The Adventures of the Cutie Mark Crusaders - Fillies on a Mission!

by Wolfie 03

Chapter 20 The new Clubhouse

“Ooh! What does this button do?” Sweetie Belle peered at the new console that was attached to wall on the right side of the Clubhouse from the doorway.

She and her two friends were looking over the newest changes made to their Clubhouse; Time Turner had been quick to make the upgrades requested and some additional ones that he thought were needed. Unfortunately, it had been almost two weeks since they asked for the update and they hadn't had the chance to look at anything that had been done. A lot had happened and it was only finally calming down, giving the Crusaders a chance to look at the newest additions.

In fact, they hadn't gotten a chance to look at the Clubhouse at all and when they stepped inside they could barely hold their glee at the silver and gray colors of the three machines that appeared from the walls and floor. There was a collection of monitors over a panel with lights, switches, and buttons that was directly across from the doorway. The wall to the right of the doorway was a larger monitor with correlating panel of buttons and switches. In the center of the room was another panel with lights, buttons, switches, and with a large monitor of it's own. All of these computers appeared from the very walls and floor that were able to retract into their hidden places.

The girls had soon raced to the various stations and looking at how these new additions merged from their wooden Clubhouse. They didn't have as much experience with advanced technology and weren't actually sure of what most of the features did. They pushed a few buttons, and after each sound or effect, would pause to see what happened.

For example, a large red button on the main computer turned on the whole system, which led to more button pushing. A knob on the computer with seven different sized monitors turned on hidden cameras that showed a part of the outside that couldn't normally be seen from inside the tree house. A switch on the center computer put the whole tree house on lock down, with heavy duty protection covering the windows and door; from the sound coming from the wall, it seemed like the whole house was insulated with this extra protection. Apple Bloom gave her friends a sheepish glance afterwards and flicked the switch back into it's original position, making the heavy walls retreat back to where they came from.

While Apple Bloom looked at the center console, Sweetie Belle looked at the main computer and Scootaloo enjoyed the ability to see the surrounding areas without leaving the safety of the Clubhouse. Just as they were about to try out more buttons, the main screen of the wall computer went from fuzzy static to an image of Eripio looking confused.

“Hello?” The three friends all jumped at the voice coming from the two speakers along the sides of main computer and turned to face the monitor.

“Hello?” Sweetie Belle peered curiously to the screen to which Eripio raised a curious brow.

“Guys? I can't hear you, can you hear me talking?” The Crusaders all looked at the image in surprise while nodding silently.

“... It would help if you talked, to see if the system just needed to warm up.” The trio shared confused gazes before facing their friend once more.

“What did ya want us tah talk about?”

“How are you doing that?”

“How can we do that?”

Eripio smirked at the sudden animation of the girls as they came to terms with her speaking on the monitor even as she still couldn't hear them. The green filly waved a calming hoof to which the girls slowed their questions to watch her expectantly; having so little interaction with technology, their town being a traditional earth pony settlement, they weren't sure of what to do now.

“Sorry guys, I still can't hear you. I'm glad to see that you are checking out the new machines, but you should learn how to use it before something happens. For now, just shake your head 'yes' or 'no' to answer my questions.” The girls nodded firmly as they sat on their haunches before the main monitor.

“Alright, so do you have anyone who can show you how to use all the new features.” The girls frowned slightly as they thought; they didn't know Time Turner all that much and he seemed to be extremely busy lately. Aside from the brown earth pony, nopony else would be able to, so in response to the question the girls shook their head 'no'.

“Huh, ok. I do know about some of the technology, so I'll come by to help; Manehatten is one of the leaders of advanced technology after all.” The trio shared relieved smiles knowing that their friend would be able to help with all the new features. Their eyes lit up in excitement as they all thought of an idea at the same time.

Eripio noticed with an amused smirk the light above their head turned on suddenly as they all gave large smiles to the monitor before watching in confusion as the trio quickly grabbed writing supplies and pencils.

The three friends quickly wrote their question and faced the unicorn on the monitor once more while holding the signs up.

[Would you want to stay for a sleepover?]

Eripio read it just as quickly and tilted her head in thought; she didn't really have much to do at home and her friends needed help. It was a six hour trip and it would be a relief to not have to travel constantly.

“... Sure, I guess I can stay for a sleepover after I show you how to use some of the new stuff.” Eripio smiled at the gleeful whoops that she couldn't hear as the Crusaders danced in a circle at the news of a sleepover with their friend.

