Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom are stuck sharing a room for a few weeks.
Filthy Rich lives up to his name. But he didn’t get rich and stay rich by wasting money on stuff he sees as unnecessary. So when his home accidentally burns down he doesn’t bother with a hotel, he simply asks a favour of the family his family have had a long standing business partnership with; the Apples. So until the insurance is paid and the house rebuilt, Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom are sharing a bedroom.
The school bell rang, signalling lunch. The door of the schoolhouse burst open and a whole herd of colts and fillies charged out into the school yard.
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were among the last to walk out of the classroom. They went straight for a shady spot underneath their favourite tree and proceeded to pull their lunches out of their saddlebags.
“I gotta zap-apple muffin.” Apple Bloom held up a polychromatic baked good. “Still pretty fresh, only a day old.”
Scootaloo stuck her head into her bag. “Trade you for some potato chips.” She pulled out a large bag of haybacon flavoured chips.
“Done.” Apple Bloom tossed the muffin to Scootaloo and snatched the chips out of Scootaloo’s hoof.
Sweetie Belle held up a small white bottle. “Bottle of milk.”
Scootaloo pulled out a purple bottle. “Trade for grape soda?”
Apple Bloom held up a red bottle. “I got cherry soda.”
Sweetie Belle looked between the two, her brow furrowed in concentration. “I think....I’ll take grape.” The two fillies traded bottles.
The lunch time bartering over the fillies started to tuck into their meals.
Apple Bloom held up a delicious looking daisy sandwich. Before she could take a bite her attention was diverted to the very familiar sound of two giggling fillies. She lowered the sandwich and glared at Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. “What do you gals want?” She demanded.
Diamond Tiara giggled a little more. “Oh nothing, we’re just amused by your saddlebag lunches.”
Scootaloo stopped chewing her zap-apple muffin and jumped to her hooves. “wash wrng ith...” she started to choke on a chunk of the muffin. She pressed her hooves against her throat as she tried to cough up the blockage.
Apple Bloom knocked the top off the milk bottle and passed it to Scootaloo. The pegasus filly gulped down several huge mouthfuls. The piece of muffin was cleared from her throat and she took several deep breaths. Only after she’d regained a little of her composure did she look at Diamond Tiara again. “What’s wrong with saddlebag lunches?” She demanded, repeating the question that had almost killed her. “Everypony brings saddlebag lunches to school.”
Diamond Tiara and Silver spoon giggled again. “Well,” Diamond said as she flicked her mane, “not every pony.”
“Yeah.” Silver Spoon laughed.
The three crusaders looked confused. Apple Bloom noticed neither Silver Spoon, nor Diamond Tiara were carrying saddlebags. Didn’t they have any lunch?
An earth pony stallion in a black jacket appeared at the fence which bordered the edge of the school yard. “Miss Diamond, Miss Silver.” He rose a hoof slightly into the air to gain their attention. The two rich fillies walked over to the stallion. He handed to them two blue lunch boxes, said a quick goodbye and trotted off back the way he’d come toward Ponyville.
With a cocky strut in their steps the two spoiled fillies walked back over the three crusaders. Diamond Tiara tilted her nose into the air. “Well, you see,” she said with a haughty tone in her voice. “saddlebag lunches might be okay for your average ponies but my daddy has my lunch prepared and delivered by our family chef.” She opened the top of the lunch box, revealing a large and delicious looking fruit salad. “My daddy says I deserve only the best.” She shot the three crusaders a mocking look. “enjoy your normal, bland and boring lunches, blank flanks!”
Laughing and giggling Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked to the far side of the play ground to enjoy their lunch in peace.
Apple Bloom huffed and took her frustration out on her sandwich by tearing apart with her teeth until her mouth was stuffed to bursting point.
Scootaloo shook her head as she finished her muffin. “Getting your lunch delivered by your personal chef, how snooty can you get?”
“That fruit salad did look nice though.” Sweetie Belle said. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gave her an annoyed look. Her ears flattened against her head. “well, it did.”
Something small and white drifted in front of Apple Bloom’s eyes. She waved it away with her hoof. Probably a fly. Then another white thing drifted into her vision. Then another, then another.
“Is it snowing?” She looked up into the sky. White flakes were drifting on the wind, slowly falling down toward the earth.
“In summer?” Scootaloo glanced up at the air. “Holy hay it is.”
The other school age ponies had started to notice the unseasonal addition to the weather. Even Miss Cheerilee stepped out of the school to see what was happening.
“Wow,” Scootaloo stepped out from under the tree and into the falling flakes. “There must’ve been one weird mix up with the weather team.” She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. A flake landed in her mouth, which she promptly snapped shut. Her face suddenly paled and she started coughing violently. “That’s....no....not snow.” She grabbed her milk and drained the bottle.
Apple Bloom stuck out her hoof and took a closer look at the flakes that landed on it. “It ain’t. This is ash.” she rubbed her hooves together, leaving a grey streak on her fur.
“What’s ash falling from the air for?” Sweetie Belle looked at the falling flakes, they seemed to be getting thicker. They were drifting on the wind from the east. She looked in that direction, “Look!” She jabbed out a hoof and pointed at a huge dark tower of smoke which was rising into the air.
“Whoa.” Apple Bloom trotted from under the tree and went right up to the school fence so she could get a better view. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were at her side a second later.
“You think it’s a dragon?” Scootaloo asked, sounding excited.
Apple Bloom shook her head. “It don’t look like dragon smoke and it ain’t comin’ from the mountains, looks more like it’s comin’ off the ground. Maybe somepony’s house is on fire?” She sighed. “Your house burnin’ down, all your stuff and precious memories just gone up in smoke. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”
Sweetie Belle cocked her head to look at her friends. “Looks pretty far away, and its in east Ponyville. Only houses I know are out there are-”
“NNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Diamond Tiara’s scream was probably heard all the way over in Canterlot.
...***...
The three crusaders trotted up the dirt road to Sweet Apple Acres. It had been hard to concentrate for the rest of the afternoon, even Cheerilee had been distracted and absent minded.
It seemed Diamond Tiara’s home had indeed caught fire. She had charged out of school toward the source of the smoke and she hadn’t returned since. News of Filthy Rich’s house being ablaze had filtered though even to the classroom before the end of the day.
“I can’t believe Diamond Tiara’s home burned down.” said Sweetie Belle.
“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer pony.” Scootaloo laughed.
“That ain’t nice Scoots.” Apple Bloom snapped. “What if the house burned right down to ashes? Diamond Tiara’s one mean pony and she deserves a good kick in the flank, maybe even more than one, but she don’t deserve that. How’d you feel if you got home and found all your stuff, everythin’ you cared about was gone? Your scooter, that picture of you and Rainbow Dash, all your toys, your family photo albums, even your bed. All just gone.”
Scootaloo’s ears flattened against her head, which hung low. “I guess you’re right.” She conceded. “My moms would hate to lose all the baby pictures they got of me. Bonbon-Mom says they’re her most precious thing, after me of course.” She stopped for a second and glared at her two friends. “I never said that okay? I have never and will never say anything so sappy, got it? So if you tell anypony I said those things, which I didn’t say, I’ll deny it.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle giggled but nodded their head. “Sure thing Scootaloo.”
Satisfied her friends weren’t going to tell Scootaloo continued on down the road, taking the turn onto Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were right behind.
“I wonder if Big Mac’s home yet?” Apple Bloom thought out loud. “He’s one of Ponyville’s volunteer fire fighters. I’ll bet he was at Diamond Tiara’s house helpin’ put out the fire.”
The Apple family home came into view. Big McIntosh was home, he was just trotting up to the porch, pulling a large wagon behind him. The wagon was stacked high with a random assortment of goods, bags and boxes. Sitting at the head of the cart was-
The three crusaders stopped in their tracks. “Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said slowly. “why are Diamond Tiara and her dad at your house?”
The earth pony filly just stared, dumbfounded. “I...I don’t know.”
“Why does it look like they have all their stuff on the back of the cart?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why is Applejack helping them inside?”
“I don’t know!” Apple Bloom bolted down the path toward her house. Diamond Tiara was the first to spot her. The pink filly let out a long and exasperated groan. “Just great, now the whole gang of blank flanks are too.”
Applejack came out of the house and smiled. “Hey, Apple Bloom.”
Apple Bloom skidded to a halt in front of her sister. “Applejack....what are they doin’ here?”
Applejack’s expression became serious. “I’m not sure I care for your tone missy. Y’all prob’ly heard Rich’s house had a fire today.” Apple Bloom nodded in confirmation. “Well, Rich came here and asked if we’d be kind enough to give him a place to stay until his house is fixed.”
“Shouldn’t take too long, if the insurance comes through quick,” Rich said, more to Applejack than Apple Bloom “Only the west side of the house was burned. The worst damage was in the kitchen.” he glanced at Diamond Tiara, who did her best to avoid his gaze. “Apparently our cook forgot to tun off the oven when he’d....stepped out to run a quick errand. It shouldn’t take more than a few weeks. Maybe a month.”
“A month! Can’t they stay in a hotel?” Apple Bloom blurted out.
Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “That was the first thing I asked.” She muttered flatly.
Filthy Rich continued to smile. Only a little filly could get away with such rude questions. “Ah the Apples and the Rich’s have a good long history together since great-grandaddy Stinkin’ Rich started selling Granny Smith’s famous Zap-Apple jam. I can’t think of any other ponies I’d rather turn to when I need help.”
Granny Smith nodded from her rocking chair. “Darn tootin’.” she piped to them all. “and we’ll always help each other, like good neighbours should. We’ll be helpin’ each other just like the big blizzard of 38.”
Filthy Rich nodded. “I remember my granny telling me that story. Nouveau Rich.”
Granny smiled. “Ah heck I remember her, such a nice filly.” She started rocking back and forth in her chair. Apple Bloom recognised the signs of Granny Smith entering story telling mode. “Yessir the big blizzard of 38 was one bad winter for all of Ponyville. Some ponies thought them Wendigoes had started invadin’ Equestria. Snow as tall as Big Macintosh.” she glanced at Applejack. “I was about your age then. I remember it was so cold we all slept in one room to keep warm and save on firewood.
“Then one night the weight of snow was too much and the whole roof collapsed in. We was left homeless on the coldest night you can ever imagine. We’d’ve been in big trouble if it weren’t for Stinkin’ Rich.” She looked at Filthy Rich with pride. “He came outta the snow, walked all the way by himself to make sure we was okay. When he saw what had happened he invited us to stay with him and his fam’ly.”
“Well their house is big enough.” Apple Bloom said flatly. She glanced at Diamond Tiara as she said it. The pink filly returned the glare.
Filthy Rich seemed oblivious to the tension. He was chuckling. “No, great granddaddy didn’t live in the mansion, I bought that after Barnyard Bargains turned into such a big success. Back in those days the family lived in an ordinary cottage in the middle of Ponyville. I think it’s the flower store now.”
Granny Smith was nodding in time with her rocking, it was an odd sight to see. “That’s right. Good old Stinkin and his little filly Nouveau was nice enough to invite us into their home. We spent the rest of the winter there, sleepin’ in the one room to share warmth. We shared food and chores and everythin’ we could until winter was all wrapped up and we could return to the farm. The old homestead was in a sorry state after been buried all winter but Stinkin’ Rich helped us out again. He paid for a new home to be built for us. We weren’t no charity case though, we paid him back, every last bit.”
Rich nodded. “You certainly did Granny Smith. The way Granny Nouveau told it, Great Granddaddy saw it as a long term investment, without your family farm there’d be no more zap-apples, which meant no zap-apple jam, which was the biggest seller in his store back then.” He placed a hoof on his daughters shoulder. “You see Diamond, it was the Zap-apples that brought ponies to Ponyville. If it weren’t for the Apple family there’d be no Ponyville and we wouldn’t be as well off as we are today. Granny Nouveau always used to tell me; Filthy, you treat the Apple’s right. If it weren’t for us they wouldn’t have a house. But if it weren’t for them we wouldn’t have a home.”
Granny Smith looked like she was starting to tear up. “Ah heck, I knew I liked that filly. So sweet of her.”
Applejack came back to reality now that the story time was over. “Okay now, times a wastin’. Apple Bloom, why don’t you help Diamond Tiara take her bags inside.”
Apple Bloom took a look at the small trunk and two suitcases Big Mac had unloaded from the back of the wagon, each one printed with a picture of Diamond Tiara’s cutie mark. “Where am I takin’ em?” in her head she hoped Applejack would say The Barn, but part of her knew that wouldn’t be the answer. She dreaded what her sister was going to say next.
Applejack started to unload a few of the suitcases which bore a picture of Filthy Rich’s cutie mark. “Well, Fil...I mean, Rich, here is gonna be sleepin’ in the guest room. And since that only has one bed, you and Diamond will be sharin’.”
“She’s stayin’ in my room?” Apple Bloom yelped in shock. She spun around to look at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, to confirm that she had really heard what she had just heard. The two crusaders were backing away slowly, nervous, forced, smiles on their faces.
“Wow, look at the time.” Scootaloo looked at her bare hoof like there was a watch there. “Looks like you have your hooves full with all this, so we’ll see you later Apple Bloom. Good luck.” Together Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle raced down the dirt road. They ran so fast they kicked up twin clouds of dust.
“Well at least that’s one problem gone.” Diamond Tiara muttered. She stepped up next to Apple Bloom. “You heard your sister, carry my bags.”
“Ahem.” A voice behind her made her freeze. She turned slowly to face her dad. “Applejack said to help you take your bags inside Diamond. Which means you’ll be carrying your fair share.” He nodded to Big Mac, who picked up the large trunk and placed it down on Tiara’s back. The filly groaned, her legs bent under the weight suddenly placed upon her. “Don’t think this is going to be like a hotel.” Rich continued. “We’re going to pull our weight while we’re guests of the Apples.” He nodded to Applejack and then to Granny Smith. “I have to work at Barnyard Bargains every day, but I’ll help with food bills and such and Diamond will help with any chores.”
“But Daddy!” his daughter groaned from under her trunk. She was silenced by one hard look from her father.
Granny Smith nodded her head. “Well thank ya kindly Filthy. That’ll be some welcome help.”
Apple Bloom felt slightly better knowing that Diamond Tiara wasn’t going to get an easy ride. Not too much better, she still had to share her bedroom and home with the pony for a month, but slightly better than she had felt a moment ago.
The weight of the trunk had almost forced Diamond Tiara to her knees, her carefully styled mane had become dishevelled and she’d begun to sweat. Apple Bloom took the suitcases —which collectively had to weigh as much as the single trunk— and piled them up on her back. “Well, c’mon then.” She walked into the house, cantering lightly as though the cases weighed nothing.
Grunting and groaning in a very unladylike way, Diamond Tiara slowly followed.
Diamond Tiara’s first thought when entering the house was ‘Small’. How did such a big family get any privacy in a such a small house? It was going to be really crowded with she and her dad staying too. As well as Small, the word Rustic also was on her list. Bare floorboards with a few small rugs, old furniture but not the good kind of old; antiques. Just old and probably passed down from one family generation to the next. Every wall, wooden beam and piece of furniture had an apple theme on its décor. There was living up to your name and then there was unnatural obsession.
Apple Bloom was already at the top of the stairs, the three suitcases didn’t seem to be weighing her down at all. How did she do it? Diamond Tiara gritted her teeth and tried to call on extra reserves of strength. She wasn’t going to be shown up by some blank flank.
“So why couldn’t you stay in a hotel?” Apple Bloom huffed down at her while Tiara struggled to climb the stairs with the huge weight on her back. “Or with Silver Spoon, ain’t you two s’posed to be pals?”
“I wanted to.” She grunted back at the farm filly. “But daddy said he wasn’t going to pay for a hotel when he knew your dumb family would have a bed for us.” Then she changed the tone of her voice to do a passable impression of her father. “Now Diamond, you don’t get rich and stay rich by wasting money. Never pay for something you can get for free, or at least a significantly lower price.” then she changed back to her normal voice. “And he said it would be too much of an inconvenience to Silver Spoon’s parents if I imposed myself on them for a month.” She finally reached the top of the stairs. She had to drop the trunk and sit down. She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hoof and she panted rapidly to catch her breath. “Trust me...” she said between breaths, “I’d leave... if I could. I... don’t want to be here.... any more.... than you want me here.”
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and lowered the suitcases she was carrying to the floor. Then, to the surprise of Diamond, she lifted up the trunk onto her back. When she’d found sure footing she grabbed a suitcase and tossed it on top of the trunk, then she tossed a second suitcase up to join its twin, leaving the smallest of the three suitcases in front of Diamond Tiara. “Bring that in when you’re ready. My room’s down the hall, first on the left.” She walked off, a little slower than before but she was by no means as hampered by the weight of the bags as Diamond Tiara had been.
Diamond grabbed the last suitcase in her mouth and ran after Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom’s bedroom was....nice. Not that Diamond would admit it out loud. Smaller than her bedroom at home but it was more.....cosy was the word that came to mind; another thing she wouldn’t admit out loud. There was more apple-themed décor in here. Pale green floral pattern wallpaper, with apples, a four poster bed, with an apple at the top of each post, apples were painted on the wooden eaves, apple bed covers and even apple shaped handles on all the draws in the bedside cabinet and the vanity table.
Apple Bloom had unloaded her burdens in a corner of the room. Diamond Tiara stared at the filly; she hadn’t even broken a sweat. “How the hay did you carry all that?”
Apple Bloom looked smug. “I live on a farm, work on it too sometimes, You get good and strong when you do a lot of liftin’ and carryin’.” She jumped up onto her bed. “That said, you gotta be about the weakest earth pony I ever seen. You ever done a hard days work?”
Diamond Tiara looked like she’d been hit. “And get all dirty and end up smelling like you? No thanks.”
Apple Bloom raised a hoof to her nose and took a quick sniff. “What’s wrong with how I smell?”
Diamond Tiara just snorted, “Humph”
Apple Bloom cocked an eyebrow. “No, c’mon, what’s wrong with how I smell? I take baths every night. I use soap and everythin’.”
Diamond Tiara shook her head. “Well you still smell. It’s like, I don’t know, apples and grass and mud and stuff.”
Apple Bloom first smirked, then giggled. “Well hay, that’s just the smell of fresh air and the outdoors. It ain’t nothin’ bad.”
Diamond Tiara huffed again. “That’s what you think.” she muttered under her breath. She then turned back to Apple Bloom. “Well if I’m going to be forced to stay here you better get off my bed and unpack my things.”
