Unforgivable
It was night in the area around the Castle of Friendship. Who would have thought such a pretty gem would be lying on the ground. As the figure picked it up, they heard a deep voice whispering in their head.
You are weak…
But I can give you strength…
The following morning, Twilight was as usual sitting in her office handling paper work. She didn't bother getting dressed as she wasn't going out, even though it was really sunny out. She was deep in her paper work when someone knocked on her door.
“Yes?” Twilight asked harshly.
“Princess, it's me,” Starlight Glimmer's voice said from outside the closed door. Twilight sighed.
“Come in Starlight,” Twilight said. The door opened, and Starlight stepped inside the room, wearing her usual purple suit shirt, black suit skirt, black neck tie, fishnet stockings, and black high heels. Twilight always thought she looked really nice in it.
“Princess, I finished processing the papers you gave me,” Starlight said handing Twilight a stack of papers.
“Ah, wonderful. Um, sadly I don't have anything else for you to do, so…” Twilight said.
“That's alright Princess,” Starlight said, “Actually, I was thinking you and I could go out today. They're having a special sale in Sugar Cube Corner.”
“Oh, I'm okay Starlight,” Twilight said somberly, “You can go without me. After this, I'm just going to read or… something.”
Starlight bit her lip nervously, “Princess, I…”
“Yes Starlight?” Twilight asked, not looking up at the nervous unicorn as she shuffled.
“I'm worried about you. You haven't left the castle since Appleja- Since the maiden of honesty's disappearance,” Starlight said, trembling a bit.
“Starlight…” Twilight said with a sigh, “I'm okay-”
“No you're not!” Starlight shouted suddenly, leaning close to Twilight and surprising the Princess, “Your mood hasn't improved since, and while I understand how you feel, Applejack wouldn't want you to-” Starlight caught herself and stepped back not meeting eyes with Twilight, “P-Princess, forgive me. I… overstepped my boundaries.”
Twilight couldn't help but smile looking at Starlight. Before when they met, she considered herself superior to Twilight, and in terms of raw magical abilities she was. Yet here she was now completely subservient to Twilight.
“I guess… I could go out… for a little while…” Twilight asked, “Would you… be willing to be my escort for the day?”
Starlight lit up smiling gleefully before bowing to Twilight, “Yes, Princess! It would be my honor!”
“Great. Tell Spike to handle the rest of the paper work here, and I'll go get ready, alright?” Twilight said.
“I will,” Starlight said, still with that bright smile, “I'll tell him immediately.”
Starlight walked out of the room and closed the door, but Twilight heard her giggle before skipping away. She was so obvious with her feelings. Twilight wasn't sure how she felt, but she at least thought of her as a friend, and a dear one too.
Maybe even a little more.
Starlight couldn't have been happier. Her beloved Princess was leaving the castle, and she asked her to be her escort. She spun around in the hall and then leaned against a wall, sighing happily.
“What's got you so giddy?” Spike asked walking out of his room, wearing his usual purple and white robes.
“Oh, Spike sir,” Starlight said straightening herself, “The princess has agreed to leave the castle for today, and has asked me to be her escort.”
“I see,” Spike said, clearly surprised, “I'm guessing Twilight wants me to handle the work today.”
“Y-yes,” Starlight said nervously, “That's… not a problem, is it…?” she closed her eyes tightly preparing for the worst.
Spike groaned, “Geez, I don't know who's worse. You or Fluttershy.”
“I'm… sorry…” Starlight said quietly. Her heart was racing. She didn't know when she started getting so nervous around Twilight or her friends, and she got a lot of strange looks from how submissive she was toward them, but she just couldn't bring herself to be seen as their equal.
“It's fine,” Spike said with a sigh, “I'll take care of it, just… don't start crying, okay?”
“R-right,” Starlight said calming herself down, “I'm sorry sir.”
“Sheesh, you're older than me,” Spike said more so to himself as he walked off. The truth was, she always hated not pleasing people, so the fact that she couldn't bond with Spike really saddened her, especially since he was the closest one to her beloved Princess.
