> Crusaders Underground > by Violet Runner > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- There was a time when Lunerstar City was beautiful. It was then a peaceful city known as "Carterlot". But just after my children were born, the evil Nightmare Moon used her dark magic and technology to turn our world of Equestria... into a world of shadows and nightmares. As a source of Nightmare's money and power, the aristocrats were left to play, while our people were Shadowmorphed and became slaves. Our royal family was outlawed and a price was placed on our heads. Then, the Oracle of the Everfree revealed the prophecy to me. "What do you see, Zecora?" Celestia asked the Zebra infront of her. The Zebra leaned over her bubbling cauldron, adding an ingrediant to it before speeking. "Some day, you and your children will become the Council of Four and overthrow Nightmare Moon. But there is a price, Your Highness." Zecora said looking up at the princess. "Are you sure you wish to know?" The white Alicorn took a moment to look down at her three sleeping fillies, a yellow earth pony with a red mane, A white unicorn with a two tone purple and pink mane, and an orange pegasus with a purple mane. "Yes." Celestia finaly said looking up. "Verry well." Zecora said adding another ingrediant. Inorder for the prophecy to be fulfilled, I had to give up my babies. Leaving them with trusted members of what was once my royal court. "Momma loves you very much." Celestia said as she placed a basket infront of a door before knocking on it and walking away. "Huh?" A young unicorn filly said opening the door gasping when she saw the basket. "What is it Rarity?" Her mother asked coming to the door. "It's a baby." Rarity said showing her the basket. "Oh my gosh!" The mother said seeing the unicorn filly. Celestia knocked on the door and placed the basket holding her second daughter in front of it before running off. When she was out of site a hooded figure ran up and took the basket, running off in the opposite direction before a yellow pegasus mare opened her door. The yellow pegasus looked around before shruging and closing her door. "Let's see what we got here." The theif said as she ducked into a dark allyway, removing her hood to reviel a blue pegasus mare with a rainbow mane. "What the?" she said seeing the basket contained an orange pegasus filly. "Hello?" A green earth pony mare asked opening the door to her farm house after hearing somepony knock. "Huh, what's this?" She asked spotting the basket on her porch. "Well would you look at that." The mare said seeing the earth pony filly. "What ya got there granny?" A orange filly with a blond mane asked as her brother walked up beside her. "Applejack, Big Mac, say hello to your new sister." The mare said as she brought the basket inside. > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A cloaked blue pegasus mare walked down an allyway until she reached an old garage with an orange filly waiting in font of it. "There you are Rainbow Dash." The filly said walking up to her and giving her a hug. "Hey scoots. Have you been studying your lessons?" Rainbow Dash asked as Scootaloo let go. "Yep!" She said nodding her head. "Oh?" The older pegasus asked before noticing something was missing. "Where is my wallet?" Rainbow said reaching into the pockets of her cloak unable to find it. "Right here." Scootaloo said handing it back. "Well done. You're a good girl, a wonderful student. And as a reward..." The blue pegasus said unlocking the garage only to find it empty. She then turned around to see scootaloo already had her gift. "Awsome scooter, thanks!" The orange filly said doing a flip with it. "Always the finest, my favorite filly." Rainbow Dash said proudly. A pink unicorn mare walked into her living room to see a white unicorn filly walking on the top of the couch like it was a balance beam. "Sweetie Belle get down from there this instent!" The mare said shocked at what she was doing. "Okay!" She said back flipping off the couch and landing in front of the pink mare. "Good gracious, child!" The mare said scoldingly. "Come. It's time for your piano lession." The mare said leading her away. "Come on, Apple Bloom! Time to get started on your chors!" An old green earth pony mare called. "Ah! Do I have to Granny?" The yellow filly whined. "Well then, I guess You don't want any Zap Apple Cider when you're done." Granny said smugly. "Alright." The fill said grabing a broom. A large airship flew over the quiet farm as bat ponies desended on the farm house. "Apple Bloom wake up." Grany said shaking her a wake. "What is it?" Apple Bloom asked sleepily. "Listen to me." The old mare said as Applejack and Big Mac entered the room. "I need you to go with your brother and sister and run as fast as you can and don't stop untill you reach your cousin Braeburn's." she said as she lead them to the back door. "What about you?" The filly asked as there was a loud banging at the door. "I'll be okay, sweetie. I love you, now go!" Granny said booting her out the door. No sooner had they left that the front door was kicked down by a shadow unicorn. "Citizen. You are under arrest." The shadow unicorn said his horn glowing. Apple Bloom, Applejack and Big Mac where half way through the