Apple Bloom jumped up. “whoa, whoa, whoa, YOUR bed?” She jumped to the floor and stood nose to nose with Diamond Tiara. “Diamond, y’all need to talk with my friends, Bucky McGee,” she held up one fore-hoof, “and Kicks O’Claire,” she held up the other fore-hoof. “That’s MY bed.” She jabbed a hoof into Diamond Tiara’s chest. “If you want a place to sleep we got an old cot and a sleepin’ bag with the campin’ stuff in the barn. You can get it after YOU have unpacked YOUR stuff.”
Diamond Tiara pushed herself against Apple Bloom, squashing their noses together. “You can’t talk to me like that you.... you, blank flank loser!”
Apple Bloom pushed back, their faces were squashed together to tightly their eyeballs were almost touching. “You’re in my room, in my house, I’ll talk to you however I like!”
“Ahem.”
The two fillies pulled apart to look at the source of the noise. Applejack was in the doorway and was looking at the two of them with annoyance and thinning patience. She sighed and stepped into the room. “Now I can see y’all ain’t happy ‘bout this situation. But this is the way it is so y’all gonna hafta learn to like it, or at least tolerate it. I don’t wanna hear no fightin’, no raised voices, no disagreements. If I catch either of y’all arguin’ you’ll both be spendin’ the night in the barn.”
“You can’t do that.” Diamond Tiara yelped. She’d tried to sound angry but the sternness of the older mares tone, the seriousness and honesty in her voice, had made the filly feel afraid.
Applejack smirked and adjusted her hat with a nudge of her hoof. “Try it an’ see.” She walked out of the room backwards, keeping her eye on the two fillies the whole time until she vanished around the corner.
...***...
“Dinner time!” Granny Smith’s voice carried up the stairs. “Soups-on everypony.”
Diamond Tiara put the last of her jewellery on Apple Bloom’s vanity alongside her hair care products and make up.
Next to the bed Apple Bloom was still fighting with the sleeping cot. Tab B didn’t want to fit into Slot A, or some nonsense like that.
Tiara was tempted to tease her but if Applejack overheard then it would be a night in the barn. So she decided to just leave her to her battle with the canvass and headed out of the room and for the stairs. “I wonder what these hicks have cooked up.” She muttered to herself. “Probably bakes apples, stewed apples, apple pies or maybe it’s just a big bowl of apples they picked up right out of their orchard.”
She was mostly wrong. There was an apple pie cooling by the window but no other apple related items were gracing the dining room table. The centrepiece was a large bowl of freshly steamed corn on the cob, dripping with butter, there was also corn-bread, carrot sticks, oat cakes and each place at the table had a bowl of fresh salad with lettuce, celery and tomatoes.
Her dad was already at the table, sitting next to Granny Smith, who was sitting at the head. Applejack and Big McIntosh were just joining them. The mare was carrying a large pitcher of apple cider. She smiled when she saw Diamond Tiara at the foot of the stairs and waved her hoof. “C’mon sugar cube, take a seat and dig in.”
Tiara took a seat at the table across from her father. It surprised her to see he’s taken off his collar and tie. Even his mane wasn’t as well groomed as it usually was. They’d only been at this filthy place an hour and already her dad was turning into one of these farm bumpkins.
Apple Bloom trotted down the stairs and sat at the far side of the table, as far away from Diamond Tiara as she could get. She had a red weal on her cheek that looked very fresh.
Apple Jack noticed it instantly. “Where did you get that missy? You two been fightin’?” She looked between her sister and Diamond Tiara.
The pink earth pony was about the scream in protest. She hadn’t even touched Apple Bloom and had no idea how the filly got injured. Now she was going to get the blame for-
“No we ain’t Applejack, I just had a little disagreement with the cot. The cot won.” she smiled sheepishly. Applejack just chuckled and rolled her eyes.
Diamond Tiara just stared at Apple Bloom from across the table. She had told the truth? It had been a prime opportunity to get her in trouble and Apple Bloom had actually told the truth. Diamond Tiara had to admit she wouldn’t have done the same if the situation was reversed. Apple Bloom must be too dumb to see a prime moment when it presented itself, or maybe she had something better in mind to get her into trouble. That must be it. Who knew what evil thoughts were lurking under that frizzy red mane. She would keep a close eye on Apple Bloom.
Filthy Rich grabbed a corncob. “Granny Smith it looks delicious. I hope you didn’t go to too much trouble on our account.”
Granny took some corn and slipped in her best biting dentures. “No trouble at a‘tall Filthy. Just an average dinner, only there’s a little more.”
Diamond grabbed one of the oat cakes and took a bite. It was palatable, for such basic food. Their chef, Silver Platter, had intended to serve roasted artichokes with a chipotle aioli tonight. Any artichokes left in their kitchen now had certainly been roasted all right.
Conversation and jokes were shared around the dinner table, mostly from Granny Smith who was sharing a lot of stories with Rich about his grandmother Nouveau. Through it all Diamond Tiara stayed silent. Why was her dad being so nice and friendly to these farm ponies? It had to be about keeping them on good terms so their business deals wouldn’t suffer. It couldn’t be that he actually liked them, could it? They were dumb, poor, low class, uncouth farm ponies. He couldn’t possibly see anything in them worth liking.
But there he was, sitting next to the Apple family matriarch, smiling, laughing and joking. She just didn’t understand.
...***...
Diamond Tiara placed her namesake accessory carefully on the vanity then grabbed her hairbrush. “1,2,3-” She counted along with the strokes through her mane. Every morning and every evening she brushed her hair 100 times. It was the key to a healthy mane.
Apple Bloom came into the bedroom, her face still damp from washing her face and brushing her teeth. She barely gave Diamond Tiara a second glance, she walked across the room, jumped into bed and clicked off the lamp at her bedside, plunging the room into darkness.
“Hey!” Tiara rounded on her. “I was brushing my hair.”
Apple Bloom crawled beneath the blankets and settled her head down onto the pillow. “What you brushin’ your hair for? It’s only gonna get messed up while you sleep.”
Diamond Tiara huffed. “You wouldn’t understand, it’s a beauty thing.” She put the brush down on the vanity. There was no point trying to brush her mane in the dark. “And get out of there, I’m getting the bed. You can sleep in....that.” she pointed to the sleeping cot. Apple Bloom had managed to successfully construct it, after a long time and a lot of effort.
Apple Bloom gripped her blankets tightly in her hooves. “Not a chance. This is my bed, you can have the cot.”
Diamond Tiara rushed across the room and jumped onto the bed. “I am a guest in this draughty barn you call a house and I’m having the bed.” She made to grab the blankets from Apple Bloom, the farm pony yanked them out of her grip.
“No way.” She snapped back at the pink filly. “This is my room and my bed. If I have’ta put up with you in my house then you’re getting’ the cot.” She waved a hoof threateningly.
Tiara grabbed the blankets again and pulled them from Apple Bloom. “Get. Out!”
Apple Bloom grabbed the blanket and pulled back. “No!”
The pink filly jumped on the yellow one. She grabbed Apple Bloom and tried to push her out of the bed. Apple Bloom pushed back, thrashing her hooves and yelling angrily. The two rolled over each other, pushed, kicked and slapped in their attempts to shove the other one out of the bed.
The bedroom door bust open. The two fillies froze in their fight and stared at Applejack. Her furious eyes burned into them. She looked them up and down and took a deep breath. Without saying a word she strode across the room and grabbed Diamond Tiara with one leg. Tiara yelped , fearing a night in the barn. It wasn’t fair, it was Apple Bloom’s fault.
With her mouth Applejack rolled back the blankets then with her free hoof she pushed Apple Bloom to the very edge of the right side of the double bed. Then, with a huff, she threw Diamond Tiara down on the left side of the bed, grabbed the blankets with her mouth again and drew them over the two confused fillies. She glared down at them. “Go. To. Sleep!”
She spun on the spot and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
In the dark Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom lay back to back in the dark, neither one daring to move or even say a single word.
The farm began to stir, slowly waking at first with the natural cycle of nature. As the sun rose so did the animals and their farm pony keepers who were tasked with their care. Then came the roosters crow, bringing the signal that brought them into the full wakefulness of the day.
Apple Bloom stirred in her bed, slowly opening her eyes to the new day. What she was greeted with was a mess of curls in lavender and white. The shock of the candy cane colours in front of her face jolted her heart and woke her up far better than any roosters crow.
At some point in the night she and Diamond Tiara had shuffled closer together, in their sleep. Apple Bloom had her forelegs draped loosely around Diamond, holding her like a teddy bear.
As quickly as she dared Apple Bloom released Tiara from the hold and started to slide out of bed. She was stopped by a sudden jolt. Diamond Tiara was lying on top of Apple Bloom’s right leg and the dead weight of the sleeping filly, combined with the awkwardness of the position, meant Apple Bloom couldn’t pull herself free, or push Diamond Tiara off. She was trapped. Apple Bloom pulled and felt her leg slide an inch, Diamond Tiara stirred but didn’t wake; she was dead to the world. Apple Bloom pulled again, her leg moved a little more. Again and another inch toward freedom. She pulled again -
“WAAAAAAA”
CRASH!
Apple Bloom landed flank first on the hard wooden floor. In her desperation to free herself she hadn’t seen how close to the edge of her bed she’d gotten.
Diamond Tiara opened her eyes and sat up, looking around the room blearily. Apple Bloom rose to her hooves, rubbing her flank softly. “Wha?” Tiara said in a dry croak. “wazzit you doin? iz still dark.”
Apple Bloom would have laughed at how silly Diamond Tiara sounded but her flank was sore and she was hungry, teasing would have to wait for later. “It ain’t dark, it’s dawn.” She trotted over to her vanity and brushed her hair quickly.
“Whatz dawn?” Tiara looked out of the window to the glowing red horizon and the slowly emerging pale blue morning sky. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hoof.
Apple Bloom grabbed her bow and started to tie up her hair. “It’s the start of the day.” she rolled her eyes as Diamond Tiara furrowed her brow, her half asleep brain was trying —and failing by the looks of it— to absorb the information.
Her hair as straight as it ever was and tied up in a bow Apple Bloom was ready, while Diamond Tiara still hadn’t climbed out of bed yet. “It’s when farm ponies get up. Now, c’mon, you’ll miss breakfast.”
Diamond Tiara flopped back down onto the pillow. “Breakfast? It’s still yesterday’s supper time.”
Apple Bloom didn’t say a word. Instead she trotted out of her bedroom, but left the door ajar so the noise and smells of breakfast drifted into the room. There was the clattering of pans, the clinking of glasses and the rich smell of eggs, haybacon, hash browns and something that was either pancakes or waffles.
Despite the rest of her being asleep, Diamond Tiara’s brain was stirred by the noise and her stomach was woken by the delicious smells. It growled and gurgled loudly, rumbling like a storm to inform her just how empty it was. “Ugh, fine!” She snapped to no one. Climbing out of bed she went straight over to the vanity and began to brush her hair. “1,2,3-” She had to admit to herself, but she’d never say it out loud, the breakfast smelled fantastic. Breakfast had never smelled like that at home, except that time the chef had made pancakes on her birthday. Usually half a grapefruit and as much toast as she wanted was how she started the day. “28, 29, 20, 21, 22....wait?” had she just lost count? Hadn’t she done the twenties already? She couldn’t remember. “Urgh, now I’ll have to start again. 1, 2, 3-” her stomach rumbled like thunder in a spring storm. “Oh buck it, one day won’t hurt.” She hurriedly finished styling her mane and donned her signature tiara.
She trotted down the stairs to the hive of activity that was the Apple family home. Despite the unholy hour the only Apple member missing was Granny Smith. Apple Jack was at the stove, cooking up the last of a large stack of pancakes, Apple Bloom was setting the table while Big Mcintosh was manoeuvring around them both, with surprising agility for a pony his size, while he poured coffee for the adults and juice for the two fillies.
“Morning Tiara.” a strange pony said from the breakfast table. Diamond stared, he seemed familiar somehow. Then she saw his cutie mark and it clicked into place.
“Dad?”
His usually slicked back hair was loose and free it was frizzy like it hadn’t been combed, some of it was even falling in front of his face, he still wasn’t wearing his collar or tie but was instead wearing a faded brown waistcoat. She’d never seen him looking like that, not ever. Even in the mornings at home when she saw him he was cleaned up and dressed for business. He’d always told her appearance meant everything, how you look told other ponies about you, so at all times, day and night, he was dressed to give ponies the image of a rich and successful business pony. Now, he almost looked like one of these farm ponies.
Applejack slid the last pancake onto the top of the stack. “You gonna stand there all day sugarcube?” she said to Tiara, “c’mon and get some grub.” Taking the plate carefully in her teeth she carried the pancakes to the table to join the rest of the breakfast. Diamond Tiara’s nose hadn’t lied to her, there was a huge bowl of scrambled eggs, a mound of haybacon, a pile of hash browns and now a tall stack of pancakes. As well as jugs of maple syrup, jars of zap-apple jam and several toast racks, all full. To Tiara it looked like enough food to feed ten ponies, were the four of them supposed to eat all of this?
Nervously she walked up to the table and sat down next to her unfamiliar father.
Big Mac and Applejack took seats at the table and started helping themselves to the food. Apple Bloom started with several pancakes and many hash browns, covering both in generous portions of syrup.
Rich grabbed several slices of toast and the zap apple jam. He looked to his daughter, who was gaping, open mouthed, at the Apple siblings pigging themselves on breakfast. “Better eat a big breakfast honey,” he said to her. “you’ll need the energy for your chores.”
That snapped Tiara back to reality. “Chores?” She was sure she hadn’t just heard that word. “What chores?”
Applejack swallowed down a mouthful of eggs. “You’ll be sharin’ the chores Apple Bloom does before school. So eat up, you’ll need that strength if you’re gonna get ‘em done in time.” She decided to help by piling several spoonfuls of scrambled egg, many hash brown and hoof-ful of haybacon onto Diamond Tiara’s plate.
“You wanna pancake?” Apple Bloom asked as she helped herself to more from the stack.
...***...
Diamond Tiara moved sluggishly. “Ugh. I ate too much haybacon.” Her stomach was swollen with the food she’d been forced to eat. Servings had just kept coming and any protests were silenced with endless platitudes.
She followed Apple Bloom into the barn. “What are we doin’ here?”
Apple Bloom stood by a large wooden bucket, waving her hoof to encourage Tiara to join her. “First chore it to feed the pigs. C’mon and help me carry this.”
Tiara hesitated. “And what, praytell, do pigs eat?”
Apple Bloom had to stifle a giggle. “You really don’t know nothin’ ‘bout farmin’. Pigs eat slop.”
Diamond Tiara acknowledged she probably wouldn’t want to hear the answer to her next question, but she asked it all the same. “And what is slop?”
“Pretty much anythin’.” Apple Bloom replied, far too nonchalantly for Diamond Tiara’s liking. “Mostly leftovers, and any rotten fruit or vegetables by brother and sis find when they work the fields.” She took one handle of the wooden bucket in her mouth and indicated Tiara should do the same, the pink filly hesitated though.
“You want me,” she said with a slow, seething, tone, “to carry a bucket, of your trash, to feed to your disgusting animals?” She felt like she was about the throw up her substantial breakfast. Apple Bloom would probably want to feed that to the pigs too. “What do you even keep those filthy animals for?”
Apple Bloom released the handle to talk. “They’s great at gettin’ rid of the leftovers and rotten fruit. Better and quicker than any trash can. We don’t waste nothin’ on the farm. Anythin’ that ain’t fit for the pigs ta eat goes onto the compost pile.”
“And anything that isn’t fit for the compost pile, or the pigs?” Diamond Tiara couldn’t figure out why she’d asked. The second the question was out of her mouth she dreaded the answer.
To her relief, Apple Bloom shrugged. “Truth be told, there ain’t much that can’t be dealt with by the pigs or the compost.” She tapped the bucket with her hoof. “Y’all is distractin’ me. Grab the bucket and c’mon. You’re here to make the chores go quicker but we’re takin’ longer than ever.”
Diamond Tiara sat down and crossed her hooves. “I will not carry that filthy thing and feed your filthy trash to your filthy animals.” She stuck her nose into the air and huffed.
Apple Bloom let out a long growl and facehoofed. It took all her restraint not to yell at Tiara. She couldn’t get into a shouting match now, she had to do the chores before she left for school or she’d get in trouble. “Fine!” she snapped. “I’ll feed the pigs, you go back into the house and mop the floor.”
Diamond gave Apple Bloom a sideways glance. Working with soapy water was preferable to pigs but she still didn’t like the sound of it, the key part being the word Work. Still if it got the dumb farm pony off her back, “Fine.” She cantered out of the barn and back into the house. The kitchen was empty, the older Apple siblings had already gone to the orchard for the days work. Her dad had disappeared.
“Where would these losers put a mop?” She looked left, then right, “Oh,” it was leaning against the wall in the corner.
It couldn’t be that hard to mop the floor. There was a cleaner who visited their house twice a week, Tiara had seen her mop dozens of times. Mostly in passing as the filly was on her way to somewhere important.
She filled the bucket with hot water and a little soap. Her confidence increased as nothing went wrong. This chore was turning out easy.
Tiara dipped the mop into the bucket, lifted it out, then started to sweep the dripping head across the floor. It left a puddle of water on the floor as she swept it in a large arc. She pushed the mop across the floor in huge, clumsy sweeps. Occasionally she dipped the mop back into the water for a few seconds, because she’d seen her cleaner do that sometimes, and pushed the freshly soaked and dripping mop-head across the floor again.
“What the hay do ya’ think you’re doin’ youn’un?”
Diamond Tiara looked up to see Granny Smith in the kitchen doorway. She was staring at the kitchen floor, wide eyed and open mouthed. Diamond Tiara looked around her. The floor was soaked with water, almost a centimetre deep, puddles had started to form where the boards were uneven. The bucket she’d been using was almost empty, its contents now all over the kitchen.
“I’m....mopping the floor?” Diamond Tiara looked at Granny Smith’s expression and quickly guessed she’d messed up.
The old mare grumbled some nonsense Diamond couldn’t catch, then asked, “Ain’t you never mopped before?”
Diamond looked offended. “No.” She snapped. “Daddy has a maid-mare to do housework, like civilised ponies should.”
Granny Smith splish, splashed, her way across the floor to Diamond. She either hadn’t heard, or had chosen to ignore, the comment. When she spoke her voice was calm and level. “You’re s’posed to squeeze out the mop, get rid of the extra water. Then you can clean the floor instead of,” she looked around, “floodin’ it.” She took the mop from Diamond and showed her how to squeeze it properly. “I’ll clean this up, why don’t you try an’ find somethin’ less diff’cult to do?”
