Those Who Hunt
The young filly tore through the streets of Ponyville, her breathing labored from her frantic running. The citizens of the small town went about their daily tasks, oblivious to the plight of the young filly. She was being pursued; she knew it. She could not ask for their help out of fear that her pursuers could glean information from them about her passing. No, it was best she left as little sign of her passage as possible. She had to avoid being found at all costs.
Sweetie Belle stopped running to catch her breath, her lungs screaming for air. As she caught her breath, she quickly looked around the street she found herself in. There was no sign of her pursuers yet, but it would only be a matter of time. They were stubborn, persistent, and would not stop until they found her.
Her mind raced as she considered the places she could hide. She considered her sister’s boutique, but shook her head at the possibility. Such a place would be too obvious; it would be the first place they would look for her. Could she go appeal to Twilight to protect her? No, she could not involve royalty in this. Fluttershy’s place? No, she could not bring this upon the kind pegasus’s home.
Sweetie growled in frustration. The longer she stood in the open, the more likely it was she would be discovered.
“Think!” she screamed inside her mind. Where was an excellent place to hide where her pursuers would not think to look? It had to be someplace different, someplace unique, someplace that could hide her from prying eyes.
An idea hit her, what if she hid out in the open? Not walking the streets of course, but a place where there would be a lot of hoof traffic. With many ponies around, it would make things difficult for her hunters to use their devious methods to locate her.
With a wide grin, she turned and ran for just such a place: Sugar Cube Corner. The busy sweets shop would make for the perfect hide-in-plain-sight spot. It would be difficult for her hunters to find her there; her plan was flawless!
She was about to round a corner when she heard a voice that stopped her dead in her tracks. Sweetie Belle pressed herself up against the wall of the building as she heard them speak.
“Excuse me, Bon Bon, have you seen Sweetie Belle around today?” asked the voice of one of her pursuers.
“I sure haven’t, dear. Are you looking for her?” the candy maker asked.
“You could say that,” the voice responded. Sweetie Belle could hear the sneer in its voice. Her pursuers were devious indeed to enlist outside help. She mentally cursed the unfairness of it all.
“Well, if I see her, I’ll tell her you were looking,” Bon Bon said.
“Alright, thanks,” the voice replied as it moved away. Her pursuers thankfully moved in the opposite direction of where she hid.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she dashed across the road, heading in the direction of the bakery. The sooner she got out of sight, the better.
Her path took her through the market square. The busy bazaar was packed with merchants and customers alike. While it slowed her down to go through here, it would also throw off the hunters as well. She pushed past a few ponies in her haste and ran past a merchant stall that sold delicious-looking apples.
“Hey there, Sweetie Belle, where ya off ta today?” she heard Applejack call to her.
“No time,” she said as she dashed past and into the street towards her chosen safe haven.
“Now, what’s got her tail all in a tussle?” the farm pony muttered.
Sweetie Belle burst through the doors of the sweets shop and looked around quickly. Only a few ponies were present at the moment. This was a mixed blessing: it meant that few saw her enter the store, but it also served for less distractions should her pursuers search here.
Where to hide, though? She couldn’t hide in the kitchen. She would just be in the way of the Cakes, and that would be rude. She could hide at one of the tables; she’d need to order something to avoid suspicion. Besides, maybe a nice ice cream shake could soothe her frazzled nerves.
She approached the counter silently; Mr. Cake smiled as he noticed her.
“Hello there, Sweetie Belle, what can I get you?” he asked.
“Um, a chocolate milkshake please, Mr. Cake,” she answered, her eyes darting to the store’s entrance.
“With rainbow sprinkles, yes?” he asked with a wide grin. “They’re always your favorite.”
Despite her situation, she smiled wide. “Yes please,” she said eagerly and set the required bits on the counter.
“Coming right up,” he said, scooping up the money. He turned to fix her requested dessert.
