Cutie Mark crusader kidnappers

Rainbow Dash looked down at the newspaper in horror. The headline read:
Scootaloo’s bad mane day

With a Picture of Scootaloo in tears and completely bald, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Hey eyes narrowed at the writer’s name: Gabby Gums

The pen name that the cutie mark crusaders had created when they tried to get their cutie marks in journalism. She wanted answers, from the looks of Scootaloo in the picture, this was not of her own free will. That was when she remembered that the Crusaders were being blackmailed into doing it by Diamond Tiara, who had threatened to post embarrassing photos of the three girls.

Rainbow Dash had her prime suspect.

***

Rainbow Dash burst into Miss Cheerilee’s class, causing everypony to look up from their work towards her. Rainbow Dash noticed that Scootaloo wasn't in class but she did see her two friends, however, Sen then saw the pony who she wanted to talk to. Diamond Tiara was too busy having her conversation with Silver Spoon to notice that Rainbow Dash was standing right in front of her.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat loudly causing the two snobbish fillies to look up. “Yes, can I help you?” Diamond asked, examining her hooves, not even looking up at the angry mare.

“Where is she?” Rainbow snarled.

Diamond merely rolled her eyes, still not looking up at Dash, “where’s who?”

“You know who,” Dash hissed, slamming the newspaper onto the desk causing both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to finally look up at the enraged pegasus. Everypony looked at Rainbow Dash as her cyan coat began to turn red from anger. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shifted uncomfortably in their seats as they realised what she was talking about.

Diamond looked down at the newspaper article before bursting out in laughter “HAHAHA! I would pay to watch that in person.”

Rainbow Dash couldn't take any more as she screamed “SHUT UP, YOU SPOILT BRAT! Now you better tell me where Scootaloo is or Celestia help me if I get my hooves on you.”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon began to shake in fear as Diamond bravely retorted “We don't know where the blank flank is. We haven't seen her all week, why don't you ask her friends.”

Rainbow’s eye twitched, however, before she could reply Miss Cheerilee exclaimed “Rainbow Dash, this is a school!"

Rainbow turned on her and shouted, "I don't care care, look at what these spoilt brats did to Scootaloo!"

Cheerilee peered down at the newspaper and frowned before telling Dash, "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, but you're mistaken. After the Gabby Gums incident, the school shut the paper down."

Rainbow, gave a look of confusion before asking, "If that's the case, then where did this come from?"

"I'm not sure, somepony must've printed it off somewhere else because there was no way this printed off here." She explained.

Rainbow sighed in frustration, she then realised that Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom might know where she was. She walked over to their tables and asked, "Do you two girls, know where Scootaloo is?"

Both fillies shook their heads, a little too quickly, however, Rainbow was too stressed to notice. Cheerilee suddenly spoke up, "Rainbow Dash, might I remind you that you are interrupting a lesson? Why don't you go and ask the stallion that works at the printers in town."

Sighing, she shot one final glare towards the two bullies, still convinced that they were behind the humiliating article, before storming out of the classroom.

Miss Cheerilee breathed a sigh of relief of her own, glad that the erratic pegasus was out of her precious classroom. She then turned to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and said in a threatening tone, "If I find out that are the ones behind that article, I assure you that you will be expelled before you can shout Daddy."

Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave each other worried glances before turning to their workbooks, both of them now realising that if they were caught that they would be in a heap of trouble.

***

Rainbow Dash burst into the small printer shop in Ponyville. The old stallion, that owns the shop, jumped out of his skin, not expecting such an entrance. Regaining his composure, he walked over to the young mare and greeted, "Hello there, what can I do for you today?"

"Hey, did anypony print this off here?" Rainbow asked, showing the unicorn stallion the newspaper.

The shop owner, examined the paper, "Hmmm let me think."

Rainbow, beginning to get agitated, urged impatiently, "Hurry, this is important."

The stallion stroked his chin in thought before exclaiming, "Yes, I remember now, two fillies came in, they said it was for a school project."