Diamond Tiara let the elderly mare take over the mopping. She trudged outside and sat on the porch. Less difficult? What could be less difficult than dragging a wet mop across the floor? Had Granny Smith insulted her? She’d implied that she couldn’t learn how to mop a floor properly, so that answer was, Yes. The second question was, had she done it on purpose or had it just occurred as part of her old lady ramblings. How dare the old lady insult her. Of course she didn’t know how to do something she’d never done before but was that any excuse to steal the task away from her. She could learn.
Diamond blinked as a thought occurred to her; why did she care? She hadn’t wanted to do any of the stupid chores in the first place. She didn’t have to do it now.
Apple Bloom wandered back toward the house, her hooves were a little muddy and there was a whiff of animal coming from her. “You done the floor already?” She asked as she approached Diamond Tiara.
“Yeah.” she lied. “It was easy. Anything else to do in this labour camp or can I relax a little?”
Apple Bloom looked at her suspiciously. She was tempted to look inside and see what state the floor was in but she didn’t have time and Diamond Tiara would probably just argue over her findings. “Last job, we gotta go down to the vegetable field, water the vegetables, pull out any weeds and chase away any critters.”
Diamond Tiara blinked. “You do that, by yourself, every day?”
Apple Bloom smiled and shook her head. “Applejack usually helps me, but she’s stayin’ in the orchard today. But since you’re here, you’ll hafta do. C’mon.” She turned and cantered down the dirt road. With a huff Diamond Tiara climbed to her hooves and trotted after her.
...***...
The two fillies walked back up to the house slowly. Apple Bloom was glowering at Diamond Tiara the whole way. “How? Just how?”
Apple Bloom’s entire front, from face to hooves, was covered in mud. Diamond Tiara looked like mud had been poured over her, from her head to the top of her legs, everything was caked in a layer of thick mud.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” the prissy pony growled. If the unintentional mud bath hadn’t been bad enough, she’d lost her tiara.
“How do you get outsmarted by a rabbit?” Apple Bloom continued to press.
“I said, I don’t wanna talk about it.” Tiara snapped.
Apple Bloom still wouldn’t stop talking. “I’ve lost some carrots to ‘em before. They’re quick critters, so a grab and dash sometimes works. But he got four carrots, four! And his lady friend got your-”
“I KNOW!” Diamond yelled at her. “I was there. I saw what happened! I went through what happened! So stop talking about it.”
“What’s goin’ on here?” Applejack came into view from behind a tree. “What in the wide, wide, world of Equestria happened to you two?”
“It’s Diamond Tiara’s fault.” Apple Bloom jumped in before Tiara could even open her mouth.
“Was not!” Diamond yelled back.
Apple Bloom forgot her sister and turned to yell at Diamond Tiara. “You were the one chasing that rabbit, you’re the one who knocked me down-”
“You got in my way.” Tiara snapped back. “I would have got that damn bunny if you hadnt-”
“You weren’t even chasin’ the right rabbit! You shoulda been chasin’ the one with the carrots, not the one with your dumb tiara!”
“My tiara i-”
“ENOUGH!”
Applejack’s yell silenced the two of them mid-argument. The ferocity of her glare frightened them both. “Come with me.” She growled. When she trotted off the two of them followed her silently, neither one daring to say a word. Applajack however, had plenty to say. “Y’all are done with your chores, we better clean you up and get y’all off to school.”
Diamond Tiara sighed. “Thank Celestia. I really need a shower.”
Instead of heading for the house, Applejack led the girls to the barn. There she grabbed hosepipe. “We don’t have time to be wastin’ with showers.”
“Awww heck.” Apple Bloom sighed. She sat down and accepted her fate.
“You can’t be serious.” Diamond Tiara tried to back off.
Applejack nodded. “Eeyup.” She kicked out her back hoof, knocking on the tap. The high pressure water exploded out. Diamond screamed at the freezing cold water spurted into her face. She tried to run but Apple Bloom grabbed her and held her tightly. The water was freezing cold, it made her heart race and chased her breath out of her lungs.
Applejack hosed down the two fillies with the high pressure of the spray. Diamond Tiara’s yells and screams of protest didn’t stop the entire time. Once enough of the mud had gone she kicked off the tap then tossed a couple of rags at them so they could dry off. “Dry up and grab your lunches from Granny Smith. Then hurry off to school, you’re gonna be late.”
“I’m going to tell my daddy!” Tiara yelled angrily. Applejack smiled and nodded her head.
“You do that.” She trotted off back to the orchard.
Diamond Tiara seethed as the cold water ran down her body, dripping from her mane and tail. To her side Apple Bloom was using the clean rag to dry herself in a hurry.
“It’s a warm day, we’ll be dry in no time. Hurry up before you catch cold.” She trotted off, leaving the furious pink filly behind.
Silver Spoon stared at the pink pony that came into the classroom. “Whoa, DT what happened?”
Diamond Tiara’s mane was limp and frizzy, her fur was damp, her tiara was missing, she had grey marks under her eyes, like she hadn’t slept well and, was that mud on her hooves? It was!
Tiara took her seat and crossed her hooves across her chest. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Apple Bloom came in a few seconds later, as per Diamond Tiara’s nagging demands “I don’t want ponies thinking I’m friends with a loser like you!” She headed straight over to her seat beside Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Her two crusader friends immediately leaned in for conversation.
“Are you okay? What’s it like with Diamond Tiara in your house?” Scootaloo whispered. She glanced to the other side of the classroom where the pink pony was fuming to herself. Scoots was very amused to see Tiara’s usually pristine appearance was anything but today.
“Annoyin’.” Apple Bloom admitted. “She don’t know how to do nothin’. She can’t even mop a floor. I went into the house to get my lunch and Granny Smith was cleanin’ up the mess Tiara had made. I had to make lunch for me and Diamond. Lucky we ran here or we’d both be late.”
She was about to say more but Miss Cheerilee entered the school house and called the rabble of little ponies to order.
With the lesson beginning the ponies fell into their usual routine of listening to Cheerilee and writing down notes.
Diamond Tiara tried to concentrate on what her teacher was saying. Something about the founding of Canterlot, or was it Fillydelphia? Her eyes felt heavy, her brain was sluggish. She had been woken too early and had been forced to do too much already. The classroom felt too warm, it was draining her.
“Diamond Tiara!”
Diamond’s head jerked up off her desk. Cheerilee was standing in front of her, looking very angry.
“Sleeping in my class. You can catch up on everything you missing during recess young lady.”
Diamond’s mouth was agape. “But...but I-”
Cheerilee shook her head. “No buts. Now, I know you had a trauma yesterday, discovering your house was on fire, but your father came by to my home this morning and assured me, most fervently, you have both found adequately comfortable accommodation and received a good night’s rest.”
Diamond stared, surely her dad hadn’t said that? He knew that horribly early hour she’d woken. “But Miss Cheerilee-”
Cheerilee turned away from her. “If you want to discuss the matter further you’ll have to wait until recess.”
Diamond Tiara looked over her shoulder and glared at Apple Bloom as if to silently tell the filly “this is your fault.”
...***...
Recess came and the three crusaders rushed clear of the classroom and hurried over to the swings before anypony else could grab them first.
Apple Bloom stood by and watched while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo took turns first on the two swings of the set.
“Diamond Tiara looked mad when Cheerilee caught her napping.” Scootaloo laughed as she swung back and forth, trying her hardest to gain height and speed.
Sweetie Belle was happier at a much slower pace. “She really looked mad at you Apple Bloom.”
Apple Bloom sighed and nodded. “Yeah, knowin’ her she’ll try and blame me. Diamond Tiara don’t make mistakes, it’s just everpony else makin’ mistakes that make her look bad.”
Scootaloo was shooting back and forth on the swing so quick she was almost a blur. “C’mon!” She pushed the swing a little more and opened her wings. When the swing reached the height of its arc she leapt free from the seat and started to beet her wings furiously as she soared up into the air.
Sweetie pointed at her, “Look! She’s going up!”
Then gravity seemed to remember that it had to keep a hold on the pegasus filly.
Apple Bloom sighed. “She’s comin’ down.”
Scootaloo gritted her teeth and tried to make her wings flap harder. She started to slow but not by much. She fell hard to the ground in the middle of the school yard, her wings had barely slowed her down. She sat still for a time, rubbing the back of her head and trying to ignore the hot, pounding, pain in her wings, she’d strained them with that burst of frantic activity. She’d been so sure she was going to fly that time, she really had tried her hardest to stay in the air.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom rushed up to her side. “You okay?” Bloom asked.
Scootaloo sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.” she stretched and her back cracked loudly. Scootaloo let out a long, satisfied groan.
Happy that her friend hadn’t been injured Apple Bloom raced back for the swing. “My turn.”
“Think again, blank flank.”
Apple Bloom skidded to a halt. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had taken the swings while the crusaders had been occupied.
Scootaloo rushed up to Apple Bloom’s side. “What are you doing here? You should be inside.”
Diamond Tiara laughed lightly. “Oh Miss Cheerilee was very sympathetic,” She closed her eyes for a few seconds, when she opened them tears were welling up and her voice was whiny, almost pathetic, “It wasn’t my fault Miss Cheerilee,” she sobbed, “I was just so tired, those rotten Apple’s forced me to wake up at dawn to do lots of work on the farm.” she sniffed and pretended to wipe away a tear. “They said I had to earn my keep.” she gave a dramatic sob, then she started to laugh. The tears were gone and her voice was back to normal. “She ate it up.” Diamond giggled. “She was practically in tears herself. Couldn’t push me out the door fast enough.”
“You rotten little-” Scootaloo tried to charge Diamond. Sweetie Belle grabbed the filly’s tail in her mouth to hold her back. Scootaloo’s wings fluttered furiously.
Apple Bloom couldn’t have looked more hurt if she’d been hit in the face. “But that’s a lie.”
“Is it?” Diamond Tiara snapped. “You woke me up at dawn, stuffed me full of your family’s rotten cooking then put me to work.”
Apple Bloom jumped closer to Diamond “If you call that work I can call myself Princess Celestia.” she yelled angrily. “All you did was complain and mess things up. Your daddy told you, you was supposed to help on the farm, all you did was make everthin’ worse.”
Diamond Tiara started to pump her legs to move the swing. “I am not some stupid farm pony who has to work pickin’ apples to stop my pig-sty of a house falling down around my flanks.”
Diamond Tiara was tackled by a yellow and red blur. The two fillies slammed into the ground, rolling through the dirt yelling and screaming at each other. Apple Bloom slapped and kicked out, aiming at anything that was pink. Diamond Tiara thrashed and fought back, screaming strings of insults that would have made the farm pony blush had she been listening and not trying to pound Tiara’s face into the ground.
Strong teeth bit into Apple Bloom’s neck and yanked her off Diamond Tiara. Apple Bloom fought back, until she caught sight of plum coloured fur. Cheerilee had pulled them apart, holding Apple Bloom by the scruff of the neck and holding down Diamond Tiara by putting a hoof on her chest.
The entire school population was staring at them, some looking excited, others looking shocked. The silence was so absolute you could have heard a pin drop.
With a complex move Cheerilee picked Diamond Tiara up, wrapping one leg around her. Carrying Tiara like this and Apple Bloom in her teeth the teacher walked on three legs back into the school building.
...***...
Applejack trotted up the lane toward the school. The fillies and colts were gathered together outside, sitting under a tree. What the hay?
Cheerilee, talented teacher as she was, had turned the unusual classroom situation into an impromptu nature lesson. She was discussing the different types of flowers which grew around Ponyville and how many interesting insects could be found just in the grass of the school yard. She paused her lesson as she saw Applejack approach. “Okay class, I want you to pair up and search the grass and bushes and write down all the different insects you can find. Don’t leave the school grounds.”
While the pupils busy she greeted Applejack. “I’m sorry for calling you away from the farm, but this couldn’t wait until the end of the day.”
Applejack nodded as Cheerilee led her to the school house. “Is it that bad?”
Cheerilee sighed and nodded. “I’ve never seen them like this before. I know the two weren’t fond of each other but to be brawling like that in the school yard,” she trailed off as she opened the door and let Applejack inside.
Diamond Tiara was sitting in one corner of the room, holding a blooded tissue to her nose. Her coat was filthy and her mane was tangled and knotted.
Apple Bloom sat in the opposite corner, her coat and mane were equally dishevelled and her left eye was a sore looking red, which would undoubtedly become a black eye by tomorrow.
“I almost had to tie them to their chairs.” Cheerilee whispered into AJ’s ear.
“Alright.” AJ looked between the two of them. “I’m only gonna ask this once. I don’t want no arguin’ yellin’ insultin’ or nothin’. Now tell me, what happened?”
At once the two filled started to yell their stories at Applejack, their volume increased as they tried to yell over each other. They quickly stopped trying to yell at Applejack and started yelling at each other.
“ENOUGH!” Applejack slammed her hoof down so hard the whole schoolhouse shook. The two fillies fell silent, frightened by the rage and strength of the older mare. Applejack took a deep breath to calm herself and turned her attention to Cheerilee. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to take them home. I’ll see to it Apple Bloom is punished and I’ll let Filthy Rich know exactly what happened.”
“But Apple-”
Applejack stopped Apple Bloom by slamming her hoof on the floor again. “But nothin’ missy. You done bad here today, both of you.” she glanced at Diamond Tiara, “and when you done bad you have to pay for your mistakes.” She nudged her head toward the door, “now wait outside, stay apart and don’t say a word, or it’ll be worse for y’all. I wanna have a quick word with Miss Cheerilee.”
Glumly the two fillies shuffled outside, closing the door behind them.
AJ turned to Cheerilee. “Did you manage to get a clear story out of either of them?”
Cheerilee shook her head. “Both say the other started it. But, I suppose I’m a little more inclined to believe Apple Bloom, she has the better reputation for honesty.” she managed a weak smile. “a trait I suppose she got from you.”
Applejack returned the smile. Apple Bloom fighting was bad, but at least she had a reputation as an honest pony instead of a violent one. It was something good.
Cheerilee continued, “Apple Bloom says Diamond Tiara insulted her family and her home. Diamond Tiara says the opposite. Actually,” she hesitated for a second, “she has all but said that your entire family have been bullying her.”
Applejack turned to the door. “Why that no good-”
“Applejack!” Cheerilee rushed in front of the farm pony before AJ could reach the door. “You have to forgive the filly.” she saw the look on Applejack’s face and sighed. “I know, it won’t be easy. Like I tell my pupils, you have to try and see things from the other ponies point of view. Diamond Tiara has been, to put it politely, over indulged by her father. She’s used to getting her own way, having the best of everything, and not having to do anything for herself beyond homework. Now, because of this fire, she’s living on your farm and being asked to do chores. It’s the complete opposite of everything she’s ever known. It’s like, oh what’s a good example? Like asking you to sell your farm and take a job selling dresses in Canterlot.”
Applejack opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. No sound came out as she tried to run the scenario through her mind. “Y’all might have a point there, but it don’t excuse her behaviour. I might have an idea to help improve their attitudes, it’s more than a mite silly though.”
Filthy Rich watched in silence, walking behind Applejack. Diamond Tiara kept looking over her shoulder at him, pleading with her eyes but he had nothing else to say and she’d run out of pleadings. All she would do now is repeat herself.
They were taken past the barn and along the dirt road by the orchard west orchard down to the far end of the Apple farm.
Apple Bloom tried one last time to speak with her sister. “Applejack-”
“Nnnope.” Applejack stated flatly.
She was taking them toward another barn like structure, Apple Bloom knew it well, the cow shed. The cattle lived down there, eating the grass of the hills around the farm and the outskirts of Ponyville. In return the Apple family got all the milk they could store. Which meant as well as apples the farm had a good side business in milk butter and cheese, which they mostly they sold to Sugar Cube Corner.
It was often thought to be one of the quietest spots in Ponyville. The most exciting thing that had ever occurred was when Twilight had levitated the towns water tower through the shed and magically milked all the cows at once to calm a grumpy Ursa Minor.
“If y’all are gonna act like animals then y’all are gonna be treated like animals.” Applejack pushed the two fillies cowshed. “You’re lucky Moorial has taken all the cattle to their family reunion or there’d be nowhere for y’all to sleep but under the stars.”
Diamond Tiara looked at her dad, tears in her eyes. “Daddy, please.”
Rich bit his lip. “Applejack, maybe-”
AJ shook her head. “Rich, you agreed. It’s for their own good.” she said sternly.
Rich sighed and nodded his head.
Applejack turned back to the two young ponies. She pointed a hoof at one of the empty sleeping stalls. “Get in.”
Apple Bloom looked at her. “C’mon sis, you-”
Applejack looked down at her. “I said, in.” She pushed Apple Bloom with her hoof. With this little encouragement Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara stepped into the stall. With a nudge of her hoof Applejack slid the stall door to a close and closed the latch, locking the two fillies in. The latch could be opened on both sides of the gate but it was out of the fillies reach. A full grown pony would easily be able to reach it, or even jump over the stall door but the little ponies were too small. Unless, of course, they worked together with one standing on the other’s shoulders.
“Big Mac’ll be along in a little while to give you some food and sleepin’ bags. If y’all behave yourselves he might give you some books and games too. If y’all can keep behavin’ I’ll let y’all out in the mornin’.”
Diamond Tiara stomped her hoof. “You can’t do this” she looked to her father. “Daddy, tell her she can’t do this. Make her let me out.”
Rich bit his lip again. Applejack decided to step in before his resolve failed. “C’mon Filthy, let’s go get some grub.” She ushered him toward the door as quickly as possible.
Outside the cowshed and out of earshot of the two fillies Applejack sighed and wiped her forehead with the back of her hoof. “I don’t like it anymore than you do Rich, but it’s for their own good. They done wrong and they should be punished, you agreed to that.”
Rich nodded. “I know, but to lock them up like that.”
Applejack set off back toward the farmhouse. “They ain’t really locked up. They can reach that latch any time if they can learn to work together. They might not ever learn to be friends but they need to learn to tolerate each other at least. If they can do that to get outta that stall they might jus’ be able to do it to share a bedroom for a few weeks.”
Rich agreed but looked doubtful. “And if it doesn’t work?”
Applejack shrugged. “Plan B.”
“And what’s plan B?”
Applejack shrugged again. “I’m still workin’ on plan B.”
...***...
