"Uh, sure, just a sec..." Rainbow chuckled
"Hey Scoots! One of your friends is here!" Rainbow called out. Scootaloo came rushing with a smile.
"Hey whats...up?" She froze as she spotted Diamond Tiara, gritting her teeth and slamming the door shut.
"Whoa! What the heck Squirt?!" Rainbow asked.
"That monster is NOT my friend! She's a bully and an ass!" Scootaloo yelled.
"Hey, whoa, shhh, watch the language. If Twi' hears that she'll kill us both." Rainbow said under her breath
"Right...sorry...But she is NOT my friend Dash. She threw a cupcake at Applebloom, she always jokes about how I'm just a useless orphan, she..."
"I get it kid. I had plenty of bullies. But that's not how ya deal with em. Making them mad, only makes them bully you more. Trust me on that one." Rainbow chuckled.
"Well what am I supposed to do?" Scootaloo demanded, crossing her arms.
"Why not try and be friends?" Twilight suggested. Both Skyborn raised an eyebrow as they turned to face her.
"Maybe she's only mean because she doesn't have friends?" Twilight wondered.
"She has her lackey Silver Spoon, who is just as bad as she is...Pretty much everyone either hates her or is too scared to do anything but bow when she walks by." Scootaloo argued.
"Well, maybe if you showed her you can be friends, she wouldn't bully you. What have you got to lose?"
"My pride, my dignity, my patience..." Scootaloo began to list, Rainbow bursting into laughter.
"Just try? Maybe she just needs friends. Would you say this Silver Spoon is really her friend? Or just someone else who is scared of her?" Twilight asked. Scootaloo was about to answer, her thoughts flickering to every time she had seen Silver Spoon.
Had she just been shadowing Diamond because she was scared? She never spoke out or spoke up unless it was to back-up something Diamond Tiara had said. She never acted unless Diamond Tiara did. Maybe she was just like everyone else and Diamond really didn't have any friends.
"Why should I try when I know she is just gonna bully me?" Scootaloo argued. Twilight sighed, tapping her chin
"I'll make you a deal then. If you are right, and she is just doing this to bully you more, I'll clear my schedule and teach you everything I know about magic." Twilight offered.
"BUT! If I am right, and she just needs a friend, then you have to do Spike's chores for a week." Twilight grinned, holding out her hand. Scootaloo scoffed and accepted Twilight's hand. She hadn't seen Spike do much else than sweep and wash the dishes. Besides, she couldn't lose. Diamond Tiara thrived on the suffering of others, she COULDN'T want a friend, or even understand what a friend was.
"Welp...time to lose my pride." Scootaloo mumbled.
"Hm...that could've gone better...maybe I need a better tactic?" Diamond wondered aloud, crossing her arms and thinking. She had to draw Scootaloo out somehow. She jumped in surprise as the door opened again.
"What do you want?" Scootaloo demanded.
"I wanted to apologize Scootaloo. I...had a bit of a talking to from my parents and I realized what I've been doing to you and the others in class is wrong...I just want a chance to prove myself." Diamond stammered, rubbing at her eyes to hide her tears. Scootaloo groaned and sighed.
"I want you to remember something Diamond. Back at Sugarcube Corner, Applebloom stopped me from beating you into the ground." Scootaloo growled, flaring out her wings which now stretched past her arms length.
"I was very sick then and very weak. I've only gotten stronger since then. So if this is some kind of trick, I want you to know, NOTHING will stop me next time. Got it?" Scootaloo said quietly. Diamond nodded quickly, sniffing and wiping away her tears.
This is going to be easier than I thought
"So...whenever ya'll get near him, ya get Th' Chill?" Applejack asked, clenching her fists as Applebloom nodded.
"And the further away ah get from him, th' better ah feel. Somethin' ain't right about him..." Applebloom shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.
"Ah'll look into it Sugarcube. Ah uh...wanted t' talk t' ya about somethin' important before that though. Has anything else...weird, been happenin' around ya?" Applejack asked. Applebloom thought for a moment.
"Well ah mean, there's Belle bein' a vampire, and Scootaloo has this weird spark thing she can do with her hands. And ya'll bein' my momma and one of those Element o' Harmony things. But ah think that's about it. Why?" Applebloom wondered. Applejack put her hand to her chin, thinking for a moment.
Sounds like that little Skyborn is a lot more like Dash than we thought. Maybe ah should talk t' Twilight? That can probably wait though...Ah gotta tell Applebloom th' truth...
