//------------------------------// // Wednesday // Story: Stuck in the Storm // by Opalina Cecile //------------------------------// "HELLOOOOO?" Ivory Statue's cheerful voice echoed through the shop. The ticks of the sewing machine merged with the radio's hoofpumping beats, currently blasting Hooves Up High by Silva Hound ft. Rina-chan. A young filly's silk-ribbon voice sang along. The ticking stopped and a pair of hooves appeared around the corner. A unicorn with a curly purple mane and tail appeared and gasped. "Oh my gosh! You can't really be..... IVORY STATUE OF THE BEST JEWELRY PLACE IN THE GREATER MANEHATTAN AREA! This is almost better than Sapphire Shores here..... and Silver Spoon, Sweetie Belle has been sorting wool over through that door," Rarity exclaimed. Silver Spoon trotted over towards the next room. "So I heard you're getting married..." "Yes, and I want you to design me dress!" "OH I'M SO EXCITED! I LOVE LOVE LOVE weddings!" "Sweetie Belle?" Silver Spoon searched for the younger unicorn, but couldn't find her. However, she did find a mountain of wool of all sorts of colors. Each were sorted into the different scarves they'd discussed and papers of instructions for knitting patterns and scarves were everywhere. Anxiously scribbled notes in the adorably messy handwriting of Sweetie Belle were in an unorganized pile by a basket of knitting needles. Silver Spoon sighed as she straightened the pile of notes and picked up a needle that had fallen out. She gathered the papers and stacked them next to the notes. She was so engrossed in her OCD attack that she didn't notice Sweetie Belle coming up behind her. A waft of smelling salts and a cup of hot tea later..... "Don't you dare ever do that again Sweetie Belle!" Silver Spoon cried, still shivering from her attack. "I'm sorry," Sweetie said genuinely. Silver softened her expression a bit. Sweetie Belle was too innocent for her to stay mad at. She was always the cutest of the Crusaders and the most kindhearted. And sensible. Silver Spoon expected this from someone like Scootaloo, but not her. "Apparently Scootaloo has been rubbing off on you." Sweetie Belle's giggle sounded like tinkling bells. Silver Spoon smiled into her tea. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "MA!!! HAND ME THE THUGAR!" "Oopsie... AUNTIE I MADE A SPILL." "Sister, you aren't listening to me." "It's hard to listen when EVERYONE IS SCREAMING AT ME!!!" Scootaloo stood outside the door, not knowing whether to knock on the door or just leave and come back later. After the mare screamed, the only sounds were the wind and a sappy love song playing from someone's room. "And Raggedy, you're only home for a few days so would it kill you to be social?" The love song increased another decibel in volume. "Oh, for Celestia's sake..." Scootaloo gathered up her courage and tried to stand like Rainbow Dash. She knocked on the door three times. "Mother, it'th Thcootaloo!" "Omigosh, I totally forgot about that! Let her in." The door opened and Twist stood there beaming. "Thorry about the noithe, my uncle and couthinth arrived today. It'th a little crazy." "Oh, I don't mind. It's only life," Scootaloo said, forcing a small smile. "Come inthide," Twist said, waving her in. The two fillies walked down the hall. In the living room, two small fillies sat playing with dolls. "Twist who's this?" said one of them. She was an Earth pony with pastel pink mane and pastel mint coat. The other one was the opposite. They were too young to get a cutie mark yet. "Yeah, who's that pegasus?" She said it like having wings was a disease. "A thcool friend. Excuthe me Kyla and Katya, we have a project to do," Twist said with a complete poker face. She dragged Scootaloo into another room. "Who were they?" Scootaloo said with a hint of distaste. "My couthinth. They're.... erm....... impartial to pegathi," Twist replied with an apologetic smile. "Why? This isn't the medieval ages; pegasi discrimination is so Dark Ages." Scootaloo wouldn't let the subject go. She's a pegasus. Rainbow Dash is a pegasus. How can anyone dislike Rainbow Dash? "Their mother was killed by a pegathuth and that wound never healed in their father. They adopted it, but my uncle doethn't actually hate pegathi, jutht the man who killed her." "Oh." "Tho we thhould get to work on our project now." "Yeah, sure." However, Scootaloo just couldn't forget Kyla and Katya's tone and glare. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Welcome, miss Apple Bloom," said some butler stallion. "I shall alert Miss Tiara of your presence." He walked over to an intercom and pressed a button. "What is it Peeves?" said Diamond's sneering tone. "Miss Bloom has arrived and is waiting in the entrance hall." "I'll be right down." Peeves stepped away from the speaker. He disappeared through a door on the right wall, and Apple Bloom was alone in the vast and elegant room. It was nothing like the rustic, wooden ranch house she had at Sweet Apple Acres. It was all marble and pristine white stone' the tiles and walls without the slightest of scratches or particle of dirt. The columns near the arch leading into the next room loomed over the small filly, making her feel uncomfortable and lonely. The spiral staircase on the left had a polished wooden banister that looked like it'd be amazing to slide down. "Hey," Diamond said, descending the stairs one hoof at a time. "Hello. You're house is... big," Apple Bloom said, trying not to make an awkward situation. "Thank you. Shall we enter the workroom I have set up for us? And would you like any hot chocolate?" "Hot chocolate sounds good." "LILAC!" Diamond called. A pretty teenage mare with a lilac coat and a yellow mane trotted over. "Yes mistress?" "Two hot cocoas, extra marshmallows." "Yes mistress." "And Lilac?" "Yes mistress?" "If you want one, you can tell Premiere that I asked for 3." Apple Bloom was definitely surprised, and so was Lilac. She never though Diamond Tiara to be the.... well, nice sort of person. After that awkward thrill of a moment, Diamond Tiara lead Apple Bloom through the parlor into the workroom. Everything Apple Bloom saw amazed her, and she knew the name Filthy Rich really worked. "So how does this mirror thing work?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Ah brought some books so learn how, and ah knew a little from when ah made one for my Babs Seed's birthday." "Nice. So what do I do?" "Come up with slogans and designs for the mirrors I guess." "Awesome." Despite how normal and easy the banter seemed, the tension between them was an almost visible thin line ready to snap any second now. They both prayed it would hold on long enough for the sake of this project.