Diamond Tiara beat at the door with her fore-hooves, she screamed like a banshee for her father to come back and let her out. “DAAAAADDDDDEEEEEEEEE!”
Apple Bloom slammed her hoof on the ground. “Oh shut up before you get hurt.” She bellowed over Tiara’s screams.
Diamond rounded on her, glaring at Apple Bloom as though she was trying to set her alight with the power of her stare. Apple Bloom had seen a The Stare in action, Diamond Tiara’s look was weak by comparison. “and how am I supposed to hurt myself hitting a door?”
Apple Bloom raised a hoof threateningly, “I never said nothin’ about you hurtin’ yourself.”
“You wouldn’t dare. You’d get in trouble.” DT tried to sound brave but she still edged away from Apple Bloom, all of six inches in the tiny space of the stall.
“Maybe I’ll jus’ lie. an’ say you fell. Seems easy enough. If you can do it, anypony can do it.” Apple Bloom growled in a low voice. She turned in a huff and strode the other side of the stall. “You stay over there, an’ stay quiet.” she said over her shoulder.
Diamond turned her back to the filly. “Gladly.” she called back. “the less time I spend looking at you, the better.”
Apple Bloom rounded on her. “What did you say?”
Diamond Tiara faced Apple Bloom. “You heard me. This is all your fault. You and your stupid family. I wanted to stay in a hotel, or with Silver Spoon. But daddy wanted to stay on your dumb, smelly farm. If mommy was here she wouldn’t let daddy do this. If she hadn’t been away in Manehatten on business she would have us in a nice place. With room service, and no stupid farm pony chores at stupid hours of the morning.”
“This is what real life is like.” Apple Bloom yelled back. “It ain’t all daddy buyin’ you pretty things. Some ponies have got to work for a livin’.”
“Stupid ones.” DT sniffed. “Smart ponies get the dumb ones to do the work for them.”
Apple Bloom snorted and smirked. “Then you gotta be the dumbest, smart pony I ever met. Ya don’t do any work and y’all can’t even get us dumb ponies to do it for ya.”
Diamond Tiara opened her mouth, closed it again, opened, then closed again. Finally she huffed and turned her back on Apple Bloom. “I don’t need to explain myself to the likes of you.” she said in a haughty tone. “you....you worthless farm pony hick.”
“Spoiled brat.” Apple Bloom snapped back.
“Blank flank.”
“Better a blank flank than lookin’ like ah got a piece of cheap costume jewellery on my butt.”
Diamond gasped and stared at Apple Bloom like she’d been slapped. “You take that back.”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “Ah won’t!”
“I said,” Diamond launched herself at Apple Bloom. “take it back.” Apple Bloom reared up on her hind legs and grabbed Diamond in mid-leap. With a twist of her body she slammed the prissy pony into the ground and pinned her. Diamond struggled, growled and tried to kick but Apple Bloom had the strength advantage and held her down with ease.
“I won’t.” Apple Bloom growled into her opponents ear. “ ‘cause it’s true.” Diamond struggled underneath her but Apple Bloom held her fast. Now that she had her long-time bully in this position she had a lot of things to get off her mind.
“Y’all pick on me just ‘cause I’m a blank flank, or ‘cause my family lives on a farm. An’ right now I don’t know why I let you get away with it for so long. Y’all are a weak, lazy, ungrateful, spoiled baby of a brat. You ain’t got no earth pony instincts, y’all ain’t done nothin’ for yur’self your entire life. Y’all go on how good your fam’ly is, your mom, your dad, even your great-great gran’daddy Stinkin’ Rich. You know what ah don’t hear? How good you are. What have you ever done? Y’all tradin’ on your family name without doin’ nothin’ to earn it, hold it up or make it better. Ah don’t know why I ever let you get to me Diamond Tiara, ‘cause now I get a good look at y’all, all I see is somepony to feel sorry for.
“You ain’t nothin’ but your cutie mark; a cheap imitation of a good thing. Y’all might look good from a distance but when ponies get close they see how nasty you are.” She finally climbed off the pink filly. “I’ve hated you and been afraid of you, heck I even been jealous of you, once. Right now I just pity you. ‘Cause that’s all you deserve.” She strode over the the far corner of the stall and sat with her back to Diamond Tiara.
The rich filly picked herself up in silence. Her first instinct was to attack apple Bloom while the filly’s back was turned. How dare she say those things. She couldn’t talk to her like that. It was horrible, insulting, cruel and.....true.
Apple Bloom heard sniffling behind her. Somepony was crying and trying not to be heard. In the small space of the stall there was only one candidate; Diamond Tiara was crying. She tilted her head slightly to look out of the corner of her eye. Sure enough, Diamond had retreated to her corner of the stall and had lain down to cry. Her head was resting on her hooves, her cheeks were already becoming tear stained. As much as she was trying to be quiet her short gasps and quiet sobs were as loud as a thunder storm in the deathly silence of the cowshed.
I ain’t gonna feel guilty. Apple Bloom thought to herself. She turned back to face the wall, putting Diamond Tiara out of sight, but not out of sound. She deserved to hear all that. It’s all true anyway. Ah won’t apologise. It’s no worse than anythin’ she’d say to me. It’s about time somepony told her the truth. Diamond Tiara continued to sob. She does sound real upset though. Maybe I did go just a little overboard. Ah heck, Apple Bloom why do you have to be the good pony? Diamond Tiara don’t apologise for nothin she ever says. I guess that’s what makes you the better pony. If Y’all don’t apologise, then that makes you no better than her.
She started to turn toward Diamond.
“Oh come on!” Diamond Tiara stomped her hoof on the ground. Apple Bloom whirled to face her. The tears and sadness were gone from her eyes, only annoyance remained. “That always works.”
She was fakin’. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. Of course she was fakin’. A few fake tears and I bet her daddy melts like warm butter. “That’s exactly what I’m talkin’ about.” she managed to keep her tone calm and neutral, trying not to tell in her tone that she’d been taken in by the act and had been on the verge of apologising. “you ain’t nothing but cheap tricks and nasty feelin’s. That’s why nopony likes you.”
Diamond Tiara gasped and looked shocked. “Ponies like me, more than you anyway. Look at all the ponies who came to my cute-ceañera.”
“Y’all mean, all the ponies who went to a party where there’d be cake and icecream.” Apple Bloom responded promptly. “Pinkie Pie throws so many parties that ponies just turn up to them. They don’t pay no mind to who’s party it is, or what it’s for, s’long as it’s a party. It could have been a party for Pinkie’s pet alligator and ponies would still come.” She stared Diamond Tiara in the eyes. “Face it, the only pony who seems to be able to stand you is Silver Spoon.”
Diamond stared, open mouthed. “Tha....that’s not true.”
Apple Bloom just shook her head and turned her back to Diamond again. “Keep tellin’ yur’self that.”
...***...
Big McIntosh moved with a surprising lightness of step for a pony his size. He carried two saddlebags over his back as he approached the cowshed. He couldn’t hear any sounds coming from inside but didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad one.
He walked silently into the shed, heading straight for the one stall with the door closed.
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were still trapped but they hadn’t beaten each other senseless, which Mac saw as a slight plus. They were sitting at opposite ends of the stall with their backs to each other. Both fillies looked half asleep with boredom.
The sound of Mac unstrapping the saddlebags caught their attention.
“Big Mac,” Apple Bloom rushed up to the stall door. “can y’all get us outta here?”
Big McIntosh barely glanced at his sister, he’d been warned not to by Applejack. He was big but too soft in the heart, one look at Apple Bloom’s puppy-dog eyes and he wouldn’t be able to refuse her. “Nnnope.” He opened one saddlebag and tossed in a single blanket and pillow.
Apple Bloom put on her most adorable face, hoping Big Mac would look at her. “C’mon, please? We’re bored, and we can’t stay in a cowshed all night, it’ll be cold. We ain’t got nothin’ to eat.”
Mac lowered in paper bags, holding identical food of daisy sandwiches, a slice of apple pie, a bottle of milk, a couple of apples and even a couple of peaches each.
“What if we need to go to the bathroom?” Diamond Tiara snapped.
CLANG
Mac dropped in a small metal bucket, which had a wooden seat tied to its top and a foul smelling chemical slopping around in the bottom. A home-made chemical toilet.
Diamond Tiara had to lean against the stall wall to stop herself fainting. Even Apple Bloom was shocked at the sight of the thing.
Before either filly could get over their shock Big Mac dropped in the last couple of items, two books and one roll of toilet paper. “G’night.” he drawled. “AJ’ll see y’all in the mornin’.”
Applejack yawned as trotted down the path toward the cowshed. This was an early start, even for her. The sun was just peeking over the horizon and she hadn’t had breakfast yet.
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara hadn’t shown up at the house in the middle of the night, so either they hadn’t learned to work together, or they had escaped and chosen to run away to somewhere else. Applejack knew which option she would bet her Bits on.
As the cowshed came into view Applejack caught a smell on the wind, a harsh chemical smell that attacked the nose and stuck in the back of the throat. The smell of the chemicals the family used in the outhouses. As harsh a smell as it was it was preferable to the clouds of flies and the scent of sewage, especially on a hot day.
“Consarn it.” she muttered to herself. “it’s too early for this.” she didn’t even have to look inside, her thoughts were already beginning to put the pieces of the unseen puzzle together, she could figure out what had happened and why the smell of the chemical toilet was so strong on the air.
Applejack looked in on the two fillies in their stall. It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, but it wasn’t great.
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were at one end of the stall, both in different corners. They each lay on half of a torn pillow; both halves were almost empty of their feather stuffing. The feathers were all over the place inside the stall. The chemical smell —as Applejack had thought— was coming from the bucket/chemical toilet, Big Mac had provided. The bucket had been kicked over at some point, spilling its chemical contents. The blanket that had been given to the fillies to share had been used in a hasty attempt to mop up the mess. The sodden mess of blanket had been dumped in the far corner, along with the unused toilet. Most of the food had been eaten but Applejack could see puddles of smashed messes pressed into the dirt, which told her they had fought with, rather than eaten, some of their meals.
Apple Blooms eye had turned into a real shiner overnight. During her fight with Diamond Tiara at school yesterday the pink filly must have gotten in one heck of a lucky shot to cause that kind of mark. There were new signs that the two fillies had fought during the night. Apple Blooms bow was torn in two, hanging on her head by a few threads of material. Her mane, coat and tail were scuffed and messed. Diamond Tiara had a smudge of dried blood around her nose, her own mane, tail and coat were just as messed as Apple Bloom’s, she also sported a large purple stain covering the entire left flank, probably where the blue toilet chemical had splashed onto her coat during their fight.
Applejack rapped her hoof against the stall door. The two fillies started awake. “Mornin’.” Applejack spoke flatly. “I see y’all couldn’t even make it one night without fightin’.”
“She started it.” both Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom said at the same time. They looked at each other, opening their mouths to start to argue. They were silenced before they got started when Applejack slammed her hoof on the ground.
“I don’t care who started it. I’m gonna finish it, one way or ‘nother.” she opened the latch and swung the stall door open wide. “This didn’t work, so it’s time for plan B.”
Apple Bloom knew she wasn’t going to like the answer but she asked the question all the same. “What’s plan B?”
Applejack went to a dark corner of the cowshed and emerged carrying a length of rope. Taking a lesson from Pinkie Pie, she kept them hidden all over the farm; in case of rope emergencies. “All situations have the same Plan B; I get my rope and tie somethin’ up.”
...***...
“Hurry up, my arm’s gettin’ tired.” Apple Bloom growled at Diamond Tiara.
“Keep your horseshoes on.” Diamond snapped. “It’s almost gone.”
Using her free hoof Apple Bloom pushed her wet mane out of her eyes. “I ain’t never known anypony stay in the dang shower so long.”
Diamond Tiara huffed. “It’s your fault, you knocked the bucket over.”
“You insulted the food.”
“You call that food?” Diamond quipped.
Apple Bloom snorted and yanked her hoof hard. Diamond yelped as her front was pulled away from her. She almost overbalanced, only stopping the impending fall by staggering into Apple Bloom.
Applejack had been swift and sinister in her punishment. She had tied the two fillies together, Apple Bloom’s left foreleg was tied to Diamond Tiara’s right foreleg. There was little more than a foot of slack between them. Both fillies had tried everything to get the rope off but it was no use. It was tied with one of Applejack’s special knots, which only she knew how to untie. Ten minutes with a pair of scissors had been been enough to convince Apple Bloom that AJ had, at some point, asked Twilight Sparkle to enchant the rope so it couldn’t be cut or broken. Either that or those had been some incredibly dull scissors; the rope hadn’t even frayed.
For the last twenty minutes the two fillies had been forced to share a shower as Diamond Tiara had insisted on getting clean and trying to scrub away the stain on her fur. It had faded but was still present and noticeable.
“We’re done here.” Apple Bloom muttered flatly. “Can we get dry and get some grub. I don’t wanna go to school on an empty stomach.”
Diamond Tiara started, “School? You think I’m going to school like this you’re dumber than I thought.”
Apple Bloom turned off the shower and dragged Diamond Tiara behind her as she left the shower. “You’re dumber than you look if you think Applejack is gonna let us stay here.” she tossed a towel and Diamond and grabbed a second one for herself. Apple Bloom started to dry her mane, only for her hoof to be yanked away as Diamond Tiara started to dry herself. Apple Bloom pulled her arm, yanking Diamond Tiara off balance.
“Quit it.” Diamond snapped. She pulled their tied limbs.
“If I had to stand there while you tried to scrub your fur off, you can stand there while I dry first.” Apple Bloom pulled back, hard, sending aches into both their wrists.
The two fillies pulled back and forth roughly, fighting for dominance of the bound legs.
A hoof pounded at the door. “Y’all hurry up, you’re gonna be late.” Applejack’s angry voice yelled from the other side.
Their forelegs sore from where the rope had pulled at them and their bodies only half dry, the two fillies left the bathroom and went into Apple Bloom’s bedroom.
“Told ya we’d still go ta school.” Apple Bloom muttered.
“Shut up.” Diamond Tiara dragged Apple Bloom over to the vanity. She took the hairbrush in her right hoof, dragging Apple Bloom’s left up with her.
Apple Bloom pulled back roughly. “No way. I need both hooves to put my bow on.”
“Well you’re going to have to wait.” Diamond said snidely. “I have to brush and style my hair.” She pulled at the rope, Apple Bloom pulled back, putting them into a tug of war with each other.
“You got ‘nother hoof, use that to brush your hair.”
Diamond shook her head stubbornly. “I’m right hoofed, it won’t look right if I use my left.”
“Y’all better switch hooves,” Apple Bloom growled. “or the only look you’ll have is bucked in the face.”
They glared at each other furiously for several seconds, neither one even daring to blink.
Finally Diamond huffed, “Fine!” she switched hooves and allowed her right hoof to be dragged around like a puppet on a string while Apple Bloom tied her hair up with her bow.
...***...
Walking was the only thing the two ponies seemed to cooperate on, although it wasn’t by conscious choice. Forced to walk so close together they instinctively fell in step with each other and moved in a natural rhythm not much different from a six-legged race.
They walked in silence, side by side, as they walked up the dirt road to the school. Neither one of them enjoyed the attention that they were getting from ponies they passed.
“This couldn’t get more embarrassing.” Diamond Tiara growled under her breath.
“It could.” Applejack said behind them. “And it y’all don’t stop fightin’ y’all are gonna find out just how bad it can get.”
Apple Bloom hung her head as they entered the school yard. She wished she could turn invisible. Tied to Diamond Tiara, there surely couldn’t be anything worse.
The fillies and colts had started to notice their predicament, they were starting to point and laugh.
“Y’all go find your friends,” Applejack told them, “I gotta have words with ms Cheerilee.” She strode off into the schoolhouse.
At the same time Apple Bloom and Diamond tried to move in separate directions. They were pulled back and fell on top of each other.
“Get off me!” Tiara yelled. She kicked her legs, pushing against Apple Bloom.
“That was your fault.” Apple Bloom snapped. “Y’all knew I’d be goin’ to my friends.”
Diamond brushed herself off with her hoof. “And you should have known that it’s bad enough I have to be tied to you, I ain’t gonna hang around with your blank flank loser friends too!”
Apple Bloom started snickering, which only frustrated Diamond Tiara more. “What?”
Apple Bloom continued to laugh. “You said ain’t.” she giggled.
Diamond Tiara flinched. “No I didn’t.”
Apple Bloom grinned knowingly. “You did. You said ain’t.” she giggled all the harder.
“Quiet!” Tiara stamped her hoof. “That’s you fault. Being around you all day is dragging down my intelligence. Listening to your stupid talking is ruining my brain.”
“What’s going on Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo interrupted their argument.
“Great.” Diamond sighed. “It’s turning into a whole loser convention.” She glared at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were unaware of her gaze as their attentions were fixed on the length of rope between the two fillies.
Apple Bloom was relieved to see her friends. She needed something to distract her from the fact that she was tied to Diamond Tiara. “It was Applejack’s idea,” she explained. “she don’t like it when we fight, so she decided to tie us together. She thinks it’ll help, somehow.”
Sweetie Belle looked dubious. “I don’t see how. I would think it’d make things worse. I mean, you can’t get away from each other when you’re fighting.”
The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the school bell, signalling the start of the school day. Both frowning at each other, Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom moved inside. The door was a bit of a squeeze but, with only a small amount of pushing and shoving, they made their way inside.
Cheerilee smiled at the two of them. “Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom, if you wouldn’t mind taking those two desks over there.” She pointed a hoof to two desks which had been pushed right up next to each other so the two fillies could work without the foot of slack rope between them being a problem.
Cheerilee turned her attention to the board. “Now class -” she glanced over he shoulder. “No, Diamond Tiara, you sit on the left, Apple Bloom, you take the right.” She waited for a second as the two feuding fillies rearranged themselves.
There were, at least, no arguments while they were working. Both fillies used their mouths to write, so the length of rope on the hooves didn’t cause any trouble.
Cheerilee pointed to the board, “Now, does any pony know the names of the first ponies to settle in Equestria?” A pair of hooves shot into the air. “Diamond Tiara?” Cheerilee smiled at the pink filly.
Diamond Tiara shook her head. “I didn’t put my hoof up.” She threw a dirty look at Apple Bloom. When the farm filly had risen her hoof she’d dragged Diamond Tiara along.
Cheerilee smirked and tried not to laugh. “Sorry Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom, you know the answer?”
