//------------------------------// // Part 34: The Trial Starts // Story: A Mother's 'Love' // by deadpansnarker //------------------------------// "Dash, what did I tell you about flying full-speed through hospital corridors?!" Applejack chided the pegasus, as she screeched to a halt, taking at least ten metres to do so. "This is a medical facility, not a Wonderbolts training camp! If you're not too careful..." "Okay, I get it." Rainbow sighed at being given yet another lecture for her irresponsibility. "No harm done, though. I only almost knocked over one nurse this time, and I'm pretty sure that patient on the trolley I clipped is going to be just fine... " And what patient would that be?" Rarity wondered, with a raised eyebrow. "Er, never mind." Dash was eager to move the conversation on. "So anyway, I have some news, but as they always say, ladies first. Rare, why don't you take the stand..." Rainbow's tactics of flattery worked, as an instant blush worked it's way onto the white unicorn's cheeks, and she forgot all about the blue pegasus's recklessness."Oh, yes. Um, Applejack, please try not to get mad..." ........................................................................................................ "You did what?" Applejack was a little perturbed at Rarity's impulsive actions. "I told you to head straight back here after discovering Spoiled's room number! I certainly didn't expect you, of all ponies, to go and confront her yourself! Why did you do it?" Ignoring Dash's impudent grin that another element wielder was the one in trouble for impetuousness for a change, Rarity struggled to answer. "I-I just wanted to see if she was still there, Applejack. If we'd left it any longer she may have tried to bolt, and then where would we be? Probably combing all over Ponyville, trying to find her. Besides, what's the worry, darling? She might be a bad mother, but she's hardly dangerous..." "I can think of one filly who may disagree with you there..." Applejack stole a look at Diamond through the ajar door to her room. Since the return of Dash and Rarity, the orange mare had sent Silver Spoon back inside so the adults could talk in private. Both her and Apple Bloom were now sitting either side of Tiara, attempting to draw her out of her shell. But besides the occasional half-smile and appreciative nod, the pink filly remained as subdued as ever. "Do you think..." Applejack wondered out loud. "There's something she's not telling us? I mean, I get that she's upset that her mom, figuratively speaking, tore her dad to shreds in front of her earlier on, that would be enough to rattle any child. But, and this is just a gut feeling, I reckon there's more to the story about what happened in that room. I don't know what it could be, but I don't think we've been given the whole truth..." "Well, you trust Apple Bloom don't you, and she was there." Fluttershy attempted to offer an explanation. "If anything serious had occurred, wouldn't you say her big sister would be the first pony she'd confide in? I think Diamond is still coming to terms with everything that's happened to her lately. Give her a few days, Applejack. She'll come round, you'll see!" "... Yeah, maybe." The orange mare replied, doubtingly. Part of her skepticism in believing she hadn't got the complete picture of the situation was the odd look exchanged between Tiara and Apple Bloom, when the former had stuttered while relaying her story. It was almost like a mutual code of secrecy had been granted at that very moment, the kind she used to share with her little sister before their parents sadly passed on. Applejack was more than happy for the pair to keep certain truths hidden from others, after all, that's what friends do. The older mare was delighted that the former enemies were developing a bond close enough to allow them to share such confidential information. What she didn't approve of was the duo keeping anything undisclosed that could damage Diamond in the long run, as a result of Bloom's well-meaning but ultimately inadvisable silence. She intended to a have a little talk with her sister later, to clarify matters. Regardless, that was neither here or there. Right now, she had other matters to deal with. "So, you say Spoiled is in the custody of the guards at the hospital?" She asked Rarity. The white unicorn nodded to confirm this. "Yes, I dropped her off there before coming back. It was all quite odd really, she put up no resistance when they arrived, and took her to the holding centre behind the reception. The only thing that seemed to concern her was if anypony of importance would see her getting arrested in public like that, but when she decided in her own words, 'anypony of any prestige would have private healthcare anyway', even that ceased to bother her." "That sounds like Spoiled alright..." Applejack grunted in annoyance. " I only had a short taste of her baloney at Filthy Rich's mansion last night, and let me tell you, it was enough to last me for a lifetime. No wonder her husband never talks about her when he comes to see me at Sweet Acres, he probably can't wait to have a break. I dread to think about the kind of mare Diamond would have grown up to be, if she'd spent anymore time with that..." "Now, now. Let's not get too personal. We don't wish to stoop to her level." Rarity considered