My worst enemy...
Fanfic by Englishwitch
Chapter 7
Apple Bloom glanced to her left and noticed Diamond Tiara had drifted off to sleep. She knew math problems were dull but that was no reason to snooze.
Then she noticed that Diamond had propped her head up on her right hoof; the hoof tied to her left one.
She smirked. The opportunity was just too good. She pulled her left leg hard. Diamond Tiara’s right hoof was yanked from under her. Her head fell and slammed into the table.
BANG
It sounded like a hammer hit the desk. The whole class, including Cheerilee all jumped in their seats.
Groaning, Diamond Tiara lifted her head, her hoof clutching her cheek. She threw a dirty look at Apple Bloom. The look was replaced with one of pain a few seconds later. She put her hoof to her mouth.
Cheerilee came over, concern on her face. “Diamond Tiara, are you okay?”
The teacher took Diamond Tiara’s hoof in her own and gently eased it away from the filly’s mouth. Diamond bared her teeth, revealing a large hole where one of her front teeth had been. It had chipped on impact with the desk and only a tiny point was left behind.
Diamond Tiara’s tongue brushed over her teeth, it paused over the gap in her smile. “Wha?” she gasped, her mouth still open.
Cheerilee tapped DT’s hoof comfortingly. “It’s okay Diamond Tiara, it probably feels worse than it looks. It’s not too bad. Still, you’d better leave early. I want you to go straight to Colgate’s dentist office in town, I’m sure she can repair the tooth right away.” then she remembered the rope. “Apple Bloom, you’d better go with her.”
Apple Bloom gave her a look to say no duh! but she said nothing while she and Diamond negotiated themselves off their chairs and around the desks.
Apple Bloom threw one last look to her two best friends as she followed Diamond Tiara out of the schoolhouse door.
“I know that was your fault.” Diamond snapped the second they were outside; out of sight and out of earshot.
Apple Bloom’s eyes widened and she scrunched up her mouth like she was trying to eat her own lips. “I don’t know what y’all are talkin’ ‘bout.” she was as good at lying as her sister.
Diamond huffed and set off towards Ponyville proper. Apple Bloom was dragged for just a second before she fell into step next to DT. “I’m going to get some ugly cap on my tooth and it’s your fault.” she moaned as they walked. “I hate the dentist, I hate needles and drills and,” she shuddered, “and I’m going to have an ugly crown, that means more visits to-”
“Okay.” Apple Bloom snapped. “I get it, you hate the dentist.” She shook her head.
“I’m telling your sister what you did.” Diamond snapped.
“Tell her what?” Apple Bloom snapped back. “You fell asleep in class?”
“I was thinking!”
“You were snoring!”
Diamond shuffled so the two fillies were nose to nose. “You pulled my leg. You made me fall and you made me break my tooth.” she jabbed her hoof into Apple Bloom’s chest with every sentence. “so you’re gonna pay for this,” she indicated the missing part of her mouth. “you or your family. I wonder how many apples it’ll take to pay for this.”
“You can’t-” Apple Bloom’s eyes widened in fright.
Diamond started grin, she was frightening Apple Bloom, “I can and I will.” she said haughtily.
Apple Bloom put a hoof on her shoulder, “No, you can’t. Remember, Applejack said we’d get in real bad and embarrassin’ trouble if we were fightin’ again. She ain’t never gonna believe this was an accident. You want somethin’ worse than this?” she held up her bound hoof to illustrate her point.
Diamond couldn’t imagine what would be worse than being tied to Apple Bloom, but if there was something then Applejack had probably thought of it. “Fine,” she sighed, “maybe I don’t have to tell her.” she shook her head. “she’ll probably find out anyway, we still have to go to the dentist.” she tugged on the rope and started walking again.
Apple Bloom followed on at Diamond Tiara’s side. She was right, Applejack would probably find out anyway. Then froze as something caught her eye.
Diamond Tiara didn’t see her stop, the rope grew taut and she tripped over her own leg. “WAAAAA!”
Apple Bloom felt the tug on her leg and glanced down at the pink pile of pony on the ground.”What’re y’all doin’ down there?” she shook her head.
Diamond grumbled under her breath as she climbed back to her hooves. “What did you stop for?” she contemplated just hitting Apple Bloom, if she could get away with it without losing another tooth or two.
“The forest.” Apple Bloom muttered. She started trying to make for the trees. Diamond Tiara pulled on the rope to get her attention.
