//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Confusing Thoughts 
// Story: You'll Never Know 
// by DougtheLoremaster 
//------------------------------//

Applebloom looked down at her apple salad. Normally she would have devoured it with gusto, but it still remained untouched. Little Applebloom’s mind was elsewhere. Her mind was back at school. Her family was laughing and joking as her big sister told about her day. Normally, her hooves would be trembling with excitement as she listened to her adventures with Twilight and Pinkie and Rainbow and the others; but at moment she was focused on other things. No, right now Applebloom’s mind was back in that classroom staring at her empty seat. 
Diamond Tiara was just a bully: a unicorn, horrible and mean to her and all the others in her class. She shouldn’t care, she shouldn’t cross her mind. For the longest time, she had tortured Applebloom about her lack of cutiemark. No, Applebloom shouldn’t care, and yet there she was crossing her mind. 
Diamond Tiara’s seat had been empty, not just today but all week. No one else had seemed to notice. Mrs. Cheerilee taught the class like normal. No one had said a word about it. Silver Spoon who was always by her side had tears in her eyes, but said nothing of her sister. A single thought had gripped Applebloom’s brain: Why wasn’t she there?
“Applebloom?”
Lost in thought, the filly sat there, completely oblivious to her sister calling her name. Why do I care so much? Her face. Something about her face. What was it? What had her so obsessed with thinking about such a mean filly?
“Sugarcube?”
Was it her mane? Those beautiful Lilac and White curls? No. No that wasn’t it. Her mane was luxuriously styled, but that wasn’t what had her captivated. Maybe it was her smile? Those wonderfully, bright White teeth when she smiled? No. Why was it so hard to picture? What was it? Ugh, so frustrating!
“APPLEBLOOM!”
“Hrnghh?” Applebloom’s head whipped around to stare at Applejack. The elder sister had gently tapped her sister in concern; having been calling her name for a while now. As her head snapped back to reality, Applebloom blurted out. “Diamond?”
Applejack stared at Applebloom in confusion, her head cocked to the side as she stared at her little sister. Her voice carried a thick, warm, comforting accent. “Diamond? Sugarcube, there somethin’ on yer mind?”
Applebloom fiddled with her salad. Her words felt strange as she said them. Why do I care? “Diamond Tiara wasn’t in class today.”
Applejack quickly glanced at Big Mac, who had a strange crooked smile on his face; almost forced. The Elder Apple Sister herself, seemed to have become fidgety at the mention of Applebloom’s schoolmate. Applejack was at a loss for words. Any time in the past Applebloom had mentioned Diamond Tiara it was in a spiteful way. And yet as she stared down at her little sister, she detected something else in her voice. An almost longing tone.
“She...Uh...She wasn’t, huh?”
Applebloom placed her head in her hooves and gave a sigh. “Yeah! She wasn’t there all week neither!"
Immediately her face went red from frustration, and she placed her head in her hooves and trembled, her tone; one of anger and annoyance. “I...Not sure why I care, to be truthful sis. She’s always so mean to me, and yet she’s haunting my mind. I can’t seem to get her out of my head!”
Applejack stared at her sister, non-plussed for a moment before she noticed it; the rosy red hue of a blush peeking out from Applebloom’s hooves. At that moment it hit her; like Rainbow Dash crashing through her barn. She’s at that age. It hadn’t been more than four days since she had gotten her cutiemark; a sign of adolescence amongst ponies. The little bloom is finally flowering. “Ya really hate her, don’t ya Sugarcube?”
“She’s so evil! Of course I do! She’s made fun of me and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle for years and then she went and...So evil!”
Applejack nodded. Keeping her voice steady, she continued asking about Diamond Tiara. Slowly lifting her chin up from her hooves to stare in her eyes as she did so. "Tell meh, Applebloom what’d she do ta make yer more ruffled than a wet hen?"
Applebloom averted her eyes and mumbled something that Applejack couldn’t understand. “She mrhgvfhkd”
“What was that Sugarcube?”
Applebloom once more murmured something almost intelligible. “I said, she Kibfhfkshdk.”
“Ah’m sorry, could ya repeat that?”
She looked into her older sister’s eyes as her face turned beet red. Her voice sounded strangled, broken. “She kissed me, Applejack.”
Applejack was taken aback; of all the things she could have perceived Diamond Tiara doing, making the first move wasn’t one of them. Her face conveyed her stunned expression as the words tore themselves from her mouth on impulse. “She WHAT?!”
Applebloom’s face took on a fearful expression. Her voice went from distraught to angry as she yelled back. “SHE KISSED ME!”
As those words echoed in the small dining room, Applebloom stood up and pushed past her sister, tears falling from her face. Applejack lost her balance, and Applebloom bolted up the nearby stairs. Moments later, the slamming of a door was heard.
