//------------------------------// // Step 4 ~ Scootaloo, Seeing Something // Story: Sleepovers And Such // by Sunset-Chan //------------------------------// Step 4 ~Scootaloo, Seeing Something~ It wasn’t as earth shattering a revelation as she had expected, but it still left her both perplexed, mildly amused and quite disappointed: The Apples had warm water in their shower. Diamond Tiara had no specific reason on her mind, but it was maddening that she had one thing less she could tease Apple Bloom with. If this was how it felt to see your life’s work crumble down before you, then it was underwhelming, to say the least, more annoying than anything else even. On the other hoof, at least she could have a proper shower and wouldn’t need to go to bed looking like a popsicle of unidentifiable flavor. If she was being completely honest with herself, until now everything was working fine, except that she had to spend the night with two ponies she couldn’t stand. Diamond could imagine this sucking even under abnormal circumstances, like, an alien invasion taking place, being stuck in a constant time loop, or Scootaloo and Apple Bloom suddenly switching races. Really, no matter how you set this gig up, it would always suck, and if her parents weren’t all like: “You need to socialize with our dear friends,” she would’ve left immediately. The things you do for love, she acknowledged grimly as she turned the water off, probably ten minutes after she had stepped into the bathroom. They had some hope in her managing all of this, and if the worst would come, she could always bribe her way out of the situation. Applejack seemed to be pretty down to earth, so Diamond Tiara could maybe give her three bits per month and then she’d ground Apple Bloom forever, therefor keeping the secret secret. Scootaloo would then be too frightened to say anything, and if she did get any bold ideas, Diamond only needed to remind her of what grim fate was awaiting her. Maybe she should write a song for that occasion, “The Bloom of Sweet Apple Acres” or something along those lines. That sounded intimidating, and intimidating was good. Diamond Tiara thought things like that as she proceeded to dry herself with a towel. The worst part of showering always was getting the coat to a state where it wouldn’t leave a river upon leaving the bath, and getting there could take as long as the showering itself. Other ponies didn’t have that much of a problem with it, Diamond could imagine, but she didn’t really enjoy her rump on display for an overly long time. It came with the territory, she figured, what with not being able to discern when she had to go and when not, but the rationalization alone only made her feel only worse. Being in a stranger’s home, she decided not to go with quality for her coat’s treatment–on the morrow, it would be a mess again anyway–and instead just made sure that she wasn’t drooping from every part of her body. She had managed to be reasonably quiet when taking her last diaper off, and now she managed to be reasonably quiet as she got a second one out of her bag. Nopony had asked anything when she had gotten all her utensils into the bathroom, though Scootaloo had looked at her somewhat sceptical. At least the pegasus had done the right thing and assumed that Diamond was so rich, that she had an entire bag full of rich pony stuff for bathing. That was as plausible an excuse as any and she had managed to throw in a line about being amazed that Scootaloo knew about showers. Now that she spread the padding on the floor, Diamond Tiara thought that she should’ve added something like, “since you’re apparently trying to get a cutie mark in being a dirty peasant”. “I honestly need to rub my wealth in their noses more often,” Diamond Tiara said with a frown, but immediately thought better of it, “well, maybe when they finally do get their cutie marks.” Certain types of ammunition for certain kinds of situations. Plus, it would be so great when these cutie mark crusaders would feel safe and warm, only to have all their hopes crushed by Diamond Tiara’s godlike wit. The smug smile stayed throughout the process of getting herself ready for the night, even if her thoughts were broken now and then by oncoming fears. Like waves they came on her mind. What if they discovered her secret? What if they would tell everypony? What if her parents would actually be disappointed because of she hadn’t managed to hide it properly? What if all of this was just a large test? What if they already knew and were just playing around? The thing that kept her from breaking into a vicious circle of questions was one simple