Diamond Tiara stomped her hoof impatiently. Would this pony get a move on already? Seriously, nopony cared about her little sob story. Oh, she needed the tickets to make up for all the times she had disappointed somepony special, because she'd been called away on duty and stuff. If she'd wanted tickets to the Spooktacular, she should have done what Silver Spoon and Diamond had done and ordered them ahead of time.
Everypony knew that it would sell out. It always did. And this year's promised to be extra-awesome. Not only was the band a group ponies had actually heard of, but the town's resident princess had been working closely with a travelling showmare to make the haunted house something to truly remember. It couldn't have happened on a better year either, as this was the year that they were finally old enough to be allowed entrance.
But no, the awesome Rainbow Dash couldn't be bothered to have done what any sensible pony would have. And so they had to wait to pick up their tickets, out here in the rather gusty wind. Diamond shivered, glad that she had decided to keep her skating practice suit on. Even if it didn't do much to protect her from the wind chill, not much was better than nothing. She shifted to the right, brushing up against Silver Spoon.
Come on. Get a move on already. As if the pegasus heard Diamond's thoughts, she finally gave up and flew off.
"It's no wonder Scootaloo is such a loser, if that's who she idolizes," Silver Spoon said, walking up to the window.
"I know, right? Pathetic." Diamond rolled her eyes. "So glad we're much smarter than that."
She placed her bits on the counter and gave her name. She shifted from side the side, resisting the urge to tell the clerk to hurry it up as the clerk counted the money carefully. Satisfied, he slid over the envelope containing the precious tickets. Diamond carefully put it inside the pocket of her skating suit, sealing the pocket shut. She'd had the waterproof pouch sewn into the suit so that she could use it to store candy to snack on during practice, but it would also serve as the perfect place to keep the tickets safe. Secure in the pocket, there was no way they would accidentally fall out or something.
Tonight was going to be awesome. She and Silver had tickets to the hottest event in town, their costumes were sweet, and best of all, her father had promised to take them trick-or-treating. Yes, tonight was going to be one to remember. She near-pranced with anticipation, her earlier agitation forgotten.
"DT! Spoon! Wait up!"
Diamond stopped, looking toward the pony who called to them. The pegasus in question closed the distance rapidly, her hooves barely touching the ground as she half-flew, half-sprinted toward them.
"You'll never guess what I've got to tell you!" Alula said, fluttering back and forth before the two of them. "My parents... are letting me throw a Nightmare Night party!" she squealed between gasps of breath. "I begged and begged and begged and they finally agreed. This is going to be so awesome! You're both invited of course. It wouldn't be a party without my bestest friends there!"
Best friends? She liked Alula well enough, but the filly was… best in smaller quantities. She was always so energetic, and then there was the constant touching and hugging. Although, strangely enough, not nearly as much with Silver Spoon. Still, even if Alula wasn't best friend material, she was still a friend. Best to let her down lightly.
"That sounds awesome, Alula. We'd love to..." Diamond said as Alula rose higher and drifted closer with every word. "But we can't tonight," Diamond quickly finished.
"We're, like, totally going to the Spooktacular," Silver Spoon said, almost squealing with pride and excitement.
Alula settled to the ground. "Oh. Well, maybe if you leave the other party early you can still make mine?"
Diamond almost laughed, despite Alula's puppy dog gaze. As if that would happen. This was the Spooktacular. There was no way they were leaving any sooner than her curfew, and probably much later that that. She restrained herself though. Not only was Alula a friend, but she tossed a mean dodgeball, so it wouldn't do to upset her either, just in case they wound up on opposite sides. It wouldn't hurt to say they might show up if they happened to leave early enough.
Spoon was apparently thinking along similar lines. "If that happens, we'll so be there."
Alula grinned from ear to ear. Her wings started beating and she rose into the air, hovering above them, no doubt thinking they would show for sure now.
Probably best to dampen her enthusiasm a bit, Diamond decided, memories of dodgeball games past in her head. "But no promises. We probably won't make it. It is the Spooktacular after all."
