//------------------------------// // Rain Storms Pt. 2 // Story: Learning to Love: An Apple Tiara // by Wolfe15 //------------------------------// Chapter 3 Apple Bloom took a sip of her drink then paused to think. "Ah'm a bit fuzzy on the details." "I can take over dear." "Thank ya kindly sugarcube." Diamond Tiara cleared her throat then blushed when Applejack, Daring and Dash came over. "Maybe we should-." "Continue." Apple Bloom said in a dead panned voice as they joined in. "O-Okay. Well it happened like this..." Diamond Tiara shuddered as lightning illuminated the sky but looked to Apple Bloom's sleeping face and felt her fears melt away. She was hurt because of her, she had rescued her and all she did was cry. Tiara sniffed then moved forward and nuzzled her gently. "I-I'm sorry Apple Bloom. I am a terrible person huh?" She heard a grunt and a hoof hit her head. She yelped then looked to see a tired Apple Bloom glaring at her. "Shut up." "B-But..." "Ah said shut up. Fer once yer gonna listen to me." Tiara nodded and looked down tears welling in her eyes. Apple Bloom sighed and rolled onto her side, facing Tiara. "Yer a mean, spiteful person but it ain't yer fault." Tiara's head snapped up and she looked at her in shock. "W-What?" "It's not yer fault. Yer only real friend is Silver Spoon. Something happened huh?" Tiara looked away and sniffed softly. "It happened when my mom died. I-It was also the day I realized I was scared of lightning." Filthy Rich smiled as his wife, Sonata Crown, played with their filly. Sonata Crown was a rough and tumble type of mare with a heart of gold and a voice of an angel. She was the singer at one of his lounges. She was young but age meant nothing to the two love struck ponies. Sonata smiled and whined in happiness when she saw him. "Love come play with us!" Rich smiled then trotted outside and nuzzled his wife gently. Diamond giggled and nuzzled her father's chest and said, "Daddy! Play with momma and me!" Rich nodded and the family of three began to play. Slowly clouds began to roll in and Sonata sighed. "Okay, inside! It's gonna rain!" The family began to trot inside but Diamond saw a toy under a tree and smiled. She rushed over and grabbed it giggling then turned to see her mother looking at her with a tired smile. Her mother motioned for her to come inside but she shook her head and sat down. The rain began to come down and her mother lost her playful expression. She made another motion but Diamond shook her head harder and giggled as her mother frowned. A loud rumble came from the sky and Diamond looked up in curiosity. Suddenly a bright light came from the sky and hit the ground a few feet from her. Diamond jumped and tears sprung to her eyes as she whimpered loudly. Sonata gasped then looked back, her eyes set in determination and rushed out to her. Rich screamed after his wife but she was determined to get her filly. When she got to the tree she grabbed Diamond roughly and turned to run but the lightning hit the ground in front of her, tossing her back into the tree. She groaned, dazed but not seriously hurt and looked up to see a large branch snap from her impact into the tree. She tossed Diamond away and the branch hit her full force in the head. She collapsed onto her side and Diamond gasped, rushing to her mother’s side. "Momma!" Rich galloped over and made to move the branch then froze. Her head was under the branch and a river of blood was coming from under it. He looked at the crying filly then grabbed her and rushed inside. Diamond screamed out for her mother but...she just laid there. Dead. Diamond sobbed softly as she finished her tale and looked to Apple Bloom, who looked sad. "Ah'm sorry Tiara." "It was my fault. I should have listened. I'm mean because if I get close to someone, what if they get hurt? What if they don't wake up l-like momma?" "Mah mom died protectin' Applejack." Tiara looked up at Apple Bloom in shock and Apple Bloom smiled slightly. "Sis told me ma died protectin' her from a pack of wolves. Sis didn't want ta let people close but she said it was a part of letting go. Yer mom wants ya ta live Tiara. Try and be nicer, make some more friends and live." Tiara sniffed loudly then nodded and smiled at her. "W-Will you be my friend?" "Ah rescued ya didn't Ah? Ah’d say we're friends already." Tiara grinned and nodded when a large crack came from outside. Tiara flinched then looked at Apple Bloom and smiled sheepishly. "Can I still be scared of lightning?" "Ah think we all get ta be afraid of that." Tiara giggled then sighed gently. "I wonder where that nice pony is." "Shy?" Suddenly the lights went out and Tiara screamed loudly. Apple Bloom winced then slowly rolled out of the bed she rested in and limped to the door. "Come on." Right when she reached for the door knob, she stopped and limped back to the bed and grabbed a blanket. "What are you doing?" "Something is wrong." She put the blanket on the door knob and turned it slowly then limped out with Tiara following closely. They both went down stairs and found Fluttershy on the ground. Tiara whimpered but Apple Bloom went over then sighed in relief. "Ah think the doors are electrified, one touch and you get hit by a jolt of electricity." She nudged Fluttershy and got a groan from her. "Tiara, we need to get back to mah house." "B-But…" "Promise me you will help me?" Tiara nodded and Apple Bloom looked around then rushed over to a table and broke the legs off. "Help me get her on this." Both fillies rolled her onto the broken slab of wood and Apple Bloom rushed to the room she had used, grabbed a few blankets, and dragged them downstairs. They tightly strapped her to the wooden slab then made a rein. "Okay. We need ta drag her to the farm okay?" Tiara nodded and they each gripped a piece of rope and dragged her to the door. Balanced on one leg Apple Bloom kicked the door open and they began their trek to the farm. Tiara whined as another streak of lightning came dangerously close to them. "Apple Bloom?" "Yes?" "How come you know so much?" Apple Bloom flushed then grunted, "Well Ah really like ta read so Ah ask Applejack ta take me to the library some times. Ah just read a lot." Tiara nodded then froze. "There's a tree on the path." Apple Bloom spit out her rein then groaned softly. "It'll take too long ta go around!" She looked around and Tiara pointed to two wooden planks. "Perfect! Stay here!" Apple Bloom rushed over and moved one of the planks onto her back then set it up on one side of the tree then did the same to the other side. "Okay, you pull, Ah'll push." Ten minutes later both fillies’ managed to get Fluttershy over the tree and Apple Bloom looked up. The sky was lighting up and the lightning had stopped. She wiped the sweat from her head then nodded to Tiara and they gripped the reins tightly, beginning again. Apple Bloom and her trekked for another thirty minutes before they got to the gate. "Run ahead Tiara." Apple Bloom said weakly before she collapsed onto her side and whined softly. Tiara ran off and Apple Bloom looked into the sky and smiled as the clouds cleared revealing the golden sky behind. She grinned wider when she rolled over and a rainbow shot out of her house and headed towards them. She yawned then passed out. Apple Bloom frowned into her cup then shrugged and looked to see Tiara was grinning. She looked forward and blanched slightly seeing now Twilight and Rarity had joined the bunch and Rarity had tears in her eyes. "That was so amazing!" Apple Bloom cringed and grumbled, "What is this, a sowing circle?" "So you guys started to date after that?" asked Sweetie "Nope. There's still some stuff." "Seriously?! Dang Tiara! You play hard to get!" Scoots said whistling lowly. Tiara flushed then rolled her eyes and shook her head.