herself above such juvenile insults. "Most of us already know what Spoiled is like by now, in fact during my short walk with her earlier she said some truly slanderous things which, shamefully, almost made me lose control of myself. But don't forget, for better or worse, she is still Diamond's mother, and if we want to be a positive influence on the child, we must discourage conflict and attempt to engage positively with her. After all, if we could reform Discord..." "Er, I think you'll find most of the credit of that goes to Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash claimed the commendation for her friend, seeing as the humble yellow pegasus was always keen to stay out of the spotlight. "Anyway, doesn't anypony want to hear my news? I flew all the way to Twi's castle, played a hilarious prank on Spike, found a magical mirror, got through to Canterlot on it..." "Yes, that's very good, dear..." Rarity wanted her friend to get to the point. "But did you carry out your assigned task? Did you manage to contact Twilight, and is she on her way here? You weren't just playing around with that gadget, were you? Come, come. Tell us, we're all ears." The white unicorn gave the pegasus a smug grin, and Dash realised Rarity was getting a bit of payback for Rainbow's barely concealed joy at her chewing out at the hooves of Applejack earlier on. "Why, you prissy..." Rainbow arched her wings in anger. " I'll have you know, my plan worked a treat. Twi left for Ponyville about half an hour ago, all thanks to my brilliant idea about contacting her with the mirror. Of course, being the not-at-all vain diva you are, you wouldn't know anything about mirrors, would you?" "It doesn't hurt to look after oneself, darling." Rarity dismissively replied. " At least I can have a hooficure, without throwing a fit. Does that make me the tough pony, now?" "What did you just say?!" Dash ground her teeth together, remembering all too well the day she spent almost the entire morning gathering up each copy of the Foal Free Press, just so her moment of humiliation didn't make the national headlines. "Everypony, please don't fight..." Fluttershy didn't like this new, aggressive atmosphere that was pervading, and sheltered behind her wings. On seeing the stress inflicted on their skittish friend, all of the animosity felt by the feuding pair dissipated almost instantly. "Oops, sorry Flutters, I should have realised..." Dash felt especially guilty. "Yes, my apologies too. This tenseness isn't doing anything for my nerves, or my mood. I truly think we'll only be settled once Twilight gets here..." Rarity mused. "I hope she arrives soon, for all our sakes..." Applejack continued to covertly observe the three fillies in the ward room, pondering what they were talking about... "I've done it!!" came a shrill voice suddenly from nearby. Everypony spun around to see Pinkie, who'd astonishingly stayed quiet all this time, dancing around like a loon. "I am the greatest! I am the champion! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Wait until Gummy sees this..." Rarity decided to humour her. "Sees what, darling?" Without saying anything, but with a broad grin that showed off all of her pearly whites, Pinkie produced the finished form of her Rubuck's cube, with everything filled in. "I bet I'm the first one in Ponyville to complete this momentous task! I'm going to shout to everypony from the rooftops, bake a cube-shaped cake for the occasion, throw a party in my own honour... Hey, what are you all staring at?!" Considering the scale of her achievement, the least she expected from her friends was a 'congratulations', or a little hoofshake, but none of them seemed that fussed, gazing at her toy with completely straight faces... Except for Rainbow Dash, who was barely able to suppress her giggles. "Hey, Pinkie. You may want to have a second look at that..." "Huh?!" Pinkie wondered what the pegasus was talking about. There was nothing wrong with her cube, she'd wiped the floor with it. Thrashed it. Unlocked all of it's mysteries. She rotated it in her hoof, checking each side to see if it was done. "You must be imagining things, Dashie. This thing is as good as... Oh." Right at the bottom, underneath one of her hooves, were two colours out of sync with the rest. One was white, and the other... Was pink. "Oh, Cupcakes!." She exclaimed. ...................................................................................................... Applejack might have been interested in what the three youngsters inside that small room were discussing together, but if she'd been present, she may very well have been disappointed. All the conversation was revolving around where the first big outing the five new friends would take together was going to be. Needless to say, both Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon had very different ideas. " How about, we freshen up at the sauna, check out Carousal Boutique for the latest imports, then lie by the pool for the rest of the day?" Silver suggested. "No way!" Apple Bloom firmly turned down those ideas. "The steam would fluff up Scooterloo's wings something fierce, Sweetie Belle lives at the boutique anyway so there's no point, and I ain't lazing around by no pool, not when there's work to be done... Say, now there's an idea..." "Stop right there!" Commanded Spoon, knowing exactly what the farm filly was about to suggest. " If you think I'm going to spend all day caked in mud, helping you out with your mucky chores, you've got another thing coming! Di might not have any choice in hanging out with your kind at the farmyard, but I most certainly do! Now, what about..." "My kind?" Apple Bloom felt a bit put-out at that phrase. "What exactly do you mean by that?" Spoon put her hooves over her mouth. Oops. