Author's Note: Happy 4th of July to all of you American bronies. And happy Wednesday to everyone else. ...I have nothing else to say here, so on with the story.
With the indestructible, inescapable fabric safely, and might I add, easily secured, the Cutie Mark Crusaders ride back to their headquarters to drop it off and go over their plan one last time.
Scootaloo's scooter comes to a screeching hault just out front of the treehouse, picking up a cloud of dust behind them. Each of the small fillies grabs a few rolls of fabric and stumble around under the weight of them. They have a bit of trouble with the steps up to the door, but are able to get up.
As they reach the door, they all try to go through it at once, making them get jammed in the frame. "Hey, move out of they way!" Scootaloo shouts.
"Me? YOU get out of the way!" Apple Bloom shouts back.
"Both of you get out of the way!" Sweetie Belle shouts, making her voice crack a bit. "You're messing up my coat!"
"Now you're starting to sound like your sister!"
"I am not!"
"Would ya'll just get out o' the-WOAH!"
After all of the combined struggling, all three crusaders burst through the front door with an explosion of fabric going everywhere. The pile of fabric wriggles around while the girls all move around underneath until popping their heads out.
Scootaloo spits out a bit of fabric from her mouth. "Well, I guess that works."
"Ah, told ya move out of the way." Apple Bloom says irritably.
"Ugh, whatever. Just let it go already."
"Fine, ah guess."
"So, now that we got the badges and fabric, what are we gonna do?" Sweetie Belle asks.
"Yeah, and how are we supposed to use fabric to tie up ponies? It's not like their hoofcuffs or shackles or anything like that."
"Oh, that's easy." Apple Bloom says. "Ya'll saw Applejack and the time she hogtied that escaped pig, right?"
"Yeah." they both answer, still not understanding.
"Well, we could just cut off a ribbon o' fabric and use it to hogtie ponies. That way we don't have to use so much, yet we still get full restriction of our prisoners."
"Hey, yeah, that could work. I mean, how hard could it be to tie somepony up by the legs?" Scootaloo says nonchalantly.
"Well, that's one thing out of the way, but what are we gonna do now?" Sweetie Bele asks. "It's already ate in the afternoon."
"Well, what else are guards supposed to do besides patrol around town and keep it safe and arrest ponies for doin' crimes?" Apple Bloom grins.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Scootaloo says with enthusiasm. "I say we each split up to cover more ground around the town and meet up here with any criminals we might get."
"Sounds like a plan, crusaders!"
They all do a group highhoof before siling at each other. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER TOWN GUARDS! YAY!"
I'm not even there and now my ears are ringing. Ow.
Anyway, Scootaloo gives the others a lift back to town to help them out before each of them go about the town their seperate ways.
Scootaloo, who normally zooms around town on her scooter performing tricks and endangering the live of nearvy civilians, diligantly walks around the streets in order to keep a closer eye on surrounding events.
She looks around the area, finding really nothing of interest. She sighs loudly. "Was it always this boring for Atom and Zeph to be guards? Maybe, things are just more interesting up in Canterlot."
She wakes under an awning on a nearby building to take a break an escape the heat of the Summer sun. "Well, it's not like something is just gonna fall out of the sky."
"May day! May! We're coming in for a crash landing!" a voice from the sky shouts.
Oh, how I do so love irony.
Scootaloo's eyes widen as a certain wall-eyed mailmare comes flying towards the building. Derpy approaches faster and faster, giving Scootaloo no time to run out of the way. With no other option, Scootaloo ducks down to the ground, shuts her eyes tight, and puts her hooves over her head.
A crash is heard behind her as Derpy narrowly avoids hitting her and crashes halfway through the wall. Hafway meaning her rump and hindelegs are still hanging out the front end.
"Oh, lousy eyes." she says, annoyed. She tries using her hindelegs to push against the wall and is able to dislodge herself as she bounces a bit on her landing. Scootaloo gives her a strange look. "Oh, hey, Scootaloo. Sorry about that. You know, the eyes." she sheepishly grins.
"Yeah..." Scootaloo says, really weirded out. A thought pops into her head. "Derpy, I'm afraid I'll have to take you in."
"Take me in?" Derpy asks, confused.
"Me and the others became guards for Ponyville. We take in any ponies we feel are causing trouble. And your flying is a serious danger to other ponies, as well as causes a bunch of property damage."
"Well, I don't know. You're just a kid. Why should I go with you?"
"Did I mention there'd be free muffins?" she gives a sly look.
Derpy's eyes light up. "I'm in!"
The orange filly smirks. "That's what I thought."
Over more towards the center of Ponyville, the supposed ring leader of the crusaders searches around town for ponies that may be committing any crimes. Though, unlike Las Pegasus, Ponyville is generally crime free most of the time. So, good luck with that.
