//------------------------------// // Enter the new filly // Story: Dueling for a Chance // by Darthvalgaav //------------------------------// “I’m so late,” complained Sweetie Belle as she galloped as fast as she could. As she sped by, ponies of all ages jumped out of her way, narrowing missing being hit by the young filly. She wished that she knew how to teleport or that she knew a spell that would make the Duel Disk strapped to her chest a bit lighter. Anything to help her get to Twilight’s place just a bit faster. Of all the days to be late to her Dueling Class, it had to be today! Then again, maybe it was partly because of what was happening today that was reason for her lateness. After their last class, Twilight had announced that the three of them would be dueling other ponies instead of each other and herself. That they couldn’t grow as good duelists if they only dueled the same opponents time after time and needed to learn how to adapt to new situations. So, to help with that, Twilight had enlisted the help of several others whose skills were around their own. Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had perked up at the news while Sweetie’s ears flattened against her skull. It was easy to see why her friends would get excited by this news; they were almost tied for the amount of times they had won duels. As for Sweetie Belle, well, she could count the number of times she had won on one of Spike’s claws. As a result, she had stayed up a few extra hours going over her deck to see if there was any way of improving it. That, followed by relentless nightmares of her probable failure, had caused her to sleep in and thus the reason she was now late. As she drew closer to her destination, the sounds of a commotion could be heard by the unicorn filly. As she round the corner of the castle, she spotted a large group of ponies. They were in a tight knit large circle, watching whatever was going on in the center with absolute focus. Ponies farthest from the center (who could not fly) struggled to peek over the shoulders of those in front of them. Sweetie Belle walked around the circle until she found the narrowest of cracks in the crowd which she pushed through, apologizing to everypony along the way as she did so. Sweetie Belle stopped when she got a clear view of what was happening. Standing there in the center was Spike and Scootaloo in the middle of a duel. The duel seemed like it had just started as neither of them had lost any life points. Scootaloo had a single monster on the field: Gusto Egul, a small green bird with a finned helmet on. The monster was in defense mode with a tiny 400 defense points to protect itself with. Behind it was a single face down card. On the other side with Spike was a monster, a large stallion with the build of Rockhoof. Around the monster’s neck was a necklace of small white stones and on his bronze fur were red tribal markings. His black mane was tied back into a ponytail, probably designed that way so when he swung his oversized sword his mane would not get in his eyes. “Already getting sick on your defenses Scootaloo,” said Spike as he drew a card from his deck. He looked at it and smiled. “But too bad for you, I know how to make them worthless! I play my spell card: Polymerization! With this card I fuse the Elemental Hero Wildheart on my field with the Bladedge in my claw to bring out Elemental Hero Wildedge!” As Spike said this, a spiraling vortex of energy appeared above him. The crowd watched with bated breath as Spike’s two monsters flew into it, their bodies twisting around until they formed a new being that landed in front of Spike. This new monster looked like Wildheart but with more armor. A golden helmet rested on his head and his left hind leg was armored similarly. His right front leg was armored as well, but in addition to the gold were several silver blades sticking out of the side. Finally, on its back was an even larger sword. It’s attack points were 2600. Scootaloo looked at this monster with a smirk on her lips. “You think that will help you?” she asked. “All that card does is attack every monster on my side of the field once. You’re going to need a lot more than that to defeat me!” “Then it’s a good thing I’m not done with my turn,” retorted Spike as he held up another card. “Because in addition to summoning him, I’ll equip my monster with Big Bang Shot! Not only does this card give my monster 400 extra attack point, but it ALSO allows him to deal piercing damage.” As Spike played the card, a flaming red aura surrounded Wildedge. The warrior let loose a savage roar as his attack points went up to 3000. “Now Elemental Hero Wildedge, attack Scootaloo’s monster!” Wildedge didn’t need to be told twice, kicking up dirt as he leapt over to Scootaloo’s side of the field. As he neared, the warrior drew his sword before swinging it down upon the scared helpless bird. As for Scootaloo, the force of the magically generated image pushed her back several inches as her life points dropped to 5400. “I activate my Egul’s effect which