Chapter 2
The next day at Canterlot High, many students were out in the hallways, doing their own thing. Some were talking to each other, some were trying to rush to another class, or some were just hanging out and listen to their tunes without a care in the world. But there were only three young teenage girls in the hallway with one arguing with the other two as they made their way to the next class.
“I don’t believe it!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Ah know my own sister! She is not a thief!”
“But Apple Bloom, we all saw that footage and that drawing from that show!” Sweetie Belle pointed out. “You can’t deny the fact that it looks exactly like Applejack!”
“Looks can be deceivin’!” Apple Bloom said in her matter-of-fact tone. “‘Sides, the footage is too blurry and the host said that the police artist sketched what they could make out from that video and the guard's description! It was just a coincidence!”
Scootaloo shook her head in disagreement. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence Apple Bloom. If you think about it, all of Applejack’s behaviors you told us about makes perfect sense!”
Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow with a frown. “What do ya mean?”
“Well let’s go over the facts,” Scootaloo began. “The jewelry heists started about a couple of weeks ago, which was the same time when your sister started disappearing early before every supper. You said that she looked tired every day since then, probably spending her nights breaking into that jewelry store and stole only a few diamonds at a time. She was nervous and jumpy a few days ago because she got careless from the security camera, so she decided to stay low. And the reason she wouldn’t tell you is because she’s been busy stealing all those diamonds and doesn’t want to break your heart. Just face it Apple Bloom, your sister is the thief, case closed!”
Apple Bloom turned her head towards Scootaloo and glared at her. “How can ya say those things like that?! If Applejack really stole those diamonds, then where are they now? I don’t remember seeing them anywhere in my house!”
Scootaloo blinked. “Well… maybe she hid them somewhere or she already sold them to the black market. Thieves never leave their trails behind.”
Apple Bloom fumed. “You’re unbelievable?!”
Apple Bloom then turned her head to her other friend. “Sweetie Belle, you don’t agree with her, do ya?”
“I wonder if Applejack was the one who stole my bike a year ago?” Sweetie Belle thought out loud.
Apple Bloom growled. “Sweetie Belle, not you too! My sister is not a criminal, she’s an honest person!”
Suddenly, Apple Bloom bumped into another person. She almost fell backwards but luckily, her friends caught her on time. The person that Apple Bloom accidentally bumped into on the other hand, weren’t so lucky.
“Ow! What hit me?”
The girls looked down and they realized that the person they ran right into was none other than Sonata, a former siren and member of the Dazzlings. They were very weary of her and her friends at first, even though they are not a threat anymore without their powers. Overtime, they slowly accepted them, most from Sonata since she was trying to change her ways. Even though she has a habit of messing things up.
Sonata looked up from the ground and then smiled. “Oh, hi girls!”
“Oh hey Sonata,” said Apple Bloom. “We’re sorry ‘bout that. Let us help!”
Apple Bloom then reached out her arm towards Sonata for her to grab on. As Sonata pulled herself back up, the other two Crusaders picked up all of Sonata’s things from the floor. Sonata gave each of them her grateful smile as they returned her belongings to her.
“Thanks girls and it’s no problem, I’m always a bit of a clutz!” said Sonata with her goofy grin.
Apple Bloom frowned guilty. “Say Sonata, are we still cool…about what happened at that restaurant?”
Sonata thought for a moment, trying to recall that memory. Then her eyes widened in realization.
“Oh, you mean from weeks ago?”
Sonata gave them her friendly smile. “What happened was my fault. I already forgive you three. It’s all water under the bridge, for realizes!”
Apple Bloom smiled in relief. “Good, we’re glad.”
Sonata nodded. “Now if you excuse me girls, I got to get to the cafeteria. They’re serving pizza tacos today and I must be first in line this time!”
Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. “Um Sonata…lunch won’t start until after three more periods.”
Sonata shrugged. “Hey, got to make sacrifices for the sake of tacos!”
Sonata walked past the Crusaders and then went around the corner, disappearing into the next hall.
The girls just stared at where Sonata was in silence. Scootaloo turned her head at Sweetie Belle.
“She may not be evil anymore, but she is the strangest person I know!”
“More strange than Pinkie?”
“…okay, second strangest person I know!”
Sonata suddenly reappeared from around the corner, catching the Crusaders off guard.
“Oh that reminds me! Apple Bloom, do you have a secret family member who looks exactly like your sister?”
