Seeing Diamond Tiara’s hoof begin rising Thunder Claw said encouragingly, “Yes, dear. That’s it. Make the right choice for once. Don’t be deceived a second time. I’m the only one you can truly trust.”
Diamond Tiara felt so broken up inside at the moment she was willing to cling to anyone that would offer her comfort and take her pain away at the moment… even if that person was the same one who put her in that state in the first place.
She didn’t know if she could actually trust her aunt to keep to her word though, especially when she flat out said she shouldn’t be trusted. It was a strange sort of comforting to know that somehow. Everyone else around her always tried to hide their flaws and act reliable. The fact that her aunt was so honest in admitting her dishonesty somehow made her more trustworthy. She couldn’t explain why, but that was the way she felt.
She felt on the verge of throwing it all away. Everything that she had been fighting for recently. She hated all the discomfort and pain she had been going through, and it just made her want to lock her heart away again to feel safe.
Her leg twitched again and again as she kept starting to seal the deal, then pullied it away in indecision. She wanted the pain to go away, but a part of her just couldn’t bear going back to the way things were.
There was a sudden loud pounding that echoed throughout the chamber. Thunder Claw looked outside of the room. “Well, it seems your father is here. You can try to run but you’ll have to make the choice eventually. When everything goes catastrophically wrong you’ll beg for me to help you out. Soon enough you’ll see how naïve you’re being. That indecision is the voice of weakness still trying to hold you back. No one truly cares for you and no one ever will.”
Near the front doors one of the kidnappers went to the door. “Who is it?” asked the stallion.
A male voice answered, “I’m here to negotiate for Diamond Tiara’s release.”
“Good, good.” He opened the door and saw… a unicorn colt with a snail for a cutie mark. With a confused look he asked, “Are… are you a relative of hers?”
“I’m gonna go rescue her!” He slipped in past the stallion, who quickly ran after him and caught him. The door opened further, and now Apple Bloom was standing there. “Temporary Crusaders!” she cried out strongly. “CHARGE!”
“RIGHT!” came a group of voices.
“What is-” The stallion didn’t get to finish before there was an uproar of screaming and yelling, and countless fillies and colts began storming through the open door. In disbelief he dropped Snails on the ground. Quickly overwhelming him through sheer numbers Apple Bloom hogtied him just like she had practiced with her sister a hundred times.
“Help!” screamed out the stallion. “We’re being overwhelmed!”
The three other members of the group quickly came running.
“Don’t stop fer nothin’!” Apple Bloom yelled. “We’re gettin’ Diamond Tiara back whether they like it or not!”
They did their best to defend themselves but the kidnappers were quickly trounced. For every kid they pushed or hit another one took its place. From every side and every angle they were attacked until they collapsed and were tied up.
Diamond Tiara and Thunder Claw both were looking at the door. The amount of noise was almost overwhelming. It sounded like an army was charging throughout the building.
Panic was on Thunder Claw’s face as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. Who would be foolish enough to storm the building, putting the hostage at risk? She didn’t have enough time to prepare something before a group of kids passed by the door.
“Found her!” yelled Scootaloo. “Charge!”
The number of them was simply too much to fight off alone. She began getting kicked all over her body. When she tried to kick back to defend herself a pony would jump onto her legs. She got knocked to the ground. Apple Bloom came running in with her lasso to tie her up.
Straining to her utmost, Thunder Claw threw the children overpowering her off and jumped over the group towards the open door. Just as she reached it and thought she was home free she suddenly saw a pair of legs as she was bucked in the face, stunning her.
Silver Spoon felt a pit of disgust in her stomach to see that it was Thunder Claw. She had helped kidnap her own niece.
Diamond Tiara felt like she was dreaming. What was going on? Had all of them really come… just for her?
Apple Bloom finished tying up Thunder Claw, then with the assistance of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo as supports she jumped on top of them and opened the lock. With a huge smile she opened the door and ran in. “Hey there, Diamond Tiara! Glad ta see yer alright!” She hugged her friend. “Silver Spoon told us about what happened. Soon as we heard ya was kidnapped all of us chipped in ta rescue ya.”
Diamond Tiara’s eyes shut tight as she began crying, regret burning so strongly in her heart. How could she have forgotten so easily? Apple Bloom cared for family and friends most of all. She would never let a friend get hurt if she could be there to stop it.