oarchered when they heard a loud explotion. "Oh no!" Apple Bloom cried seeing a fire where their house was. "Noooo!" She contined as her siblings held her back from running back to the buring house. "Come we have to keep moving!" Applejack said with tears in her eyse as they contiued to run. "Cousins!" A yellow earth pony stalion said oppening his door. Unable to hold back any longer Apple Bloom embraced her Cousin in a tight hug and started crying uncontrolably "It's gonna be all right, Apple Bloom." He said rubbing the top of her head. "Where's Granny?" Braeburn asked looking around only to see the somber looks on Applejack and Big Mac's faces. "I see. Come on inside." "It'll take all your speed to get passed those prototype cameras Nightmare's puttin' up." Rainbow Dash said as she and Scootaloo observed the outside of a warehouse. "No problemo! With this new scooter "Fast" is my middle name." Scootaloo said getting ready. "Can't argue there!" The older pegasus said with a laugh. " Just remember: if you succeed the resistence will pay a fortune for what's inside. Keep your speed up and we'll be eating like queens for a year! Good Luck" She said as Scootaloo reved her scooter and started for the warehouse. "Camera status!" Nightmare Moon asked walking into her thrown room. "Ready, your highness." A shadow unicorn said. "Good. Activate them!" The dark Alicorn ordered sitting on he thrown as the shadow unicorn pushed a botton and parts of the warehouse appeared on a large screen. "Now if the Resistance uses their secret weapon, they'll be in for a big surprise!" "Your highness, motion sensors detect a fast-approaching object." The shadow unicorn reported. "Radar?" The dark Alicorn asked. "Too low." He said checking it. "Ahhh, can't wait!" Nightmare said evily. Scootaloo zoomed past guards and cameras before reaching the door to the wear house. "I'm in." Scootaloo declaired to herself as she picked the lock and opened the door. "Your highness we have a security breach in the wearhouse." A bat pony reported. "What! It didn't even show up on the cameras! Nothing can be that fast! What is it?!" Nightmare said angerly! "Get all the gaurds in there I want to know what is it now!" "That's the last one." Scootaloo said as she placed the last box on the wegon attached to her scooter. Suddenly alarms started to go off as bat ponies and shadow unicorns started to run into the warehouse. "Uh oh!" Scootaloo said as she started to make her way out of the warehouse. As she tryed to run some of the shadow unicorns fired bolts of magic at her causing one of the boxes to fall off and open, spilling silver canesters with blinking lights. "Explosives!" One of the bat ponies yelled. "This place is going to blow!" Another yelled as all the gaurds scattered. "Wow!" Scootaloo shooted as the warehouse exploded and she speed away. "You cut 'em bad, Scoots." Rainbow Dash said as Scootaloo returned to their hidout with the boxes. "Nightmare won't recover from that for a while. Now I'm gonna go meet with the resistence buyer. Don't you do nothin' stupid while I'm gone, you hear me?" She said rubbing her head before leaving. "Analysis of camera feed is now complete, ma'am." A bat pony said walking up to Nightmare Moon. "Excellent! Report." Nightmare grined. "Analysis indicate that the subject is orange." The bat pony stated. "Orange?" The Alicorn said confused. "That's all?!" "Yes, ma'am." The bat pony stated. "Raaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Nightmare Moon screamed in fustration. > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scootaloo slept soundly on an old couch when sudenly there was a loud noise. "What? Who?" She said sitting up to see a cloaked zebra standing beside her. "The time has come, Scootaloo." The zebra said looking down at her. "Yeah, yeah, whatever." The orange filly said rolling over, still half a sleep. "Scootaloo, your destiny awaits." Zecora said a little anoyed at being ignored. "Yeah, well, tell it to wait outside. I'm too tired to care." She said still trying to get back to sleep. "Easily remedied." The zebra said reaching into her cloak, pulling out a green powder before blowing it over the sleepy filly. "Gooooood mornin' Lunarstar City! Oh yeah, I'm up!" Scootaloo declared, jumping into the air before landing back on the couch. "Oof! I'm wide awake? How'd you do that? And who are you?" She asked. "I am the Oracle of the Everfree." Zecora explained. "The what of who?" The young pegasus asked confused as zecora throw some red powder on the ground creating a table and chairs. "Oh, i get it, I'm dreamin', right?" She said not believing what she was seeing as the zebra throw yellow powder over the table causing an entire spread of food to appear. "Whoaaa, this dream is way past cool!" "Now that I have your attention." Zecora said as Scootaloo sat at the table and began to eat some of the food. "It is time you found out who you are... Princess Scootaloo!" "Mmm? Princess?!" Scootaloo said between mouthfulls. "Yes, Princess Scootaloo. And you are not alone in your quest." "Yeah, I know, I got Rainbow Dash and the Freedom Fighters. Ranbow said I could join them when I'm old enough." Scootaloo said taking a drink. "You also have two sisters." Zecora said causing the orange filly