Cursed Crusaders

by Penumbra Quill

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  HASBRO and its logo, MY LITTLE PONY and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. © 2018 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

  Cover design by Christina Quintero. Cover illustration by Franco Spagnolo.

  Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Little, Brown and Company

  Hachette Book Group

  1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104

  Visit us at LBYR.com

  mylittlepony.com

  First Edition: April 2018

  Little, Brown and Company is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Little, Brown name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  Library of Congress Control Number 2017959123

  ISBNs: 978-0-316-47571-6 (pbk.), 978-0-316-47572-3 (ebook)

  E3-20180213-JV-PC

  Contents

  COVER

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash stood glaring at the Schoolhouse. Snips, Snails, Twist, Pip, and every other young pony had rushed down the steps, excited that school was done for the day. But the three fillies they were waiting for had apparently vanished without a trace. Despite being grounded, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo had broken strict instructions to stay put and were now Celestia-knew-where.

  “I simply cannot believe this,” Rarity muttered.

  “We shoulda seen it coming.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “We woulda done the same thing.” She and Rarity both turned to look at Applejack, who seemed as if she was fit to be tied.

  “Y’all thought it was bad when Celestia banished Luna to the moon?” she growled. “Just wait till ya see what I do to my little sister.”

  The Everfree Forest was big. Scootaloo knew that, but she’d never really appreciated how big until she spent an entire night walking in it. She squinted in the dim light of sunrise, trying to see beyond the trees ahead. They had to be close to Ponyville by now… right?

  Then again, the sooner they were back in Ponyville, the sooner she’d have to face Rainbow Dash, Aunt Holiday, and Auntie Lofty. And they would not be happy with Scootaloo for sneaking out of school without telling anypony. She racked her brain for a way to explain: Funny story, but Princess Luna appeared to us in our dreams and said we were destined to protect the Livewood from anypony trying to steal the Helm of Shadows… Nah. The only thing funny about that was how crazy it sounded. Not for the first time, Scootaloo wondered if Luna had made a mistake. It had happened before.…

  “Hold up, y’all,” called Apple Bloom.

  “What’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking around nervously. Scootaloo couldn’t blame her. After meeting a peryton, being stalked by Timberwolves, and getting bespelled by Auntie Eclipse in the same night, they were all a little on edge.

  “We need a plan,” Apple Bloom said. “Which is why I’m callin’ a special meetin’ of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to order!” She banged her hoof against a nearby rock and gestured to a hastily made agenda, constructed out of sap-covered leaves stuck on a tree trunk.

  Scootaloo shared a smile with Sweetie Belle as they walked over to join their friend. Apple Bloom could hold a meeting anywhere.

  “First item of business…” Apple Bloom continued. “We’re Defenders of the Livewood now! That’s a big responsibility. We gotta be prepared for Auntie Eclipse’s next attack.”

  “Shouldn’t we just tell Princess Twilight Sparkle what happened and leave it to her?” Scootaloo asked. She didn’t like thinking it was up to them alone to protect Equestria from the creation of another Nightmare Moon. That was the kind of thing you couldn’t mess up. And when it comes to messing up, Scootaloo thought, the Cutie Mark Crusaders don’t have the best track record.

  “Princess Luna said our matching cutie marks mean we’re the only ponies who can keep the Livewood safe,” Sweetie Belle reminded Scootaloo. “We’ll definitely need help from our sisters and their friends, but this is up to us.”

  “And Applejack will finally see that we’re just as brave and ready for adventure as they are!” Apple Bloom grinned.

  Scootaloo wasn’t sure her friends had thought through this all. Keeping the Helm of Shadows away from three powerful Unicorns was going to be dangerous, if not impossible. So she skipped ahead to the next thing on the agenda.

  “Lubby Mom and Amble Mrrr?” asked Scootaloo, squinting as she tried to read Apple Bloom’s leaf chart.

