//------------------------------// // The Clubhouse // Story: A Tangled Web We Weave // by BellChime //------------------------------// A little while later, that same fine Saturday morning, a certain red-headed farm filly was skipping merrily through her family's apple orchard, having the time of her life. Besides her was the Apple Family's loyal family hound, Winona. They weren't playing any particular game-just running for the sake of it, taking in the smells, the gentle summer morning sunlight on their pelts, the soft breeze through their hair and fur respectively... Actual activities could be thought of later. For now, it was good enough to be outside, alive, and unburdened by responsibilities. Yes, it was difficult to figure out how this blissful day could possibly go- CRASH! Apple Bloom stumbled back dizzily. Her forehead throbbed. She closed her eyes in pain and disorientation while Winona growled at the pony she crashed into. "Nice, doggy. Good, doggie. Let me talk to Apple Bloom and I'll buy you some hair things?" Diamond Tiara asked. Winona growled a bit more loudly. "Winona hates hair things-" Apple Bloom opened her eyes and saw who it was. "Diamond Tiara? What-" Diamond Tiara, upon seeing Apple Bloom somewhat recovered, immediately darted past Winona and pulled her to her feet. "It's an emergency!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed, their faces close together. "I need your help! Meet me at your clubhouse!" "Ugh," Apple Bloom pulled away rubbed her head. "Yer Tiara hurts," She responded woozily. Diamond cringed a bit as she realized that her pointy head gear must have been digging into Apple Bloom's brow in their head to head. "Oops...uh, sorry 'bout that-but we need to hurry. Bring your potion supplies." Now despite Diamond Tiara's personality makeover, she had never been particularly close to any of the crusaders, and at the mention of 'potion supplies' Apple Bloom had grown a bit suspicious. "Why do you-" Her eyes rested on Diamond Tiara's bulging saddlebags. "What do you?" "PLEASE!" Apple Bloom reeled back as Diamond Tiara grabbed her face and pulled it close to hers once more. "It's really serious! It's an emergency!" "Well..." Apple Bloom could never say no to a filly in need, nor an emergency. "OK. Want me to grab Sweetie Belle and Scoots? Is it a cutie mark problem?" Diamond Tiara thought for a moment. "Sure. We may need them. But HURRY! My father's freedom hangs in the balance!" "OK, OK, got it! Ah'll rush. Meet ya there?" "Perfect. Perfect." Diamond nodded hurriedly. "Seeya!" And with that, the two fillies took of in opposite directions, with poor Winona utterly torn between following her young mistress to town, or the intruder to the Cutie Mark Crusader Headquarters. *** "This is, without a doubt, the most spoiled little brat I've ever encountered in my entire career!" Said Silver Cuffs. "I recommend you chain her in the basement and feed her nothing but gruel until she learns to behave!" Diamond Tiara, the beautiful, brave, caring and selfless filly sniffled tragically. Everything is just so tragic! She thought. "But sir, you can't just execute my father because he MIGHT have done it! That's not fair! I can't live without him!" Silver Cuffs sneered nastily. "Well, that's too bad!" Filthy Rich, who was secretly impressed by his amazing daughter's unbreakable spirit in the face of this supreme meany pants, but for some reason didn't take the easy solution and slam the door in Silver Cuff's face, said, "Diamond, please go to your room." Diamond cried the whole way up the stairs. *** "Wow." Said Scootaloo. "That Silver Cuffs guy sounds mean alright." "So your dad is just going to let himself be turned to stone?" Sweetie Belle asked. "No offense, Diamond Tiara, but that's...kinda...well...dumb." Diamond glared at her former rival. "Daddy's not dumb. The police are dumb for making him act mean to me." She paused thoughtfully. "Well, actually those other two other ponies seemed pretty cool. They understood. But Silver Cuffs, the leader, wouldn't let 'em let Daddy go like he deserved!" "He should be fired!" Declared Scootaloo, who had gotten quite caught up in Diamond's tale and the energy and passion she told it in. "Somethin' about this story doesn't seem right." Said Apple Bloom. "Are ya positive he actually said that part about the basement an' the gruel?" "Oh, definitely," Diamond answered. She had already forgotten most of the encounter except A) She had been completely, totally right and B) Silver Cuffs was a meanie who only didn't listen to her because she was a little girl. "It's called police brutality, Apple Bloom. You know what that is, don't you? It's when policemen are brutally rude to sweet little girls like me." That didn't sound quite like police brutality to Apple Bloom, but before she could speak up, Sweetie was talking. "It sounds really awful Diamond Tiara," She said. "But what do you want us to do?" "Well...so I heard about that adventure when you turned into adults...?" The crusaders all gaped in unison. The fear was in their eyes. They had learned their lesson and learned their lesson well. "I need you to turn me into an adult." Diamond continued. The crusaders' jaws hit the floor in unison. "Please! Kids aren't allowed to be lawyers! They'll never let me represent Daddy if I look the way I am right now!" "...What?" "Oh please please please please please I know that you screwed up when you did it but this is important! My Daddy means the world to me!" "OK, first of all...we can't really turn you into an adult," Diamond clasped her forehooves together. "But the time when you-" "Magic wishing flower." Sweetie said. "And all the wishes are gone." "Dagnabbit!" Diamond Tiara