She placed a hand on her chest and breathed out in relief. She was finally getting to spend an entire day with her Princess. That was everything she wanted.
“Ugh, this is not my idea of a fun weekend, Luna,” Apple Bloom fussed as she walked down Ponyville.
“I'm tired of seeing you spend your weekends inside moping,” Luna said, “Starting today, we are going to spend at least five hours each Saturday out of the house.”
“But why are we goin to Sugar Cube Corner?” Apple Bloom asked, “I hate huge crowds.”
“You need to step out of your comfort zone,” Luna stated, “Besides, we need to be on the lookout for anypony who could be chosen by a Mana Stone.”
“When are ya gonna tell me why yer so obsessed over them?” Apple Bloom asked, “Or why this Mana Stone reached out to you when I called ya?”
“Once I have enough evidence where I'm confident enough to tell you, I shall,” Luna said looking aside, “I do not wish to accuse anyone of anything until I know the whole story.”
“Of course,” Apple Bloom said rolling her eyes. She had all but given up on getting answers from the Princess of the Night. She was frustrating, but Apple Bloom had to deal with it. Luna couldn't access the Mana Zone without Apple Bloom or the Sapphire, and Apple Bloom needed Luna if she was going to find her sister.
She didn't have to like it though.
Apple Bloom looked ahead and saw a sight that was pretty typical these days. Sitting on a bench was Silver Spoon, who was focused on her light blue lap top computer. She was dressed simply, wearing a nice silver and gold dress and light blue shoes. Once these were introduced, Silver Spoon became rather obsessed with hers, always working on various projects.
“Let's invite her,” Luna said, clearly referring to Silver Spoon.
“Silver Spoon? She an' I aren't exactly close,” Apple Bloom said, “I mean, she's not bad, now that she an' Diamond Tiara changed, but she's sort of distant. She doesn't reach out to any of the students.”
“Funny, that sounds familiar,” Luna said with a knowing smirk.
“Point made,” Apple Bloom said with a sigh. She walked over to Silver Spoon and tapped her on the shoulder, “Hey… Silver Spoon. What 'cha doin?”
“Updating my blog,” Silver Spoon said curtly, never taking her eyes off her computer. Apple Bloom looked on the screen and saw it was a blog talking about “unusual phenomenon”.
And of course the main topic was Mega Mare.
“Yer a fan of hers?” Apple Bloom asked.
“You've taken a sudden interest in me,” Silver Spoon said, “This tells me that you're either trying to get something from me, or someone put you up to this, most likely Diamond Tiara.”
“N-not at all,” Apple Bloom said, “Seriously, I jus' wanted to invite ya to Sugar Cube Corner.”
“You're going?” Silver Spoon asked, “That's unusual. You hate these sort of things.”
“Yeah, well, I figured I needed to… step out of my comfort… zone…” Apple Bloom said. She could almost picture Luna trying not to laugh.
I can't stand you sometimes…
“Hm… I can appreciate that, I guess,” Silver Spoon said, “Okay then. I'll go with you.”
“G-great,” Apple Bloom said, “Let's head right on over then.”
Silver Spoon closed her laptop, put it in her back pack, and stood up walking with Apple Bloom to Sugar Cube Corner.
When they arrived at Sugar Cube Corner, Apple Bloom instantly regretted coming out today. It was so crowded, so much that Apple Bloom could barely move inside.
“Ugh…” Apple Bloom groaned, “I didn't think it would be this bad.”
“I don't know what you expected,” Silver Spoon said curtly, pulling out her cellphone, “It's crowded as is on Saturday, so you had to know that it would be this bad when you came out.”
Apple Bloom turned to Silver Spoon, “Um… what's with the phone…?”
“My phone is connected to the Mana Zone, so I can use this to update my blog,” Silver Spoon said distantly.
“Are you ever not on the internet?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Nope,” Silver Spoon said immediately, “I can't get a good signal here. I'm going to the window.”
With that Silver Spoon walked off, leaving Apple Bloom alone in the crowd. Apple Bloom sighed and held the Sapphire up.
