Applebloom stood just outside the door leading to the front of the school waiting for Big Mac to show up in his truck. She used the idle time to take her phone and dial Sweetie’s mother. She patiently listened to the ringing until Sweetie picked up.
“Hello? AB?” Sweetie asked over the line.
“Heya, Sweetie. How are ya?” Applebloom replied.
“I’m fine. Thanks. What’s up?” Sweetie pushed.
“A couple things happened. An advertisement for Diamond Tiara’s campaign hijacks the school’s computer systems for a little while,” Applebloom began.
“Oh, wow! How did she deal with that?” Sweetie asked, her voice filled with concern.
“She was fine. Didn’t really know about it by the time she showed up anyway,” Applebloom replied.
“What? How late was she?” Sweetie checked.
Applebloom leaned against the brick outer wall of the school, and continued to speak, “She showed up around the second half or so of lunch period.”
“Wow! I wonder what took her so long,” Sweetie wondered aloud.
“Lookin’ at how she was dolled up in all that fancy stuff, I’d say gettin’ dressed took the better part of the mornin’,” Applebloom figured.
“Dolled up?” Sweetie pressed.
“Some kinda business suit thing and gaudy jewelry,” Applebloom supplied.
“Those people…” Sweetie muttered angrily.
“Hm? What?” Applebloom asked.
“Was there a truck near the school?” Sweetie asked.
“Didn’t notice one, but then Ah didn’t walk around the whole school either,” Applebloom answered with a shrug unseen by Sweetie.
“So what else happened, AB?” Sweetie pressed.
“She went off to find Silver Spoon pretty soon after she showed up. Ah stuck with her… Silver was kinda selfish and cruel, but Ah can see where she’s comin’ from too… Don’t want to put herself at risk n’ all, but she coulda handled that different. I kinda wanted to hurt her mahself. Felt like Scoots for a bit, really. Didn’t hurt her none, though. Just lifted her up off the ground to be sure I had her attention,” Applebloom admitted.
“So she’s hurtin’ pretty bad,” Applebloom went on to say, but this time about Diamond, “but Ah stuck around her to make sure. Told her she was a Crusader, on account’a you takin’ her in and vouchin’ for her n’ all that.
“Ah don’t know how she and Silver r’ ever gonna make up, but Ah’m willin’ to help if Ah can,” Applebloom had continued talking right over Sweetie.
“She’s… where is she? Where’d she go?” asked Sweetie anxiously.
“Ah’m not sure. Ah tried lookin’ all over fer her but nothin’ came up. Nobody saw her leave her last class,” Applebloom replied.
“You stopped looking?!” Sweetie gasped.
“Fer now, yeah. Mac’s late, so Ah’m here and Ah’ll spot her if she leaves out this here door or the one down the way,” Applebloom offered.
“It… I guess that’s fine. Thank you, AB. You’re a really good friend,” Sweetie said gratefully.
“So’re you, Sweets. Never forget that. Ah love ya, Sugarcube. Y’know that, right?” Applebloom spoke softly here.
“I know it AB. I know Scoots does too. Thank you both for everything. You saved my life,” Sweetie said, tears starting to crack her voice.
“Easy, girl. Relax. Ya ain’t gotta thank me or Scoots fer that. We’re yer friends. We weren’t ever gonna let you… y’know,” Applebloom said, her voice solemn and serious.
“I know that too…” Sweetie said quietly.
“Good. Ain’t no sense bringin’ up that old stuff anyhow… oh, Ah think Ah see Diamond now. Guess I’ll go n’ talk to her… didja wanna say anything to her for yerself?” Applebloom offered as she started walking down the sidewalk toward Diamond.
“Yes. I’d really like that. Thank you so much, AB,” Sweetie gushed with emotion.
“Alright. Hang on a tic.” Applebloom pocketed her phone and waved an arm, “Hey! Diamond!” she called out.
