//------------------------------// // A Party... // Story: The Apple(Bloom) Of Her Eye // by Snow Quill //------------------------------// Apple Bloom rang the doorbell, nervously teetering on her hooves as an elegant, grandfather clock chime sounded.  The door opened almost immediately, revealing an equally nervous looking Diamond on the other side. “Oh, hey there, uh, everyone. I’m glad all of you could make it. Come on in, Silver Spoon should be here soon too.” After a nudge on the flank from Scootaloo, Apple Bloom walked in with her, Sweetie following last. Diamond led them through the mansion to the backyard, now seeming a bit irritated.  “Unfortunately we will pretty much be on our own. Clear Waters, the pool attendant, is out sick and my personal maid Holly is off in Hoofington for a wedding or something.” She looked back and rolled her eyes. “I swear we can’t find any good help these days. Clear and Holly are usually so reliable, and now we don’t even have a doorpony! Neat Work was on front door duty, but had to move to take care of his mom.” Her expression softened and her voice took on an odd tone as she abruptly turned to look forward again. “It’s annoying but I guess he’s, like, a good son at least or something.” They walked in silence the rest of the trip to the back door, Diamond pausing before pushing it open and holding it for them. As Sweetie passed her, she cleared her throat. “Diamond, may I have a word?” Only Scootaloo caught the ‘request’ and subsequent whimper from Diamond, turning back slightly. Sweetie waved her forward. “It’s alright Scoots, go on ahead. Make sure Apple Bloom doesn’t go diving in recklessly.” Sweetie paused at the mischievous grin slowly spreading across Scootaloo’s face. “And for that manner, you be safe as well.” “Oh fine...Hey Apple Bloom! Wanna have a cannonball contest!” Sweetie sighed and resisted the urge to face hoof at her friends. She had more important matters at the moment. She glanced at Diamond, the pink mare trembling slightly. “Relax, will you Diamond? I just wanted to say thank you for inviting me.” Diamond blinked. “Oh, uh, your welcome.” Sweetie’s smile dipped into a frown for a fraction of a second. “Good job catching yourself as well. I know you are a rich spoiled brat, but I don’t think you are trying as hard as you can. If you want a relationship with Apple Bloom I need to make sure you aren’t going to make her feel bad for growing up on a farm and actually working all her life. Understand?” Diamond gulped and nodded. “Y-yes. I’m sorry, I’ll, I’ll work on my wording.” “Good, then we shouldn’t have a problem.” Sweetie’s smile broadened and she pulled Diamond into a tight hug, “Oooh I’m so glad! I’m sure you wouldn’t want to do anything to break Apple Bloom’s heart in her first relationship ever.” Diamond froze, though Sweetie seemed not to notice as she trotted off jauntily to join her friends.  ‘Her first relationship? Has, has Apple Bloom been...waiting for me?’ Diamond shook her head. She was just scolded for being a rich filly who thought the world revolved around her, she wasn’t about to go further down that slippery slope. Besides, if today went well, and Apple Bloom did agree to a date, she could always ask her then.  For now, she just had to survive Sweetie Belle.  She closed the door as she pondered that mare. Such a timid and easy target growing up, she had really grown into her own and made quite an intimidating force when she wanted to. Diamond shuddered, resolving to never get on her bad side. Again.  The chiming of the doorbell brought her out of her thoughts and she trotted to the front door.  Outside, Apple Bloom was paddling towards the pool stairs, Scootaloo trailing behind her. “Well there ya are Sweetie! Come on in, the water feels amazing!” Sweetie carefully set her saddlebags by a table, taking a moment to adjust the other two.  “Hey, wait just an apple pickin’ minute, where did Diamond go?” Sweetie turned around, “She didn’t follow me out? Hmm. Maybe she went to get refreshments?” “Be straight with us Sweets, did you scare her off?” Sweetie glared after Scootaloo. “No. No I did not. I’m sure she will be out soon.” “Well she better. We need at least one impartial judge for our splash contest.” Sweetie tilted her head with a soft smirk, eyebrow raised. “Are you saying I can’t be impartial?” Scootaloo floundered for a response, opening her mouth to say something then closing it again. She was finally rescued by Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara walking out.  “Sweetie Belle!” “Silver Spoon!” Silver quickly made her way to Sweetie and pulled her into a hug, whispering in her ear. “Thank Celestia you managed to get through to Diamond.” Sweetie returned the hug and responded. “Well somepony had to. We both know they would have been absolutely miserable had we let them try to figure it out by themselves.” The mares shared a laugh as they stepped back from the embrace, leaving a slightly confused Diamond and oblivious Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.  “Alright! Now then, who wants to judge our splash contest?” Diamond furrowed her brows and tilted her head. “Splash contest?” