Chapter 4: The Second Attempt.
"You got the plans?" asked Marv.
"Yeah," said Harry, "It was so easy it should've been illegal."
"I think it is Harry," informed Marv, "Posing as a surveyor and sneaking peeks at floor plans."
"Thanks for the PSA Marv. Now, do you have all the stuff we need?"
"Yeah, I got it cheap too, I love these small town deals."
"You can deal-hunt on your own time Marv," said Harry, clonking him on the noggin, "Now, you have to break the window and get in. I can't squeeze through windows."
Harry and Marv looked at Sugarcube Corner. The windows weren't small, but Harry's girth was a problem.
"You sneak around and open the door for me."
"What do you want me to do it I get glass in my hooves?"
"Suck it up Marv!"
"That doesn't sound so healthy," said Marv, putting a hoof on his throat.
"Get going!" Harry said shoving Marv towards the window.
Marv walked over towards the house. When he hit the sidewalk he stepped onto a sheet of black ice and went careening into the side of Sugarcube Corner.
"AAA-" started to scream Marv before he noticed Harry draw a hoof across his throat signifying silence.
Sucking in a deep breath, Marv tried standing up but his legs flailed out in all directions and he slid around of the ice like a clumsy skater.
Marv gritted his teeth and grabbed hold of a lamppost next to him and hoisted himself up.
He made his way along by grabbing hold of bushes, rails, whatever he could find, till he made it to the window.
Somepony really needs to salt these sidewalks, thought Marv as he hesitantly tapped the window.
The window swung inwards.
Marv sighed.
This was the first piece of luck so far.
"Hey Harry!" he yelled, "They didn't lock the window!"
"Shhhh," said Harry, making threatening gestures at Marv, "You want to wake up the neighborhood?"
"But don't the Cakes live here too?" Marv asked.
"They are in Hoofany. Now go!"
Marv skipped to the window and hopped in.
Much to his surprise, he crash-landed onto the floor, which was covered in broken Hearthswarming ornaments.
"AHHHHHH!!!!" he screamed, leaping out the window.
"What's the matter no-" asked Harry as Marv barreled into him, sending them both careening into a garbage can.
"Marv..." said Harry, surfacing and glaring at his sidekick.
"But... there was broken... and I... Oh I don't want to go in there!"
Marv collapsed again at Harry's hooves, bawling.
"Shhhhhhh," scolded Harry, "Do you really want to wake the whole neighborhood?"
Marv kept sobbing but turned down the volume.
Harry rolled his eyes.
"If ya want somethin done..."
He marched over to the door and examined it.
It was a simple enough lock and he was sure he could break it.
Upon further inspection though, he found it wouldn't be necessary as the door, like the window, was unlocked.
Really? Harry thought as he stood at the door, Could they be that dumb? I mean, forgetting the window is one thing, but the front door?
Harry smiled.
Don't question good fortune, they probably left it open cause this is small town Equestria. Everypony knows everpony. Or maybe that hyper, pink one just forgot, she didn't seem so bright.
He placed his hoof on the doorknob and screamed.
"AAAAAAAAEEEEEIIIIIII!!!!!"
The doorknob was being heated by some unknown source.
As Harry pulled his hoof off the doorknob, he inspected it. The thick and usually strong hoof has red, blistering and in pain.
"Razafrazafopicktickhrggsnrgg," Harry said collapsing onto the ground and shoving his hoof into the snowbank beside him.
Sweet relief flowed through Harry's hoof.
Ripping his overcoat off, Harry used it oven-mitt style to open the door. He stuck his head in and looked around.
What the....
The whole house looked like the insides of a clock. Wires ran this way and that, hooked up to machines and pulleys.
What could this possibly be for? thought Harry as a strange odor hit his nose.
SNIFF. SNIFF.
Harry's eyes bugged out when he realized that he smelled smoke, and that his head was strangely warm.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!"
He jerked his head out of the doorway and stuck his head into the snowbank. A plume of steam shot out of said snowbank.
After a few moments of quiet cursing, Harry pulled his head out of the snowbank and examined himself and his clothes.
His coat was crisped up from the heat of the doorknob, his hat had a hole burnt clean through and Harry suspected his mane had been singed.
Looking carefully around the door again, not sticking his head through, he saw a phoenix on a shelf with a wire tied to it's tail.
Harry didn't know a lot about magical creatures (he hadn't studied much in school) but he did recall reading how phoenixes didn't like to have their tails pulled and they were likely to scorch anypony who did do so.
"Razafrazarazafraza," grumbled Harry under his breath as he returned to Marv.
"Not so easy, is it?" Marv asked with a stupid grin.
"Either that pink pony is weirder than I thought, or somepony planned this," said Harry, "You should see the inside Marv, it's so crazy it looks like it was designed by Saddledor Dahli."
"I did see in," said Marv, "for about half a second anyway. I think I saw a white unicorn who must've planned this whole thing."
"I white unicorn eh?" asked Harry, "was she a filly or a mare?"
"Filly."
"That must be Sweetiebelle, Rarity's younger sister. I'd heard she was clever, but not this much."
"I thought it was a dream for a while," said Marv, floating away from reality, "Because Harry, believe it or not, she looked exactly like the filly who was in front of us in line the other day."
"That's right!" exclaimed Harry, "I remember! Well now we know what we're up against. How much trouble can one filly cause?"
"I don't know."
"She can't," said Harry, rubbing his hooves together, "We have her trapped like a rat."
"Should we try to break in again?"
"Nah, we'll go on to the Apple Family Farm tomorrow night, right now I need some ointment for burns."
"Yeah, that looks nasty."
The two walked off into the night.
Sweetiebelle dropped the ear trumpet she had found at the Apple Family Farm and sighed.
They were leaving.
How much trouble can one filly cause? she thought, raising in eyebrow with a look of mischief, You'll see buster, you'll see.