Apple Bloom nodded, “Princess Platium, Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead were the leaders, and they had their assistants, Clover the Clever, Smart Cookie and Private Pansy.” she beamed at Cheerilee, who smiled back at her.
“Correct.” the teacher nodded. “well done Apple Bloom.”
“Egg-head.” Diamond muttered.
“Well, after seein’ Applejack rehearsin’ so hard for the Hearthswarmin’ Eve play, them names are kinda stuck in my head.” Apple Bloom admitted.
Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “It was bad enough having to watch the play, you actually bothered to watch the rehearsals?”
Cheerilee tapped her hoof against her desk. “Girls, please pay attention. You will be tested on this later. Now,” she turned back to the board. “contrary to popular belief Princesses Celestia and Luna were not the first alicorns, or the first rulers of Equestria. That honour goes to-” she turned her attention back to Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom, who had ignored her request for silence and were exchanging a heated —albeit whispered— discussion.
...***...
“That was your fault.” DT snapped at Apple Bloom.
“Was not.” the filly snapped back.
“Was too.”
“Was not!”
“Was too!”
Their argument had earned them losing recess so Cheerilee could give them a lengthy and difficult pop-quiz on the ancient history of Equestria.
It was now lunch time and the two fillies were restless for fresh air.
They pulled in separate directions, which only resulted in yanking the two of them back together when the rope grew taut.
Diamond Tiara pulled on the rope again. “I’m going to Silver Spoon.” she ordered.
Apple Bloom pulled back. “No way, I’m going to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.”
Diamond stomped her hoof against the ground. “I am not hanging around with your loser friends.” she yelled. “it’s bad enough I have to hang around with your loser family.”
Apple Bloom yanked the rope so hard she almost pulled Diamond off her hooves. They were nose to nose and Apple Bloom glared right into Diamond Tiara’s eyes. “You take that back right now.” she growled.
“What’s going on here?” Cheerilee’s stern voice cut into their developing argument.
“Nothing Miss Cheerilee.” both Fillies chanted at once.
Cheerilee nodded, although she looked doubtful. “Good,” she said flatly. “why don’t you call your friends over to you, rather than try and go in two different directions?”
“Yes Miss Cheerilee.” the ponies responded in unison.
The teacher slowly went back into the schoolhouse, keeping her eyes on Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara until the very last second.
It was with a begrudging reluctance that the CMC’s and Silver Spoon approached the two fillies. Like representatives of warring nations they loathes the be in each others presence.
“You okay DT?” Silver Spoon asked her friend. She looked at the rope that bound her friend to the farm pony. There was no denying the rumours now, Diamond Tiara must be staying with the Apple’s, how else could this have happened?
“How do you think I’m feeling?” She rose her tied hoof, dragging Apple Bloom’s along with it. “I’m stuck with this loser blank-flank farm pony like some kind of prisoner. It’s torture.”
Apple Bloom looked at her with a deadpan expression. “Y’all know, I’m right here.”
Diamond Tiara frowned, “Don’t remind me.” she didn’t even glance in Apple Bloom’s direction as she spoke.
Apple Bloom tried to ignore Diamond, a very hard task considering the filly was right next to her. She turned her attention to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. “This is gettin’ real annoyin’ you guys. I don’t know what Applejack is tryin’ to do, but I’m startin’ ta think she’s gone a little bit crazy.”
“I can’t believe you’re tied to Diamond Tiara,” Scootaloo commented. “Can’t you get the rope off?”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “It’s Applejack’s toughest knot, only she knows how to open it. And I think she got Twilight to do some magic or somethin’ on the rope ‘cause we can’t cut it.”
Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow. “Really?” she looked around the yard for a second. “Hey, Snips, come over here.”
A pudgy unicorn colt with a light blue coat an orange mane and a cutie mark of a pair of scissors trotted up. Snips’ special talent was cutting things; he cut his own hair all the time, which was the reason for its uneven scruffiness and habit of sticking up in all directions. “Hey guys,” he smiled at them. He barely gave the rope a second glance, as though it wasn’t something unusual. “what’s up?”
Scootaloo pointed to the rope between the two fillies. “Cut the rope.”
“Okay.” He pointed his horn at the rope. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara shuffled away from each other as far as they could, pulling the rope tight, bringing it right up to the tip of Snails’ horn and putting themselves as far away from Snails’ magic as possible. It would be just their luck if one of them had a leg amputated.
Snips scrunched up his eyes and concentrated hard, he looked like he was about to hurt himself. The tip of his horn started to glow, a clover green. He gritted his teeth and shot out a thick green line. It hit the rope and bounced off, shooting upwards at an extreme angle. The bolt hit the corner of the school building and sliced a corner off the wooden tiles. The rope wasn’t cut, frayed or even dirty. It did glow with a faint magenta light, which proved to them all that the rope really had been enchanted.
It made sense to Apple Bloom for the rope to be enchanted, even if it wasn’t going to be used to tie ponies together. If you knew the rope wasn’t going to snap or break you didn’t have to worry about keeping an eye on it when you were lifting heavy things, like all the timber needed when you were raising a barn. AJ was all about doing things the earth pony way but that didn’t mean she was against the use of magic on a farm entirely, just against using it unnecessarily. Casting a spell on a rope wasn’t the same as, say, making a plow move itself across a field. Making farm equipment do the work for you was cheating, making sure the equipment wouldn’t break when you used it was just good sense.
Sweetie Belle shrugged. “Wow, that’s on there good.”
Apple Bloom glanced to her left and noticed Diamond Tiara had drifted off to sleep. She knew math problems were dull but that was no reason to snooze.
Then she noticed that Diamond had propped her head up on her right hoof; the hoof tied to her left one.
She smirked. The opportunity was just too good. She pulled her left leg hard. Diamond Tiara’s right hoof was yanked from under her. Her head fell and slammed into the table.
BANG
It sounded like a hammer hit the desk. The whole class, including Cheerilee all jumped in their seats.
Groaning, Diamond Tiara lifted her head, her hoof clutching her cheek. She threw a dirty look at Apple Bloom. The look was replaced with one of pain a few seconds later. She put her hoof to her mouth.
Cheerilee came over, concern on her face. “Diamond Tiara, are you okay?”
The teacher took Diamond Tiara’s hoof in her own and gently eased it away from the filly’s mouth. Diamond bared her teeth, revealing a large hole where one of her front teeth had been. It had chipped on impact with the desk and only a tiny point was left behind.
Diamond Tiara’s tongue brushed over her teeth, it paused over the gap in her smile. “Wha?” she gasped, her mouth still open.
Cheerilee tapped DT’s hoof comfortingly. “It’s okay Diamond Tiara, it probably feels worse than it looks. It’s not too bad. Still, you’d better leave early. I want you to go straight to Colgate’s dentist office in town, I’m sure she can repair the tooth right away.” then she remembered the rope. “Apple Bloom, you’d better go with her.”
Apple Bloom gave her a look to say no duh! but she said nothing while she and Diamond negotiated themselves off their chairs and around the desks.
Apple Bloom threw one last look to her two best friends as she followed Diamond Tiara out of the schoolhouse door.
“I know that was your fault.” Diamond snapped the second they were outside; out of sight and out of earshot.
Apple Bloom’s eyes widened and she scrunched up her mouth like she was trying to eat her own lips. “I don’t know what y’all are talkin’ ‘bout.” she was as good at lying as her sister.
Diamond huffed and set off towards Ponyville proper. Apple Bloom was dragged for just a second before she fell into step next to DT. “I’m going to get some ugly cap on my tooth and it’s your fault.” she moaned as they walked. “I hate the dentist, I hate needles and drills and,” she shuddered, “and I’m going to have an ugly crown, that means more visits to-”
“Okay.” Apple Bloom snapped. “I get it, you hate the dentist.” She shook her head.
“I’m telling your sister what you did.” Diamond snapped.
“Tell her what?” Apple Bloom snapped back. “You fell asleep in class?”
“I was thinking!”
“You were snoring!”
Diamond shuffled so the two fillies were nose to nose. “You pulled my leg. You made me fall and you made me break my tooth.” she jabbed her hoof into Apple Bloom’s chest with every sentence. “so you’re gonna pay for this,” she indicated the missing part of her mouth. “you or your family. I wonder how many apples it’ll take to pay for this.”
“You can’t-” Apple Bloom’s eyes widened in fright.
Diamond started grin, she was frightening Apple Bloom, “I can and I will.” she said haughtily.
Apple Bloom put a hoof on her shoulder, “No, you can’t. Remember, Applejack said we’d get in real bad and embarrassin’ trouble if we were fightin’ again. She ain’t never gonna believe this was an accident. You want somethin’ worse than this?” she held up her bound hoof to illustrate her point.
Diamond couldn’t imagine what would be worse than being tied to Apple Bloom, but if there was something then Applejack had probably thought of it. “Fine,” she sighed, “maybe I don’t have to tell her.” she shook her head. “she’ll probably find out anyway, we still have to go to the dentist.” she tugged on the rope and started walking again.
Apple Bloom followed on at Diamond Tiara’s side. She was right, Applejack would probably find out anyway. Then froze as something caught her eye.
Diamond Tiara didn’t see her stop, the rope grew taut and she tripped over her own leg. “WAAAAA!”
Apple Bloom felt the tug on her leg and glanced down at the pink pile of pony on the ground.”What’re y’all doin’ down there?” she shook her head.
Diamond grumbled under her breath as she climbed back to her hooves. “What did you stop for?” she contemplated just hitting Apple Bloom, if she could get away with it without losing another tooth or two.
“The forest.” Apple Bloom muttered. She started trying to make for the trees. Diamond Tiara pulled on the rope to get her attention.
“The Everfree Forest? Are you crazy? What the hey do you want to go in there for?” She pulled as hard as she could but Apple Bloom was too strong and DT found herself being dragged through the dirt.
“Zecora.” Apple Bloom continued dragging the unwilling filly.
“That crazy zebra?” Diamond Tiara tried to dig her hooves into the ground. Apple Bloom was almost to the tree line. “What’s she got to do with anything?”
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Ah thought everypony knew,” she stopped and looked at Diamond Tiara, “Zecora makes all kindsa potions an’ stuff. Ah remember when ah chipped my tooth once, she gave me a magic potion to make it grow back.” she began to look excited, “If we go to her house and get some it’ll make your tooth grow back. You won’t need no dentist and we won’t get in trouble.”
Diamond Tiara managed a smile, crooked by the gap in her tooth. If it meant no trouble and no dentist then she was willing to listen to the blank flank this time.
Apple Bloom led Diamond Tiara down the familiar paths of the Everfree forest. The place was dangerous and she knew it but it wasn’t too bad if you didn’t go in too deep. Apple Bloom had visited Zecora so often she knew the safest routes, what to look out and listen for as she walked through the trees.
Diamond Tiara on the other hoof, had never been any closer than the edge of the Everfree forest. Her dad had told her all about the creatures that lived inside, Timberwolves, Manticores, Ursas both Major and Minor, Parasprites, Dragons, cockatrices and lots of other monsters that would probably think the taste of little fillies was a delicacy. “You sure this is safe?” she flinched at a noise in the distance. “Zecora isn’t going to turn us into toads, or something?”
Apple Bloom giggled and shook her head. “Naw, Zecora’s real friendly s’long as ya don’t break nothin’.” she took a sharp left and went along the path a little more, keeping her ears open for any signs of dangers. Zecroa’s home was safe and the path to that home was safe enough —safer than the rest of the forest anyway— the monsters were cautious of it and Zecora’s zebra magic, but still a creature would occasionally throw caution to the wind and patrol the path in the hope of running into a pony. “C’mon, it’s just up ahead.”
They rounded a bend and the great tree home came into view, gourds and bottles hung from the low branches, mysterious masks, which always reminded Apple Bloom of dragons, provided decoration, thick vines hung low and a yellow light glowed from the windows. Despite being almost noon the depth of the Everfree forest always cast Zecora’s home in the shade. “Creepy.” Diamond Tiara tried to hang back but Apple Bloom kept her pace, dragging the prissy pony with her. “I guess it can be kinda creepy at first,” Apple Bloom smiled, “But its kinda nice when you get used to it. Jus’ like Zecora.”
She knocked on the door. From inside came the sound of movement and rhyme. “A knocking upon my door, a visitor to make my heart soar.”
The door opened, spilling the light onto the two fillies. The silhouette of the zebra was framed against the lamp-light, they saw she was smiling. “My little friend Apple Bloom, a welcome sight, come into my room.” she stepped back to allow them entry. “and who is your little friend? You have a problem I need to tend?” she looked down at the rope between them with a raised eyebrow.
Apple Bloom shook her head. “I doubt even you could undo this knot Zecora, and Applejack would just tie us up again if we got out....long story.” she waved a hoof dismissively. “This is Diamond Tiara,” she indicated the pink pony, “and we had a little accident,”
Diamond Tiara snorted, “More like an attack.”
Apple Bloom broke away from her conversation and faced Diamond Tiara, “more like somepony was dumb enough to fall asleep in class.”
Diamond glared at Apple Bloom, “which wouldn’t have been a problem if somepony’s stupid family hadn’t woken me up before I got to sleep.”
“That don’t make no sense, I know you was asleep, you had my arm pinned under your fat butt.”
Diamond Tiara pushed herself so close to Apple Bloom their eyes were almost touching. “It’s not fat! you’re the fat one here!”
“It’s muscle!” Apple Bloom snapped back. “Which you’d have is you ever did a days work.”
“QUIET!” Zecora pushed her hooves between the two fillies and pushed them as far apart as they could go. “if all you do is scream and shout, that you are friends I have some doubt.”
Diamond rolled her eyes and huffed. “That’s an understatement.”
Zecora’s expression remained neutral. “I shall not ask why you are bound, just tell why upon my door why did you pound?”
Apple Bloom managed a nervous smile, “Well Zecora, we was wonderin’ if you had any of that potion that helps fix broken teeth. For Diamond Tiara,”
The pink earth pony opened her mouth to show Zecora the missing section of her teeth. Zecora leaned in close to look, which made DT nervous. The other ponies of Ponyville might have accepted Zecora but Diamond didn’t know her well enough to have that trust yet, the zebra lived in the monster filled Everfree forest for Celestia’s sake!
If Zecora noticed Diamond’s unease it didn’t show on her face, “Your problem I see quiet clearly, and I would like to help you dearly. But I have no more of this potion, because of a pony’s strange notion. A mare named Colgate came to me, for reasons which you shall see. She felt my potion did rob, from her tooth related job. To fix ponies teeth with such ease, would cast her business to the breeze. Her reasons to me did seem fair, so to make no more I did swear.”
Diamond Tiara blinked several times before turning to Apple Bloom, “What?”
Apple Bloom looked apologetically toward Zecora while she translated for Diamond Tiara’s sake. “Colgate the dentist asked Zecora not to make any more of her potion because if ponies came to Zecora to get their teeth fixed it’d put her out of business.” she turned from Diamond and looked at Zecora again. “So you ain’t got none?”
Zecora shook her head. “Your hopes I do not wish to chop, but of this potion I have not a drop.”
Diamond Tiara facehoofed. “Great, just great,” she rounded on Apple Bloom. “you dragged me all the way out here to talk to this witch for nothing!”
Zecora stamped her hoof onto the floor. She glowered down at at Diamond Tiara, who paled and realised she’d gone too far. She shrank back, her ears flattening against her head. “Apple Bloom, are you sure you wish to help, this ungrateful little whelp?”
Apple Bloom gave Diamond Tiara a long look before she finally nodded her head. “Yeah, we gotta fix that tooth.”
Zecora’s dark expression faded. “Very well it is a cinch, I can make more potion in a pinch. I have all that I need, stand back, I make it with speed.”
The two fillies were pushed back into the furthest corner of the room as Zecora got to work, setting out her cauldron and lighting a fire and bringing water to a slow boil as she added various jars of power and bottles of oddly coloured liquid. All the while she muttered and chanted in the mysterious native language of the zebras. She’d once told the ponies, The words I chanted were from olden times. Something you call a nursery rhyme. Which she used to help her remember which ingredients went into the potion she was making. She moved quickly, just as she’d said. Her movements were fast but graceful, she almost looked more like she was gliding than trotting around the room. It was almost beautiful to watch.
In less than an hour the potion was brewed and had cooled enough to be drunk. She poured a portion into a large bowl and passed it to Diamond Tiara. She looked at the puce coloured concoction dubiously. For a few seconds she wondered if getting in trouble was better than drinking a potion brewed up by the mad mare who lived in the woods.
Then she thought about spending another night in the cow-shed. She knocked back the potion in four large gulps. It was warm and made her insides itch. The itching rose up from her stomach into her mouth. She moved her tongue over her missing tooth just in time to feel the enamel grow back into place. “wow, okay, that was pretty cool.” she looked gratefully at Zecora, the trust was beginning to develop. “thank you.”
Zecora bowed her head. “You are most welcome little one. In future, my company, I hope you do not shun.
“Thanks Zecora,” Apple Bloom smiled, “you really saved our hay-bacon.”
“It is no problem Apple Bloom, it is always fun to prevent your doom.” she laughed lightly.
The two fillies left Zecora’s home in considerably higher spirits than when they’d arrived, confident in the knowledge that they wouldn’t be getting into trouble.
Apple Bloom wore a cocky smile as she trotted, which was the only thing spoiling Diamond Tiara’s good mood. “C’mon,”
Tiara frowned. “What?”
Apple Bloom’s grin became smugger, “y’all know what, so c’mon and say it.”
Tiara shook her head gently, “I’m not going to say it.”
“but y’all thinkin’ it. Jus’ say it already.”
Diamond growled. “I know what I’m going to say, you know what I’m going to say. We both know what I’m going to say, so there’s no need for me to say it.”
Apple Bloom chuckled lightly. Was a thank you really so hard for Diamond to say? “You’re welcome.” she laughed as Diamond cringed.
As one their noses wrinkled. “What is that smell?” Diamond put a hoof to her mouth, trying to suppress a gag.
Apple Bloom gulped and tried to breath through her mouth. “Diamond, we gotta run. We gotta run real fast.”
“Why?”
Apple Bloom slowly moved her head to look over her shoulder. “Because there’s a Timberwolf right behind us.”
Huge wooden stakes for fangs, glowing green eyes, a breath so foul it could only come from the depths of Tartarus. A timberwolf stared down at the two fillies with a hungry look on its wooden face. It opened its mouth and growled, pulling back to lunge.
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Both fillies screamed, the combined volume and shrillness was so loud the Timberwolf reared back from them, putting its paws over its ears.
