The Lives of the Cutie Mark Crusaders
Sweet Apple Acres
"Have ya harvested the South field, Babs?" Apple Bloom asked her cousin, looking at the few apples sitting in the bottom of her bucket, several of which were rotten.
"Yeah, but this was all there was, Apple." Babs replied, showing the yellow mare her meager harvest. "Sweet Apple Acres is no longer producing sweet apples."
"Ah used ta love this place as a filly." Apple Bloom sighed, "But after AJ passed and the Villains took over, this place has gone only downhill."
Babs nodded. Sweet Apple Acres was a run down former apple orchard now. Equestria wasn't any better off. Ponies lived in fear of their new ruthless rulers, known to all as the Villains, Nightmare Moon, Trixie, Discord, and even King Sombra. And Equestria no longer had the Elements of Harmony to protect it. Rarity, former Element of Generosity, was old and dying and Princess Twilight, Element of Friendship, had disappeared, along with all other Alicorns, leaving the Earth ponies, Unicorns, and pegasi to fend for themselves. And every race had withdrawn to their respectful places, pegasi mostly lived solely in Cloudsdale, unicorns lived solely in the rundown Canterlot, and Earth ponies lived wherever they could.
"Any word from Scoot and Sweetie?" Babs asked, trying to lift the mood. Apple Bloom shook her head.
"All ah know is what ah did last time." She replied, "Scoot's still leader of that gang and Sweetie's just trying to take care of Rarity."
Carousel Boutique
"Rarity, I'm home!" a young white mare with a light lavender mane called, sighing as she saw old Opal pad slowly towards her.
"Is that you, Sweetie Belle?" an elderly white mare with a once royal purple, now greyish mane.
"Yeah, sis!" Sweetie Belle called, setting down a few bags of groceries. Rarity appeared from her room, Opal plodded over to her old owner. Rarity picked Opal up using her magic and went to sit on her velvet covered rocking chair. Sweetie began preparing a meal with the meager food she'd managed to get, stopping in front of her sister's Element. Sweetie looked down at the beautiful purple gem.
"Is that my Element?" Rarity asked.
"Yeah, sis." Sweetie replied absently, thinking about the other Elements, safely locked away within the gravestones of their wielders. "Sis, I'm gonna go out for a bit, alright? I won't be gone long."
"Alright, Sweetie."
Sweetie shut the door to Carousel Boutique and galloped the the cemetery. She didn't stop until she was standing before the four gravestones arranged in a semicircle. She touched her horn to each one, starting with one decorated with a cloud and lightning shape and ending with one decorated with three balloons. She stopped before this one and read the inscription that she'd read so many times before. "Keep smiling!" it said.
"Oh, Pinkie, how am I supposed to smile when the Villains have taken over and you guys are gone?" Sweetie asked, tears falling from her eyes.
Suddenly, a group of pegasi appeared, wings spread in a menacing manner, eyes narrowed. "Get off our turf, unicorn!" one pegasus, a black stallion with a dark grey and red mane, yelled, pawing the ground. Sweetie stared at them before turning tail and fleeing.
Abandoned Ponyville school
"Scootaloo!" a pegasus stallion called to the young orange mare with a deep purple mane.
"What are you doing on my gang's turf, Blood Blade?" Scootaloo asked the rival pegasus. She had worked hard to earn her place as leader of the Rebels, a group of pegasi who rebelled against the Villains. Blood Blade was one of many pegasi who had challenged her.
Blood Blade was a large black stallion with a dark grey mane and tail streaked with red and . His CM was a golden sword dripping with blood, which symbolized his fearsome ability to wield a blade, which he kept strapped to his right flank. He'd been the leader before Scootaloo came along and clawed her way to the top of the proverbial totem pole. Because of that, Blood Blade refused to accept the young mare as his leader and the gang had divided into two groups, some who still followed Blade and others who had accepted Scootaloo.
"You forget this used to be MY turf, foal!" Blade growled, ears flat back against his skull. The stallion leaped at Scootaloo, drawing his cruel blade in the process.
Scootaloo ducked and rolled out of the way just as Blade landed where she'd been sitting just a split second before. Blade jumped up and charged at her again with a loud war cry.
"Scootaloo!" a voice called as Shadow Scar, a young midnight blue stallion, tossed Scootaloo her dagger.
The orange mare caught the dagger and blocked Blade's attack in the nick of time. She kicked at the dark pegasus' leg and soared into the air, Blade skipping away from her kick with a growl. He soared after the young leader and their battle continued from cloud to cloud.
