“Not doing anything is doing something and choosing to look away is a passive but no less mortal sin.” ― Bill Maher
* * * * *
Sweetie Belle crumpled up another piece of paper and threw it into the trash can next to her desk. She had been trying to finish up her homework assignment before school. Last night she had barely gotten any sleep as the deaths of Diamond and Silver still weighed on her mind.
In addition to her woes, Opalesence was in one of her moods lately and had been meowing all morning for attention. It had started some time around four in the morning, and Sweetie had locked Opal out of her room. The cat then began clawing at the door, until Sweetie finally let her in, only for her to continue meowing.
Now, as she struggled with the last of her homework, Opal had climbed up onto the desk and meowed as she laid down on Sweetie’s homework.
“Damn it, Opal, go away!” she shouted. Sweetie raised her foreleg and batted the cat off the desk, sending her tumbling to the floor.
Opal got back up and let out a wounded meow, though it was only her pride that had been injured in the fall. Still, it was enough to convince Sweetie that she shouldn’t have hit the cat.
“I’m sorry, Opal.” Sweetie reached down to pet her, only to get clawed by the cat. “Ow!” Sweetie tried to fling her waste basket at the cat, but Opalesence had already run out of the room.
She groaned and slumped her head on the desk. This would be the first time she had not completed a homework assignment. Her good grades had been the one thing in her life she could be proud of. Cheerilee always complimented her hard work, unlike her sister Rarity who seemed to never notice Sweetie until she got in trouble.
The soft sound of hoofsteps reached her ears as Rarity walked into the room. “Sweetie, are you okay?”
“Yeah, your dumb cat scratched me when I tried to pet her.”
“Oh, my, that doesn’t sound like her at all. Maybe I should take her to Fluttershy to see if she is sick.”
“Or to euthanize her,” Sweetie mumbled under her breath.
“Hmm?” Rarity took a step closer and looked at the math homework scattered on her desk. “Is something wrong? You didn’t finish your math.”
“Hey Sweetie, ready for school?” Babs walked into the room, followed by Apple Bloom.
“Girls! Don’t you knock?” Rarity spun around to face them, and straightened out her mane. “You nearly gave me a heart attack, sneaking up on me like that.”
“Oh, there’s no need to worry, ah don’t think we’re that scary.” Apple Bloom picked up the waste basket near the door and tossed it on her back. She was able to balance it there while walking over to the desk, and set it down for Sweetie. “Come on, let’s get to school.”
“Yeah, let’s go.” Sweetie tossed her school supplies in her saddle bag and followed the two fillies out the door to her room.
“Hmm,” Rarity said to herself, “she looks like she didn’t get any sleep. I hope it wasn’t something I did…”
Babs opened the front door for the others, then closed it behind them. “Sweetie, your foreleg is bleeding.”
She stopped and held up her leg, then rubbed it under her saddlebag. “Ugh, it was that stupid cat. It’s always pestering me, you’d think Rarity never fed or pet it.”
“And ya don’t look like ya slept much,” Apple Bloom said.
“Yeah, well it’s not like you gals slept much either after… our ‘crusade’ last night.” Sweetie felt herself shiver slightly as she recalled the look of terror on the dying ponies.
Babs stopped on the side of the road for a minute, smiling widely. “Crusading, huh? That’s a good code word to use. I just hope Scootaloo doesn’t say something stupid.”
Sweetie came to a halt and turned to face Babs. “Give Scootaloo a little credit, we’re not stupid… we’re not gonna say anything after the way you threatened us.”
“Hey, that wasn’t a threat.” Babs took a step forward to get an inch from Sweetie’s face, “it was a promise.”
“Girls!” Apple Bloom pushed Babs back, knowing she was the one most likely to start a fight in the middle of a busy street. “Come on, we’ve got to pick up Scootaloo and get to school.”
“Yeah.” Babs walked ahead of the others towards Scootaloo’s house.
Apple Bloom gave Sweetie a quick hug. “Hey, you’ll be fine. You said Opal scratched ya?”
“Yeah, it’s usually a pretty stupid cat but I’m not in the mood anymore for her to keep me up at night and beg for treats. I wish I could get her to pester Rarity for a change.”
“Oh, well I know what’ll cheer you up. I’ll come over to your house after school and we’ll hang out, like old times.”
Sweetie smiled. “Thanks, I’d like that.”
They caught up with Babs, who was waiting at the front door of Scootaloo’s house. The door was open, and Scootaloo’s mom was calling upstairs to get her daughter’s attention. “She should be right down girls, she was throwing up last night but she seemed fine this morning. I’d let her stay home but there is… some adult stuff I need to take care of today with the Mayor.”
