//------------------------------//
// Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes 
// Story: Cubic Zirconia 
// by arcum42 
//------------------------------//

As she pushed the wheelchair down the path leading to the Carousel Boutique, one thing occupied Diamond Tiara's mind more and more: Rarity herself was high-class and every bit a lady, but she still had that maniac cat for a pet.

It had attacked her on sight earlier when she stopped by. It wouldn't surprise her if it was out for round two. Cats were smart, and she had said she was going to be back later today.

By now, she was practically expecting to be under attack at any point anyways, with the way her life had been going recently, but here she knew that it was probably sitting there, stretching its claws, lying in wait for her. She needed a plan of attack.

She stopped before getting too close to the Boutique, and addressed the Crusaders.

"Sensor sweep!" she announced, falling back on their ongoing game. "Scan the area for hostile lifeforms!"

She half expected to have Apple Bloom snap at her for giving orders, but the three of them gave a show of looking around in all directions. All directions, she noted irritably, but the direction the Carousel Boutique was in.

"Hostile lifeforms ahead," she clarified. "Feline lifeforms."

"Oh!" Sweetie Belle said, as if coming to a sudden realization. "You think Opal's gonna attack us?"

"I think she's going to attack me. That cat has it out for me, I just know it."

"She has it out for everypony, not just you," Sweetie Belle replied. "Just let her catch you and bat you around a bit, and treat you like a new plaything. She'll get bored an' end up leaving you alone."

That might be, but she wasn't about to be beaten by a cat. There had to be something she could use to get the upper hoof. She started digging through her saddlebags, and paused when one item came to the top.

Perfect. She pulled out a leash and collar triumphantly. "There!"

"Why do you have a leash and collar in your bag?" Apple Bloom said, frowning. "Why do you have one at all?"

"Pinkie Pie," she stated, as if that explained everything. Quite often that would, really. Hopefully Apple Bloom wouldn't press the issue. 

"So, I'll dart around the door, grab the cat before she suspects anything is wrong, then put the collar around her neck."

Scootaloo eyed the collar warily, not having gotten a good look at it earlier. "Isn't that kinda too big? Who'd even need a collar that big?"

Somepony who wanted to put it on another pony, not a pet, Diamond thought. What had Pinkie Pie been thinking, giving this to her? Why would she even agree to be Scootaloo's pet? That'd be just wrong!

But now that the thought bubbled back up in her mind, it didn't want to go away. Images started running through her head that both horrified and fascinated her.

Scootaloo taking her on a walk through the park at the end of the leash. Scootaloo giving her a bath, though that had practically happened. Lying down back on her cushion at the clubhouse, and having Scootaloo scratch her behind her ears…

She snapped out of it as the real Scootaloo started waving a hoof in front of her face.

"Hello? Earth to Diamond Tiara?"

Trying to avoid blushing at where her mind had gone, Diamond looked down at the collar rather fixedly, avoiding Scootaloo's gaze, and noticed something.

"Look here, it's actually one size fits all." She held up the collar and pointed. "The holes go a lot further down than usual. I think it'll fit." Hopefully they'd think that was what she'd been looking at all along.

Scootaloo frowned. "If you say so. We can always try Cutie Mark Crusader cat wranglers again, I suppose."

Sweetie Belle rubbed a spot on her side. "I don't know about this…"

"Well, the first thing is going to be finding that darned cat," Diamond said, determined to have a victory of some sort, no matter how small.

Shrugging, Scootaloo walked towards the Carousel Boutique. The way she maneuvered into a position where she could see in without being spotted from inside was so smoothly done that Diamond had to wonder if she'd done this before. 

A minute later, she came back.

"Opal's waiting right by the door flexing her claws, probably just waiting to pounce, from the look of it," Scootaloo reported. "She must've seen us coming."

"I don't see how anypony could've missed us, with this huge wheelchair an' all," Apple Bloom said.