“The Everfree Forest? Are you crazy? What the hey do you want to go in there for?” She pulled as hard as she could but Apple Bloom was too strong and DT found herself being dragged through the dirt.
“Zecora.” Apple Bloom continued dragging the unwilling filly.
“That crazy zebra?” Diamond Tiara tried to dig her hooves into the ground. Apple Bloom was almost to the tree line. “What’s she got to do with anything?”
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Ah thought everypony knew,” she stopped and looked at Diamond Tiara, “Zecora makes all kindsa potions an’ stuff. Ah remember when ah chipped my tooth once, she gave me a magic potion to make it grow back.” she began to look excited, “If we go to her house and get some it’ll make your tooth grow back. You won’t need no dentist and we won’t get in trouble.”
Diamond Tiara managed a smile, crooked by the gap in her tooth. If it meant no trouble and no dentist then she was willing to listen to the blank flank this time.
Apple Bloom led Diamond Tiara down the familiar paths of the Everfree forest. The place was dangerous and she knew it but it wasn’t too bad if you didn’t go in too deep. Apple Bloom had visited Zecora so often she knew the safest routes, what to look out and listen for as she walked through the trees.
Diamond Tiara on the other hoof, had never been any closer than the edge of the Everfree forest. Her dad had told her all about the creatures that lived inside, Timberwolves, Manticores, Ursas both Major and Minor, Parasprites, Dragons, cockatrices and lots of other monsters that would probably think the taste of little fillies was a delicacy.
“You sure this is safe?” she flinched at a noise in the distance. “Zecora isn’t going to turn us into toads, or something?”
Apple Bloom giggled and shook her head. “Naw, Zecora’s real friendly s’long as ya don’t break nothin’.” she took a sharp left and went along the path a little more, keeping her ears open for any signs of dangers. Zecroa’s home was safe and the path to that home was safe enough —safer than the rest of the forest anyway— the monsters were cautious of it and Zecora’s zebra magic, but still a creature would occasionally throw caution to the wind and patrol the path in the hope of running into a pony. “C’mon, it’s just up ahead.”
They rounded a bend and the great tree home came into view, gourds and bottles hung from the low branches, mysterious masks, which always reminded Apple Bloom of dragons, provided decoration, thick vines hung low and a yellow light glowed from the windows. Despite being almost noon the depth of the Everfree forest always cast Zecora’s home in the shade.
“Creepy.” Diamond Tiara tried to hang back but Apple Bloom kept her pace, dragging the prissy pony with her.
“I guess it can be kinda creepy at first,” Apple Bloom smiled, “But its kinda nice when you get used to it. Jus’ like Zecora.”
She knocked on the door. From inside came the sound of movement and rhyme.
“A knocking upon my door, a visitor to make my heart soar.”
The door opened, spilling the light onto the two fillies. The silhouette of the zebra was framed against the lamp-light, they saw she was smiling. “My little friend Apple Bloom, a welcome sight, come into my room.” she stepped back to allow them entry. “and who is your little friend? You have a problem I need to tend?” she looked down at the rope between them with a raised eyebrow.
Apple Bloom shook her head. “I doubt even you could undo this knot Zecora, and Applejack would just tie us up again if we got out....long story.” she waved a hoof dismissively. “This is Diamond Tiara,” she indicated the pink pony, “and we had a little accident,”
Diamond Tiara snorted, “More like an attack.”
Apple Bloom broke away from her conversation and faced Diamond Tiara, “more like somepony was dumb enough to fall asleep in class.”
Diamond glared at Apple Bloom, “which wouldn’t have been a problem if somepony’s stupid family hadn’t woken me up before I got to sleep.”
“That don’t make no sense, I know you was asleep, you had my arm pinned under your fat butt.”
Diamond Tiara pushed herself so close to Apple Bloom their eyes were almost touching. “It’s not fat! you’re the fat one here!”
“It’s muscle!” Apple Bloom snapped back. “Which you’d have is you ever did a days work.”
“QUIET!” Zecora pushed her hooves between the two fillies and pushed them as far apart as they could go. “if all you do is scream and shout, that you are friends I have some doubt.”
Diamond rolled her eyes and huffed. “That’s an understatement.”
Zecora’s expression remained neutral. “I shall not ask why you are bound, just tell why upon my door why did you pound?”