fact: Diamond Tiara was sure of herself, and her skills. Yes, she could manage two crusaders, even without Silver Spoon to back her up. There was absolutely nothing that would go wrong. She put her nightgown on, blessing herself for thinking of packing it, and finished of with her tiara. She liked how she looked in the mirror, the glamor made her rump seem more slender than it was with the padding, and the nightgown was what it was. It had been made by Sweetie Belle’s sister, and had been inspired by the dresses of the Canterlot elite. Dressed in fine silks and wearing a tiara on her head, Diamond felt the dire need to address herself as “princess” just to see how it would feel. But, the cutie mark pests could listen in and she did have a reputation to keep. Still, she took one look at her mirror image, for one to check whether the glamor did its usual work, and to squee at how regal she looked. It was a sad day that there was nopony to appreciate it, or anypony she would have liked appreciation from. But then, just noticing how she looked was kind of irritating. Not that she didn’t think she looked stunning, but it felt like a waste too. Being stuck here among enemies really put her mood to a test, it dampened whatever happiness her attire brought out and made her grimace fierce. Diamond Tiara didn’t quite know who to blame for this situation. Her parents for even sending her? Her best friend Silver Spoon for going on a vacation just when she needed her the most? Maybe just the crusaders, like always? Yeah, the usual suspects were also the easiest targets. She felt the spell weighing down on her, and was glad she could at least put the tiara down shortly, since the magic was starting to go to her head by now, and she grinded her teeth in annoyance. This day couldn’t be done soon enough. Scootaloo had tried to tell herself that this was going to be an awesome weekend, and then Sweetie Belle had called it off. Nevertheless, it had still been her and Apple Bloom. There wasn’t much that could’ve gone wrong with that combo–no, correction–there wasn’t anything that could’ve go wrong with that combination. Sure, the Cutie Mark Crusaders worked at their best when all three of them were present, but that carefully established balance was maintained with nothing more but extreme friendship. On all accounts, this should have been at least a decent weekend. Accommodations had been made, but nopony was happy with them. Not Diamond Tiara, not Apple Bloom and, of course, not Scootaloo. How could she be happy? The moment that prissy good-for-nothing had stepped into the picture, even Miss Cheerilee appearing for a surprise test could not have been worse. Unless it was a history test, she was close enough to failing grade on that front already. Yeah, if she had to choose between a history test and Diamond Tiara, Scootaloo couldn’t quite decide which was the lesser evil. “Why am I sleeping on the floor?” Diamond asked with that annoying voice of hers. Scootaloo would’ve loved to stuff an apple in her mouth, just to shut her up. “Because there’s not enough room for three ponies on my bed,” Apple Bloom lied as boldly as she was able to. Diamond only frowned at her. “I didn’t mean I wanted to sleep in one bed with you,” she said, acid dripping from her every word, “that’s icky. I just don’t see why I’ve got to sleep on …” The filly merely pointed at the heap of straw that had been placed together with a blanket and a pillow right in the middle of the room. Compared to a bed it wasn’t much, but from experience Scootaloo knew that it was comfortable enough. Her own parents often said that “back in their days” all ponies slept on straw and beds were only owned by the princesses, and nopony ever appreciated anything anymore. Of course, there was more to that particular lecture than Scootaloo cared to recount, but at the heart of it she truly couldn’t see any reason why Diamond seemed to be upset about this. Neither did Apple Bloom, who just looked at Diamond Tiara, a most curious expression on her face. “Uhm, are you allergic to hay?” “What? Of course not, you dimwit,” Diamond Tiara said, rolling her eyes. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stood right across the room by the door, and Diamond stood before her bed. There wasn’t much distance between them, and this might just become the chance to finally punch that stupid foal right in the face. Nopony took that kind of tone with her friends. While she could barely contain her anger, Apple Bloom took the insult much better and took a deep breath. “I didn’t even know you were coming, so of course I couldn’t have prepared much else. You can always sleep outside if you want, it’s gonna be a starry night. Lyra said that it’s good to be homeless on a starry night.” “Your sister said she’s got a house now, though,” Scootaloo threw in, sure that Lyra was more happy with a roof above her head. “Yes,” Diamond Tiara agreed, “and probably an actual bed. You know, with a mattress? Like the one you’ve got?” Apple Bloom grumbled something and gave Scootaloo the evil eye. “I’m not siding with her,” the orange pegasus said immediately as she noticed that, “I was just pointing out that Lyra’s no longer sleeping among trash cans. You, however, can gladly sleep among them.” She gave Diamond Tiara a stern look, leaving the filly to stare at her open-mouthed. Then, Scootaloo turned back to her friend, trying to smile. After she had spoken, silence took the room, a silence only broken by the sound of Diamond Tiara grinding her teeth as her face twisted with rage. She shook, and Scootaloo thought there might’ve been a tear in her eye. But that was it, she turned around with a huff and puff, trying to make herself comfortable. “Whatever,” Diamond Tiara said, pretending–and failing–to sound nonchalant about it, “I’m not in the mood to fight with you babies, anyway. So do me a favor and keep quiet now.” This was going to be a horrible weekend, Scootaloo had thought from the moment she had spotted Diamond Tiara, but now? Both she and Apple Bloom were glaring fiercely at the other foal, who was far too well-dressed for somepony about to head to bed, but suddenly it dawned upon the orange pegasus. They had never seen Diamond Tiara in an environment that put the rich filly at a disadvantage. She had a knack for appearing just at the right time to rub mud in their wounds, to say something vile and then disappear again. But the foal never stayed long in the picture, the most they had to deal with her had been during her tenure as head of the school newspaper. Scootaloo remembered even that as a situation where Diamond Tiara was in a position where she could lord over them, but right now, she had to try and keep her tongue. The tables had turned. She turned to Apple Bloom, a new smile on her face. The earth pony returned it knowingly, because it wasn’t hard to know what the other was thinking in this particular situation. “Alright,” Apple Bloom said as she turned back to Diamond Tiara, “it’s bedtime anyway, so goodnight to you.” They had originally intended to stay awake till midnight or so, get a cutie mark at doing all-nighters or something, but that couldn’t be done with Diamond Tiara here. If they did anything crass, she’d talk to Applejack, and Applejack would ground Apple Bloom before telling Scootaloo to ground hers. Then Diamond Tiara would tease them with a song about it, probably with a title like “The Apple And The Chicken Fair”–worse yet, she’d probably think herself intimidating. Diamond Tiara feeling good about herself wasn’t on either filly’s agenda, so the decision to go to bed early was made entirely rationally. They both went to the shower quietly, and they both hid beneath the covers quietly and then there was nothing. Outside, the sun had vanished beyond the horizon, leaving the stars blazing in the sky while the moon hid from the everypony’s sight. Scootaloo felt herself looking at the ceiling from the moment Apple Bloom had put out the light. Nopony was talking in the room. Maybe they could’ve attempted to make a conversation with Diamond Tiara, but just her presence was a poison to the mood. So they were left doing whatever they were going to do. Diamond Tiara had put down her tiara only after the light had gone out, and then gotten something else out of her bag, probably out of a plastic bag or something, considering there was a light crinkle to be heard. After that noise had stopped there had only been the sound of talking in the distance, of Applejack’s and Granny Smith’s laughter as BigMac used the rare opportunity to get some cider for himself. Scootaloo had heard that he tended to get a ton more wittier once he downed a keg or two. She half-regretted not being down there with them, and Apple Bloom did so too, and the pegasus filly had to wonder why she was even staying. Tired wasn’t really a good word to describe her current condition. There was enough energy left in her to last for a few hours at least, surely enough to crawl down and just listen to her friend’s family being silly. Maybe she and Apple Bloom could’ve even planned something out for the remainder of the weekend, now that they apparently had Diamond on the backfoot. Yet, she didn’t move, neither did. Neither made a sound, instead