Something Sweet to Bite

Part 5

Outside, Applebloom and Scootaloo were already a good ways down the street. Applebloom kicked at a pile of dead leaves. Any chores, real or made up, forgotten as the pair headed toward Sweet Apple Acres and the privacy of their clubhouse. Applebloom was still furious. "Ah just can't believe Diamond Tiara! Why does she and Silver Spoon always gotta turn everythin' into a competition? I mean landsakes, Nightmare Night is supposed to be fun! Who cares who gets the most candy or not?"
"Seemed like you did, back there," chimed in Scootaloo, crunching a few dead leaves herself.
"Ah know, Ah know!" Applebloom sighed heavily. "Ah just can't help it. Those fillies get under my skin worse than ticks on a hound dog. But it's too late to back down now. We gotta find a way to beat em!"
Scootaloo gave her wings a few humming bird-like flutters as she bounced in the air, trying to cheer her friend up. "That shouldn't be too hard. It's three against two! Even if we did end up leaving a little candy for Nightmare Moon." Applebloom glared at her friend who quickly added, "Which we're not! I'm just saying even if we did, we should still have more candy than they do at the end of the night."
"Hey...I guess you're right Scootaloo." said Applebloom, smiling as some of her anger drained away. "Those two ain't got a chance against the combined might of tha Cutie Mark Crusaders!"
"Don't be so sure... Of that," panted Sweetie Belle as she finally caught up with her two friends. "Remember what happened at the egg hunt during the last 'Spring Has Sprung' celebration?"
Scootaloo tilted her head back as if she were trying to visualize the event that Rarity's little sister spoke of. "Yeah... Diamond Tiara bet she would find the most chocolate eggs. We thought for sure we had beat her, but then it turned out she had a good fifty baskets worth of chocolate. I had no idea there were even that many eggs hidden!"
"That's because there weren't that many hidden," Sweetie Belle slowed to a cantor beside her friends as she caught her breath. The trio turned onto the dirt road that led out of town. It wouldn't be much longer until they were at their clubhouse. "I overheard my sister gossiping a while after that, and she was saying that Diamond Tiara didn't even bother hunting for any eggs. Instead her father had gotten her an entire pallet of those chocolates from his outlet store. All she did while we were running around like a bunch of agitated chickens was fill up her baskets, laughing the whole time."
"But that's cheatin'! Why didn't ya say anythin' sooner Sweetie Belle!?" demanded Applebloom, stomping in the dust.
"Well, I didn't want Rarity to know I was eavesdropping on her. Besides, we had already forked over our eggs months ago! There was no getting them back." Sweetie Belle looked down sadly as she walked. "Rarity was just as outraged when it happened, but there was nothing anypony could do. There was no rule against somepony 'finding' a pallet full of eggs."
"So you think she's going to do the same thing this time?" asked Scootaloo as the trio weaved their way through the outskirts of the apple orchard.. "You think she's going to get Filthy Rich to just buy her a bunch of candy and then she'll say she collected it?"
"I wouldn't doubt it. I don't remember seeing her or Silver Spoon once while we were trick or treating with Pinkie Pie last year." said Sweetie Belle matter-of-factually.
"So that's it, we're beat before we even start!" Applebloom smacked her head dramatically into the front door of the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse. "We're done for!"
"Not necessarily," said Sweetie Belle as she gently nudged Applebloom out of the way so she could open the door. The unicorn filly rummaged in her saddle bag as her friends followed in behind her. "Though we'd never be able to come up with the kind of money Diamond Tiara's dad has, there is something we could do." Carefully, Sweetie Belle spread the pages she snatched at the library on the tiny table the fillies used to make their plans.
Scootaloo examined the old wrinkled paper, "Hey...aren't these pages from that book Pinkie Pie was trying to show us?"
"Yup!"
"What do ya have in mind?" asked Applebloom, confused.
"I noticed something about these pages before we left the library. A lot of that book looks like it was history and mythology. Except these pages right here are recipes for all different kinds of classic Nightmare Night treats and candy!" Sweetie Belle beamed, self satisfied in her own brilliance, but her friends just stared at her. "Don't you get it? We can't buy extra candy like that cheating Diamond Tiara, but we can make extra candy instead!"
Scootaloo screwed up her face suspiciously, "So to counter her cheating, we'll cheat too?"
"Don't think of it as cheating," said Sweetie Belle, smoothing out the parchment. "Think of it as evening the playing field. We'll still go trick or treating on Nightmare Night, but if Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara don't, then we'll have more candy than they do for sure! This is just to make sure they play fair. And since these pages seem to have all the original recipes for a variety of candy, no pony can accuse us of just buying store bought candy. It's the perfect plan!"
"Ah don't know Sweetie Belle," said Applebloom. "It seems a might dishonest to me."
"I'm with Applebloom," said Scootaloo, settling on her haunches. "I want to put those two high and mighty fillies in their place as much as the next pony, but this doesn't feel right." Scootaloo looked over the pages, "And besides, this seems like it might be a lot of work, too. We're not exactly the best chefs in Ponyville. Pretty much everything we try to cook we end up burning." She made a face, remembering a few incidents with some very burnt cupcakes.
"That's the best part!" said Sweetie Belle excitedly. "I've been looking for something to do with my sister for Nightmare Night since she won't let me help make costumes. Rarity is a great cook, and I'm sure she'll help me make all kinds of sweets. I bet if Applebloom asked Applejack, she would help out too."
"That's... Actually not a bad plan." said Scootaloo thoughtfully. "I could probably talk to Pinkie Pie and get her to help me make some candy as well. Pinkie's always looking for an excuse to make more sweets."
"The trick there is keepin' her from eatin' what she makes," giggled Applebloom. "But Ah dunno girls, are ya sure y'all want ta do this? Ah ain't one ta back down from a challenge, it's just even with help, Ah gotta say Ah still have mah doubts."
"Let me put it to you this way Applebloom," said Sweetie Belle, passing each filly a page from the old Nightmare Night book with her magic. "Do you really think you can stand to see that smug look on Diamond Tiara's face if she takes all our candy again?"

{If you liked this please do vote or comment if you want more. Please comment on my page on what fic you would want to see next. I'll see you in the next update. Bye! Steal-Streak out!}