//------------------------------// // The Hunt // Story: Mirage // by Trump-12 //------------------------------// "Sorry about that, Applebloom. Rainbow Dash thought that one of the Crusaders was replaced by a changeling." "That's crazy. We're not changelings." Applejack's head whipped around. "I know, Applebloom, but if this makes her feel that she and her friends are safe... This is the last time though." She turned away to leave. "Sorry Applejack, I'll tell Rainbow to back off on the changeling thing." "Hold on, Twi. You might not've noticed anythin', but Ah sure did. Just let me ask two questions." Applejack walked forward. "Applebloom, are the Crusaders changelings?" "No," Applebloom replied, irritation in her voice. Applejack's eyebrow raised. "Are any of the Crusaders changelings?" "No!" The eyebrow came back down as she shook her head and walked over to Twilight, pulling her out of the room and shutting the door. "Ah've known her long enough to know when she's lyin', Twi, and that there was a whopper." "What? But I already checked her for mind control and she came back clean." "Well that may be so. It don't change the fact that she just lied about none of the Crusaders bein' changelings." "But that means..." She paused. "Applejack, do you know where Scootaloo lives?" Applejack thought for a moment. "Uh... Actually, no, Ah don't. She always comes over here and leaves on her scooter, and Ah never asked." "We need to speak to Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Come on." Lyra was confused. As Mirage led her out of the forest, her mind kept jumping back to the incident in the throne room. None of the changelings had been willing to explain why this 'Trance' was so protective of her, but a suspicion was growing in her mind. The anger was too familiar. She remembered one time she had made a mess of Bon Bon's oven, and her marefriend had gone ballistic. Lyra had sworn to herself that she would never get her that mad again. Bon Bon could be terrifying. She hadn't felt that same fear of angering anypony before or since. Until today. When that changeling had marched in, it had taken very little effort to overlay that image with one of a raging Bon Bon. Too little. The burning rage, the wild hoof gestures, even the word choice. It all matched up. She was almost certain. The question was what she was supposed to do next. Twilight hammered on the door of Carousel Boutique. "Rarity? Rarity!" "Whatever is the matter, Twilight?" She paused. "And Applejack?" "IwenttocheckonApplebloomandshecamebackcleanbutApplejackcaughtherlyingaboutachangelingintheCrusadersandIknowitisn'tSweetieBellesinceIalreadycheckedherbutApplejackdoesn'tknowwhereScootaloolivesandneitherdoIsoweneedtoknowsoIcancheckherandseeifoursuspicionsaremmmph -" A white hoof was inserted into Twilight's mouth at this point. "Would you care to explain Applejack?" "Applebloom said that there weren't no changelings in the CMC, and Ah know her enough to know she lied. If it ain't her, and it ain't Sweetie Belle, then that leaves Scootaloo. But neither of us know where she lives so we can check." "Oh. Oh dear. It appears that I may have made the same oversight. I have no idea where she lives, and if you're right, Sweetie Belle may be a little uncooperative." "Then how are we meant to find her?" Applejack asked. "May I suggest that you speak to Cheerilee? I'm sure that if you explain the situation she would allow you to check her at school tomorrow." Given a reasonable course of action, Twilight calmed down a bit. Even if they couldn't find Scootaloo tonight, they knew where she would be tomorrow, so they could try then. "Thanks, Rarity. I guess I was panicking over nothing again." As Twilight and Applejack walked away, nopony noticed the open window above them. Sweetie Belle frowned. It sounded like they were onto Scootaloo. She would have to get up early and intercept her on the way to school. Quietly, she wound the alarm on her clock back by half an hour. The next morning Scootaloo flapped her wings as fast as she could and the scooter took off along the path leading from the Everfree into town. She was just reaching top speed when a white unicorn jumped out of a bush in front of her. She slammed on the brakes, coming to a halt just before impact. "Sweetie Belle? What are you doing?" "They're onto you. Twilight and Applejack caught Applebloom lying last night. They know there's a changeling in the CMC and they know it's not Applebloom or me. They're planning to ambush you at school today." "What?! What am I supposed to do now?" "Head for the clubhouse, I'll find Applebloom and meet you there. Stay hidden. We don't want anypony to know we're there." She ran off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Scootaloo hopped off her scooter and moved behind the treeline, changing back into Mirage as she did so. She followed the edge of the forest around until she could see the clubhouse, before turning into a green earth pony for camouflage purposes, and galloping out of the forest and up the ramp. She closed the door, and this time made sure that the curtains were shut before resuming her Scootaloo form. Ten minutes later, the door burst open and Applebloom and Sweetie Belle fell through it. "We don't have much time!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Applejack saw us running away! Once she finds her friends they'll all be looking for us!" "Hunger rot!" Scootaloo cursed. "We can keep moving until they spot us, or stay here and try to hold them off, I'll leave the choice to you two." "Let's stay," suggested Applebloom. "At least here we have the higher ground. If we keep moving we don't know what we'll get on our side." "Agreed," said Sweetie Belle. "Fine, we need defences then. Applebloom, you cut off the ramp. Sweetie, see what we have in here to work with. I'll change and prepare some changeling defensive magic." "Pinkie," Rainbow Dash called from above, "we've got trouble. Meet at the school." "Okie dokie lokie." The pink mare bounced off towards the school. "Hello?" Fluttershy asked as she opened the door. "Oh, hello Rainbow. How are you today?" "Not good, we're almost certain that Scootaloo's a changeling and the other Crusaders ran off to help her. We need everypony to look for them, meet at the school." Rainbow disappeared in a multicoloured blur. "Oh my." Twilight stood, surrounded by her five best friends and her number one assistant. "So, here's what we know so far. "Yesterday, Dash spotted a flash of green light in the Crusaders' clubhouse, and alerted me to a possible changeling threat. I admit, given Rainbow's behaviour over the last few days, that I didn't take it very seriously. "Still, I checked over Sweetie Belle, and found nothing, before heading over to check on Applebloom. I was just about to clear her as well when Applejack told me she was lying. No magical influence, but she did know that one of the Crusaders was a changeling. "Having ruled out the other two, we realised that nopony knew where Scootaloo lived. We planned to find her at school today, but we think Sweetie Belle overheard us, since she disappeared early this morning, and was spotted running away from the school with Applebloom in tow. We think Sweetie Belle stopped Scootaloo from getting to school, and now the Crusaders have holed up somewhere they feel safe, possibly the clubhouse. "We are going to head over there, and if they aren't there, we will split into two groups and search for them. "Any questions?" Nopony spoke. "OK, then. Let's go."