Scootaloo just looked at the ceiling, her eyes slowly growing accustomed to the darkness. A bit of time passed, the sounds from outside started to subside, and then, after a few more moments, Applejack quietly opened the door, taking a peek into the room. The light from the hallway made Scootaloo turn to the side, to where she found Diamond Tiara lying. For a moment there was silence. Apple Bloom’s soft breathing was interrupted by a quick snore, like it did every now and then, and then a mumble. Tonight she urged the bears to stop hugging her, because they were too fluffy. That happened every now and then. Scootaloo noticed it, and at the same time didn’t. She knew Apple Bloom’s sleeping patterns well enough to not care, but her eyes were wide open nonetheless. One ray of light, cut through the darkness, right along the fillies, and Applejack presumably noticed the same thing Scootaloo did. Honestly, it wasn’t hard to notice, not at all, since, apparently, whatever sleeping patterns Diamond Tiara had, subtle, they were not. The filly had kicked off the wool blanket the apples had given her, an act Scootaloo could understand, now that she noticed what blanket it was. For this time of year, it was one too thick. In and of itself that, of course, shouldn’t have presented any sort of problem. Scootaloo wouldn’t even have taken a second glance at Diamond Tiara, yet the unicorn had managed to somehow roll around enough so much, that her gown decided to only cover what was above her flanks. Even that wouldn't have kept Scootaloo's attention, but when the first thing one saw on their sleeping arch-nemesis was a plain white, padded garment usually worn by infants, did something like a proper response even exist? No, no. It did in fact not. She heard Applejack take a step into the room, probably having seen the same thing Scootaloo had. The filly reacted almost instinctively, closing her eyes, pretending to sleep. Luckily, Applejack didn’t seem to care about her, walked straight past the bed, with cat-like elegance. “Well, this is off to a good start,” the mare whispered quietly and presumably put the blanket back over Diamond Tiara. “Well, good thing y’all are asleep, wouldn’t want the others to notice” Internally, Scootaloo was screaming. She knows! Whatever was up with Diamond, Applejack knew about it, and nervosity took over. Should she open her eyes? Applejack hadn’t noticed her awake, Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were both walking through Luna’s realm. Should she inquire, or keep pretending? She wasn’t equipped to handle a situation like this. How should she be? It wasn’t like she had expected any quick developments like … like this! Her heart was beating against her chest and she was shaking, mainly because she had absolutely no idea how to even process what she had seen. A filly her age couldn’t really be in diapers, they were already going to school. And despite, Diamond Tiara hadn’t worn any as they’d went into bed. It wasn’t like these things magically appeared once a filly fell asleep. Except, what if they did? Scootaloo felt the dire need to turn around and check whether one had appeared on Apple Bloom, just to make sure, but decided to make her move only after Applejack had cleared the room. Which she did seconds after, having moved to the door again without Scootaloo even noticing. “Good night y’all, and pleasant dreams,” she whispered and as the mare shut the door, Scootaloo’s eyes opened wide. She immediately turned around and pulled the on the covers, trying to spot something in the darkness beneath. She didn’t see anything, but quite frankly, Apple Bloom was sleeping close enough that she should have noticed a friggin’ diaper appearing out of nowhere. No, first off, why would that even happen? Scootaloo shook her head and threw her head back on the pillow. She went back to staring at the wall then, her eyes turning back to where Diamond Tiara was peacefully sleeping. She had hugged a plush toy, Scootaloo now recalled, but that wasn’t terribly unusual, the pegasus had an awesome alligator herself. Gummy, an actual alligator, even seemed to like him. But no, the plush toy wasn’t the problem. The problem was that she had just seen something extraordinarily strange, and maybe, just maybe, finally a way to pay Diamond Tiara back for all that bullying. Her heart was racing and she was sure to not get any sleep tonight, as she still tried to understand the fundamentals behind it, but one thing Scootaloo was very sure of: Nopony else in their school still wore diapers. There now was a chance that this would become a fairly good weekend.