"Hello? Is anyone there? I heard noises," Applebloom's big, orange eyes sweep around the farm fields curiously and cautiously. She notices a slight rustling in the bushes lining the nearest fence. "Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? Is that you?"
Screwball cups her hooves around her mouth and calls out in a pathetic, high-pitched voice, "Applebloom, it's me!"
Applebloom cocks her head, "Spike? What are you doing down there? You don't have to hide. Granny Smith is a really deep sleeper and everyone else is at Pinkie's."
"Uh, Applebloom?" Spike winces, offended. That is not what he sounds like. "You may want to come down here."
"Why?" Applebloom asks inquisitively. "What happened?"
"Just come down here," fake Spike calls out timidly.
"Um...okay. Here I come." Spike and Screwball wait about two minutes before they here the careful opening of the massive, barn door. A small, yellow body creeps out, looking around almost nervously.
Spike tries to yell out. "Applebloom, run! It's a trap!" But Screwball grabs him and muffles his words with her hoof before he finishes. Applebloom's ears perk up and her eyes grow wide. That panicked yelp came from the moving bush. She runs straight for it, hopping the fence and landing next to it.
"Spike! What's wrong?" Those are the last words anypony hears her utter for that time of night. Screwball secretly whispered the distortion-world-conjuring spell, opening it up just in time to keep the filly quiet. The last sound heard is her startled yelp followed by a string of Spike's fearful sobs.
It's a devastating thing to mention that this cycle repeats itself thrice more within the same night. Still, it is what truly happens. The first two instances happen with the other two crusaders. The trip to Sweetie Belle's house feels long and foreboding to the baby dragon. He attempts consolation by telling himself that at least she doesn't live in the same house as Rarity and therefore she won't be in danger. But how will he break the news to her...if he ever even sees her again. The procedure is almost as simple as with Applebloom. Screwball utters a spell of bright lights and soft music to penetrate her window.
Sweetie Belle, being a music lover, is immediately awoken by the catchy tune. She automatically leaps out of bed and begins singing along once she realizes it's her jam. Noticing the music comes from outside, her still sleep-heavy brain endorses her to go out and investigate. Knowing her parents would be at the party a while longer, she scrambles down the stares and bolts out the door right into the distortion pocket waiting right outside.
The next and final victim of the three crusaders is the pegasus. This time the spell Screwball uses is an optical illusion. The rainbow flash of colors as a projection of one athletic pegasus zooms in circles around the younger pegasus's house are just bright enough to attract her attention. Scootaloo at first thought it was a dream when she noticed the familiar colors dashing around outside her window. Well, it's definitely a good dream, Scootaloo thinks. She decides to go along with it before she wakes up and dashes out of bed to the window. She throws it open and exclaims, "Rainbow Dash! What are you doing at my window? How come you're not at the super cool and awesome, adult party?"
"That party's so lame!" Rainbow Dash proclaims as she bounds through the air up to the young pegasus. "It's full of boring adults and no one in my awesome fan club is allowed inside, so I came here to hang out with you!"
"Really?" Scootaloo gasps, her eyes widening.
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash encourages. "What are you waiting for? Get out here!"
Scootaloo's plants her two front hooves upon the windowsill as Rainbow Dash's mouth curls open in a horrific light show and her eyes roll back into her head. The pegasus filly's screams are barely audible as the illusion swallows her into oblivion.
"There!" Spike manages between incoherent sobs. "You got all of them! Now get them out of that horrible place!"
"Not just yet, my little dragon babe," Screwball sneeringly strokes his shaking scales. "We have one last stop."
Screwball, having used a binding spell so that Spike is unable to leave her back, tiredly treks through the light Princess Luna, her book in her saddlebags. The deranged pony walks slowly on and on until she finally reaches the end of town. She looks upon the still tree-house, all it's light out, with untold desire. Despite the many animals that live within the quaint cottage, all of the non-nocturnal ones are fast-asleep tonight.
All that is, except for one Angel Bunny. What a piss-pour night...and he always thought he was Fluttershy's favorite. He's always the one helping her, doing her dirty work and following her stupid friends around. Now when she confronts him and tells him he's not allowed to go because it's only for "grown-ups..." And to think after all the things he's done for her and this is how she repays him? He is an ANGEL and he will get the respect he deserves! He can't sleep. Not when he's planning on how to show that yellow imbecile when she gets back that no one bosses him around. He lies awake, tossing and turning in his tiny cushion of a bed. The snores of his daytime friends emanate all around him.
Suddenly, he hears a rustle outside. Curiously, he hops to the window. There's nothing visible through the darkness other than the few branches brushing up against the glass. A spontaneous flap of wings. The alarmed owls hoot with excitement. The window shatters and Angel falls from the sill into the night. Screwball's giggles surmise again.