A Dazzling Trio

An Innocuous Visit

Hello, everyone~ So, I hope you're all doing well~ I really wanted to go ahead and release one more chapter before my new semester at uni starts. Originally, I was going to not write any more Apple Bloom until the end of this story, but I couldn't help myself. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter~!

Chapter V: An Innocuous Visit

Taking a deep breath, I can't help but find this whole situation ironic... I worked so hard to get out of this business a couple years ago, but here I am, standing at the bottom of these stairs once again. It's her fault... The demon in my mind made this happen by striking up another deal with the crime boss I've gotten to know all too well. Filthy Rich shouldn't get in my head this much, but he does... The worst combination is his ideas mixed with her ideas. She's like the umbra of my shadow... The darkest part of me, still trying to gain power. Is she even a part of me...? I don't like to think that she is...

Shaking my head slowly, I walk a couple steps up the stairs. Knowing Rich, this deal might be pretty disastrous for me... I don't know what he will want in return, but whatever it is, I know it will require me to do a lot of work just to pay off whatever favor he's doing for me. That... isn't acceptable. I don't want to owe him something when I don't even know what deal was made. That's why I'm here to begin with. I have to find out what's going on before it gets any worse. Maybe I can even call it off before I owe him anything...

Stopping right in front of the door, I slowly shake my head, sighing quietly. No... That won't work. If I interfere with her plans, she will make sure I regret it. If I dare to cancel her deal with Rich, she may hurt Sunset or our marriage... The best thing I can do is just observe what happens and try to prevent anything bad from happening. Yeah... Sounds easier than it will be.

Opening the front door of the mansion, it's surprisingly quiet inside the estate aside from the occasional person walking past to do some chore. The front foyer presents staircases on either side of the main hallway leading up to the second floor. I can't help but feel my throat go dry, thinking about what I will say to Rich. I can't turn back now though... Quickly, I push forward, walking up the stairs without taking a second to admire the white walls or the impressive light fixtures.

It's funny... I used to revel in wealth. I would seek out power above others and find luxury to be the best thing to strive for. Now? I can't help but find this flaunting of wealth a bit pretentious. Sure, it'd be nice to be in the same shoes that Filthy Rich is in, but I would like to think I would use it for a better cause. Maybe to help my friends. The pure difference between my past viewpoint and my modern one is a bit ironic to me. It's something I think about nearly every day...

If I could help my friends with money, what would I do? Not many of my friends are in need of money. Other than Rainbow Dash. She is still trying to get through her studies while working as an assistant to her university's baseball coach. She lives with her parents and constantly complains about not having enough money to spend on some item she'd like. Other than Dash, I'd probably just invest in my friends' businesses to give them a little more to work with. Regardless, that's if I had the money. Who knows? If my ideas for the music studio pay off, maybe I'll be able to fulfill that vision.

Quickly, I walk through the second floor lobby area and make my way down the hall, trying to ignore everything except getting to Rich's office. Still, it's hard for me to keep my eyes away from the one room to my left. Outside of Diamond Tiara's room, a small board hangs right next to the nearly closed door. The board has a list of names of who is allowed inside her room and at the bottom of it is Apple Bloom's name. Through the crack in the door, not much can be seen from inside Tiara's room. It's still pretty dim inside, but I can see the flashing of blue light, presumably from a television. Sitting right next to Diamond Tiara's bed, a familiar girl with red hair laughs along with the ill teenager, both of them seemingly having a good time. I'm glad that Apple Bloom is still permitted to see Tiara after the coughing fit she had last time. I was almost sure her father would make it impossible for anyone who wasn't necessary to see her. Maybe he does see Apple Bloom as necessary. I mean, let's admit it. She is Diamond Tiara's only friend right now and taking that away is going to break anyone's spirit.