  “Lilymoon and Ambermoon,” Apple Bloom translated, then shrugged. “It’s kinda hard to write usin’ tree sap.”

  “I hope they’re okay,” Sweetie Belle said with concern.

  “Me too,” Scootaloo agreed. She was worried about her friends. The Moon sisters’ family had always creeped her out, but now that she knew Blue Moon, Lumi Nation, and Auntie Eclipse were using dark magic, that was another whole level of scary. The Crusaders had to find some way to warn Ambermoon and Lilymoon about their dangerous relatives. It was obvious the two sisters had no idea what their family was up to, but Scootaloo wasn’t convinced that would protect them from Auntie Eclipse.

  “We’ll make sure Twilight knows that Ambermoon and Lilymoon are on our side,” Apple Bloom said. “She’ll be able to keep ’em safe, no matter what their family tries! Now, agenda item number three—”

  But Scootaloo never found out what three was. Because just then, she heard the spooky croak of Auntie Eclipse’s laugh.

  In a panic, Scootaloo threw her hooves around Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom and flapped her wings with all her might. With a fluttering tumble, the three fillies bounced to a stop behind a large fern. They huddled, hiding, as familiar voices filtered through the nearby trees.

  “Auntie, don’t laugh. I really think we’re going the wrong way,” Lilymoon protested, stepping into the clearing where the Crusaders had been moments before.

  “I already told you. You’re going exactly where you need to,” Auntie said, her voice suddenly sharp.

  “But the house is that way,” Ambermoon said, frowning and pointing a hoof in the opposite direction.

  “So it is,” Auntie purred, “but we won’t be going back to the house. Today we’re taking a nice long walk. I want you fillies to help me with a little magical project. You’d do that for your dear auntie, right?”

  Peering out from behind the fern, Scootaloo watched in horror as Auntie’s horn began to glow. “She’s going to cast a spell on them! We have to stop her!” Scootaloo whispered fierc
ely. She was about to leap out from behind the fern, but her friends held her back.

  “She wouldn’t hurt her own nieces, would she?” Sweetie Belle gasped, eyes wide.

  “Look, it’s just a beacon spell,” Apple Bloom whispered in relief. Sure enough, Auntie had sent a pulse of blue magic out through the trees.

  “So? We still have to rescue them! They’re our friends. Who knows what that crazy pony has planned?” Scootaloo demanded under her breath.

  “We need to follow them to find out,” Apple Bloom argued quietly, “so we can tell Twilight! If we blow our cover now, we’ll never know!”

  “What do you think, Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo whispered. But she saw that the young Unicorn had a strange look on her face. “Uh… Sweetie Belle?”

  “Sorry,” Sweetie Belle said, “I was just thinking—isn’t a beacon spell used to show somepony where you are?”

  “And it worked,” a weirdly cheerful voice sang out from behind Scootaloo. She jumped, spinning to see a grinning Blue Moon walking up behind them. Lumi Nation followed a hoofbeat behind. When she spotted the Crusaders, she snarled.

  “You again?”

  “Run!” yelled Scootaloo. The trio burst from their hiding spot, racing into the cover of the trees. Hoofbeats thundered after them. Scootaloo put her head down and galloped as fast as she could. If the Moon family caught them now, she thought, they’d never be able to warn Twilight or guard the Helm of Shadows or protect Equestria. Luna really should’ve picked some other ponies to be Defenders of the Livewood. Scootaloo sighed.

  “Wait!” somepony called. Scootaloo frowned. That sounded like… Ambermoon?

  Scootaloo glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, Lilymoon and Ambermoon were running after them.

  “You escaped!” Scootaloo called with relief. She skidded to a stop, waving down Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. They grinned, seeing their friends approaching.

  “How did you get away?” Apple Bloom asked as Sweetie Belle blurted, “Are they chasing you, too?”

  “No, everything’s fine,” Ambermoon said, smiling widely as she trotted closer. Scootaloo frowned. Smiling was not something that Ambermoon usually did.