“Huh?” Diamond glanced up, initially looking towards the ground as she walked. Upon seeing Applebloom, she brightened. “Oh! Hey there … um …” She suddenly felt self-conscious when she noticed others regard her as she spoke to Applebloom, but the kind of attention they gave didn’t seem negative. In fact, they still seemed sympathetic to her after Twilight's speech, but most were too shy to approach her about it directly.
“How are ya feelin’ Di?” Applebloom asked as she walked up to the nervous girl.
Diamond was about to answer but then shifted her eyes to another gentleman wearing a long black trench coat and triangle-shaped mustache except missing the bottom part. He lifted up his black-gloved hand to lift his black bowler hat a few inches as he said, “Miss Taira, I presume?”
“Uh … yeah?” Diamond asked him trepidatiously.
“Your limo awaits, Madam,” the man said as he made a gracious gesture to the vehicle in question behind him.
“Um,” Diamond spared a quick glance at Applebloom, then looked at the man as she asked, “Can my friend here come too?”
The elderly man glanced at Applebloom for a moment as he replaced his hat on his head then regarded Diamond again as he answered, “I’m afraid not. My orders are to pick you up from school right away, Miss Taira. I’ve also been given explicit instructions not to invite anyone else.” Once again, he gestured to the car behind him. “This way, Madam.”
Applebloom blinked, and turned to Diamond, thrusting her phone into Diamond’s hand. “You stay safe, y’hear? If’n ya need anythin’, ya give me a holler and Ah’ll do what Ah can.”
“Ah, yeah.” Diamond looked down in obvious depression as she accepted the phone. “Sure.” After that, she moved to follow the man in the black coat.
The man turned to look at Applebloom for a moment before lifting his hat to her in polite farewell. After that, he turned about and walked away while folding his gloved hands neatly behind.
“Y’know… Sweetie misses ya somethin’ awful, Di. Might be nice to pick up the phone and talk to her when ya get the chance!” Applebloom said as she waved at Diamond.
“Huh? What?” Diamond asked as she stopped and looked back at Applebloom. “Sweetie is on the line right now?” She then looked at the phone itself to confirm if it was still on.
Meanwhile the man in black paused and patiently looked back at Diamond.
“Hello? Sweetie, Sweetie?” Diamond said rapidly as she lifted the phone to her face, afraid that Sweetie might have hung up already.
“Diamond? Is that you?” Sweetie asked excitedly into the phone.
“SWEETIE!” Diamond cried excitedly. “How are you?”
“Miss Tiara?” The man called while giving another polite gesture to the limo.
“I’m okay, really. No new damage or anything, just some pain and… oh well, I guess a concussion is kind of a new injury?” Sweetie replied.
“Um, wait a second!” Diamond looked at Applebloom.”Isn’t this your personal phone? Don’t you want it back?” Diamond offered.
“Git! Limo’s a-waitin’!” Applebloom replied as she turned and walked back to where she’d been waiting originally.
“SHOULD I BUY YOU ANOTHER?” Diamond called more loudly due to Applebloom’s escalating distance.
“Ain’t you gone yet?!” Applebloom called back, “We’ll talk later! Ya ain’t gotta worry about me!”
“Oh, um, hi Sweetie,” Diamond said back to Sweetie as she moved to resume following what she assumed was her chauffeur. He, in turn, resumed his journey while once again folding his hands behind his back in a very dignified pose. “Sorry to cut you off like that a moment ago. I just realized Applebloom loaned me her personal phone so I don’t know how I’m going to get a hold of her later or return her phone. I suppose I could buy her a new one or even a better one, but she just waved me off and set ‘Git’. That’s some friend you got there.”
“She’s not just my friend, Diamond. But, yeah, she is some friend. I love her dearly. I’m so grateful she’s in my life, and at times I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve her. But I heard all of that, so you don’t have to explain to me.
“You okay? What happened with those goons? I heard there was some sorta advertisement for you?”