lets me summon a level 4 or lower non-tuner Gusto monster from my deck to the field. So let's welcome out Winda, Priestess of Gusto in defense mode!” A whirlwind appeared in front of Scootaloo and when it faded there was a young green pegasus mare wearing a brown coat. Her lighter green mane was tied in a ponytail and under one of her small wings was a silver staff. Her defense points was only 400. “Fine by me,” said Spike with a shrug. “All you did was give me another target for an attack!” Wildedge let out another roar before slamming his blade down on Winda, dirt flying everywhere as the Priestess was destroyed. “I activate her effect to let me summon a Gusto tuner monster from my deck,” stated Scootaloo as her life points fell yet again, stopping at 2800. “So this time I’ll summon my Gusto Squirro.” “Scootaloo DON’T!” screamed Sweetie Belle. “He’ll just attack and destroy it! You’re only hurting yourself!” But it was too late. On Scootaloo’s side of the field appeared a small green squirrel that Fluttershy would love to take care of. This monster thankfully had more defense points: 1800. “Don’t worry. She knows what she’s doing,” said an unfamiliar next to her. Sweetie turned towards the face and found herself looking at a bat pony filly. Her coat was somewhere between being grey and a light purple while her short mane was defiantly purple. The filly was watching the match, smiling a little with her tiny fangs poking past her lips. Sweetie couldn’t help but notice past her leathery wings was a thread and needle cutie mark. “Doesn’t look that way to me,” replied Sweetie as she watched Scootaloo’s monster get destroyed, leaving the flightless pegasus with only 1600 life points. “She shouldn’t have activated her monsters effect.” “Look at her face,” said the bat filly gentle, stretching out a wing to point at Scootaloo. “See how calm she looks?” Sweetie Belle looked at her friend. The orange pegasus was panting, but there was the sings of a half smile on her face. But why would she be smiling now? “Don’t worry, she has a plan.” “Guess you can’t summon anything else,” said Spike as his monster returned to his side. “Looks like I end my turn.” “Well before you do that, I activate my trap card!” announced Scootaloo proudly as she pressed a button on her duel disk. “Blessings for Gusto! Here’s how it works: I target two Gusto monsters in my graveyard followed by a third one. The first two are sent back to my deck and the last one I picked gets special summoned. So I’ll be sending both my Egul and Winda back to my deck to summon Squirro to the field again!” As Scootaloo took the cards out of her graveyard, another whirlwind appeared in front of her. When it ended, her green squirrel was back on the field. Spike looked unimpressed. “Fine then,” he said as he crossed his arms. “Go. It's your turn.” “I will,” said Scootaloo as she drew her card. She looked at it for a moment before placing it in her hoof while her gaze turned to look at Spike. “Spike, thanks for attacking my monsters. Wasn’t expecting to lose so many life points, but it was worth it so I could play this new combo. I summon Mariamune, the True Dracophoenix. By DESTROYING two cards in either my hoof and/or the field, and as long as at least one of them is a wind type, I can special summon him to the field! So I’ll destroy the Squirros in both my hoof and field to bring him out!” A cry that sounded like a mix of a dragon and a large roc could be heard echoing across the land. From the sky above came a large creature with six beautiful white wings and a long neck with a flowing mane of gold. This monster with 2700 attack points was so massive that when it landed on the field it did so behind Scootaloo, casting a shadow that stretched across the field. “Since I used two wind types, his other special ability to remove from play the top four cards in your deck,” continued Scootaloo. Spike’s eyes narrowed at this but complied all the same. He quickly drew them before pausing to look at them…and grimaced. Sweetie guessed they were probably really good ones. As he put them in the banished zone he, along with everyone else there, noticed two whirlwinds on either side of Scootaloo. “What’s going on?” demanded Spike. “The effects of my Gusto Squirro,” replied Scootaloo with a grin. “When they are destroyed by a card effect they can special summon a Gusto monster to the field as long as they are level five or lower. So now it's time to bring out Caam, Serenity of Gusto and Gusto Gulldo!” As Scootaloo finished talking, the whirlwinds faded revealing two more monsters. On one side was another green bird wearing a helmet covered in spikes while on the other was another green pegasus mare with a silver staff. Caam, unlike Winda looked a few years older and had 1700 attack points. Also, while Winda had had a cheerful expression on her face Caam seemed either disinterested or just plain tired. “Now, before I do anything else, I’m going to use Caam’s effect which lets her send two Gusto monsters from my graveyard back into my deck and then