Alula's wings slowed, and she dropped closer to the ground. "Oh, sure. I understand." She didn't stay down for long though. Within seconds, she was flitting from side to side. "I've got to invite Sunny Daze. And Peachy Pie. Oooh… and Twist. Maybe she'll bring some of her candy. So yummalicious! Got to fly, bye-bye-bye."
"Pegasi," Diamond said, as Alula raced off. "No keeping them down."
"So flighty," Silver Spoon shot back.
Diamond laughed, and the game was on, the pair exchanging increasingly bad puns until it was time to split, each going to their own home.
Reaching her room, Diamond slipped out of her suit and tossed it over her shoulder. She would clean it up later. Right now, it was time to get into her costume. She'd been working on it all week, wanting it to be absolutely perfect. Piece by piece, she donned it, taking great care to not unduly crumple any piece. As she fastened the last button, she turned to admire herself in the mirror. The crisp suit, the power tie, the cufflinks, every piece was perfect. She'd even gotten candy cigars, carefully stored in a cigar case she'd "borrowed" from her father. She looked every bit the perfect image of a corporate CEO. Her dad was going to love it.
She started to bound out of her room but stopped herself. With the properly confident stride of a CEO, she exited her room. Her excitement could not be contained, however, and by the time she had reached the bottom of the stairs, running would have been a far more appropriate term for how she moved. Sliding to a stop before her father's office, she made sure her tie was straight. Slowly, she nudged open the door and peeked inside. Her father sat in front of his desk, his nose buried in paperwork.
"Daddy?"
"Hey, pumpkin," he said without even looking up. "No time to talk right now; bit busy."
Diamond's ear twitched. "You forgot, didn't you?"
"What? Oh. No, no, of course not." He was lying, Diamond could tell. "It's just this is really important and I've got to take it to our lawyers in Canterlot tonight. It can't be helped, sweetheart." He gave a quick glance in her direction. "I'm sure you and Spoon will be fine by yourselves."
Again. This was the third time in a row that he'd promised to do something with her and forgotten all about it. It hurt that work seemed to be more important to him than her. She glared at the folder in his hooves, wishing she had laser eyes capable of burning it to cinders. He didn't even notice. He just picked up a quill and jotted down a few quick notes, before setting it down.
"Oh, and princess?" If only she really were a princess. Then she could order him to take her trick-or-treating. "I'm going to drop off the donations for the mayor's charity drive on the way to the train station. Did you get all your things ready?"
"Yes, Daddy," she said with false cheer. "I put them all in the basket, just like you said to."
"That's my girl." Her heart leapt at the praise. "I really am sorry about tonight. I'll make it up to you later. I promise." He turned his attention back to the paperwork.
"Okay, Daddy," she said, doing her best to hide her feelings. Had her father been paying attention, he would have heard the truth of it, but he wasn't. Her head hung low as she slowly turned and left the room.
Entering her own room, she stripped off her costume and let it drop to the floor. There it lay, taunting her whenever she looked its way. At last, taunted one time too many, she scooped it up, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into the basket. Let it go to some poor pony who probably smelled bad. She didn't want it anymore. She would find another costume. A better one. One that everypony would love.
She lay on the bed, trying to think of something, but nothing came to mind. When shifting positions didn't work, she tried kicking the bedposts. It did nothing to raise her spirits, serving only to make her hooves sore, and so she resorted to pacing, first within her room, and then in various hallways and rooms within the house. By the time Silver Spoon arrived, her father had left and Diamond had worked her way back to her room and yet was no closer to deciding what to wear.
Like Diamond, Silver Spoon had been putting together her costume for a while. She'd been on a mystery kick of late and so had chosen to dress as her favorite detective. She was wearing a coat and hat. According to Sil, the character didn't actually dress like that in the books, but that was how everyone saw the character thanks to some old movies. In her pocket, she had a large magnifying glass. The item dangling from her mouth was a new addition.
