//-------------------------------------------------------// Crusaders -by Overmind- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// An apple a day //-------------------------------------------------------// An apple a day Scootalo looked around takeing in her surroundings,trees mostly trees she noted,  to her right apple bloom stood her eyes fixed for word to her left sweetie belle In front of her well... Something, something that looked like a pony but was clearly not... It's eyes subley off almost like plastic It's legs just a bit to straight and then it's cutie mark was, wrong at first it looked like just one big red apple but if one were to stair at it for very long it would seam to change twist and if one were to stair to long... Well lest just say it's not a good idea... the pony? Moved forword it's legs clicking as it walked and it mouth slowly cracking open, its pich black coat shimmering in the moon light                           . Scootalo tensed up every muscle in her body prepairing to strike Her hoof slowly reaching down to her dagger an almost silent click the only thing signaling her dagger's release then whoosh scootalo darted forwords almost moving to fast for your eye to follow, her dagger hummed through the Air until with a almost unseen flick it cut across the monsters chest leaving a surgical cut in its path that slowly leaked blood, As it slowly stumbled backwards lightly dabbing at its wound scootalo watched as Apple bloom leaped of the ground launching her self Forword until crunch! Her back hoof Conexts with its face sending it reeling backwards its muzzle broken and blooded Apple bloom as if repeating a well practiced move simply twisted in the air landing gracefully next to it a look of determination on her face, The monster looked up its eyes burning In rage only for it to be blasted back and into a tree by a giant golden music note lonched by sweetie bell, as she slowly and confidently strolled forwards, her horn still glowing slightly, a smirk on her face the monster looked around in a panic it made attempt to run, Scootaloo simply triped it whale it tried to run, as it struggled on the ground she walks next to it, her cutie mark glowing Apple bloom quickly followed with sweetie bell standing next to it as well all three of there cutie marks glowing brightly as the monster strugled to escape a invizable dome, In a flash the monster was gone  leaving only a gem shaped like its cutie mark "well" scootalo said "that was disappointing".                      "I know right?" Apple bloom responded "I was looking forwerd to a good fight," "I am not complaining" sweetie bell responded "It's better then someone getting hurt"  "who was going to get hurt" scootalo remarked "a tree?" "Hrmpf well I don't know about you but I am consernd  with the trees" Apple bloom responded indignity "Well of course you are" scootalo sighed "there your trees for crying out loud" "Girls I think we should go home soon" sweetie bell piped in "it's getting rather dark out and I don't want Rarity to worry" "Rarity can wait convicting scootalo that apple trees are important can't!" Apple bloom staitid firmly "I just don't under stand it's just one tree!" "Just one tree just one tree! It's not just one tree is a Mater of pride!" "Pride of what?" "Of running the best dang Apple farm this side of equstria!" "What side of equstria? We're almost dead center!" "Dead center ha! Mabey you need a geografy lesson as well as a lesson in respect!" "Grrrrr!" "Grrrrrrrr!" "GIRLS!" Sweetie bell shouted "look at how dark it is IT IS TIME TO GO." "Humpf fine" Apple bloom respondid grumpily "but she better not go around breaking Apple trees any more" "Fine" scootalo respondid "but next time I see you I'll  bring a map and prove that I am right" "Fine!" "Fine!" "Uggh" sweetie belle mound.... As the crusaders slowly walked away a figure emeged from out of the shadows It's fur the color of dryid blood and it's lanky frame the height of a princess at least. a ripped and stained black cloak covering it's cute mark and faceil expiration exempt for the unnatural grin plastered on its face "Good very good little crusaders you may think you are brave, you may think you are strong, but soon soon you shall see how weak You truly are..." The thing be gain to cackle into the midnight air until he flairid his powerful wings and with a glow of his jet black magic he sunk away into the shadows of the night.... //-------------------------------------------------------// Apples and monks and monsters oh my! //-------------------------------------------------------// Apples and monks and monsters oh my! Ponyvile is a surprisingly bright town even during the night it feels well lit and cozy however just like every town in equstria there are  shadows, and there are alwes ponys seemingly able to find these shadows. it was midday, and ponys were out in the market place talking Bargaining and arguing. However there are some on the edge, some ponys who don't see the love and buity of the world, this is not one of those ponys. The tall red stallion breathed in the summer air, and said mostly to him self "it truly is a butiefull