CHAPTER 41
"If I were a hyperactive little filly who was sneaky, where would I hide...? Wow, I never thought I'd be asking myself that question..."
Fluttershy and I had been searching for the better part of an hour, and we hadn't seen hide nor tail of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or as I like to call them, troublemakers. I was getting a little worried, because I had no idea if they were going to do anything stupid or not-
"Ah! Where'd my pie go?!"
I spoke too soon. I ran up to the pony who'd cried out. He was a blue pegasus, with a dark blue mane... He looked very familiar, But I couldn't quite put my hoof on why. I shrugged it off, and focused on the task at hand. "Hey, what happened?"
He looked at me, and he looked like he was going to cry. "Somepony stole my pie while I wasn't looking! It was an apple pie too..." He sniffled a little bit, and I furrowed my brow.
"Hm... Well, I don't know if I'll be able to get your pie back, but I do know that I'm going to catch who's responsible... In fact..." I shoved my hoof in my pocket, and dug around for some bits, and gave them to him. "Buy yourself a new pie... but eat it quickly, OK?"
He smiled, and took the bits, giving me a nod of thanks before blasting off at an incredible speed.
"Wow. that guy really likes his pie... And when I catch those girls, oh they are in so much trouble."
Fluttershy came flying up to me, and she looked panicked. "Shadow! Somepony stole Twilight's book! She said something about being "found out," whatever that means. Are the girls stealing things?!"
I nodded. "I just saw a pegasus who's apple pie had been stolen. Those girls are going WAY too far. Why the heck would they go around stealing stuff?"
Fluttershy put her hoof on her chin, and cocked her eyebrow. "Well... Maybe they're just in the rebellious stage of life. You know, acting out against the rules for no apparent reason, always being grouchy..."
I shuddered a bit. "Ugh... I know how ponies in that stage of life are. I bet they're planning on giving it all back later. What if it's one big prank?"
"If it is... It's not very funny."
I shook my head. "No, it's not. Fluttershy, go to Sweet Apple Acres, check their clubhouse, and the farmhouse. I'm gonna go check Rarity's boutique." Fluttershy nodded, and flew off, and I raced off towards the boutique.
"Every time I try to do something, everything goes down the toilet. Just... Why? Am I cursed or something?"
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(Third Person)
Scootaloo giggled, their stolen property in a pile behind her. "I can't wait until we just leave it in a cart in the middle of town, with a big old "gotcha" sign on it. I can't wait to see the look on everypony's faces."
Sweetie Belle dug her hoof on the ground. "I dunno, Scootaloo, I mean... Stealing is wrong."
Scootaloo shook her head. "We're not 'stealing,' we're just 'borrowing.'"
Sweetie Belle let out a long "oh." Apple Bloom tilted her head.
"Ah' dunno, Scootaloo. We're takin' things without th' owner's permission. Ain't that stealin'?"
Scootaloo shook her head again, looking a little annoyed. "No... We're just borrowing it without asking. It's fine! And when we give everything back, they won't be mad anymore."
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, then back to Scootaloo, then back at each other, and shrugged.
"Alright then, I guess." Sweetie Belle stood up, and checked outside, and saw Shadow walking down the street, towards the Carousel Boutique, and he looked REALLY mad. "Uh-oh... Girls? Shadow's looking for us."
"What? Why's he lookin' fer us? We ain't doing anything wrong!"
Scootaloo swallowed hard, and looked out the window. "W-Well, maybe he won't find us in time, and we'll get to return everything! Then he can't yell at us... Right?"
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(First Person)
"Oh, those girls are getting a stern talking to when I find them..."
I banged my hoof on the Boutique door, and and angry-looking Rarity answered the door. "Oh, hello, Darling... Sorry I look so cross, I just had my box of gems stolen."
I facehoofed. "Are the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' here?"
Rarity shook her head. "Not that I know of... No."
"Mind if I look around upstairs?"
Rarity cocked her eyebrow. "Whatever for? Did the girls... Wait, are you telling me-"
"That they stole your gems? Yes, and a bunch of other stuff." Rarity's jaw dropped. "They're pulling a prank or something. Can I look around a bit?" Rarity nodded, and stepped aside. I went up the stairs, and there were only three rooms. I opened one door, and it was just the bathroom. I pulled open the shower curtain, but they weren't in there, so I went to another room. It had a large bed with purple sheets, a bunch of pillows, and a fat, white cat. It smelled of beauty products.
"This must be Rarity's room... I'd rather not snoop around in here." Horrid thoughts of my figuring out what Rarity does in her spare time tried to take over my mind. "No! Bad brain! Focus..."
I heard slight shuffling coming from the last room, and a grin crept across my face. "Gotcha..."
I threw open the door, and I saw a pile of stuff in one corner of the room, which I assumed was their ill-gotten gains from their little game, but no girls to be found.
"Sneaky little... I bet they're still in here! Where are they...?"
It was a guest bedroom, with a medium-sized bed, a nightstand, a lamp, a cupboard, and a closet. i checked in the closet first, and I thought there wasn't anything in there. Nothing under the bed, nopony under the covers, or in-between the mattresses... "Where are you three?! I know you're in here! When I find you you're in so much trouble..."
I heard a slight "eep" from the closet. "I thought I..." I noticed that there were dresses in there. "Ah, I see... Hiding in dresses, are you? Clever..."
I trotted back over to the closet, just stared for a moment, and then started yanking the dresses out, one by one. After only a few seconds, a familiar white filly came flying out along with one of the dresses.
"Sweetie Belle... Tell me right now... Where are the others?"
She looked up at me, teary-eyed, and shook her head. "I don't know! We all freaked out when we saw you coming, and we didn't se where we hid... I'm sorry, Shadow..."
"I'll talk to you later, young lady... First, I need to find your... Friends... The cupboard..." I threw it open, and sure enough, Apple Bloom was sitting there, an annoyed look on her face.
"Consarn it, Ah' didn't think ya'd expect me to be hidin' in here."
I glared at her. "Yeah, well, I did. Now get out of there... And where the heck is Scootaloo?!"
I looked around the room a bit more, and I couldn't see any other places to hide.
"Well, looks like Scootaloo's flown th' coop." Apple Bloom let out a little giggle. It must have been an inside joke or something.
I heard a faint giggling coming from the bed, but I'd already searched there. I looked at the nightstand, and shook my head.
"No way..."
I opened the drawer, and I saw Scootaloo, bunched up and curled into as small a shape as she could become, hiding in the drawer. My jaw hit the floor, and she jumped out.
"Heh, you got me. I thought I had you, too."
I shook my head, and glared at all three of them. "Do you have any idea what you three have done?!"
Scootaloo shrugged. "We just borrowed some stuff, it's no big deal."
I felt my eye twitch, and I took in a deep breath, ready to give the biggest lecture in the history of lectures.