Popping sounds and confetti filled the room, followed by the sounds of cheers from her friends and family all around her. Diamond Tiara wasn’t sure what was going on. The last thing she remembered, she was in her room brushing her Lavender doll whilst pretending to be a hairstylist. Now, she was sitting in what appeared to be Sugarcube Corner, at a table filled with tasty snacks and cups of punch. There was cake, jelly, chocolate, jellybeans… Was it her birthday? No, not for another six months. Half-birthday, perhaps?
“Congratulations, Diamond Tiara,” Snails said. Diamond Tiara looked around at the ponies sitting at the table.
Her father, Filthy Rich, her teacher, Cheerilee, Silver Spoon, Snips, Snails, Alula, Berry Pinch, and Dinky Hooves on one side, and on the other… Applejack, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Now she was even more confused. What were they doing at her half-birthday party?
“Daddy?” Diamond asked, hoping to get some answers.
“Here she comes,” Filthy Rich said before she could asked anything. All eyes turned to something behind Diamond Tiara, and so naturally, Diamond herself turned to see what could possibly be more interesting than herself.
Diamond’s jaw dropped as the sight of her mortal enemy walked into the room, wearing a dress as white as snow, her usual pink ribbon replaced with a white veil and her hair done up into a bun.
Apple Bloom shot Diamond Tiara a filthy glare. “What?” she asked in a cold tone.
Diamond Tiara quickly regained her senses and turned to her father. “What is she doing here?”
Filthy Rich simply laughed. “Well you can’t have a wedding without both parties there, now can you?”
“Wedding?!” Diamond shrieked, before being pushed towards Apple Bloom by her father. “B-But I-”
“Diamond Dazzle Tiara,” Mayor Mare said, appearing out of nowhere between the two fillies. Diamond looked around, and found herself to no longer be in Sugarcube Corner, but rather Ponyville’s town hall, with flowers and streamers decorating the walls and ceiling all around her. “Do you take this filly as your lawfully wedded wife-”
“NO!” Diamond shouted.
“Through sickness and in health-”
“I SAID NO!” Diamond shouted as Mayor Mare continued. “I hate this filly! I’ll never marry her!” Diamond illustrated her point by turning to kick Apple Bloom, but a push from behind caused her to trip forward instead, pinning Apple Bloom down onto a bed that was suddenly there. “W-Wha-”
“Congratulations, you two,” Applejack said from behind Diamond Tiara. “The two of ya will make a lovely couple together.”
“No way!” Diamond Tiara shouted, her rage reaching its boiling point. Diamond raised a hoof to smack it into Apple Bloom’s face, but as she brought it down, she somehow ended up lightly hitting her with a bouquet of flowers.
“We’ll just leave the two of you alone,” Filthy Rich said. “Now that you’re a happy couple.”
“We’re not a couple!” Diamond Tiara shouted, pushing herself up off of the bed and trying to distance herself from Apple Bloom. She hit something behind her as she backed away, and when she turned around, Apple Bloom was there. “Get away from me!”
Diamond Tiara ran past Apple Bloom and towards the door she could see in the distance. As soon as she reached it, she pushed it open, only to see Apple Bloom there. “GO AWAY!” Diamond Tiara shouted as she slammed the door shut, only for Apple Bloom to be waiting behind her as she turned. Some mysterious forced pushed her into Apple Bloom once again, and as the two were forced closer and closer together despite her struggles, Diamond Tiara cried out: “I NEVER WANT TO SPEND MY LIFE WITH YOOOOOOOOU!”
“BLANK FLANK! GO AWAAAAAAAAY!” Diamond Tiara shouted as she bolted up in the small hammock in her rented train cabin. Sweat and tears stained Diamond Tiara’s face, and she took some time to work out where she was, the sounds of her heavy breathing filling the room. “Oh thank Celestia,” Diamond said as she placed a hoof to her forehead. “I thought I was stuck with her. Thank Celestia it was only a nightmare.”
Diamond Tiara glanced over at the clock in the room. It was still a long way to Manehatten, and much earlier than she usually liked to wake up in the morning. “I don’t want to have another bad dream like that,” she said with a shudder. “I guess I’ll go see if they’re serving coffee yet. Or at least something with lots of sugar to keep me awake.”
As the door to Diamond Tiara’s rented cabin opened, she heard voices coming from outside. Curious, Diamond poked her head out and focussed her attention on two stallions standing a few doors down from her.