Apple Bloom taps her chin. "Now, if ah were a law breakin' criminal, where would ah be?" her focus is broken as a ruckus goes on in the distance. She looks over to see Fern kicking out a familiar looking purple earth mare.
"Aw, come on *hic*, Fern. I thought we was friends." Berry Punch pleads.
"Sorry, Berry, but you've reached your limit for today." Fern says sternly. "You can come back and get more tomorrow."
Berry throws her hooves at the air. "Eh, who needs ya."
"See you tomorrow, Berry." Fern says, closing the door behind her.
"Eh, I'll see YOU *hic* tomorrow." the drunken Berry stumbles around, barely able to keep herself from falling.
Apple Bloom grins at seeig this. "Perfect." she walks over to Berry in the hopes of taking her in. That shouldn't be too difficult.
"Nice kitty." Berry says, petting something.
"Uh, Berry, that's a fire hydrant." Apple Bloom says as she walks up from behind.
Berry turns and glares at her. "Nopony asked for your opinion *hic*, munchkin." she starts smiling and bends down. "Hey, are you off to see the wizard?"
"Uh, yeah, ah am. Why don't ya come with me down the yellow brick road and see him too?" Apple Bloom takes her by a hoof and starts guiding her down the street.
"Whatever you say, magical chihuahua." Berry says with a clueless smiles.
Apple Bloom groans. "Just my luck."
And now for the last new "guard" of Ponyville: Sweetie Belle. The white unicorn filly wanders the streets of the little village blindly, going no place in particular.
In her walking, her stomach grumbles. "Hmm, can't patrol on an empty stomach." she says happily. Shr looks around and spots a nearby carrot cart run by the town's premier carrot farmer: Carrot Top.
Sweetie Belle walks over and grabs a carrot. "I'll take this one."
"Good choice, Sweetie Belle." Carrot Top says.
Sweetie Bele tosses her a bit before taking a bite of the carrot. She happily mucnhes on the veggie before noticing something pink wriggling around the inside.
She immediatey starts spitting out the bits of carrot in her mouth. "GROSS!"
"What's wrong?"
"There's a worm in this carrot!"
"A worm? That can't be right."
Sweetie Belle takes the carrot and shows her. "Oh, yeah?" she takes the carrot and tosses it away. "Carrot Top, I'm taking you in for selling improperly produced carrots."
"Take me in?"
Sweetie Belle flashes her badge. "I'm a new guard in Ponyville."
Carrot Top starts catching on to the idea and thinks of it as a game the fillies are playing She giigles. "Alright, take me in, Guard Sweetie Belle."
She puts a hoof out. "Right this way."
Each of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, in seperate parts of town, begin leading their "criminals" back to the treehouse at Sweet Apple Acres. Carrot Top and Sweetie Belle are the first to arrive.
A minute later, Sweetie Belle arrives with Derpy. "Derpy? the orange-maned mare asks.
"Hey, Carrot Top. Are you here for the muffins too?" she replies.
"Muffins? I was taken here as part of a game."
"What game?" Scootaloo asks, looking at Sweetie Belle. She shrugs in return.
Another minute later, Appe Bloom arrives back with the inebriated Berry Punch. "Okay *hic*, you've brought me to the end of your rainbow, little leprechaun. Now give me your pot of *hic* gold."
"Berry?" both Derpy and Carrot Top say simultaneously.
"Hey, guys. Are you here for the gold too?"
"Girls, what is going on?" Carrot Top asks.
"We told you, we're guards."
"I thought that was just a game."
"Nope. Now time to tie you up so you can't get away." Scootaloo says.
"What?"
"Get 'em!"
The three filies each quickly snip off a length of fabric and jump the three mares, tying up all their hooves together before they have a chance to get away.
They try to struggle, but are unable to fre themselves. "Girls, what in Equestria are you doing?"
"We're tying you up so that you'll stay here in our prison."
Apple Bloom looks out the window to see the sun setting. "It's gettin' a bit late. Ah say we should all turn in for the night."
"Wait, you're just gonna leave us here?" Derpy asks worriedly.
"Yep, see you guys tomorrow." Scootaloo says as she shuts the door behind them.
"Woah, since when were we all ponies?" Berry says, completely clueless.
Derpy and Carrot Top share annoyed expressions.
Outside of the treehouse, the crusaders walk happily together. "Ah'd say that was a great first day, Cutie Mark Crusader Town Guards."
"Yeah, we got three criminals in just an hour." Scootaloo says.
"Yeah, but it's a pretty big town for just three filies." Sweetie Belle points out. "We can't keep an eye on everything."
"Hm, ah know, why don't we get the other kids involved?"
"Yeah, we could go in early tomorrow and ask them to become guards too."
"It's settled then. Tomorrow, we expand our army."
Each of them does another celebratory group highhoof. Come this time tomorrow, the town will be full of crazy kids going around the town as guards.
Celestia help us all.