It had been a very busy day for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They had been crusading all day trying to find their cutie marks, but they had nothing to show for it. Even though there was only light rain, it was heavy enough to effectively put a stopper in their plans for the rest of the day. The girls lounged around the clubhouse as the rain splattered against the glass windows. Scootaloo let out a weary sigh as Sweetie Belle crossed off ‘Kite Surfing’ from the list of crusades to try. It simply didn’t pan out the way they thought.

“OK,” Applebloom announced as she looked up from a heap of papers scattered across the floor, “I finished redoin’ the crusadin’ schedule and I think there’s still two things we can try today, even if it’s rainin’.”

“Can it not be the rain dancing one,” Sweetie Belle asked, “Rarity will be mad if I come home soaking wet again.”

“I second that,” Scootaloo interjected, “Besides, I don’t want a picture of some silly zebrican dancing around on my flank.”

“Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle gasped, taken aback by Scootaloo’s comment “Don’t say things like that! That’s so insensitive!” She leaned in close to make her position known.

“No it’s not,” Scootaloo scoweled back, “Zebrica is a continent, not a race.” Both fillies stared daggers at each other, mentally gearing up for a verbal sparring match. Applebloom had turned to staring out the window, half hoping the rain would stop soon and half hoping the rain would give her a brilliant idea.

“I’ve got it!” Applebloom declared, inadvertently cutting off that conversation before it mutated into something uglier. The other two looked at Applebloom expectantly. She was the idea filly after all and her ideas were usually pretty good. Usually…

“It’s rainin’, right?” she seemed to ask Sweetie Belle. The grin on Applebloom’s face signaled that she had quite a scheme brewing in her mind.

“Yes,” Sweetie Belle replied, a bit perplexed that she would ask such an obvious question.

“And we don’t know when it’s gonna’ stop, right?” Applebloom asked as she turned to face Scootaloo.

“Yeah, we do,” Scootaloo replied, still confused by Applebloom’s strange questions, “Pegasus ponies control the weather.”

“Oh, right,” Applebloom said, embarrassed by her lapse of judgement, “I was thinkin’ we could get our cutie marks in meteorology,” she explained as she returned to staring out the window, “but there’s no need for anypony like that,” she contined as she rested her chin on the window sill.

“Don’t be so depressed, Applebloom,” Scootaloo said. She sat next to the slumping pony, propping her up from her despair. “If we can’t get our cutie marks today,” she continued as she looked out the window with a smile instead of a frown, “we can still play outside in the rain, have some fun before it stops.” Applebloom started to perk up at this notion.

“That sounds like a good idea,” Sweetie Belle agreed, “As long as we have fun, I think it’ll still be a good day, even if Rarity gets mad at me being wet.” Despite no promise of cutie marks, Applebloom’s spirits lifted enough to join her sister crusaders in merriment rather than crusading.

“Alright, then,” Applebloom said, enthusiasm renewed, “let’s go out for a rain play day.” She led the way to the door as all three smiled at the prospect of playing in the rain. The door squeaked open to reveal the dreary sky and the soaking wet grassy yard. The puddles and mud patches would provide some messy fun and a chance to unwind for the young fillies.

*KRAK**BOOM*

Like a million bullwhips in unison, a bolt of lightning pierced the air and shook the entire clubhouse. The rolling thunderclap rattled the single-paned windows like chattering teeth. In an instant, the fillies slammed the door shut and huddled in a corner, startled by the suddenness of the event. The girls were stunned silent, unable to work up the nerve to check whether it was safe. Their hearts raced as they shook in fear.

“Nopony said anything about lightning today,” Scootaloo finally spoke through her chattering teeth.

“I sure hope this isn’t one of Rainbow Dash’s pranks,” Sweetie Belle commented, “I get really scared by some of them and Rarity really doesn’t like that.”