She threw herself at Apple Bloom too, letting her emotions run free. “Thank you! Thank you all!” She didn’t think she would ever forget it. The site of all her classmates storming the building to rescue her, putting their own lives in danger for her... never in a million years did she think that would happen. All the ones she had wronged through her years of being a snobby bully forgot their misgivings and came to save her. Snips, Snails, Truffle Shuffle, Rumble, Shady Daze, Featherweight, Pipsqueak, Twist, Dinky; even Silver Spoon had shown up despite her choosing her new friends over her old one.
Her aunt was WRONG! Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong! She did have friends! Friends who cared about her very deeply. Love that flowed powerfully around her. Her aunt had almost made her forget by bringing up painful memories from the past, but she had overcome them again now.
“Apple Bloom,” said Diamond Tiara. “Let’s get out of here. My aunt needs a lesson in manners.”
“Yer AUNT?” Apple Bloom sputtered, looking over at the still stunned Thunder Claw.
“She instigated this whole kidnapping plot to get back at my dad. She had to get kidnapped too to make it look good.” Begging, she said, “Please! Believe me! My aunt is a masterful liar and deceiver. She even convinced ME and I knew it was a lie. She’s going to do her best to make it seem like she had been trying to rescue me. Please! Stick by my side. I can’t take another betrayal.”
There was a short laugh, and then she heard a voice say, “Funny you should say that.” Diamond Tiara saw Silver Spoon coming through the crowd. “But I guess this time I’d be willing to forgive you since you’re not hurt. You can just owe me one.”
She gave Silver Spoon a hug. ”Thank you.”
“Hmph! Don’t thank me. It was just the right thing to do.” She returned the hug for a few seconds. “You idiot. You and your dumb Crusader friends. But if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t have gotten so many to join us in our mission. So… I guess they’re not so bad.”
“Yeah… they really aren’t.”
Diamond Tiara went up to her aunt and looked down at her. Thunder Claw was coming to her senses. “So what do you say now?” she asked angrily. “I’m gonna make sure you’re exposed for the phony, backstabbing monster you really are, with my dear friends right by my side! Sure it may hurt sometimes, but…” She grabbed Silver Spoon and Apple Bloom, “…but my heart wouldn’t be complete without them!”
“Yeah!” said Apple Bloom. “I don’t care what ya say. Ya kin try yer phony act, but no matter how convincing it is, I know I’ll believe my friend over you.”
Thunder Claw groaned. “Y-you’ll regret this.” She sounded so deflated it barely sounded like a threat.
“The only thing I regret is allowing myself to be manipulated by you in the first place,” said Diamond Tiara. “I nearly fell for your speech and forgot what was important. When one of us is in danger, no matter our differences, each of us will step up to help each other out. That is the essence of the beauty of friendship.
“Hmph! Even if I had agreed to your deal you would have backstabbed me along the way.”
A smirk crossed Thunder Claw’s lips, some of her spirit coming back. “Obviously. Look at all of them at your side, but each of them will turn against you some day and betray your trust.”
“When I was alone those words seemed so powerful and strong, but… with so many by my side all I hear is the voice of a sore loser. I don’t want to turn out like you, a bitter old hag.”
“H-hag? HAG! How dare you!” She struggled to get out of her bonds but wasn’t able to.
“Don’t bother,” said Apple Bloom. “Besides my sister I’m the number one hog-tier in Ponyville.”
“Let’s get out of here,” said Diamond Tiara. “I want to go home.”
“Sure!”
Diamond Tiara still couldn’t believe how many kids had shown up. As they walked through the halls near to the entrance she saw the other four tied up, and there had to be at least forty fillies and colts gathered around them besides the group of fifteen to twenty that had stormed the room she had been in.
Working together, all five of the kidnappers were thrown into their own cage and locked up.
As they left the building Diamond Tiara breathed in the fresh air, feeling the warmth of the sun. “Thank you again, Apple Bloom.” Looking around curiously at their group she asked, “So how come you didn’t get any adults?”
“Huh?”
“I mean, it all worked out in the end because there were just too many of them to fight, but I thought you’d get your sister or some skilled unicorns.”
Apple Bloom stared blankly at Diamond Tiara like she was speaking another language. Then an embarrassed smile came to her face. Putting her hoof behind her head she rubbed it and laughed awkwardly. “H-heh heh. Yeah. That probably would-a been the smarter thing ta do, wouldn’t it?”
Diamond Tiara burst out into laugher. She couldn’t help it. Apple Bloom really hadn’t thought of it.
