There was one problem with running, which the CMC quickly realised as they gathered at their clubhouse an hour after the monster fiasco. Where, exactly, did they run to?

"How about Manehattan?" Scootaloo suggested.

"No!" Sweetie Belle cried. "I don't wanna leave Ponyville and Rarity!!! I just want to run and hide!! But not too far!"

"Uh, Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo said slowly, arching an eyebrow. "You are literally making no sense. You do know the whole point in running is to leave Ponyville and our sisters...right? So they don't catch us and kill us? Or banish us to the moon?"

"I can't leave Rarity entirely!" Sweetie Belle whined. "I'll miss her!"

"Sweetie's right." Apple Bloom said. "Ah don't wanna get caught, but Ah don't wanna leave Ponyville either."

Scootaloo groaned. "Then what exactly do you suggest?" She demanded. "Cause if we hang around you know what'll happen. They'll find out it was us, they'll catch us, and then..." She couldn't finish. The thought was too dreadful.

"Why can't we just pick a place to hide for a while?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom agreed, then frowned. "Only it can't be here. This is the first spot they'd look."

Scootaloo sighed, knowing there was no sense in arguing that her idea to leave town was better.

"I don't know. Zecora's?" She offered.

"No!" Apple Bloom said in horror. "She'd talk us into goin' back or lead our sisters right to us!"

"True." Scootaloo rubbed her neck. "Well, then...your barn? The boutique's attic?"

"No, Applejack would look at home, thoroughly." Apple Bloom said dismally.

"And Rarity would turn the boutique upside down to find us." Sweetie Belle said.

"Then where? Do we know anypony who'd be willing to help us?" Scootaloo questioned.

They sat in silence for a long time, pondering the conundrum they were in.

"Fluttershy!" Scootaloo suddenly said. "She's always willing to help ponies and animals in desperate need of help! And I'd say we're in desperate need."

"Yeah, but she's an Element. Wouldn't she turn us in?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Ah don't think so." Apple Bloom said. "An' nopony would think to look at her house."

"Yeah, but we'd be asking her to lie." Sweetie Belle said doubtfully. "She isn't a very convincing liar."

The other two exchanged looks, realising that Sweetie Belle had a valid point.

"Well, we'll have to risk it." Scootaloo finally said. "She'll know how to take care of us as far as food goes, and shelter. And she doesn't have to lie. Just sorta...avoid saying she knows where we are if she happens to be asked."

"In other words, lie." Sweetie Belle said drily.

"Ok, lets go." Apple Bloom said, rising. "If we're lucky, she'll be home by now. And alone. Ah hope."

The three fillies donned their capes and packs, and made thier way out the door.

**********************************

Fluttershy had just finished feeding all her animals when there was a timid knock...at her back door. She went to answer it.

"Hi, Fluttershy." Scootaloo spoke up.

"Oh...hi, girls. Come on in!" Fluttershy said. They complied. "What brings you here?"

"Fluttershy," Sweetie Belle said nervously. "Um, we, uh, we need a place to hide. Like, for a really long time. Maybe forever."

"Yeah, and nopony can know, cause our sisters will catch us and then we'll be banished forever!" Scootaloo said, wide eyed.

"Goodness!" Fluttershy exclaimed softly. "Why would you be banished?"

The fillies looked at each other, ears pinning back. None of them wanted to say it. Finally, Sweetie Belle spoke.

"We...we did something really bad." She said, tears filling her eyes. "And Twilight and our sisters are gonna kill us if they ever find out. Which they will. And we need to be hiding when they do, so maybe they won't find us, cause what we did was really, really awful and, oh, Fluttershy! Help!"

The now sobbing filly flung herself at Fluttershy, latching on and crying mightily. The other two had tears trickling silently down thier muzzles.

"Oh, goodness!" Fluttershy said, concerned.

Her left foreleg wrapped around Sweetie Beele, and the right one reached out to draw the other two fillies in close.

"What did you do that was so awful?" She asked softly.

Three heads shook simultaneously, and Scootaloo muttered that they couldn't tell.

"Come on now." Fluttershy said kindly. "You'll feel better if you get it off your chests."

There was a moment of silence. Then it was shattered by a piercing shriek from Sweetie Belle.

"I can't take it!" She wailed. "It was us! We did it!! We created the monster!!" Then she broke out in sobs again.

Fluttershy sat in stunned speechlessness for a moment, trying to process what had just been said. Then she understood.

"That was you?" She asked, somewhat amazed.

"Yeah." Scootaloo sniffled. "It was us. Trying for cutie marks. Only we failed and created a monster instead. And it could have really hurt ponies."

"An' we ran away from town and home and came here." Apple Bloom added miserably.

"And now we'll get thrown in dungeons or banished to the moooooon!" Sweetie Belle cried.

Fluttershy was beginning to grasp why the three had come to her.

"I see." She said. "So you came to me because you figured I would hide you from everypony?" Three nods. "Ah. Well, girls, you may stay here with me, but only until you calm yourselves. Then we are going to go see Twilight and the others."

"Oh no! No!" Scootaloo yelped. "You can't do that to us, Fluttershy, please!! We just told you what they'll do to us!"

Fluttershy pulled back from them and looked into thier scared eyes.

"I won't tell you that there won't be serious consequences for what you did." She said gently. "But I will tell you that running from this will only make it much worse. The best thing you can do for yourselves, no matter how hard it is, is to go and make a full confession to the others."

"B...but the punishment..." moaned Sweetie Belle, shivering.

Fluttershy gave a nod. "Yes, there will be punishment." She agreed. "But which would you rather do: run away and constantly have fear and dread and guilt chasing you, always worrying about getting caught? Or simply go and confess and take the punishment and be done with it?"

The fillies looked at each miserably, groaning.

"I'd rather go face a cave full of bloodthirsty dragons." Scootaloo finally mumbled. "But...I guess...go confess?"

"I guess I'd rather go get it over with." Sweetie Belle said, trembling at the thought.

"Ah reackon it'd be better to confess." Apple Bloom said, sighing.

Fluttershy drew them all in for a hug.

"Good girls." She praised. "Lets get you three some tea to help you calm down, and then we'll go to Twilight's together. Ok?"

"Ok..." muttered the fillies.

Fluttershy made tea and the Crusaders drank it without a fuss. Once they finished, Fluttershy rose.

"Ready?" She asked.

"No." Scootaloo replied, voicing the thought of all three of them. "But I guess we better go."

Fluttershy led them out of the cottage and towards town.

Towards the meeting they wanted to avoid.

And thier impending doom.

Author's Note

Not finished yet! Got another chapter coming. At some point.