Apple Bloom tugged on the rope. “RUN!”
The two ponies raced away from the recovering Timberwolf. It howled loudly, the howl was answered by the distant howling of more Timberwolves.
Apple Bloom and Diamond jumped over a fallen log. “This way!” they called together, both tried to run in opposite directions. The rope grew taut and yanked them back together they fell into each other. The two ponies glared, pushed and kicked to separate themselves. “This way.” Diamond pointed.
“No,” Apple Bloom put her hoof down, “it’s this way.” she pulled on the rope, trying to drag DT with her.
The sound of four howling timberwolves came from behind them. To this left and right green eyes flashed in the shadows.
Both fillies pointed straight ahead; the only clear path. “This way!” they yelled in unison. They charged off as the timberwolves came out of the shadows, slinking toward them slowly. The wolves barked and howled and broke into sprints to chase after them.
Diamond Tiara started screaming. She could feel the hot, foul, breath of the timberwolves on her flank.
“JUMP!” Apple Bloom yelled just in time. The two fillies leapt over a large rock, Diamond Tiara just cleared the obstacle, Apple Bloom sailed over easily. A timberwolf wasn’t as lucky, ramming into the rock, muzzle first. It shattered onto a pile of logs and twigs.
WAAAAAAA
Diamond Tiara skidded on a thick mud puddle, she was pulled off her hooves, yanking at the rope and pulling Apple Bloom down with her. The two slammed into each other, their momentum carryind them. They rolled along as a mess of mane and hooves. The yellow and pink mass rolled like a ball off the forest path and through through the foliage of the forest.
The ground suddenly dropped away from them. The two ponies screamed as they fell into empty space, down and down and down into a deep pit.
WHAM
Soft dirt cushioned the fall but it was still a hard landing for the dizzy ponies. It was harder on Apple Bloom when Diamond Tiara crash landed on top of her.
Dizzy, dazed and confused Apple Bloom groaned, she felt the weight pressing on her body, she could smell the scent of wet earth around her. Wherever she was it was cold and dark.
“Owwwww.” Diamond Tiara eased her eyes open. There was darkness around her. She started, afriad that this was the inside of a Timberwolf’s stomach. Apple Bloom groaned as she stirred.
“Gerroff,” her voice was muffled by the dirt. She pushed Diamond Tiara, rolling the filly off her. Diamond landed hard on the soft dirt. Now that her eyes were beginning to adjust she could see that she wasn’t trapped in a pitch black pit like she’d originally thought. It was a huge hole in the ground, a deep pit, she could see the small disc of light high above them.
“What’s the deal with this place?” she grumbled and tried to brush dirt off her body. “who the hay digs a hole in the middle of nowhere?”
Apple Bloom looked around the little hole, cylindrical all the way down, like a tube into the earth but the floor was uneven, the earth was soft like it’d been turned over recently. She looked at it closely and saw shaped that looked like oversized pawprints. “Diamond Dogs. They musta dug a tunnel here or somethin’ maybe escaping’ or lookin’ for gems.” she look up the tunnel, there was nothing but the shape of light, no head of a timberwolf peering down at her, or the head of a pony that could help them out. “it’s a long way up.”
Diamond Tiara looked down at herself, all her efforts to brush the dirt off herself just rubbed it deeper into her fur. Nothing was going right for her, ever since her home had burned down. Nothing! “I’m such a mess.” her breath caught in her throat. “why?” her eyes stung as tears welled up. “it’s not fair,” she sobbed, “I wanna go home.” she started to sob as days of anguish bubbled to the surface and poured out. She’d lost her home, had been forced to live on a farm, been made to do chores, lost her tiara, broken her tooth and, worst of all, had been forced to spend a freezing night in a barn. She just couldn’t take it any more.
A hoof patted her back gently. Apple Bloom didn’t say anything but held her forelegs wide, offering a hug. Diamond rubbed her eyes with her untied hoof and shrugged Apple Bloom off. “I’m dirty enough without your muddy hooves.” her tone was weak, lacking all the usual venom and teasing that such a sentence would usually have. DT sniffed and wiped her eyes dry again.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and let the sentence slide. “Cheer up.” She looked at the walls of the tunnel, while being careful to not drag Diamond around by the slack of the rope. “Well, c’mon, we can’t stay down here all day.”
Diamond forgot her tears, she cocked an eyebrow. “Are you crazy? This hole’s, like, 20 feet deep? You gonna grow some wings?”
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, “look, you can either sit here whining or you can actually listen to me and do as you’re told for once. Take it or leave it.”
Diamond looked up at the distant light of the exit. Unless one of them turned into a pegasus she didn’t see how they were going to get out of this. “Fine, what do you have in mind?”
...***...
Back to back the two fillies locked their forelegs and brace against each other. They pushed their back hooves against the wall, both of them grunted with the effort of keeping their legs straight to push themselves off the ground.
“okay,” Apple Bloom grunted, “we gotta do this step by step, got it?”
Diamond Tiara felt a sweat breaking out on her forehead. “Yep,” she grunted back.
“On 2!” Apple Bloom responded. She began to count out, 1, 2, 1, 2, over and over on each call of 2 they took a step, pushing against each other to keep themselves braced against the walls. One step, them another and another. They rose two feet from the floor, then three, then-
Diamond made a misstep, her hoof slid out of place. DT felt her stomach jump into her throat, she fell down in the hole. Both girls yelped as they fell back down to the floor. The soft earth cushioned their fall but it was still rough, Apple Bloom felt the landing shake her entire body right up through her bones.
Diamond rubbed the thighs of her back legs, they were hot and throbbing. Even the brief exercise had been harder than she’d ever pushed herself in the past.
“Again.” Apple Bloom climbed to her hooves and dusted herself off.
“You’re kidding, right?” Diamond looked at her like the filly had gone nuts.
Apple Bloom gave her the same look. “You wanna spend the rest of your life down here?”
Diamond growled then sighed. “Fine.”
They braced themselves together again and started to climb up the wall once more.
Two feet...
Three feet....
At four feet Diamond yelled out, almost screamed. A sharp pain, like a knife blade, stabbed her leg. “CRAMP!” She twisted and writhed, trying to ease the agony in her leg.
Apple Bloom tried to brace her, try and hold them in place. Diamond couldn’t take it, she couldn’t unhook her arms from Diamond Tiara, couldn’t pound or massage her leg to ease the pain. It was too much. The ground beneth her hooves slid away. They fell through the empty space again, spinning then slammed into the floor. Diamond crashed hard, Apple Bloom landed on top of her.
Diamond pushed Apple Bloom off her. She thought of a long string of insults to yell at her but the pain in her leg demanded her attention. She rubbed and pounded the sore muscle, trying and failing to work out the knot in her limb.
Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her neck and took several deep breaths. Diamond Tiara realy was weak for an Earth pony. She had no strength in her legs and no stamina. She wanted to yell at the filly for her failings; that’s why she was taking the deep breaths, to calm herself. They had to work together to get out of this hole and breaking down into a fight wasn’t going to help anything. “You okay?” she sounded a lot calmer than she felt.
Diamond grunted and groaned for a few more seconds while she rubbed her leg. “It’s easing up. Yeah, I’m okay.”
Apple Bloom took several more breaths and looked up at the distant light. It seemed further away than ever. “We can do this, we gotta try again.”
Diamond sniffed, fresh tears fell down her face, staining her fur. It had nothing to do with the fading ache in her leg. “I don’t want to do this anymore. I can’t. I....can’t...” she buried her face in her hooves and started to sob.
Apple Bloom rubbed at her wrist, the rope was really starting to hurt, all this activity was rubbing her ankle raw. “Look, Diamond Tiara, if y’all tell anypony ah said this and I’ll deny it... Y’all can do this. You’re the most stubborn pony I know, even if you ain’t the strongest, smartest or nicest-”
“Some motivational speech,” Diamond muttered.
Apple Bloom nodded. “sorry, but the point is, when y’all decide to do somethin’ you go and do it. You don’t let nuthin’ stand in your way, not even the rules. Y’all ain’t gonna let no dumb stinkin’ hole get in your way.” she held out a hoof to her, “Now c’mon, let’s do it again, I ain’t gonna let you fall this time.”
Diamond Tiara looked at her and saw the sincerity in Apple Bloom’s eyes. A weak smile found its way to her face. “Okay.” she took Apple Bloom’s hoof and was pulled up from her sitting position.
Placing themselves back to back the two ponies braced themselves against the earth wall, pushing against each other for purchase. They began to climb. As before they walked up the walls of the tunnel, keeping step to the chants of “One....Two...One...Two!”
Four feet...
Six feet...
Eight feet...
Diamond Tiara was covered in sweat, her legs burned and slipped on the soft earth. “I’m....slipping...”
Apple Bloom moved her hooves to get some more purchase. “We’re....almost....there,” she grunted. “Just...hold....on...”
The edge of the hole was in sight, just a little further and they could reach it.
They managed another step between them. Apple Bloom knew she could reach the edge if she had her forelegs free, but that would mean letting go of Diamond Tiara and losing the brace that was keeping them two of them up. “Again!” she grunted.
They shuffled forward another step. Diamond Tiara screamed, her legs gave way and her stomach leapt into her mouth as she fell downwards.
Apple Bloom threw herself forward, kicking her hooves off the wall. Her jaws clamped tightly on a tree root. Splinters buried themselves into her cheeks and tongue but she held fast. The rope grew taut, diamond Tiara yelped as her entire weight was yanked through her wrist. Apple Bloom felt like her teeth were going to be pulled out. Surely she couldn’t hold their combined weights with her jaw.
“Don’t let go.” Diamond called up at her.
“Don rurry,” Apple Bloom grunted through her clenched teeth and the tree root. “ah ronn!”
She reached up with her free hoof and searched for anything to grab onto. But the tree root was the only thing in reach but she couldn’t grip it with just one hoof. If only she had claws like Spike. “Diond,” she called down to the filly, “ca ya clim uh?”
“What?” DT called back up. She sounded like she was in pain, dangling with your entire weight pressing onto your wrist was almost as painful as holding the weight of two ponies by your teeth.
Apple Bloom snorted through her nose. “Ca...yooo...clii....uh?” she spoke slowly, trying to pronounce the words around the obstruction.
Diamond struggled to work out what Apple Bloom was saying, pain wasn’t good for concentration. “Can, you, climb, up? Yeah, I think so. Hang on.”
Diamond stretched up her free hoof and hooked it around Apple Bloom’s hip. Bracing her back legs on the walls she pulled and walked upwards. The pressure around her bound wrist eased, much to her relief. She climbed onto Apple Bloom, putting her fore-hooves on a fillies shoulders and scrambling up her back.
Apple Bloom grunted and strained as Diamond Tiara’s weight pushed and shifted around her. Her teeth scraped along the root several centimetres, she felt the wood chip and splinter inside her mouth. She suddenly tasted the metallic tang of blood in her mouth.
Diamond climbed off Apple Bloom’s shoulders and onto the solid ground. Immediately she grabbed Apple Bloom by the hooves and pulled her up and clear of the sink-hole that had trapped them.
The two fillies collapsed and lay flat on their backs, panting rapidly to catch their breaths. Both were covered in mud and sweat. Apple Bloom spat the splinters out of her mouth. There was little blood, the injury had been nothing more than a splinter in her tongue. Diamond massaged her wrist, it had bad rope burn and a horrid bruise was already starting to develop. All her limbs throbbed and burned and her ears were full of the pounding of her heart.
Apple Bloom glanced at Diamond Tiara, “Thank...you,” she panted.
Diamond glanced at Apple Bloom. “You...too...thanks,” she said breathlessly.
Somewhere in the distance came the sound of a branch breaking.
Apple Bloom struggled to her hooves. “Maybe...we should...finish restin’....at home...”
Applejack’s jaw dropped as two mud covered fillies trotted up the dirt road toward the farm. Then her teeth clenched and her face tightened in anger. “I don’t believe it!” she yelled. She raced over to Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara, who had the gall to look calm and casual at her. “Y’all been fightin’ again! I warned y’all what would happen if you didn’t get along-”
“Relax, Applejack,” Diamond Tiara interrupted, “we weren’t fighting. We just had a little accident.”
“Which wouldn’t have happened if y’all hadn’t tied us together.” Apple Bloom pitched in. It was true, more or less. If Applejack hadn’t bound them to each other Diamond Tiara’s tooth wouldn’t have been broken and they wouldn’t have ended up in the Everfree forest running for their lives.
Diamond nodded her head, “but hay, no worries, it was just one or two little pitfalls”
Apple Bloom smiled, even giggled lightly, “nuthin’ we couldn’t handle.”
Applejack looked at the two of them, neither one was trying to blame the other, it had to be the truth. “What happened to you?”
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara shared a look. They didn’t want to mention that they’d been in Everfree, or bring up the circumstances which had led them there. “We’ll explain later,” Diamond said dismissively, “but right now we need a shower. C’mon, Apple Bloom.”
Before Applejack could stop them the two fillies raced off toward the farm house. The adult pony could only stare after them, hardly able to to believe what she’d just seen. Yesterday they’d been at each others throats, now they were getting along. She had expected tying them together to work but not so quickly. They’d only been tied together this morning.
A figure emerged out of the orchard; Filthy Rich. He’d decided to come home early from Barnyard Bargains to see how Diamond Tiara had coped with her night in the cowshed and day being tied to Apple Bloom. “Well...” he smiled at Applejack, “I have to admit, when you told me what your plan was, I thought you’d gone a little crazy. But it worked, it really worked.”
Applejack nodded, her eyes still fixed on the house, which the two fillies had vanished into. “Yeah...it really did.”
...***...
Diamond Tiara massaged the shampoo into her mane while Apple Bloom stood under the shower stream and washed herself. The hot water was welcome on her body, her legs and back were sore and starting to ache.
The muck of the day’s adventure ran off her face, down her legs and away down the drain, carrying her worries with them.
Diamond tugged on the rope gently, “okay, you ready to switch?”
The two ponies traded places, Diamond washed her hair while Apple Bloom started to rub more soap into her fur, there was a little mud being stubborn.
“Hold on,” Diamond tapped her shoulder, “pass me the soap, you missed a spot on your back.”
Apple Bloom passed the cake of soap to Diamond and looked over her shoulder to see the spot she was referring to. “That’s one hard to reach spot,” she explained as Diamond started to scrub the area of her lower back, just above where her flank began. “Ah always struggle to wash it.”
Diamond shook her head lightly, “You should use the shower brush once in a while. That thing hanging on the wall out there,” she pointed toward the shower curtain. Apple Bloom knew beyond was a long-handled wooden brush with soft bristles. “it reaches all the spots you can’t.”
“is that whut that’s for?” Apple Bloom rinsed the soap off her body. “Ah thought it was decoration.”
Diamond Tiara just rolled her eyes and said nothing.
...***...
The two filled shared one large towel to dry themselves off.
“Do your legs hurt?” Diamond asked, “my legs feel stiff.”
Apple Bloom shook her head, but realised that with the towel over their heads they couldn’t see each other. “I’m a little tired but ain’t that bad. But then, you ain’t worked your legs all that hard until today. You’ll be real stiff tomorrow, but after that you’ll really feel better; stronger.”
They separated from the towel, Diamond Tiara took her hairbrush in her left hoof while Apple Bloom pushed her hair into place and grabbed her bow. “Hold up,” DT stopped her, “You’re just going to put the bow on? No hair brush?”
Apple Bloom cocked an eyebrow. “My Mane’s dry and looks fine, ah jus’ need the bow to keep it outta my eyes.”
Diamond shook her head. “No way,” she grumbled, “I won’t put up with this. If I have to stay tied to you, you need to at least try to look presentable. Turn around, let me show you what a brush can do.”
With a sigh of resignation Apple Bloom decided to surrender, it would be easier to just let Diamond do what she wanted this time rather than listen to, yet another, rant about being forced to live on the farm.
“The key to a good mane,” Diamond explained as she began brushing. Her progress was slow, Apple Bloom had a lot of knots in her hair, “is to brush it at least a hundred times.”
The brush snagged on one large and tight knot. “OW!”
Diamond smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. In your case, lets just try to brush it once,” as carefully as she could she worked the brush free of the tangled mane. “Don’t you have any kind of mane-care routine?”
Apple Bloom looked at Diamond via the mirror. “Ah wash it.”
Diamond looked at her in despair. “Oh dear, you have a lot to learn.”
...***...
“Girls, dinner’s ready.” Applejack called up the stairs. She wondered if the peace between the two fillies had lasted. She hadn’t heard any fighting or arguing in the last couple of hours. Either they were getting along, or they’d knocked each other out. The former would surprise her more than the latter.
She looked back at the table, laid out with a generous meal of oat cakes, salads, hay fries and some fancy thing Filthy had brought home and had insisted on cooking; a vegetable patty made from soybeans, lentils and tofu; he called it Soylent. Filthy said it was good but Applejack didn’t hold with such fancy food.
Filthy was sitting at the table, talking with Granny Smith, "it really was surprising to see them in such a state," he said to the matriarch of the family, "I was certain they'd been fighting. When Applejack asked what happened I expected arguments and blame being thrown around and maybe even more fighting, but no, I saw Diamond smile and the two girls were getting along pleasant as you like."
Granny Smith nodded along, "well shucks, I knew those two could get along, iffn they had the right motivation."
Rich nodded, "well it looks like tying them together really was the best idea." He glanced to Applejack, "I'm sorry I doubted you," he said humbly, "I thought tying them together like that would make things worse, not better."
Applejack shook her head as she took her place at the table. "To tell y'all the truth I didn't think it'd work this well, least wise not this fast. Them two is actin almost like friends now." Then a thought occured to her, "maybe it's a trick. Maybe they're just pretendin to get along so we'll take he rope off em."
Granny Smith gave Applejack a hard look. "Shame on you, young un, thinkin yur own sister capable of bein so devious."
"I ain't sayin she's tryin to be bad Granny," Applejack rushed to explain before Granny Smith got too riled up. The mare was frightening when she was angry, "I'm jus sayin she might try anythin to get herself untied from Diamond Tiara."
Granny opened her mouth to respond but at that second came the sound of hooves coming down the stairs. The conversation quickly died and nopony else could think of anything to say.
Applejack stared at the filly who looked vaguely like her sister. Apple Blooms hair had lost its usual frizzyness, now it was smooth and straight. It had been tied back in a ponytail, her bow holding the whole thing in place.
