//------------------------------// // Day 2: Where's The Tunnel? // Story: The Cutie Mark Crusaders: Ghost Hunters // by JerryTheHouseGhost //------------------------------// The next day, after school, the Cutie Mark Crusaders went to their clubhouse. "Okay, Applebloom, are you ready?" asked Scootaloo. "Yeah," replied Applebloom. "Are you ready, Sweetie Belle?" "Yep," said Sweetie Belle. "Then let's start our competition! Go!" The three fillies began to draw on pieces of paper. They were trying to see who would be able to draw Slender Stallion the best, and they would put up the best drawing to show anypony else who visited the clubhouse what they had faced. Only the Cutie Mark Crusaders knew that the Slender Stallion they saw was really Rainbow Dash in costume; they wanted everypony else to believe that they were brave enough to face and conquer the real Slender Stallion. "Finished!" said Scootaloo. "That fast? Lest me see," said Sweetie Belle. After she examined Scootaloo's depiction of Slender Stallion, Sweetie Belle said, "I don't recall Slender Stallion having sticks for legs." "Oh, like yours is any better?" "Duh!" Scootaloo walked over to Sweetie Belle's drawing. "Well, the only difference is how you made the legs!" "And how I know proper pony anatomy." "Oh, big deal." "Quit it, you two!" said Applebloom. "Come look at mine." The two fillies looked at Applebloom's drawing. "Holy Celestia..." It was the best drawing they had ever seen from a filly. It was such a beautiful representation of Slender Stallion that they immediately made Applebloom the winner and put the drawing up on the wall. The three friends stared at it for a while. "Shouldn't we be doin' more productive things?" asked Applebloom. "Like finding out where the tunnel that's haunted by Bunny Mare is?" asked Scootaloo. "Yes," replied Sweetie Belle. "I think we should go to Twilight's place to see if there's a book about Bunny Mare!" suggested Scootaloo. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle agreed, and so the Cutie Mark Crusaders left the clubhouse and headed to the Ponyville Library. "Another book? Where's the last one I let you three borrow?" asked Twilight. "Oh yeah, here." Scootaloo handed "Ghosts and Ghouls" to Twilight. "What happened to this book?" Twilight asked after quickly flipping through the pages. "Did you three write in it!?" "No! We swear! It was like that when got back from-... Sleeping...?" said Sweetie Belle. "It says 'he watches you' right here. What does that mean?" asked Twilight. "I don't know," answered Applebloom. "Like Sweetie Belle said, we had nothin' to do with it!" "Well... Okay, but make sure nopony else gets their hooves on the next book I lend to you. Now, what is it you want?" "Do you have any books about Bunny Mare?" asked Scootaloo. Twilight stared at the three fillies like this: ಠ_ಠ "You know what, I'm not even going to question it. I'll see what I have," Twilight said before walking into the next room. "Do you two think Fluttershy is a ghost?" asked Scootaloo. "What? No, why would you think that?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Well, she's really shy..." "Yeah. That's Fluttershy for you." "But what if she's just trying to not let anypony find out she's a ghost?" Scootaloo stared at Sweetie Belle, who stared back at her in silence. Sweetie Belle then turned her head and stared at Applebloom, who was also staring back at her. The Cutie Mark Crusaders remained silent until Twilight came back in the room, carrying a book beside with her magic. "I found one that was actually titled "The Bunny Mare." I don't know what you three are getting yourselves into, but don't get yourselves into trouble." "Don't worry, Twilight," said Applebloom. "Let's get back to the clubhouse, girls!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders headed back to their clubhouse and put "The Bunny Mare" on the table. They pulled chairs over to the table and sat down to read the book. "Okay Sweetie Belle, get ready to write down more notes," said Applebloom. "Okay, I'm ready." Applebloom began to read the book silently. "You know there's no point to having me get ready to take notes if you're not going to give me any information." "I'll just have you write down the important stuff," said Applebloom. "Here, it says the tunnel can be reached by followin' the path that leads around the outskirts of the Everfree Forest." "Okay, I wrote that down. Does the book say anything about the Bunny Mare herself? Like how to have her show up or something?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Uh, let me see." Applebloom started searching through the pages of the book. "It says that she comes out whenever anypony goes near the tunnel at night. That sounds easy!" "Yeah, but it has to be at night!" said Sweetie Belle. "Rarity finally finished that dress she was working on, so she'll never let me go out at night!" "But we have to do it! Can't you try to sneak out when she's asleep?" suggested Scootaloo. "And maybe you can try to bring the vacuum this time. We need a way to capture Bunny Mare." "Fine, but if she catches me, it's game over!" "Well, you've got to try," said Applebloom. "There's still more here that you might want to write down." "Like what?" "It says that she will run at us and threaten us to try and scare us away." "What should I write down for that? Watch out for threats?" "I guess. Hey, what's Scootaloo doin'?" asked Applebloom. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked at Scootaloo, who was staring at the drawing of Slender Stallion. "Hey! What're you doin' just starin' at my drawing like that? You're supposed to listenin'." said Applebloom. "I am listening. I'm just also looking at your drawing at the same time. It's just so good." "Well stop that!" "Fine. Go on, then." "Well that's all of the important stuff in the book," said Applebloom. Scootaloo just stared at Applebloom. "What?" "Can I stare at your drawing now?" asked Scootaloo. "No, I actually think it's a little creepy how obsessed you are with it." "But it's just so good!" "You said that already." "What else do you want me to say?" "I don't know, better reasons?" There was suddenly a loud noise outside, which made the three fillies jump. "What was that?" asked Sweetie Belle. "I don't know, why don't you go out and see?" asked Scootaloo. "No way, you go out and see!" argued Sweetie Belle. "I'll go see what it was!" said Applebloom. "I'm coming with you," said Sweetie Belle. "Me too," said Scootaloo. The Cutie Mark Crusaders went outside and found a crumpled up piece of paper on the ground. Scootaloo picked it up and un-crumpled it. It had a message that read: "Always behind you." "Darn it, Rainbow Dash! I'm tired of your stupid pranks!" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Author's Notes I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Remember that you can give me suggestions for future chapters. There will only be four more chapters in this story that I have planned, so if you want more chapters just suggest some kind of ghost for the Cutie Mark Crusaders to hunt. If I choose to write about what you have suggested, I will give you credit at the start of the chapter. Love, JerryTheHouseGhost