"Nice pipe," Diamond said.
"Do you like it? I stopped by the Cube and Pinkie, you know, the crazy-excited clerk, gave it to me. It blows bubbles, see?" Silver Spoon demonstrated. "Pretty cool, huh?"
Diamond didn't think so, at least not in her current mood, but she nodded anyway.
"Where's your costume?" Silver Spoon asked.
Diamond glanced over to the empty corner where the basket had been. "I changed my mind about wearing it."
"Oh," Silver said. A few bubbles floated upward from her pipe as she sat silently. As the last one popped, she spoke again. "Your dad's not taking us trick-or-treating, is he?"
Diamond let her silence answer the question for her. She gazed out of her bedroom window for a bit, watching as a cloud passed in front of the moon. "He didn't even mention my costume."
"I'm so sorry, Dee," Silver Spoon said.
Dee. The nickname Silver Spoon only used when she was comforting Diamond. But tonight was Nightmare Night, a night of fun and candy. Diamond did not like needing comforting. She was going to have fun tonight, dad or no dad, she decided.
"It's not like we need a chaperone. We're not babies. We've got our cutie marks and everything. And besides, we've got tickets to the biggest event in town." She looked over at where she'd tossed her suit. "Oh no no no."
"What's wrong?" Spoon asked.
"The tickets! They were in my skating clothes, and now they're gone. What'll we do?"
"Elementary, my dear Diamond. We'll just have to find the tickets," Silver Spoon said, whipping out her spyglass and peering around the room. "It's a good thing you're totally in the presence of the world's greatest detective." She paused, her face lighting up as she raised a hoof. "You could, like, be my Watson!"
Diamond arched an eyebrow while slightly tilting her head. Her, play the sidekick? As if. Although it did give her an idea. Throwing open her closet, she dove in, tossing dresses onto the ground behind her. She was pretty sure she had one that would do the trick, one that looked old-fashioned enough, with lots of frilly bits. She had emptied half the closet when she found the one she was looking for. Tossing it onto the bed, she searched through shoes until she found ones that matched. A hat and sun umbrella completed the ensemble. She slipped into them and turned to face Spoon, who looked at her questioningly.
"Marey Poppins?"
Diamond gave her a glare for not seeing the obvious. "It's supposed to be that mare. You know, the one who beat Fetlock in that story you read to me when I was sick," Diamond explained.
"Oh," Silver Spoon said, stretching the word out. "Irene Adler." She clapped with glee. "I totally see it now. Good one, Diamond."
Diamond gave a curtsy in response. She wasn't really into all that detective stuff, but she had remembered about the only mare to ever best Fetlock Holmes. Which meant that, even if she only appeared in one book, she was an equal. Better than an equal. She had won, after all.
"Okay, now that you've got a new costume, on to the case!" Silver did her best to pose in a way that looked thoughtful. "Now, let's start at the beginning. When is the last time you saw the tickets?"
"Um." Diamond's face scrunched up as she tried to recall. "I came home, and I changed."
Spoon looked at the dresses laying haphazardly on the floor. "And just tossed your suit on the floor?" Diamond nodded. "Is anything else missing?
Diamond looked around the room, her eyes growing wide at the empty corner. "The basket for mayor's charity drive. I must have tossed it into the basket."
Silver put her pipe in her mouth and blew several bubbles. "Then we shall pick up the trail there. Come, Miss Adler, the game is ahoof."
They had made it most of the way to the town hall, just passing through the center of town, when they spotted a familiar filly. Despite their pressing business, the two shifted their direction slightly. Slowly, they circled the filly, who spun as well, doing her best to face the two.
"Do you see what I see, Sil?" Diamond asked.
"I think so, Diamond," Silver Spoon replied, holding out her magnifying glass. "Bad stitching. Color not quite right. Poorly cut pieces. Definitely homemade."
"And that wig. I think it is supposed to look like fire, but it really should be burned in one."
