//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Skyfall: The Crusaders // by sister_mike //------------------------------// Chapter 9 Apple Bloom Three survivors?! They found three survivors in one day, after thirteen years of the curse. Apple Bloom was just speechless. Her mind couldn't even begin to comprehend what was going on. "Diamond Tiara?" Scootaloo said, her mouth hung open, "How is that even possible? You got your Creative Mark when you were a kid!" Diamond Tiara sighed and rolled her eyes slightly. She then took another deep breath and sighed again. She hesitated before she spoke. "That one was a fake," she finally said. "I didn't get my Creative Mark until a few months after the curse hit." "What!?" Apple Bloom shouted. "You made fun of us, for all that time, bullied us, because we didn't have our Creative Marks, and the whole time you had a fake one painted on your wrist?" "I know, I know," Diamond Tiara said, though her voice wasn't at all as apologetic as it should have been, "I'm surprised my real Creative Mark didn't come sooner. You see, my special talent is—" "Being a spoiled brat?" Apple Bloom asked. "No—" "A bitch?" Scootaloo offered. "Ugh, no! My talent is a—" "A queen bee? Drama queen? Goody-two-shoes rich kid? Daddy's little princess?" Apple Bloom said, "Just jump in any time I get it right." "You know what? This is exactly the reason why I've been hiding from you guys all these years," Diamond Tiara said, "I knew you'd just resent and resent, and go on and on about how terrible I was to you as kids." "Should have just stayed hidden," Scootaloo said, as she crossed her arms. "We went to your creative-ceanera and everything!" Apple Bloom said. "It was all fake, ok? Not even my parents knew I had faked my Creative Mark. My special talent is art. That's why it looked so convincing to everyone," Diamond Tiara snapped. She thrust out her hand and pulled up her pink sleeve, revealing a paint brush and pencil, crossing over each other to make an X. "This is my real Creative Mark," she said. She glared at Apple Bloom slightly. "We thought you were on vacation with your parents," Scootaloo said. "I decided to stay home and stayed at Silver Spoon's house. We were heading back to her house when the curse hit," Diamond Tiara said, "One minute we were laughing over Twist's stupid attempt to sell candy, and the next thing I knew, Silver Spoon wasn't talking any more. She was frozen, and so was everyone else around me. "With my parents out of town, I was alone. I spent the first few nights alone in my house, but the damn mansion is so big, that it began to creep me out—" "Oh no," Scootaloo said, "not a mansion that's too big." "Shut up," Diamond Tiara said, "I then traveled to my parents vacation condo in Central City." "You went all the way to Central City by yourself? When you were only 10?" Apple Bloom asked. "Yes," Diamond Tiara responded, "and when I came back, I saw that you three were still alive. I then figured it was because none of us had our Creative Marks. I thought about reaching out, but never did." "Well then, there's really no point in you reaching out to us now," Apple Bloom said. She turned on her hell, "Come on Scootaloo, twins. Let's go home to Zecora." Scootaloo turned and began to follow Apple Bloom. The twins began to follow uncertainly. "That's it? You finally see that I'm alive, and you just leave me here?" Diamond Tiara said. "Maybe if you had come clean earlier—like when the curse was first enacted—we'd be friends by now. But you missed your chance. You'd be of no help to us anyways," Apple Bloom said, as she continued to walk away. Diamond Tiara ran slightly to catch up. "I've been on my own, completely alone, for thirteen years. Yes, I should have come clean, but the more time went by, the more I thought it would be too awkward for me to suddenly approach you. Please, don't leave me alone," Diamond Tiara said. Something in her voice made Apple Bloom stop and look at her. Diamond Tiara's voice had cracked and there was genuine sadness in her eyes. "Oh come on Apple Bloom, don't buy into her drama routine. She'll just make fun of you later," Scootaloo said. "Silver Spoon is—was—my only friend. That's why I came back to Peoplesville in the first place, to visit her. You're lucky that your best friends weren't frozen, that you've had the chance to grow up together," Diamond Tiara said. "Please, take me with you. I promise I'll help in whatever it is you guys keep doing at the library." "So you've been spying on us too?" Scootaloo snapped. She turned around and stood beside Apple Bloom. "Come on Apple Bloom, she's not worth our time." Scootaloo turned to walk away again. Apple Bloom didn't follow. She continued to stare hard at Diamond Tiara. Finally, she sighed. "Ok Diamond Tiara, you can stay with us. But you have to help us figure out a way to unfreeze everyone," Apple Bloom said. "What! Apple Bloom, come on. Don't you remember how she used to torment us?" Scootaloo said. "Yes, but... any extra pair of eyes might help us see something we didn't before. We just found three other survivors in one day, when we've been searchin' for thirteen years. Maybe she'll find somethin' we've overlooked," Apple Bloom said. She paused for a second. "It's what Sweetie Belle would want too. And I owe her, for what I did and said yesterday." "Where is Sweetie Belle?" Diamond Tiara asked. "She went to Central City to try and find more answers," Apple Bloom said. "This is ridiculous. Do you really think Diamond Tiara is going to help us down in that dusty room beneath the library?" Scootaloo asked. "I'm right here, Scootaloo, I can hear you," Diamond Tiara said, "I don't talk about me like I'm not here. And what room beneath the library?" "We discovered a room beneath the library. We were going to get some rest, and introduce the twins to Zecora and go back and see what was in the room tomorrow," Apple Bloom said. Diamond Tiara looked over the twins. "You're the Cakes' twins right?" The twins nodded. "And just how did you two survive? Weren't you like, babies, when this whole curse thing went down?" Diamond Tiara asked. Apple Bloom sighed. "Come on; they can explain it along the way."