grunted. "OK, OK, but..." She pointed at Apple Bloom's potion supplies, dutifully delivered and spread out on the clubhouse floor, "What about Apple Bloom's potions?! Apple Bloom, there has to be something that can make me bigger!" Apple Bloom, who had, like her sister, found it more and more difficult to lie the more time that passed, just blushed and fiddled with her bow. "There is?!" Diamond Tiara asked, grinning hugely. "Oooh! Thank you thank you thank you!" She hugged Apple Bloom tightly. "I knew I could count on you! Name your price." She unloaded a single saddlebag and tossed it on the ground. "Wow!" Scootaloo gasped. "Give us a moment to think-" Her excited rambling was cut short by a pale yellow hoof shoved into her mouth. "Hold on, hold on-" Apple Bloom said, removing the hoof once she was sure Scootaloo was silenced all the way- "So let's say I can figure somethin' out. You really think ya can become a lawyer quick enough to represent somepony in court?" "I don't know," Diamond Tiara answered cheerfully, "But I'd love to learn! All for a good cause, of course." "Hmmm..." Apple Bloom wasn't convinced. "Ummm...so your Dad's OK with this?" "Not exactly. But if we do it right, he won't have to know 'til it's all over!" "I thought that you had have your client in court with you during the trial," Sweetie cocked her head. "Eh...probably. But I'll become such a good lawyer, that I'll take care of it." "Well, I'm sold!" Said Scootaloo cheerfully. "Sounds epic! Let's do this!" "If it's for a good cause..." ventured Sweetie Belle. "Wait, wait, wait." Said Apple Bloom. "Diamond, I think it's noble 'n all of you to wanna help yer Dad, but Ah'm just not sure it's gonna work. Ya said he doesn't know what yer up to, right? What's he gonna say when ol' Silver Cuffs drags him ta Canterlot and finds you in your adult self?" Diamond Tiara rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. "Do you guys know what a smart house is?" Sweetie shook her head, Apple Bloom nodded vaguely, Scootaloo nodded eagerly. Diamond took a deep breath and removed a small green gem from her other saddlebag. "OK. It's a super new magitech that Princess Twilight got from some other dimension with primates instead of ponies...uh...well. It lets you lock your doors an control your temperature, all with the tap of a hoof. It's a pretty new invention, and it's not actually on the market yet, but Princess Twilight gave my Daddy a special prototype. You control it with this little magic rock here." Diamond tapped said rock, and a hologram screen opened with various symbols, buttons, and charts. "So. Cool!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "You can keep your house completely secure with the tap of a hoof." Diamond Tiara said. "But they haven't figured out how to not let someone exploit that..." *** Silver Cuffs, using all his earth pony strength and years of police training, bucked against the walls of Filthy Rich's mansion. But Princess Twilight's potent enchantments were stronger. "STUPID! DANG! MAGITECH!" He screamed. "Mrs. Rich, you checked the control stone, right?" "Certainly not," Was the prim response. "Randolf!" "It's gone. Someone musta bucked it out." Randolf explained. "H-Hey, c-calm down boss..." Flashing Lights put in timidly. "Maybe someone will hear us and let us out." Filthy Rich cleared his throat nervously. "Umm, actually..." *** "The smart house also lets you mute outside noises to help you sleep," Diamond smiled shyly. "It also lets you mute inside noises..." *** "L-Like if you want to do something loud, without bothering the neighbors." Filthy Rich continued. "Uh...sir...?" Silver Cuff's eye twitched. "I hate smart houses," He grumbled. *** Diamond Tiara smirked. "I love smart houses!" "Me too!" Scootaloo squealed. Apple Bloom, who had been watching Diamond Tiara in horror as she revealed all this, finally found her voice. "But will they be OK?! How will they eat?!" "Oh, Apple Bloom, you worry too much," Diamond Tiara scoffed. "Do you really think that I would leave my beloved family to starve? My Daddy has tons of food stored in our personal panic room. Theoretically, they have enough basic necessities to sustain themselves and 25 more ponies for ten years!" *** "It's very nice of you to share your panic room food stash with us," Said Siren Blare. She coughed as she swallowed a bit too big of a bite of stale biscuit. "I'm...sure it really sticks to the ribs." The six ponies were all huddled in said panic room, a rather clean and well supplied, but nonetheless cramped are indeed. "It's nice to know we won't starve while we wait for people to notice we're missing," Flashing Lights added, sipping his stale tap water. Silver Cuffs merely grunted and continued to gnaw on his hard tack. "Nicer food doesn't keep as well..." Randolf murmured apologetically, to nobody in particular. "It's OK, gang!" Said Filthy Rich jovially. "Dear, could you not call us a 'gang'? We barely even know these ponies." Sniffed Spoiled Rich, gesturing at the three police. "Here, here," Muttered Silver Cuffs. "And they could be..." Mrs. Rich paused dramatically... "Riff-Raff." She whispered. "Never mind," Muttered Silver Cuffs. "Well, ah, anyway, m-my point is, is that we're gonna make it! Just 'cause my...erm...wayward daughter just about locked every room inside the house 'cept for the living room, the panic room, and the wall leading from the living room the panic room doesn't mean we can't keep our spirits up! We have food, we have water, and we have hope! What else could we possibly need while we pass the time? Yes?" He asked kindly as a blushing Flashing Lights timidly raised his hoof. "I have to pee," He whispered, sounding very embarrassed. Silver Cuffs moaned.