“Um…no. Why?” Apple Bloom said hesitantly, not liking where this goes.
“Well Adagio, Aria and I watched Equestria’s Most Wanted last night. That Diamond Bandit looks just like Applejack. Now isn’t that a coincidence?”
With a giggle, Sonata went back around the corner and disappeared again.
Once again, the girls stood in silence, but this time it was more tensely. Scootaloo slowly turned towards Apple Bloom.
“So…should we plan our visits on weekends?”
“SCOOTS!”
Later, when it was time for lunch, the Crusaders walked through the cafeteria doors as they made their way to the lunch line. Apple Bloom was still annoyed by all the nonsense she’s been hearing from her friends about her sister all day. Unfortunately for her, Scootaloo brought the topic back up again.
“I can’t believe my best friend is the sister of a bandit!”
“Ah can’t believe my best friends are a bunch of doodle-heads!”
“I can’t believe this cafeteria is not selling vanilla pudding today!”
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stopped walking and turned towards Sweetie Belle with unreadable expressions.
“What? I like vanilla pudding!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and shook her head. “This is gettin’ ridiculous! The person we saw on T.V. was not Applejack!”
“But Sonata said that she-”
“She ain’t count!” Apple Bloom snapped, cutting Sweetie Belle off. “No offense to her, but she’s a bit of an airhead. Her word doesn’t really held water for me!”
Just then, Snips and Snails came right up to them.
“Hey Apple Bloom,” said Snips. “Snails and I watched Equestria’s Most Wanted last night and saw your sister. Was she really the Diamond Bandit?”
Apple Bloom growled at them and then walked away towards the line with two of her friends on tow.
With a confused frown, Snips turned to Snails. “Was that a no?”
Snails only shrugged in response.
The Crusaders reached at the end of the line, waiting for their turn to get their food. Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak but Apple Bloom beat her to it.
“Ah know what yer goin’ to say Scoots! They don’t count either!”
Scootaloo snapped her mouth shut from the tone in Apple Bloom’s voice.
It wasn’t long until it was their turn to approach the counter to pick out their food. Behind the counter was a sweet old lady with white hair, orange eyes, orange scarf with apples on them, yellow shirt, long red skirt and white apron. She is Granny Smith, a lunch lady and Apple Bloom’s grandmother. She smiled warmly when her eyes set on her granddaughter and her two friends.
“Well howdy, Apple Bloom! How’s my sweet little granddaughter?”
“Just fine Granny,” said Apple Bloom. “I had a bit of a long day!”
“Aw you poor thing,” Granny said in her comforting tone. “You’re probably hungry. Don’t ya worry, this here chili will get ya back on yer feet in a jiffy!”
Granny Smith turned to the stove behind her and proceed to finish up her newly made chili.
While this was going on, Apple Bloom felt a nudge from her side. She turned to see Scootaloo silently telling her about Applejack with Sweetie Belle nodding in agreement. Apple Bloom gave them both her annoyed glare but she turned to her grandmother to ask her about her sister anyway.
“Say um…Granny, have you noticed anything…particular about Applejack lately?”
Granny Smith turned back, facing her granddaughter.
“Particular? Well, she massaged my feet this mornin’. She even shaved my legs too!”
The Crusaders nearly gagged at the image of Applejack shaving Granny’s old legs. Apple Bloom quickly composed herself.
“…thank you fer sharing Granny. Anythin’ else?”
Granny Smith placed her finger on her chin with a thoughtful look on her face.
“Well…I supposed I noticed that Applejack’s been as busy then usual fer the past couple of weeks by finishin’ her chores early and then went out before supper. Ah was a little worried she’ll push herself too hard but she reassured me that she’ll be fine. But Ah had a feeling she’s not tellin’ me the whole story.”
So Granny’s been noticing about Applejack too! Apple Bloom thought with a frown.
“Did ya ask where she’s gone?” Apple Bloom asked.
Granny shook her head. “Ah thought of askin,’ but I didn’t want to pry.”
Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow. “Why’s that?”
“Simple, Ah trust her and Ah figured she’ll tell me when the time is right.” Granny answered as if it was obvious. Noticing her granddaughter’s dejected look, she gave her a caring look.
“Ah know yer worried about her little one, but try not to fret. Ah’m sure she’ll tell you when the time is right. But if this really bothered you, then go talk to your sister and Ah’m sure she’ll tell you.”
