Author's Notes:
I need to get back into writing fanfiction. I love writing and I need to flex my creative juices once more. As such, I have not written a story on my little pony yet, at least one that has been published on any online medium, and so this will be a whole brand new experience for me. This story will be slightly AU, but I'm planning on it being centric on the Crusaders of the Lost Mark episode.
I'm hoping that the characters don't come off as too OOC (I tend to do that, just as a forewarning to anybody who hates that sort of thing). I do try to keep it to a minimum while still maintaining the flexibility of a well rounded story...sometimes. Heh. Well, hopefully this will be an enjoyable read for you all. :)
Update 12/2/2016: Made fixes to some minor grammatical and spelling mistakes. If you happen to find anymore, let me know in a PM, and I can fix it up in a jiff. ;)
It was like every other day in Ponyville. Ponies all around were coming out and setting up their shops, or meeting up in social gatherings, or commuting to some preordained, undetermined destination. For Apple Bloom and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders, it was a trip to their local school. But it wasn't just a regular trip to the school. Oh no; it was an exciting journey to behold.
Scootaloo was racing on her scooter like a bullet past on comers, turning one near collision after another into an acrobatic feat that permits her to just narrowly dodge said pedestrians.
"Watch it!" shouted an angry shop owner with a shaking hoof. His gaze fell to the ground, with a glare still planted on his face as he stared at the mess the filly had caused him. A brilliant looking vase, obliterated. He was taken by surprise as a sudden crash sent him sprawling right into his own windows, bits of glass flying around him. He growled out in frustration as he watched another filly race past him.
Apple Bloom wasn't far behind the pegasus, dashing as fast as her little hooves could take her. She wasn't quite as dexterous, as she demonstrates by barreling straight into the shop keeper. Her course was unfazed, but her attention was diverted. She glanced over her shoulder. "Sorry!" This proved to be a grave mistake, as she didn't see that there was a cart crossing her path. Her head stuck through the wooden spokes of one of its wheels. That was about as far as she got on her own before she was taken for a ride.
"What the hay?" She said as she looked back ahead. The world was spinning around her as the cart led her down an alleyway. She placed her fore hooves on the contraption and shoved. As she freed herself, she was suddenly and unexpectedly soaring backwards through the air. Momentum carried her straight into an awning at an extreme angle, which then propelled her straight towards the leading crusader as the fabric of the awning tore. She could see Sweetie Belle now, who had been at the rear of the pack before Bloom's excursion, and she could see that she was heading straight for her. "Uh oh."
All of this was unbeknownst to Sweetie Belle, who was dashing towards the school at perhaps a somewhat more strenuous pace, albeit a less impactful one, than her two filly friends. A cool sweat could be seen on her face as she struggled to keep up. "Wait up!" she cried as she gasped for breath. Sweetie Belle screamed as she Apple Bloom collided with her and sent the two of them into a frenzy of hooves and manes rolling across the ground at an alarming rate.
The school was rapidly approaching. Still at the head of the pack, Scootaloo focused all of her attention on the goal ahead of her. All auditory cues were drowned out by the pleasant sound of the wind passing through her mane. This was how it should be, Scootaloo thought to herself as she fluttered her wings in excitement. The speed and the wind in her hair was glorious.
It was not a surprise that she was so caught up in her escapade that she was enveloped by the pony-ball that crashed into her. "Aw man!" was all she could get out as the fun was sapped from her by this uncontrollable mass which carried them all the way to the gates of the school.
All together, they came to a stop on the school grounds. And in front of their worst nemesis. A pink pony sporting an extravagant tiara atop her head and finely brushed mane stood before them, accompanied by similarly attired silver pony wearing a pearl necklace and fashionably cute glasses.
They groaned as they started to recover their bearings. They could hear the high pitched giggling at their misfortune. "Nice landing there, blank flanks! I give it a ten out of ten on the loser board!" Diamond Tiara cried out in between hysterics. Silver Spoon was quick to join in on the laughter. The interaction received a grunt from each of the CMC.