Scootaloo glared at them defiantly, her wings spread wide. "You can't ruin this night. The best flyer in all of Equestria is taking me trick-or-treating. She's so going to love this costume."
Ooh, this will be fun. Diamond Tiara turned her head, hiding a wink at Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon smiled as she winked back. Turning her attention back to Scootaloo, Diamond pricked her ears up and leaned close. "Spitfire is taking you trick-or-treating?"
"Or is it Soarin?" Sil asked, swooning. "He's so dreamy."
"What? Nooo," Scootaloo said. "It's Rainbow Dash."
"The weather pony? Her, best flyer?" Silver Spoon asked. The two fillies laughed in unison.
Diamond Tiara turned away, lifting her head up high and swishing her tail. "Come on, Sil, we've got actual important ponies to see."
Silver Spoon tossed a look over her shoulder as she walked off. "Later, loser."
Normally, the mayor would be out and about on Nightmare Night, seeing over events and doing her best to make sure the fillies were happy. If Diamond had thought about it, she would have admired it as a crafty strategy: Parents associating happy kids with herself, what a great way to get votes. But this evening, she wasn't out and about. Instead, she was in her office, leaning over a map of Ponyville, along with several other ponies, half of them speaking at once.
Diamond looked over the scene. It was obvious to her that the adults were talking about some matter that seemed to be important. It might not be though, and her own business most definitely was important, so it should take priority. Walking right up to the herd, she pulled on the mayor's tail and did her best to look cute, just in case what they were talking about actually was important. "Excuse me, Mayor Mare. My dad brought stuff in here for your—"
Mayor Mare cut off Diamond Tiara. "I'm sorry. I don't have time right now. Bit of an emergency." She started to turn away but Diamond tugged on her tail a second time. They only needed a simple bit of information. Cutting her off was just rude.
"But we have an emergency too!" she pleaded. "Our tickets were in there." She pointed to the empty basket lying haphazardly by the door.
Mayor Mare sighed and pointed to a big pile of bags. "Over there, in the corner."
"Thanks," Diamond said, though she doubted the mayor heard.
Silver Spoon walked over to the pile and took one sniff. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Eeew, mothballs. Do we have to search through that?"
Diamond looked over at the adults in the room. They were still obsessed with the map, and now they were joined by several pegasi. It didn't seem likely she could get them to help search. With a sigh, she opened the first bag and looked inside.
Silver Spoon opened a bag of her own, doing her best to keep her nose as far away from the bag as possible. Slowly, the two searched through the bags, while around them, the bigger ponies argued, often speaking all at once. Diamond caught bits and pieces. Something about a wild, class three storm coming in from the Everfree Forest. She didn't worry too much though. The mayor had risen above the din to say that the foals would stay dry while they trick-or-treated, and while the pegasi had been none too happy about the work that would entail, they seemed to think they could pull that off, provided the mayor gave approval to call up every available member of the weather team.
Plans were still being made when Diamond finished with the last bag. "It's not here. It's got to be here!"
"Hmmm…" Silver Spoon said, sitting down and putting the pipe in her mouth.
Diamond snagged the pipe. "Quit playing! We got to find those tickets."
"I'm thinking," Silver Spoon said, taking the pipe back and resuming her bubble blowing. Diamond glared at her crossly, but it did nothing. Her friend continued to sit, bubbles rising from the pipe. At last, Silver put the pipe down. "We believe your dad took the suit here. But it isn't here. Therefore, somepony must have taken it somewhere else." She looked at Diamond, using one hoof to adjust her glasses. "Quite logical, right?"
Diamond supposed it did sound possible. She placed herself squarely in front of one of the Mayor's aides, nearly causing him to lose the stack of papers he was carrying. He tried to step around her, but she moved with him, until he sighed and stood still. "Did anypony take any of the clothes?"
He stood silent, his eyes shifting as he tried to remember. "I think… maybe Noteworthy took some to the Salneightion Army Thrift Store."
