It was morning in Ponyville, and all felt right with the world. The birds chirped happily as the sunshine peeked over the rolling green hills, a rainbow of colors that shimmered in the morning dew. Apple Bloom shifted in the bed, snuggling in closer to the pink pony that had stolen her heart so many years ago. She could scarcely believe that time had gone by so quickly, was it really ten years already? Yes, of course it was. They'd been planning this day for months, and nothing was going to stop it from being extra special. With another small scoot forward she snuggled up against the pale magenta coat of her soulmate, softly snoring in the morning light.
"Wake up, sleepyhead." The country pony said in a voice that was more like a song than a request. "Somepony who loves you wants to spend the whole day with youuu." The pink mare stopped snoring for a moment, but remained completely still. Applebloom grinned and let her nose nudge against the sleepy ponies neck.
"Diamonnnnd" She sang sweetly, the words ending hotly on her rosy neck. The pale olive pony could see her partners eyes opening ever so slightly as she kissed her cheek. The formerly spoiled pony closed her eyes and began to badly feign snoring in between constrained fits of giggling.
"Oh no!" Apple Bloom cried in mock surprise "She ain't wakin' up with my soothin' vocals! Whatever shall I do?" Her lament only sought to bring about more stifled laughter from beneath her. Grinning slyly, she loudly announced her plan to the room.
"I reckon I'll have to ... TAKE AWAY THE COVERS!" She yelled triumphantly as she chomped the top of the quilted comforter and flung it across the small cluttered room.
"Eeek! Cold!" Diamond Tiara yelled, eyes flying open as her teeth chattered in the chill of the early morning. Her precious warmth gone, she clung to the Earth pony with all her might.
"The frigid justice of the sirens call has awoken me from my slumber!" Diamond said, refusing the let go of her grip on the loving pony as the two of them laughed.
"Ah say, that's Just like one of them fancy opera's you're always wantin' to go see!" Apple Bloom observed, trying her best to imitate the stuffy 'Canterlot elite' accent. Another round of laughter as Diamond shivered.
"C-could you maybe bring back the b-blanket?" She pleaded, looking deeply into those dark sapphron eyes.
"No more sleeping, right?" Apple Bloom inquired, already stepping hoof off the bed to retrieve the lost comforter.
"No more sleeping." The pink pony affirmed, "Just cold." She added, hugging herself for warmth as her best friend draped the Apple family quilt around her.
"Ah see. Well, if you don't wanna to leave the bed, Ah could go whip us up some breakfa-"
"No!" Diamond interrupted, lurching forward as best she could whilst being cocooned in the heavy bedding. "I mean... I appreciate the effort but... stay with me?" Her tone lingered somewhere between a question and a command. Apple Bloom stopped in her tracks, taken aback for a moment before smiling warmly at the lovely mare.
"Of course!" She said, leaping back onto the bed. "Give me some of them covers, I'll warm you back up in no time at all!"
"I love you." Diamond Tiara whispered, ten years on and those words still sent a surge of happiness that ran from the tip of her nose to the back of her tail.
The simple farm pony responded with a kiss to her beloveds forehead.
"You didn't always. Do you remember the first time we met?" Apple Bloom asked, lost in a distant memory. Diamond Tiara smiled up at her in a way that sent shivers up her spine.
"I do." She answered simply, snuggling up closer.
It was the very first day of school, and Diamond Tiara was absolutely furious. How could this be happening? I don't need to go to school with other ponies, don't they know that my father will hear of this! She stomped on the floor in frustration as her temper got the better of her. Bitter tears stinging her eyes, she felt a small hoof tapping on her shoulder.
"Hi!" A squeaky voice said from behind her. She turned slowly, eyeing the tiny yellow pony sporting a huge red bow in her mane and holding up a folded blue paper.
"What do you want?!" Diamond demanded, her fury misdirected at her fellow classmate.
"I don't belong here with the likes of these ponies, what did I do to deserve this? I was perfectly happy to be living at home with all my toys!"
Apple Bloom blinked and help up her paper. Diamond huffed and took the small note, which simply read as follows: WanNa B frends? YeS / Noe The yellow pony smiled innocently as her magenta companion seemed to consider the notion.
