Tiara while she works on analyzing enemies.for us. Just smash the gem to activate the shield."

Diamond nodded and took the bag, adding it to her saddlebags.

Scootaloo stuck her hoof up to speak next. "And everypony remember to equip the armor we tricked Applebloom's brother into making for us."

"Alright then." Applebloom finished as she slid the thin steel plate over her body and strapped some greaves to her legs. "Let's get goin'!" She cheered before diving into the open comic, the other fillies following after her once their own armor was donned.

All equipped: Body: Thin steel armor Def:20
Hooves: Thin steel greaves Eva:6

Sweetiebella Marie Belle: Level 8.
Persona: Nightmare: Level 8/ Arcana: Judgement.
Weapon equipped: Quaver Tonfa Dam:16 Hit: 98
Skills: Mazio, Bash, Zionga, Elec amp, Mudo
Item equipped.
Head: Reading glasses.

Applebloom Anne Apple: Level 8
Persona: Gaia: Level 8/ Arcana: Chariot.
Weapon equipped: Pitchfork Dam:17 Hit:83
Skills: Dia, Re-patra, Poisma, Media, Maragi, patra, Rakukaja

Scootaloo Cassandra Darling: Level 8
Persona: Tempestas: Level 8/ Arcana: Fool.
Weapon equipped: Thin steel greaves Dam:13 Hit:90
Skills: Garula, Cleave, Magaru, Rebellion, Tarakaja

Silvia Liza "Silver" Spoon: Level 8
Persona: Khione: Level 8/ Arcana: Strength
Weapon equipped: Training short sword Dam:14 Hit:94
Skills: Bufula, Tarukaja, Kill Rush, Mabufu, Marin-Karin, Sukukaja

New party member.
Danielle Monica "Diamond" Tiara: Level 6
Persona: Lakshmi: Level 6/ Arcana: Empress
Skills: Third eye, Hama.
Equipment
Head: Silver diamond tiara.

Comments

[Phoenix Kitten]

Ugh. This whole chapter just feels terrible. I was so looking forward to this arc from the rp verse as well.
I wanted to focus alot more on the dynamic of the mane 6 aside from Rarity and Twilight, who are pretty well established as characters at this juncture, but then i thought. "this is supposed to be about the crusaders" So I figured I'd give them a bit of a heave ho and explain them away for the next 2 or 3 chapters while I focus on their friends and family.

So consider the next few chapters a "Meanwhile,back in the normal and clueless world..." as we explore what it is that holds Ponyville together while the Crusaders power level abit more.

And yes. Sweetie will be singing more Persona songs.
Anyway.It's 1 AM.I'm going to bed. Peace out everypony.

[TundraStanza]

Wait... wait, wait, wait... who swapped bodies with who?
I kind of lost track there.

[Azure Sandora]

Aside from the shipping confusion, I loved this chapter. Also, I like how the characters have seemingly regular names, making their canon names seem like nicknames (Like Diamond Tiara's first name actually being Danielle).

So they have a Tartarus to explore too? Nice touch.