I can draw a card.” Sweetie watched as both of Scootaloo’s Squirro cards were removed from her friend’s graveyard before being added back into the deck. After the auto-shuffler finished shuffling the deck, Scootaloo drew her card. “Perfect,” said Scootaloo with a grin. “Now, before I use this card, it’s time for a synchro summon. I tune my level three Gulldo with my level four Caam to summon the level seven Diagusto Eguls!” At once both of Scootaloo’s monsters shot into the sky, Gulldo transforming into three green rings while Caam became four brilliant stars. The circle formed a tube leading up towards the sky as the stars moved in the middle. There was a sudden crash of light and, when it faded a giant, armored green eagle with a pegasus stallion riding on its back appeared. With each beat of its wings, Sweetie Belle and the others felt themselves being pushed back my the wind it generated. Its attack points were 2600. “If you think that’s all I’m doing guess again,” continued Scootaloo excitedly as she placed a card into the spell/trap card slot. “Because I activate the spell card Emergency Teleport which lets me summon one psychic monster from my deck as long as its level three or lower. Also, it gets banished at the end of my turn. I summon Pilica, Descendant of Gusto in attack position!” A portal appeared on the field and what came out was another green pegasus holding a brown staff topped with a bird of some kind. This young filly was young; probably a year or three younger than Scootaloo was with a mane that started out green only to turn red halfway. “Now her ability activates which lets me summon a wind tuner from my graveyard in face up defense position, but its effects are negated. So I’ll bring back Gulldo!” And just like that, Gulldo was on the field again. “But both of these monsters won’t be on the field for long because I tune my level three Gulldo with my level three Pilica to synchro summon the level six Diagusto Sphreez!” Both monsters vanished, turning into stars and glowing green circles, before another pillar of light struck the ground to reveal Sphreez. This 2000 attack point monster was another green pegasus mare appearing to have the same build as Princess Cadence. Her long mane started out green but gave way to red half way through, looking wild as she stared at Spike’s monster with her ruby colored eyes. Around her head was a golden circlet that held a gem inside and she carried a staff that looked like it ended in a long ball of cotton. “When Sphreez is summoned successfully, I can add one card from my graveyard to my hoof. So I’ll take my Pilica back.” As Sweetie Belle watched Scootaloo take back her card, she had to admit that she was envious of her friend’s skill. In one turn she had gotten three powerful monsters onto the field without wasting every card in her hoof. However, there was one glaring issue. “Not bad,” said Spike as he calmly looked at the three monsters standing across the field. Sweetie could tell that he was thinking the same thing she was. “But not good enough. Not one of those monsters can take down my Elemental Hero. When my turn comes I’ll be able to do some serious damage.” “She’s not done yet,” whispered the bat filly. Probably more to herself than anyone else there. “Whoever said I was done?” asked Scootaloo with a smirk as she held up a card. “I know your equip card gives your monster the extra edge it needs, but it also has a glaring flaw. If it’s destroyed then the equipped monster is banished from play!” Both Spike’s and Sweetie’s eyes widened as she said that. “So I’ll play my spell card: Contact with Gusto! I’ll shuffle two of my Gusto monsters in my graveyard back into my deck before I can then target and destroy one card on the field. So say goodbye to Big Bang Shot!” Sweetie watched along with everypony else as green lightning fell from the sky to destroy Spike’s spell card. The glow around Wildedge faded as the warrior began to wither away, turning him from a strong stallion into nothing but skin and bones with his armor weighing him down. Moments later the stallion turned to dust that blew away in the wind followed by the armor exploding as it hit the ground. “Now I attack with all three of my monsters!” declared Scootaloo as she pointed a hoof at Spike. Mariamune, the True Dracophoenix attacked first, opening its mouth to unleash a torrent of gold colored flames down upon Spike. Diagusto Eguls attacked next, beating its wings hard against the ground until it somehow formed two small twisters that moved towards Spike. Finally Sphreez attacked, making a slashing motion with her staff which created a blade of wind that hit Spike in the chest. Panting, Spike took a knee as his life points dropped to 700. “With that I end my turn.” As Spike drew his next card with a shaky claw, Sweetie turned to look over at the bat filly. She wanted to know how she knew Scootaloo could pull off such an offset. She wanted to know if she thought Spike could make a comeback. A hundred different questions were moving through her head, each