If I had payed attention

Chapter two

an MLP fanfiction

By CandyCorn Rainbow

A/N: A CHAPTER TWO SO SOON? I am having, like, a creativity burst! It's amazing.

Sweetie Belle lay back down and let the tears slid onto the pillow below her head. "Sometimes I wish I could do something to control my life, but maybe I can't..." She looked back at Applebloom, who was looking at her, concern flashing in her eyes. She tried to force a smile.

"You're a terribly lier, Applebloom." Sweetie Belle sat back up and began to finish her lukewarm soup. "I'm gonna finish this and go take a bath."

"That's what happens when you're the sister of honesty! Yeah, okay." Applebloom grinned.

"I assume you plan to stay the night?" Sweetie asked as she picked up her now empty dish and walked to the kitchen.

"Yeah! I brought my stuff."

"Then just head up to my room now, and I'll meet you there." She set her bowl in the sink and walked up the stairs, Applebloom on her tail.

"K!" She turned to the bathroom across the hall from her room. She could hear Rarity snoring peacefully in her room. Sweetie chuckled and locked the bathroom door behind her. She walked over the the red marble bath. She wanted a blue tile one, but Rarity refused. She turned the knobs and ran the water.

She lit a few candles and turned the radio on. As the tub filled she got her first look at herself since that morning. Her mane was a disheveled mess, and her eyes had bags underneath them. She could see the splash of blood on her nose still, and she only had to move a little see the splotches on her back. She felt a tear slip down her cheek, and only had to look in the mirror to see a pitiful face looking back at her. She swallowed and turned her attention back to the bath. Turning the water off, she climbed in and let out a breath.

Sweetie Belle dipped her head into the water and rubbed her nose to wash the blood off. She raised her head and breathed some air in. Turning to the side, she picked up some shampoo with her magic and washed her mane, trying to focus on anything but what had happened. She dipped her head back and rinsed the shampoo. The warm water soaked into her skin and soothed her a little, but not by much. She sighed. Her shoulders were tense and heavy.

She rubbed some body wash on herself, and realized she was using the one Scoot had left at her house. She swallowed and let out a silent cry, choked up with so many emotions pouring around in her head. She finished washing herself and soaked in the bath for a few more minutes before draining it and getting out. She brushed her mane in front of the mirror.

Her mane was matted to her flank, and she was dripping. She stared at the face on the other side as she dried. She looked a little better. When she was done, Sweetie Belle went back to her room, a fluffy blue towel wrapped around her neck.

Applebloom was laying on her back playing with some clay. Applebloom always had some clay with her. It helped her focus, she said. Sweetie smiled and hoppped onto her bed. "Been a while since you slept over!" She commented as she reached to her bedside table for her laptop. She opened it and was greeted with the light purple screen saver she had. With a few taps she was logged in, and she stopped.

Sweetie Belle had forgotten what her desktop background was. Her and Scootaloo on Nightmare Night. She felt her throat close up in emotion as her eyes flashed over every inch of that image. The costumes, the friends in the background, the way Scoot was flashing a gaint grin at the camera. Her eyes stung as the ever firmiliar tears fell.

"Sweetie?" Applebloom looked up from her clay and at her friends crestfallen face. "Y'Okay?"

"A- Applebloom... You never know what you have until it's gone..." Sweetie Belle let out a shuddering breath and closed the computer. She had forgotten why she even needed it. She set it aside and lay down on the comforting pillow top mattress with a large sigh. "I wonder what's going on. Oh Applebloom I'm so confused! Why the library? Why did Nightmare target Scootaloo for... whatever her evil plan was?"

Applebloom looked at her with an expression of pity and empathy. She climed onto the bed and sat next to Sweetie Belle, resting a hoof on her shoulder. "Yeah, I'm confused too. But we both know why Nightmare Moon targeted Scootaloo and the library. She needed someone to control who would do anything to get what they wanted, and Scoot wanted those wings so badly. She would kill for them. That library was a special place to many ponies, including all the princesses. You want to send out a message with a bang? Burn an important monument to the ground!" Applebloom was shaking. Sweetie Belle knew why she was so angry. Applebloom had poured her heart and soul into helping that bukding get built. She stayed up all night nailing board upon board together and painting shelve upon shelve. To have that all burnt down in one second... well it was probably infuriating.

Sweetie Belle let out a sob and sat up, sniffling. Applebloom herself had a few tears running down her golden cheeks. Hopping off the bed, the white unicorn looked at her vanity. She was obsessed with picture frames, and almost every single one she had held Scootaloo. She felt more tears drip on the the smooth pink surface as she used her magic to pick up one. It was of her, Scoot, and Applebloom at Sugarcube corner, and it was in her favorite frame, one Applebloom had made just for her, with purple wooden carves lilies and a white outline. It was so beautiful she put her most important memory in it.. She felt her knees shake and she set the picture down. She couldn't look at it. She turned back to Applebloom, who was staring at the clay as if it were her math test. Sweetie Belle suppressed a laugh.

She watched Applebloom make the clay into three seperate balls and begin carving each one. Applebloom's hooves rolled, pressed, and removed the clay until she had three seperate, small buttons. "What are they?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking closer.

"I made each of us... I don't know... Pins? Go get some safety pins." Applebloom stared at her creation as if searching for a flaw.

Sweetie Belle walked over to her dresser and pulled out her sewing kit. Her and Rarity had decided to run the dressmaking business together, and she had given Sweetie her own sewing kit. She pulled out her tiny packet of golden safety pins and handed them to Applebloom, who pressed them into the gray clay and made them little badges. "Now can I see what they are?" she peered at them.