She thought about what her grandmother just said and she realized that she was right. This had been going on for too long and she needs an answer from Applejack whether she’s willing to or not. She then flashed her granny her small smile.
“Yeah, yer probably right. Thanks Granny!”
Granny Smith smiled back. “Anytime my little apple!”
Sweetie Belle suddenly spoke up.
“I have a question Granny! Did Applejack got herself a new bike that looked like it had been stolen from me?”
“Eh?”
“SWEETIE BELLE!”
After the bell rung, all the students rushed outside for their weekend freedom. While everyone left the school in excitement, Apple Bloom walked through the front entrance with a determined look on her face while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle walked behind her with curious expressions.
“So what are you going to do Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“What Ah should’ve done weeks ago!” Apple Bloom replied. “Ah’m goin’ home and confront my sister about her late night outs and get answers once and for all and put this whole Diamond Bandit nonsense to rest!”
Scootaloo raised her eyebrow. “But how do you know she’ll tell you the truth?”
“Ah’ll know!” Apple Bloom answered sharply. “We Apples can tell if someone was lyin’ or not. ‘Sides, even if she tried, she’s a terrible liar.”
“Good point,” said Scootaloo. “She’ll be a terrible bandit if she can never lie.”
Apple Bloom stopped walking and then she turned and glared at Scootaloo.
“Just saying…” Scootaloo said nervously with both her palms raised up defensively.
Apple Bloom huffed and then continued to walk with her two friends following her.
Normally, they would continue to walk down the school path and then make a right on the sidewalk towards the neighborhood, which would lead them to Sweet Apple Acres in less than fifteen minutes. But today, Apple Bloom took a right turn towards the city, which is the opposite direction from Sweet Apple Acres. Confused from their friend’s actions, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo quickly caught up to Apple Bloom.
“Um Apple Bloom? Why are you taking a different path?” Sweetie Belle asked. “The path that leads you to home is the other way.”
“Ah’m takin’ the long path to pass the time.” Apple Bloom replied. “My sis told me she and Big Mac are out on an errand today after school. Ah want to confront her when she gets home.”
“Big Mac’s with her huh?” Scootaloo said with suspicion. “Maybe your brother was in all this and is splitting the loot with Applejack. I bet Applejack needs him as a getaway dri-”
Apple Bloom stopped walking and then went up to Scootaloo’s face with her look of fury.
“Scootaloo, Ah swear to Fraust, if you say anthin’ about my sister or any of my family members as the Diamond Bandit one more time, Ah’ll drag you to the playground’s sand box by the ear, buried yer head in the sand like an ostrich, take a photo of you while yer head is buried and then send it to Rainbow Dash!”
Scootaloo’s eyes widened in horror. “Y-you wouldn’t dare!”
“AH WOULD!” Apple Bloom shouted.
“Apple Bloom stop! You’re scaring us!” Sweetie Belle begged in fright.
Apple Bloom snapped out of her rage mode and looked directly at her friends. She saw fear and concerned looks from both of her friends faces. She felt guilty for the way she behaved towards them, especially to Scootaloo. Apple Bloom sighed and looked down in shame.
“Ah’m…ah’m sorry Scootaloo, Ah…Ah shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. The way you kept sayin’ about my sister bein’ a thief really made me very upset.”
Scootaloo sighed quietly as she rubbed her right arm. “No Apple Bloom, I’m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t have made you feel so terrible. That was uncool of me.”
“Yeah, we’re supposed to help you solve your problems, not make it worse.” added Sweetie Belle. “That’s why we’re coming with you as support. Us Crusaders always stick together!”
Apple Bloom let out her small smile. “Thanks girls, Ah appreciate this. Now come on, we got to head to Sweet Apple Acres, the long way.”
So the Crusaders resumed their walk towards the city. As they were walking, Apple Bloom cleared her throat awkwardly and the turned her head towards Scootaloo.
“Listen Scoots…about my threat-”
“Don’t worry, we’re cool!”
“Oh…okay cool,”
…
“By the way, how did you get Rainbow Dash’s number?”
“Okay, we’re here!” Apple Bloom announced after about an hour of walking around the city and then to the back of her home.
“Any reason why we’re going through the back door?” asked Sweetie Belle as they made their way up the stairs of Apple Bloom’s back porch.