"Pffft. As if!" A nearby voice chimed. A gray filly trotted from behind, nose pointed stiffly in the air. Vibrant white pearls bedecked around her neckline caressed a large opulent emerald. The stuffy pony took the note and crumbled it in her hooves before letting it drop to the floor.
"Pardon the interruption, I couldn't help but overhear. It's like you said, a pony of such high status does not need to be friends with a simple country pony. Silver Spoon." The gray pony said, extending her hoof to her while completely ignoring the indignant Apple Bloom.
"Uhh.. D-diamond, Diamond Tiara." She stuttered, feeling a tug as the lavish filly carted her off.
"I can't believe I used to think that way." Diamond said, feeling suddenly guilty.
"Oh Di," Apple Bloom said with a soothing smile "That was a long time ago. You're a totally different pony now."
"If only I had become the pony I am now sooner." She stated with a sigh.
"Nonsense." Apple Bloom proclaimed. "I wouldn't change a single thing."
"But I bullied you for years." She countered, shrinking into the quilt as much as possible.
"You've more than made up for it." Apple Bloom said, reassuring her with three quick kisses. "Besides, it wasn't all bad."
"Where are you taking me, blank flank? Our camp is that way." A young Diamond Tiara demanded, stumbling over a low lying branch in the near total darkness. This is just great she thought with a small pout first I get dragged out into the middle of nowhere and now I'm being lead around
"Shhh." The Earth pony mere feet ahead of her said, a faint outline that crunched through the underbrush. "Ah ain't goin' back to the camp just yet, there's somethin' I wanted to show ya up ahead."
"What could you possibly have to show me in the middle of now-" She began, her voice trailing off as the woods opened up into a large clearing. Above, the sky shimmered brilliantly in a sea of stars. Below, the sound of cascading water filtered quietly into the night. All the young pony could do is stare around her in silence.
"What is this place?" Diamond asked, mouth agape. She had seen many of the far-flung wonders of Equestria and beyond. Nothing was as beautiful as this place, this moment where time seemed to stand still as the universe slowly swirled overhead.
"My special quiet place." she answered, no less mesmerized by the scene unfolding all around her. "Applejack used to take me out here when I was little. I... I wanted to share it with somepony."
Diamond Tiara felt a pang of regret well up inside her. I just don't get it. I've been awful to her for the last two years, why is she being nice to me? The vague outline of a red bow caught the corner of her eye. Adjusting slowly to the near total darkness, she could almost swear she could see the stars swirling in the red-maned ponies eyes.
"...Thank you, but...why me?" The upper-class pony said, glad for the cover of darkness as a tear trickled down her cheek. She could have chosen anyone, in fact she was good friends with every other pony but her and Silver Spoon. A shooting star cut across the sky, leaving a bright streak in the sky. For the faintest moment, it illuminated her yellow face.
"You seemed so miserable at camp this week." She stated to the heavens, taking a few small steps towards her long-term bully.
"I was hoping my secret place would make you hap-"
Her voice was cut short by a gasp of surprise. Diamond Tiara had leaned forward suddenly and planted a tiny kiss on the country ponies cheek. Blushing furiously in the darkness, the pair sat in silence for a while. What was that?! Diamond Tiaras mind screamed. What are you doing you foal, can't you see she's your enemy? Pulling back quickly, the magenta pony took a few large steps back away from the clearing.
"Apple Bloom?" Diamond began, her tone shifting slowly from soft to harsh as she disappeared into the forest. "We can't tell anypony about this..this... mistake. Promise me." She added "Not like anypony will believe you if you tell them, anyway." after a silent moment.
And with that, she was gone. Apple Bloom tried to follow her, but it was nearly impossible in the dark of night. Ohhh, where is that pony? Apple Bloom thought, a tingle of panic rising in her neck as she trotted frantically through the underbrush. After what felt like an eternity she emerged at the campsite and the crackling orange glow of the dying fire. Frantically her eyes darted into the decadent purple tent with regal gold stitching. The flap was open, but no sign that the uppity pony had returned.
"Oh no." The little pony said, panic rising into fear as she ran to the teachers tent.
