The two sisters exited the Crisp Grove and walked to Carousel Boutique. They spotted the blonde mail mare loading the last box of Rarity’s specially designed dresses onto the mail wagon and lock the hatch. When she spotted the two unicorns coming her way, she gave them a friendly salute across the forehead and smiled as bright as her bubbly personality.
“Everything’s loaded, Miss Rarity,” she said. “Next stop: Manehatten!”
Rarity wasn’t as thrilled as the mail mare was, but she offered a polite smile in return. “Good, good. Now before you leave, I must give you some very crucial instructions on how to handle these.”
For the next five minutes or so, Sweetie Belle stood by her sister while she explained to the mail carrier how each dress was folded and packed in a way that minimized wrinkling, and that much care should be taken to not rattle the cargo too much, lest the prized dresses unfold and arrive at their destination rumpled. Sweetie Belle yawned a great mouthful and lets her eyes wander around the streets of Ponyville. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a feathery purple mane vanishing into a darkened alley between two houses. She thought about whom it might have belonged to when it hit her like a ton of bricks.
“Scootaloo,” she whispered.
“What was that, Sweetie?” asked Rarity, turning her head momentarily from her instruction.
“Oh, nothing.”
With a shrug, Rarity turned back to address the mail mare, who was scribbling furiously into a pocket notepad.
I wonder what Scootaloo is doing in that dark alley? Sweetie thought. She started walking in the direction of where her fast friend zipped, but decided maybe it would be wise to ask her sister first and retrace her steps. “Um, Rarity?”
She ignored her little sister’s call and continued instructing the mail mare.
“Rarity?” This time Sweetie poked her sister’s side. She was brushed off.
“Come on, Rarity. I just gotta ask you something.” She tugged lightly on her sister’s mane, finally provoking a reaction. A negative reaction.
“Sweetie Belle, honestly. Can’t you wait for a minute?”
“But I wanted to ask you if I could…”
“Not now, Sweetie Belle. Go inside and wait for me there. Don’t interrupt me.”
Sweetie huffed and marched to the front door of Carousel Boutique. Before she reached for the knob, she spotted Scootaloo poking her head out of the alley to look on both sides of the street, only to disappear again within.
“What in the world is she doing in there?” the curious unicorn asked herself. She quickly checked on her older sister, who was still informing the head scratching mail mare, and dashed away to her escape. Using the barrels that sat in front of the first house to conceal her body, she crept closer and closer to the alley. Assured that her sister didn’t suspect a thing, she emerged from her hiding place and tip-hoofed into the dimly lit alley.
“Scootaloo,” she called. “Where are you?”
A quick scan of her surroundings revealed nothing more than a few smelly trash cans and a slumped stack of weathered cardboard boxes that stood about six feet high. Reaching the end of the barren alley, she turned to go back to Carousel Boutique, disappointed that she couldn’t find her friend or whatever secret she was keeping. Then, she heard a soft peep coming from inside one of the boxes.
“Shh!” she heard.
“Scootaloo, was that you?”
No answer. She walked closer to the stack of boxes and, one by one, laid them down on the ground. She carefully opened the dusty flaps of each one and peeked until she found a hunched-over Scootaloo inside the last one.
“Scoots? What are you doing in there?”
The pegasus looked up at her friend and exposed the source of the soft peep sound resting in her hooves. It was a baby chick.
“Aw, that baby chick is so cute, Scootaloo! But what is it doing inside an old box sitting in a smelly alley?”
“Duh, I brought it here,” she replied, poking her head out.
“But why?”
“Well, it’s kind of a long story. But, I found this little chick hanging around at school during recess so I kept it inside my backpack until school got out. I spent all yesterday and today looking for its home, but I haven’t had any luck.”
“Is that why you said you had plans yesterday after school?”
“Yeah.”
“You know we could’ve helped you if you just asked, right?”
Scootaloo hopped out of the box and observed the baby chick wandering around inside its temporary home. “I know, but I didn’t want Applejack and Big Mac to know.”
“Why not?”
“Because they’re grown-ups. They think us foals can’t handle something as simple as finding a lost chick its home. They think we’re dumb or something. It’s just like how Rainbow Dash doesn’t want to teach me her cool flying tricks yet. She thinks I’m too young to handle them right now.”