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that..." She remarked, apologetically. "What I meant to say is, that sort of life might be fine for ponies like you, but I expect to do something less dirty in my spare time. Now, what were we talking about again?" Bloom wasn't really happy with this answer, or Silver's follow-up comment, and decided to push her further. "Ponies like me?" She parroted the grey filly. "Care to explain a bit more?" "Well, er..." Spoon didn't really like to be put on the spot. "What I was getting at was... You like your mud, I only like to rub it on my face during an all-day spa. You like your hens, I only like their eggs in a lovely, fluffy omelette. You like your apples, I only like their essence in the conditioner I use everyday while braiding my mane. You see, it is possible for two ponies who are polar opposites to get on, we just have to find stuff we have in common! Just like you and Di have! Now, let's go back to what we were planning." Apple Bloom was pleased at that response. At least she's trying the farm filly thought maybe this won't be so hard after all.." "Yes, lets find something less disgusting that we can all enjoy as a group!" These were the next innocently-enough spoken words that left Silver's lips, and all thoughts of Bloom and her reaching an easy compromise were blown sky high. "Wait just a darn second..." The farm filly felt the red mist start to descend. "You think my home is... Disgusting?" Oh no, I've put my hoof in it again. "Well..." Spoon attempted to placate the enraged Bloom. "Not to you obviously, but wait, hear me out. Bear in mind all the fine things I'm used to in life, then compare them to what you've grown up with. Surely you can see, why there are some ponies, not necessarily me, who might feel that way..." Unbeknownst to her, Silver was only stirring the pot further. "Why, you stuck-up, pompous little snob!" Bloom growled. "I'll have you know if it wasn't for working ponies like my family, you and your kind wouldn't even have enough bits to buy a glass of cider! And I'm more than happy with my life, thank you very much, at least I get some proper exercise, instead of sitting around all day on my..." "That's enough!" The incessant bickering from the pair was even enough even to break Diamond out of her stupor, and she looked at each of her friends angrily. "If you two are trying to make me feel better, you're doing a lousy job of it! Can't you just talk nicely to each other, instead of all this mindless fighting? Me and Silv will decide what to do one day, and Apple Bloom, you and the Crusaders can choose the activity for the next time. Now, let's all shake hooves, and most importantly, have some peace and quiet in here..." Almost simultaneously, Silver and Bloom thought of the same joke. They looked at each other, to see if they were on a similar wavelength... They were. They turned back to Tiara with barely disguised grins. "Okay then, Di. You win..." Apple Bloom conceded. "Yes, let's shake hooves..." Spoon concurred. "Finally! You two agree on something." Diamond was relieved it was finally working out. "But first, we must discuss the terms..." Bloom withdrew her hoof, and looked pensive for a moment. "Terms...?" Tiara looked very confused. "Never mind that, I've already decided!" Silver announced. "Come to think of it, so have I!" Bloom had made her mind up too. What are these two babbling on about? Tiara wondered. "Here goes nothing, then. I'll be Peace..." Spoon stated, matter of factly. "... And I shall be Quiet." Bloom affected a posh accent. Both fillies laughed out loud at this juncture, rolling around on the floor in complete hysterics, a nice change from the tension which had gripped the pair up until now. While they were in the middle of their joviality. Diamond just stood there, stony-faced. Taking it all in. Analysing the joke. Seeing the unbridled cheer of her friends, giggling together with wild abandon. At the peak of Bloom's glee, something began to niggle at the back of her mind. It grew in size and volume, until it clouded so much of her thoughts she could no longer ignore it, and whatever it was abruptly stopped her elation. Of course, Di. She recalled, mournfully. How can I be here, having fun, when she's... Bloom needn't have worried. For, as she turned around from a still chuckling Spoon, to face the wrath of what she was sure was an extremely cross pink filly... She was confronted with something incredibly unexpected. A smile. Quite a wide one, too. And that smile was rapidly turning into something else. A snicker. A giggle. A chuckle. And then... A full blown laugh. Soon, she was on the floor next to Silver, guffawing just as hard as her best friend. It was a lovely sight to behold for Apple Bloom. Maybe Di was recovering much sooner than she'd expected. Maybe they wouldn't have to tell anypony their shameful little secret