"Well, ah wanted t' talk t' ya 'bout yer pa." Applejack explained, sitting and gripping the table. She blinked as Applebloom grabbed her hand.
"Ya seem really upset 'bout him...He musta really hurt ya bad fer ya to feel like that. Ya don't have t' talk 'bout him if'n ya don't wanna." Applebloom said softly, offering her a smile as she gently squeezed her hand.
"Thats mighty mature of ya Applebloom, but some things have gotta be said. Applebloom, yer pa weren't no normal person. He was one of those magicky types..." Applejack tried to explain.
"So he was a Magian?" Applebloom asked.
"Well no, he was somethin' else. He uh...ah dunno how t' really say it Applebloom but...yer pa was one of them Chaoticians." Applejack blurted out. Applebloom sat there for a moment, taking in what she had heard.
"He was a what?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"Ya see Applebloom. There are Gaians, like us, then there are Skyborn, like yer friend Scootaloo and Rainbow. Then there are Magians like Sweetie Belle or Twilight. And then there are Celestian's, like th' Princess an her sister. But then...there are Chaoticians...they ain't nothin' but no good lousy, lyin', cheatin'...!" Applejack froze, letting out a slow breath.
"No, that ain't it. Ain't all of em bad but...yer pa was one of em, an he was a bad one. Ah didn't know til it was too late and it ain't the Apple way to toss away a life..."
"Ah don't understand." Applebloom admitted.
"What ah'm tryin' t' say is...Ya'll got my Gaian blood...and ya got his Chaotician blood in ya...ya have magic in ya, powerful magic that could hurt ya if'n ya aren't careful. S-So ah'm askin' my friends t' help ya with it, okay?" Applejack chewed her lip, watching as Applebloom tried to piece everything together.
"So...my pa was some weird magicky jerk who gave ya me an then jus' took off on ya? And...ah've got his magic?" Applebloom asked.
"Ah s'pose that's th' simple way t' look at it."
"But ah ain't never used any magic. How do ya know ah have it?" Applebloom wondered.
"Well, ah'm sure you know Pinkie Pie. Well...she's one of them Chaotician's, one of th' good ones."
"Pfft, Pinkie Pie? Ah know she's weird but she ain't no magician si...uh...Mom..." Applebloom sighed. The two looked at one another, bursting into laughter.
"Well, ah ain't sayin' she is some kind of magician, but she really is one o' them Chaotician's. Her ma is one, but her pa is a Gaian."
"So she's like me? Or am ah like her? Ah'm so confused..."
"Ah am too sugarcube, but we're gonna figure this out together, okay?" Applejack gulped, squeezing Applebloom's hand. Applebloom nodded, returning the squeeze.
The two jumped practically out of their skins as Pinkie rapped her knuckles on the table and cleared her throat.
"Lesson number one!"
Fluttershy sighed as they reached her cottage, turning to Spike with a small smile.
"Thank you, for everything Spike. I'm sorry to have caused everyone so much trouble..."
"Fluttershy...none of this is your fault. We keep telling you that. Heck, if anything, this has been the best vacation I've had from the Knights in a long time." Spike chuckled, his laughter infectious and causing her to giggle. She chewed her lip, stopping at the stairs.
"Spike I was wondering...would you care to come in for some tea?" She asked, gripping her skirt.
"Sure. I can brew some up pretty quick." Spike shrugged.
"No I mean, um...I-I'll make it." she stammered. Spike paused mid-stride, looking up at her as realization dawned on him.
"Oh, well, I suppose thats fine..." Spike mumbled, flashing back to what Rainbow had said.
I don't care what kind of badass you are. Hurt her, and I'll bury you.
"Actually, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to have dinner sometime." Spike said quickly, flashing a fang-toothed grin, his suspicions confirmed as Fluttershy's face lit up in a fierce blush.
What the heck am i getting myself into now...
"Is that...Scootaloo? With Diamond Tiara?" Sweetie Belle wondered, sitting on a bench with her sister Rarity, the two enjoying a pair of ice cream cones.
"Ah, your little friend? Maybe you should go speak with her," Rarity winked. Sweetie Belle blushed, handing Rarity her cone before rushing after Scootaloo.
"Is it true you can do magic?" Diamond asked excitedly. Sweetie Belle paused, hiding behind a trashcan. Scootaloo glanced around and sighed.
"Well, no. I can't." Scootaloo shrugged. Diamond frowned for a moment and shook her head.