“Alright, so I'll be over as soon as I can and I'll help with all the new features that have been installed. See you guys in six hours!” Eripio left the chat as most Rescue clan members did; short and to the point.

The girls continued to shout and jump for joy until they realized that they would need permission to have a sleepover. It was early in the morning while they had until 2pm to get everything ready, they wanted plenty of time to beg their sisters for permission.

The trio ran for the farmhouse first, being the closer sister to ask. Since it was still early in the morning, the three Crusaders searched the barn first where they found the older mare taking care of her chores.

“Well howdy girls, what are y'all up tah today?” Applejack smiled at the girls as she wiped her forehead after setting down a sack of grains she was moving. The Crusaders looked back with pleading eyes to which earned a curious brow from the older farmer.

“Sis', can we have a sleepover tonight?” Applejack was pleased to hear her younger sister ask permission before they did something, which hopefully meant that they were trying to behave, and smiled at the trio.

“Shoot, 'course ya can if Rarity says it's ok.” The Crusaders smiled in relief, while Apple Bloom received an encouraging glance from the two others.

“Sis', could ya come with us tah ask Rarity?” The orange farmer reared back slightly as she blushed and looked away, something that was noticed by the fillies before her.

“Why'd, why'd ya want me tah come with ya? You can ask her yerself.... ya don't need me tah help.”

“But she listens to you more than she does to me....” Sweetie Belle pleaded with flipped back ears which deepened Applejack's blush.

The older mare was torn, her latest interaction with the unicorn was still fresh in her mind and she wasn't sure how to face the fashionista. The girls turned up the pressure by adding two more pairs of pleading eyes; Applejack sighed and decided to face the music, giving in with a short nod.

“Alright girls, Ah'll come with ya tah talk with Rarity.” The trio gave small cheers and followed the farmer as she led the way into town.

---

The four ponies soon found themselves in front of the purple door where Applejack hesitated before knocking soundly and striding inside.

“Howdy Rarity...” The fashion mare turned from the display of her latest work with a relieved smile at the sound of a southern accent.

“Applejack! Darling, so nice of you to drop by. Ah yes, hello girls; what can I do for you today?” While the older unicorn posed the question in a general sense, she looked at the other mare who tried to remain calm and collected in the gaze of piercing blue eyes.

“The girls here wanted tah have ah sleepover at their Clubhouse.” Rarity shifted her gaze to the Crusaders who tried to appear innocent and trustworthy.

“I see; what do you say about this Applejack?” The orange farmer cast an appraising eye on the trio before smirking.

“Well, Ah say let 'em have the sleepover tah see if they can behave; let 'em earn our trust back.” Rarity nodded at the plan and smiled back.

“That sounds lovely dear; Sweetie Belle, you may go to the sleepover but only for tonight, you have school on Monday remember.” The Crusaders nodded rapidly to the terms, desperate to be allowed for the night; they wasted no time in rushing out the door to get all the needed supplies for an awesome sleepover, leaving the two mares awkwardly behind them.

---

The Crusaders raced through town, heading towards Sugarcube Corner for the snacks they'd need. Even if the main point of the sleepover was to find out about their new Clubhouse, it didn't mean they couldn't host a good sleepover.

As they entered the sweets shop, a bell rang overhead drawing the pink earth pony's attention to the newest customers. Pinkie grinned from behind the counter and waved ecstatically to the three friends.

“Hey guys! What cool things are you up to today?”

“We're havin' ah sleepover with Eripio!”

“Yeah, and we'll need amazing snacks to share with her.”

“What they said!” Sweetie Belle stepped forward, trying to think of anything to add but failing.

Pinkie nodded with each statement before waving her hoof out to the display.

“We have a large selection, from cakes, pies, cookies and even candies! We're sure to find something for your amazing sleepover!” The Crusaders shared amused glances before looking at the colorful displays and cases, almost drooling at the wonderful scents waffing through the air.

As they browsed along the cases, seeing the frosted goodies brightly colored and decorated with different designs and sprinkles, the girls paused to consider how much they had stashed away; they had used a lot of their bits already and hadn't had a chance to earn more yet.

“Scootaloo, could ya head tah the Clubhouse an' get our stash of bits? Should be buried in between the tree roots...” Apple Bloom whispered to the pegasus who nodded mutely before heading out with her scooter that was stashed nearby to make it faster.

