//------------------------------//
// Dear Diary 
// Story: Unlikely Love of Ages Past. 
// by Phoenix Skyfire 
//------------------------------//

    Unlikely Love of Ages Past
 	"Hey Apple Bloom," said an energetic pegasus to a yellow mare with a red mane. "What are you up to?"
   
 	Apple Bloom turned around to look at the orange pegasus and smiled at her. "Howdy there, Scootaloo. Just helping ma sister with some apple-bucking since Big Mac hurt himself last week," sighed Apple Bloom.
  
"How did he hurt himself Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked the mare with a worried look on her face. "Is he gonna be alright?"
   
 	"He should be just fine in a few weeks. I was doin’ some renovations on the barn, and he insisted that he had to help and managed to break his leg," sighed Apple Bloom again, looking at Scootaloo. "I told him I know what I was doin’ and would be fine doing it on ma own, but you know ma big brother. He always wants to help his sisters."
   
 	Apple Bloom looked down at the ground with sadness in her eyes, remembering how Big Mac tripped, knocking a beam down that landed on his right hind leg.
   
 	"I wish he would’a just listened to ma advice and let me handle it. I've been doin’ this for the past eight years ever since I got ma cutie mark."
   
 	"Can't really blame him for trying to help you though. He's just showing he loves you, Apple Bloom. I'm sure you know that too," Scootaloo told the sad looking mare, trying to cheer her up.
   
 	"I don't blame him, Scootaloo, I blame ma self. If I wouldn't have stood the beam up that fell down, he wouldn't have been hurt. That’s why I'm helping ma sister. It's ma fault Big Mac is hurt, so I'm doing his chores 'till he gets better." Apple Bloom said, looking up at Scootaloo. "Sorry Scootaloo, but I have ta get back to it. I have a lot of work around the farm. I'll come see you tomorrow, okay?"
   
 	Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom smiling at her. "Okay Apple Bloom, I understand. See ya later.” Scootaloo said. “And don’t work too hard!” She added, turning around to head back into Ponyville.
   
 Apple Bloom waved goodbye to her longtime friend as she turned around and went back to apple bucking, watching as Scootaloo flew off.

    ******************************************************

 As Scootaloo was flying over Ponyville she heard a strange sound and stopped for a minute. She heard the sound a second time, finding it was coming from her stomach. She giggled slightly as she changed course and headed for Sugar Cube Corner.
   
 	Scootaloo landed softly outside of Sugarcube Corner with a sigh. ‘Well, this sucks. I was hoping to hang out with Apple Bloom today. Might as well get something to eat before I try and think of something else to do since I can't hang out with Sweetie either, since she’s in Manehatten,’ she thought to herself.
   
 	As Scootaloo walked into the open door of Sugar Cube Corner she was surprised by the many different scents of pastries. Taking a big whiff of the pastries, she walked up to the counter, where a yellow stallion with an orange mane was behind the counter.
   
 	With a bright smile on her lips, Scootaloo said; "Hello, Mr. Cake. How are you this morning?"
   
 	Mr. Cake returned Scootaloo's smile as he answers, "Hello, Scootaloo. I’m doing well. I didn't expect to see you up so early today, seeing as how it's one of your days off and you always sleep like Rainbow when that happens," Mr. Cake said, chuckling slightly.
   
 	Scootaloo giggled slightly too, remembering how Rainbow Dash would always nap throughout the day. "Yeah, I guess I do act like Rainbow on my days off." Scootaloo looked up at Mr. Cake, "I actually got up to go hang out with Apple Bloom since we haven't had time to in a long time, but she’s helping Applejack on the farm." She sighed dejectedly.
   
 	Mr. Cake reached a hoof over the counter and patted Scootaloo on the shoulder, smiling at her. "There there, Scootaloo. I know how you feel, not being able to hang out with one of your best friends very often. I know it’s not much but here." said Mr. Cake, reaching into the cabinet and pulling out a fresh blueberry muffin.. "It's on me Scootaloo, I know they’re your favorite."
   
 Scootaloo looked up at Mr.Cake and smiled, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr.Cake, but I wouldn't feel right just taking one of your muffins without paying you."
   
 	Mr. Cake let out a small laugh, "Nonsense! Call it a friendly gesture. You are my best customer after all."
   
 	"Alright, you win." Scootaloo smiled as she scooped up the muffin with her wing. "Thank you for the muffin."
   
 "Anytime Scootaloo." Mr. Cake said, beginning to wipe the counter down with a washcloth as Scootaloo made for a table.
   
 Scootaloo sat down at a table and placed her muffin down. 'I wonder what I can do today,' Scootaloo thought to herself as she took a bite of her muffin.

As Scootaloo sat at the table, eating her muffin and thinking, a pale magenta mare across the room was watching her. 'Why am I so interested in her?' Thought the magenta mare as she watched Scootaloo with her cornflower blue eyes. 'I thought I got over the crush I had on her while I was in school,' she thought as she got up from her table and left Sugar Cube Corner.