Rising shakily to her hooves and still slightly dazed from the sudden impact, Applejack turned to face Big Mac. “Ugh, mah head, what's her problem?”
Big Mac’s stern gaze greeted her. Applejack fidgeted as she caught his gaze. She felt a wave of guilt as his reproachful glare bore into her soul. He didn’t say a word and yet he said everything. Applejack hung her head in shame. He’s right, it wasn’t that long ago I confessed my preference of the same side of the fence; a forbidden sentiment in the Apple Family. The first mare of the Apples to prefer, well, mares. No wonder Applebloom was startled when I yelled. “Dern it! Ah didn’t mean ta give her that impression. What should Ah do?”
Big Macintosh, current Head of the Apple Family, raised an eyebrow as he stared at her before moving his gaze to the stairs. Applejack nodded. “Alright, yer right. Ah’ll go talk ta ‘er.” 
Big Mac nodded at her decision as Applejack began to climb the worn, wooden staircase. She called back to him as she ascended the stairs. “Still th’ wisest Apple ain’t cha?”
Big Mac grinned. “Eyup.”
Taking a deep breath, Applejack knocked on the bedroom door. She needs support, don’t freak out this time. “Applebloom, we need ta talk.”
“GO AWAY!”
*CRASH* The sound of a vase hitting the door and shattering into pieces was heard. Applejack flinched, but stood her ground and tried once more. “Applebloom, Ah know yer all upset, believe meh Sugarcube, Ah understand.”
Applebloom’s angry and hurt reply was then heard. “How could you possibly understand, AJ? Why am I the only Apple to-to-”
Applejack sighed and adjusted her hat. Taking a deep breath she raised her voice. “You ain’t th’ only one Applebloom!”
There was a long moment of silence as Applejack pressed her ear to the door. A small almost shocked voice was then heard. “W-What?”
“Ah know of at least one Apple who had ta wrestle with them there same feelings.”
A loud scoffing noise was heard. “Oh yeah? Who?”
“ME.”
Applebloom went silent, and the only sound was a scuffling movement towards the door. Applejack moved back as the door opened a crack. “R-Really?”
Applejack nodded. “Yeah Sugarcube it’s true, Ah prefer mares.”
The door opened wider as Applebloom stood there in shocked silence. Seizing the opportunity, Applejack pushed the door open completely and smiled warmly at her. “Now can we have that talk?”
Applebloom was still at a loss for words and weakly gestured to her sister. Applejack calmly walked in and promptly sat upon her little sister's bed, patting the spot next to her. Applebloom stood there, silently staring at her big sister. After a moment, she awkwardly shuffled over and sat next to Applejack. Turning to face her sister, Applebloom opened her mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out.
Applejack put a hoof around her sister as she spoke in a gentle voice. “Ah bet yer pretty confused ain’t ya? Ya probably got many questions fer meh too. However, before we talk about this Ah want ya ta know. Whatever may be, yer mah sister. Yer an Apple. Ah dun care if ya like mares or stallions. Ponies, Dragons, Griffons, or what have ya. Whatever yer preference may be, yer an Apple; mah sister and Ah’ll always support ya.”
Leaning back, Applejack stared at the ceiling for a moment before adding. “That said, yer a young mare, now. The world's vast, and yer decisions are yer own to make. If ah kin help ya,  Ah will. So tell meh, what exactly happened with Diamond Tiara?”
Applebloom looked down at the floor. She answered her sister in a quiet fashion, as though she herself was unsure. “On the day I got my cutiemark Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and I were walking on the pathway home; talking excitedly about finally coming of age-”
Pausing, Applebloom took a deep breath before continuing. “I was out in front, and I noticed Silver Spoon trotting towards me. At first I thought she was there to tease us, but she ignored me and headed straight towards Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. What happened next was a blur-”
Applejack looked down at her little sister to see a rosy hue spreading across her cheeks and gave a wan smile. She doesn’t realize it yet, but the signs are there. “But I remember turning to watch her as Scoots and Belle stopped to chat with her. Then I felt something around my neck, saw a pink foreleg and heard a strange voice saying ‘let’s go somewhere private to have a talk. There was a flash of magic from her horn, and I suddenly found myself in a meadow of flowers staring at Diamond Tiara. I opened my mouth to speak but found her hoof pressed against it. ‘Don’t say a word, don’t make this harder than it already is for me.’ I remember her saying that.”
“She said that huh?”
Applebloom nodded, though her voice was no longer frustrated it had a hint of admiration. “Yeah. She did.”
“Quite dramatic, from what ya told meh in th’ past, it sounds rather fittin’.”
Laughing, Applebloom agreed. “Yeah it was certainly dramatic. Just like her.”
“Reminds mahself of Rainbow when she thinks nopony’s watchin’. What happened next, Sugarcube?”
The smile faded from Applebloom’s face. Her mind unbidden, recalled the entire scene; every moment, every inch of Diamond Tiara, as it had for the past week. She saw it replay as the world fell away.