Pinkie watched the exchange with curious eyes before settling on the two remaining fillies who looked back with shrewd business faces.

“We'll need your finest cupcakes and chocolate covered oats.” Sweetie Belle asked when Apple Bloom pushed forward to grab the baker's attention.

“We'll need enough for the four of us, but at ah proper price. What're yer deals of the day?” Pinkie smiled at the attempting haggler and leaned closer in earnest.

“Cupcakes run at four bits a dozen and chocoats are five bits for ten.” The two girls shared calculating glances before the green-yellow filly leaned forward once more.

“What about nine bits for two dozen and twelve bits for twenty?” Pinkie couldn't help but chuckle at the poor bargaining skills and waved a hoof to stop the young farmer.

“No silly, that's not how you do it! You have to ask for it at the smallest you can, not larger! You should practice some more. I'll make you a deal; two dozen cupcakes for 6 bits and twenty chocoats for eight bits. See? If you want more, you ask for less of the normal amount of the more thingy.” The young earth pony stared confusedly back while the young unicorn giggled behind a hoof at the look on her friend’s face.

“Oh, uh, alright, if, if ya say so. Uhm, Scootaloo will be here in ah moment with our bits tah pay for it.” The baker nodded briefly with a smile as she prepared the order.

The two friends watched as the older mare bounced, pirouetted and skipped around, gather icing, frosting and chocolate while humming a familiar tune about cupcakes. Just as the four boxes of treats landed on the counter, the young pegasus burst through the pink doorway with a shout.

“I'm back! I've got the bits, right here.” With a gentle thud, the small pouch landed onto the counter which earned a pleased smile at the timing from the pink baker.

“Ooh, good work Scootaloo! New record!” Pinkie Pie pulled out a stop watch that was paused at five and a half minutes, earning a smug grin from the speedy pegasus.

“Okie Dokie Lokie! Here you go girls! Fresh treats for the perfect sleepover! Have lots of fun and I'll see you later!” The Crusaders gave cheerful waves as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle carried two boxes each as Scootaloo sat at the helm of the scooter and cart.

They had the rest of the needed supplies at their Clubhouse from all the other sleepovers they had before, so they went directly back, not wanting to waste any time..

Scootaloo raced through town,weaving through the crowd at high speeds; it was a common occurrence by this point, with most ponies not even pausing a moment as the trio whizzed past. The pegasus flew across the road, trying to make it a workout for herself while getting to the Clubhouse with a full load in record time.

The trio leapt from the wagon and scooter just as they pulled up to the ramp, dashing up as fast as they could while keeping their cargo steady; while the three consoles were still out, they could still reach the attic and get the rest of the supplies down. They were on a record breaking frenzy, setting it down and positioned it for the optimal fun in a blur of speed.

Just as the last pillow was in place, there came a sound dreaded by all little sisters everywhere.

“Apple Bloom! How's it comin' along?” The three shared panicked glances before looking towards the doorway where the older mare's voice floated up from.

“Ah know yer there Apple Bloom, y'all left yer cart and scooter down here. Ya must have set ah new record for land carts, busting ah trail like there's no tomorrow.” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle waved to Apple Bloom to head her sister off, unwilling to have many other ponies to know of the newest features they now had access to.

“Ah! Stall her! We'll figure out how to hide the computers!” Scootaloo whispered to the earth pony who nodded rapidly before racing out and down to meet her sister at the foot of the ramp way.

“Heya sis'... What's goin' on?” Apple Bloom's voice could be heard as the two remaining Crusaders rushed to the consoles.

“Hurry Sweetie Belle! Do something!”

“I'm trying!” The two fillies started to randomly press buttons and flipped switches as they kept their voices to a minimum.

Applejack shot her sister a curious glance as the two voices still barely floated down, their agitation removing their ability to keep their voices low.

“Well, you started it!”

“Yeah but that doesn't mean I know what I'm doing!” The older earth pony looked to her sheepish sister who spoke loudly to cover the others.

“So, uh, yer here tah check on us? We're doin' just fine!” The orange mare smirked at the attempt to cover what was going on and decided to tease the nervous filly.

“Oh, just fine huh? Guess ya won't mind me seein' the preparations then?” Apple Bloom grew concerned and pranced in place while trying to distract her sister.

“Well, we're not ready yet!”