Diamond Tiara had a bow in her own mane, taking the place of her tiara, which was still missing. It was an old silver coloured bow, smaller than Apple Blooms huge accessory. Applejack recognised it as a bow Apple Bloom had worn for a Hearths warming eve party a few years ago.
What surprised Applejack the most was that the two fillies were still smiling. Without a word of argument they took their seats at the table.
Diamond’s eyes brightened at the sight of the Soylent patties. “My favourite, thank you daddy.”
Rich smiled and nodded, “it’s no problem princess.”
Without saying a word to each other; no trading of information by expressions, body language or any other kind of signal, Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara reached across the table with their bound hooves, each took one side of the plate of Soylent patties and lifted over to themselves.
The whole family found themselves staring at the synchronisation that had somehow developed between the two fillies over the course of the day.
Applejack cleared her throat, grabbing their attention. “Well, ah jus’ wanna say we’re all glad y’all managed to learn to get along. How’d y’all manage to put aside your differences so well?”
Apple bloom and Diamond Tiara shared a look. Apple Bloom shrugged. “It ain’t no big thing.”
“yeah,” diamond agreed, “when you’re both stuck in the same problem you have to learn to work together or neither one of you is going to get out of it.”
Filthy Rich tapped his hoof on the table enthusiastically. “hear, hear.” he smiled at his daughter. "who knows, maybe this'll be the first steps in you becoming friends."
"Doubt it!" both fillies chanted at once. Apple Bloom gave Diamond a sideways glance, "She's still annoyin'," Diamond gave her the same look. "She's still a loser." "prissy." "crybaby."
"Okay." Applejack yelled over them, breaking the argument before it became too heated. "Lets just chow down in peace. If y'all can behave yourselves the rest of the night I'll consider untyin' y'all in the mornin' in time for your chores."
Diamond Tiara's mouth dropped open, "Chores? we still have to do chores?"
Applejack, nodded, "darn right. Y'all got responsibilities and you've been shirkin 'em while y'all been fightin'. We ain't pickin up your slack no more."
Apple Bloom sighed as she helped herself to another portion of Soylent. She'd need the energy for tomorrow
....***...
Dawn. The animals stirred and the farm ponies woke around the same time.
Diamond Tiara stirred, feeling warmth spread through her body, her brain began waking up.
it was an early, unholy, hour when any reasonable pony would still be asleep. Yet, she didn't feel too bad, not as refreshed as she'd like but not as drained and exhausted as she had been the first time she'd been forced to wake up on the Celestia-damn farm.
The smell of cooking rose up through the floor, a large breakfast was already started. Diamond felt her stomach growl. She knew she should get up but the bed was comfortable and the blankets warm and tight.
A flash of red in the corner of her eye. Diamond glanced down and felt her heart stop. Apple Bloom was still asleep, her forelegs were wrapped around Diamond, holding her like a teddy bear. Diamond was doing the same in return; while they'd been asleep they'd hugged each other and hadn't let go.
Diamond shuffled, trying to loose herself from the grip of Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom's eyes snapped open. She looked around for a few seconds before her brain engaged and she realised the situation they were in. They stared at each other, unblinking, for what felt like a whole yeah. "Uh...hey."
Diamond sighed deeply. "We never talk about this again."
Apple Bloom untangled herself from Diamond Tiara. "Agreed."
They said nothing else, the awkward silence pressed down on them as they prepared themselves for the day ahead. It was preferable to talking about things. More specifically it was preferable to talking about their unusual sleep arrangements.
...***...
The two of them, tied together, descended the stairs and moved to the breakfast table. As always the Apples had laid down a veritable feast. The two fillies began helping themselves to generous portions of hay bacon and hash browns.
“Morning, Diamond Tiara.” Rich smiled at his daughter as he sipped at his coffee.
Diamond actually managed to smile back, a feet she would have thought of as impossible just 24 hours ago. “Good morning, daddy.” she was silenced as she stuffed her mouth with portions of hay bacon.
"Remember Sugar cube," Applejack took her place at the table, "today’s the day ah take off the rope," Both Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara looked pleased to hear that. "but first, y'all got chores."
Apple Bloom jumped up in protest, “AJ, y’all said you’d take the rope off before our chores.”
Applejack nodded, “Ah did say that. Ah admit it. But Filthy agrees that we ain’t really seen y’all workin together on sumthin yet. Y’all said kind works and ain’t been fightin but can y’all work and get along? If y’all do your chores without fightin, then I’ll take the rope off.”
Diamond looked at her father. “Daddy!”
Filthy bit his lip, his face was strained like he was forcing himself to shake his head, “now, Diamond Tiara, Applejack is right, I would like to see how well you can work with Apple Bloom before we end your punishment.”
With a dejected sigh the two fillies finished their meals, Apple Bloom wolfing down her portions with gusto, while Diamond continued to take small, ladylike, bites and chewed properly before swallowing. Both of them wondered if Applejack would shift the goal line again and come up with another excuse to keep them bound.
Diamond glanced at Apple Bloom's gorging and felt her appetite wane. "How long before we can go back home, daddy?"
Filthy laughed lightly, her experiences on the farm hadn't changed his daughter all that much. "Well, it depends sweetie," he sipped his coffee, "our bedrooms weren't damaged by the fire, so if you want you could back in right away," Diamonds eyes brightened, it broke Rich's heart to disappoint her, "but we wouldn't have a kitchen, nothing to eat at all really. The insurance ponies are still making their decision on when to pay, so repair work hasn't started yet. If you want to go home to a half burned, cold house that'll soon turn into a construction site we could do that honey, but if you'd rather wait until everything is repaired then we still have another few weeks here."
"Few weeks?" Diamond's ears flattened against her head. "I don't have to spend another night in the barn do I?"
Applejack chuckled, "S'long as y'all behave yourselves you can stay under this roof and never have to look at 'nother piece of rope again."
...***...
Apple Bloom trotted toward the barn, "Kay, first thing is to feed the pigs," she glanced at Diamond Tiara, "I know you can't go do somethin' else, but y'all don't have to help, you can leave this to me if you want to. I done it by myself lotsa times."
Diamond was surprised, her expression betrayed that much. she thought that being tied like this would have been the perfect time for Apple Bloom to say something like, y'all ain't gots no choice but help me now, no choice no how, y'all, or whatever it was farm pony hicks would say in such a situation. "No," she sighed, "if I'm stuck here the next few weeks I've got to do this, whether I want to or not."
Apple Bloom was obviously impressed, "Alright, just do what I tell ya and we'll be done before ya know it."
...***...
Apple Bloom pushed the mop back and forth across the kitchen floor while Diamond followed close behind, carrying the bucket of soapy water. "Ya see, y'all gotta squeeze out the mop every time you dip it in the water, put 'er down." Diamond put the bucket onto the floor and Apple Bloom dunked the mop, "and wash it often, else y'all just spreadin' dirty water."
Diamond nodded along as she surveyed the freshly mopped floor. "You missed a spot." she pointed toward a corner.
Apple Bloom frowned at her. She was suddenly tempted to see how good a mop Diamond Tiara's head would make.
...***...
"Get 'em!" Apple Bloom screamed. the two fillies raced across the field toward two fleeing rabbits. the bunnies grabbed their bounty of carrots and made a run for their holes. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were right on their heals.
The rabbits made a dive into their warren, Apple Bloom leapt, her hoof outstretched. She slid along the dirt, dragging Diamond Tiara with her. She slid into the warren up to her shoulder. she moved her hoof around the dirt but felt nothing but cold earth. "Dang it." she growled under her breath.
"Can we go now?" Diamond moaned. she brushed mud off her coat. "before you embarrass us in front of the local wildlife any more?"
Apple Bloom rubbed herself down as she climbed to her hooves. "Yeah, didn't mean to take your job away from you." She snorted through her nose.
Diamond glowered at her, she opened her mouth to throw a few insults at her but she managed to bite her tongue, you never knew if Applejack was listening. She wanted out of her rope by the end of the day, not spending another night in the cowshed. "Let's just go, we'll be late for school."
Something shiny caught her eye. Diamond's head whipped around in time to see a brown rabbit, wearing her tiara, the bunny blew a loud and long raspberry. Diamond growled under her breath. "My tiara." she made for the rabbit but Apple Bloom yanked her back.
Applejack and Filthy Rich were sitting at the kitchen table with Granny Smith, sipping coffee and sharing stories of days old and new.
“Chores are done sis.” Apple Bloom announced as she came through the door.
Applejack smiled as she looked around the kitchen, admiring the freshly mopped floor. “Ah see. And no fightin’?”
“None.” Diamond Tiara shook her head enthusiastically. “Now, can we please get this rope off?”
Granny Smith chuckled lightly. “C’mon Applejack, half-pint and her friend have been good, keep yur promise.”
“We ain’t friends.” Apple Bloom jumped in.
“Really?” Applejack laughed as she turned her attention to the rope binding the two fillies together. “Seems to me y’all are real close these days.”
Both fillies gave her deadpan expressions, which only amused Applejack further. She seemed to perform some minor miracle of magic with her hooves as she untied the knots that had held both fillies tightly for the last few days. Within seconds the rope fell away and the feelings of relief that washed over the two ponies – mostly coming from their wrists – was almost palpable. They both sat down to rub and look at their limbs. The fur was rubbed a little thin, the skin underneath was red but it didn’t hurt too bad.
“Okay,” Filthy came up to stand beside Applejack, “now just because you aren’t forced to work together anymore I don’t want to see you two falling back into old habits and fighting again. The rope can go back on as easily as it came off.”
“Yes Mr Rich.” “Yes daddy.”
Applejack nodded. “’kay, now, y’all get you lunches and head on out before you’re late.”
Both fillies gave each other a sideways glance. Twin smirks on both their faces. “NOW!”
The adults were thrown off their hooves as the two fillies tackled them. In a blur of pink and yellow the two fillies clambered over their siblings, then leapt away as quickly as they had jumped onto the two adults.
Diamond rushed to the other side of the kitchen and grabbed the two bagged lunches. Granny Smith started laughing raucously.
Applejack was the first to her hooves. “What the hay-” she was cut off as she realized what had just happened. Her foreleg was bound tightly to the same rope she’d just unhooked from Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara, the other end of the rope was tied to Filthy Rich. “very funny Apple Bloom.” she tugged at the knot with her teeth, it didn’t open, if anything it tightened.
Apple Bloom smirked. “It’s kinda funny. You ain’t the only one with knot skills.” Diamond Tiara was at her side and the two fillies rushed out of the house. They were off down the dirt road before either adult could get their coordination down and start running after them.
Granny Smith’s laughter was so loud and lively they still heard it as they were leaving the farm land and turned toward the schoolhouse.
...***...
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle raced up to Apple Bloom with beaming smiles on their faces. “You’re free.” Scootaloo said with a laugh. She gave Diamond Tiara the most furtive of glances. Diamond didn’t return the look, she didn’t stop, she just trotted past the three crusaders and toward Silver Spoon, waiting by the schoolhouse.
Silver grinned as Diamond approached without Apple Bloom on tow. “So they took the rope off.”
Diamond nodded. “Just before we left for school.”
*
Apple Bloom, on the other side of the yard, was talking avidly with her two friends, catching them up with the prank she and Diamond had pulled on Applejack and Filthy Rich. “Big Mac taught me that knot, once its tied it ain’t openin’ again. they’ll have to cut it off.”
Sweetie Belle cocked her head. “but I thought the rope couldn’t be cut?”
Apple Bloom giggled all the more. “nope, it can’t. They’ll have to go to Twilight for help on that.” her giggles turned to full laughter. “they’ll have to walk through Ponyville together and tell Twilight how they was jumped and hog-tied by two fillies.” she was laughing so hard her face was beginning to turn red, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were also laughing at the same mental image.
*
Silver Spoon couldn’t take her eyes off the space above Diamond’s head where her trademark tiara had been. She still couldn’t get used to it missing. Diamond without a Tiara was like a pony suddenly waking up without their cutie mark. “It must be hard living with the Apples, making you work on a farm, waking up at dawn and tying the two of you together. It seems kinda cruel.”
Diamond threw a quick glance over her shoulder, snatching a peek at Apple Bloom. The pony was loud, uncouth, a dumb farm pony and a blank flank to boot. But that wasn’t to say she was stupid, Apple Bloom knew what she needed to know, she was also honest and cold be relied upon in a crisis. “They’re not so bad, in their own way.”
She didn’t like Apple Bloom but, perhaps, she might be able to respect her....a little....and not in public. She had a reputation to uphold after all.
*
“So what was it really like dragging Diamond Tiara around?” Scootaloo grinned. “C’mon, now she’s not here you can be really honest.”
Apple Bloom just shrugged her shoulders. “She’s spoiled, whiny and never done a days work in her life,” she darted her eyes to glance at Diamond quickly. “but once you know how to handle her, and if y’all are patient enough to teach her a coupla things, she ain’t too bad ah guess.”
Diamond Tiara had never had to work for anything in her life. She literally didn’t know the meaning of hard work. But she could push herself when she had to and she could learn, even had a willingness to learn....kind of. She would fight kicking and screaming the whole way, but she would learn her lesson. If she could learn how to do an honest days work she might become a decent pony one day. Unlikely considering her father spoiled her all the time, but there was the possibility. Apple Bloom wouldn’t ever call Diamond Tiara a friend, she doubted she would ever like her, but now she knew, she understood her.
...***...
Back at the farm.
Big McIntosh dropped the axe and shook his head. His coat glistening with sweat. “Nnnope.” he sat down and wiped his face with a rag.
The old stump which the Apple family used to cut wood had almost been cleaved in two by his spirited efforts to chop the rope that was now binding Applejack and Filthy Rich. Despite the damage to the log, the rope wasn’t even frayed.
“Dagnabbit!” Applejack pulled and yanked at the knot with her teeth and hooves. “Them fillies is gonna pay for this.” with a grunt she finally gave up on the knot. “We’re gonna hafta go to Twilight and get her to take the unbreakable spell offa this.” her eyes widened, “dang it. Twilight’s in Canterlot learnin’ ‘bout bein’ a princess. She won’t be back in town until the end of the week.”
Filthy glanced toward the town, taking in the time on the distant clock tower. “Maybe we can send her a letter or something, but later, I’m late opening the store.” he started to walk down the path but Applejack yanked him back by the rope.
“Hold up Filthy,” she caught his attention by using his first name rather than his preferred Rich, “maybe we hafta make the best of this, maybe we’ll think of somethin’ later, but if we do gotta go ‘bout our business tied together, then its gotta be Apple family business. You gots ponies to run your business for you, it’s only me and Big Mac on the farm.” She tugged on the rope, indicating the trees, “so c’mon, we got trees to buck.”
Filthy pulled back, “Now, just wait, I might have ponies working for me but nopony knows how to run Barnyard Bargains like I do. Owner and Manager,” he said with pride, “I need to be there for the daily running of the place. “You got that walking brick wall of a brother to pick up your slack.”
Applejack glowered at him, “y’all tryin’ to say your job is more important than ours?”
Filthy returned the glare with equal intensity, “Yes, I guess I am. Barnyard Bargains is the backbone of Ponyville.”
Applejack leaned closer until the two of them were almost nose to nose. “They hay it is! Ponies go all over the place for stuff, not just your store. Ponyville ain’t gonna fall apart jus’ ‘cause Filthy Rich ain’t sittin’ in his office.”
“It AIN’T gonna fall apart just because a few apples stay on the trees a couple of days longer.” Filthy pushed himself forward so the two were now touching nose to nose.
“Ponyville ain’t gonna fall apart, but the farm will. We need to get these trees bucked to sell the apples. Y’all can take a day of bad profits, we can’t!”
Big McIntosh watched the heated exchange, his head shaking back and forth as each pony tried to convince the other that they were right. “Nope.” slowly he backed away, deeper and deeper into the orchard until he was out of sight. He knew what Applejack was like when she got into an argument, better to stay out of it until the war was over.
The final bell of the day rang. The fillies and colts of Ponyville school raced out to the freedom of the fresh air and sunshine.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders ran in their group. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were much more willing to hang around with Apple Bloom now that she wasn’t attached to Diamond Tiara. “What do ya say to a milkshake at Sugar Cube Corner?” Scootaloo suggested.
Apple Bloom licked her lips, “sounds great.”
Behind them, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon cantered along at a casual pace, trading their gossip and laughing at their own private jokes. Diamond stopped for a second as she passed the crusaders. Apple Bloom stopped and looked at her too. Scootaloo narrowed her eyes, her hackles raising, while Sweetie Belle’s ears flattened against her head. “I guess I’ll see you back at the farm.” Diamond said to Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom nodded, “Yeah, see ya later.”
Diamond trotted off, Silver Spoon right behind her.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shared looks of confusion. Diamond Tiara had passed them by without a single joke, insult or even a dirty glance. It was almost scary. “C’mon, let’s get those milkshakes, I’m thinkin’ vanilla.”
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo followed in a stunned silence. It was several seconds before Scootaloo broke the silence. “What the hay did you do to her?”
Apple Bloom looked confused. “Nuthin’.”
Scootaloo shook her head in disbelief. “No way Diamond is that nice, what happened?”
Apple Bloom laughed lightly. “Ah ain’t done nuthin, we just kinda came to an understandin’.”
Scootaloo continued to look doubtful. Finally Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, “Kay, but y’all gotta promise not to tell nopony, if Applejack or Filthy Rich found out we’d get in lotsa trouble.”
Both fillies nodded their heads. Apple Bloom didn’t consider it as binding as a Pinkie Promise, but it was good enough. “Okay, it started when Diamond broke her tooth. We di’nt go to the dentist, we went to the Everfree forest instead...”
...***...
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stared in awe across the table at Apple Bloom. Their milkshakes were temporarily forgotten. “That was...awesome!” Scootaloo’s eyes were so wide they were almost popping out of her head. “So cool, I can’t believe you had such an awesome adventure with Diamond Tiara of all ponies.”
“It sounded scary.” Sweetie commented.
Apple Bloom shrugged. “It was when we was gettin’ chased. But after we fell down that pit all that mattered was gettin’ out again.”
Scootaloo was so excited she was almost bouncing on the spot. “C’mon, a death-defying chase though the Everfree forest, escaping from Timberwolves and gettin’ your worst enemy on your side,” she glanced down towards Apple Bloom’s back leg, “I can’t believe you didn’t get a cutie mark from that.”
“Never thought about it,” Apple Bloom glanced at her flank, “but what kinda cutie could all that have earned?”
“A running away cutie mark?” Sweetie Belle suggested. “An escape cutie mark?” Scootaloo chimed in. Apple Bloom laughed, “a running away from Timberwolves cutie mark?”