When they got no other remarks from the girls aside from Scootaloo's usual, 'Ha, ha. Very funny,' they receded towards the school door, laughing all the way. "Later losers!" cried Diamond Tiara before the two stuck up ponies devolved into conversing in private and snickering amongst each other.
Apple Bloom blew some ponyelse's mane out of her face and stared at Diamond Tiara as the pink pony stopped by the doorway to look back at them. Back at Apple Bloom. "Go figure. We can't spend a day without them teasing us at least once about our flanks." grumbled Scootaloo not for the first time, unaware of the interaction taking place.
Studying the rich pony's face, Apple Bloom couldn't help but notice the almost unreadable expression on her face. It wasn't the usual snarl or sneer they would usually receive from said pony. She could have sworn she saw a frown on Diamond Tiara's face as she disappeared into the classroom. "Ah can't put ma hoof to it, but something's different about Diamond Tiara."
"She seems the same old Tiara to me." Scootaloo remarked skeptically as she got up and patted herself off. With a slight limp, she proceeded to enter the school building without a glance back to her friends.
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle agreed bubbly as she followed after the orange filly with a hop and a skip. When Apple Bloom didn't immediately join them, the unicorn glanced back at her and asked, "You coming?"
Apple Bloom, who was lost in thought, snapped out of her reverie and stared at Sweetie Belle. "O-of course." She followed after them quietly with a furl in her brow. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something was wrong.
After school, as all of the little colts and fillies bolted through the door, the cutie mark crusaders reunited. "So how are we going to get our cutie marks today?" said Scootaloo, brimming with anticipation of another exciting adventure. Sweetie Belle eagerly joined in on the merriment.
"Ah'm sorry guys. Ah don't think Ah'm up for crusading today." Said Apple Bloom dejectedly. "Ah've got a lot of chores to do on the farm." There was a lot to think about as well, she thought worriedly. The image of Diamond Tiara's face still burned brightly in her face. She was now convinced it was a frown. For some reason this notion bothered her. She wasn't sure why, though. It was almost ... blasphemy. It was too far outside of the norm for her to simply dismiss.
She must have shown distress because Scootaloo's immediate response was. "Ah come on, you're not still thinking about her are you?" The look she gave Bloom was one of dubiety and of growing concern for her friend. There was a frown set upon her face as she shifted away to stare off in the distance, almost as if to avoid some underlying tension.
"It's not like Ah'm trying." She was staring, eyes focused, at the ground. An occasional pebble skirted by underneath as they trotted along. She kicked one casually and watched as it land a few feet away.
"Sure seems like it ta me." Scootaloo said half-heartedly. She was more disappointed in not being able to crusade with her best friend than anything else, something that didn't escape Apple Bloom's notice. With a smile the pegasus continued, "Whatever, I'll guess I'll see you all tomorrow then. I'm going to go see what RD's up to!" Scooter in hoof, she raced off into the waning sun.
Before she parted ways as well, Sweetie turned to Bloom. "I'll see you tomorrow Apple Bloom. Try not to think about it, okay? I'm sure it's not as big of a deal as it seems." She said to ease her friends worries.
"Thanks. Ah'll try not to." She watched as her unicorn friend trotted along towards the carousel boutique. She thought for a while longer, until her friends were no longer in sight. "Oh, what am Ah doing? Ah can't let this ruin my day like this." With a smile and a renewed look of determination she set off homeward bound.
By the time she reached Sweet Apple Acres, she could see that her sister and brother were already well underway the apples harvest, busying themselves by bucking one tree after another. Several barrels of apples were already gathered around trees plucked dry. With a tentative tug, Apple Bloom situated one of said barrels on her back and headed towards their storage facility for the apples to be processed.
After she placed it on the ground, she went to grab another barrel, and then another. In this way the next hour or so passed. The silence the mundane task created made this the perfect time for her to think, without the distractions of everyday life to get in the way.
Why should she be concerned for Tiara in the first place? The truth of the matter was that she was a bully; there was nothing more to it. That is not to say that Tiara was even sad to begin with. Still, if it were her, she reasoned that she would want somepony to check in on her. That was just the way she was, she thought with a proud smile. She decided to confront Tiara about it the next time she got the chance.