The two fillies in the Clubhouse shot panic stricken faces to one another before speeding up their efforts; on the main control panel, Scootaloo swiped at a yellow button as she ran her hooves over the console which began to flash as a slight tremble ran through the room as all three stations folded up and pulled back into the dark spaces.

With a soft click it finished just in time for the older farmer to step into the doorway; upon seeing the two slightly panting fillies and mess of pillows, blankets, games and snacks, Applejack drew to a halt as she stared curiously at the girls.

“What were ya doin'?” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo tried to even out their breathing and shifted some of the supplies before answering.

“.... Sweetie Belle wasn't putting the games out right.” Sweetie Belle shot the pegasus an annoyed frown which earned one in return.

“Was too.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes as she retorted rapidly.

“Was not.”

“Was too.”

“Was not!”

“Was too!” The farmer grimaced slightly as the arguing slowly grew, with the two friends almost nose to nose as they started to state their position over and over.

“Er, that's nice; glad tah see everything is goin' well... Ah, Ah'll be goin', enjoy yer sleepover girls!” The two friends kept up their argument until they got a nod from the younger farmer that the coast was clear.

“Whew, that was ah close one.” The pegasus and unicorn took a step back from one another and shared pleased grins.

“Not bad in coverin' up what was going on.” The two friends blushed slightly before actually shifting the supplies around to fit better.

“Yeah, well, we better keep an eye out in case something like that happens again.” The others nodded to the orange filly's words as they worked.

The trio made sure everything was in place and then sat in the center facing one another.

“What do we do now? Everything is hidden and the supplies are out.” Scootaloo shrugged at the question while Apple Bloom rubbed her chin as she gazed at the pile of games.

“Why don't we play some games before headin' to the station tah pick up Eripio?” At the agreeing nods of the others, the young earth pony pulled over the box of snakes and ladders to play.

---

After several hours and having gone through most of the games, it was time for Eripio to arrive. The girls left a little early to make sure they wouldn't miss the 2:15 train that hopefully had their friend on board and waited with a few other ponies on the wooden platform.

Luckily the train came before any of them could grow bored waiting and they could barely contain their excitement at the visit while they waited for the majority of the passengers to leave the now slightly crowded platform. The trio craned their necks to peer through the steam and didn't notice the green unicorn step up from their right; they all gave small starts of surprise at the call which earned an amused smirk from the bespectacled filly.

“Hey guys, who are you looking for?” The Crusaders turned as one and, upon identifying who was talking, gave the green filly a hug.

“Eripio!”

“We didn't notice ya there!”

“Good trick, but we totally noticed you and everything.” The three girls shot blank looks to the pegasus who tried to appear cool and calm after having been startled before they all broke out in laughter.

“I'm glad to have made it; the trip wasn't too bad, and it would be nice to not have to board the train so quickly after we look at the Clubhouse.” The trio nodded before leading the way into town and beyond, with a few hoof waves for the unicorn to follow them.

“Come on, we have everything ready for the sleepover!” Scootaloo grabbed her scooter and made sure the cart was firmly attached as the three others sat; Eripio took note of the quality and obvious wear and was slightly jostled as the pegasus started to zoom down the road.

“Hmmm, I see where you got the strength to pull the cart in the desert Scootaloo.... Your town does look rather nice, you know, without the chaos.” Eripio smirked at the others who chuckled as they looked around with new eyes, seeing how very cozy and close knit their home was.

“Yeah, it is a nice place to live; it doesn't see that much trouble most times... Aside from a rampaging monster or creature every so often.” Sweetie Belle nonchalantly stated as she watched the roads fly by, which earned a surprised look from the other unicorn.

“Or magical catastrophes.” Eripio looked to the earth pony, wondering if they were making up the trouble.

“Or sudden odd weather disasters.” Scootaloo called from her place on the scooter, not even glancing behind her as she drove onwards.

The green unicorn made no comment as she looked at the surrounding town with new insight, seeing the new work mixed with old due to some of the very troubles the Crusaders mentioned. Eripio shook her head as she once again reflected on how the Crusaders (and their hometown) was indeed a different kind of force to be reckoned with and remained silent until they reached the tree house.

The young Rescue filly hadn't had the chance to properly look over the Clubhouse as they had been in a rush the last time and took a moment before heading up the ramp to gaze at the wood work and design. As the others encouraged her to enter, Eripio was surprised at how spacious the room was even though it had seemed smaller on the outside but didn't see the new consoles that should have been there; though the sight of the sleepover supplies did bring a smile to her face.