"Miss Lemon Blossom! Miss Blossom! Diamond Tiara is missing!" She cried, shaking the muddy off-white tent with all the might her hooves could carry. Almost immediately the tent flap popped open and a yellow-maned unicorn with an off-white coat popped her head out.
"Missing? What happened, Apple Bloom?"
"I was just... " She began, hearing the voice resounding in her head: We can't tell anypony about this.
"We were tryin' to find the bathroom." Apple Bloom said, it was true enough, but she had chosen to withhold what had happened next. "We got separated on the way back..." Tears threatened to well up in her eyes as she blinked them back.
"We have no time to lose." Lemon Blossom said, her horn glowing with white magic as she stepped forward. "Show me where you last saw her."
Nodding in agreement, she trotted to the edge of the woods. Without another word between the two of them they were pressing forward, the faint yellow light bathing the forest in an eerie glow.
"Diamonddd! DIAMONDDDDD!" Her squeaky voice yelled into the woods. Only the crickets and frogs answered her call.
Minutes turned into hours, and soon the entire class was out searching for the lost filly. This is all my fault. she thought, her coat tattered and bleeding from the brambles and brush. If I hadn't shown her that place, she'd be back.. safe in her bed.. The sky began to turn from inky black to dark purple. The clouds turned a brilliant shade of crimson as Apple Bloom pushed through the brush, trotting as fast as her legs could carry her. Then she heard her. Crying. Alone.
"Diamond?" She asked, seeing the familiar outline slumping against a fallen tree.
"Go away." Diamond said, her tone betraying her desire to not be left alone.
"Ah didn't tell anyone, Diamond, I swear." The country pony began, taking a shaky step toward the pink filly. "Please, let me take you back to camp, everypony is so worried-"
"Hah." Diamond said, curling into a tight ball as she turned her back on her classmate. "Nopony even cares that I'm gone."
"That ain't true! Our teacher cares! Your parents care! The whole class cares!... I...! I care..." Apple Bloom protested in a diminished voice as she drew in a shaky breath. The lonely rich pony turned toward her long-time foe. Her hardened face instantly gave way to tears as she reached a hoof out toward the simple country pony.
"Okay." Diamond Tiara said simply, tears freely falling as the sky erupts in a brilliant sunrise. "Take me back Apple Bloom, please."
"It wasn't exactly the most romantic first kiss." Diamond Tiara mused, resting her head atop Apple Blooms soft chest. She shot her a half-cocked smile and chuckled. "Let me guess, you wouldn't change a thing, right?"
The wheat yellow pony with strawberry mane just nodded, sighing contentedly at her newfound position as a diamond pillow.
"Darn tootin'. Ah was too young to know back then what it meant, but now ah think it's the moment I realized there was hope yet for you."
Diamond smiled and playfully bopped the ponies flank with her hoof. "Hey now, I know I was a pain in the flank but I was just a young filly."
"Not too long after that I met Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo and formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders. We tried for so long to finally get our cutie marks and stop being.... What was the word you used to use...? Blank flanks."
"Not so blank now." Diamond stated, pushing against the apple shield crest.
"Hard to believe we finally got our cutie marks by-"
"Helping me find my real purpose." Diamond interrupted with another knowing half-smile. "That was the day I began to fall for you."
It was late winter in Ponyville, and all felt right with the world. A chill hung in the air, but every few minutes a brief patch of blue peeked through the puffy gray sky. Snow blanketed the sleepy village in crisp piles as the sunlight dazzled off each flake like a million tiny gems. The last of the winter snow was being scheduled by the busy Pegasus ponies, and Hearts and Hooves day was just around the corner. Diamond Tiara was all too aware of the coming holiday, bracing with nervous apprehension as she looked out from her bedroom window. With a heavy breath she sighed, fogging a single pane of the frost-covered glass. Why does life have to be so ... complicated?
It had been nearly three months since the election for student pony president had ended in a spectacular failure. A failure that should have destroyed her but instead had changed everything. Once again her life had been turned upside-down at the hooves of that tenacious country pony. A pony who by all rhyme and reason should have been her mortal enemy. The young country mare had, with the help of her friends, shown her how to be the pony she wanted to be. She could scarcely admit it, but on that day she had also learned which pony she wanted to be with.
