//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9 
// Story: Starbloom Chronicles II 
// by L_Wolf 
//------------------------------//


~*{Chapter Nine}*~


Diamond Tiara cleared her throat and composed herself to get ready to tell her story of loosing her mother. While she got herself mentally prepared herself to tell her story Starbloom got to her hooves and went to the kitchen to get everyone something to tea and some plates. Once she got back to the group she set the plates down and divided up the cookies and cupcakes, she also placed the drinks down for her friends.

Diamond smiled at Starbloom, "Thank you very much," she said before picking up her tea and sips it. "Mmmmm, this is very good tea." She took a deep breath settling herself comfortably on her cushion. "Now, let's see, where is the best place to start."

Diamond Tiara was on her way home from school, it was her first day of school. She trotted down the road towards the large mansion she and her parents lived in. She made her way pass the large gates and up the walkway leading to the front door.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home from school!" She called smiling happily, made her way towards the stairs and climbed them to her room reaching up to open the door to her room and goes inside putting her saddle bags away. Once she gets her stuff put away she made her way back down stairs looking around.

"Mom? Dad?" She asked curiously her parents should be home. She started to walk around the large house to find her parents. She didn't even see Ms. Ruby or Mr. Platinum who was supposed to be here taking care of the house. She thought it was pretty odd.

She eventually found Ms. Sapphire in the kitchen and walked over her. "Ms. Sapphire where is everyone?" Diamond Tiara said looking up at the young unicorn mare with a deep blue mane, tail, a dark purple coat and bright sky blue eyes.

Ms. Sapphire looks over at Diamond Tiara, her cheeks wet with tears. "Oh, Ms Tiara I'm sorry to have to tell you. Your mother has taken ill and is in the hospital. Ms. Ruby, Mr. Platinum, and Master Rich is with her now."

Diamond Tiara tilted her head faintly, "Mommy is in the hospital?" She didn't quiet understood what that mean, so she wasn't sure why Ms. Sapphire looked so upset. "Will she be home soon?"

The question made Ms. Sapphire look upset more, "I'm afraid not Ms. Tiara, from what your father said she will be there for a while." she answered softly. "I'll get dinner prepared for you."

"Well, alright Ms. Sapphire thank you for letting me." Diamond Tiara said as she left the kitchen still confused. She went back to her bedroom to, this was before she meet Silver Spoon.

After getting back to her bedroom she got took out her small jewelry making kit and started to work on a necklace. She wanted to give it to her mother when she got better. A short time later Ms. Sapphire came to her room to let her know dinner was ready.

Diamond Tiara went down stairs to the dining room, but it was empty her parents wasn't back yet, neither was the other members of the staff. She thought it was strange, something about it wasn't right but she couldn't put a hoof on the reason.

After dinner she went to the large bathroom and got cleaned up for school the next day. She hoped her parents would be home to see her to bed, but they wasn't Ms. Sapphire tucked her in. She was starting to have an uneasy filling about the situation.

"A week later my mother was dead, I never got to visit her in the hospital. My father felt it best I not see my mother's slow deterioration  from her illness. But, I did give her the necklace during the wake. I slipped it in to her coffin." Diamond Tiara said, her voice breaking lightly by the end of her story.

The whole group was quiet after Diamond Tiara finished her story. Diamond Tiara was sniffling softly and trying to suppress her tears. When she finally managed to calm herself down she looked up at over at Sweetie Belle speaking softly. "It took time, but my father really helped me through it, and he said I helped him get through the it as well. Sweetie, your sister will need you when she gets back, as much as you'll need her for support."

Sweetie Belle nodded slowly at Diamond Tiara giving her a soft, sad smile. She took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm, sorry about your mother Diamond Tiara."

Diamond Tiara smiled back at her, "Your welcome Sweetie Belle."

The group was quiet again for a few minutes before Scootaloo spoke up. "I'll go next. You all know what happen with my dad, about his mental break." She said softly looking at her friends before speaking again. "But, I think the reason he declined like he dad was the loss of my mom. It was shortly before we moved to Ponyville."

Scootaloo took a deep breath as she prepared herself to remember what happened to her mother. "We lived in Cloudsdale, my father worked in the weather factory and my mother worked as a mail pony bringing mail between Ponyville and Cloudsdale." Scootaloo said smiling faintly before frowning.

"The weather patrol had set up a thunder head that was suppose to be delivered to Filly Delphia but it got out of control.... while my mom was making a return trip from Ponyville. She got caught up in the storm as it raged out of control.... according to the investigators she got struck by lightning and didn't survive the fall." She closed her eyes a few tears forming as she remembered getting the news.

"They... investigated the cause of the storm going out of control. They concluded it was an accident but my father blamed himself for it since he oversaw its construction. He started drinking and eventually lost his job at the weather factory, we moved to Ponyville a few days after that." Scootaloo took a deep breath after the story finished wiping her eyes with a hoof.

Sweetie Belle got up and went over to Scootaloo putting a hoof on her back softly. "How... how long after that did we meet?" Sweetie Belle asked looking at her. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had known each other longest of the group.

Scootaloo looked over at Sweetie Belle giving her a smile at the hoof. "I meet you, two weeks after I came to Ponyville... my mother was killed a month before we moved." Scootaloo answered. Both looked over at Apple Bloom smiling softly. "Meet you, a week after that Apple Bloom."

Sweetie Belle nodded softly, "So it was still pretty recent then? You never showed any signs that something happen."

Scootaloo nodded at Sweetie Belle smiling faintly. "Ya, I didn't want anyone feeling sorry for me so I kept it to myself. Back in Cloudsdale everyone kept telling me how sorry they were."

The group was quiet again looking at each other, both Starbloom and Apple Bloom looked at each other to see who would tell their story next. Apple Bloom didn't remember her parents that well and Starbloom wasn't sure how best to tell her story about Spike without giving away to much, but she didn't want to lie either.