“Looks like you have all the things needed for a proper sleepover; but where are the computers?” The trio shifted in place while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shared sheepish glances.

“Well, Apple Bloom's big sister came by and we had to hide them so she didn't find out about it.” Eripio rubbed her chin while Scootaloo stepped over to the center of the room.

“Yeah, there was a button on this computer that made everything pack up and hide away.” The pegasus tapped on the floorboards twice, which drew the green unicorn's gaze before she rushed over and tapped on the ground once more.

The others watched in confusion that turned to surprise as the third tap activated a switch which set the room to tremble as the three stations appeared slowly once more. They couldn't help but watch in amazement as the pieces of wood folded back with only soft machine noise while the computers unraveled from their hiding places, with the monitors turning on with a soft static sound and the various lights turned on.

Eripio nodded in satisfaction while the trio stared slack-jawed at the sight before creeping forward to gaze over the panels once more. The purple maned filly waved for the others to gather around the center console that she displayed with a wave of her hoof, jumping right into the explanation.

“If I'm guessing right based on the things we requested, this is the main computer. This controls hiding and revealing all the others and turns on the whole thing. The secret is in tapping the right sequence to make it not hide anymore; something the Doctor wrote to me in an email as well as what the address to contact you guys.” Three pairs of eyes looked over the buttons as they were described; the most easily found was the 'on/off' button and the 'hide' button, along with switches and levers that controlled the ramp and attic ways as well as the 'protection' encasing.

The green unicorn led the others to the computer with seven monitors, with switches and lights as well as some buttons in certain patterns.

“This one is the viewing station; this gives you access to all the hidden cameras placed so far and allows you to move them manually with these joysticks. The lights are in case there is movement and alerts you if something is wrong; these buttons allow you to switch between the different cameras to focus on one or the other.” The girls watched as a bird flew by one of the hidden cameras before turning to the last station.

“This one should be communication and information; it has speakers and a microphone that should allow us to talk with one another across the distances. Here's the button that would have made the microphone work.” With a teasing smirk, Eripio glanced at the once again sheepish fillies before continuing her explanation.

“These are buttons that allow you to search the internet; seems like the Doctor made you guys an access point with a strong internet connection. You should be able to search the online databases for a lot of newer information. Some places still haven't upgraded and use paper so it won't be perfect, but it should help you.” As the young rescuer stepped away from the last station, she cast an appraising eye over the room to be sure she had covered the basics; with a satisfied nod, Eripio looked to her friends who were practically jumping in glee at their new Clubhouse.

“Well guys, with all this stuff, you should be set for just about anything. The Red Dragons won't know what hit them!” The Crusaders cheered with their friend before remembering their recent family matters.

“Oh, uhm, that might be a problem...” Sweetie Belle scuffed a hoof along the ground which earned a curious brow from Eripio.

“Yeah, we only just got off our groundin'; our sisters are tryin' tah keep ah close eye on us tah make sure we don't leave town again without supervision.” Apple Bloom glanced at the green unicorn from the corner of her eye as she stared at the ground in embarrassment; they were trying to be brave super heroes and yet they were worried about what their sisters might do to them.

“Yeah, and I've still got to watch out for Hannigan and Pepper trying to find me; I have to keep my head down somewhat as well.” This statement earned concerned looks from the other fillies as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shared a confirming glance before stepping forward, drawing the pegasus' attention to them.

“About that....”

“It seems that Derpy had started the investigation of the orphanage...” Sweetie Belle finished Apple Bloom's sentence as they both looked on in worry at the shocked pegasus.

“What? Because of Derpy? But, how does she know about the orphanage?” The others shrugged their ignorance before Scootaloo frowned angrily at the ground.

“Ah'm sure she meant tah help ya, she just didn't know that this would have happened...” Scootaloo glanced at the others before shrugging the reassurance away.

Eripio watched this in silence as she contemplated how the Crusaders could possibly help without being caught.

“... Is there a pony who could teach you to sneak around and not be caught from? When did you get ungrounded anyways?” The Crusaders recalled Eripio's presence once again and sat in a circle as they thought.

“We've been ungrounded for about ah week an' ah half now....” Eripio accepted this knowledge with a nod as the four girls continued to think in their circle.

“Who could teach us to be super sneaky and not tell anypony about it....” Apple Bloom suddenly lit up as she heard Sweetie Belle's sentence, the perfect mare for the job coming to mind.