Diamond's mind whirled. "All right, so I'll open the door. Sweetie Belle, you can be next to me, ready to grab the cat when she pounces, then I'll put the collar on her, while Scootaloo helps you hold her. Apple Bloom…"

"I reckon I'll just be sittin' here. It's about all I can do."

Sweetie Belle looked at Apple Bloom, like she was thinking of saying something, but went over by the door instead. Diamond moved the wheelchair where Apple Bloom could see everything, and then stood in front of the door, while Scootaloo walked over next to Sweetie Belle.

Collar in hoof, Diamond hesitantly opened the door, all the while wondering if this was really such a great idea. This thought was not helped by a hissing, spitting cat hurtling itself through the door at her.

Sweetie Belle grabbed at Opal, getting a scratch or two in the process, but getting ahold of her near her neck, and Scootaloo grabbed her lower half. As she squirmed and threw a thoroughly feline fit, Diamond hurriedly wrapped the collar around the cat's neck, trying to resist the urge to just pull on both ends.

Buckling it in place, she wrapped the other end of the leash around one hoof, holding it tightly in place. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle breathed a mutual sigh of relief. They stepped inside, and let Opal drop to the floor. 

In retrospect, dropping her may not have been the best move. Now free, with an evil glint in her eye, the cat jumped right back at Diamond, who awkwardly dodged out of the way, worried about getting slashed by her sharp claws.

As the now-peeved cat circled around, ready for another go at her, Diamond felt a tug at the back of her hind legs. There was a crash, and almost before she could register what was happening, she was falling onto her back, the leash tangled all around her.

Diamond managed to get her forelegs behind her head in the nick of time. One head injury today was enough! Unfortunately, that got the leash even more tangled, making her look like a kitten who'd had a terrible mishap with a ball of string. It was better than being knocked out, though.

The cat circled around her head leisurely before sitting down right on her chest. Then it curled up, and pretended to be sleeping, snores interspersed with little feline snickers.

Diamond assessed the situation. One one side of her, a shelf appeared to have crashed down, leaving a pile of partially unrolled fabric on the floor. After a moment, Sweetie Belle's head came poking sheepishly out.

Scootaloo seemed to have ended up on the floor herself, and was pulling herself upright, looking like she was about ready to have another go at the feline menace. Through the door, Diamond could hear Apple Bloom, her laughs echoing those of the cat.

And into all of this came Rarity, finally, walking through a doorway with a swath of fabric floating in front of her, blithely humming a cheerful tune to herself. As Sweetie Belle came into her view, still struggling to work herself out from under the pile of fabric, Rarity came to a halt, dropping what she was doing.

"Oh, Sweetie Belle…" she groaned in disappointment, and shook her head.

"Um," Sweetie Belle said, biting her lip. "the cat did it?"

At this, Rarity took a look around the rest of the room. Diamond was still lying there on the floor, afraid to make a single move due to the cat on her chest, and seeing this, Rarity hurried over. Bending down, Rarity reached towards Opal, only to back away as the cat hissed and swiped its claws at her, abandoning any pretense of sleep.

Having finally managed to free herself from the fabric, Sweetie Belle trotted over to her sister’s side, joined by Scootaloo. 

"Do you want me to go get out the tuna?" she asked her sister.

"I do believe we ran out yesterday," Rarity replied. "If you would, why don't you be a dear and get a tin of cat food from the cabinet. Nothing from the left side, mind. She's a very fussy eater, and those upset her little tummy-wummy. She likes the Happy Cat ones, as long as it isn't the chicken. And perhaps you could bring a can opener as well?"

Sweetie Belle happily trotted over to the kitchen. A crash or two later, Sweetie Belle walked back in with cat food and a can opener, both of which immediately floated over to Rarity. The tip of her tail flicking back and forth, Opal watched the can intently.

"Let me just get this a tiny bit looser," Rarity said absentmindedly to herself as she tugged on the leash and gave it more slack. Then she walked a few steps back, keeping the can where Opal could see it. Once she was a fair distance away, she started opening it.