  “We told our family we needed to talk to you,” Lilymoon explained as she approached. She was smiling, too, and there was something familiar about the way all her teeth were showing, Scootaloo thought.

  “We need to talk to y’all, too!” Apple Bloom nodded. “Did you know Auntie Eclipse tried to feed us to the Timberwolves?”

  The sisters’ smiles didn’t budge. Scootaloo frowned—what was wrong with her friends? That dreamy stare they both had made them look kinda like Blue Moon. Scootaloo’s blood ran cold. Not kinda like Blue Moon. Just like Blue Moon.

  “Uh, guys… we need to get out of here,” Scootaloo murmured to the other Crusaders, slowly backing away.

  “What?” Sweetie Belle asked, confused. “Why?”

  It was too late. Still smiling, Ambermoon and Lilymoon powered up their horns… and blasted bolts of purple magic directly at Scootaloo!

  If she hadn’t had moons of practice doing Wonderbolts warm-ups with Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo knew that she would’ve been a goner.

  But as the purple magic crackled toward her, Scootaloo flipped backward onto her wings. Just like a push-up, she could almost hear Rainbow Dash saying, but twenty percent cooler. The magic skimmed over her head, ruffling her forelock as it passed.

  With a gasp, Sweetie Belle used her magic to lift a huge boulder, holding it like a shield between the Crusaders and the Moon sisters before they could attack again.

  “What’s happenin’?” Apple Bloom cried.

  “They’re under some kind of spell!” Scootaloo blurted. “Look at their eyes! They’re like… zombies or something!” She winced as a still-smiling Ambermoon and Lilymoon continued to blast bolts of purple at the Crusaders. The spells bounced off Sweetie Belle’s boulder, but Scootaloo could see the rock was already cracking under their assault; it wouldn’t hold for long.

  “Smarty-hoof! Help us!” Sweetie Belle yelled. Scootaloo heard the sound of the peryton’s chiming steps approaching but didn’t see the creature anywhere. Sweetie Belle glanced at the sky and whimpered.

  “The sun’s too bright. I don’t think he has any power in the light!” she explained to her friends.

  “Then we’re back to my first idea,” Scootaloo said. “Run!”

  The Crusaders dashed away, just as Sweetie Belle’s boulder exploded into shards of gravel. Scootaloo glanced behind her, surprised to see that Ambermoon and Lilymoon weren’t chasing after them. But she did see Auntie Eclipse trotting up. The wild-haired Unicorn’s eyes blazed, and Scootaloo could hear her yelling.

  “Fools! You let them escape!” Auntie’s shrill voice rang out. As Scootaloo gave one last look back, she saw Auntie charge up her horn and fire a spell.

  Scootaloo winced as the cold touch of Auntie’s magic splashed over her flank and rippled on toward her friends.

  “What was that?” Apple Bloom cried.

  “Auntie Eclipse just tried to hit us with a spell,” Scootaloo panted as she ran. “But I don’t think it worked. I don’t feel any different—”

  And that’s when her hoof snagged on a root. Tumbling, Scootaloo somersaulted forward to crash into Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, knocking them all off a cliff!

  The Crusaders screamed as they fell, bouncing down the stony slope, brambles and branches ripping at their manes.

  Scootaloo was certain they’d hit every rock, tree, and thorn on the way down the hill. Her whole body felt so bruised, she wouldn’t be surprised if it were as purple as Twilight Sparkle.

  Apple Bloom tugged at a prickly bush in an attempt to rip her bow loose from where it had snagged. With a riiiip, the fabric gave way, sending her head over hooves.

  “Whooaaa! Oof.”

  Sweetie Belle spit out a mouthful of leaves as she sat up, then brightened.

  “Look! We made it out of the Everfree Forest!” She pointed happily. Scootaloo sighed with relief. Twilight’s castle wasn’t too far away. The sooner they could put their problems in the Princess of Friendship’s hooves, the better. Scootaloo was sure Twilight would be able to reverse whatever weird mind control Auntie had over Ambermoon and Lilymoon. She just hoped her friends could hang on until then.