“Ah know! We could get Pinkie Pie tah help us! She knows everypony in town; if she can't teach us, maybe she knows someone who can!” The others cheered up as well as they heard the idea and were soon rushing down the ramp to ride into town once more.

---

As the four fillies rode through the orchards, Eripio kept her voice low to keep it from traveling as she purposed her solution to their grounding issue.

“About being in trouble with your families... What if we did just research stuff for awhile? It's not like we know where the Red Dragons have their base; we can just find out what they're doing and report it while trying to figure out what they need it for or use it for. This way, you guys can stick mostly to town and still be doing something against the Dragons.”

The Crusaders shared weary glances as they thought about the purposed suggestion; while it was a more passive action to the problem, being grounded again wouldn't help at all.

“I guess so...”

“Ah suppose...”

“Sigh, alright, if you say so....”

Eripio noticed the downtrodden tones of the response and tried to expand her suggestion.

“Well, you could try and slowly get your families used to you traveling and investigate what's going on in the various towns and cities while proving that you could behave. Then you'll have a better knowledge of the area when you can actually get away to deal with the Red Dragons. You'll just have to take it really slow and not leave town as much for a few months....” The three Crusaders cheered up slightly at the suggestion; recon was better than just waiting around in town.

“Yeah, that's a good idea; right guys?” Scootaloo smiled slightly over her shoulder at the other fillies who nodded back with small smiles of their own at the revised plan before picking up speed again to fly down the roads towards Ponyville.

---

The four friends were soon back in town, in search of the pink baker. They had first tried at Sugarcube Corner, but Mrs. Cake was working and didn't know where Pinkie had gotten to. So now the fillies were searching the town as they slowly made their way to the library, since for whatever reason they seemed to find the hyperactive pony often hanging around there.

As they turned a corner to the last stretch before reaching Golden Oaks library, they found good news and bad news. The good part was they found their quarry tracking the residential librarian through the market place; the bad part was that Derpy was currently on her rounds as a mailmare and Scootaloo swerved to a stop at the sight of the blue-gray pegasus.

The three fillies in the cart shared worried glances before reaching for their driver who was starting to tremble in anger.

“Scootaloo, ya don't have tah -”

“Scootaloo, maybe it would be better if -”

“... Please don't be too mad at her...”

At the soft calls behind her, Scootaloo snapped her head up and shouted to be heard over the low hum of the crowd.

“Hey! Ms. Derpy!” The blue-gray pegasus wearily looked about her, half afraid that she had somehow broken something while she wasn't looking. Upon seeing the fillies, happiness and worry flashed across her face as she noted how mad Scootaloo seemed to be before she floated down to sit next to the scooter and cart.

“Hello girls, who's this?” A short chopping motion from the orange pegasus prevented anypony from responding while Scootaloo glared at the older mare.

“It doesn't matter; anything me and my friends do shouldn't matter to you, especially since it seems that you don't care what happens to me after all.” Derpy frowned sharply at the accusation as they soon became the center of a circle of quiet due to the sharp tones.

“That's not true! I do care about you guys and-”

“If you cared you wouldn't have messed with a perfectly fine deal! I was content as I was hiding from Hannigan and she didn't care a smidge about any of the runaways that got away! But noooo, you had to go and 'fix' things.

“Now I can't hardly do anything because I'm being chased all the time! And I can't go to the hospital if I get hurt, they'd just take me back! I almost didn't make it after I escape from Pepper in a pipe! If my friends, the only ponies who do seem to care about me, hadn't found me I'd probably not be here! So thanks! My life's sooo much easier now!” With a final glare at the stunned mailmare, Scootaloo started on her way once more in search of the now hidden baker as Twilight's attention was brought back from where it had wondered to.

The three fillies in the wooden cart shared concerned looks at the outburst before gazing morosely at the usually chipper muffin loving mare staring back in remorse at what she had inadvertently done. As they sped past all the spectators who looked on in shock, they found their quarry no where to be seen while Twilight resumed her trek to the post office.

Since it had seemed like Pinkie was trailing the lavender unicorn, the four friends also followed her from a distance, trying to keep an eye out for the tale-tell sight of pink.

“Psssttt! What are you guys following Twilight for? Are you also curious as to where she's going on this lovely day when she would normally be inside totally ignoring it in favor of boring old books?” Scootaloo jumped with the others at the sudden voice on their left, causing the scooter and cargo to tip perilously to the side before they came to a stop.