Silver Spoon reared up and stared the aide in the eye through her magnifying glass. "You think… or you know?"
"I'm, yes, I'm quite sure of it. Now, if that'll be all…" He raised a foreleg and nudged Diamond aside.
"It'd better be there," Diamond muttered, as the two fillies headed outside.
The wind tugged at Diamond's hat, and she stopped to press it down firmly with a hoof. She shivered, and felt the hairs of her coat rise against her dress. Scrunching up, she resumed walking. "Stupid storm."
"I know, right?" Silver Spoon replied. She held her own hat tight against her head as she looked around. "Ooh, look who's still there, waiting for her weather pony."
Diamond snickered. "Boy, is she going to be in for a disappointment."
The two fillies froze as they each had the same thought. Bearing wicked smiles, they didn't even exchange a word as they shifted direction in tandem.
"No Rainbow Dash yet?" Silver Spoon asked, her voice loaded with obvious false sympathy.
Diamond Tiara laughed. "I bet she won't even show. She's probably forgotten all about you."
Scootaloo glared back. "She'll show! I know she will. She promised. You just wait and see."
"Oh, I'm sure she will," Diamond said. "What could possibly keep her away? And speaking of..."
"Places to go, important things to do," Silver Spoon finished. She turned to walk off, flicking her head so that her ponytail dangled on the other side from where it had been. Diamond walked beside her. Both leaned into the wind, heads down, lest the wind rip the hats from their heads.
A bell tinkled softly as the duo entered the thrift shop. Diamond looked around, noting that Silver and she were the only two ponies in the place, other than a single clerk. He was about the skinniest stallion she had ever seen. He made Featherweight seem muscled. Worse yet, he was dressed as a mime. Diamond Tiara turned her nose up at the sight. Nopony liked mimes. She turned her attention to the bowl on the counter, hoping perhaps it had something good like a candy bar left. Alas, all the good candies, if there had been any, had already been picked out. She growled in frustration and turned her attention to the clothing section.
One item drew Diamond's attention and she held it up for Silver Spoon to see. "Isn't this just the most hideous thing you've seen? Who would wear this?" She laughed.
"Um, Diamond…" Silver Spoon said. "Wasn't that one of yours?"
Diamond's laughter cut off. "Oh." Silver Spoon was right; it had been hers. She shrugged and tossed it away. "No wonder I got rid of it."
"But it means we're close," Silver Spoon said, brushing her spyglass with her hoof. "I deduce we'll find the tickets in no time."
The search continued, and while they found some items Diamond recognized, the suit was not amongst them. Diamond stomped her hoof down in frustration. Silver Spoon tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the clerk. Diamond sighed and nodded. She rather doubted he'd be of any use, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Perhaps he would know where the object of their quest was.
She walked up to him, and he began doing a walking against the wind routine. She was wrong, she decided. It hurt her brain already just to be in proximity to him. This was why nopony liked mimes.
If he goes for the old stuck inside a box bit, I'm so stuffing him into an actual box, she decided. He looked scrawny enough that she was pretty sure she could do it. Nopony would blame her for it. She swallowed her distaste, put on a winning smile, and asked, "Was a white skating suit brought in?"
His face shifted to a big, toothy smile, and he nodded vigorously. Diamond leaned closer, waiting for him to provide some additional info, but he said nothing, seemingly content to wait her out. She sighed. "Where is it?"
The clerk raised a foreleg and opened his mouth, as if he'd had an idea, then began flapping both forelegs. Diamond had no clue what that was supposed to mean, and more importantly, she wanted her tickets found and found now. She grabbed the clerk by the his costume.
"White skating suit. Where?" she growled.
The clerk tried to free himself, but she held on as if her life depended on it and gave the clerk her best war face. The clerk shrieked in terror. "Someponyboughtit," he blurted out.
"Who? Do you know her name, her home, or what she looks like?" Silver Spoon asked, leaning over the counter.