“Uh, yeah,” Diamond confirmed despondently. “I’m afraid this is my mother’s response to try to clean up my reputation enough in time for the re-election. I’ve been dragged around back and forth like a ragdoll as they dressed me up in all kinds of crazy outfits. While all this happened, I met one nice lady by the name of … Oh! You know her. You met her. Do you remember Coco Pommel?” Diamond asked with rising, almost desperate, hope in her voice.
“Ms. Pommel? Yeah, I remember her. She was so quick to come to my aid when I fell. She seemed kinda sweet,” Sweetie answered.
“Yeah, well that nice lady got fired today! Viciously so,” Diamond complained to Sweetie sadly. “Do you think your sister Rarity can find her a job or something? Coco fashions and makes clothes. I think your sister might be able to help poor Coco. She needs a job right now and a whole lot of therapy after today.”
“I’ll call her and ask. She might find something for Coco to do. Yeah. The Boutique does okay, for a small business, but she does keep saying it needs a head for fashion to properly manage it… Yeah, I’ll let you know. Um… how would Rarity get in touch with her?” Sweetie asked.
“I don’t know!” Diamond cried in misery. “I just know that she needs help. They literally threw coffee into her face. They lifted her up and chucked her out of the trailer. I’ve hardly ever seen such cruelty, except …” Diamond trailed off, for she could think of two such women who committed acts like that before. Herself, and her mother.
“She was crying, Sweetie!” Diamond wailed. “Please help her!”
“Okay, Diamond. I’ll do whatever I can. Don’t worry. Daddy could have something too, but I’ll ask Rarity first. It’ll be okay. We’ll make sure she’s okay,” Sweetie soothed.
“Thank you!” Diamond cried gratefully.
“Here you go, Madam,” the chauffeur said smoothly as he opened the back limo door and gestured for Diamond to enter, which she promptly did. Once inside, the driver closed the door. As Diamond's eyes followed the driver as he made his way to the front of the car, she also listened to Sweetie’s response.
“But, you’re okay? I heard you saw Silver today. Is everything okay with her? How did you get along with AB? It sounds like that went pretty good,” Sweetie was sort of rambling.
“Silver and I …” Diamond sighs sadly. “I … I don’t think we’re friends anymore. Silver wants nothing to do with me because she’s afraid I’m going to abandon her again, and I can’t say her fears aren’t justified.
“As for Applebloom, I found her surprisingly supportive considering all the awful things I’ve done to her and the Crusaders in the past. Applebloom even considers me one of you guys. That blew my mind away so much! I didn’t know how to respond other than having serious doubts that Scootaloo would agree.”
“Scootaloo agrees alright! Trust me, I know her pretty well. I’m sure Silver will come around, and you’ll have plenty of support if you ever want to try to approach her again, okay? She can be one of us too, and not feel so alone,” Sweetie said.
“All of that sounds like blind optimism, but I must admit that it does match my hopes. I may not believe in it, but I do want that.” Diamond frowned. “Unfortunately, my mother has captured me in her clutches again. I’m probably being driven back to the mansion as we speak. Notably, this chauffeur didn’t ask me where I’d like to be driven. I’m sure he’s under orders already. I think Mother wants to bury me again to make sure I’m no longer an embarrassment to the family. More than likely, this phone will be confiscated as well. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get a chance to give it back to Applebloom, but I may eventually replace it and even upgrade it.”
“Bury you? How? What do you mean? What can I do to help?” Sweetie asked, sounding a little frantic.
“I doubt there is anything you can do. Mother is too powerful,” Diamond said sadly. “Maybe now you’re starting to understand why I wasn’t too keen on living.”
“I… I think I have an idea,” Sweetie said, almost to herself. “Diamond, I’m amazed by you. You’re so strong. I wish I was as strong as you are.”
“Strong?! I tried to kill myself before you interrupted me. How does that make me strong? Also, what is your idea?”
“I know you did, Diamond, but here you are… and I’m so relieved. You’re worrying about Ms. Pommel, and Silver, and even though you’re going through all that you’re going through… You’re still standing. I think I’d have broken already, honestly,” Sweetie replied “My dad works for yours… I think he might know how to contact him.”