When they were done for the evening, the sun was just about to set. Applejack and Big Mac were coming up to join Apple Bloom at the barn. "Hoo wee! That was a good haul!" Applejack exclaimed.
"Eeyup!"
The little filly was still distracted when they joined her, and they quickly noticed that she was being uncharacteristically quiet this evening. "Is something the matter sugar cube?" Applejack asked.
Upon hearing her sister's question, Apple Bloom broke out of her reverie. "It's nothing. Ah'm just thinkin'." For a pregnant moment ensued as her siblings sat down to cool off and rest their weary hooves from a hard day's work. As her discomfort grew from the silence, she felt the urge to expand upon her answer. "Ah think somepony from my school is sad, and Ah was just considering going and talkin' to her about it." Apple Bloom responded.
After wiping her brow, her big sister gave her a big ol' smile in approval and said, "Well that's mighty kind of you, sugar cube. Though you look hesitant about it?" Because her little sister hadn't already done it, something else must be bothering her favorite little tyke.
With a nod, Apple Bloom simply muttered, "It's Diamond Tiara."
It was all the explanation that was needed as understanding dawned on her. "Ah" Everything made sense now. She was well aware of the little filly's rivalry. On one particularly notable occasion she had to go to the Rich estate to resolve a bullying incident. "Ma little sis is maturin'." Applejack said with tears in her eyes. She turned to Apple Bloom and continued, "Who knows, this may even help you two overcome yur differences."
"...Yeah..." Apple Bloom said, a little unsure. Describing Tiara as anything other than bully was baffling, so much so that she found it impossible to believe. "Ah dunno about that."
An idea popped into Applejack's head. "Say, we need a few things from the store. If you'd like you can go get 'em for us, and while you're out it'll give ya a chance to talk to her." She delivered a number of bits to Apple Bloom cover the costs.
"Sure, Ah guess?"
"That's the spirit." said Applejack with a wink.
The trip to town was thus far uneventful. As to be expected, for the sun had just set. A number of the shops were already closing, a testament to this being a most inopportune time to do shopping. In fact, the whole idea of sending her out here, at this time, seemed little more than an excuse to get her to confront Diamond Tiara. "Why'd Ah agree to this. This is ridiculous."
What was the chance she would even see the pink pony out here at this time of night? Oh sure, she could go straight to the Rich estate and ask her there, but she didn't want to go out of her away, and she didn't think that her visit would be well received anyway.
No, she thought to herself, it was best that she turn back and head on home. It was already getting pretty late, and it was a school evening. She could just ask Tiara tomorrow and then she can finally shrug off this stupid feeling and everything can go back to the way they normally are around here.
That was when she saw the pony of her thoughts out of the corner of her eye. She almost didn't spot her, being so focused in her own world. Walking by herself, Tiara was without the presence of best friend Silver. Again, the pony seemed almost sad as she trotted through the market square.
Without a second though, Apple Bloom walked up to the filly. It didn't take long for the rich filly to notice her presence. Diamond glared at her and picked up her pace. When Apple Bloom didn't withdraw, she stopped and turned around to face her.
"What do you want blank flank?" Diamond Tiara said with a growl. "I've got more important things to do than listen to a whining baby yap her mouth off."
Apple Bloom tried to ignore the insult and said, "Ah just wanted to check up on ya and see how you were doing. Ya seemed kinda down today. Is somethin' wrong?"
For a brief moment, there was surprise in Diamond's eyes as she stared at Apple Bloom. This was the last thing she expected out of her rival.
"Pfft. As if," was her curt response. "Now beat it, blank flank! You're so annoying." she shouted as she pushed Apple Bloom to the ground and galloped away, leaving Apple Bloom to sit there and contemplate what just happened.
"Fine, see if Ah care!" she muttered as she got up. One mystery solved. It was all just in her head. With that in mind, she headed back home to Sweet Apple Acres to get some well deserved sleep.
What she didn't realize was that Diamond had turned back around to watch her retreating body. In no louder than a whisper, she said, "You dummy." Tears were falling from her face. "We're just enemies."