“Well then,” Applebloom said, her confidence slowly returning, “If lightning wasn’t planned, Rainbow Dash already pulled her prank,” she continued as the fear gripping the girls slowly receded, “Then the worst parts of this storm are already over!” Applebloom was always the most logical one of the group. Her confidence in her conclusion showed in her voice.

“Well, if that was the best Rainbow Dash has,” Scootaloo scoffed as she changed stances from cowering to courageous, “She’ll have to do better. I wasn’t really scared.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle chimed in, “besides, lightning only really scares little fillies.”

The girls had a good laugh to lighten the mood of the situation. Scootaloo even mocked it, pretending to kick lighting out of a cloud over Applebloom’s head. She played along, feigning being scared as they all laughed at the display.

While the other two were busy laughing off their ordeal, something caught Sweetie Belle’s eye out the window. The sky had gained a noticeable tint of red. That and the clouds above started swirling around a central point above.

“Hey guys,” Sweetie Belle spoke out over the laughing, audibly worried, “you don’t suppose this is part of Rainbow Dash’s prank, do you?”

Applebloom and Scootaloo stopped their playing and looked at Sweetie Belle perplexingly. They simply could not imagine what could have caught their comrade’s attention out the window. The room growing more and more crimson by the second, however, warranted an investigation.

Applebloom left the club house to better survey the situation. Scootaloo followed suit, but nothing could prepare her for what she would witness.

The sky was raining down rainwater from cherry-red clouds, some droplets falling faster than others. The swirling vortex up above was like the eye of a hurricane. It was an eye that was at once pitch black and blinding bright, riddled with specks of black and violet diamonds. From its center the slowest lightning bolt ever witnessed was on a collision course with Apple family land. It was just seconds away from making contact just yards from the clubhouse. All three just stared in stunned silence, unable to even ask whether what they were seeing was real or not.

The instant the crackling energy bolt made contact, so much happened in that infinitesimal time frame. The bolt acted as a doorway with no frame, revealing a world that simply should not exist. A million maddening voices made themselves heard while a million more went unheard. The very earth beneath their hooves fluctuated in size and stability. It was as if this meteorological abnormality brought the very essence of chaos to their back yard. Even time itself became as fluid as the blood in their veins.

As quickly as disorder overwhelmed the three fillies, it was whisked away and replaced by two lone figures. Applebloom was the first to regain her bearings and assess the two new figures that lay before her.

The figure to her right was dressed in ragged red robes. His exposed skin was scarred and studded with piercings and it bled profusely. The crimson flowing down his body blended seamlessly with the color of his robes, but the sharply detailed runes still clearly stood out. His clawed hands scrambled furiously to get him upright. His teeth gnashed against empty air as he growled in frustration. His eyes were blood-red and epitomized anger and fury. It was not long before they locked on to the other figure.

Conversely, the figure to the left was more conservative with his movements. He wore what looked like a turtle shell, but only his chest and head was protected. His beige-colored limbs struggled to get him upright. His breathing was erratic and he struggled a bit against his shell. His eyes were wide and panicked, darting back and forth, franticly searching for something, but to his dismay, his first sight was the red-robed figure.

Without any hesitation, Red-Robe scrambled to his feet and bum rushed Green-Shell, baring his sharp clawed hands and teeth. His guttural shout of rage struck fear into the hearts of the fillies and his opponent alike. Almost reflexively, Green-Shell produced a small object from his waistband. With a look of pure terror on his face, he stood his ground and fired three rapid shots at his attacker. It made a sound like fireworks, but bright red beams emitted from the device. Each projectile struck Red-Robe with a sound like a sickening *thwack*.

Red-Robe made no attempt to evade or block, he simply continued his attack with more resolve than before, shouting all the while. As the distance closed, Green-Shell dropped his weapon and turned to run, but he made his choice a moment too late. The two now grappled for dominance over the other, trading blows and shrugging off attacks.