"But I saw that thing you did! Wasn't that magic?" Diamond continued to pester.
"Nope. You must've been imagining it. I mean, come on, that's just crazy." Scootaloo chuckled nervously.
"But you had light in your hands! Please Scootaloo, I won't tell anyone!" Diamond started to whine. Scootaloo groaned in frustration, crossing her arms.
"Why are you so interested huh? As long as I've known you, all you wanted to do was bring me down and treat me like crap. So why are you being all buddy-buddy now huh?" Scootaloo demanded, her eyes glowing dimly.
"Is it because you think that now that I'm not just that weak little Skyborn, that you can use me as one of your little tools? HUH?!" Scootaloo yelled, gasping as Sweetie Belle hugged her tightly from behind.
"That's enough Scoots." Sweetie Belle whispered. Scootaloo slowly relaxed, letting out a shuddering breath as the glow faded from her eyes.
"So you can use magic..." Diamond mumbled.
"I dunno what you're talkin' about." Scootaloo scoffed, letting herself be dragged away by Sweetie Belle.
"Scootaloo, why were you talking to her? And why did you show her that?" Sweetie Belle asked softly. Scootaloo stayed quiet for a while, clenching her fists and letting out a sigh.
"I made a deal with Miss Twilight that I'd give her a chance. She showed up sayin' some nonsense about being sorry. But I bet she just wants to use my magic for herself." Scootaloo explained, her anger growing with each word.
"It does seem weird that she would try to be your friend..." Sweetie Belle mumbled. Scootaloo glanced over at her, letting herself relax.
"Belle...thanks. Rainbow and Twilight told me that magic can be pretty dangerous...and that I shouldn't just be playing around with it. I don't even know what I was gonna do with it just now, I was just so...angry..."
Sweetie Belle smiled, hugging Scootaloo's arm.
"You helped me when I couldn't control myself. It's only fair if I return the favor."
"You suspect he has something to do with the incident?" Spike asked. Vinyl nodded, crossing her arms.
"It was him and Discord in that lab with the Nightmare Armor. We can't just assume he had nothing to do with it, not with him being so close to the Element Bearers." Vinyl growled.
"And your sisters." Spike added, ignoring the glare that was shot his way. The two of them stood a short way outside of Fluttershy's cottage.
"Rarity is one of them, yes. So she is in just as much danger as the rest of them, which puts Belle in danger and possibly everyone in Eraville." Vinyl argued.
"I agree. But we can't act against Celestia's orders."
"So we're just gonna stand back and do nothing?" Vinyl growled
"I never said that." Spike chuckled, tucking his hands into his pockets.
"We can't act on a hunch, and we can't act against Spell Nexus without any proof. But were I to allow a Knight a temporary leave of absence to tend to their family..."
"Then I could keep an eye on my sisters and watch out for Spell Nexus..." Vinyl realized. Spike nodded, pulling an envelope out of his pocket.
"Take a few weeks off, keep in touch in case anything comes up." Spike winked. Vinyl chuckled softly, accepting the envelope.
I guess that's why he's the boss...
Rarity watched with a smile as Sweetie Belle chased after her friend, glancing down at the two cones she held. She felt her vision blur slightly and shook her head.
Now now Rarity! You can't be losing yourself now! Just...take a deep breath and relax...maybe I should talk to Twilight? She has to know more about this than those Doctors right? she wondered, blinking as Sweetie Belle soon returned with her friend.
"Well hello Scootaloo, how are you today darling?" she asked with a giggle.
"A lot better than I was doin'" Scootaloo chuckled, Sweetie Belle still clinging to her arm.
"Can we get Scoots an ice cream too Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked, pouting cutely. Rarity sighed and gave a nod.
"Of course, in fact, this is the perfect chance for you two to go on your first date!"
"Yea! Wait, what?!"
"Come on Egghead..." Rainbow mumbled, lifting Twilight off the couch and carrying the Magian upstairs to her bed. Twilight mumbled in her sleep, leaning against the Skyborn.
"Hmm, I'm almost done..." she whined, the book she held falling from her grasp. Rainbow reacted without thinking, snatching the book in her magic and gently setting it on the ground. She knew Twilight would throw a fit if a book was damaged, especially if it was her fault.
"You can finish whatever secret nonsense you are working on later, get some sleep." Rainbow chuckled, dropping Twilight into her bed. She sat down beside her, waiting until Twilight's ramblings came to an end to finally stand.