one trying to get to the forefront of her mind. But, much to her surprise, the filly was gone. Shocked by this, Sweetie Belle turned her head just in time to see Spike place his claw over his deck in surrender. -x- “That was so amazing!” cried an adrenaline fueled Scootaloo as the filly trio walked through Ponyville. Sweetie Belle forced a smile on her face as she looked over at her friends. Both of them had on genuine smiles as they walked. “Ah know,” said an almost giddy Apple Bloom, looking like she could start skipping for joy at any moment. “If it weren’t for my Naturia Beast as quick as ah had then that spell counter deck would have ended me. Just wish she hadn’t been such a sore loser. Saying ah just got lucky.” Sweetie Belle’s smile felt more strained as Apple Bloom spoke. She had been right, getting her best monster out onto the field as quickly as did had allowed her to win. By preventing her opponent from playing any spell cards, she had essentially shut down the deck while barely losings any life points. Her match had taken longer than Scootaloo’s, but she had suffered less life point loss. “You both did great,” said Sweetie as she thought to her own duel. Her opponent had used a Volcanic deck, burning her life points away while also clearing her side of the field. To make matters worse, her opponent had managed to summon two Solar Flare Dragons on his first turn which prevented Sweetie from attacking while dealing 1000 points of damage each turn. As the words left her lips, she was only slightly aware of the slight irritation that escaped her lips. Without looking up, Sweetie Belle knew what was going on with her friends. They had probably turned to look at each other, biting their lower lips as they did so, before turning to look at her. Knowing that they were doing that, being brought down from their victory highs, made Sweetie Belle feel all the worse. They should be happy that they had done so well. Slowly Sweetie raised her head to see that she was right. She could also see the slight teeth marks on their lips. “Hey now, don’t ya go an worry about nothing,” said Apple Bloom quickly as she moved closer to her friend. “It’s just a game.” “I know,” sighed Sweetie Belle. “Maybe it's just not my game. Maybe I should just give up.” “No way,” snapped Scootaloo as she moved in front of Sweetie before stopping abruptly. “There will be none of that quitter talk as long as I’m around. You can’t just throw away everything you’ve worked hard for just because you lost a few matches.” “Scootaloo, it’s been a lot more than a few,” deadpanned Sweetie. “Ah…,” said Scootaloo as the white filly’s words sunk in. For a while, Scootaloo stood there while tapping her chin with her hoof. As Sweetie was about to tell her friend to forget it and just move on, Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “I got it! What you need is some pressure!” Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked at each other in confusion before returning to look at the flightless pegasus. “I need…pressure?” repeated Sweetie Belle uncertainly. “Yeah,” said Scootaloo with a nod. “You know, set yourself a penalty or something if you don’t do so well. I heard about this from Bulk a while back when I was first trying to jump a ramp on my scooter. He told me back when he started lifting weights; he set himself goals and penalties for failing to achieve them. Like if he hadn’t increased his weight limit by ten pounds in a month then he would give up going to his arts and crafts class for a week. He said it helped him stay focused.” “Huh,” said Apple Bloom. “That sounds like a mighty good idea.” She then gave her friend a sly look. “Let me guess: your penalty had something to do with Rainbow Dash.” Scootaloo looked away as her cheeks began to burn. Apparently Apple Bloom hit the nail on the head. “I don’t know,” said Sweetie Belle in a defeated tone. “Doing something like that…I don’t know how it can affect how I plan the game. In the end, I’ll still have the same cards in my hoof.” “Because it’s all in here,” said Scootaloo as she tapped her forehead with her hoof. “Remember, Twilight’s always telling us that we need to think of every possible way we can use our cards before we make a move. Maybe if you could-” “Look, there’s Rarity’s,” said Sweetie as she pointed to a very familiar building, wanting to drop the topic as well as something else. “I’m going to drop my stuff off at her place. I’m staying over there again for the weekend.” “Your parents sure do go on a lot of trips,” observed Apple Bloom. As they made their way to Rarity’s there was not a single mention of card games. Not because they didn’t want to talk about it anymore, but because they were trying to consider Sweetie Belle’s feelings. Instead the two talked about what they could do for the rest of the day. Apple Bloom wanted to go see Zecora, suggesting that their zebra friend might need help gathering herbs and flowers. Scootaloo suggested that they head over to Sugarcube Corner for a shake or something, relaxing for the rest of the day. Sweetie Belle, however, didn’t feel like giving her input out of fear that they would do whatever she wanted just to make her feel better. It just sucked so much that she was dragging them down because of her poor skills. As they entered the boutique, Sweetie began to worry that soon they might start tip-toeing around her more often. Could this become the norm? The two of them avoiding talking about Duel Monsters whenever she was around? Would they start going easier on her when they played or even letting her win? No, Sweetie Belle didn’t want any of those things to happen. If it did, then her friends might come to resent her and want to be around her less. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique,” said a voice that Sweetie barely registered. “Where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique.” “Rarity it’s just…” began Sweetie Belle, but stopped when she realized that the pony who had spoke wasn’t her sister. She looked around and spotted the bat filly from before, standing on top of a stool next to a workbench. As the filly jumped off, Sweetie noticed that she had on a saddle bag that had various pockets on it for didn’t colored spools of thread. “Wait, you’re not Rarity. You’re that filly who was watching Scootaloo’s duel earlier.” “Yep,” said the filly with a nod as she looked behind Sweetie. The white unicorn filly turned her head to see that her two friends had only taken a few steps inside and were now staring at the bat filly in amazement. “So,” said the filly after a moment’s pause, getting Sweetie’s attention back. “Are you here looking for a dress for some special occasion? Miss Rarity has a wonderful selection for fillies.” “Night Stitch, dear, do we have another customer?” asked Rarity as she came walking down the stairs, levitating several boxes with her magic. Smiling, the elder white unicorn set down the boxes as she came to the end of the stairs, piling them neatly. Her smile didn’t fade when she saw who it was, merely shaking her head slightly. “Oh, Sweetie Belle it’s you. How was your duel today?” “…I’d rather not talk about it,” replied Sweetie glumly. She then pointed a hoof at the bat filly who was still watching her. “Ah, who is she?” “Oh where are my manners,” said Rarity as she moved to stand next to the bat filly. “This is Night Stitch. She recently came all the way from Manehatten to become my apprentice.” As Rarity said this, Night Stitch grimaced a tad before looking away. “Really?” asked Sweetie as she saw this. Rarity nodded with a large smile on her face. “Not only that, but while she is training under me she’s taking over repairing garments for my customers.” Horn now lit, Rarity levitated something off the workbench Night Stitch had been working on before to show it to the younger unicorn. It was a bright yellow dress with a small rip at the end. “When the client came in earlier today with this, the rip went halfway through. But now due to the excellent skills of Night Stitch, even I can barely tell how far up it went. Truly she has a magnificent talent.” “It’s nothing special,” said Night Stitch as she covered her face with her wings. “Darling,” said Rarity gently as she placed a hoof on the filly’s back, causing her wings to open up a tad. “Even when I was your age I didn’t have such amazing talent with the thread. So believe me when I say that you do have an amazing talent, one that I am proud to help nurture.” Rarity’s face brightened. “Plus, with you doing this, it freeing me up to work on my latest fashion line for the next season!” As Rarity continued to talk, Sweetie watched Night Stitch with some confusion. Her expression could have been taken as embarrassment, but to Sweetie it looked more like shame. As if every word of praise that Rarity gave the filly was like a needle being jammed into her fur for some reason. But…why? Was Night Stitch doing something like passing the work onto somepony else and was now feeling guilty? No, Rarity would have spotted something like that plus Night Stitch was working on it right in the open. Maybe it was just Sweetie’s imagination. “Well I guess I should welcome you to Ponyville,” said Sweetie after Rarity had finished. “Maybe when you’re not working we could hang out for a bit.” Despite how genuine Sweetie said this, Night just seemed to flinch slightly. “I…really don’t think that’s a good idea,” the filly muttered. “You wouldn’t want to be my friend.” Sweetie opened her mouth to disagree with that, but Night Stitch had already turned around. “I’d better get back to work,” she said with a very forced laugh. “Got three more dresses to fix up.” As Night Stitch walked back to her work station, surprising both Rarity and Sweetie at the same time, Sweetie turned around to look at her friends. Neither of them had moved from the spot with their mouths hanging open. Surprised by this, Sweetie tilted her head. “What’s up with you two?” At once the two charged up at her. “Dont’cha ya know who that is?” asked Apple Bloom in a low voice. “She’s the Manehatten Duel Monsters champion