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom gasped, staring at her intently. “You mean to tell me you’ve never done a splash contest?!” “Don’t you worry none Di, it’s easy! Ya just run and jump into the water to make the biggest splash you can. Silver, Sweetie, would y’all mind being judges fer us?” Silver and Sweetie shrugged, Silver elbowing Diamond. “Yeah, we’ll judge. Go on Diamond, try and make a big splash.” “I, um, okay…” Diamond put her namesake tiara on the table before hesitantly shuffling over to the pool side. She peered over the edge at the water, chewing on her lip. “So, just, jump in?” Scootaloo groaned loudly as she came up beside Diamond. “Oh come on! This is taking forever! If you aren’t gonna go…” The pegasus flared her wings and reared up, charging forward with a mighty cry of, “CANNONBALL!!!” A large splash erupted from her entry, drenching Diamond and sending waves across the pool. Diamond sputtered as Scootaloo broke the surface, grinning broadly. “Oh man, that must have been huge!” After a look from Diamond she shrugged sheepishly. “Oh, uh, sorry Diamond. But, I mean, you were gonna be getting wet anyways right?” Diamond was shaking, her mouth pressed into a thin line as she angrily snorted and shook her head.  “Just what do you-“ “CANNONBALL!” Diamond’s tirade was cut off by the cry of Silver and Sweetie as they rushed past her and jumped into the pool, drenching Diamond once again.  Diamond blinked, ears twitching at the laughter of her friends.  Wait, friends?  Well of course Silver was her friend, had been most of her life. But, what about the others?  Time seemed to slow down as she glanced between all their smiling, happy faces. She was reminded of a past pool party, when it became known the Cutie Mark Crusaders were friends with Princess Twilight and having special ‘Twilight Time’. Back then, the party was a mark of importance. ‘Look how close I am to Twilight, the Princess.’  And yet, here they were again, just a group of mares, a group of friends, having fun in the water. A small smile overtook the frown, that’s right, they were all friends now. Not gossiping, backstabbing socialites that smile at you only to glare once your head is turned, quietly stacking their ammunition against yours in an endless pissing contest to prove who was ‘better’.  She had friends now. And sometimes friends did funny things, like splashing a sheltered rich filly who had never participated in a ‘splash contest’ before.  Everyone had gone quiet, looking at Diamond with varying levels of apprehension and concern as she had her epiphany. Finally, she began to laugh. “Oh! Now I get it, cannonball!” She took a few steps back, giggling like a mad mare as she ran and lept into the pool, her body half curled in a very loose ‘cannonball’.  Diamond resurfaced to cheers, smiling as she pushed her mane out of her eyes.  “Hey, not too shabby…” Scootaloo smirked and splashed at her, “For a rich girl.” Diamond and Silver mocked offense, Diamond gasping, “You dare besmirch my honor! Have at thee!” She brought her hoof in front of her in a wide arc, sending a spray of water back at the pegasus. Even while sputtering and trying to shake the water off, Scootaloo managed to maintain a cocky composure. “Oh? Do you really want to challenge me to a water fight?” Diamond responded with a smirk and another wave of water. “Silver Spoon! To my side!” “Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle! Gimme backup!” The pool quickly became a war zone of waves and splashes, laughter and playful insults, water flung left and right. Somehow in the chaos, Diamond found herself facing Apple Bloom, but there was no mercy in a water fight.  That is, until Diamond and Apple Bloom were pushed towards each other in a perfectly coordinated attack by Silver and Sweetie. Diamond crashed into Apple Bloom and the two tumbled under the water.  Limbs flailed and tangled together as they tried to orient themselves, a clumsy dance as they fought to breach the surface. Finally, Diamond broke free, gasping for air as Apple Bloom followed a moment after.  “S-Silver!” “Sweetie!” The mentioned mares simply shrugged and whistled innocently while Scootaloo waggled her eyebrows. “Making the moves on Bloom already are we Diamond~?” Bright blushes exploded on their faces as Diamond stammered and Apple Bloom stared slack jawed at the snickering trio of Scootaloo, Silver, and Sweetie.  Diamond gave up on a response and resorted to pouting, directing the look at Silver.  “Oh don’t look at me like that Di, it was all Sweetie’s idea.” Sweetie giggled. “Guilty as charged.” Apple Bloom sank until her nose was just barely above the water, blowing exasperated bubbles.  Diamond shook her head, still blushing. “Alright, well, I think that’s enough splashing for now. I don’t want to drown from good intentions.” The glare directed at Silver either went unnoticed or ignored, Diamond wasn’t sure which.  Scootaloo shrugged. “Well what else can we do then? We tried a splash contest, did a water fight...Ooh! What about Marco Polo?” She glanced at Silver and Diamond. “Do you know how to play that one?” Silver deadpanned. “Marco Polo? Why would we want to play a game named after an old, Itstallion merchant? What would even be the objective of such a supposed ‘game’?” Scootaloo tilted her head, “So...Is that a yes or a no?” “Of course we know how to play. Diamond and I used to play it in our mansions, like an improvised hide and seek.” Diamond giggled and smiled at the memories. “Oh yeah, those days were fun. Especially with the echo from the tall ceilings, it was hard to determine exactly where your voice was coming from.” Sweetie cooed, “Aww, that actually sounds adorable and like a lot of fun. Who knew Diamond Tiara actually liked fun.” Maturely, Diamond stuck out her tongue in response.  Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, so, who’s it first?” “Nose goes!” Apple Bloom shouted as she placed her hoof on her nose.  