Chapter Five – A City Upon A Hill

"Well Ah just don't get it." Applebloom said. "Why didn't he wanna join the Crusaders?"

"I don't know, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle said for the twentieth time. The purple-haired filly was wishing the topic of Obsidian Glass would be dropped soon. Applebloom seemed determined to make sure that wish died.

"Aren't you curious though?" The yellow filly asked her. "Ah mean, was it something we said? Did he not like the name?"

"There's nothing wrong with our name." Sweetie Belle said. "Just let it go already."

"Ah can't." Applebloom said. Scootaloo sighed softly in the corner. The orange pegasus had been unusually quiet as of late. She had been sitting in the corner of the clubhouse, mutely staring out the window for the past half hour. Sweetie Belle was actually starting to worry about her.

During the rest of the school day, Glass hadn't talked to any of them. He had just done his work and then left wordlessly when the bell rang. Vanishing in the same way he had the previous day. So far the group as a whole hadn't been taking it well.

"Look, he didn't want to join the Crusaders alright? You two just need to accept that and move on." Sweetie said, attempting to reel in her friends from their emotional upheaval. All of which had been caused by Glass. Sweetie Belle was really starting to dislike that colt.

"You don't seem too upset about it, Sweetie Belle." Applebloom said. "Don't you care that Glass didn't want to join?"

"Well, not really." Sweetie responded. Applebloom looked at her quizzically. "I mean, I just didn't want him to join. I have this weird feeling about him."

"Oh?" Applebloom said with a giddy grin. Scootaloo looked at her.

Sweetie Belle groaned. "Not that kind of feeling." She said. "It's just like he's hiding something. I don't trust him."

"Why?" Applebloom said, returning to the argument. "Ah get that he's a little weird, but that's no reason distrust somepony." Sweetie frowned.

"I gotta go with my instincts here. Sorry Applebloom, but I just can't shake that weird feeling about him."

"Glass." Scootaloo spoke, probably for the first time in hours.

"Yeah, Glass. I don't trust him because—–"

"No, Glass!" Scootaloo interrupted. "It's him. He's right outside!"

"Where? Let me see!" Applebloom ran over to the window by Scootaloo. The orange pegasus was pointing to somewhere outside Sweetie's vision. Applebloom looked only for a moment before she apparently saw the dark-haired colt. The two both looked elated. Sweetie Belle decided to hang back, hoping the Glass hysteria would be short lived. It wasn't.

"Let's go talk to him!" Scootaloo said, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"And say what?" Sweetie asked.

"We can ask him why he didn't wanta join the Crusaders." Applebloom suggested. "Maybe even change his mind!" Scootaloo nodded. While Sweetie Belle didn't doubt Applebloom's desire to root out any problems within their club and make it perfect, but Scootaloo did not appear to share her motive. The white unicorn filly wasn't quite sure what Scootaloo's motives were, but it made her uncomfortable.

Her two friends were already making their way to the clubhouse door. Sweetie Belle sighed, resigning herself to follow instead of being left behind. Applebloom dashed down the ramp, while Scootaloo chose the less bright move and leaped off the clubhouse's ledge in the tree. She attempted to perform a tuck and roll technique similar to Obsidian Glass's from the playground. Only difference was that she wasn't nearly as graceful. The orange pegasus pulled herself off of the ground, seemingly unhurt, and continued running with Applebloom.

Sweetie Belle shifted from a slow trot to a full on sprint to keep up with her friends. Only as she began to near them did Sweetie catch her first sight of Glass. Just as Scootaloo had said, the white Earth pony just happened to be out wandering the woods. Sweetie Belle felt like scoffing at how convenient it was. Or rather, how inconvenient it was for her.

"Hey Glass!" Scootaloo cried as they neared him. His ears rose at the mention of his name. Turning to face them, Sweetie Belle saw that his white coat was slightly purple under his eye.

"Hi Scootaloo, Applebloom." He paused slightly when seeing her. "Sweetie Belle, right?"

"Yes." She said, surprised he bothered to remember her name.

"What happened to ya?" Applebloom asked, also having noticed the purple bruise on Glass's face.

He covered it with his hoof. "Nothing. I ran into a wall." Sweetie Belle found herself struck with how odd it was that such a coordinated colt could have been so careless. "What do you girls want?" He asked, diverting the conversation away from his bruise.

"Ohh you know… just happened to be in the woods and saw you wandering around, and uh…" Scootaloo attempted to form a coherent sentence but seemed too… giddy… at the moment. Sweetie Belle had never known her pegasus friend to be giddy about anything unless she was talking about Rainbow Dash.

"We wanted to ask ya about joining the Crusaders again." Applebloom said, saving Scootaloo. Glass hesitated before answering.