"I made you, Scoot, and I some badges. Kinda saying this is who we are." She showed her the pins. "The music note with the sewing needle in it is you, the pair of wings is Scoot..." Applebloom swallowed. "And the apple with a hammer is me... Maybe when we find Scoot we can give her her's..." She set it on Sweetie's vanity. "Fer now, you hold on to it." She then put her own pin on her bag and handed Sweetie her's. "I want you to give it to her." With that Applebloom yawned. "Ahm tired. Night." She went over to her sleeping bag, which was already rolled out on the floor. Crawling in, she smiled sleepily up at her best friend. "What ever's goin' on, We'll get through it. Ah' promise."

"Yeah..." Sweetie Belle climbed into her own bed and closed her eyes sleepily. She felt a wave of exaustion run through her bones and she welcomed the pillow.

After a night of tossing and turning, Sweetie was too scared to fall asleep. In the cover of the darkness, she sat up and peered at Applebloom over the edge of the bed. She was shocked when the golden eyes stared back at her in the shade of the room. Applebloom wasn't asleep either. "A- Applebloom I can't fall asleep. Come up here with me?" She whispered her words, as if scared that the night demons would hear her and jump from the darkness. Applebloom flashed her a smile.

"Scared?" Applebloom stood and climbed up next to Sweetie Belle. She nodded.

"I'm utterly terrified, Applebloom. What if Nightmare decides to come and take you away from me too? What if she kills Scoot, or you? Or me? What if she kills the princesses like we think she will. What if she buries Equestria in another eternal darkness?" She shook. Squeezing her eyes shut, she willed the tears trying to burst into the world back in, to little avail. Something wrapped itself around her. Applebloom's arms. She let out a few shuddering sobs as she was rocked back and forth in a soothing pattern. Her sobs lessend.

"Look, nothing bad is going to happen, I promise. We just gotta tough it out! Tomorrow we'll go visit Twi and get some answers, m'kay?"

"O- okay..." Sweetie Belle rested her head on Applebloom's chest and let her eyes fall closed. She was still scared, but she knew Applebloom and her would inevitably be fine, so why stress herself out?

When they woke up the next morning, the room was very dim. Sweetie Belle rolled her head to the side and gasped in surprise. The drapes were open, too. She peered at the sky as her eyes adjusted to the light. Thick, fluffy gray clouds floated in the sky, covering all the firmiliar blues of the sky. Perfect weather for the mood, she guessed.

Applebloom was snoring on the end of the bed next to her, and Sweetie Belle decided to go downstairs and have some coffee before she got ready. She hopped off the bed and walked down the steps slowly. If Rarity was still asleep she didn't want to wake her. At the foot of the stairs, she started walking normally to the kitchen. It was empty, and the bowls from last night were still in the sink. She started the coffee maker and went to wash the dishes. She rinsed out the bowls and was drying them when Applebloom walked in, yawning.

"Mornin'."

"Hey Sleepy head!" Sweetie Belle grinned at her and went back to washing the dishes. When she was done she pulled two mugs from the wooden cupboards and poured some coffee. She put her usual collasol amount of sugar in hers and handed Applebloom her cup of black. "I have no idea how you drink that stuff black!" She laughed as she sat across from her at the coffee table in the living room.

"I have no idea how you drink that much sugar without exploding!" Applebloom retorted. She took a deep swig of her coffee and let out a contented sigh. "When do you wanna go see Twi?" She finished off her cup.

Sweetie Belle took a soft sip of her own drink. "Let me brush my mane and get ready and we can go. Did you bring a toothbrush?"

Applebloom nodded. She stood up and placed her cup in the sink. Sweetie Belle made a mental note to tell everyone to stop doing that. She finished her coffee and placed it in the sink as well, which made her laugh. She went upstairs and took her brush to the bathroom, where Applebloom was already brushing her teeth. Sweetie Belle brushed her mane, less carefully than yesterday, and began to brush her teeth. It was a dull process. When her and Applebloom were ready to go, she wrote a note and put it on the bathroom mirror, because she knew Rarity would perfect herself before eating.

She met Applebloom at the front door and put her scarf on. They then left the house and hopped down the icy cold steps into the brisk air of Ponyville. They walked down to the center, where Twilight's castle had been built around since the popuation had begun to grow.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle walked up the steps of crystal and knocked on the doors. Yet again Spike came to the door. He greeted them with a wave of worried questions. After he was assured, he led them to Twilight, who was sitting in her study staring at something with such furosity it was scary.

"Twilight? What is it?" Applebloom asked as the two mares walked in. They sat across from her at the desk and looked at her with worry.

"Hello girls. This." She used her magic to show the two a letter. In thick black lettering there were three words. 'You should evacuate'. "Question is, Is it legit?"

Sweetie Belle sat there thinking. Applebloom was the one to say anything. "I don't think we should take this lightly. If this is a prank, then oh well, but better safe than sorry. With yesterdays events, I would evacuate."

Twilight nodded. "But what do we evacuate? We don't want to panic anyone any more than they already are!" She tossed the letter on her desk with a frusturated grunt.

"Maybe they mean the castle." Sweetie Belle added quietly. "Think about it. The library is an important place to the princesses. The only other place in Ponyville like that is this castle..." she looked at her hooves. "Or you should evacuate the town... I don't want anypony to get hurt..." she smiled meekly at the princess, who looked lost in thought.

"You may be right..." she was getting up to call Spike when they heard it. An explosion.

"Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom called after her as she stood up and ran to the door.

"Twilight! Where do you keep the wepons! I'm not letting Nightmare get away this time!" She looked behind her at the Princess.

"No need." With a magical aura, Twilight handed her a sword that had been hanging on the wall. "Let's go fuck up some moon."

A/N: Ah, my infamous SHIT ENDING! I really wanted to get this out today! So sorry it's short and a little crap at the end, but I tried! :3 Twilight you so badass!