Opal's ears perked up as she heard the sound of the can opener. When Rarity set the can down, she hopped down, nose turned up in disdain, and walked slowly over to the cat food, not looking back once, as if to emphasise how insignificant Diamond was compared to her.

As Opal started eating, Rarity carefully removed the collar, and studied it closely.

"These gems look like paste, and the color scheme is something Pinkie Pie might have dreamed up. Still…" A piece of paper and a quill floated over, and she did some quick sketches, then laid them on her desk. "Now, just why was that collar on Opal? She's never taken to a leash well."

The best defense was a good offense, wasn't it?

"Your cat was lying in wait, getting ready to attack me again! I just thought a leash might get her to behave! How can you possibly run a business with a maniac cat that attacks anypony walking in?"

"She was waiting for you?" Rarity asked, surprised. "She doesn't normally treat customers like that, I can assure you. Perhaps she's taken a liking to you, and decided you are her new playmate?"

Rarity unwound the rest of the leash from around Diamond, and gave it at the collar back to her. "Still, that is neither here nor there. I'd assume you are here to pick up your order?"

Diamond nodded, eager to change the subject, especially since Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle seemed to have started trying to get the overturned shelf back upright. The fewer reminders of what happened, the better.

Rarity picked up a piece of paper off her desk and gave it to Diamond. "This is your receipt, so you can be sure what I am charging is fair, and that everything you are getting is what you wanted. Why don't you look it over while I return with your things?"

A faint, sarcastic voice came from the doorway. "Or you could, you know, bring me inside. As fun as that was to watch, it's not like I really like being stuck out here."

Diamond had practically forgotten that Apple Bloom was still outside with all the mess with Opal, and wasn't sure she hadn't been better off that way. Grumbling, she wheeled Apple Bloom inside, and parked her in front of Rarity. 

While Rarity fussed over Apple Bloom, Diamond started going down the list, though she didn't really care that much. It wasn't like it was her money.

Everything seemed to be in order. She wasn't sure on the prices, since that wasn't something she'd ever had to pay attention to before, but this one was on Daddy. Then she got to the last item.

"Silver skull earrings?" she said out loud, despite herself.

Rarity looked up from where she was tucking a blanket over Apple Bloom. "I'll let it go this time and just put it in with your purchase, but in the future, do let me know if you get attached to a particular fashion accessory."

Diamond supposed she should be glad Rarity wasn't taking that one any further. The last thing she needed right now was being accused of theft. She didn't see any way she'd have been able to get out of that without her situation coming to light.

Some sort of apology or excuse was probably called for from her, wasn't it?

"Sorry," she said reluctantly. "I wanted to set those aside and forgot about them."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, but Diamond wasn't sure if that was because of what she'd said or due to the heart-patterned blanket Rarity had just put on her after removing her previous selection. 

"Just don't let it happen again," Rarity said. "I expect you'll be wanting your dress, though I really should do something about this wheelchair. Perhaps cover for the armrests and seat to hide the wear and tear and unfortunate color choices?"

Diamond smiled and looked at Apple Bloom. "I told you it needed work."

Apple Bloom crossed her forelegs and scowled. "This wheelchair was just fine for my granny, an' it'll be fine for me, too. It just has character, that's all."

Character evidently meant 'rickety, scratched, and all beat up', Diamond noted to herself.

"If you say so," Rarity said, and reluctantly went to the back of the shop and retrieved a bundle. 

Before Diamond Tiara knew what was happening, a dress was being pulled over her head. She managed to get her head through it as the dress was draped over the rest of her.

"What?" she yelped.

"I still have to do the final adjustments and fit the dress to you, dear." Rarity pulled the dress much tighter than Diamond really felt was necessary, and shoved a pin in, barely managing not to prick Diamond with it. "Now, I did happen to hear how Apple Bloom got into that wheelchair in the first place. I do hope you realise that that type of behavior is totally unacceptable?"