When they got to her mansion she opened the gate and walked in. She could see most of the kids had stopped. She remembered the last time they had been crowding around because the Crusaders were cool at the time, being friends with a princess. “Hey...,” She started with a bit of a forced smile. “You all want to go for a swim in the pool?”
Cheers went throughout the crowd of kids who all quickly ran towards it, leaving the rest of them behind. Only Silver Spoon and the other Crusaders remained. “That was awful nice-a ya, Diamond Tiara.”
“It was the least I could do after they all put in the effort to help save me. Let’s go get my dad.”
As the children all splashed and screamed and played in the pool the other five went in and looked around until she saw her parents in the kitchen.
When she told her parents about what had happened her mom quickly came over and hugged her. Her dad became furious, and with the help of several of his servants he went to town hall and had her aunt and her co-conspirators arrested.
While he was gone Diamond Tiara talked with Silver Spoon. “I want to thank you again. You came back to help me, even after I just said I didn’t want to be friends anymore.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she responded. “I’m just happy you’re unhurt. Being betrayed by your family is never easy.
“Well, you have fun with your 'party.' I’ll see you in class. It’s not like I have any friends anymore.” She turned around and began walking towards the exit.
To her surprise Scootaloo stepped in front of her. “And where do you think you’re going? You are a friend.”
“Yeah, right. I was just doing the right thing.”
“Yes, you did. All you had to do was tell someone else and let them handle it. But you came along for the fight to protect her when it would have been simpler to just sit around and wait for someone else to solve the problem. It sure shows to me that you still consider her a friend. You said we’d call a truce in our rivalry for today, and it’s still today. If you want to go back to being a jerk to me tomorrow then go ahead. But for today I’m glad you were around to warn us. At least until tomorrow I’m willing to forget our history. Let’s just hang out together and celebrate Diamond Tiara’s safe return.” She stuck out her hoof.
Silver Spoon’s eyes went to the corner of the room, her mouth stuck on one side. “Fine,” she responded, tapping Scootaloo’s hoof. “But just until tomorrow. I have a reputation to maintain. I have to…” Her voice lost all its spirit. “I have to be good for my parents, and do what they say. The family name is the most important thing you can possess… supposedly.”
Apple Bloom spoke up. “Why can’t we just be friends? If ya say yer mom and dad told ya to latch on to the popular or rich kids in class, and we’re friends with Diamond Tiara, then aren’t ya just doin’ what yer parents told ya to do if yer friends with us too?” She could see on Silver Spoon now that same look she had seen on Diamond Tiara: that hopeful look tinged with a strong reluctance.
“Silver Spoon,” said Diamond Tiara. “What I’ve learned over the past few weeks is that the family name isn’t the most important thing. It’s having love in your heart. I can hardly believe I’m saying those words, but they’re true. It started with Apple Bloom after we had that fight. Despite me making such a harmful comment she still offered to be my friend. Because of her suggestion I decided to give my parents another chance, and because of that and making friends with the Crusaders I’m a lot happier now than I ever was when I was making fun of them. It’s really uncomfortable right now because I’m not used to acting that way, but I’m slowly getting used to it.
“My aunt…” Diamond Tiara’s eye’s narrowed. “She almost broke me. She tried to get me to agree that it was all pointless and that everyone was going to betray me. Despite showing me just a little earlier how good a liar she was I still almost fell for it. I would have if you didn’t show up when you did. She would have escaped if you hadn’t been the one to buck her. That was pretty awesome!” She snickered.
Silver Spoon followed suit. “It was, wasn’t it?
“Look, I’ll give it a shot today to see if I like it. I can’t see myself as a Cutie Mark Crusader, but since Scootaloo is right that we’re still in a truce I’ll let you have the honor of my friendship…at least for today.
“Let’s all go in the pool with the other kids. We can have a big barbeque and hang out until the sun sets!”
There was excitement in her voice as she pushed her pride to the side. The other four cheered and ran outside.
Silver Spoon smiled as she jumped into the pool, splashing around with everyone. She felt just like everyone else for a change, and for once in her life she didn’t mind it at all.
Away from that horrible situation, surrounded by caring ponies…Diamond Tiara could see her aunt’s words for the lies they were. Her parents had made some mistakes, believing it was for her benefit. She would get into arguments with her friends, but so long as she came back apologetic they would forgive her. Love was all around her, she was loved and…she was starting to love back after all the heartaches of her youth. This was the life.