"I… I don't know." He shivered as Silver Spoon brought out her magnifying glass and peered through it, bringing her face within inches of his. "I really don't. I was in the back when it got sold to some mare. I only heard her talking, saying she bought it for her kid. That's all I know. I swear." He tried to pull back from Silver Spoon's examination, but Diamond held him in place. He looked pleadingly at Silver Spoon. "Please don't let Miss Poppins hurt me."
Diamond breathed in deeply and tightened her grip. A hoof came to rest on her own. Looking down, she saw that it was Silver's.
"Let him go, Diamond. He's telling the truth."
Diamond released his collar and the clerk sat down, taking a deep breath, mumbling something about how every pony in this town was crazy and this job wasn't worth the pay. Diamond spun around and headed for the door.
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Silver Spoon near trotting to catch up. When she had, she brought her head in close. "I can't believe you grabbed him like that."
"He was a mime." Diamond let the door close behind them and came to a stop. She looked from side to side, unsure of where to go next. The thrift store might as well have been a dead end. How were they supposed to track down a single pony about whom they knew very little in a town the size of Ponyville. She kicked a pebble, watching as it came to rest in the middle of the street. "So now what, oh world's greatest detective? Any more bright ideas?"
Silver Spoon swallowed. "We could, um, ask every mare in town?" Diamond did not dignify the suggestion with a response. "Okay, dumb idea. But…" Silver Spoon's face lit up. "What if we go trick-or-treating? Maybe we'll get lucky and find the mare. And if we don't, we'll still get lots of candy."
Diamond frowned. It seemed sort of like giving up. She looked in the direction of the clocktower. Every passing minute was one minute closer to the start of the Spooktacular, but it was also one minute closer to the offering at the statue of Nightmare Moon, the event that would signal the end of trick-or-treating time. She struggled to come up with a better idea, but could think of nothing. At last, she conceded that Silver Spoon's idea was as good as it was going to get: They would at least get candy that way, so the night wouldn't be a total disaster. "Okay," she said, kicking another pebble.
"We should, like, start at that end of town and work our way over to the other side," Silver Spoon said. "That way, we won't miss anything."
Diamond nodded in agreement, and the two set off, their hats held tight in their teeth. Once again, their path took them through the town square.
"Hey!" Scootaloo yelled at them as they passed. "I told you Dash wouldn't forget! She's out there dealing with a storm, but she'll be by as soon as it is over. She sent Derpy just to tell me!"
"She probably made the storm," Diamond said as clearly as possible while still keeping a firm grip on her hat.
Silver Spoon delivered on the setup, just like Diamond knew she would. "The lengths some ponies will go to avoid hanging with you."
"You take that back!" Scootaloo said, taking a step toward the two. "She working hard so all of us can go trick-or-treating instead of being inside due to a storm. She's thinking of others, something the two of you might consider sometime."
Diamond spat out her hat, pinning it to the ground with a hoof. "She be here if she'd done her job right." Diamond held her nose up high. "If I'd been in charge, I'd have made sure the storm was taken care of before it was a problem."
"If you were in charge, the storm would probably blow you away on your umbrella, and no chimney sweep could save you," Scootaloo shot back.
"Whatever," Diamond Tiara said. "You just keep waiting here. We're going to get candy. Lots and lots of candy."
"I told you we should have skipped Minuette's house. Every year, it's toothbrushes," Diamond said.
"I think it's nice that she cares about our teeth that much. And more importantly, we need something to give it to Nightmare Moon, and I'd rather it not be candy," she said with a mischievous grin.
The two friends were heading back to Diamond's house to seek some solace in a candy binge. With the way tonight had gone, Diamond doubted any of her haul would survive to see the light of dawn. They had asked every mare they'd encountered, but none had been the right one. And if that wasn't bad enough, it seemed everypony thought she was Marey bleeding Poppins. She'd even gone as far as to yell who she was at one pony and that maybe he should try reading a book, only for Princess Twilight, who just had to pick that moment to pass by, to point out that Marey Poppins was a book. Several books, actually. It had been that sort of night.