“About Miss Pommel?” Diamond asked, then realized something. “Oh! About me! That’s your idea?”
“I’m willing to do anything to help you, Diamond… I’ll beg Daddy if I have to. I’ll steal his phone and get the number myself, if I have to. I don’t know if it will help, but you never talk bad about your father, so…” Sweetie trailed off.
“Something tells me you won’t need to beg that hard to convince your father. He loves you so much. I’m jealous,” Diamond said in a bittersweet way. “Well, at least it makes it likely he’d cooperate. All the same, I’m not sure if I’m going to have a chance to talk to you for a few days. Not if my mother has anything to say about it.
“Oh! I’m going to miss you, Sweetie Belle!”
“I’m going to miss you too, Diamond. I’ll be thinking about you the whole time… I think I’ll be back in school soon, so I’ll try and catch up with you then,” Sweetie said.
“Really?” Diamond asked in surprise. “After that nasty fall you suffered down the stairs, you’re going to be in school soon again?”
“I’m going to push it. I don’t like being apart from you so much, or Scoots and AB either. I don’t want to be trapped at home for too long,” Sweetie said.
“Pushing yourself too hard is how you got injured in the first and second place. Please be careful and don’t hurt yourself anymore, Sweetie Belle! It breaks my heart everytime I think of you in pain.”
“You worry about yourself for now, okay? I’ll be fine. I have a lot of support and I’ll get through everything… Thank you, Diamond, for caring so much,” Sweetie said quietly.
“That’s right. You do have a lot of support,” Diamond realized with another bittersweet voice. “I, meanwhile, only have you … and maybe the Crusaders and your family.
“You know, it was none too long ago that I couldn’t count up my support structure with more than one hand. Thanks to you, I’m starting to lose track, but it still feels like vicarious support.”
“You’ll have more, trust me… You’re a good person underneath all that history and meanness, and I just know if people really see that then they’ll start reaching out, too,” Sweetie said.
“You’re not going to come back to school for tomorrow’s election speech, are you?” Diamond asked with dim hope. “I know it’s selfish for me to say this, but I could really use some moral support … and I don’t think it will be Silver.”
“I’ll see if Daddy will take me. That’s a pretty important event… I think I might be able to do it,” Sweetie answered cheerfully.
“If you’re sure you’ll be fine,” Diamond said with worry. “I would love to see you, but only if it doesn’t hurt you anymore.”
“Don’t worry so much about me. I’ll be okay,” Sweetie assured. “Worry about yourself, okay?”
“You know what, Sweetie, I’d like to make a proposition,” Diamond brought up.
“A… proposition? What do you mean?” Sweetie asked.
“It’s about the election,” Diamond clarified. “I just want to say that … if you think Cozy might make a better president than me … please go ahead and vote for her. Instead of that, there is only one thing that I really want from you.”
“I’ll vote for her, if I think that’s best… but I don’t know what I think. I’ve hardly seen or heard her… so, um, what do you really want from me?” Sweetie asked.
“In regards to the vote, I only want you to vote for whomever you genuinely think is the best candidate … and lately, I’m not sure if that’s me. I’m not even sure if I want the job anymore considering all the pressure. The main reason I’m fighting for it is just so that my mother won’t yell at me.
“But, from you, Sweetie, there is only one thing I genuinely want … and that is your friendship and support. I depend upon it far more than you know.”
“You don’t have to ask for that,” Sweetie said, “I am your friend, and I will support you.”
“I know,” Diamond said sweetly. “I just wanted to make that point clear. You don’t need to vote for me out of some sense of bias or obligation. I’m after a greater prize.”
Sweetie went silent for a moment, barely breathing.
“Sweetie Belle, you mean so much to me!” Diamond expressed emotionally. “I want you to know this just in case I don’t get a chance to tell you this later … I love you!”
Diamond heard the sound of the phone clattering, and Sweetie scrambling to pick it up from the floor on the other end of the line. A moment’s more shuffling and Sweetie had retrieved the phone.
