My Little Pony: The Crusaders' Curse

The sun hovered over the horizon, lighting Ponyville, activity stirring in the square.  Little colts and fillies pranced around and played as the mares and stallions proceeded to shop or work.  This was the normal Saturday morning for Twilight Sparkle, just as normal as any day of the week for her, trapped in her studies.  Learning from the cutie mark incident from weeks before, she read silently, engaging in the works of magic of powerful sorcerers and sorceresses.

The spell she was reading up on was one she had studied for the whole week, trying it multiple times, all of them failing.  "Here we go," she muttered to herself as she pushed herself away from the book.  She looked around to see what she could use the spell on.  Spike? she considered, No, I wouldn't be that cruel to him.  She giggled softly, remembering the good times she had messing around with him.  He was like a brother to her, thus I shall torture him mildly sometimes, she would think.  She'd tease him every time he'd flex in the mirror, practicing his low, 'macho' voice to greet Rarity.  Oh, Spike... she thought as she brought herself back on task.

Twilight scanned the room until she finally spotted a perfect candidate.  An apple.  It could be anything, right? she thought.  She readied herself, switching to a wider stance.  She closed her eyes and focused, muttering the small rhyme under her breath.

Raise this object, give it life,If not one moment, give it twice.

Twilight ground her teeth as effort gained.  Her legs stiffened, her heart raced, her neck stretched.  She powered all of her mind energy into her horn, illumination growing around it as the apple was lifted in the air.  It sprouted thin legs and arms as the lavender-colored energy swirled around it.  After another moment, Twilight slowly brought the spell to end, panting softly, her head pounding.

Did it work? Twilight thought as she reopened her eyes.  She discovered the red apple, with its slender twig limbs and no face, jump into the air with them extended.  It walked forward nonchalantly, and fell from the edge of the table, splatting on the ground, the animate becoming inanimate once more.

Twilight stared at the apple for a moment, studying its flattened carcass.  Well, it worked, she thought as she gathered the correct materials to clean up the mess.

Chapter I

All Good News… Until Pinkie Pie

Spike walked down the stairs, stretching his arms.  "Good morning Twilight," he yawned, descending the stairs into the library.  "Good morning," Twilight replied, her nose buried in another book, "did you have a good night's sleep?"

"Yeah... ish.  How about you?"

Twilight lowered the book from her face to show her bloodshot eyes.  "What do you think?"

Spike grimaced a little.  "Yeesh!  Your date with Flash went that bad?"

Twilight smiled slightly.  Flash Sentry.  She'd met the guy in an alternate reality, having an instant crush on him.  Little did she know that he was here too, as a member of the royal guard in Canterlot.

"No, it's not that."  She once again showed her wings to Spike, and he instantly remembered.

"Oh, yeah... that."

Spike had disregarded Twilight’s wings in the hopes that she would still remain in Ponyville, but the fact kept hitting him when he saw her side.  To see one of your best friends as Royalty is big enough, but the possible fact of her leaving Ponyville was a hard one to accept.  He couldn't imagine how Twilight felt.

“But, no matter.  I’m pretty sure that Princess Celestia won’t send me far away from Ponyville.”  Twilight gulped and sighed.  “I just don’t know what to think, Spike.  Should I feel proud I am a princess, or should I feel guilty for leaving my friends behind?”

“Come on, Twilight,” Spike waddled over and sat next to her, “maybe it won’t be as bad as you expect.”

“Hoo,” Owlicious added.

“Exactly, Owlicious!  If Princess Celestia didn’t believe you were ready for this feat, she wouldn’t have given you this responsibility.  You’re ready, Twilight!”

“Hoo?”

“Who, you know, Princess Celestia, Twi - oh.”

Twilight giggled softly.  “Well, I guess that makes sense.  But I don’t feel I’m ready.”  She lifted the book again.

Spike raised an eyebrow.  “What are you reading, anyway?”

Twilight sighed.  “‘How to Become A Proper Princess’.”

Spike rolled his eyes.  What did I expect? he thought.  “Well, why don’t you put the book down and hang with friends?”

“Spike, I don’t necessarily want to -”

Spike pushed her out of the chair.  “Twilight, you’ll feel a lot less stressed.”

