Of Past Mistakes and Present Love

by desolate_account


Of Past Mistakes and Present Love

Apple Bloom sighed. Her curiosity was torment, and she knew she’d do best to keep her muzzle shut. But as she allowed her eyes to drift to the beautiful rich-filly by her side, she couldn’t help but allow her thoughts to fester.

Her marefriend, Diamond Tiara, she loved with all her heart. The two had been an item for two, going on three years, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Diamond was more she could’ve ever asked for in a significant other and then some. She was sweet, and sassy, and determined, and intelligent. She was business oriented and proud and knew exactly what she wanted when she wanted it. She was pretty as Tartarus too. Her silky pink fur was soft as velvet and her shampoo smelled fruity; it reeked like the money she was born into. Her sapphire eyes were stunning and there was no sound in Equestria which could rival her laugh; it was damn near angelic. 

There was no doubt Apple Bloom loved the smaller mare.

So why then, did she feel so compelled to ask the question which sat at the tip of her tongue.

She glanced at Diamond, who was reading a book with a content smile on her face. Apple Bloom knew the moment she opened her flap, that smile would disappear. But she couldn’t help it. She wanted to know. 

She steeled her nerves, and took a deep breath. “Uh… Hey, Dee?”

The rich-filly hummed idly in response. She flipped to the next page and Apple Bloom watched her eyes scan the pages.

“Can I uh… Can I ask ya somethin'?”

Diamond looked away from her book for a moment to cast a glimpse at the farm pony. “Yes Bloom, what’s on your mind?” Though her attention seemed mostly preoccupied by whatever the pages of her novel contained, she made a point to turn her body towards Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom frowned. It seemed selfish to bring up the past for the sake of curiosity. It seemed selfish to dig up old, painful memories just to satisfy her desire to know. “Okay well…” She scooted closer to Diamond and laid down right by her side. At this, Diamond seemed to understand her special somepony wanted her undivided attention, and as such, put the book away. “I just wanna say first, you know I love ya to bits right?”

Diamond Tiara raised a concerned and confused brow.

“Um… Yeah?”

“I-I mean, really, I’d go to the ends of Equestria for you.” She really felt the need to reiterate this. “I’d give up apples for the rest of my life if I needed if it meant being with you, princess.”

Diamond sighed. The weight of the impending question finally looked to be settling in. “Okay Bloom, yes. I know, and I love you too. Now get to the chase. What’s wrong?” She nuzzled Apple Bloom affectionately which thankfully did ease the farm-pony’s nerves ever so slightly.

Apple Bloom nodded and opened her mouth. “R-right… So… I’ve been uh… wonderin'…” And there goes nothing, “Why’d you go and pick on us so much back when we were little fillies? Other than your rotten mom I mean… L-like, the deep down reasons.” The words felt heavy on her tongue. “I-I mean obviously you’re better now!” She rushed to clarify, “You’re kind and empowerin’ and really gosh darned pretty, I mean goddesses, I don’t even deserve you an⁠—”

Apple Bloom’s tangent was killed by the feeling of Diamond’s lips pressing softly against her own. It was a short kiss, but it did the trick in keeping Apple Bloom from running her mouth. The rich-pony looked at Apple Bloom with an utterly indescribable expression. “You talk too much, you know that?”

Apple Bloom’s cheeks flushed, and she meekly apologized.

Diamond cleared her throat and gazed deep into her partner’s eyes. “I mean… I don’t mind talking about it… I guess…” those last couple words came out wobbly and unconvincing. “But why do you ask? I mean… What brought this on all of a sudden? Almost three years into dating me Bloom, and you’re just now asking why I used to be such a bitch?”

Apple Bloom opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. Finding the words to eloquently describe her thoughts was proving to be a difficult task. “I-I mean… that’s a pretty strong word Diamond, I dunno if⁠—”

Diamond’s eyes softened and she nudged Apple Bloom gently in the side. “You don’t have to sugar coat it. I was a grade A bitch. Sometimes…” Her face was painted in bittersweet emotion. “Sometimes I still slip into… some rather unfortunate tendencies…” Her ear twitched and her tail fidgeted with nervous energy. “Years of being raised by such a bastard woman will do that to you I guess.”