Diamond gulped. How many times-

"I already said I'm sorry!" she said hastily, as Rarity shoved another pin in. "I pushed Apple Bloom's wheelchair all the way here and I'm helping her out!"

"Oh?" Rarity said, holding up another pin, and adjusting Diamond's collar.

"She already apologized at least two or three times," Sweetie Belle said, walking up to Rarity. "I think she's already learned her lesson."

"You've already received an apology?" Rarity asked, turning to Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle glared at her, and Apple Bloom reluctantly nodded.

Rarity loosened her grip slightly. "Well, if it's already been addressed, no need to belabor the point. Hold still while I make a few more adjustments."

Diamond winced. She wasn't looking forward to this at all.





Having finally escaped the Carousel Boutique more or less intact, other than the occasional pinprick and scratch, Diamond mentally cursed herself for not thinking about how to get her new clothes home, though a strong desire to leave while her skin was mostly intact may have had something to do with it.

She could manage, of course, but trying to push the wheelchair with her new bundle was a major pain.

"So, where to next? Maybe the clubhouse, so I can drop this off?" she asked hopefully. "You probably have dinner soon."

Not that Diamond knew what she was having for dinner. Apples, probably. She was going to be sick of them before long.

"I am kinda tired," Apple Bloom admitted. "It's not like I've been doing much but sleeping all the time and being bored recently, so I shouldn't be, but I kinda am anyways."

"Tomorrow's a new day anyways," Scootaloo said. "It's not like we really hafta get everything done today."

"Rarity would be upset if you didn't get those clothes back and treat them properly," Sweetie Belle threw in. "She's funny about things like that."

Rarity upset at her was not something Diamond needed more of right now, but it seemed like that wouldn't be a problem. She breathed a sigh of relief as she pushed the wheelchair along while talking.

"I guess it's back to the clubhouse, the-"

Her words cut off as the wheelchair skidded. 

Thunk. Flop. Thunk.

"What the?"

Diamond pushed the wheelchair forward slower, experimentally. It felt like she was going over a huge bump, but the road ahead was perfectly flat. She scowled and went to look closer at the side of the wheelchair, but Scootaloo was way ahead of her.

"Uh oh," Scootaloo said. "We've got a problem."

Diamond could see what she meant. One of the tires on the wheelchair had gone totally flat, and was flopping around any time she pushed it.

"Did you hit something?" Apple Bloom said, sounding rather shaken up. "I need this wheelchair. If you've messed it up…"

"This thing's ancient!" Diamond said defensively. "It's probably older than you are. This was bound to happen. Not that you were taking very good care of it earlier. I bet the tires can't take three ponies and a dog sitting on it at once."

"Can it be fixed?" Sweetie Belle said, looking over at Scootaloo.

"The tire probably just needs a patch." Scootaloo shrugged. "If I got it to Big Macintosh, I bet he could fix it. Of course, it'd have to be empty to get it there."

Apple Bloom didn't seem pleased at this. "Now wait just a minute! I can't exactly just walk home."

Diamond shrugged. "I said that I'll push you around in that wheelchair, but without another one, I don't see any way of getting you anywhere."

It wasn't like she could have foreseen this, after all. She had enough problems of her own.

Apple Bloom looked over at her assessingly. "You said you'd be my legs, you know. Well, here we are. I need you to be my legs right now."

"I could get all the bags and dresses and things to the clubhouse myself, I think," Sweetie Belle said. "Scoots, do you think between the two of us, we could lift Apple Bloom out of the chair?"

She nodded towards Diamond, and then exchanged a look with Scootaloo.

"I think we could manage that."

Diamond wasn't sure she liked whatever they were planning. "Don't I get a say in this?"





If Diamond had ever had an opportunity to compile a list of things she never planned on doing, giving another pony a ride would have been high on it. She wasn't particularly happy to have had a chance to do it, either.

"Are you sure she won't fall off?" Sweetie Belle asked Scootaloo.