“That’s exactly the reason why -”

“You won’t regret it!”

“Spike!” Twilight snapped, an aura glowing around her horn.

Knock, knock, knock.  Twilight and Spike froze.  “Or friends can come to you, that works as well,” Spike said.  He answered the door to find their pink friend at the doorstep.

“Hello!” Pinkie Pie beamed, “Is Twilight home?”

“Why yes, she is.”  Spike smiled as he allowed Pinkie in.

“Hi, Pinkie!” Twilight welcomed, “How’s it going?”

“Oh, it’s been an extremely fantasti-licious day!  I’ve got everything prepared for the solar eclipse today!  Ooh, ooh!  Try these glasses on!”  Pinkie Pie shoved polarized glasses on Twilight’s face.  Pinkie pulled out a mirror and walked beside her.  “Well, what do you think?”

“They’re great, Pinkie,” Twilight said, pulling off the glasses a moment later.  “So, the eclipse is today?”

“Yep.  Actually, it’s in about fifteen minutes!”

“Oh my gosh, I need to get ready,” Twilight rushed up the stairs, “I’ll meet you there, Pinkie.”

“Okeydokeylokey!”  Pinkie Pie pranced out the door.  Spike closed the door behind her.

“So, what is the solar eclipse about?” Spike asked.

“Well, a long time ago, Princess Celestia and Luna raise the sun and the moon almost simultaneously to meet in the sky at a certain point.  It’s a tradition that hasn’t been practiced for a very long time because of Nightmare Moon.  They decided to do it again for old time’s sake.”

“It was a tradition?”

“Yes, every eight years before Luna changed, they would do it.”

“Sounds cool!”

“Yeah, it is.”  Twilight descended the stairs, mane done, eyelashes mascaraed, and the strong smell of perfume followed her down. “How do I look?”

“Not like a zombie,” Spike replied, coughing lightly.

“Good.”  Twilight trotted over to Spike.  “Come on!”  Spike mounted Twilight as she burst through the door.

“Jeez, Twilight what’s the rush?”  Spike clung onto her as she galloped.

“The place we’re meeting is just outside Ponyville.  It takes about eight minutes to get there.  Hang on!”  Twilight extended her wings.

“I don’t think I can hang on any tighter than thiiiiiiissss!”

Twilight launched into the air, the sudden elevation making Spike grow stiff.  Ever since the recovery of the Crystal Heart, he didn’t care for heights.  What made this fear worse was the fact Twilight wasn’t that experienced at flying.

After eight minutes of gut-twisting flying, Twilight finally landed.  “Spike,” Twilight said, “Spike!  We’ve landed.”  Spike opened his eyes, falling off Twilight’s back.  A rainbow-maned mare looked down at him.  “What’s up with him?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I don’t know, he’s been like this the past few months,” Twilight replied.

“Aw, is Spikey-wikey afraid of heights?” Rarity teased.

Upon hearing this voice, Spike instantly popped to his feet.  “Oh, hi Rarity.”

Spike found they were situated on a grassy hill, not too far out of Ponyville.  Down the field was Sweet Apple Acres, which was tiny in the distance.

Resting by a lone tree laid Applejack.  Her fedora hung over her closed eyes.  Soft snores came from her direction.  On the opposite side of the tree, Fluttershy gazed into the trees branches, speaking reassuringly to a creature shying from her.  It didn’t take long until the robin plopped itself on her back.  It chirped a short tune before it flew away.

“Oh, hi girls,” Fluttershy’s soft voice mused, “I see you took care to be here early.”

“Well, we’re mostly here physically, but not exactly mentally.”  Twilight gestured to Applejack.

“Oh, right.”  Fluttershy glided to Applejack.  “Excuse me, Applejack,” Fluttershy nudged her lightly, “Our friends are he-”

“Wake up!”  Rainbow Dash kicked the tree at lightning speed.

“Wha?  Wha?”  Applejack jolted up, followed by an apple falling on her head.  She grimaced and readjusted her fedora.  “Oh, hi y’all,” she slurred, “Did I miss the eclipse?”