Babs nodded, and looked up the stairs. “Hey, Scootaloo, we’re waitin on you!”
“Coming!” Scootaloo walked down to the front door, keeping her eyes on the ground, the walls, and anywhere else that wasn’t Babs. “Yeah, I’m good now, let’s go…”
“You let Miss Cheerilee know if you feel sick again, honey, and I’ll come pick you up.”
“Thanks, Mom,” Scootaloo said. The door closed behind her, leaving her outside with her friends. “Sup.”
“Throwing up? Really?” Babs asked, shaking her head and frowning.
“Come on, it’s not like you two got much sleep last night either,” Sweetie said.
“Oh?” Babs turned to face her, and grinned ear to ear. “I slept like a baby, and the way Apple Bloom tells it, she’s never felt better.”
Sweetie looked at her friends, noting the expressions on each. Apple Bloom did look pretty happy, and Babs went back to her normal poker face. Scootaloo looked like she was ready to vomit again. “Let’s just get to school and take it easy. I get the feeling this is going to be a long day.”
“Why, is somepony missing?” Apple Bloom chuckled and walked off towards the school house. “Ah heard Applejack talking to Filthy Rich last night about—”
“Hush, you don’t get to gloat in public,” Babs barked.
“Sorry, ah’m still gettin’ used to it.”
The playground was a little quieter this morning. There were two ponies absent that would normally be causing trouble and bullying the others. By the time all the fillies and colts had taken their seats, there was no doubt which two ponies were missing.
Most of the kids didn’t think twice of Diamond and Silver being absent. Their parents often pulled them out of class for expensive shopping trips or vacations.
“Good morning, class. Before we get started today I need to ask you a question.” Cheerilee smiled and stepped in front of the class, giving them each a comforting look. “I’m glad to see you all here this morning. Filthy and Sterling would like to know if anypony has seen Diamond and Silver. They didn’t come home last night, and are out looking for them today. Do any of you have any questions, or have any of you seen them?”
The class began to chat in hushed whispers to each other. The most popular thing being said was they must have run away from home. Rumble was explaining to Featherweight his theory that they had been eaten by Manticores, while Featherweight countered by saying aliens had abducted them.
“Settle down, class. It wasn’t aliens, or anything of the sort. I’m sure they just had a sleepover and forgot to ask their parents first.” Cheerilee looked around, gauging everypony’s reactions.
Babs put on a concerned frown as she was looked at, then sighed once Cherilee was looking away.
“Well, class will continue as normal then. Your parents will be here to pick you up after school, once they’re done helping the Rich’s and Spoon’s look for their daughters.”
Most of the students were already giggling about how they must have been playing some prank or off kissing some rich colt. Class continued as if nothing else was wrong, until the late afternoon. Featherweight and a few other students had begun to discuss how they could help out.
“I’m sure we can help look for them if they haven’t gotten home yet. I bet my dad will go with us,” Featherweight said.
“I could ask my brother, if they are missing I bet there is a reward to find them,” Rumble stated.
Babs looked over at them. “They’re rich, they probably paid the entire royal guard to help search.”
“It’d be best if you all went home and let us adults handle this,” Cheerilee suggested. She looked at the clock, and noticed there were only a few minutes left in class. “I’m sure it’s nothing, just make sure to go straight home if your parents didn’t come to pick you up. For all we know they already found them.”
Apple Bloom smirked, and whispered to Babs “I doubt that.”
The bell rang and the four crusaders walked out of the classroom and onto the playground. Cheerilee was out there watching over her students as they headed home, checking to make sure they were all okay.
“Headed home together?” Cheerilee asked.
“Yeah,” Babs said. “We’re all heading to the farm.”
“Take care, girls.”
They all nodded their heads and smiled as they walked down the road. Almost immediately, Scootaloo began to slow down and lag behind the others. She still couldn’t get past the shock of what had happened, but knew that her friends were counting on her. If she let the secret slip she’d lose her friends, family, and Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo wouldn’t let that happen, even if she was up all night again crying and vomiting.
“Hey, you alright?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Huh?” Scootaloo looked up at her. “Oh, yeah. I just don’t want to play today, I need a nap.”
“Want some company while you walk home?”
“Nah, it’s not far anyway. I’ll just walk along the tree line and be there in two minutes.”
“Alright. Hey, Babs, I promised to stop by Sweetie’s house, you don’t mind heading back to the farm alone, do you?”
Babs laughed. “Nah, I’ve got a feeling I’ll be fine. Just remember what we talked about.”