The Master Plan

Twilight Sparkle paced anxiously back and forth across the Canterlot throne room. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna looked on worriedly as the purple mare muttered to herself.

"This can't be happening! He can't be gone! What am I going to do?" Twilight panicked.

"Please, dear, it'll be alright," Celestia assured her. "We already have multiple highly-trianed search parties looking for Prince Shining Armor right now. Her words didn't seem to settle Twilight down though.

"I know how you feel, honey," said Princess Cadence, who had entered the room not long before. She now sat next to a worried Luna. "I'm as worried about Shining Armor as you are. But I know Celestia's guards will find him."

"I just don't want him to get hurt!" cried Twilight. "It's not like before, when Chrysalis cursed him; he was still there with us. Now we don't know what hos captors are doing to him!" She collapsed in a teary, sobbing mess.

"Shining Armor is very strong and resiliant," Luna said. "He can protect himself. I am sure he is fine."

"Who do you think ponynapped him, anyway?" asked Princess Cadance.

"I have a feeling it's no new group," said Celestia. "I think it's some villian we've fought before." Her words sent a chill down everypony's spine.

Just then, the giant double doors to the throne room flew open, and a messenger stallion rushed in.

"You have news?" Celestia asked him.

"Yes, Princess. We have searched the castle and the entire villiage, as well as the outskirts of Canterlot, but we have not found any of the missing ponies," the mesenger reported.

Celestia sighed. "None of them?"

"None, Princess," the guard said solemly. "Is there another place you would have us check?"

"Where else is there?" Celestia seemed to almost have given up hope when suddenly Twilight jumped to her hooves. Everypony in the room stared at her.

"Did you check the Crystal Caves?" she asked.

"Sorry? The....what?" The messenger guard seemed puzzled.

"You know, the caves under Canterlot! The ones that Chrysalis trapped Cadance and I in when she was getting married!" It seemed like a pretty good place to hide someone to Twilight.

"I doubt the Captain even knows they exist!" the guard exclaimed. "I'll tell him immediately!"

"Wait! Cadance and I will come with you! We know the caves better than anypony else," Twilight said as Cadance stepped to her side in agreement.

"It's very dangerous. I don't think you should go," said the messenger.

Cadance and Twilight looked at each other for a second, then back at the guard. "I think we can handle it," Twilight replied.

"If you say so," The guard answered. "Come on, we don't have much time."

"Good luck girls," Celestia called after them as the two ponies nodded at her and followed the guard out the door.

~    ~    ~    ~   ~

"Apple Bloom's really late! I wonder where she could be!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

"It's not like we can start the meeting without her...." Scootaloo frowned.

The two were waiting in the clubhouse for the commence of their next important meeting. The only problem was, their leader was not present.

"Maybe we should go to Sweet Apple Acres," suggested Scootaloo.

"I don't know," Sweetie Belle replied. "What if she's doing some important family stuff?"

"Or..." Scootaloo jumped to her hooves, eyes wide.

"Or what?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Or what if she broke her legs bucking apple trees, and she's lost in the apple orchard, and the Apple family is trying to find her, but they can't and they need help!" Scootaloo clapped her hooves to her head.

"That's pretty far-fetched," Sweetie Belle began, but before she could say anything more, Scootaloo swept her onto the back of her scooter and zipped out of the Clubhouse and down the street.

"Whooooaaa! Woooohooo!" Sweetie Belle cried as the wind whipped past her. Scootaloo swerved around annoyed ponies and ducked under large mares like she was riding through an obstacle course. The buildings and houses of Ponyville rushed past them in a blur. Every once in a while, ponies ahead of them jumped sideways to get out of the scooter's path.

Scootaloo stopped suddenly as they zoomed past a certain pink pony. Sweetie Belle looked over at Pinkie, who was staring intently at a mailbox without blinking.

"Umm, Pinkie? What are you doing?" Scootaloo asked.

"I'm making sure this mailbox doesn't attack Ponyville!" Pinkie told them as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow and looked at Sweetie Belle. "Okay....I think we better....be going now....Seeya Pinkie."

"M'kay, have a great day!" Pinkie told them, her eyes never leaving the mailbox.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hopped back on the scooter and zipped away. It wasn't long before they dodged their way to Sweet Apple Acres.

The two filles parked the scooter and popped off their helmets. Then they rushed up to the farmhouse and knocked anxiously on the door. Seconds later, it was opened by a smiling Apple Fritter.

"Howdy girls, what's goin' on?" she asked the fillies.

"We're looking for Apple Bloom. Is she okay?" asked Scootaloo.

"She was late for our meeting," Sweetie Belle chimed in.

"I'm sure she's right as rain, but she's not here," Apple Fritter said. "She went to Manehattan with Apple Jack."

"MANEHATTAN?" cried the fillies.

"Yup. Got a letter from Babs sayin' she was in trouble or somethin'," Apple Fritter replied.

"BABS?" cried the fillies again. Apple Fritter chuckled.

"We have to go help her!" said Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah! Babs is our friend too!" Scootaloo added determinately.

"I'm sure you'd love to go, but what about your sister, Sweetie Belle? And you'd need a grown-up pony to go with you," Apple Fritter said.

"My sister won't mind," Sweetie Belle assured the farm pony. "She's to busy designing dresses anyway! She won't even notice I'm gone!"

"As for the pony to go with us," Scootaloo said, "I think I know just the one."