day out to day I isn't  it." "Ugh" another pony deeper into the ally grunted, his cigaret dangling on his lips like a poorly made hearths warming ornament. "You shouldn't smoke you know its bad for your health." The strange red Stalein remarked mater of factly. "Oh yea well you ain't my mom and if your that bothered by it then by all means come take it frome my mouth!" The red Stalin replied only with a smirk and "I'm just saying your days are numbered enough as it is you don't need to make it harder on your self. now if you'll excuse me I have some other business to attend to..." And with a snap of his magic he vanished in a puff of smoke... "ugh no one truly understands my pain." the ally pony said to him self before he turned around and went back to being egy and cool in an ally.              Apple bloom contrary to popular belief didint entirely love apples. It's not like she didint like them, it was just well... Apple bloom let out a "sigh" after recognizing the fact that her sister, the sister she loved and adored more then anything in the world was talking agen about what else but apples. why she wounded was it alwes apples I mean there tasty she thought, and they were the soul crop that her family grew. However  she could not stress this enough even to her self it. Was. Alwes. Apples mourning night and day apples, apples, APPLES! Why couldn't they talk about pears? Or fighting? or fighting. or even fighting! oh well she and her sister have more incomen then she thought, but the point was that she just preferred  fighting over apples was that so wrong? She was shure the other crusaders would under stand, I mean it's not like their fighting styles or personality are even that different. ah well she should ask them if they felt like her at some point in the mean time at least she had sigh.. Apples...                      Calm, scootaloo's world became calm, just the slow beat of her heart  and fragrant tingle of the incense. she alwes wondered what made her enjoy These slow calm moments so much? she Easley conseads that she's not a slow pony, even her combat stile was foucusd on persise agile strikes rather then brutal punishing blows. however all that motion all that energy seamed to disappear when she went to meditate, the slow flicker of the candle the endless silence it just seamed to let her be still. Something that she was enjoying greatly. But there was some thing else to it the perfect serine calm just seamd to wipe her clean, to erase any pain or trama the prevues fight may halve inflicted. pain, and trauma, being two things she was disturbingly halving to deal with on a more daily schedule a schedule she knew Apple bloom loved, for whatever reason she could not grasp, that pony just seamd to live for battle. "sigh all well it's probaly just the fact that it lets her do sumthng other then pick apples all day" she smirked to her self as she reached over to start disassembling her meditation kit. Apple bloom alwes was almost as adventureus as me she thought to her self. never very hard to read her "oh well... I wonder how sweetie bell is doing with the hole monster fighting thing. she alwes was the least adventureus of us, not that that's saying to                much i suppose...                        Sweetie bell was broken, she could feel it she had tried to put it up to just not being the monster hunting type but she knew that couldn't be more far from the truth. sweetie bell loved it all the power, the rush, the fight, but most most of all and this truly made her shiver she loved LOVED seeing the monster fear, fear of HER! fear of her power. sweetie bell did not love battle, she did not love not calm, she did not fear the monsters, most of all sweetie had a all encompassing fear of losing who she was to the monster she knew she could be. and perhaps even more horafing then that was the thought that Mabe just maybe, she had already lost her self...                      Drip, drip, drip, the blood red stallion slowly breathed in the night air and looked around, "sigh I just love the night don't you?" Drip, drip, "hughh, hugghh, help me..."  was the only response. "Oh don't worry it'll all by over soon just give me a minute." With that a blood stained hoof reached into his bags and pulled forth what looked a small orange and blood red salamander, which he proceeded to place right in the middle of the pool of crimson liquid. it procedid to lap up the blood like a cat would milk. "sigh well my friend it was good caching up I for one hope you have gained a new found appreciataicon for not only the night, but life it's self. ahh well unfourtunitly all good things must come to an end I suppose. I hope I see you out and about more" and then with a flap of his wings he sent him self sky bound and as he was slowly coasting away from the soon to be not so peaceful town his Smile morphed into to a grin which evolved into a full on evil smile wich despite his best effortshe just couldn't stop from letting loose a few evil cackles...  back in ponyVille the only nose through out the night was a slow drip drip drip wich soon gave way to a manutanis slurp, slurp, slurp, crunch...