Sweetie followed with Scootaloo right behind her, Silver catching on and leaving Diamond the odd mare out. Scootaloo declared, “Looks like it’s Diamond.” “Alright, I’m going to dunk under water for 10 seconds and then count to 10 once I’m up, fair?” There was a round of agreements and Diamond nodded. She took a couple deep breaths before closing her eyes and sinking under the water. The rest of the group scrambled to swim away from her and get some distance from each other as well, moving as quietly as possible once she broke the surface and began to count out loud.  “-5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Marco!” A chorus of ‘Polo’s rang out from all around Diamond, and the game began.  They spent the afternoon playing various pool games and racing, of which mostly Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were declared winners.  As the sun began to sink and they found themselves too exhausted to continue swimming, they laid on towels by the pool and rested. Plenty of laughter and jokes were to be had still, half hearted accusations of cheating and proclamations of ‘why I never!’ Scootaloo stuck her tongue out at Apple Bloom, “Well it’s not my fault my sleek pegasus body is aerodynamic and made for speed.” Apple Bloom snorted, “So Scootaloo ain’t a chicken, she’s a fish!” “At least I can eat things other than apples.” “Least mah hooves are on the ground, you have yer head in the clouds so much it’s a wonder ya have room for all the hot air in there!” “Of course she does,” Sweetie joined in, “heat rises. She can’t spend too much time on the ground or else she’ll deflate!” Scootaloo groaned and flopped backwards at Sweetie’s addition. “Ugh, that was a good one, but you are such an egghead.” Diamond frowned softly as she listened to the exchange. “Um, question. Isn’t that, well, what your saying...Isn't it like bullying?”  Scootaloo sat back up, glancing at Sweetie and Apple Bloom. “Um, well, no. We are friends and know that it’s not serious or anything.” Sweetie nodded. “I can understand how it might be confusing to you,” Diamond did her best not to take offense to that statement, instead perking her ears to show interest in Sweetie’s words while she continued to explain.  “But there is a difference. You used to tease us about things we didn’t like about ourselves just for fun. We tease each other about silly things, like the running joke that Apple Bloom can’t eat fruits other than apples, or that Scootaloo is a chicken, or I’m an egghead. We joke about past experiences and tease each other out of love. We laugh with each other instead of at each other. Does that make sense?” Diamond slowly took in this new information, finding it did make sense. “Huh, okay. But what if someone doesn’t feel you are joking? What if they get offended?” Scootaloo shrugged. “Then we apologize and try not to bring that subject up again unless they say it’s okay. For me, I can’t take any jokes about my wings or how long it took for me to learn to fly.” “I can’t stand when people say I’m a fussy prude ‘just like my sister’.” “And ah really can’t stand jokes about my family being all inbred and such nonsense.” Diamond nodded. “Thank you guys, I promise I won’t make jokes about those things.” Sweetie smiled. “Good to hear that. While we are on the topic, is there anything either of you don't want us to joke about?” Silver shrugged. “My cutiemark mostly. I’ve heard every spoon joke in Equestria, and trust me, it gets old fast.” Sweetie tsked. “Oh darn, so that means I have to actually be creative?” Silver smirked, “I’m sure an egghead unicorn like yourself can figure it out. Hey, maybe you can become the Princess of Wisecracks.” “Seems like you should start practicing your bowing then, Lady Silver Spoon.” Diamond raised an eyebrow at the two's closeness, Silver and Sweetie having leaned in during their exchange. Scootaloo gagged loudly. “If you two kiss, I’m gonna barf.” Sweetie blushed, jerking back and glaring at Scootaloo. “A-anyways, ahem, Diamond, is there anything off limits for you?” Silver was blushing as well, but tried to act nonchalant as she looked at Diamond and waited for her answer, happy for the diversion.  Diamond nervously glanced down at her hooves, “Um, well, please try not to joke about the bullying and...my mom.” “Damn, I had some real good zingers about her.” “Scootaloo!” The pegasus held up her hooves in surrender. “Hey, I’m not gonna say them. Just saying I thought of some.” Diamond shrugged, “It’s okay, just, for the future. If we hang out again.” “What do you mean ‘if’? If you think you can date our best friend and not hang out with us too, you got another thing coming missy!” Sweetie chuckled and nodded with Scootaloo’s exclamation. “Yeah, you might get to date Apple Bloom, but we aren’t gonna let her go completely.” Diamond blushed, but a smirk slowly spread across her face. “Oh yeah? Well the same goes for you and Silver Spoon.” Silver did a spit take, coughing and sputtering as Scootaloo laughed uproariously and Sweetie sat frozen, her entire face reddening. Apple Bloom snickered to the side as Diamond grinned.  “OKAY.” Sweetie started a little too loudly, clearing her throat awkwardly. “Um, who else is hungry? I know I sure am. Diamond, did you have any plans for dinner?” Diamond’s eyes widened. “Oh my sun I didn’t even think about it. I uh, to be completely honest, I wasn’t expecting the party to still be going…” She shrugged, chuckling. “How about we go to Sugarcube Corner? My treat.” There was no disagreement, and so after making sure they were sufficiently dry, did the group head off for sweets.