“Nope,” Rainbow Dash answered, “we still have a couple minutes to spare until it happens.”

“Good, good.”  Applejack stood, joining the group with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

At about the same time, Pinkie Pie pranced into the circle, her saddlebags bouncing.  “Hi, girls!  What’d I miss?”

“Nothing, just Spike being petrified of heights,” Twilight responded.

“Twilight!” Spike groaned.

“Spike’s what now?”  Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“You shoulda seen him a couple minutes ago,” Rainbow Dash said, “He couldn’t even clamp off Twilight’s back!”

“Don’t poke fun at him,” Fluttershy intervened, “I have seen plenty of birds that are more afraid of heights than him.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy,” Spike said.

“Well, whatever he is, he’s still my Spikey-wikey.”  Rarity gently nuzzled Spike’s face, a flame kindling in his cheeks.

“Ooh!  Ooh!”  Pinkie Pie reached into her saddle bag, swiftly shoving goofy polarized glasses on everyone’s faces.  Spike adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose.  Above him, the eclipse had started, the moon clipping into the sun’s round face.  They all took their viewing positions.  Almost naturally, Spike situated himself between Twilight and Rarity, staring in awe as the moon slowly overlapped the sun.  A few minutes later, the sun was completely eclipsed, a ring of fire stretching from the moon’s edges.  The seven oohed and ahhed as the flares flickered.

They hung out on the hill for a while after the eclipse, taking a few leisurely strolls through Ponyville briefly when the streets cleared out.  The sun was low on the west horizon as they lay on the hill for the final time that day.  Spike placed his hands on his belly, satisfied with his dinner.  He nodded every now and then, only to awaken himself.  Spike had nearly fallen asleep when Twilight asked a curious question.

“Girls, do you feel any different about me since I’m an alicorn?”

There was a hesitation among them.  Spike was surprised she asked this question.  Of course they don’t feel anything negative against her, he thought, do they?

“Well, I don’t feel anything different but being proud of you, Twilight,” Applejack stated.

“Uh-huh,” Pinkie Pie agreed, “we’re no less friends than when you were just a unicorn.”

“Even if you became anything less, we’d still be your friends, darling,” Rarity added.

The rest of the group grunted in agreement.

“I’m going to miss you guys,” Twilight said, the rest of the group, including Spike, cluttering in for a group hug.

“We’ll miss you too,” said the other five mares in unison.

☼☼☼☼

“Spike, take a letter.”

Spike readied his quill and parchment.

Dear Princess Celestia,Today, I’ve learned a very big quality in a good friend.Whatever you become, whatever shape you take, a good friend will always be there.Whether it be for support for what you’re doing, or support against it, they will always be your friend.This helps me greatly in my future duties as a princess.  I actually feel readier than ever to tackle whatever task is at hand than I ever have.  I am ready.Your faithful student,Twilight Sparkle

“Gee, Twilight, when did you start getting so deep?”  Spike rolled the parchment up and bound it with a ribbon.

“I don’t know,” Twilight responded, “I just felt like it this time.”

“Right.”  Spike burnt the letter, the ashes disappearing into thin air.

“Come on, Spike.  Let’s get to bed.”

☼☼☼☼

The morning came once again.  The pegasi were at work to combine clouds in the sky to create the first storm of fall.  Small rumbles of thunder emitted from each collision, growing as the storm cloud gained mass.

After setting up the lightning rod, Spike and Twilight settled down inside, eating breakfast.  The two slept easier that previous night, a big relief to Spike.  It felt like ages since his last good night’s sleep.  To have it again was a blessing.

“So, do you know how to be a proper princess now?” Spike teased.

Twilight rolled her eyes.  “One of the biggest lines of text in that book said ‘Be yourself’.  So yes.”

Spike nodded.  Suddenly, he felt a hot feeling brew up from inside him.  It gurgled up and down his throat.  He felt a bit bloated.  He belched, fire from his breath reconstructing a scroll in front of him.

Twilight opened the letter swiftly, reading it aloud as per usual.

“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student,“I’m glad you learned this crucial lesson in friendship.  This was a comforting lesson to Princess Cadence.  When she received her calling as princess, she was afraid her friends would leave her.  But, they didn’t.  They still send letters to her often.“But, on the subject of callings, I have figured out yours-”

Twilight hesitated.  Spike’s heart jumped.

