Seven Red X's

Seven Red X's

By

Inky Shades

Halloween. A time for tricks and treats, wearing rad costumes and all round being awesome. Of course, Rainbow didn’t have to wait for a holiday to be awesome. She just was. But she was also bored of the same routine. There were only so many different ways to trick people, and the thrill of the scare had diminished over the years. So much so that she’d considered sitting this Halloween out. At least until someone slipped a tattered map under her college dorm door.

“Alright, sugarcube, we’re all here now. So what’s the big surprise? You mentioned something about a ‘totally awesome scavenger hunt’,” Applejack said.

Rainbow reclined against the bench, spreading her arms over the back. “Yup.” She reached a hand towards Applejack, map sandwiched between two fingers.

“I’m standing over here, Rainbow.”

“Whoops!”

“Really? You know, maybe if you weren’t wearin’ sunglasses at night, you’d be able to see me. Why do you even have glasses? I’m pretty sure they weren’t part of Rarity’s design.”

“No. I just think they look cool. For the ‘what-ever-you-call-it—the aesthetic!’ Right, Rarity?”

“I mean, she does have a point, darling,” Rarity said. “The glasses do complete the ensemble. Though it can be dangerous if you can’t see where you’re walking. But I have to compliment your dedication to the look.”

Rainbow tilted her glasses in the direction of Rarity’s voice.

“Well, I think she looks ridiculous,” Applejack said.

“Ugh, fine.” Rainbow removed her glasses, but then grinned when she saw Applejack clearly. “You know, ‘ridiculous’ is rich coming from the girl with hay between her tits. What are you supposed to be, anyway? A sexually starved farm girl finally getting laid?”

Applejack placed a hand on her hip. “Excuse me? I’m obviously a scarecrow. And what about you, an FBI trainee that’s trying to pay her way through the academy by working the pole at a club?”

“Seriously, AJ, there’s no need to be so insulting. Obviously I’m not with the FBI.” She reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out an id card. “I’m DOA.”

Applejack leaned in, scrutinizing the card. “Department of Awesome? You’re kidding?”

“Nope. This is like the coolest add-on, Rarity!”

“Thank you, darling. I find that it’s the small details that really make an outfit,” Rarity said.

“Can we get back to the surprise? I want to hear more about the surprise!” Pinkie bounced in place, rustling the pastel blue frills of her dress.

“Alright, alright, hold your horses.” Applejack unfolded the map, and her gaze roamed the page. “Who did you say gave you this?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Beats me. I went to check the hall, but no one was there.”

“So you’re tellin’ me that you want us to venture into the Everfree Forest using a map given to you by a stranger?”

“Yeah! And I want each of us to go to an x.”

“Y-You want us to separate and, and go into the Everfree alone?” Fluttershy bent one of the thin, pink dragonfly wings attached to the back of her costume forward. “But it’s so… so dark…” As if on cue, a layer of clouds passed over the moon, causing her to bury her face into the back of Rarity’s yellow off the shoulder dress.

“There, there, darling.” Rarity reached back and patted Fluttershy’s cheek. “I’m sure she doesn’t mean alone, alone.”

“No. I meant it,” Rainbow said. “What? Don’t look at me like that, you guys! It’ll be awesome! Promise.”

“Applejack, can you hand me the map?” Twilight asked.

“Sure, Twi. Not sure what good it’ll do though,” Applejack said.

Twilight adjusted her glasses. “I just want to see if there’s anything that might indicate who gave the map to Rainbow.”

“Knock yourself out.”

“You’re just wasting your time though,” Rainbow said. “There aren’t any indicators. But we should really get going while the night’s still young.”

“Okay, since no one is apparently willing to ask the important question, I’ll ask it: Why are all our costumes so sexy, Rarity?” Sunset flipped her red hood and pointed an accusatory finger at her.

“Wha-What? Pardon?” Rarity put a hand on her chest. “I’d never—”

“Well, I mean the hems of our dresses are kind of short…” Fluttershy futzed with the purple frill at the bottom of her dress.

“And they’re delightfully airy in the chest,” Pinkie said.

“Is it so wrong for me to want to highlight my friends’ best qualities? Is it?” Rarity asked.

“Of course not,” Sunset said. “But it is a little suspicious that all our costumes are so revealing.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Aw, lay off her, Sunset. Worried you’re going to drive the big bad wolf crazy in that bodice and those fishnets? We look hot as hell in our costumes, right?” She waited for their slow, but collective acknowledgments. “Uh-huh, exactly. And do we like how they make us feel?” More acknowledgments. She placed her hands behind her head. “I rest my case.”

“I can’t believe that you thought I had some ulterior motive. Me! Who just wanted to show off my friends’ natural attractiveness. I am offended,” Rarity said with indignant hands on her hips.

“Okay, okay.” Sunset held up her hands. “I’m—”

“Offended!”

“Sorry.”

“Hmph!” Rarity flipped her hair. “Apology accepted, darling.”

“Well, now that that’s settled. Do you see any clues about the map, Twilight?” Applejack asked.

Twilight sighed, tugging at the ends of her lab coat. “No. I can’t see anything out of the ordinary. No erase marks, and all the ink looks evenly spread, so I don’t think anything is being hidden. Sorry. It does feel a little odd that there are seven x marks, and seven of us, but that’s probably a coincidence.”

“See? Told you,” Rainbow said. “So can we go now? I think I hear November calling.”

Pinkie giggled. “November sounds like a laugh!”

“That’s just the wind blowing through the trees, darling,” Rarity said.

“I don’t know…” Applejack cupped her chin. “Still feels fishy to me.”

“Oh, come on, Applejack,” Rainbow said, throwing her arms in the air. “Do you know how many weird things we’ve encountered since high school? I think we can handle a little map. Besides, what if there’s something awesome at the end of each x? You know you want to know almost as much as I do. It’ll be fun like the adventures we used to have at CHS.” She rose from the bench and nudged Applejack in the side. “Eh, eh?”

“Alright. Let’s say we do this. How are each of us supposed to find an x if there’s only one map, genius?”

“We use these!” Pinkie beamed, holding six other maps.

“Okay, now that is too convenient,” Applejack said. “Where did you find those, Pinkie?”

“Oh, just over there by the trash can.” She gestured towards the garbage.

“Do you see now, AJ? Nothing suspicious at all. Just people who weren’t interested in the scavenging hunt,” Rainbow said.

“I swear those weren’t there earlier,” Applejack said.

“Look, you all do what you want, but I’m going in to find a prize,” Rainbow said, taking a map from Pinkie. “And I’m wearing these too!” She put her glasses back on.

“For cryin’ out—fine! We’ll follow your map.”

“That’s the spirit!” Rainbow wrapped an arm around Applejack’s shoulders.

“Why do I think that I’m going to regret this?”