“Ya see?” Apple Bloom said to Luna, “Ever since Twilight introduced Mana Shard machines, she's become more obsessed with technology than real life.”
“She seems sad,” Luna said, “Like she doesn't have very high expectations.”
“She sort of closed herself off after she and Diamond Tiara fell out,” Apple Bloom said, “Guess she didn't want ta open herself up to get hurt again.”
“The two of you are a lot alike,” Luna said, “I feel like you two could be good friends.”
“Probably,” Apple Bloom said turning to look at Silver Spoon, “Only problem with that is I'm friends with Diamond Tiara, an' she's doin everythin in her power to avoid her.”
“I see,” Luna said with a sigh, “We need to keep an eye on her. She might end up attracting a Mana Stone.”
“I hate to say it, but yer right,” Apple Bloom said, “Alright then, so she's one candidate.”
Apple Bloom walked through the shop as best as she could trying to get to the front counter. After a while pf being pushed and shoved she just gave up and sat down at a random table. Since she rested her head on the table, she didn't notice the pony sitting right in front of her.
“Gave up too, huh?” a high class voice said. Apple Bloom looked up and saw someone sitting in front of her that made her heart stop a bit. A gorgeous earth pony mare with a gray coat, a super long black mane and tail, and wearing a black tuxedo, white suit shirt, pink bow tie, and black high heels.
“O-Octavia Melody,” Apple Bloom said, “I am so sorry, ma'am!”
Octavia giggled, “It's no bother at all. Trust me, this is probably the best place to be right now. So, who's my companion in this crowded place?”
It took a minute for Apple Bloom to realize what she was asking.
“Um, Apple Bloom,” Apple Bloom said. Octavia's eyes went wide.
“Oh, you're that Apple Bloom, aren't you?” Octavia asked, “I… heard about what happened to your sister.”
“Y-yeah,” Apple Bloom said looking down, “Everyone keeps tellin me I need to pick myself up, but-”
“But they don't understand,” Octavia said taking Apple Bloom's hands, “When you lose someone, it's hard. Especially when you're close to them.”
Apple Bloom was really taken aback by how maternal Octavia seemed. She had heard that she was really nice, but something about her felt a bit like Applejack.
Octavia caught herself and sat back giggling, “I'm sorry Apple Bloom, I didn't mean to get so familiar. Ponies tell me all the time I need to watch myself.”
“No it's fine,” Apple Bloom said quickly, “I appreciate it. It's silly, I know, but I really miss the maternal contact. Applejack was like a mom to me, so…”
“I see,” Octavia said with a soft smile, “Right now you don't have that maternal contact, then?”
“Oh I do,” Applejack said, “Well, sort of. It ain't exactly the same. I appreciate her bein there like that, but… Miss Melody, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure Apple Bloom,” Octavia said, “What is it?”
“Is it bad that even with this other pony, I still want Applejack back so badly?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Not at all,” Octavia said, “No matter how close this other pony is to you, she can't replace your sister. Right now, you miss having that mother like figure in your life, so you cling to ponies that seem maternal. That's not bad, but you should be careful.”
“Yeah, yer right,” Apple Bloom said looking at the slightly thinner crowd, “Looks like we can get to the counter now.”
“Well, shall we?” Octavia asked standing up elegantly and then holding her hand out. Apple Bloom took her hand and the two of them walked to the front counter. The special sale was for a new pastry that Pinkie Pie had created. After Apple Bloom bought one for herself and one for Silver Spoon, she and Octavia walked back over to where Silver Spoon was sitting. Apple Bloom couldn't help but sigh.
She already had her computer set up.
“Sorry I took so long,” Apple Bloom said, “The line was insane.”
“That's okay,” Silver Spoon said not taking her eyes off the computer, “Hi cousin Melody.”
Wait. Cousin Melody?!
Octavia laughed, “How'd you know it was me, little cousin?”
“You wear the same perfume all the time,” Silver Spoon said, “And I saw you in my peripheral vision.”