"Sleep tight Twi..." She said softly, heading back downstairs.
Scootaloo is out with her friend. Twilight is passed out. Spike is watching Shy...Got the place to myself... Rainbow grinned for a moment, rolling her shoulders. She might not have any equipment, but that wouldn't stop her from training. She would need to be in better shape if she was going to protect Twilight, and that meant pushing her boundaries. All of them.
"Here goes nothing..." Rainbow grit her teeth as her eyes lit up
"Ah already told th' other two ah ain't interested in yer little club." Big Mac said softly.
"I'm not asking you to join. I'm asking you to keep an eye on things here." Spitfire argued.
"An ah'm tellin' ya there ain't no need fer that. This is my home, an fer as long as ah live an breath ah will protect it. Now, why don't ya'll tell me th' real reason ya wanted t' talk t' me?" He asked, crossing his arms and leaning against one of the trees.
Spitfire chewed her lip for a moment, letting out a sigh and hanging her head.
"When she came to you...was she happy?" Spitfire asked.
"Ah don't rightly know. She had accepted things, that much ah know. Happy ain't th' word ah'd use, but she weren't sad, or upset. Maybe jus' a little upset ah s'pose. Ain't fair t' just lose everythin', let alone know you are gonna lose everythin'." he answered. She let out a sigh, wrapping her arms around herself.
"Ah might not know ya Miss Spitfire, but ah know that look. Yer thinkin' pretty hard 'bout yer choices, am ah right?" Big Mac asked.
"I went into the military fully aware it could cost my life. But I had nothing to lose, and then...and then I met Rainbow and...every day I wonder if it will be the last time I see her..." Spitfire admitted.
"Then quit, settle down, live a peaceful life." Big Mac argued gently.
"I can't. Not knowing what I know about the world. How dangerous it really is and how much the Knights need me..."
"Then fight, protect. Ah can't choose fer ya. Though if'n anything can help ya make up yer mind, it'd be that girl o' yers." Big Mac chuckled
"You're right...You're right! I'll talk to her! Oh...thanks, for listening. And...the Knights really could use someone like you..." Spitfire said with a sad smile, her wings flaring out. A second later she was gone, leaves dancing about where she had just been. Big Mac inhaled slowly, rapping his knuckles against the tree he leaned against, the apples filling the buckets around him.
A quick glance up showed the sun on the other edge of town, signaling the end of his day. He rolled his shoulders, hefting the last few buckets onto the cart and pulling it into the barn. With a smile he stepped into his home, the hair standing up on the back of his neck the moment he stepped into the door.
Glancing around he spotted the source. There in the living room stood Applebloom, black and red sparks dancing around her while Applejack and Pinkie Pie watched. Applejack glanced at him, gasping and quickly turning to Pinkie Pie. The Gaian nodded, lightly tapping Applebloom's shoulder. The sparks slowly faded, Applebloom shaking her head.
"H-How did ah do?" she said, seemingly dazed.
"Well, for your first try, pretty good! But you gotta keep it from going everywhere, like confetti!" Pinkie giggled.
"Do ah want to know?" Big Mac asked.
"Ah uh..." Applejack started.
"Ah'm learnin' magic! Well how t' keep it from goin' nuts anyway. Ah uh...need a bit more practice..." Applebloom chuckled nervously. Big Mac glanced over at Applejack, then at Pinkie Pie. With a sigh he marched past them.
"Ya'll jus' be careful not t' get hurt, alright?"
Applejack frowned as Big Macintosh vanished upstairs, turning back to Pinkie Pie and Applebloom.
"I think that's enough learning for today, lets celebrate with cake!" Pinkie said quickly, rushing out the door. Applebloom and Applejack stared for a moment before laughing.
"Ah guess cake sounds good right now."
"Sir, now is the perfect time to strike! She is weakened, but her magic is as strong as ever. The Skyborn is distracted and the house is otherwise empty!" a robed woman argued.
"Yes, but if she spots us then we have to kill her and that will draw unwanted attention before we are ready. We need to think this through properly. We only have one shot at this." Spell Nexus sighed. He glanced around at his soldiers, his brothers and sisters, Fellow Children of Nightmare.
He had to make a choice. Strike while the iron was hot and risk discovery, or wait out his prey and risk losing any chance of success. He gritted his teeth and took a slow breath, turning to face his army.
"We capture the Element of Magic tonight. Bring her into the forest unharmed. Silence the Skyborn if you must, but do not kill her. Now go!"