Sweet Apple Acres
"Come on Babs, we've harvested all we can." Apple Bloom murmured to her cousin, heading back towards the old farmhouse.
The two mares passed the field, where old Macintosh was attempting to pull the heavy plow. The stallion had somehow managed to outlive his sister, but the ages were visible. His orange mane now nearly completely white and he had a noticeable swayback from years of plowing the fields. Apple Bloom set down her basket and trotted over to her brother.
"That's enough for today, Big Mac." she said, placing a gentle hoof on the large stallion's shoulder.
"Ah still have half ta field ta go, Apple." Macintosh said.
"Don't worry about it." Babs said, trotting over to her cousins.
Big Mac reluctantly allowed the plow's harness to fall and followed his sister and cousin back to the farm house. The stallion sat on the couch and leaned back, obviously tired. Babs handed him a mug of cider, which wasn't as good as it had once been, but was enough to get them enough bits to live off of. Big Mac gratefully accepted the mug and sipped it slowly. Once finished, he stood and headed upstairs after bidding good night to Apple Bloom and Babs.
"He still refuses to quit his old job, huh?" Babs muttered, looking over at the yellow mare sitting across from her at the table.
"Yeah...Ah don't know where he finds th' strength ta keep at it." Apple sighed.
"Well, we Apples are strong and stubborn. Remember when AJ swore she'd harvest the entire orchard even though there was no one to help her?"
Apple Bloom chuckled softly, the fond memory of her sister coming back to her. "But even she relented and accepted help from Twi and the others."
Babs nodded and the brief moment of humor passed. Then the brownish mare noticed something going on above the South Field, something that looked like a fight between two pegasi.
"What the hay?' she murmured, standing and moving towards the window, Apple Bloom following close behind.
"A-Ah think that's...Scootaloo." Apple Bloom said, half to herself and half to Babs as she spotted a streak of orange and purple.
"Well, what is she doing way out here? This is no where near her gang's territory."
"Let's go see." And with that, the yellow mare trotted out the door, the slightly torn bow in her mane waving gently in the wind.
Scootaloo's POV
Scootaloo's wings were beginning to ache and she could tell Blade knew this. The older pegasus rained blow after blow upon her, forcing her to take defense and not allowing a single blow from her dagger to penetrate his offense. The orange mare knew she had to find a way to give herself an advantage or else she'd be dead meat.
Think! What did Rainbow Dash teach you about flying and fighting? she thought to herself, then she realized that the fight had taken them all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres, right over one of the many orchards. If she could somehow get Blade caught in the branches of those trees...
Scootaloo folded her wings and stretched herself out as she dove towards a cluster of trees whose branches were tangled in a seemingly impenetrable mess.
"Where are you going, foal? Giving up so soon?" Blade taunted, though Scootaloo could tell he was also tiring slightly.
The two pegasi dove faster and faster towards the cluster of apple trees, wings folded and front hooves stretched far forward. Suddenly, at the last possible second, Scootaloo spread her wings and made a sharp, almost 90 degree angle turn upwards and shot back into the clouds, a trick she remembered Rainbow Dash teaching her. Blade, however, was older, heavier, and unable to pull of the quick maneuver his smaller and younger opponent had. Too late, he realized what Scootaloo had intended and shot straight into the grove of branches which scratched and pulled at him as he tumbled through the tangled grove.
Scootaloo dove down and landed just as Blade shot out of the branches, his dark coat stained red from the multiple cuts he'd sustained from the sharp branches. The young mare grabbed Blade's sword and held it at the stallion's throat just as Apple Bloom and Bab Seed galloped up.
"What the hoof is going on here?" Babs asked as they came upon the scene before them.
"Sorry, but this colt challenged my authority and our fight brought us out here. My only options were to send him into your orchard or be killed." Scootaloo growled, upset that her chance to put an end to Blade's challenges had been interrupted.
"Ya wasted these apples that could have fed us for a week!" Apple Bloom cried, gesturing toward the apples that lay scattered across the grass, most of which had been trampled when Blade landed or damaged by the fall from the trees above.
Babs put her hoof on Apple's shoulder, stopping her from attacking the pegasi.
"I said I was sorry, Apple Bloom." Scootaloo said, pressing her dagger deeper into Blade's throat and watching the stallion struggle and gasp for air. "Now, if you two would shut up, I have business to attend to."