  But the three fillies hadn’t taken more than two steps when dark storm clouds drifted across the sky.

  “That’s funny,” Apple Bloom said. “I could have sworn those weren’t there a moment ago.”

  A jag of lightning ripped through the clouds, followed by a boom of thunder that momentarily deafened the fillies. Rain began to pour down in sheets, drenching them.

  “Of course it happens when we’re out of the Forest,” Scootaloo grumbled, looking around for trees they could take shelter under. There wasn’t so much as a shrub nearby.

  “Over here!” Sweetie Belle beckoned. Scootaloo looked to see that her friend was heading for a rickety fruit stand on the side of the road. She dashed after the Unicorn.

  A soggy Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle ducked into the shelter. Matilda the Donkey and Mr. Cake were already inside. They greeted the Crusaders.

  “Come in, come in! My goodness, I don’t know where that storm came from!” Matilda said. Mr. Cake nodded, wringing out his tail with his hooves.

  “Good thing this fruit stand was here,” Apple Bloom agreed, patting the wall with a hoof. The weathered wood groaned under the impact. Scootaloo watched in horror as the ancient wall began to tilt.

  “Uh-oh,” said Mr. Cake. He leaped to brace the wooden beams before the whole stand collapsed.

  “We need something to prop it up!” Matilda announced, looking around.

  “Try this!” Sweetie Belle called, struggling to lift a bench at the back of the stand. Scootaloo hurried to help her. Attached to the bottom of the bench was what looked like a large melon. Except, Scootaloo noticed, it was buzzing. That was weird. Unless…

&nb
sp; “Uh, Sweetie Belle? Maybe we shouldn’t move this,” Scootaloo said, gently lowering her end of the bench. Too late. The “melon” suddenly shook as hundreds of furious wasps flew out.

  “Wasps’ nest!” Mr. Cake yelled. He let go of the beams he was holding and raced out of the lean-to. The wall, no longer supported, began to collapse. Matilda dove to hold it up, but just then, a wasp landed on her rump.

  Scootaloo winced as the angry insect stung the Donkey’s sensitive hindquarters. With a bellow of pain, Matilda bucked, her flying hooves knocking down another wall. It was too much for the ragged fruit stand. Timbers creaked in protest, and the whole thing collapsed.

  The Crusaders dove out into the rain, a cloud of humming wasps hot on their tails. Matilda stomped down the road toward Ponyville. Scootaloo tried to follow, but the ground was so slick from the downpour, she slipped and fell face-first into a mud puddle. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle tripped over her prone form, and with a murky splash, the three Crusaders were covered in muck. The wasps, disgusted, flew away.

  “At least the rain will wash us off,” Sweetie Belle said. Scootaloo appreciated her friend’s attempt to always see the bright side of things. Of course, it was at that moment that the storm clouds chose to part, hot sun beaming down on the mud-soaked trio. Scootaloo could already feel her coat starting to itch as the wet dirt baked into it. Walking to Twilight’s castle was going to be miserable.

  The mud-encrusted Crusaders slowly trudged toward Ponyville. Hearing the clatter of approaching wheels, Scootaloo turned to see a familiar magic caravan trundling toward them. “It’s Trixie! I bet she’ll give us a ride!” she said. The Crusaders waved their hooves frantically as the wagon approached.

  “Who hails the Grrrrreat and Powerful Trixie?” the blue Unicorn asked as she trotted up. Scootaloo was surprised she didn’t recognize them.

  “It’s us, the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Apple Bloom said.

  “Really? You look more like mud trolls.” Trixie sniffed.

  “Can you take us to Twilight’s castle? It’s really important,” Sweetie Belle begged. Trixie frowned. Scootaloo knew she wasn’t a big fan of Twilight.