Sweetie opened her eyes the next morning and was greeted by a sleeping Silver Spoon. Sweetie smiled and kissed Silver of the forehead before getting out of bed and stretching. Silver began to stir.
“Good morning sleepyhead,” Sweetie Belle said in a sing song voice.
“Morning,” Silver smiled as she reached over to her bedside table and put on her glasses. “You should see your hair.” Silver laughed.
“You wouldn’t be laughing if you saw yours right now,” Sweetie said sticking out her tongue. “Think we can take a shower together this time?”
“Geez, didn’t you get enough last night?” Silver asked.
“I’m not saying we have to do anything, we could just...shower.” Sweetie said innocently.
“There will be plenty of time for that once I tell Diamond the truth,” Silver said getting out of bed. Sweetie let out a small squeal.
“I can’t wait for us to be able to be together in public, where should we go first? The movies? The amusement park? The beach? Oh Silvy, I love you!” Sweetie squeaked as she threw her arms around her friend.
“I love you too Sweetie,” Silver said, kissing her on the cheek. “Right now though we need to focus.”
“Right! We need to keep up the act for one more school day,” Sweetie said as she went to Silver’s dresser where her school uniform was. She picked it up and went into the guest bathroom to take a shower. Silver made her way to her own shower and turned on the water. As she stood under the flowing water she tried to mentally prepare herself for what she was going to do today.
“Just keep calm and tell Diamond the truth,” she said to herself. “Diamond….please….I don’t want to lose you…”
After their showers the two girls stood outside Silver’s mansion. It was a nice sunny day and Sweetie and Silver’s hearts were all a flutter as they kissed each other goodbye. Sweetie skipped as she made her way to where she and her friends met every morning before school. She had never felt so happy and giddy in all her life. As she passed a nearby alleyway she felt someone pull her into it and slam her against the wall. Sweetie’s head was ringing as a voce started talking.
“No more games, Belle,” came Diamond Tiara’s voice. “What kind of game are you playing with Silver?” Diamond had Sweetie pinned to the wall with her arms and Sweetie struggled as she replied.
“I don’t know what you are talking about!” she cried.
“Oh really? Then explain THIS!” Diamond held up a piece of paper and Sweetie’s heart sank as she realized it was the note Silver passed to her in gym class the previous day. “You have been meeting with Silver in secret huh? Playing around behind my back huh? Did you really think you could keep this a secret from me forever?” Diamond slapped Sweetie across her face and Sweetie let out a yelp of pain. Sweetie wanted to fight back but she didn’t want to hurt Diamond, she knew if she did Silver might not forgive her. Diamond slapped Sweetie harder and she once again let out a squeak of pain.
“Answer me damn it,” Diamond yelled. Sweetie stayed silent as tears started to form in her eyes. Diamond clenched her fist and punched Sweetie Belle in the stomach. Sweetie fell to her knees clutching her stomach, tears now flowing down her face. “You think you're good enough for Silver you little cry baby?” Diamond growled as she looked down at the whimpering Sweetie Belle. Sweetie slowly looked up at Diamond.
“You...don’t deserve...to be...Silver’s friend,” Sweetie panted. Diamond’s eyes flashed with fury.
“How dare you...you little piece of trash!” Diamond kicked Sweetie in the side of the head, knocking Sweetie onto her back. Sweetie’s vision started to blur, her head was pounding as she lay on her back at Diamond Tiara’s mercy. Diamond continued her assault, kicking Sweetie Belle wherever she could. Sweetie felt nothing but pain as her vision grew more and more blurry. Diamond stopped her assault and placed her foot on Sweetie’s neck. Sweetie coughed and gasped for air as Diamond applied more pressure with every word she said.
“Stay...away...from…Silver!” Diamond growled. Sweetie felt herself losing consciousness, her vision started slowly fading to black, and then it stopped as Diamond removed her foot from Sweetie’s neck and walked away. Sweetie gasped and coughed trying to get air back into her pain ridden body, her tears and blood stained the concrete where she lay as her vision slowly returned to normal.