“Tell me about it,” grunted Sweetie Belle. “Rarity’s been treating me like a baby or something the past couple of days. She’s always ignoring me when I have something to say and when I’m doing something, it’s like I’m doing the worst possible thing. It gets annoying.”
“It’s like they think you can’t do anything on your own, right?”
Sweetie sighed and nodded.
“Well I wanna prove them wrong.” The determined filly scooped up the baby chick and held it up for her friend to see up close. “So, you wanna help me find its home?”
“Let’s do it!”
The baby chick peeped aloud in agreement, prompting laughter from the two fillies.
“It’s so cute! Did you name it?”
“Well, since I don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, I thought of giving it a name that could fit both. So I named it Commander Chickadee.”
Sweetie chuckled. “Why such a tough sounding name?”
“’Cause look at the way it walks!”
Scootaloo set Commander Chickadee down and the two watched its wobbly gait across one side of the alley to the other, its posture as straight as any soldier in the army.
“Wow, it does look like a mini-soldier,” chuckled Sweetie.
Scootaloo picked up the soft orphan and nestled it comfortably in her mane. “Alright Commander Chickadee, let’s go find your home!”
The two fillies left the alley and walked out to the middle of the street. They spotted Rarity waving off the mail mare as she took off into the sky on her mail wagon. Before going inside, the dress maker was met by the third member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“What’s Apple Bloom doing here?” asked Sweetie.
“Let’s find out,” suggested Scootaloo.
They crept behind a barrel and listened in on Rarity and Apple Bloom’s conversation.
“Hello Apple Bloom. I assume you want to see Sweetie Belle, correct?”
“Actually, my sister asked if y’all wanted to come to Sweet Apple Acres an’ help us out with preparations for the First Week of School celebration. We needs lotsa help still.”
Rarity cringed. “Help? Like, hard work help?”
“Nah. She said you can help with the decorations an’ stuff. She ain’t really good at that kinda thing, she says.”
The hesitant unicorn relaxed into a smile. “Well, now that’s something I can sink my hooves into. Not literally of course. Come inside while I call for Sweetie Belle. We’d both be more than happy to assist you with the decorations.”
“Great!” shouted Apple Bloom. She followed Rarity into Carousel Boutique.
Back behind the barrel, two friends were feeling a little perturbed by the sequence of events.
“What are we gonna do? If Rarity finds out I’m not in there, I’ll get in trouble for sure!”
“I don’t know, but we better come up with a plan fast,” said Scootaloo, struggling to keep Commander Chickadee still. “Our baby chick is getting restless.”
Sweetie gasped. “I got it. I know what we can do to make Rarity think I’m inside and get Apple Bloom to help us, but we gotta act fast and not make any mistakes.”
“Roger. What’s the plan?”
“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity called out.
Apple Bloom waited by the entrance of Carousel Boutique while Rarity searched for her little sister. She went into the kitchen, the rooms, and peeked in every closet, but Sweetie was nowhere to be found.
“Where is that sister of mine?”
Just then, a low groan rang out from the halls.
“Sweetie, was that you?”
“Rarity,” Sweetie grunted. “Come here, quick!”
Rarity crouched at the ready. “I’m coming, Sweetie. Just tell me where you are.”
Sweetie uttered another painful moan. “I’m in the bathroom.”
Rarity galloped as quickly as she could to the bathroom door. She rattled the knob, but realized it had been locked. “Sweetie, are you okay in there?”
The plotting filly couldn’t believe that her little charade was actually working on her protective sister. She was okay after all. She was just feigning illness to distract Rarity away from Apple Bloom. If everything was going according to plan, the apple farm filly should’ve been receiving instruction from Scootaloo about their plans to help Commander Chickadee. Sweetie got herself together and continued her faking. “I don’t feel too good, Rarity I think it was the salad I had for lunch at the restaurant.”
“What is it, my dear sister? A loose stomach? Nausea? Vomiting?”
“All of that,” she responded, holding back giggles.