“What do we do, Applebloom?” Scootaloo asked, frightened by the display of aggression playing out in front of her.

“I-“ Applebloom stammered, “I dunno. I ain’t never seen nothin’ like this before.” The fillies once again were struck still, unsure how to even process what their eyes were showing them.

“Well, we can’t let them keep fighting,” Sweetie Belle interjected, “What if one of them gets hurt?”

In the confusion of the melee, Green-Shell managed to sneak in a powerful left hook punch square in Red-Robe’s face. A shower of blood and teeth flew from the punch, stunning Red-Robe where he stood.

“I think we’re past that point,” Scootaloo pointed out.

Green-Shell would not waste this opportunity. His attacker was momentarily distracted, and this would be a precious moment he made for himself. He made a bee-line for the nearest structure he could find: the hay storage barn. It was only a moment more before Red-Robe shook off the punch and gave chase, more furious than ever. He shouted nonsensically as he rapidly gained on Green-Shell.

“Come on y’all!” Applebloom insisted, “We gotta follow ‘em, ‘n make sure they don’t get inta’ trouble!” Without a real argument to give, the other two followed their leader toward two violent creatures fighting for their very lives.

Green-Shell was just feet from the safety of the barn door when he was tackled by Red-Robe. He had dug his claws into one of Green-Shell’s leathery ankle. With his free leg, Green-Shell delivered an adrenalin-fueled kick to Red-Robe’s face. Red-Robe would soon recover, so a follow-up move was necessary. Green-Shell got to his feet and grabbed his opponent by the lapels of his robes. Instead of striking with a kick or punch, Green-Shell used all his might to toss Red-Robe into the open barn. The young girls were quickly making up the distance these two had put between them, but they still had only a limited view of the fight as it unfolded.

Red-robe had slid several yards on the barn floor away from Green-Shell. Once again, Green-Shell made another tactical decision in the precious moment he had bought himself. Out of his pocket, he pulled out a small baseball-sized object and tossed it in the barn with Red-Robe. As Red-Robe recovered and once again rushed Green-Shell, he paid no attention to the small metallic object at his feet. Green-Shell turned his focus to the barn door. He was now totally focused on keeping closed with all his might. At the moment the door latch engaged, Red-Robe slammed against the door, but Green-Shell did not let the force of the impact throw him from the door.

“How do we get them to stop fighting?” Sweetie Belle asked frantically as they cautiously approached the still-raging fight.

“Ummm… lemme think now…” Applebloom hurriedly thought as Red-Robe pounded the inside of the barn door. Before she could finish her thought, Red-Robe’s fist found its way through the aged wooden door, splinters scratching and cutting his mutilated flesh. The clawed hand found Green-Shell after flailing blindly for a moment. He let out a scream of pain as the claws dug into his softer, unprotected areas.

“We need something now, Applebloom!” Scootaloo shouted in a panic, hoping the urgency would speed up an answer from her friend.

*KABOOM*

As if a powder keg were set off in the barn, the deafening explosion sent a shower of splinters and wooden door fragments in all directions. The fillies reflexively went to ground, shielding their faces as best they could, but pieces still hit them. As the last of the fragmented barn settled, Green-Shell’s body landed next to the group, completely unconscious.

Still partly deaf and violently rattled by all that just transpired, Applebloom tried to get an idea of what the situation was and what to do now. She saw two dazed and disoriented fillies shaken to the core, too scared to move. Next to them was a large creature of green and beige lying unresponsive. When Applejack and Big Mac got back from running errands, she would have to explain why the hay barn was half-destroyed while she was unsupervised. It had been a very busy day for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but this particular day had only just gotten started.

Author's Note

Thanks for giving my story a read! As a newcomer to both My Little Pony and Warhammer, I would certainly appreciate feedback and thoughts. If I made a mistake, please correct me. If you have suggestions or advice, I would love to hear it. I will use it all to continually improve and bring you great fan fiction!