“W-what did you say?!” Sweetie squeaked.
“You heard me!” Diamond insisted. “And if you didn’t, I’ll repeat it as many times as it takes. I love you, Sweetie Belle. You’re easily the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and you’re the main reason I have hope in life when I desperately need it.
“I didn't contemplate suidide on a casual whim. I thought about it, and acted upon it, out of pure pain, agony, and the loss of hope that it will ever stop. I never really wanted to kill myself except to get this awful pain to stop, but you … you give me hope, and that causes me to feel dependent upon you more than anyone else I’ve ever met. But, beyond that, there is also sheer gratitude and the fact that you make me feel safe and happy. I love that, Sweetie Belle, and I love you.
“Please … please say something!”
“Diamond… Y-You know how I feel about you… this is… a lot… of pressure… of… I don’t know… but please don’t mess with me. I’m glad we’re friends, I really am, and I’ll be here for you. It’s… I don’t know how much is really behind those words, Diamond, okay? I don’t know, and I’m scared to find out. So… I’m going to be your friend, because I’d rather have you as a friend than not at all,” Sweetie said quietly.
Diamond sighed, then replied, “If that is your decision, I will respect it, but Sweetie … I want you to know that I’m not lying or kidding you. I just wanted you to know how I feel, because I feel you’ve earned that much, at least.”
Sweetie swallowed, and the phone disconnected.
“Sweetie Belle,” Diamond said with worry as she regarded the phone.
Did I make a mistake? Did I scare her off? Are we not friends anymore?
Diamond sank back into her seat and applied Applebloom’s phone to her forehead in misery.
Sweetie settled the phone onto the hospital bed, lying back and staring at the ceiling as she wiped tears away from her eyes. She squeezed her eyes closed and pounded the mattress beside herself. She took a deep, shuddering breath as she reached around and plucked the pillow from beneath her head, pushed it down on her face, and screamed into it.
The muffled scream didn’t travel far, and died quickly. She lowered the pillow, breathed heavily and looked at the phone.
At that moment, Hondo Belle just walked in carrying two armfuls of a vase full of beautiful flowers and a handful of balloons that said, “Get Well”. When he entered, he noticed his daughter’s reaction, and asked, “Ah, Sweetie, what’s wrong? Are you in pain? Do you need me to call the doctors or nurses?”
“I’m… it isn’t… Daddy, can you close the door, please?” Sweetie stumbled.
“Ah. Sure thing, Honey.” Hondo set his things down on the table nearby her. “I got these things for ya along with our best wishes.” He turned around to shut the door after that.
“Daddy, do you remember what I told you about Diamond? How I felt?” Sweetie started as soon as the door closed.
“Yeah. I sure do, Sweet-heart,” her father confirmed as he moved to sit beside her. “By the way, what do you think of the balloons or flowers?” he prompted.
“Oh, they’re pretty. Thank you, Daddy,” she reached for the flowers and plucked one to smell, speaking quietly as she did, “She told me that she loves me… I-I don’t know how she meant it… b-but… No matter what, I still want to be her friend.”
“You love her, yet want her to just be friends?” Hondo asked, then shrugged casually. “Sure thing. You’ve been friends with Applebloom and Scootaloo for a long time now, Sugar-Plum. I’m sure you love those two as dearly as close sisters. As for Diamond, I can see why she might have that opinion of you. You have been remarkably kind to her during a great hour of need. I’m sure the gratitude she feels for you is off the charts.
“Plus, the two of you did sleep together the other night. I’m sure it was because she was exhausted and had a long day, but it may have had an emotional impact on top of that.
“If, however, it’s not the way you feel, then what I think you should do is let her know and set any boundaries that you feel comfortable with. Okay, Honey?”
“Daddy, it is how I feel… I love her… I-I want to be more than friends… but I’m scared she doesn’t. That she doesn’t mean she loves me like that,” Sweetie said as she slipped her legs beneath her blanket then drew her knees to her chest.