“Oh dearest me!” said Rarity, perching a hoof over her heart. “We must do something about that vicious stomach problem you’re having! I’m going to go see Applejack in a little while to help out with decorations for the First Week of School celebration. When I come back, I’ll bring some of her hot apple tea to help soothe your stomach, okay? You make sure to stay in bed and drink lots of fluids.”
“Okay, Rarity,” said Sweetie, adding fake gagging and vomiting noises.
“Fret not, poor sister. Rarity won’t take long! Your big sister will take care of you!” The concerned sister walked briskly to the front door, just missing Scootaloo trying to make herself scarce. “Apple Bloom darling, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay for long. Poor Sweetie has a dreadful stomach ache in need of your sister’s wonderful soothing tea. You don’t think she’d mind if I bought some, do you?”
“Not at all, Rarity,” said Apple Bloom. “I think she’d even give ya some for free.”
“That would be most wonderful. Let’s be on our way.”
The two stepped out, pausing so Rarity could lock the door. Behind the boutique, Sweetie Belle jumped out the open bathroom window and, with the help of Scootaloo, landed gently on the ground. The two made their way around the side and hid just out of sight to watch Apple Bloom carry out the rest of their little scheme.
“Hey Rarity,” began Apple Bloom. “I just remembered that Applejack wanted me to go to Sugarcube Corner to pick up a chick…I mean, cake.”
“Cake? For what?”
“Oh, well, um, it’s for Big Mac’s belated birthday! Yeah, AJ wasn’t feelin’ too good about bein’ so busy workin’ on all the games an’ stuff for the celebration that she forgot about his birthday. She wants to make it up to him with a specially made cake.”
“Oh. I didn’t know Big Mac’s birthday already passed. Maybe I should bring him a gift. Maybe I can make him a dapper green tie that matches his eyes!” Rarity shook herself out of her reverie. “Not now, Rarity. You have an ailing sister that needs your help!” With that, Rarity took off towards Sweet Apple Acres wearing a worrisome look on her face.
From the side of Carousel Boutique, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo emerged and met up with the third member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“Alright, nice work Apple Bloom,” praised Sweetie Belle.
“I don’t know, Sweetie Belle. I hate havin’ to fib like that, especially since she looked genuinely worried about you.”
Sweetie scowled. “Well, I wouldn’t worry about it one bit, Apple Bloom. She deserves to go on a wild goose chase for no reason at all.”
“Oh no!” screamed Scootaloo. “It looks like we might have a wild chick chase of our own!” She pointed down the street. Commander Chickadee had gotten a huge head start on the trio and waddled onto the steps of Sugarcube Corner. They broke into a hard gallop and made it to the front of the bakery shop just in time to watch the wayward chick slip inside through the cracked open door.
“Quick, inside Sugarcube Corner!” said Sweetie Belle.
They galloped up to the door and Sweetie Belle reached for the knob. She was staggered by the sudden appearance of Pinkie Pie, who was elated to see them.
“Oh my gosh, you’re here!” she said. “I totally forgot about Big Mac’s special belated birthday cake. I hope I’m not too late.”
Apple Bloom stared puzzlingly at the pizzazzed pony, but a soft kick to the shin from Scootaloo reminded her of her bogus story. “Oh yeah, it’s alright Pinkie. You’re not late.”
“Oh goody! And now that you girls are here, you can help me with making it! We’ll get it done in no time.”
Before any of the girls could say a word, Pinkie grabbed them all and pulled them inside the bakery shop and into her kitchen. In the blink of an eye, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were decked out in lacey aprons and colorful chef hats. The main baker laid out every ingredient, bowl, and utensil on the counter then donned her own pink poofy chef’s hat.
“Okay, let’s get to work!” She looked out over the gathered items and slapped her forehead. “Oh my goodness, I forgot the sugar! Help me find the sugar girls, yeah?”
Pinkie set out to look for the missing ingredient on one side of the kitchen while Sweetie Belle gathered her two friends into a huddle. “Okay, here’s our chance. Let’s split up and look for Commander Chickadee.”
“Right,” they said.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo started the search in the shop while Sweetie Belle stayed in the kitchen. She looked in all the cupboards, in every drawer, between every container on the counter, and even in the refrigerator. In the shop, Apple Bloom looked in the broom closet, behind the counter, and inside the display case while Scootaloo searched elsewhere. They returned to the kitchen to discuss the status of the search party with their friend.