“Well, since the long path leads us here, Ah figured it’s a lot faster to go through the back instead of the front,” Apple Bloom answered as she took out her key from her pocket.
Apple Bloom then placed the key to her back door to unlock it and then opened it. The girls entered the back door and into the kitchen. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo placed their backpacks by the back door while Apple Bloom made her way to the kitchen door that leads to her living room.
“Hey Apple Bloom, can we have some of your family’s Apple Cider?” Scootaloo called out as she was looking through Apple Bloom’s fridge.
“Ah could ask after Ah talk to Applejack,” said Apple Bloom as we was opening the door. “But don’t get yer hopes up, she’ll most likely gave us the non-alcoholic ci-”
Apple Bloom stopped speaking when she caught her sister, Applejack, who was frantically moving around the room and moving the furnitures as if she was looking for something. Apple Bloom quickly closed the door a bit so that Applejack won’t notice her, but leave the door open enough for her to see what her sister was doing. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle walked up behind Apple Bloom with confused expressions.
“Hey Ap-”
Apple Bloom quickly placed her hand over Scootaloo’s mouth and shushed her, signaling her friends to stay quiet. Apple Bloom then pointed the door behind her with her thumb. Curious, the two Crusaders took a peak through the crack of the door and their eyes widened when they saw Applejack going through the room like a mad woman. They continued to spy Applejack for a moment until they all heard a loud call from Apple Bloom’s grandmother from upstairs.
“Applejack?”
In that moment, Applejack lifted a cushion from the couch, placed a medium size black velvet bag in its place and then placed the cushion back where it belongs. Satisfied that her item was well hidden, Applejack then casually went up the stairs.
“Comin’ Granny!” Applejack hollered as she was ascending up the stairs.
Once they were sure that Applejack was out of the room, the Crusaders quietly went into the living room and approached the couch. Apple Bloom then lifted up the cushion and retrieved the bag that Applejack was desperately was trying to hide. The girls looked at each other, silently dared each other to whoever be the one to look into Applejack’s bag. Finally, with a bad feeling in her stomach, Apple Bloom carefully pulled the string to unloosen the bag. With a gulp, Apple Bloom then opened the bag further to see the inside of it. What she saw almost made her let out a loud gasp as well as the other Crusaders.
“Diamonds!” Apple Bloom breathed in horror.
Her heart nearly breaks in two for seeing those offensive rocks that was now sitting on her hands. She felt hurt and betrayed as memories played from the show she and her friends watched yesterday was in fact true. She couldn’t deny it anymore.
Her sister…really is a thief.
There was painful silence in the room after the reveal and no one knew what to say to a situation like this. Finally, Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle with an opened palm in front of her.
“Alright Sweetie Belle, you owe me five bucks!”
Scootaloo blinked when she received expressionless looks from her friends.
“What?”
Well that escalated quickly! Poor Apple Bloom! 
Fun fact: Originally, I planned to have Apple Bloom ran off from her friends after upsetting her about her sister and then bumps into Sonata by herself. Sonata was the one to give Apple Bloom her advice to always have fate in her sister. But I felt it doesn't fit right for me, especially having her comment about Applejack looking like the bandit afterwords. So I decided to have Granny Smith be the one to give Apple Bloom the advice and made Sonata her cameo appearance instead.
And yes, this story does take place after my other story Freezer Burned. It not required to read that before this one, but it does help a bit to understand what they were talking about.
Anyway, be on the lookout for the next chapter tomorrow! 
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Really interesting idea (although I always imagined that in such situation, it would be Rarity the one suspected!
) (it should not be tagged "Mystery" or "Thriller" too?)
And the plot really thickens with such discovery!
I wonder if the Crusaders will bring the rest Human6 and Sunset into the mix...
I wonder if we will see a "Diamond Bandit Applejack" fanart...
Can't wait to see how it will develop!
And kind of related:
You've got bushels of wrong words scattered throughout the story. I got the largest laugh out of the "chilly". Chili is what you were looking for.
7075994 fixed.
It's me or Applebloom inherited Applejack's short tempered idiotness.
Deeeyyyuuuummmmmm
Well... this just went from bad to worse.:
The plot thickens...
......
This story is a real
diamond
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
and listening to their tunes*
hold water for me!"*
reach the end of the line,*
Tmi.
Now she's done it!
Very suspicious.
Applejack was desperately trying to hide.*
https://m.