“... Spike…”

“Yes, Twilight?”

She mumbled something inaudible to Spike.  “What, Twilight?” he asked.

“... I’m staying!”  Twilight pranced about, hopping up and down.  Spike’s smile spread to both ears as he cheered.  Twilight tackled Spike with a hug, tumbling across the room, laughing.

Then a knock on the door.  “I’ll get it this time.”  Twilight trotted to the door, opening it, then jumping back.  “Hey, Twilight,” said Pinkie Pie’s muffled voice as she came in.  In her mouth was a rapier.  Red rust covered the blade, cobwebs connected between it and the hilt.  At the crest of the hilt was an insignia, one that was undeniably from royalty.

“Pinkie, where did you find that?” Twilight asked, studying the rapier intently.

“I found it just outside the town by a rectangular hole in the ground.”

“A rectangular hole in the ground?!”  Twilight hastily picked the rapier up, and started out of the door.

“Where are you going?”

“Pinkie, that ‘rectangular hole’ was a grave!  You’ve just taken an artifact from it!”

“Well, it wasn’t in the hole though.  I said ‘by’.”

“By?”  Twilight scowled.  “Great, we have a grave robber on the loose, and we have the bucking rapier…”   She continued out the door, scraping the blade against the doorframe.  “Shoot!”  She studied the place of contact, discovering a red material sticking to it.  Twilight put the blade down and studied it.

“Wait, this is a fake.”

Pinkie Pie trotted over to her in the light rain, studying the shining blade under the ‘rust’.  She scraped the broadside of the blade, silver paint rubbing off on the tip of her hoof.  “Huh…”

“Yep, definitely a fake,” Twilight confirmed.

“But what is this a fake of?”

“Well, look at the seal.  It’s similar to that of the Royal Crest.”

“So, this was used by someone of the Royal Guard?”

“It’s really likely.  I’m not aware of any weaponry owned by the Princesses.”

“Hey, guys!”  Rainbow Dash dropped from above, Pinkie and Twilight jumping back.  “What have you two been up to?”

“You were eavesdropping, were you, Rainbow Dash?”  Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“Eavesdropping?  Pft!  I was just an undetected attendant.”

“Right.”  Twilight looked to Pinkie Pie.  “Do you remember where you got this, Pinkie?”

“Yep!” Pinkie chimed.

“Will you take us there?”

“Sure!”

☼☼☼☼

To the east of Ponyville was the cemetery.  The cemetery was filled with tombstone’s with residents’ names and names of soldiers that have passed.  Flowers were laid against each stone, enchanted with a spell that prevented them from wilting.  Of all places to find a robbed grave, this would be the place.

But it wasn’t.  About seven kilometers south of it laid the lone hole in the ground.  Pinkie poked a spot a couple meters away from it.  “This is where I found the rapier thingy.”

“I’d imagine stealing something from a coffin, but steal the whole thing?”  Rainbow Dash hovered over the hole, studying the walls of it.

“I don’t think that there was a coffin to begin with, Rainbow,” Twilight said.

“Huh?”

“To start, the grave wouldn’t be here to begin with.  It would be with the others up north.  Second, it is way too shallow to fit a coffin in it.  A rapier, more likely.”

“Princess Twilight!” called a blonde-maned pegasus.

“Just ‘Twilight’ would be fine, Derpy,” Twilight replied.  She had never liked her honorific.

“A message from Princess Celestia.  She must see you in Canterlot as soon as possible.”

“Right.  I’ll be there.”

Derpy nodded and soared back north.

“Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, gather the rest of us.  I will head to Canterlot.  I’ll explain everything after our council.”

“Roger,” Pinkie Pie said, nudging Rainbow Dash along.  Twilight departed to the north, knowing an urgent message from the Princess could only mean one thing.

☼☼☼☼

“Princess Celestia, you called?”  Twilight bowed to her Princess, the gleaming tile beneath her copying her movement.

“Yes,” Celestia confirmed, “I have ordered you here because the safety of the world is at stake.