Rainbow did a silent celebration before asking, "Do you know their names?"

"I'm afraid not, no."

Rainbow felt her temper rising again, "Well what did they look like?" she asked, irritated, throwing her hooves in the air.

"One was a white unicorn, she looked posh, unlike her earth pony friend. The earth pony was wearing a red bow too" he explained.

Rainbow's jaw dropped, not believing what she just heard. "Are you sure?"

"Yes quite sure, I remember them because they were very secretive. Oh, where did she go?" He asked as Rainbow was nowhere in sight.

***

As soon as school finished, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rushed to their clubhouse, "I knew it was a bad idea, to release that article!" Sweetie shouted in regret.

Sweetie then added, "What will we do if we get caught?"

"Ah don't know" Apple Bloom said in frustration, trying to think of what to do next.

Sweetie, then suggested timidly, "Maybe we should let her go."

"NO! She'll tell everypony" She shouted.

"Well, we were going to have to let her go at some point."

"Ah know, but we should wait fer the head to die down." Apple Bloom said.

"Okay." Sweetie relented agreeing with her friend.

"You go and check on Scoots, while I go and pick something up from Zecora's" Apple Bloom told Sweetie.

"What are you getting from Zecora's?" Sweetie asked in confusion.

"Something that could get us out of this mess." She replied cryptically.

Sweetie decided to go with it and ran off to the container, while Apple Bloom went to Zecora's.

***

Sweetie Belle entered the container to find Scootaloo in tears. She looked up to see Sweetie Belle standing there. "Mmmmph, mmmmph" She mumbled through the gag.

Sweetie Belle pulled the gag out of her mouth, "Please let me go."

Sweetie told her "I can't."

"Please, I promise I won't tell anypony" She pleaded. Sweetie was tempted by the idea but she instantly snapped it out of her head.

"No. I should punish you, you broke the rules." Sweetie said, walking over to the chest.

Scootaloo immediately started to shake her head in protest, "Please no, I'm sorry." Her eyes, turned to pinpricks as she watched Sweetie Belle pull out, a pair of rusted garden shears. "NOOOO! What are you doing get away from me!" She screamed.

Sweetie used her magic to grab her wing and placed the wing joint in between the two blades of the shears. Scootaloo started to hyperventilate and she clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable pain as she whispered, "Not my wings, anything but my wings." However the pain never came, she opened her eyes to see Sweetie Belle, dropping the shears causing a loud clang.

"I can't do it. I can't do any of this," she muttered to herself.

Suddenly, Apple Bloom walked in, she asked, "What's going on?"

"Apple Bloom, we've gone too far, we have to let her go" Sweetie exclaimed.

"I know which is why ah've brought this." Apple Bloom said holding up a bottle containing a mysterious purple liquid inside.

"What is it?" Sweetie Belle asked wary of the unknown substance.

"memory eraser potion. It makes a pony forget everything," she explained.

Sweetie Belle gasped, "We can't do that! This has gone on for too long."

"I know it has, If we don't give her this then she'll tell everypony." Apple Bloom hissed.

Sweetie Belle reluctantly agreed, "Fine"

Scootaloo instantly clamped her mouth shut, refusing to take the potion. "Please take the potion, Scootaloo" Sweetie pleaded, wanting to get this over and done with.

"You either take the potion, or we'll have to kill you." Apple Bloom threatened.

Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo couldn't believe what she was saying. Apple Bloom grabbed a knife and slashed at Scootaloo's flank causing her to scream, Apple Bloom instantly leapt at the chance to force the potion down Scootaloo's throat.

"What did you do that for!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

Apple Bloom merely said, "She wasn't opening her mouth."

Sweetie Belle couldn't believe, what her friend had become. They both watched as Scootaloo's eyes turned hazy before becoming clear again.

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and they both turned around to see Rainbow Dash standing there, her mouth opened in shock. "What have you done?"