As she waited for her milkshake, she looked quickly to the door as more customers arrived. She almost jumped out of her skin when Mr. Cake returned and set the shake down on the counter.
“Here you go, Sweetie.” He frowned softly at her surprised reaction. “Are you alright, Sweetie Belle? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Sweetie took a calming breath and shook her head. “N-no, I’m fine,” she said as she gathered her treat. “Thanks Mr. Cake. Oh, you didn’t see me today.” Sweetie moved to sit a table in the corner of the store to not only enjoy her treat, but to also to watch the door.
“Ooo…kay…” Mr. Cake muttered and shook his head. “Kids these days. I wonder if Pound and Pumpkin will go through such an awkward phase.”
“He doesn’t know the half of it,” Sweetie thought. He couldn’t and shouldn’t know that she was being pursued by devious hunters. All she had to do was make it through the day without being caught, and she would be safe. A bakery was the best place to hide; they’d never think to look here. She silently congratulated herself for her cleverness and snacked on her scrumptious dessert.
Her eyes widened instantly as she caught sight of her pursuers just out in the street. Worse yet, they were walking towards the bakery!
She looked around frantically. She could not get to the kitchen without being seen, and the exit was out of the question. She did the only thing she could: hide under the table. She managed to conk her head on the table’s edge, but got underneath the tablecloth just before she heard the door to the store open.
She rubbed at her sore noggin as she heard Mr. Cake address the new arrivals.
“Hey there, can I help you two?”
“Nah, we’re just looking,” she heard one of them say.
“Oh…” Mr. Cake sighed in disappointment. “If you need anything, just say so.”
“We will,” the other hunter said.
Sweetie dared not to breathe, out of fear that her rapid breathing would lead to her being found. She flinched as two sets of hooves approached her table. They paused at its edge, speaking to each other.
“You sure she came here?” she heard one ask.
“Yeah, this is where she said she was headin’ to. She saw her at the market, remember?” the other said.
“Who said that?”
“Ya know who,” the other said with a hint of annoyance.
“Oh, right…Applejack,” the first said sheepishly.
Sweetie Belle silently cursed herself for going through the market. Of course Applejack would have blabbed. The embodiment of honesty couldn’t lie to save her own skin.
“Hmm?” she heard the second voice say.
“What?” the other asked.
Sweetie felt her table shake as one of them leaned on it.
“Chocolate with rainbow sprinkles: her favorite.”
“So she’s been here.”
“Maybe…”
Sweetie Belle cursed her sweet tooth; it had betrayed her yet again.
There was a palpable silence as the two sets of hooves did not move for a moment. Sweetie’s heart beat rapidly, her eyes shrinking in fear and anticipation.
“No, no, no, no, sweet Celestia, no,” she mentally pleaded.
Mercifully, her pursuers turned and walked away; she was safe. She sighed in relief, her heart finally calming down.
At least it did before the edge of the tablecloth lifted suddenly, and she was face to face with her dreaded pursuers. They both bore wide smiles of triumph.
Sweetie Belle’s heart sank. It was all over, all over! They had found her, and all was lost!
“Ha! Found ya Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom shouted in triumph.
The corners of Scootaloo's mouth turned up in a confident smirk. “You thought you could hide from us? Ha!”
Sweetie ears laid back. “Aww… how did you guys find me so fast?” Sweetie asked as she crawled out from under the table.
“Ya should know better than ta let ponies see ya when yer tryin’ ta find a place ta hide.” Apple Bloom told her with a sage nod.
Scootaloo's eyes widened. “So did we get our cutie marks?”
All three of them turned to look at their flanks, which still stubbornly remained bare.
“Guess we won’t get our marks for ‘Hide and Seek’ masters,” Sweetie Belle grumbled.
The girls all shared a disappointed sigh, and walked out of the store.
"Guess we'll have to try again. You're it, Scootaloo!" Sweetie Bell shouted as both she and Apple Bloom took off with happy giggles.
"Hey! No fair, you two!"