after all. Maybe everything was going to be alright... She'd assumed too much. Way too much. While engaging in their mutual delirium. and swept away by the emotion of the moment, Silver Spoon couldn't help but give her best friend an impromptu hug... And one of the grey filly's hooves lingered a little too close for comfort to a sensitive spot of Tiara's anatomy. SLAP! That was it. No more laughter. No more joy. No more fooling around. For Diamond, still fresh from the memories of earlier, had instinctively slapped her best friend right on the muzzle, causing her glasses to fall off and smash on the floor, and a plume of blood to erupt from the grey filly's nose. "Get off me!" Tiara yelled, before running over to curl herself up fetal-style in the same corner where her broken tiara still lingered. At first, Spoon just held her heavily bleeding nose and sat on her hind legs where she'd fallen, while Bloom looked on in complete shock. A few seconds later, something did happen. Silver screamed in anguish, grabbed the empty frames of her spectacles off of the floor, and ran out of the room, to the bemused expressions of the grown-ups cloistered outside. "Wait, Spoon she didn't mean to..." Bloom tried futilely to intervene, but it was far too late. The grey filly was long gone. Sighing in frustration, Apple Bloom's attention turned to Tiara, who was mumbling incoherently to herself, while rocking up and down in a steady motion. "Oh, Di. What are we going to do with you?" Bloom sighed. ................................................................................................................................. With barely a sound or a fanfare, Twilight landed outside the hospital unnoticed. Just the way she liked it. Stepping into the busy room though, a hush soon descended, as many of the patients inside stopped wondering when they were going to be seen, or whether they were going to get better, to stare at the alicorn in awe. Great. I don't think I'll ever get used to this, She thought, wilting a little under all the scrutiny. The only pony who didn't react straightaway to her arrival oddly enough, was one of her biggest fans. Loving Care was just finishing off her shift for the day, and was finally putting the last touches to the documents she'd been slaving over for the best part of the afternoon. "Finished!" She said to herself with satisfaction, finally able to go home for a well deserved rest. She reached over to finish off the rest of her coffee, before noticing a flash of lavender standing in front of her. Realising whoever it was had probably been waiting for quite a while due to her distractions, she abruptly looked up to apologise. "Sorry, love. You wouldn't believe how busy..." "Oh, that's quite alright!" Twilight responded positively. "Now, I was wondering if you could help me find..." The alicorn stopped mid-sentence. The receptionist she'd just been speaking to had somehow been hexed by a spell, as all function of movement had stopped. She just stood there stock-still, a small trickle of drool rolling down her chin. "Um, are you alright in there?" Twilight waved a hoof in front of Loving Care's eyes. No response. "Hellooo?!" The alicorn tried an elongated word in her ear. Still nothing. "Is there something the matter?" Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder, to try to attract her attention. That did it. "The princess is here! Here! In the flesh! And she touched me! She actually touched me! I can't believe it! This is the greatest day of my life!" Loving Care was absolutely cock-a-hoop, jigging around behind the desk, hooves aloft in the air. Her coffee went flying everywhere... Her papers were ruined yet again... She didn't care. "Oh, I have to tell my friends!" She exclaimed, seemingly unaware of her tenure not being over for another ten minutes. "Redheart! Sweetheart! Come here! You'll never guess who's just walked through the front door, and what she did!" Loving Care jumped over the desk with all the finesse of a showpony, and ran off down the corridor, telling all who'd listen about her brush with royalty. Twilight put her head in her hooves. "I do wish other ponies wouldn't act like that around me. I find it so uncomfortable..." She murmured. "Oh, you needn't worry about that kind of special treatment around me, my dear. In fact, you'll get quite the opposite. Always glad to be of service." Twilight froze. That voice. She knew it from somewhere. Could it be... Yes, it could. Emerging from the holding room, flanked on either side by four guards, was the unmistakable figure of Spoiled Rich. She didn't look any worse for wear from her 'ordeal' of being arrested, in fact those guarding her looked to be the despondent ones. I suppose anypony would feel like that if they had to listen to her natter on for ages, Twilight noted. "You took your time, dear. Not to worry, though. I've been regaling these nice stallions here with tales of my rise to prevalence. I'm sorry to have to leave you gentlecolts in the lurch, but I have a meeting with Her Royal Hoofness now. Don't concern yourself with my well-being, however. I'll be fine. In fact, I'll have another amusing little yarn to spin soon enough. About how a power-crazed mare took advantage of her unwarranted position to wreck the lives of a loving family forever. Trust me, it'll be a good one."