But on the bright side, it hadn't rained, and from the looks of it, at least one filly had had an even worse night than her. She grinned. Experience had taught her that nothing helped a bad mood like making sure somepony else was even more miserable.
"Get any candy, Scootaloo?" Diamond asked, shifting her own bag so that Scootaloo could see the bulging bag and hear the rustle of candy. There actually wasn't that much in there. The bag only looked full because she'd stuff her hat in there, but the blank flank didn't need to know that.
Scootaloo didn't respond, her eyes locked skyward. A downward gust of air scattered some leaves as Rainbow Dash landed. Scootaloo barely waited for Rainbow Dash's wings to fold up before she slammed into her idol with a hug. Dash winced in pain, and gently unentangled herself from Scootaloo, taking care to keep her weight off one of her legs.
"'Fraid I got a little banged up up there, but no way was I going to let a little storm stop me from tricking or treating with my favorite filly," Rainbow Dash said. "You should have seen it, Scoots. I was awesome. And not just awesome, but also awesome. There's a difference, you know.
"They'll be talking about it for years. The storm threw wave after wave of clouds at us. Winds so fast you would have sworn it was a herd of windigoes. Why, pegasi were dropping left and right from exhaustion, but we kept at it. Even got to use some of the advanced techniques they taught me at the Wonderbolt Academy. So cool!
"At the very end, it was just me against this whole mess of clouds, so I went to phase two of my Best Young Flyers routine, dodging between them to see what they had, then spun around and rounded them all up, packing them all in until they got so heavy they fell to the ground in a giant wave of water. The splash was so big it knocked a huge tree right up into me." She gestured toward her leg. "Hurt my leg a bit, but you should see the tree. Except you can't, because I reduced it to splinters with my patented Rainbow Strike Kick. Hi-ya!"
Diamond leaned closer, her mouth open as she listened with rapt attention. Beside her, she could see Silver Spoon doing the same. She hadn't realized a storm could be that intense, that dangerous. Clouds always seemed like such light, fluffy things.
The weather pony noticed and winked at them. "Why, yes, I am that awesome," she said before turning her attention back to Scootaloo. "Ready to get some candy, kiddo?"
Scootaloo deflated. "It's too late," Scootaloo said softly.
"She's right. The offering's been made," Silver Spoon said.
"Oh. Well, we can still… um…" Dash frowned, failing to think of anything. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I know you were really looking forward to this. I'll make it up to you. Flying practice tomorrow?" Scootaloo started to smile, but before it could form fully, Rainbow Dash spoke again. "No, wait, I've got that thing with Twilight. Some time next week though. And next year, we're definitely going trick-or-treating, alright?"
Scootaloo sat still, her head turned away from Dash. "What does it matter? Something will come up anyway. Something always does." Her gaze focused on leaf beside her foreleg, and she crushed it underhoof. "Just go."
Rainbow Dash sighed. Slowly she turned and limped off, pausing once to look back over her shoulder.
Silver Spoon stared in the direction of the departing pegasus. "Her coat was stained."
"So?" Diamond asked.
"It was almost Wonderbolt Blue, but the color wasn't quite right." Silver Spoon turned to Scootaloo. "Your mom dyed your costume, didn't she?"
Diamond shifted from side to side. She usually didn't mind seeing Scootaloo miserable, but that was because the little baby typically deserved it. Right now though, she wanted away from here, to be home, to eat what little candy they'd gotten. They could sit together, and Silver would call her Dee, and things would get better. "Who cares about her lame costume? Let's go, Sil."
Silver Spoon ignored her, instead questioning Scootaloo a second time. "She did, didn't she? Sometime today? And she used cheap dye."
Scootaloo shot to her feet, teeth bared. "Yes, she did, okay? Ha-ha, my family can't afford to buy pre-made costumes. I'd be wearing pajamas if my mom hadn't found this at the thrift shop. Is that what you wanted to hear? Does my family not being rich make you happy?"