As the magenta mare left she started heading for the Ponyville schoolhouse thinking to herself, 'Maybe Miss Cheerilee can help me.' 
*******************************

After walking for about ten minutes, the magenta mare reached the schoolhouse and looked up at the door remembering how she always bullied Scootaloo and her friends. She sighed as she walked into the schoolhouse and saw a dark magenta mare at a desk in the front of the classroom and smiled.

"Hello, Miss Cheerilee. What are you doing today?" The magenta mare said smiling at Cheerilee.

Cheerilee looked up from her desk, noticing the magenta mare and returning her smile. "Why hello there, Diamond Tiara. I'm just doing some work for tomorrow," Cheerilee replied. "You need something?" She inquired.

Diamond Tiara shuffled on her hooves, nervously thinking of how to ask her old teacher something like this.

"I was hoping you could help me, Miss Cheerilee. I have a little problem," Diamond Tiara replied, her voice slightly shaking.

Cheerilee smiled at her former student, glad that she was still coming to her old teacher  even after all these years. "I'll help you however I can, Tiara. What’s the issue?" Cheerilee asked curiously.

"Well, when I was in school I had this crush on another pony in class, but it faded after some time. Recently, though, I've been thinking about them again." Diamond Tiara confessed to her teacher. "I was hoping you might have some advice for me."

"Would you be willing to tell me who this mystery colt is?" The school teacher inquired.

"Well... it’s not a colt. It’s a mare," Diamond Tiara said scared that Cheerilee wouldn't like her anymore.

Cheerilee smiled at her student and said, "let me guess. Scootaloo?"

Diamond Tiara's eyes went wide as Cheerilee said her crush’s name. "H-h-how did you know!?" She asked the teacher.

Cheerilee smiled at the magenta mare. "It wasn't that hard to be honest, Tiara. I found this when you were here in school," the school teacher replied, as she pulled out a Hearts and Hooves Day card with Scootaloo's name on it. "I found this after class on Hearts and Hooves Day one year while you were in school. I knew it was yours because of your handwriting." 

Diamond Tiara's eyes went wide and her cheeks became red as cherries when she saw the card she wrote years ago for Scootaloo. "Why didn't you tell me you had it? Or give it to Scootaloo?" She asked.

“I didn't think it was my place to give it to Scootaloo, and you didn't ask me if I found anything so I didn't think you wanted to show it to her anyway. So I kept it,” Cheerilee replied to her student. “Besides, I figured it was just a small crush anyways. You never really seemed that interested in her.” the older mare finished.

“Thank you for not giving it to Scootaloo, Miss Cheerilee. Would you be willing to help me with my problem? I'm really confused right now about what I'm feeling,” Diamond Tiara admitted, still blushing.

“I'll help you as much as I can, Tiara. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

“Not at all,” Diamond Tiara replied, smiling at her old teacher, glad she would help her. “But can I ask you a question first?”

“Sure, what is it?” Cheerilee asked.

“I thought other ponies would hate me since I like another mare. So why are you going to help me?”

Cheerilee put a hoof to her muzzle, giggling a little. “Not all ponies look down on ‘fillyfoolers’, as others would call them. I myself am one to tell the truth. That,s why I don't mind helping you. And before you ask, yes, I have a mare friend,” Cheerilee replied, smiling.

“Who’s your mare friend?” Diamond Tiara asked, wondering who would like her old teacher.

“Why, it's someone you know quite well, it’s Twilight,” Cheerilee smiled.

“You're with Twilight, Miss Cheerilee? I didn't know she had a special somepony.” Diamond Tiara said, surprised.

“Yes I am with Twilight. But enough about my mare friend,” said Cheerilee. “You wanted advice on what to do right?”

“Yes ma'am,” Diamond Tiara said, snapping back to the problem at hand.

        ***********************************************

After speaking with Cheerilee for about an hour, Diamond Tiara decided to head on home since she was getting tired. “Thank you for the help Miss Cheerilee,” Tiara said, waving goodbye to the older mare.

“Anytime, Tiara. If you ever need help again you can always come to me.”

Diamond Tiara smiled as she left the school house and headed home. ‘Before I make any decisions, I'm gonna head home and go to bed. Maybe in the morning I'll feel different. If not, then maybe this is love.’

Diamond Tiara reached her home and went up to her bedroom. She walked over to her bed,pulling out a pink book from under her pillow. She laid down on her bed and opened up the book. Diamond Tiara pulled the pen out of the spine of the book with her mouth. Uncapping the pen she started to write.

        ‘Dear Diary,
When I was just a filly in school I had a crush on another filly.
It went away a few weeks later, but recently that crush has come back
full force..... I think I may be in love.
Hopefully I can find out what these feeling mean, and if I really am in love.’

As Diamond Tiara finished writing in her diary, she began to think of what the next day might hold in store for her.

‘I wonder if she will feel the same about me? After bullying her so much in school, I wouldn't find it hard to believe if she didn't want to even be my friend. Maybe the advice Miss Cheerilee gave me will help.’ While Diamond Tiara was thinking about her problems, she began to yawn, quickly drifting off into a soothing sleep.