Scootaloo’s wings fluttered in her excitement, “having a Timberwolf on your flank would look so cool.”
Sweetie Belle sniffed deeply, “hey, anypony else smell burnt hair?”
“Apple Bloom!”
The three crusaders froze, turning slowly to the source of the yell. Applejack and Filthy Rich were fighting for position in the doorway, both wanting to be the first into Sugar Cube Corner. They pushed and shoved and growled insults to each other until, finally, Applejack shoved Filthy aside with one mighty push and jumped through the door before he could recover.
With Filthy in tow Applejack strode across the Sugarcube floor, her face tightened in anger. “Y’all in big trouble little lady.”
Apple Bloom shrank back slightly, a nervous smile on her face. “Hi Applejack,” she laughed nervously, “hi Mr Rich.”
“Apple Bloom,” he said coldly, barely giving her the smallest of nods, “where’s Diamond Tiara?” he looked around as though expecting to see his daughter somewhere in Sugar Cube Corner.
“She ain’t here, she went visitin’ Silver Spoon after school.” Apple Bloom didn’t like the look of annoyance that played over his face. She wondered if he’d hoped Diamond would be here, then both fillies could be yelled at and punished together.
The smell of burnt hair grew stronger, all three crusaders wrinkled their noses. Applejack seemed to know what their problem was, held up her hoof and the rope bound to it, the fur was singed and darkened by soot. It didn’t look serious, but it did look painful. The rope itself, however, was completely in tact. “Turns out dragon fire ain’t even good even against magic rope. Spike was more than obligin’. After he sent a letter to Twilight he tried to burn off the rope for us.”
“Spike’s runnin’ the library on his own?” Apple Bloom pressed.
Applejack nodded, “Someone needs to look after the place while Twilight is away -” Filthy gave her a sharp prod in the ribs with his hoof. Applejack stopped mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing, “don’t try and change the subject on me missy. You get yourself home, we’re gonna have a long talk ‘bout you and your behaviour.”
Apple Bloom’s ears flattened against her head.
POP
A colourful cloud of confetti rained down on them all, followed a second later by a pink blur of a frizzy mane popping up from under the table, appearing at Apple Bloom’s side. “Hey there!” Pinkie said with her usual enthusiastic smile. “I saw frownie faces. No frownie faces allowed at Sugar Cube Corner.” With lightning quick speed she placed cardboard party hats on every ponies head. “So I thought I’d come over here and fix that.”
Filthy Rich yanked the party hat of his head, tossing it to the ground without care. Pinkie didn’t seem to notice his disrespect of her party supplies. “If you don’t mind miss Pie, we’re trying to talk with Apple Bloom.”
Pinkie pouted, but there was a cheeky smile creeping into the corners of her lips, “aww c’mon, I just wanna see you smile.”
Applejack shook her head and took the party hat off the top of her stetson. “Not right now Pinkie, Apple Bloom’s in trouble.”
Pinkie giggled, “why, because of the tying you up prank?” she giggled and looked to Apple Bloom, “really good by the way,” then she turned her attention to Applejack, “C’mon AJ, you had Apple Bloom tied up and she managed to get you back with the same prank, that was really, really funny and no-pony got hurt.”
“You got it all wrong Pinkie,” Applejack assured her, “when I tied Apple Bloom to Diamond Tiara it was to get the two of ‘em to work together. What she did with me and Filthy t’weren’t helpful atall. It stopped both of us gettin’ work done and left us fightin’.” she snapped her mouth shut but it was too late, she had revealed the one thing she hadn’t wanted Apple Bloom to find out.
The filly looked at her with a mixture of surprise and amusement. “After all the talkin’ y’all did ‘bout gettin’ along you were fightin’ with Filthy Rich?”
“You don’t understand.” Filthy said harshly, “you interfered with our jobs, neither one of us could get any work done because of what you two did.”
“Filthy,” Applejack snapped at him, “Ah don’t like your tone. Y’all agreed to let me handle Apple Bloom and you could handle Diamond Tiara.” she looked at Apple Bloom for a second, but then turned back to Filthy as she decided she had more to say. “anyway, ah only couldn’t get my work done ‘cause you were fightin’ and complainin’ all the time. I was fine buckin’ trees ‘cept you were complainin ‘bout you precious store.”
Filthy Rich glared at Applejack, unblinking, “you know my business is precious, money from my business has been helping you pay your bills, we sell your apples, you think your little market stall and cider season brings in the money that keeps your farm going? HA! If it weren’t for y family your farm would’ve gone under a long time ago.”
Applejack’s eyes burned angrily, “You-”
“Oooh,” Pinkie popped up between them, he constant smile beamed like a spotlight upon them, “sounds like two ponies have got a bad case of the grumpy wumpies,” she giggled, “if you ask me you two could do with taking your own advice and learn to get along.”
Apple Bloom nodded in agreement, “yeah, you made it sound real important Diamond Tiara and me get along and here y’all are, fightin’ worse than me and her did.”
Pinkie appeared next to Apple Bloom, nodding along with the filly. “Smart little egg on this Apple’s head,” she tapped Apple Bloom’s head gently, “you get some flour, water and put her in the oven and you get yourself one smart Apple pie.”
“Stop encouragin’ her Pinkie. Apple Bloom it’s diff’rent for adults. it’s...” she glanced at Pinkie, then at the store and realised just how much of a crowd their loud discussion was beginning to attract. “we’ll talk ‘bout this at home. C’mon now.”
She found the party hat back on her head. “C’mon AJ, stay and have a cheer up and forgive Apple Bloom party. It’ll make you feel better.”
Filthy Rich tugged on the rope, “We’re not staying Pinkie,” he tried to move for the door, “Applejack, get your sister and let’s go.”
Applejack tugged back, pulling him to a halt, “I’ll go in my own time Filthy.” she growled angrily. She looked back at her friend, her sister and the two other crusaders, “Pinkie, we ain’t stayin’. Apple Bloom, home. Now. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, sorry, but Apple Bloom is grounded until Twilight is able to come and get this rope off us.”
The three fillies and Pinkie, let out long awwww’s. Applejack was unfazed, she had been on the receiving end of Apple Bloom’s cute face far too often for it to have much power over her any more.
Filthy Rich pushed Applejack aside and glared at Apple Bloom. “She said, now!”
Apple Bloom sighed and looked at her friends, “guess we gotta wait a little longer before we go crusadin’ again.” she moved away from the table and followed Applejack and Filthy Rich. The adults barely noticed her presence anymore, they were too busy delving into a fresh argument.
“That what you call leavin’ me to handle Apple Bloom?” Applejack growled, “maybe I’ll show y’all how I can stay outta your business with Diamond Tiara.”
“You just try and interfere and-”
Apple Bloom tried to tune them out.
...***...
Something hard jabbed Apple Bloom in her side. She groaned quietly and rolled over. She was being dragged to reality but she wanted to go back to sleep. Sleep was good.
The hard thing jabbed her again. “Hey, c’mon, it’s time to get up.”
Apple Bloom forced her eyes to open. Diamond Tiara was awake, out of bed and looked like she was halfway though brushing her mane. “I’m still asleep.” Apple Bloom muttered, “ain’t no way you’re up and about before me.”
Diamond smiled cockily, “well keep dreaming blank flank, because this dream up, ready and on her way to breakfast.” she stuck out her tongue before turning her attention back to her reflection. She moved her brush slowly through her mane as she counted, “56, 57, 58,”
Apple Bloom moved the pillow over her head in a vain attempt to shut out the noise of Diamond’s counting. It was a move all in vain, the noise seemed to be bypassing the feather down of the pillow and running straight into her ears. Finally she snapped, “Can you count in your head?”
Diamond threw her a look, “can you count?” she smirked at her own joke then put the brush down on the vanity. “as much as I’d like to continue this riveting conversation, I’m off to get something to eat before I have to start the slave labour, I mean, the chores.” she stuck her tongue at Apple Bloom again and trotted out of the room.
Apple Bloom groaned quietly and forced herself to sit up. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hoof she managed to make her way over to the vanity without bumping into anything. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, wondering where the dark marks that had settled under her eyes had come from.
When the duo of Applejack and Filthy Rich had tracked down Diamond Tiara they had taken both fillies home and had yelled up a storm. They still argued and bickered and seemed to be able to unite when it came to punishment.
After a long, and loud, lecture about what the two of them had done wrong Apple Bloom and Diamond had finally been grounded. They would only be allowed to leave the farmhouse to do chores and go to school. At all other times they were to stay indoors, preferably in their shared bedroom.
There had been no response from Twilight, so for the moment it seemed that she wouldn’t be rushing back to Ponyville to free Applejack and Filthy Rich. Most likely she would be arriving back in Ponyville at the end of the week; about three more days.
Apple Bloom grabbed her bow then hesitated, her eyes caught by Diamond Tiara’s hairbrush. She glanced to the door conspiratorially. Maybe just this once, not that she’d let Diamond Tiara know. It had left her mane feeling silkier and it had certainly been more cooperative and less knotted. She put the bow down and grabbed the brush. “1,2,3,”
...***...
The tension around the breakfast table could be cut with a knife. Applejack and Filthy Rich were doing their best to pretend the other didn’t exist. They were still angry at the fillies and wouldn’t talk to them. Big Mac, who was silent at the best of times, couldn’t think of anything to say that might even come close to being able to break the tension.
As near as the fillies could understand, Applejack and Filthy had spent a very awkward night sharing a bed, lying back to back, neither one able to move without disturbing the other.
After the rough night came the awkwardness of the morning routine. Apparently using the bathroom had been a major embarrassment to the both of them. Although Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara had to both stifle giggles at the thought of that. They were still young fillies and the embarrassment translated into humour for them. The only thing stopping them laughing out loud was the prospect of further punishments from furious family.
Breakfast was a much more humble affair than was usual in the Apple household. Neither Applejack nor Filthy Rich had contributed, they were unwilling to work together even on such simple tasks. The whole task had been left to Big Mac, who had produced long racks of toast with a selection of preserves and a large bowl of scrambled eggs.
Apple Bloom tried to keep herself as small and unobtrusive as possible as she entered the room. Applejack caught her in her gaze all the same. “nice of you to finally join us missy. Ah suggest y’all eat up quick, ‘cause you gots lots of chores to do before you leave for school.”
Apple Bloom hung her head as she took her place. “Yes Applejack.”
Applejack eyed her with suspicion. Even in her angry and sleep deprived state she noticed that Apple Bloom’s mane was different that usual today, shinier and fuller with no tangles. Almost like Diamond Tiara’s. “Maybe y’all can start with scrubbin’ out the cider barrels. All of ‘em.”
Apple Bloom dropped the piece of toast that had been halfway to her mouth, “but there’s, like, a hundred barrels, it’ll take forever.”
Applejack took a sip of coffee before replying, “then ah suggest y’all work quickly. You ain’t leavin’ the farm ‘till all the chores is done. If that makes y’all late for school you’ll have no pony but yourselfs to blame.”
Big Mac cleared his throat, “AJ, don’t y’all think-” the twin glares of Applejack and Filthy silenced him before he could get started.
“Big McIntosh,” Filthy said curtly, “when you get hog-tied to an annoying, stubborn mule you can contribute an opinion, but until then, leave the punishments to us.”
AJ turned on Filthy, “y’all callin’ be a stubborn mule now?”
Rich met her gaze, “it’s better than what I was really thinking. Lucky for you some ponies are too polite to use foul language in front of fillies.”
Applejack huffed, “now y’all implyin’ ah go cursin’ in front of fillies? Anythin’ else y’all wanna say Rich? Ah really wanna make sure you earn the busted nose I’m about to give ya.”
Filthy Rich gave her a derisive snort, “you just try it and I’ll-”
“Oh, SHUT UP!”
Big Mac reared himself up on his hind hooves as he bellowed down at them. At his full height his head brushed the ceiling. When he landed it was with a hard and heavy stomp that made the table shake. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara hid underneath the table, huddled together; although they would deny that detail in the retelling.
Applejack and Filthy Rich stared in shock and more than a little fear at Mac, as though they had noticed for the first time just how large and strong he was. His bulk seemed magnified by his anger. “Y’all should be ashamed of yourselves, both of you,” he snapped the two adults, “you’re actin’ like a couple of spoiled foals. Throwin’ your little tantrums just ‘cause thing ain’t gone the way you wanted. What kinda example do y’all think your settin’ for Apple Bloom an’ Diamond Tiara? All y’all been tellin’ ‘em is that they hafta get along and work together, to learn to like each other and co-operate. Yet the second y’all are given the chance not jus’ to tell ‘em but to show ‘em how it’s done y’all end up fightin’ and bickerin’ worse than they did. If y’all ain’t ashamed of yourselves then I’m ashamed for you. ‘cos right now them two fillies is actin’ more like adults than the adults are.”
“Big Mac-”
“Don’t Big Mac me Applejack,” he snapped, “gettin’ tied up ain’t what you deserved, but it sure as hay is yella is what you need.” he took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. “if y’all don’t learn to get along maybe I’ll give you two a night in the barn and see how you like it.”
His face suddenly appeared under the table and he looked at Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara with his usual gentile expression. “C’mon you two, how ‘bout we go get breakfast at the café today. We can leave these two foals to see if they can learn to behave.”
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were more than happy for an excuse to leave. They practically left clouds of dust behind them as they raced out the door.
Big McIntosh walked out with a gentle and slow pace. He didn’t look at the two ponies, nor said another word to them as he left.
Applejack lowered her head, hiding her eyes under the brim of her hat. Filthy Rich’s ears were flattened against his head. The awkward silence built up between them for almost a full minute and when they spoke, it was at the same time.
“I’m sorry.” twin blushes rose on their faces.
Filthy managed to jump in before Applejack could talk again. “No, Applejack, I’m sorry. You were right. Barnyard Bargains doesn’t need me in the office every day. It wasn’t right of me to try and drag you away from the farm and all the important work that you need to do around here. I should have helped you, not fought against you.”
Applejack adjusted her hat with a nudge of her hoof them shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. Not about Barnyard Bargains, I was right along on that,” they both managed a light laugh, “but ah said a lotta hurtful things Rich and none of ‘em were true. And ah shouldn’ta tried to force y’all into doin’ it my way all along. Your my neighbour, but more than that, your my friend. Your practic’ly fam’ly and ah shoulda made more of an effort to see things your way, hear you out and maybe even talk it over so we could reach a compromise.”
Rich smiled weakly, “well, how about we agree to forgive and forget? Wipe the slate clean? And work together until we get this rope off?”
Applejack returned the smile, “that’d be great Rich.”
Rich nodded, his smile growing stronger, “well, we’d better eat up, since Big Mac and the girls are gone, we’ve gotta pick up their slack.”
They laughed.
...***...
Slowly and nervously three ponies walked up the dirt road toward Sweet Apple Acres. Big McIntosh with Apple Bloom on one side and Diamond Tiara on the other.
Apple Bloom put a hoof behind her ear, “ah don’t hear no yellin’.”
“Nnope.”
Diamond Tiara looked at Apple Bloom, “can you hear anything through that frizzy mess you call a mane?” the insult was weak and half-hearted at best, both Big Mac and Apple Bloom could tell that. It was just Diamond’s way of coping with her worry.
“Better a frizzy mess than a white streak like ah gone premature grey.” Apple Bloom said with the same half-hearted tone. She was just as worried as Diamond was, perhaps more. When Applejack got really riled up she could make some pretty bad decisions on impulse. What if she and Filthy had argued until they started fighting? Applejack was pretty strong and Filthy Rich didn’t look like a weakling. She had sudden images in her mind of the two of them lying in the middle of the floor, unconscious and covered in bruises.
The house continued to be silent as they approached. The silence was more frightening than anything they could have heard.
As they reached the porch Big McIntosh stopped the two fillies, “y’all just wait a second,”
The two fillies waited without protest as Big Mac climbed onto the porch then nudged the door open with his hoof. A smile broke out on his face and he nodded to Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara, “Okay, y’all can come in.”
Inside Granny Smith was sitting at the table, sipping at a cup of tea, while Filthy Rich and Applejack were standing by the kitchen sink, working together to wash and dry the breakfast dishes. They smiled at the two little ponies as they entered. “Well hay, there y’all are.” Applejack waved a hoof covered in soap suds, “we was beginnin’ to wonder if y’all had gone right to school.”
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara gave each other a look. “You’re not mad? Diamond ventured.
Filthy Rich shook his head, “still a little annoyed,” he admitted, “but no darling, not angry. And not fighting anymore.”
“That’s right,” Applejack nodded along, “Fightin’ weren’t gettin’ us nowhere. We decided it was better to get along and work together until we could get the rope off.”
Both fillies stared. “Well how ‘bout that,” Apple Bloom said in disbelief, “they didn’t even need to fall into a hole to figure it out.”
Both adults stopped their dish cleaning and looked at the two ponies intensely, “a what now?” Applejack gave her younger sister an unblinking glare.
Granny Smith broke the tension, “hey, young ‘un,” she waved to Diamond Tiara, “lookie what Applejack and Filthy found in the carrot patch.” she tossed a shining object across the room. Diamond leapt into the air, snatching it in her mouth. She spat it into her hooves as she landed, her eyes widened and she put on a smile to match.
“My Tiara!” Quick as a flash she returned the shining headpiece to its rightful place atop her mane. She breathed a sigh of relief as the familiar and much missed weight settled onto her brow, “Thank you,” she giggled to Granny Smith. “Thank you, thank you,” she repeated to her father and Applejack.”
Applejack waved a hoof dismissively, “T’weren’t nothin’ sugarcube. That silly rabbit couldn’t run properly with it on his head anyhow. Dunno how he gave y’all the slip for so long.”
Apple Bloom gave her a deadpan expression, “maybe because we couldn’t chase ‘em properly when we was tied together.”
“We managed it,” Filthy Rich joked.
The jovial atmosphere was broken by sudden loud clang, clang, clang, echoing on the air. It was the school bell ringing to signal the start of the day.
“Aw heck!” AJ snapped, “y’all gonna be late. Quick, grab your lunches and run. Cut across the north field.”
The two fillies grabbed their saddlebags and yelled hurried goodbyes as they tore out of the door and across the yard into the orchard.
Applejack and Filthy Rich watched them go, both proud of their fillies. Not only for the lessons they’d learned about co-operation they had learnt, but what they had taught their elders in turn. A lesson the adults didn’t even know they’d needed teaching.