Now that wasn't something she wanted to have to worry about. The last thing Diamond needed right now was Apple Bloom having more injuries that could be blamed on her.

"I've got some rope," Scootaloo offered.

In a minute, she was looping it around Apple Bloom's waist and tying knots in it. Diamond winced as it went around her as well. Being tied up wasn't exactly one of her fantasies either, and Scootaloo paused in so many spots to tie knots that she began wondering if she'd ever get loose.

Being stuck tied to Apple Bloom for the rest of her life would practically be a fate worse than death, or at least cruel and unusual punishment. Of course, the way things were going, she might be pushing around Apple Bloom in a wheelchair forever anyways.

Diamond closed her eyes and pictured still doing nothing but pushing her around from place to place years from now. Apple Bloom was just sitting there placidly, sipping on her ice tea and watching other ponies do all the work around Sweet Apple Acres, while Diamond wheeled her from place to place to keep an eye on everything. Diamond shivered.

Still, at least wheeling her around would be better than carrying her. How much did Apple Bloom weigh? At least Scootaloo seemed to have finished up with the knots.

"Why don't you take a few steps, and we'll just make sure Apple Bloom's securely tied on," Scootaloo said, stepping back to admire her hoofwork.

That sounded like a thrill a minute. Just standing there was difficult enough. 

Diamond slowly took a step forward, and then stopped as the weight on her back shifted. It settled into place, and she finished that step, then another and another.

"Can't you move any faster than that?" Apple Bloom complained.

"I could move a lot faster if it wasn't for your big, fat-" Diamond started to say, then was cut off.

"Why don't I just take all your stuff over to the clubhouse now?" Sweetie Belle said. "Scoots, can you get the wheelchair over to Big Mac?"

"On it!" Scootaloo said.

"Wait a minute!" Diamond said, but the two of them had already taken off, leaving her alone with Apple Bloom.

"Just great," Apple Bloom grumped. "You think you're gonna be able to get me back home? I wish I could just walk there…"

"I wish you could just walk there. I'll try to, but with this hoof, it might take a while."

"Your hoof?" Apple Bloom said, sounding perplexed.

Hadn't she noticed it earlier?

"I told you about what happened at school, didn't I?" Diamond said. "I got a rock wedged in it when I was running to the clubhouse."

Whatever Apple Bloom said in response was lost to Diamond, as she saw a black kitten dart out from a nearby side street. Diamond thought it was the same one from before, but didn't get a particularly good look before it was behind her. 

She felt it leap straight onto her back, and a furry weight settled behind Apple Bloom. A moment later, she heard a yelp.

"It's got my tail!" Apple Bloom wailed, much to Diamond's amusement. How much harm could one cute little kitten do? It wasn't like Apple Bloom didn't deserve it.

"You had a slobbery, icky dog sitting on your head earlier," Diamond pointed out. "It might have even had fleas. What's wrong with a kitten playing with your tail a little?"

"But that was my dog! Well, ours, that is. She's practically family."

"It's not like I can do anything about either of you being on my back. Let's just get going, okay?"

There was silence for a while as she slowly plodded forward. Then Apple Bloom spoke.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For putting up with this. I really didn't want to be stranded back there. And what happened to the wheelchair wasn't really your fault, I suppose."

Diamond wasn't really sure what to make of this. Maybe Scootaloo had tied some of the knots too tight or something?

"Of course it was my fault. Everything's my fault," she said shortly.

"It probably was the ride down that did it," Apple Bloom said. "You know, I'm sure with carrying me back and all that they'd be willing to have you stay for dinner when we get back."

"You want me over for dinner? Why are you suddenly being nice?"

"I'm stuck on your back, I'm tired, and I really want to be home," Apple Bloom said. "I don't really want you over for dinner, but if you're stuck on your own like Scoots, you'll need something to eat."

