The Green Angel

by LordOfCringe

Chapter 5 - Diamond Tiara

It took me ages of walking around the maze that was the interior of this ship before I found any place that might give me any sort of privacy. And even then it was simply a small crevice in the wall, the kind of structural decision that is made for no good reason at all. But I suppose it serves me well at the moment. Just being a place to get away from that godforsaken butler was good enough for me, for now at least.
I lean against the wall, using it to support myself in my weakened state. It is painted in the plain light white colour of the Habitation Area, though this small indent is cast in shadow slightly giving the area a more ghostly feel than anywhere else close by.
I had been crying since I had gotten there a scant few minutes ago. With no audience in the form of the butler or the other common people from my world, these tears felt more real and more genuine than before.
Today has been one of the worst days of my life. I still have to remind myself that this is my reality now. It is not some horrible nightmare brought on by late-night snacks and a broken sleep schedule. This was real.
It takes a few more moments before my catharsis is complete at last. Another few deep breaths and at last I think I am ok. I am back in control. Just in time for me to hear footsteps coming from down the hallway. I don’t really want to be discovered, even though I am pretty sure I am allowed to be here. Nonetheless, I stand perfectly still, silently cursing that my coat happens to be bright yellow.

The two people walking by don’t appear to notice me through. They are members of the ship crew, I can tell by their blue sleek uniforms. The way these people look still surprises me, with their few combinations of hair and eye colour. Not to mention their utterly strange skin tones. But whatever, the few I have talked to so far seemed nice and helpful enough. So I can forgive their strange appearance.

The two walking past me appear to be in a conversation, and I can clearly hear what they are saying.

“...We’re going to take a pitstop soon,” One of them says, a male by the sounds of it “We gotta refuel the VerseDrives sooner or later, should have been done already if you ask me.”
“We took so long because the Shinycape is in the next system,” His companion says in reply. I have no idea what a Shinycape is, though it does seem to be some kind of nickname for something. He continues “The Captain apparently wants to kill two birds with one stone.”

“Really? Which one is it? Anyone, I know?

“High Arbiter Shields of course, who else would it be you dolt,” He says teasingly.

“Of course. He did lead the engagement that started this mess I suppose, poor people.”

“True true, very unlucky of them…,” Their voices fade and I can no longer pick out what they are saying, but I think I get the gist of it.

Someone important is coming aboard this ship soon. Someone who was involved with whatever happened to my world.

I need to know more, I need to get information. But I don’t currently have any means of acquiring it. Perhaps later I could explore the ship more and try and find a way of accessing whatever form of internet these people have, which they must. There is no way they are this technologically advanced without something like it.

Before I can go further down that train of thought I hear more footsteps. This time it sounds like a single individual moving frantically down the hall. Out of curiosity more than anything else, I dare to take a peek out of my indentation to have a look at the newcomer.

And then I see none other than Apple Bloom coming toward me. Great. Wonderful. Out of all the people to run into, the farmgirl is probably the one I want to see the least. I sigh in frustration.

Apple Bloom notices the wall indent and speeds inside, failing to notice me in her tunnel vision. She slumps against the back wall and sinks to the floor. She sobs there quietly and tearlessly as I look on awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

This continues for several moments before the farmgirl finally notices someone else in her corner of solitude. She stops sobbing and turns her head towards me, recognition lighting in her amber eyes like a bushfire. They narrow, as do my own. I still don’t like her.

“You…,” She says to me simply, giving me only one word to reply back with

“You…”

We stare at each other for a few more moments. The weight of our mutual loathing pushing up against each other like two windstorms meeting and crashing together.

What is the farmgirl thinking? Why is she out here? What does she want? I can’t tell, even though Apple Bloom is normally very easy to read. Circumstances have made that become difficult.

“So...you survived too,” She finally says, her head turning away again to stare at her lap. Familiar. “And in much better shape than me by the looks of it. Typical,” Only then do I notice that she is not wearing her usual outfit of a green shirt and jeans. But instead wearing simple hospital garb. She must have been in the emergency area of the ship, I know the more severely injured people were taken there after the evacuation.

A small tinge of sympathy pricks at me before I suppress it. The farmgirl looked perfectly fine now, the peasant must have had a few scrapes or something.

“It’s not my fault that I’m more graceful and important than you,” I say, before crossing my arms “what did you do? Trip and have a little fall or something?” I didn’t really want to come across this scathing, but I can’t help it around her. She just irritates me by existing.

Apple Bloom then rises from the floor and points an angry finger in my face. “For your information I…,” She pauses to think “Well...my Nurse said I took severe head trauma or something, so no, it was not just ‘a trip and fall.’”

That could mean anything of course, not that I care. Getting under the farmgirl’s skin was familiar and normal. A temporary escape. One I seize with both hands eagerly.

“Aww, did little Apple Bloom bump her head? Ha, I bet your sister came and kissed it all better too,” I say, a wicked grin widening upon my face.

But at the mention of her sister Apple Bloom’s expression once again morphs into one of despair. This is not what I expected. Normally she would get madder and that would be funny to watch. For some reason, this wasn’t the same.

“Applejack saved me...and died in the process,” Her demeanour changes again in an instant back to anger, that’s more like it. Still feels different somehow. “I bet your family is just fine and dandy. Isn’t it Diamond Tiara? I bet they ran at the first sign of trouble and barely got a scratch on them. Like you.”

For some reason, this hits me hard. My parents were no cowards. I am no coward. Who is this peasant to say such a thing to me? “How dare you? My parents were very brave…,” My rage runs out. I can’t really deal with this right now “Or...I hope they were…”

I look down for a moment before Apple Bloom speaks up again. “They’re gone too?” She says, a bit too sympathetically for my liking. But I can’t bring myself to lash at her.

“Ya,” I answer.

The two of us simply stand there for a few moments in silence awkwardly. Neither one is willing to say anything else for the time being. I thought I could relive my old life a bit by messing with her like before. But it didn’t really work how it used to. I don’t know what to think of that. Eventually, Apple Bloom takes a leap and extends a hand towards me.

“This tragedy has hurt both of us. Can we let bygones be bygones, at least for a little while?” Her expression looks so hopeful, and for a moment I consider taking her hand. It seems logical, but for some reason, I can’t do it. Not yet. Apple Bloom is too irritating for that. I smack her hand away like a spider and cross my arms again.

“Just...go away,” I say annoyed with her presence. Apple Bloom stares at me angrily again for a moment longer, her amber eyes blazing into me like a laser beam, before she turns away with a huff and storms off.

“You’re impossible,” She says as she leaves, leaving me there in the indent, alone again.

The exchange really puts things into perspective for me. Everyone who survived has lost someone, even my enemies. I think of Silver Spoon, and how I had no one to enjoy messing with Apple Bloom with anymore. I think of my parents, and how no one would be there to tuck me in at night. Or reassure me that things would be ok. No one.

Exempt one person.

The butler. Randolf. Perhaps it’s time I went back to him. The old man must be wondering where I am.

With that, I move and walk down the hall back to the habitation area. I had a lot to think about.