Pinkie had appeared out of nowhere as they traveled and watched the four kids take steadying breaths before remembering that she was trailing her special somepony. Just as the four fillies got their heartbeats to a more normal rate, they found Pinkie had already moved on ahead slightly as she watched the unicorn from around corners and behind crates.

“Pinkie Pie, what are ya doin'?” The girls followed sedately on their ride while the hyper earth pony glanced briefly at them before resuming her watch.

“Shhh! I'm following Twilight to see what's she doing, didn't I say? What are you guys doing?” The girls shared blank looks before moving forward with their plans.

“We were hoping that you could teach us how to be sneaky like you can.”

“Or at least, if you know somepony who could teach us.” Pinkie Pie smiled at the request and dropped out of her sneaking stance to stand before them.

“Sure I can! I learned from the very best; Pony 07! Well, maybe some of it I learned from my Granny and Nana, but I learned the important parts from Pony 07; like when is a good time to wear a disguise or the use of distractions!” As the hyper mare spoke, she pulled out filly-sized disguises for the girls, of which were large light brown coats and light gray fedoras; Eripio could only stare blankly at what the older mare thought were good disguises while the Crusaders stared on in amazement.

“Cool! What about sneaking around, we need to learn how to get around without others noticing us!”

“Yeah, my sis' is always tellin' me how ya can sneak up on anypony!”

“Yeah!” While the Crusaders asked for help, Eripio couldn't say anything as she watched the seemingly easy to spot mare suddenly vanish from sight, whispering to the girls in a floating manner.

“Oooohhh! So you mean like this?” The hyper mare didn't wait for a response, sensing that the girls were stunned into silence once more and instead reappeared by their side.

“Sure I can teach you guys! Follow me!” With a jubilant smile, Pinkie hopped further down the alley to the road that rested behind some of the bigger food stores where deliveries were made out of sight of the store fronts.

Once they were gathered there, Pinkie twirled on one hoof before plopping down to sit in a serene pose with a fake white goatee on her face that she stroked with a hoof. Before any of the girls could say something about it, the older mare started her lesson.

“To become one with your surroundings is the key to being well hidden... From hiding in plain sight to being invisible to the naked eye, you must always be focused and aware of your surroundings my pupils.... Let us begin!” With only enough time to blink at the sudden start, the four friends began to learn from the pink earth pony as she hopped from one to the other, constantly adjusting their stances and giving tips.

The lesson went pretty badly, with no one being able to pull off the complete disappearing act that Pinkie Pie had at first. Eripio and Sweetie Belle had gotten close, hiding in the shadows pretty well, but weren't able to seemingly vanish into the wind; they both did better than Scootaloo and Apple Bloom who were barely able to mask their presence at all and resorted to hiding under or in things to pull it off. They moved on to disguises and while it was easy to wear different clothing, it didn't seem to help hide them from curious ponies (something Eripio had a suspicion about why, but couldn't get a realistic comment in). After a head scratch, Pinkie decided to try and paint the fillies to help them blend in or hide; while this did work after a fashion, it was temporary as proven by a splash of water from a nearby puddle which caused the paint drip and run down their coats.

The four girls listened to some more tips before giving up on the idea; Pinkie style of hiding was obviously something that wasn't available for most others to copy. They soon trudged back to the scooter and walked the rest of the way to the Clubhouse, no one willing to sit in the cart and wanting to walk off their disappointment.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the wait you guys, my editor was busy and had other things he had to do. Hopefully this makes up for it, 'cause this is a LONG chapter. Things are moving right along and now they have an extremely cool clubhouse with lots of gadgets, they wouldn't get into too much trouble... Hopefully

Oh, and a cookie goes to anyone who read that first line with a specific 'blonde sounding' accent.

Comments

[gwg]

so are you going to celebrate next week? 100k words is quite the accomplishment.

[Wolfie 03]

3837756 Hmmmm, maybe. This is technically long as/longer than one of the Harry Potter books now, so maybe I should

Suggestions for such a celebration? Picture? Double update? Free Cookies for the readers? Celebratory dance?

[gwg]

3838018 I don't know, but whatever you do, you should plan to double it later, cause I'm sure you'll break 200k as well with this story.

ask your followers what you should do.

[Wolfie 03]

3838029 Hmmm, good idea. I'll go make a blog about it now