Diamond wasn't sure she really wanted the stress of coping with all the Apple family, even if it came with a meal. If Apple Bloom was in a better mood, there was something else she'd like to know more about, though, and she was a captive audience.

"I'm pretty sure you really hurt Scootaloo's feelings earlier when you called her, well, you know. Do you really think of her that way?"

Apple Bloom sighed. "I shouldn't have said that. I know how sensitive she is 'bout her wings."

"But you meant it? She's doing all sorts of wing exercises, and seemed to know a lot of it, and she thinks she'll fly someday."

"She doesn't know as much as you think, okay?" Apple Bloom said. "If you really press her on it, there are so many 'if's in there that it's pretty unlikely. She's a good friend, and I try to look out for her. I just don't think it'll happen."

"I don't know…"

"Just ask her about it sometime. It's not like she really needs to fly. Me and Sweetie Belle get by just fine without flying, and she's got that scooter. She's got bigger concerns, anyways, living in that clubhouse."

"It seems like she's got everything under control. Scoots seems to take pretty good care of herself."

"If she was taking good care of herself, she'd let somepony help her an' take her in. She could be living in Sweet Apple Acres like that if she wasn't so stubborn. As it is, I've been doing all I can to help her. Any time Applejack gets in a new almanac, I've even been planning out sleepovers with Sweetie Belle based on the weather schedules."

Diamond hadn't really thought about how being in the clubhouse would be in bad weather.

"Does the roof leak?" she asked, tentatively.

"The clubhouse roof? It used to, before I fixed it. Snow can be a real problem, though. It's not like it's insulated. There are some good blankets in there, but it's not built as well as a house, after all."

Those sleepovers weren't going to extend to her, were they? She'd wind up freezing to death some winter in the cold, and they'd just find her curled up somewhere and everypony'd know. 

"But she got by before that," she said, trying to reassure herself.

"She did," Apple Bloom confirmed. "She already had Sweetie Belle helping her by the time I met her, though, and she still is doing a lot better now with both of us helping her out."

With the way this conversation was going, even if talking about Scootaloo had been her idea, she was rather glad as they got close to Sweet Apple Acres. Big Mac was already out front with Scootaloo, the wheelchair was upside-down, and one wheel was off.

A tube had been taken out from in the tire, and for some reason, he had it in a tub of water, and was blowing on the opening. Bubbles came out of the tub. He pulled out the tube, put some gunk on a spot, stuck a patch over that and repeated the process. Diamond might have been more interested if she hadn't felt so tired.

"Well, there y'all are," she heard, and looking to her left, she saw Applejack approaching. "You sure look like you've got yourselves all tangled up there. I'll have you out of that in a jiffy."

Sure enough, Scootaloo's knotwork was no match for Applejack, and pretty soon, she was pulling a rope free. The black kitten watched with interest, having jumped down as Applejack approached.

"Big Mac, could you help me with Apple Bloom for a sec? I'm sure Diamond's tired of carrying her by now."

That was one way of putting it. As Apple Bloom was lifted off her back and onto Applejack's, all decorum aside, Diamond just lay down where she'd been standing. She wasn't even sure how she'd made it that far. The conversation must've kept it off her mind.

The relief was enormous. She'd heard the expression 'a weight off her back' before, but she'd never experienced it literally.

Diamond closed her eyes and relaxed. Paws padded across her back, reminding her of her new feline companion. Whiskers brushed against her face, then a pair of black eyes were directly in front of her.

Diamond reached out one hoof, then avoided a playful swat from the kitten. Rubbing behind the kittens ears, she was rewarded as it started purring, and started walking back and forth in front of her arching its back right in the vicinity of her hoof.

Diamond obligingly started petting it, and the kitten lay down in front of her and rolled on its back.

"Got a new friend, I see?" Diamond looked up to see Applejack standing over her to one side. "That was a mighty fine thing you did, carrying Apple Bloom back. I'm right grateful."

They made me do it didn't seem the right thing to say in this case. "Thanks?"