“But what is it that we’ll be discussing?”

“Twilight, it’s time for you to learn of the Crusader’s Curse.

“In the ages of the Old Empire, there was a group of soldiers defending the borders of Equestria.  They called themselves Crusaders, aiming to acquire the eastern territory from the Changelings.  Back then, Equestria only spanned from the center to the west of the continent, but it was a shade in everypony’s minds to see it spread from coast to coast.  This was the Crusaders’ intention.

“Later in the year, war raged between the two armies, The Battle of the Lesser Light.  No matter how many adversaries they faced, the Crusaders prevailed, thus giving us the territory of Eastern Equestria.”

“But, Princess Celestia, what has this got to do with any curse?”

Celestia continued, “Years after their success, there rose rumor of a material stronger than any metal or crystal.  This material was called arczite.  This caught the attention of the Crusaders, and they embarked on a journey to find it.  Three months later, they returned with the material in plentiful supply.  They divided it amongst themselves, and themselves only.  With it, they created armor, weapons, and goblets to drink to their victory.

“But their bliss was very short-lived.  One by one, they fell deathly ill, dying merely hours after the symptoms began.  The remaining crusaders built a vault deep in the ground that could only be unlocked by four artifacts.  They hid their treasures in there, never to see the light of day again.”

“What caused the disease?”  Twilight asked.

“Nobody knows, not even I.”

“Well, what am I to do about it?”

“Twilight, you must make sure that the artifacts of the Crusaders stay safe.  We have a robber on our hands, one that knows about the vault.  If said person uses it for the wrong reason, we will have a strong adversary.”

“May I bring my friends to help?”

“Of course!  In fact, it’s best that you have your friends help you.  The locations of the three artifacts are scattered around Equestria.  One in Phillydelphia, another in Vanhoover, the final one in Las Pegasus.”

“Why are they all in the big cities?  I thought that this story was only known among royals?”

“It is.  The artifacts are displayed as ‘unknown’, posing as a random ancient finding.”

“They’re all in museums?”

Celestia nodded.  “Hiding in plain sight.”

Behind them, the door open.  “Princess Celestia,” said a familiar voice, “your chariot is ready.”  Twilight turned and saw the guard, blue mane, apricot coat wearing a gold helmet, breastplate, and boots.

Flash Sentry.

“Yes, Princess.”

Celestia walked out of the throne room, thanking Flash for holding the door open for her.

“Flash, I thought you were on duty at the Crystal Empire.”  Twilight raised a hoof.

“No, I was on probation.  I got a little too steamed here, so they sent me to the Crystal Empire to cool down.  It worked, thankfully.”

“What were you suspended for?”

Flash hesitated.  “I don’t want to talk about it right now,” he said grimly.

Twilight nodded.  She’d learned to stay out of other people’s business a long time ago.  She didn’t want to be nosy to him.  “Anyways, I’m gonna go too.  I’ve got duties I need to take care of.”

“Right.”

Twilight walked to the door, Flash pulling it open for her.  “Twilight, you are staying in Ponyville, yes?” he asked.  He tilted his head slightly.

“Yes.  I’m really glad that I am.”

“Very good.” Flash called after Twilight as she exited.

☼☼☼☼

There was muttering among the five friends.  Everybody around the cafe could hear them, some eavesdropping and writing reports, some disregarding them altogether.

“What was that about?” Rainbow Dash asked, “I mean, usually it’s Spike with his letters, but an oral message would have to be more urgent.”

“Knowing Celestia, she probably already tried Spike.”  Applejack took a sip from her mug.

“But, Derpy of all ponies!  She must have been very desperate to pass on the message.”

Twilight flew in, landing on her hooves ‘gracefully’.  After gathering herself from the landing, she disregarded Rainbow Dash’s crooked smile.  “Girls, I figured you would be closer to the castle.”

“Well, we’ve got a hungry hippo over here.”  Applejack gestured to Rarity.  “She wouldn’t stop whining about simple things.”

“I wasn’t whining, I was complaining,” Rarity corrected, “Would you like to hear ‘whining’?”

“Bring it o--”

“No thank you!”  Rainbow Dash shoved her hooves in both of their mouths before another word was uttered.