“What do you want? Another scar ta match that one?”
“No. I’m not here for a fight.”
“Oh? Then what?”
“I… I came to tell you… this fighting, I just can’t take it anymore.” There was a brief moment of silence. “I… I think I’m starting to… like you.”
Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow, and almost retreated into her room as she saw the other stallion raise a hoof. However, rather than swinging it and striking the other in the face, he rested it gently upon his shoulder. “Well, that’s… A-Are you sure?”
“Y-Yeah. I’ve thought about it lots, and… the more I think about it, the more I realise, I don’t hate you the way I used to. I think I… want something else with you…”
“Well, I… I’m sorry to say this, but I can’t say that I feel the same. When I look at you, I still feel that I dislike you, no matter what. But… maybe, we could try to be friends and see what happens?”
“… I think I’d like that.”
It was at that point that Diamond Tiara had to suppress the urge to vomit and rushed out of her room before she was forced to endure anymore sappiness. She locked her cabin’s door and moved down the train car, slowing down briefly as she thought about those two stallions.
“… There’s no way that Apple Bloom and I will ever become like that,” she told herself with firm resolve. “We’ll be enemies forever. Nothing will ever make the two of us get along.”
Apple Bloom frowned as she looked around the huge playground, filled with fillies and colts playing numerous games, many of which she had never even heard of before. She saw one group playing with some kind of ball and some spiky-looking things. She saw another group running around in circles around one colt. She saw a group of three fillies scaring off a group of three colts with ‘cooties’, whatever they were.
Apple Bloom had never been around many ponies her own age before. Most of her relatives that paid a visit were much older than her, and hadn’t ventured out into the town much besides to accompany her siblings or Granny Smith on a business-related venture. Her only real friend to date was Winona, and she was a dog… and still technically older than her in dog years.
The only filly she’d really had many encounters with was Diamond Tiara, and that was only because Applejack offered to sit for her often. Whenever Diamond Tiara was at the farmhouse, she tried her best to ignore her and stay as far away from her as possible. Of course, it wasn’t easy when Diamond Tiara found the only entertaining thing to do around the farm to be ‘find as many ways to annoy Apple Bloom as possible’.
There was a lone filly, sitting on the swing set and kicking the ground with a hoof with a frown on her face. She looked to be the same age as Apple Bloom, maybe just a little younger, and she was an Earth Pony, just like herself. She wore glasses, which could be a thing to talk about.
Apple Bloom saw this as her chance, and made a move to talk to the lonely-looking filly.
Silver Spoon sighed as she watched all the different groups playing their own games on the playground, not a single one paying any attention to her or asking her to join in. There were several instances where Silver Spoon had found a chance to squeeze into a group and start playing with them, but each and every time she felt stage fright holding her in place, and eventually just decided to pass her time on the swing set.
The only problem with that was that she could not push herself, and she couldn’t leave now without doing anything, because anypony who might have been watching her might think she was weird. At least, that was the thought process running through Silver Spoon’s mind as she continually kicked the ground in a vain attempt to gain some lift.
“What’s wrong?” Apple Bloom asked as she approached Silver Spoon from the side, startling the filly and almost causing her to fall off of her swing. “Can’t ya push yerself up? Ah could help ya… if ya’d like.”
Silver Spoon regarded the filly with an awed look. Somepony was actually talking to her? And they were offering to play with her? Silver Spoon was not about to let this chance slip by, so she nodded and tried to say ‘sure’, but no words came out. Thankfully, it seemed that the nod was all that was needed as Apple Bloom rounded Silver Spoon and began to push her from behind.
“Ah’m Apple Bloom, by the way,” Apple Bloom said as Silver Spoon started to swing pretty high.
“I know,” Silver Spoon said. “I remembered your opening speech. You’re the one who hates Diamond Tiara, and earlier this morning, the two of you were arguing behind the school…”
Apple Bloom slowed down for a moment, but then continued her pushing. “Y-Y’all saw that?”
Silver Spoon simply nodded. “Um, my name’s Silver Spoon, by the way.”
Apple Bloom smiled. Things were going so well. “Well nice ta meet ya, Silver Spoon.” Apple Bloom gave another push, sending Silver Spoon higher into the air… and giving Apple Bloom a clear view of the filly approaching her. “Oh no…”
“What are you doing here?” Diamond Tiara asked she and the two fillies following her stopped at the swing set.