"You look all tuckered out. Would you like to stay for dinner, and sleep over here tonight? It's the least we could do."

It was tempting. But she still had some things to talk about with Scootaloo that she really couldn't here, and a proper dinner and night of coddling by Granny Smith might wear down her resolve. Not to mention they'd send somepony over to Daddy to tell him where she was, and she doubted she'd get as lucky a second time.

"No," she said, pulling herself up and ignoring the kitten’s look when she stopped petting. "I'd better get home. I don't want to worry anypony."

"Well, if you're sure you're all right," Applejack said doubtfully.

"I'm sure Scootaloo can get me home," Diamond said, looking her direction and hoping she caught it. "Maybe something for the road, though?"

Pretty soon, Scootaloo and her were on the way back, kitten tagging at Diamond's heels, with a bundle of snacks from Sweet Apple Acres along with them.

"You can barely look after yourself," Scootaloo said as they got to the clubhouse. "How do you think you're gonna look after a cat?"

"What a cute kitty!" Sweetie Belle said, emerging from the clubhouse. "I'll bring over some of those cans of cat food that Opal didn't like when I get a chance. Later Scoots, Diamond!"

Sweetie Belle scampered down the ramp and took off.

"It's just a mangy alleycat," Scootaloo grumped as they went inside.

"She is not mangy," Diamond objected, as the kitten followed her in. "I think she's simply dazzling."

Scootaloo unceremoniously picked the kitten up, eliciting a mew from it, held it up, picked up its tail and peered between its legs.

"He, you mean. The kitten's male."

Diamond snatched the kitten from Scootaloo and cradled him in her forelegs. "Well, I think he is simply dazzling, then."

"Whatever. I guess dinner is on Sweet Apple Acres, unless you want ramen noodles."

"Ugh."

"Find me something else I can pick up that cheap and we'll talk."

"I guess." Diamond thought back to some of the things she wanted to discuss, and decided there was no time like the present. "You're still upset at Apple Bloom, aren't you?"

"What?"

"The way you were acting earlier. It seemed to me like you didn't really want to talk to her."

Scootaloo's head dropped a little. "Okay, yeah, I'm still mad at her. I was trying not to be obvious about it, though."

Well, at least she was right about something. "Why not?"

"As much as it might seem like it, this isn't really my clubhouse. It's the Crusaders’ clubhouse, and it's on Sweet Apple Acres and was rebuilt by Apple Bloom, which makes it her clubhouse more than anypony else’s, right?"

"I suppose so."

"So I don't want to go picking a fight with somepony that can throw me out and leave me with no place to go. I'm mad, but I'm not stupid."

That made a lot of sense, actually.

"Apple Bloom thinks you won't be able to fly, though. Will you?"

Scootaloo slumped down. "I don't really know, honestly."

She didn't? She'd seemed so confident before.

"But - all those exercises you're doing and such - you sounded like you knew a lot about it, earlier, and that it was just a matter of time-"

"Diamond, it's not like I really know that much about being a pegasus."

"What?"

"Look, I went to the library one time, and checked out books all the way to my book limit about wings and flying. Half of them were rubbish, weren't even written by pegasi, and said things I knew were wrong. The ones that were by pegasi left out all sorts of things they thought were obvious. The rest of what I know is from my own experience, and things Rainbow Dash lets drop occasionally."

"Wouldn't your parents have told you all about it, though?" Diamond said, a little bewildered.

"My parents? Why would my parents have told me anything?"


Tired of being treated as if she was dumb, Diamond sniped back. "Why wouldn't they? You didn't want to tell me anything about them, remember?"

Scootaloo winced. "I suppose we're gonna be staying together for a while, and I don't exactly think you're in a position to be talking to everypony about it. And you've had my back a bit recently, too. I'll tell you what, shut the door, and I'll tell you about it. Just keep in mind that I really don't like talking about this."

Diamond closed the door. She, Scootaloo, and the kitten lay down in a circle, and Scootaloo began to talk.