“Thank you, Rainbow,” Twilight said, “but we’ve got a lot to talk about.”  After leading them to a more deserted area, she explained the Crusaders’ tale and their duties to the rest of her friends.

“So we’re supposed to guard the artifacts before the thief steals them?” Applejack asked.

“Well, more of… take them into our care…”  Twilight worded this statement carefully.

“You mean steal them ourselves?!  Twilight, you’re out of your mind!”

Rainbow Dash felt the opposite way.  “Ohmygosh!  This is almost exactly like Daring Do book four!  This is so awesome!”

Fluttershy seeped into a corner.  “Sorry girls, I’m just going to… eep!”

“Steal?  You mean, steally-steal, or steal as in borrowed?  Or do you mean steel, like stainless steel mixing bowls -” Pinkie Pie gasped over dramatically “- I left my oven on!”

“Hold on there, Bessie!”  Applejack caught hold of her mane before she sprinted off.

“Darling, I turned off your oven, remember?” Rarity asked.

“But the artifacts are the keys to the vault,” Twilight repeated, “So, we need to lock them in with it.”

“So no one will be able to unlock it again,” Rainbow Dash added.

“Exactly.”

“But we have some problems with that, Twi,” Applejack stated, “First, we don’t have the actual rapier!  We can’t open the vault without it.  Second, we, as normal mares, cannot do this legally.  Unless you want to multiply yourself with every group we go in, we’ll be behind bars before we can say, ‘Lickety-split’!”

Twilight sighed.  “I know there are some moral issues in this matter.  But what would you prefer?  A potential powerful army rising against Equestrians, or being behind bars?”

Applejack gazed at Twilight with her isn’t-it-obvious expression.

“You know what, forget what I just said.  But we have to at least prevent the thief from taking any more artifacts.”

Applejack sighed.  “Where do I got to go?”

☼☼☼☼

“Are you sure we want to bring Spike into this?” Fluttershy asked, “He’s just a little dragon.”

“That’s the reason why I’m considering this.  He’s smaller than any one of us, so he can get into cramped spaces.”

“Oh, okay, but are you sure he will do this for you?”

“That’s what I have to see.”  Twilight entered the library.  “Spike?  You here?”

“Yeah!  Coming right there!”  Spike hopped down the stairs by twos, landing in front of the two mares.  “You rang?”

“How would you like to go on another adventure with me, Spike?”

“Uhm… will there be heights involved?”

“Hopefully not.”

“Well, what the hay, I’ll come with!”

Fluttershy stared at Spike as he went to get Twilight’s saddlebags almost naturally.  “Well, that’s Spike for you,” Twilight said, retrieving the saddlebags from Spike.

They met at the train station, all equipped and ready to go.  The station was busier than usual, the afternoon sun shining upon the crowds as they departed to their homes.  The group stayed close together as they waited for the congestion to clear.  About the time it was clear enough to pace around, the westbound train arrived at station.  Applejack and Rarity were to board this train to Vanhoover.

Spike hopped off Twilight’s back before he knew what he was doing.  “Rarity, wait!”  Rarity stopped in her tracks and looked down at Spike, the words being nearly scared out of him.  But he held on to the important parts.

“Rarity, we’ve met over a half a year ago, and I remember having the biggest crush on you.  You are a really beautiful woman, Rarity, inside and out.  And… I… I…”  Spike’s cheeks were hot irons, his head light.  Why can’t I say it? he thought, gritting his teeth.  Only soon after did he realize that Rarity’s lips met his.

Rarity broke the kiss, slowly lifting her head away from Spike’s short body.  “You’ve got to speak faster, Spike.  I was getting too excited I could hardly wait.”  Her cheeks stained red.  “I love you too, Spike.”

“Rare, it’s time to go!” Applejack called from the train.

“Right!”  She trotted onto the train before it departed.

Spike was turned to stone, his mind blank, stomach fluttering.  Did that actually happen? he asked himself as he stared at the departing train.

“Hey, lovebird, our train’s here!” Rainbow Dash called.

“Oh, yeah!  Right!”  Spike floated toward the other four, mindless of any upcoming hazards.