“What does it look like? Ah’m havin’ fun with mah new friend!”
Silver Spoon looked down at Diamond Tiara as she continued to swing. She looked mad. She then turned her head and saw the same look on Apple Bloom’s face. Sensing that things weren’t going to end well, she tried to ask for Apple Bloom to stop pushing her, but she couldn’t get a word out before Diamond Tiara began speaking again.
“Well we were going to use the swing set!” Diamond said as she walked closer to Apple Bloom.
“Well that’s too bad,” Apple Bloom said, putting a little more force into her pushes.
“It’s okay, Diamond,” Berry Pinch said in a nervous tone. “We can come back here next break and play then.”
If it were any other situation, Diamond Tiara would have agreed and simply let the offending party off with a warning. After all, there was plenty to do around the playground, and it’s not like she’s overly fond of the swings or anything. But this wasn’t any other situation. The offending party was Apple Bloom, and there was no way she was going to let her enemy think she had beaten her.
“I want to swing now, though,” Diamond said, nudging Apple Bloom to prevent her from swinging Silver Spoon any further.
“Hey!” Apple Bloom shouted as she nudged Diamond back. “We were here first! Go find yer own swing set!”
“I-It’s okay,” Silver Spoon said, attempting to slow herself down by kicking her hooves against the ground.
“You two gonna fight?” Archer asked, a smile on her face and her eyes twinkling with excitement.
“Only if she doesn’t get lost,” Diamond said, still glaring at Apple Bloom.
“Ye’re the one who needs ta get lost,” Apple Bloom responded. “Or ah’ll tell Miss Cheerilee what a pin ye’re bein’!”
The other three fillies gasped, whilst Diamond simply giggled. “You’re going to go crying to the teacher?” she asked, causing Apple Bloom’s face to turn red. “You gonna ask her to change your diaper while you’re there, little baby Bwoom?”
“S-Shut up!” Apple Bloom shouted, swinging a leg to sweep Diamond’s foreleg, tripping the pink filly onto her face.
Berry Pinch and Silver Spoon immediately backed away, though Archer remained where she was standing, adrenaline rushing through her body as the desired fight seemed to break out.
“Oh that’s it!” Diamond Tiara shouted as she pushed herself up to her hooves, wiping the mud and tears off of her face.
“Now look who’s a wittle baby,” Apple Bloom mocked with a satisfied grin.
Diamond Tiara screamed and lunged forward, pushing Apple Bloom over onto her back, but she didn’t stop there. She then reached out for Apple Bloom’s hair, only to be stopped as she felt a set of sharp teeth sink into her foreleg.
The fight went on for what seemed like several minutes, with hooves swinging about and a few bruises being formed on either filly’s faces, before the teacher, Cheerilee, finally came outside to break it up.
Apple Bloom groaned as she trudged through the long train car, a hoof pressed firmly against a wall to keep her balance and staggering slightly as she moved. “Ah think ah drank too much apple juice,” she said to herself as she felt another pain in her stomach. “Ah might have ta find a bathroom…”
As Apple Bloom rounded a corner, she stopped and gasped as an image of three green apples entered her vision. After quickly bringing her hooves up to rub her eyes, the image changed into three tennis balls, and Apple Bloom sighed as she passed the confused-looking mare and continued down the car.
“Excuse me,” a voice called out behind Apple Bloom as she moved through the dining car. Apple Bloom’s heart stopped as she was sure she had heard her brother’s voice, and she slowly turned around, only to find a brown stallion with a crew-cut mane smiling down at her. “I think you dropped this,” he said as he showed a pink hoofkerchief decorated with an apple pattern to the filly.
Apple Bloom turned to check her bag, and found that she must have forgotten to close it at some point. “Uh, thanks,” she said as she took the hoofkerchief, the apple pattern seeming to resemble her brother’s Cutie Mark for a moment, before going back to simply being a bushel of apples in a bucket.
“No problem. You should take better care of your things.”
Apple Bloom nodded and turned to continue walking through the dining car. There were a few ponies around her eating breakfast, the sight of which made Apple Bloom’s stomach rumble and reminded her that she still hadn’t eaten since dinner the previous evening.