Apple Bloom knew what she was referring to. Diamond had come so very far since they were young. She’s become compassionate and affectionate and more self assured than she’d ever been in her life. She wasn’t perfect, however. Which was fine in Apple Bloom’s humble opinion. Nopony was perfect. Sometimes Diamond’s fuse was a little too short, sometimes she’d accidentally say something she wished she could take back… but everyone has their vices. It was simply unfortunate that Diamond Tiara was reminded of her old self each and every time she said or did anything out of frustration which was, all things considered, not that often.

“You’re a better pony now Dee. You’re one of the best.” Apple Bloom quickly assured her. “I’m sorry for bringing it up. We can change the subject if ya want… I was just wonderin’ is all.”

Diamond smirked lightly. “No it’s fine.” She leaned in to press another quick kiss to her special somepony’s waiting lips. Apple Bloom smiled into it, as often she did when Diamond Tiara graced her lips with her own.

Once they separated, Diamond took a second to think. “I’ll give my two cents if you answer my previous question.”

Apple Bloom tilted her head.

“You haven’t told me what spurred this on. I don’t mind, but it seems weird you’d only just now be asking.”

“Ah, gotcha.” Apple Bloom thought back on a conversation she’d recently had with Scootaloo. “Well, when we first got together, you said you’d felt somethin’ special toward me for a while. I was talkin’ to Scoots recently, and she said something about fillies picking on the kids they like. And I remembered that yeah, that is a thing… I dunno, sounds dumb when I say it out loud, don’t it?”

Diamond blinked at her in confused disbelief. “Oh Bloom, you sweet, silly, bumpkin you. No sweetheart, I wasn’t tormenting you because I had a crush on you. I think I really started to love your dumb, adorable face a couple years after you got your mark.”

“Oh good,” Apple Bloom giggled, “that makes my feelings toward our fillyhood less complicated.”

Diamond rolled her eyes. “You really thought for a moment I put you through Tartarus cause I wanted to smooch you?”

Apple Bloom blushed lightly, her daffodil fur becoming tinted red by the sheepish blush underneath. “Well… I hadn’t really till Scoot said something about it.”

Diamond’s lips curled into a tiny, loving smile. “Dunce.”

Apple Bloom returned her marefriend’s playful jab, “Priss.” She nuzzled Diamond’s smooth pink cheek, before continuing the conversation. “It’s not like I was 100% convinced that was the reason. But it got me thinkin’... I know you were under a lot of pressure from Spoiled to act the way you did… But…” She paused. The mare wanted to choose her words carefully. “Well, I guess I just always got the feeling there was something else goin’ on, y’know? Like… I dunno… there was something else there?”

Diamond looked to consider that. “Well, I guess.” She looked at Apple Bloom and self-reflection was written all over her face. “I was just a filly back then, so I doubt I ever completely understood what I was feeling. But I think… maybe, I was just scared.”

“Scared?” Apple Bloom prompted.

Diamond nodded. “Yeah. It’s hard to describe just thinking back on it. But between my family and not knowing what my cutie mark meant… Not having any real friends at the time, and with my entire future laid out before me… Maybe I was scared about my place in the world. Maybe I lashed out in order to feel… I dunno… In control?” Diamond grimaced at the thought. “I feel terrible thinking about it,” she admitted. “I was so horrible to you, maybe because… I just liked having power over other ponies?”

Apple Bloom considered this. “Well… that does make sense. To be that age, and in your situation…”

“That doesn’t justify any of the shit I put you through.” Diamond frowned.

“Well… no… But the past is in the past. You’ve changed.” She booped Diamond Tiara lightly on the snout; her chest swelled with love for the pony she looked at. “So far as I’m concerned, you’ve more than made up for it. I mean, Luna damnit filly, you were just a little pony. Bygones and all that.”

Diamond nodded, and offered an appreciative smile. “Thanks Apple.”

Apple Bloom hummed in reply.

“I know I’ve said it thousands of times,” Diamond began softly, “but thank you… for giving me another chance.”

“You said your thanks the day I got my cutie mark, Dee. That was enough for me.”

“I don’t think I could ever thank you enough, though.”

Apple Bloom spoke, a flirty simper carried on the tone of her voice, “Well… You could always thank me with kisses. I’ll never turn down those lips of yours.”

Diamond blushed, but happily leaned forward all the same. “You’re lame as heck, you know that?”

“You love it though,” Apple Bloom countered. She could feel Diamond’s warm breath on her muzzle.

“Yeah…” Diamond warmly sighed. “I very much do.”