Diamond's eyes narrowed, her self pity swept away by a sudden realization. "It was white, wasn't it?" The slight movement Scootaloo made was all Diamond needed to confirm her suspicions. She pointed accusingly with one leg, while hobbling closer on the rest. "It was your mom that bought my skating outfit! You have our tickets!"
Scootaloo took a step back. "What… what tickets?"
Diamond Tiara took a step of her own, leaving her face to face with the pegasus again. "Our Spooktacular tickets."
Silver Spoon stepped up beside her, pipe in mouth. She blew several bubbles which the wind swept into Scootaloo's face. Pocketing the pipe, she pointed a hoof accusingly toward Scootaloo. "We know you have them."
As one, the two fillies pounced Scootaloo and wrestled her to the ground. A quick scuffle, punctuated by the sound of ripping fabric, and Silver Spoon triumphantly held up the envelope. "Got it!"
"At last!" Diamond said, taking the tickets out and waving them triumphantly in the air, rearing up into the air to do the dance of joy. They had done it. They had found the tickets.
"You… you tore my costume."
Diamond Tiara looked at Scootaloo and frowned. So her costume was torn. What did it matter? Trick-or-treating time was past and it wasn't like Scootaloo had anything else to do tonight. Besides, it wasn't even that big of a tear. She was about to say as much when Scootaloo spoke again, barely audible.
"It doesn't matter. She didn't even notice my costume anyway." Her head hung low, her ears drooping.
She wore the costume just to impress Rainbow Dash? How lame would one have to be to wear a costume just to impress one pony? Diamond opened her mouth to say just that. "Take the tickets." Her hoof joined her mouth's betrayal, holding the tickets out toward Scootaloo.
"What?" the confused pegasus asked. "Why?"
The why of it hit her, and for a split second, she panicked. No way was she going to tell this dork the truth. She needed something plausible, an explanation that didn't involve her father. Or maybe, maybe her father was just what she needed.
"Daddy always says to reward hard work, and Dash, she stomped that storm for us, for all of us," Diamond lied, hoping that would explain everything to Scootaloo's satisfaction. "She deserves a reward, okay? And since there's only two tickets, well, it's obvious Sil and I can't go with her."
Diamond's eyes widened as Scootaloo's posture changed to one that screamed of imminent hug, and she recoiled. "It's got nothing to do with you being all pathetic."
Scootaloo shifted again, her face snarling as her wings flared out. Diamond gave a mental sigh of relief. That had been too close. One pegasus constantly trying to hug her was enough.
"Do you want to take the tickets to Dash or not?" Silver Spoon asked.
Scootaloo froze. Her indecision didn't last long however. Nodding, she swiped the tickets, muttered a thanks, and raced off the direction Rainbow Dash had gone.
Watching the departing filly, Silver Spoon turned to Diamond. "You do realize you just, like, gave away our tickets, right? The ones we've been trying to recover all night."
Diamond frowned. She had, hadn't she? And not only that, she'd given it to the second most annoying pony in the world. Strangely, it didn't bother her. Quite the opposite. She shrugged. "I didn't really want to go to the Spooktacular anyway."
Silver Spoon titled her head slightly, muttering something that sounded like 'you big softie'.
Diamond leaned closer. Surely she must have misunderstood. "What did you say?"
"I said I'm a bit thirsty. I could, like, really use something to drink." Silver gave her a sly smile, which turned into a big grin. "I totally understand about not wanting to go though. I heard it'll be, like, lame this year. Why, just look at who they're letting in."
Diamond threw her head up and laughed. "I know, right? No standards at all." She flicked her mane, allowing her usual self-assured manner to shine through. "We're far too good for that scene."
Silver nodded. "Besides, Alula's throwing a party. What sort of friends would we be if we didn't show?"
"Good thing for her we're the bestest kind."
The two friends laughed as they walked, the disappointments of the night, as well as their good deed, already forgotten.