“Oh!” Hondo blinked. “Well, in that case, what I think you should do is talk this out with her face to face. When you do, I encourage you to listen to her with an open mind, because she might not be lying to you. Instead, just listen and reserve any judgement. You just listen to how she feels, then you tell her how you feel. Over time … you work something out.
“Love isn’t like a business transaction, Sweetheart. It’s far deeper than that. What I feel for you and your mother and sister can’t be described as anything other than a need. A need for the three of you to be in my life and to help me feel complete. I’m not sure if I should dare get more specific than that, for love can take many forms except it is this always; love … is always an intense emotion. Love is about needing others in our lives. In what exact way can vary from person to person, or even objects, places, or situations. I could love a piece of poetry, for example, but I wouldn’t put it on the same level as my love for you. Instead, it stands separate, special in its own right. Love is best when it’s not compared to anything or anyone else. It’s just a unique treasure all on its own every … single … time.” He paused a moment, then asked, “You understand?”
“I… I think so, yes,” she said, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes, “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure thing, Honey-Bunch,” Hondo happily invited. “What can I do for ya?”
“They’re doing a speech/debate thing at school tomorrow, and Diamond really wants me to be there for her. I don’t care what it takes, even if I have to be in a wheelchair. Can you or Mom please take me?” Sweetie bucketed her lips.
“Well, Sweetness, that depends what the doctors say,” Hondo returned. “On that regard, I have some good news. I actually just spoke with some of them a short while earlier. They said that they could find nothing too wrong with you. Even the cat scan showed you fairly well, so they were planning on discharging you as early as today, regardless of your intentions. If you want out, I’d call that a lucky coincidence.
“Now, as for this school thing tomorrow, um … is the speech thing open to the public? Would your mother and I even be allowed to go?”
“I think Principal Twilight would be okay with it,” Sweetie replied.
“Especially since we’re your parents,” Hondo figured. “Plus, you have some physical handicaps so I think someone like Twilight would bend over backwards to accommodate you, especially if you wanted to go, Sugar-Bear. So, if you really want to go, I’m sure we can arrange something,” he said fairly confidently.
“I really want to go, daddy!” Sweetie confirmed.
“Then we’ll make it happen,” Hondo assured. “Anything for you, Sweet-kins, just as long as you are still up for it by then.”
“I’ll make sure I am! Trust me!” Sweetie promised as she smiled once again.
Hondo reached forward to grasp Sweetie’s left arm. From there, he squeezed her tenderly while passing her a warm, loving smile.
“I love you, Daddy,” she said tenderly. “Thank you.”
“I love you too, Sweetie Belle,” her father assured her warmly. “And I always will.”
Big Mac pulled up to the school in his pick-up truck. Applebloom hopped right in. Bic Mac started the truck moving right away.
“Hey there, brother. Yer late,” Applebloom noted.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac answered.
“Why?” Applebloom asked.
“Sugar had to get to the hospital,” he replied.
“What? Is she okay?”
“Eeyup. Just gettin’ the baby checked up,” he replied.
“Aww! She’s gettin’ kinda close, huh?” Applebloom asked.
“Eeyup,” he replied.
“Ah lost mah phone, Mac. Sorta. Ah gave it to Diamond Tiara on account’a she needed it to talk to Sweetie n’ just feel better,” Applebloom says quietly.
Mac nods. “Alright. How you gettin’ it back?”
“Dunno. Ain’t thought that far ahead. Think Diamond means to get it back for me, though, so Ah ain’t too worried,” she said evenly.
“Eeyup. Me either. Gonna tell Applejack?” he asked.
“Eeyup, Ah am,” Applebloom confirmed as she rested her arm on the open window and looked outside at the passing buildings.
“Good. Proud of ya,” he said quietly.
“Thank ya, brother. Ah love you,” Applebloom said.
“Ah love you too, Bloomers,” he replied.
Applebloom blushed, “Dang it, Mac! Ya know how Ah feel about that consarn pet name o’ yours!”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac replied playfully.