 ***

“Don’t say a word, don’t make this harder than it already is for me.”
Diamond Tiara’s hoof slowly lowered to the ground once more as Applebloom swallowed. Why was her throat suddenly so dry? Applebloom stared at her, Diamond’s stance was different than normal. Her forehoof scuffed the ground, and she seemed hesitant. She seemed desperate to look at anything other than Applebloom. “I’m sorry, Applebloom.”
Applebloom was taken aback. Diamond Tiara apologizing? Her mind desperately tried to understand what had brought this on. There was no time however as Diamond continued. “I was jealous. I hated you. You had the perfect family and so I tore into you for it, as though your pain would set me free. Like it would heal my own wounds.”
Her blood froze as she heard the words. She didn’t understand; they weren’t spoken with her usual spite. No, the voice was gentle, soft even. What’s going on? Diamond Tiara wasn’t done, though. “But it didn’t fix anything, did it? No, it just caused me to feel empty, soulless; dead. Still I clung to denial: It was your fault; it wasn’t fair, I was a unicorn; an elite! Surely there was nothing an Earthpony could have that I did not.”
Applebloom was slightly offended and it must have shown because as she glared at Diamond, the unicorn mare quickly continued her monologue. “That’s what I was taught. My mom was obsessed with having or being the best. Unicorns are vastly superior to Pegasi and Mudwallopers, she always said. It was beaten into me, into my sister; Silver Spoon as well. We were forbidden from making friends with the wrong crowd as Mom had called non-unicorns. We listened, but even that wasn’t enough. No, unless my sister and I were the absolute best at everything, we had our failures ripped from our hides. Cane switches or iron chains, whatever was nearby, it didn’t matter-”
Diamond Tiara stopped mid-sentence, her eyes narrowing in anger towards Applebloom. “No, don’t you dare! I don’t need pity. not from you. NOT FROM YOU!”
Applebloom had been unable to keep from tearing up; a kind soul, she couldn’t help but feel for the disheartening past of Diamond Tiara. As the stream trailed down her face, she received a sharp smack from Diamond Tiara’s forehoof. “NOT FROM YOU!”
Applebloom recoiled at the strike and angrily opened her mouth to give Diamond a piece of her mind when she noticed something odd. Diamond was panicking. “Nonono! I didn’t mean- I mean I, ARGGH! Dad told me this would be so easy. Just get you alone and say it. But no, I went and hit you and yelled and-”
Applebloom’s anger vanished in a heartbeat as she stared at the normally composed unicorn freaking out. She held out a hoof and laid it on Diamond’s side, steadying the unicorn once more as she instantly stopped fretting and froze. Applebloom stared into her eyes and she asked just one thing. “Diamond, what is it you want to tell me?”
The unicorn stood there, frozen in place. She said nothing but just stared back for a moment. Finally, she attempted to speak. “I-”
Her voice had taken on a squeaky tone. What is with Diamond, why is she acting like this? Diamond Tiara’s voice broke as she stared back into Applebloom’s eyes. Instead, she halted mid-sentence and turned to look off into the distance, instead. “I- Can’t say it. Look Applebloom, I’m going to be leaving. This will be the last time I have a chance, to talk to you; to take this risk. The sun is even going down, how fitting.”
Applebloom just stared at her in confusion. “You aren’t making any sense Diamond! What are you trying to-mmmmph!”
Her words were cut off as Diamond Tiara forcefully grabbed her head and pulled her in for a tender, passionate kiss on the lips. It was like magic. The world faded away as the two stood lip-locked for just two seconds. Those two seconds felt like an eternity of bliss, and then as soon as it happened it was over. Diamond pulled away. She stood there staring at the shell-shocked Applebloom for a moment, as though searching for something; waiting.
After a few moments of intense, silent staring, Diamond Tiara’s eyes softened. A small knowing smile appeared on her face. She opened her mouth to speak and-

 ***

The image faded from Applebloom’s mind. I still can’t hear her. What was it? What did she say? Ugh! So frustrating. Her memory had flashed by in mere seconds after Applejack had posed her question. Applebloom wanted to tell her everything, but for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She just answered. “She kissed me. T-that’s all that happened.”
Her lie had been clumsy and quite transparent; not fooling Applejack for even a second. The Elder Sister however, wasn’t all too upset about it. Well into her marehood by many years, Applejack had survived many conflicts; including ones she waged against herself. Must be a special pony if she won’t explain about her. Reminds me of a younger me. Hm, maybe I can strengthen her resolve by sharing a memory of my own. “Applebloom, did Ah ever tell ya about th’ time Ah went ta Manehatten?”
A confused expression crossed Applebloom’s face as she asked, “what does that have to do with my...erm..Situation?”
Applejack gave a soft laugh. “Because Ah never went ta Manehatten, Applebloom. That was a fib that Big Mac told Granny to get her off mah tail. Nah, Sugarcube Ah was filled with confusion so Ah went ta see the absolute authority on matters of th’ heart.”
“Wait, what? Who did ya go see, AJ?”
A twinkle appeared in AJ’s eyes. “None other than th’ Goddess residing in th’ legendary Crystal Empire: Cadence Of Love; herself.”