Apple Bloom wondered if she could open one of those ‘tab’ things and have Diamond Tiara pay it later, before they leave the train, but it seemed that that wouldn’t be necessary. Because standing at the counter, looking through a menu with drool practically hanging from her mouth, was Diamond Tiara.
‘But if ah go over there, ah’d have ta talk ta her,’ Apple Bloom thought, shuddering as she turned around. ‘… On the other hoof, ah am pretty hungry. And it’d be her payin’, not me.’ As the thought entered her mind, a devious grin crossed Apple Bloom’s muzzle, and she turned back to approach the pink filly at the counter.
Diamond Tiara noticed some movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Apple Bloom approaching her. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I told you to stay away from me.”
“Ah know,” Apple Bloom said, “But ah’m hungry, an’ you’re the one with all the money.”
Diamond Tiara glared at Apple Bloom. “I’m not paying for your food,” Diamond said.
“Yes ya are,” Apple Bloom assured her, “Or else y’all will be flyin’ solo once we reach Manehatten, an’ ah wonder how long it’ll take before somepony finds out what a rich filly y’are an’ decides ta take all yer money, an’ perhaps even you.” Apple Bloom felt sorry for whatever poor fool would wind up kidnapping Diamond Tiara.
Meanwhile, Diamond groaned and clenched her eyes shut. “… Fine,” she said. “But nothing expensive.”
“Depends what’s on the menu,” Apple Bloom replied in a cool tone as she picked up one of the menus lying on the counter. “What’s the special today?”
“Marriage,” the pony on the other side said.
Apple Bloom’s eyes widened and she dropped her menu as she looked up at the mare. “What?!”
“Porridge,” the mare repeated, raising an eyebrow at the loud filly. “And please try to be more courteous to those who are trying to eat peacefully.”
“Oh. S-Sorry…” Apple Bloom picked up the menu that she had dropped and started to look through it. She scanned through all of the pages, licking her lips at all of the delicious choices she came across, until she reached her favourite page: puddings. An image of a tall wedding cake was the first thing that she saw, causing her to yelp and close the menu immediately.
“What is wrong with you?” Diamond asked.
Apple Bloom blinked a few times, before daring to open her menu again. She took a peek at the puddings menu, and found an image of just a regular sponge cake, topped with vanilla ice-cream. “… Hey, Diamond?”
“What?” Diamond asked in an annoyed tone. ‘Is it too much to just let me look through the menu in peace?’
“Are we… really gonna be able ta run away from this?” Diamond turned to look at Apple Bloom with a puzzled look. “Ah mean, they’re gonna find us eventually, right? An’ when that happens… we’ll be forced together, won’t we?”
“… What are you saying?” Diamond asked, placing her menu down and putting a hoof on Apple Bloom’s shoulder, earning the filly’s attention in return. “So what if they find out where we are? We’ll just keep running. And no matter what happens, we won’t let them force us together.”
“But-”
Diamond Tiara gave Apple Bloom no chance to rebuke her statement. Instead, she backed up what she said by swinging a hoof across Apple Bloom’s face, earning a yelp from the filly. “We’ll never be forced together, because I won’t let that happen!”
Apple Bloom shook off the momentary shock and turned to face Diamond with her teeth gritted together. “… Ye’re right,” Apple Bloom said, calming herself down and turning back to her menu. “Ah hate ya, an’ it’ll be a cold day in Tartarus before ah let anypony force me ta marry the likes of you.”
“Exactly. Now just shut up and order. The longer I sit with you the more I feel your stink rubbing off on me.”
“Alright then. Ah’ll jus’ order one of everythin’.” Apple Bloom grinned as she placed the menu down and looked up at the mare on the other side of the counter. “An’ a round of drinks fer everypony in here.”
“Hey!” Diamond shouted.
“Ya wanna walk ‘round Manehatten by yerself?” Diamond Tiara had no response to that, other than to growl and then turn back to her own menu. “That’s what ah thought. Now make yerself useful fer once an’ pay the mare.”
Diamond Tiara found it very hard to restrain herself from kicking Apple Bloom square in the face right there and then. But she had to endure. She was able to get away with a free kick to snap Apple Bloom out of it, but she wasn’t going to push her luck until she was sure that she was safe.
‘Hmph, whatever,’ Diamond thought as she opened up her bag and reached into it. ‘Joke’s on her anyway. I’ll just use daddy’s card.’