Sweetie slowly got up to her hands and knees, her whole body was shaking as she finally stood up. She started walking slowly to where she was meeting her friends, occasionally staggering. The pain in her stomach became worse and she propped herself up against a wall and threw up on the sidewalk. Determined to reach her friends she carried on until finally she saw them in the distance. She got a sudden boost of energy as she hobbled towards them. Applebloom and Scootaloo both turned to see the horrible state their friend was in and started running towards her.
“I...made..it,” Sweetie said to herself as she fell forward into Applebloom’s arms.
“Sweetie Belle!” Applebloom cried, her eyes starting to water. “Oh my Celestia, what happened? Who did this to you?”
“It was Diamond Tiara wasn’t it?” Scootaloo said, her body twitching with anger. Sweetie nodded weakly as Applebloom took a water bottle out of her bag.
“Here, drink some,” Applebloom said as she laid Sweetie down and cradled her head in her lap. “Damn you Diamond Tiara, you have gone too far this time.” Applebloom said through gritted teeth.
“Applebloom..Scootaloo...there is something I need to tell you,” Sweetie Started.
“Hush darlin’,” Applebloom said, wetting a towel and trying to remove the blood from Sweetie’s face. “ It ain’t anything that can’t wait, save your strength.”
“No...Applebloom I have to tell you this…” Sweetie Started again, but Applebloom put her finger to Sweetie’s lips.
“Shh, its going to be ok,” Applebloom said soothingly. “Scoots, give me some of those band aids you keep with you…..Scootaloo?” She looked around but Scootaloo was nowhere to be seen. “Huh, wonder where she went.” Sweetie Belles eyes grew wide as she sat up.
“She is going after Diamond Tiara, we gotta stop her!” Sweetie yelled.
“Whoa there girl, you ain’t in no condition to do anything. Besides Scoots can handle Diamond.”
“No, you don’t understand!” Sweetie sighed and took a deep breath. “I have a lot of explaining to do….”
***
Scootaloo stomped through the town with a baseball bat in her hand. Her eyes scanned everywhere looking for a certain pink haired bully. Scootaloo had never felt so much rage, the image of a battered and bloody Sweetie Belle kept flashing in her mind and it only made her more angry. Finally she spotted Diamond and Silver walking ahead of her.
“DIAMOOOOOND!” Scootaloo roared. Both Diamond and Silver turned around to look at the enraged Scootaloo. Diamond’s eyes moved from Scootaloo’s face to the bat in her hand and she knew what this was about. “You are going to pay for what you did to Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo screamed.
“What?!” Silver said, her eyes widening as she turned to Diamond. “What did you do to Sweetie?” Diamond did not have time to answer as Scootaloo started running towards them. “Diamond, run!” Silver said as she moved between Scootaloo and Diamond.
“Silver, NO!” Diamond screamed.
“JUST GO!” Silver screamed back. Diamond started running as Scootaloo reached Silver Spoon.
“Out of my way!” Scootaloo cried.
“Scootaloo please, you don’t have to do this! Sweetie Belle and me are fri..argh!” Silver was cut off as Scootaloo jabbed her in the stomach with the bat.
“ I will be back for you,” Scootaloo growled as she continued to chase Diamond Tiara. Diamond ran as fast as she could, taking any turn she saw in hopes of losing the rampaging Scootaloo. She went down one street then another, too afraid to look back. She finally took one to many turns, however, as she came to a dead end. She turned around and saw Scootaloo standing there blocking her only exit. Diamond backed up against the wall as Scootaloo walked slowly toward her, dragging the bat on the ground as she walked.
“Please don’t hurt me,” Diamond pleaded, her eyes starting to fill with tears. “I will do anything, just please don’t hurt me.” Scootaloo stopped a few feet in front of Diamond.
“Ok, how about you start by saying you're sorry for every single time you bullied me and my friends? I think that amounts to about one thousand times!” Scootaloo said as she pointed her bat at Diamond.
“I’m sorry,I’m sorry, I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,I’m sorry,” Diamond said as fast as she could.
“Louder!” Scootaloo said.
“I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,I’M SORRY,” Diamond screamed.