“No sign of Commander Chickadee anywhere,” said Scootaloo.
“We searched everywhere,” added Apple Bloom. “He’s nowhere to be found.”
“Come on, girls. It’s gotta be around somewhere.” Sweetie looked around and spotted a small yellow shape tucked away in a hall closet just across the kitchen door. It was sitting inside a package of some kind on a high shelf. She came to the object slowly, keeping her eyes on it. The yellow mystery item began to take shape. The shape of a baby chick. “You guys, I think I found it!”
The two fillies walked behind Sweetie Belle and watched as she slowly opened the closet door and stood on her tip hooves. She reached up high and secured two shaky hooves around the package and brought it down.
“You found the sugar!”
Pinkie Pie startled the unicorn as she toppled inside the closet and dropped the package of sugar on her head. It fell on its side and spilled all over the floor, taking the yellow chick with it.
“Grab the chick, quick!”
Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo dove for the baby chick, but they met in the middle and bumped each other’s heads. Pinkie Pie snorted with laughter as she helped the girls to their hooves and picked up the package of sugar and placed it on the counter.
“Oh, you silly girls, that’s just Gummy’s squeaky toy.” She picked it up and gave it a squeeze. “See? The real baby chick is inside the room playing with Gummy.”
“What!?” The three fillies left the kitchen in a hurry and burst through the door where Gummy was and skidded to a halt, holding their breaths. To their surprise, and to their relief for that matter, the baby alligator was enjoying a nice game of balloon catch with Commander Chickadee. Each of the girls’ jaws nearly dropped to the floor while Pinkie simply gazed at the heartwarming scene and sighed.
“Aw, isn’t that the cutest thing you’ve ever seen? It’s like they’re brothers.”
“Wait, Commander Chickadee’s a boy?” asked Scootaloo.
“Yes indeedy.”
“How can you tell?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Oh, I just can.”
“You called them brothers.” The awestruck unicorn couldn’t peel her eyes off of what was going on before them. “How can this be? I mean, Gummy’s an alligator and Commander Chickadee is a chick. How does that even work?”
Pinkie Pie picked up her pet and gave him a soft squeeze. “It’s because Gummy’s a big bundle of gummy goodness!”
“He should be trying to eat Commander Chickadee, not play with him.”
“Oh, not Gummy. He’s just one special little guy. When I found him out on the road, I just knew I was there at the right place at the right time. It couldn’t have happened any other way. He’s not a vicious baby chick-eating monster from a scary movie. He’s a lovable glob of greeny cuteness. He’s my Gummy and I love him.”
They all looked at Sweetie as confusion covered her entire face, then they looked up at the door and gasped at the unexpected arrival of ponies.
“It just doesn’t make any sense,” said Sweetie Belle.
“You’re right, it doesn’t,” said Rarity.
Sweetie joined the others in staring at the upset faces of her big sister and Applejack.
“Rarity…”
“Hey there, Applejack,” shouted Pinkie Pie. “You’re brother’s cake is almost done. Just a few more minutes in the oven and he’ll be having the best birthday party ever!”
“His birthday was seven months ago, Pinkie Pie,” she said, staring down her little sister.
“Wow. You guys really put the ‘late’ in belated.”
“We’re not celebrating a belated birthday, Pinkie Pie.” Applejack ran a hoof through her mane when she spotted Commander Chickadee climbing into Scootaloo’s hoof. “Wait a minute. Is that one of our chicks?”
Scootaloo passed the chick over to Applejack, who inspected it up close and found a tiny blue band wrapped around its leg. “It is. How’d he get out here?”
All eyes were on the pegasus filly, who hunched down and stared at the floor.
“You told me you found it at school,” said Apple Bloom.
“I didn’t,” she confessed. “I found it at your farm.”
“You..”
“Stole him,” said Applejack.
No one said a word for a few moments. Then, the apple sisters left the room. They were followed by Scootaloo, but not very close. Pinkie Pie left to check on the birthday cake, taking Gummy with her. Only the two sisters remained.
“Rarity..”
“Don’t say a word to me.” And then, she left.