Chapter 13 – Baiting the Trap
A knock on the library door startled Twilight out of her work.
“Come in.”
Pinkie burst through, looking for all the world as if she expected a surprise party inside. She didn't show any signs of disappointment at not finding one, though. “Is it ready?”
“Almost.” Twilight closed her book. “Did you bring it?”
Pinkie nodded, her eyes squinting happily. “A whole cartload of my special super-extreme jelly beans!”
“A whole cartload?” Twilight's eyes narrowed.
Pinkie glanced back and forth, wiping her mouth as discreetly as she could manage. “Well, most of a cartload!” She tittered, glancing at the cart outside through the open window. “Will it work?”
“Perfectly.” Twilight nodded. “We'll put the bait right here in the middle of the room, and anypony who touches it will be trapped inside a magic bubble.”
“Neato!” Pinkie smiled.
Twilight stared back.
Pinkie stood there, just smiling, her head tilting back and forth slightly.
“Um, Pinkie... what are you doing?”
“Oh.” She stopped. “This is a little trick Fluttershy taught me. It's called 'partying internally'.”
“Well, maybe instead of that, you should bring the candy inside?”
Pinkie froze, and for a moment, her eyes shot open wide. “Of course!” In a blur, she shot outside and rushed back in, placing the cart exactly in on the mark at the center of the library floor.
“Perfect.” Twilight nodded. The pile of multicolored beans on the cart showed some damage from Pinkie's snacking along the way, but it would still be a tempting prize for any candy burglar. As she began the preliminary steps for her spell, she glanced over to her partner. “So, how many ponies did you tell?”
Pinkie began bouncing around the circumference of the room. “Oh, I told Mister and Missus Cake, the twins, Rarity, Princess Celestia, Bon Bon, Lemon Hearts, Derpy Hooves–”
“Just a number will do.”
“Oh, okay.” Pinkie didn't miss a beat in her bouncing. “Seventy-three!”
Twilight shook her head. She should have known Pinkie would overdo it and risk making the would-be thief suspicious. Still, Pinkie was Pinkie, and most of Ponyville would probably just shrug off any strange behavior without a– Twilight blinked a few times. “Wait, did you say you told Princess Celestia?”
“Well, Spike was there, so I sent a letter!”
Shrugging off both the expectedly inscrutable Pinkie Pie and the unexpectedly mysterious Spike, Twilight put the last elements in place, completing her entrapment spell. “There.” She gave it a quick looking over with her magical senses. Everything seemed to be in order. “Now all we have to do is wait. Pinkie, let's go upstairs.”
“Okie Dokie!” Pinkie's bounding gait took her up the stairs toward the private areas of the library much faster than Twilight could keep up with.
With one last glance back, Twilight switched off the room's light with a touch of magic. Hopefully, this would all pay off.