“I see,” Octavia said with a laugh, “Well, I should probably get going. Apple Bloom, it was nice meeting you.”
“Yeah, nice meeting you too,” Apple Bloom said. She walked out of the shop, swishing her tail back and forth as she walked. Apple Bloom couldn't help herself. She just couldn't take her eyes off her hips.
“You are aware that she's too old for you, right?” Silver Spoon said curtly, catching Apple Bloom off guard.
“W-what made you think I was interested?” Apple Bloom asked sitting down.
“With how my cousin walks combined with your habit of looking at ponies tails when they walk, it was easy to pinpoint,” Silver Spoon said, still not looking up from her computer.
“Psst!” Luna said catching Apple Bloom's attention. She looked down and saw Luna motioning toward Silver Spoon. Apple Bloom sighed and handed her one of the pastries.
“I got ya one of the new pastries,” Apple Bloom said. Silver Spoon finally looked up from her computer in surprise.
“Y-you didn't have to do that…” Silver Spoon said.
“Well, we did come together,” Apple Bloom said, “It would be kind of silly for me to get one for myself an' not you.”
Silver Spoon looked genuinely surprised, and slowly reached for the pastry.
“Apple Bloom, I-”
“Apple Bloom!” Diamond Tiara called out running up to them, “I didn't expect to see you-” she looked at Silver Spoon shocked, “S-Silver…”
Silver Spoon's expression darkened and she shot up from her seat packing up her things.
“Thanks for the pastry,” Silver Spoon said curtly, “I'm heading home.”
“Silver Spoon…” Apple Bloom said sadly. Silver Spoon pushed past them, but Diamond Tiara ran after her grabbing her arm.
“Spoony, wait!” Diamond Tiara said, “Don't go, please!”
“Don't call me that!” Silver Spoon said yanking her arm so hard that Silver Spoon lost her balance and fell into someone carrying their food, knocking it over.
“Silver Spoon!” Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara called out.
“Don't touch me!” Silver Spoon shouted, “You ruin everything!”
Silver Spoon ran out of the shop, and Apple Bloom turned to Diamond Tiara, who looked to be on the verge of tears.
“Diamond…”
“It's not true, is it?” Diamond Tiara asked softly, “I don't ruin everything… right Apple Bloom?”
Apple Bloom sighed, “I don't think so, Diamond. She's jus' still upset. Give her time, okay? She'll come around.”
Diamond Tiara nodded, and a unified gasp caught everyone's attention. They turned to the door and saw Starlight Glimmer walk into the shop, and next to her was none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle. She was wearing a dark purple keyhole sweater, black skirt, black leggings, and red high heels.
Apple Bloom frowned looking at her. Twilight noticed her, sighed, and walked over to her.
“Apple Bloom,” Twilight said, “I… uh…”
“Finally came out of yer castle?” Apple Bloom asked harshly.
“Y-yes. Starlight, could you maybe order for both of us?” Twilight asked her new assistant, who jumped a bit with a start before bowing to Twilight.
“Yes Princess,” Starlight said before walking off toward the counter.
“So, I see you're here with a friend too,” Twilight said, clearly trying to make small talk.
“Twilight, what do ya want?” Apple Bloom asked. Twilight was taken aback by how upfront she was, but she shook it off quickly.
“Look, I know you probably hate me for what happened to Applejack. Honestly, I hate myself too. I just want you to know that-”
“If you wanted to give me some lame apology, you can save it,” Apple Bloom said turning away, “I don't wanna hear it.”
“Apple Bloom, I-”
“Diamond, did ya order yet, or are we waitin fer a bit?” Apple Bloom asked her friend, intentionally ignoring Twilight.
“I already got my order,” Diamond Tiara said, “We can leave anytime if you want.”
“Great,” Apple Bloom took Diamond Tiara's hand and pulled her out of the shop, not looking back at Twilight at all as she left.
“Well that went as well as I expected,” Twilight said slumping into a nearby chair. A second later, Starlight returned with three of the new pastries.
“These are the pastries that the maiden of laughter created,” Starlight said, “She asked me to give you an extra one for coming out of the castle.”