"I don't think I'll be changing my mind about that." He said. Sweetie Belle breathed in relief. Applebloom didn't appear as happy as the white unicorn.

"Buy why dontcha wanna join?" The yellow filly asked.

Obsidian Glass didn't waste a beat this time. "I'm not really into discovering my Cutie Mark." All three Crusaders did a double take when he said that. They had never met a pony who wasn't eager to discover their destiny before.

"What?" Sweetie Belle cried.

"Why not?" Scootaloo shouted over her.

Glass just shrugged and looked off to the side. "I'd prefer not to talk about right now. Okay?"

"Is something wrong?" Applebloom asked him.

"No," He said. "It's… it's nothing Applebloom."

"It doesn't sound like nothing." Scootaloo said. Obsidian sighed.

"I… my dad kicked me out alright?" The Crusaders were stunned. Sweetie Belle had never heard of something like that happening before.

"What? How could he?" Scootaloo asked.

"He's an angry drunk, remember." Glass said. "And tonight, I may have pushed him too far. So he kicked me out."

"That's awful." Sweetie Belle said. She meant it too. No family member of hers had ever done that. Sure Rarity got a little cross with her sometimes, but never to that extent.

"And your mother just let him do that?" Scootaloo asked.

"She's never been the best at standing up to him." Glass said, being deliberately vague.

"So you don't have any place to stay tonight?" Applebloom said, watching Celestia's sun begin its descent below the horizon. Glass shook his head. Sweetie Belle could tell her friend was about to make a split second decision. "You can stay at mah place then." The yellow filly said confirming Sweetie's theory.

Now it was Glass's turn to do a double take. "What?" He said.

"What?" Sweetie Belle reiterated.

"What?" Scootaloo echoed.

"Sure, why not?" Applebloom asked. "You'd have to sleep in the barn though. Applejack doesn't let me have sleepovers with colts for some reason."

There was a moment of silence. Sweetie Belle could practically see gears turning in Glass's head. "Okay then." He finally said.

"Great!" Applebloom said. She turned to her friends. "Can one of you help me sneak Glass into mah barn?" Sweetie Belle felt confident that Scootaloo would volunteer.

"I'd like too." The orange filly said. "But Derpy was supposed to check on me today, and I can't keep her waiting." Applebloom looked to Sweetie Belle.

The purple-haired filly really didn't want to partake in Applebloom's crazy scheme, but she couldn't be rude to Glass when he was right in front of her. Also, she lacked a real excuse. Putting on a hollow smile she said, "I'd love to Applebloom."

Her friend gave an enthusiastic smile, but Sweetie Belle didn't feel nearly as good about it.

---

Standing right outside Sweet Apple Acres, Sweetie Belle couldn't help but wish she had declined the chance to help Applebloom. Obsidian Glass hadn't said much since accepting the yellow filly's offer. As he stood just outside of the gates of the farm though, he chose to speak.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Applebloom?" He asked. Sweetie Belle had the same question in mind.

"Of course. It's no trouble." Applebloom said.

"Out of blunt curiosity, why doesn't your sister let you have colts over for sleepovers?" Glass inquired.

"Oh, because…" the yellow filly paused. "Ah don't know." She eventually said.

"You should ask her someday." Glass said simply.

"Can we get on with this?" Sweetie Belle asked. Applebloom nodded. The yellow filly went ahead inside, prepared to distract her family while Sweetie Belle took Glass around the other way.

After waiting a few moments, Sweetie Belle wordlessly motioned for Glass to follow her. It had gotten darker as they had arrived at the farm, but they still had to avoid light coming from the windows inside the house.

Before long, the two of them had made it to the barn. Sweetie Belle pushed on the huge doors, trying to open them. Without much success, she turned to Glass. He took both hooves and shoved the door open wide enough for the two of them to walk in side by side if they had wanted to. Sweetie Belle admitted to herself that it had been an impressive show of strength. Glass didn't even seem like it had took him any effort.

"Okay." She said. "So, there's a lot of junk in here." The purple-haired filly indicated all the tools and supplies that probably served an important function on the farm. "But you should be able to find somewhere to sleep."

"Thanks." He said. She turned to leave. "Hey Sweetie Belle." Glass said. She stopped and turned around again.

"What?" She asked.

"You don't like me, do you?" He asked her.

"I don't trust you." She said calmly and began to walk out again.

"Is there a difference?" Glass asked.

Sweetie Belle paused at the doorway. "Maybe not." There was silence.

"Goodnight Sweetie Belle." Glass said finally.

"Goodnight Glass." And she walked home silently.

---

Well I had a severe case of writers block on this chapter. I can't tell you how many ideas I threw out before I settled with this ending. Luckily though the writers block is over (for now) so I'll be cranking out a new chapter of this fanfic, and my other one, before two long.

In Bronyhood,

Fire Gazer the Alchemist