to spit out her drink.. "WHAT?!" She said in suprise. Nightmare Moon sat in her thrown room as the door opened to reveal a white and brown griffin and a diamond dog. "Enter, bounty hunters!" The dark alicorn ordered. "Thank you for seeing us, your highness! How may we serve your royal greatness? Your wish is our commandr. You have only to ask, your amazingness!" The griffin said as she and the diamond dog bowed. "What I want is for you to swear to my service." Nightmare said staring down at them. "Oh yes, your most powerfulness! We are deeply flattered, but you see, we are independent contractors." The griffin stated not making eye contact. "Yeah, we're in, erm... in... eh... we work, er, by ourselves." The diamond dog agreed. "SILENCE!" Nightmare Moon shouted. "From now on, you work for me." "Oh, but we have other-" The griffin began but was intorupted when nightmare fired a bolt of magic at them. "Then again, perhaps it is time we made a change." she said swetting a bit. "Excellent. I knew you'd see it my way." The Alicorn said switching on a monitor that desplayed an image of an orange blurr. "This is the Freedom Fighters' secret weapon. It has plagued me for over a year, and I want it found and destroyed! Do you understand?" "Yes. Leave it to us. Whatever it is, consider it destroyed!" The griffin said as she and the diamond dog left. "Sorry about spittin' on you." Scootaloo appologized. "Wow, sisters! But where are they?" She asked. "They are close. But to find them, you must play the song that is in your heart, young one." Zecora said before disapearing in a flash of blue smoke. "Hey, whoa, whoa, wait! What song?" Scootaloo asked but it was to late. "How come nopony ever says what they mean? Song in my heart? What does that mean?!" She said disheartedly. Suddenly there was a bright light as the basket that Rainbow Dash found her in appeard before her before morfing into a guitar. "Wow!" She said grabing it and playing the first thing that came to her head. Apple Bloom wondered through her cousins house looking for something to take her mind off things when she came a cross an old drum set. She examend it before sitting down and desiding to play it a little Sweetie Belle had finished her piano lessions and was about to leave when she found that she had a toon stuck in her head and desided to play it Look, here, are three little ponies, Ready to sing for this crowd, Listen up, 'cause here's our story I'm gonna sing it Very loud! When you're a younger pony And your flank is very bare Feels like the sun will never come When your cutie mark's not there So the three of us will fight the fight There is nothing that we fear We'll have to figure out what we'll do next 'Til our cutie marks are here! We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders On a quest to find out who we are And we will never stop the journey Not until we have our cutie marks They all say that you'll get your mark When the time is really right And you know just what you're supposed to do And your talent comes to light But it's not as easy as it sounds And that waiting's hard to do So we test our talents everywhere Until our face is blue We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders On a quest to find out who we are And we will never stop the journey Not until we have our cutie marks We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders On a quest to find out who we are And we will never stop the journey Not until we have our cutie marks! "What was that?" Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom said in unision when they finished. "They're out there!" Scootaloo said able to feel her siblings presence in her heart. "Freeze frame and enlarge." The griffin bounty hunter said watching the security footage. "How can anything go that fast?" "It, er, slows down right before it reaches the door just off frame, Gilda." The diamond dog noted. "Well, well, well, once in a while you do come up with something, don't you Rex?" Gilda said happily. "Advance to that point, extract image and enlarge." she ordered, as the image was pulled up to reveil a orange pegasus on a scooter. "Aha! It's not a machine." "A pegasus?!" Nightmare moon said entering the room. "IT'S A BLASTED PEGASUS?!" "Yes, ma'am. Would you like us to-?" Gilda began before being intorupted. "No! Dismissed." Nightmare said dismissively. "But your greatness..." Gilda said but was once again intorupted. "I SAID DISMISSED!" The alicorn shouted as Gilda and Rex walked away. "Hmm... could it be them? If it is... the prophecy!" She said remembering the the Oracle visited her. Nightmare Moon layed in bed when she was suddenly awaken by a bright light. "Aahh!" The Alicorn said sitting up. "Nightmare Moon, your days of tyranny are numbered!" Zecora said standing beside her bed. "Guards!" Nightmare called only to be paralyzed by a brown powder zecora through over her. "You will listen." The Zebra contiued "One day, Celestia and her three children will form the Council of Four. On that day, your reign of tyranny will end!" She said before disapearing. "They're still out there!" Nightmare Moon said to herself coming out of her thoughts. "Then I'm declaring war on the Resistance and making there capture my number one priority." She declared.