“That's nice, but you can have it,” Twilight said with a sigh, “I've lost my appetite.”
“Princess, what's wrong?” Starlight asked sitting down in front of Twilight and taking her hands, “Please tell me.”
“Applejack's little sister still hates me,” Twilight said, “I've tried opening up to her and apologizing, but she feels like I killed her sister. I guess to her, I did.”
“But you didn't kill the maiden of honesty,” Starlight said, “Didn't she volunteer herself?”
“Yes she did, but I should have made sure the Mana Stones were stable,” Twilight said, “I still don't know what went wrong.”
“Princess, you are perfect,” Starlight said taking Twilight's hand and nuzzling it, “What happened last year was an accident. I'm sure one day Apple Bloom will come to understand that.”
“I hope so,” Twilight said, “Thank you Starlight.”
“I'm happy to serve you, my Princess,” Starlight said lovingly. Their relationship was an odd one, but Twilight did like it. Who would have thought that the pony who tried to destroy time and space would have become her dearest friend?
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara went to the park, where they found a patch of grass under a tree and sat there in silence. Apple Bloom was still trying to calm down from seeing Twilight, and Diamond Tiara seemed to have some very complicated thoughts herself.
“Do you hate her?” Diamond Tiara asked.
“I don't know,” Apple Bloom admitted, “I don't wanna say I do, but… her experiment took Applejack from me. I'm jus' not ready to forgive her yet.”
“Yeah…” Diamond Tiara sighed, “I guess some things just can't be forgiven, huh?”
“Don't go comparin yerself to Twilight,” Apple Bloom said sitting up, “My issues with Twilight are personal, but in my opinion you deserve better.”
“I do?” Diamond Tiara asked turning to Apple Bloom.
“Yer makin an honest attempt to change, an' I think your doin a great job of it,” Apple Bloom said, “The problem is, no one in the school is willin to let go of their hate.”
“Like Silver Spoon,” Diamond Tiara said somberly, “I think she still believes that all of this is an act. Like everyone else in my life who isn't named Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo.”
“Well, Mega Mare sees the good in ya, right?” Apple Bloom asked.
“She was just being nice to me,” Diamond Tiara said with a sigh, hugging her knees, “Now that she's known by everyone, she'll probably forget all about me.”
“Why do ya think that?” Apple Bloom asked, “Don't ya love her or somethin?”
“I do,” Diamond Tiara said, “But she probably doesn't feel the same way. She has so many fans now, and I'm just one of them.”
“Diamond…” Apple Bloom sighed.
“I should probably head back home,” Diamond Tiara said, “If I'm not back before the sun sets, my Mom will throw a fit, and she's been really strict with me since last year.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Apple Bloom said, “If there's anythin I can do to help, let me know.”
“You've helped me immensely,” Diamond Tiara said, “Simply by being my friend,” she hugged Apple Bloom tightly, “I'll see you later, Apple Bloom.”
“Yeah, see ya Diamond Tiara,” Apple Bloom said returning the hug. She watched as Diamond Tiara left, on instinct watching her tail as it flowed with each step. Maybe she did have a tail fetish or something.
“Both of those two could end up falling prey to Mana Stones,” Luna said, her voice coming from behind the tree actually.
“Yeah, I realize,” Apple Bloom said, “It would be nice if Silver Spoon could just forgive Diamond Tiara. Sure she was horrible before, but that was the past. It's been almost a year now, and Diamond Tiara has genuinely changed.”
“Funny,” Luna said, “It's been about a year since you fell out with Twilight too.”
“Are you tryin to imply somethin?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Not at all,” Luna said, “Still, what do you wish to do about them? We might be able to prevent them from attracting a Mana Stone.”
“We might,” Apple Bloom said, “An' I know just how to do it. Come on Luna. Let's get ready!”
Luna raised an eyebrow, but she shrugged and vanished into the Sapphire. Apple Bloom shot up and ran back to Sweetie Apple Acres to prepare for the big night.
A night that Diamond Tiara wouldn't ever forget.