three years running!” said Scootaloo quickly, before Sweetie could say that she was just the filly she had met earlier that day. “Dueling Filly’s Magazine said that she was a shoe in last year for the Nationals Tournament.” Now Scootaloo tilted her head. “But it was weird how she never showed up, right?” “Yeah, it was,” agreed Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle digested this new information that not only did Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle read the same magazine but also the fact that a famous duelist was working for Rarity. Slowly, Sweetie turned her head to look at the filly who was now hard at work. With a needle in her mouth, Night Stitch seemed to lost herself in her work. She no longer seemed nervous, embarrassed, or whatever it was that she felt earlier. Instead she was focused only on fixing that dress to the best of her abilities as Rarity looked on with glee. She seemed to be happy, content on what she was doing instead of being in the light of dueling fame. As Sweetie watched her work, she began to think about what Night Stitch had said not too long ago. That Sweetie wouldn’t want to be her friend. Was it because she was so good she made all of her friends hate her? Well, that certainly was possible. Could it be that she came to Ponyville, not just to work with Rarity, but also to get a fresh start? Had she sworn off dueling, afraid that it might lead her to a life of solitude? Well, it sounded more logical than forming a freaking cult and brainwashing ponies. The sound of the doors opening again caught the attention of everypony there. Sweetie saw her sister turn her head, looking ready to greet the newcomer, but her smile turned into a scowl instantly. Curious, Sweetie turned her head to look at who had arrived. Her eyes widened as she realized that Suri Polomare walked in with a smile aimed at Rarity. As the earth pony approached, Sweetie noticed out of the corner of her eye Night Stitch trying to make herself seem smaller. Had she worked for Suri or had known her? “Rarity, how are you?” asked Suri with such fake sweetness that it would give Pinkie Pie a toothache. “It’s been such a long time!” “What do you want Suri?” asked Rarity with her flattest voice and most deadpanned expression. “What?” asked Suri, placing a hoof over her heart and looking hurt. “Can’t a mare travel hundreds of miles to see an old friend and-” Suri stopped talking as Rarity’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest. With a sigh, she dropped the false act at once. “Fine, fine. I came by because I need a favor.” “The last time I did you a favor, you ended up stealing my fabric to create your own designer line,” said Rarity with no emotion, something that scared Sweetie so much that she took several steps back. She knew Rarity well enough to know how emotional she could be. She rarely ever kept up a mask of indifference this long except if she was really, really mad. And when the mask broke she doubted if even Discord could stand a chance against her. “Yes well, funny how you should bring that up,” said Suri calmly as she walked around the store. No longer looking at Rarity, instead her focus was on all of Rarity’s outfits on display as she circled the room. “See, ever since the show I’ve had clients who have been simply dying to get their hooves on those gowns. But, alas, I haven’t been able to make more of that fabric. I’ve been able to stall them for the time being, but they are getting a bit…testy with me. So I was hoping you’d sell me the process to make that fabric?” “The answer is no,” said Rarity at once, a slight edge to her voice that made all members of the CMC duck for cover. “Perhaps you should have thought about this before you lied to me and tried to pass off my fabric as your own.” “Oh come now Rarity,” said Suri as she turned around, looking directly at Rarity now. “It’s not like you’ll ever be able to use it since the world believes I made it. You might as well make some profit! I’ll pay you whatever you want…within reason of course.” The deadpanned look Rarity had on faded, her eyes narrowing on Suri. “You are the last pony I would ever sell that to!” snapped Rarity. “You made your bed with its cheap, single bit store blankets and tacky design so you will lay in it. hopefully it will teach you a lesson on working hard in order to achieve success rather than by taking it from others!” Suri said nothing, just giving a slight nod and a smile. As she turned around, Sweetie saw her eyes fall onto Night Stitch where she paused for a fraction of a second. The young unicorn could see Night Stitch cringe as she tried to make herself seem even smaller than before. The older earth mare then continued to turn and walk out of the building, pushing past Scootaloo and Apple Bloom without a single word. When she finally passed through the door, she slammed it shut so hard that it made them all flinch. As Rarity began to go on a tangent about Suri, Sweetie looked back at the bat filly. Her whole body was now shaking, eyes wide with fear.