“Alright, shut up!” Scootaloo yelled. “Now get on your knees.” Diamond obeyed, she looked up at Scootaloo as tears continued to flow down her face. “This ends NOW!” Scootaloo Cried as she raised the bat over her head.
“NO! PLEASE, DON’T!” Diamond screamed as she closed her eyes and put her arms on her head, bracing for impact.
It didn’t come.
Diamond slowly opened her eyes and looked up. Scootaloo was still holding the bat over her head poised to strike, but she was….crying.
“What?...What is this?” Scootaloo said as she lowered her arms. She brought her hand to her face and felt the tears flowing down her face. “Why?....Why can’t I do it? Why can’t I hurt you?” Scootaloo fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands. “Why am I so weak? Why can’t I protect my friends?”
“Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle and Applebloom yelled as they came running into the alley. “Thank Celestia your ok.” Sweetie said as she hugged her crying friend.
“I’m so sorry Sweetie, I couldn’t avenge you...I couldn’t end it.” Scootaloo sobbed.
“And I couldn’t be more proud of you,” Sweetie said.
“What?” Scootaloo said, looking at her now smiling friend.
“Don’t you see Scoots? If you had done what you were going to do, well you would be no better than Diamond.” Applebloom said hugging Scootaloo as well.
“All I wanted to do was protect my friends,” Scootaloo sniffed.
“And that is all Diamond wanted to do,” Sweetie said. “You see Scoots, me and Silver have a secret...we have been friends for a long time now, we didn't tell anyone because we didn't know how you and diamond would take it, and judging by how Diamond took it we were right to worry.”
“Diamond!” Silver Spoon came running into the alley and sat next to her shivering friend.
“C..come on Silver Spoon,” Diamond said as she took Silvers hand and stood up. “Let’s get out of here, away from these losers.” She started to walk but Silver jerked her hand away.
“No Diamond, not this time! Sweetie Belle is my friend and what you did to her was unforgivable.” Silver Spoon said.
“But...Silvy...we are...friends forever...remember?” Diamond said, tears starting to fall from her eyes again. Silver stood her ground. “I was just...trying to protect you… trying to protect us.”
A look of realization came over Silver’s face. “You weren’t blinded by hate, you were blinded by love!” She said.
Diamond hung her head. “All I ever wanted was you Silvy,but I saw the way you looked at Sweetie Belle the first time we all met in elementary school. I see the way you look at her now. You never looked at me that way! Why? We were closer than sisters and yet you chose her. I just wanted you to love me like you love her!” Diamond turned and ran.
“Diamond, wait!” Silver yelled. Diamond turned as she reached the entrance to the alley. Her face a mixture of sadness and anger.
“I loved you Silver Spoon,” Diamond said as she ran out of sight.
“Arent you going to go after her?” Sweetie asked.
“No,” Silver said quietly. She kneeled down next to Sweetie and hugged her. “So how about we start over...I’m Silver Spoon, nice to meet you” She held out her hand and Scootaloo and Applebloom both shook it.
“I’m Applebloom, pleased to meet ya,” Applebloom said as she smiled.
“Name’s Scootaloo and...any friend of Sweetie’s is a friend of mine.”
****
A few days later, Silver stood in her garden looking down at the little tree she and Diamond had planted.
“How is it doing?” came a voice behind her. Silver turned to see Sweetie Belle standing there in a beautiful yellow silk dress.
“It has seen better days,” Silver said sadly. “Beautiful dress by the way.”
“Thanks! Made it myself, I figured if I’m going to be spending more time here I better have my own dress….as well as be able to find my way through this stupid maze.” Sweetie giggled as she walked up and stood next to Silver. They both lookied down at the tree that was barely clinging to life.
“I’m not giving up on her you know, Diamond Tiara I mean,” Silver said softly. “I know deep down lies the old Diamond, the one I came to know as a sister more than a friend.” Sweetie took hold of Silver’s hand.
“You sure aren’t the kind of friend Diamond deserves, but you may be just the kind she needs,” Sweetie said. “Now how about we finish that dance?”
“Sounds good to me,” Silver said. The two love struck girls shared a kiss and began to dance the night away.