Apple Bloom managed a nervous smile, “Well Zecora, we was wonderin’ if you had any of that potion that helps fix broken teeth. For Diamond Tiara,”
The pink earth pony opened her mouth to show Zecora the missing section of her teeth. Zecora leaned in close to look, which made DT nervous. The other ponies of Ponyville might have accepted Zecora but Diamond didn’t know her well enough to have that trust yet, the zebra lived in the monster filled Everfree forest for Celestia’s sake!
If Zecora noticed Diamond’s unease it didn’t show on her face, “Your problem I see quiet clearly, and I would like to help you dearly. But I have no more of this potion, because of a pony’s strange notion. A mare named Colgate came to me, for reasons which you shall see. She felt my potion did rob, from her tooth related job. To fix ponies teeth with such ease, would cast her business to the breeze. Her reasons to me did seem fair, so to make no more I did swear.”
Diamond Tiara blinked several times before turning to Apple Bloom, “What?”
Apple Bloom looked apologetically toward Zecora while she translated for Diamond Tiara’s sake. “Colgate the dentist asked Zecora not to make any more of her potion because if ponies came to Zecora to get their teeth fixed it’d put her out of business.” she turned from Diamond and looked at Zecora again. “So you ain’t got none?”
Zecora shook her head. “Your hopes I do not wish to chop, but of this potion I have not a drop.”
Diamond Tiara facehoofed. “Great, just great,” she rounded on Apple Bloom. “you dragged me all the way out here to talk to this witch for nothing!”
Zecora stamped her hoof onto the floor. She glowered down at at Diamond Tiara, who paled and realised she’d gone too far. She shrank back, her ears flattening against her head.
“Apple Bloom, are you sure you wish to help, this ungrateful little whelp?”
Apple Bloom gave Diamond Tiara a long look before she finally nodded her head. “Yeah, we gotta fix that tooth.”
Zecora’s dark expression faded. “Very well it is a cinch, I can make more potion in a pinch. I have all that I need, stand back, I make it with speed.”
The two fillies were pushed back into the furthest corner of the room as Zecora got to work, setting out her cauldron and lighting a fire and bringing water to a slow boil as she added various jars of power and bottles of oddly coloured liquid. All the while she muttered and chanted in the mysterious native language of the zebras. She’d once told the ponies, The words I chanted were from olden times. Something you call a nursery rhyme. Which she used to help her remember which ingredients went into the potion she was making. She moved quickly, just as she’d said. Her movements were fast but graceful, she almost looked more like she was gliding than trotting around the room. It was almost beautiful to watch.
In less than an hour the potion was brewed and had cooled enough to be drunk. She poured a portion into a large bowl and passed it to Diamond Tiara. She looked at the puce coloured concoction dubiously. For a few seconds she wondered if getting in trouble was better than drinking a potion brewed up by the mad mare who lived in the woods.
Then she thought about spending another night in the cow-shed. She knocked back the potion in four large gulps. It was warm and made her insides itch. The itching rose up from her stomach into her mouth. She moved her tongue over her missing tooth just in time to feel the enamel grow back into place. “wow, okay, that was pretty cool.” she looked gratefully at Zecora, the trust was beginning to develop. “thank you.”
Zecora bowed her head. “You are most welcome little one. In future, my company, I hope you do not shun.
“Thanks Zecora,” Apple Bloom smiled, “you really saved our hay-bacon.”
“It is no problem Apple Bloom, it is always fun to prevent your doom.” she laughed lightly.
The two fillies left Zecora’s home in considerably higher spirits than when they’d arrived, confident in the knowledge that they wouldn’t be getting into trouble.
Apple Bloom wore a cocky smile as she trotted, which was the only thing spoiling Diamond Tiara’s good mood. “C’mon,”
Tiara frowned. “What?”
Apple Bloom’s grin became smugger, “y’all know what, so c’mon and say it.”
Tiara shook her head gently, “I’m not going to say it.”
“but y’all thinkin’ it. Jus’ say it already.”
Diamond growled. “I know what I’m going to say, you know what I’m going to say. We both know what I’m going to say, so there’s no need for me to say it.”
Apple Bloom chuckled lightly. Was a thank you really so hard for Diamond to say? “You’re welcome.” she laughed as Diamond cringed.
As one their noses wrinkled. “What is that smell?” Diamond put a hoof to her mouth, trying to suppress a gag.
Apple Bloom gulped and tried to breath through her mouth. “Diamond, we gotta run. We gotta run real fast.”
“Why?”
Apple Bloom slowly moved her head to look over her shoulder. “Because there’s a Timberwolf right behind us.”