"But there's just no way." The pink pony proclaimed as the last bit of snow began to fall heavily. "It's just a silly crush. I'd have to be a foal to believe she'd be... like me." The words stung as they left her mouth. Like me. She let the words echo in her mind as two snowflakes stuck to the window. What am I going to do? She wondered, watching the two flakes melt together into a single droplet. Even if she does somehow have feelings for me, my parents expect me to marry some rich stallion someday. How would I ever tell them that's not who I am? Would they even care? Tears dripped down her cheeks like the melting snow outside her window pane.
As a young filly she had heard the awful things her parents had called other ponies who failed to conform to the typical 'mare/stallion' pairing. They shared a similar displeasure towards lower class working ponies and their 'offspring', as they had so eloquently put it many times before. How would they possibly react to their daughter falling for two of the biggest things they hate in all of Equestria? Perhaps it was a moot point, her parents weren't exactly stellar at expressing love in a way that isn't measured with coin.
"I have to know." She declared aloud to herself, staring down at the blank pink paper below her. Gently tugging a crayon out of its box, she began to write in very deliberately uncharacteristic script. DEAR APPLE BLOOM....
Apple Bloom trotted excitedly into the classroom, a folded pink note clenched in her hoof as she rushed to her two best friends.
"Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! You'll never believe it! Ah got a letter from a secret admirer! On Hearts and Hooves day!"
"A secret what?" Scootaloo tilted her head, nearly being bowled over by the overenthusiastic pony.
"Admirer!" Apple Bloom answered, beaming as she carefully unfolded the note on the desk.
"Dear Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle began, dictating the note with increasing disbelief at what she was reading. "Though I have watched you from afar for many years, only recently have I allowed myself to feel the way I do. Would you be my very special somepony? Signed, A SECRET ADMIRER?!" The yellow farmer ponies cheeks turned bright red as she grinned with glee.
"Isn't it great?!" She prodded, positively beaming. On the opposite side of the room, Diamond Tiara peeked around her open schoolbook to get a better view.
"Uh, yeah. Great." Scootaloo concurred half-heartedly. Sweetie Belle shot the orange daredevil pony a glance and took a step forward.
"What she means to say is it's great to have an admirer and all, but... it could be anypony in the whole school!" Her off-white coat ruffled as she sat on a nearby chair.
"Hmmmm. You're right! Not much else to do but get to the bottom of it ourselves, I reckon." Apple Bloom pondered out loud.
"Wouldn't be much of a secret, then." Scootaloo said flatly, yelping quietly as her off-white companion stepped on her hoof. "Erm, I mean.. sure! Cutie mark crusaders... secret admirer finders?" She held a hoof up and was met enthusiastically by a yellow hoof, then a white one.
On the other side of the classroom, a book thumped on the floor loudly. A blushing Diamond Bloom turned quickly away from the trio, suddenly very interested in the cat poster hanging on the far wall.
"Hey, wait a minute... I know who it is!" Sweetie Belle declared loudly as Diamond tried desperately to keep from falling off her chair. For a moment, the rich pink pony swore her heart had stopped completely. "Yeah, it's gotta be PIP!" The white pony declared, her two friends immediately agreeing with her deduction.
"That makes sense! You helped him become student pony president AND he gave you extra candy on Nightmare Night!"
"Pip, are you mah secret admirer?" Apple Bloom asked with a giggle, the scrawny white young stallion with brown spots stopped dead in his tracks.
"Erm. It wasn't me!" He declared, blushing crimson and scurrying out of the classroom as the class erupted into a fit of giggles.
"Awwww!" Scootaloo squealed "It was TOTALLY him!"
Diamond Tiara slumped in her seat, feeling relieved but utterly deflated. Well, so much for that brilliant plan.
"Oh, where is that pony?" It was early morning on the day of Winter Wrap-up, and a bundled up Diamond shivered in the cold. Hearts and Hooves day had come and gone several weeks ago. Nothing had come of it, aside from a few days of teasing for poor Pip. In the meantime, Princess Twilight had taken special interest in the rich ponies blossoming leadership abilities.
"You know, with all of my new duties, I could sure use another pony to help me manage the wrap-up this year." Twilight had hinted slyly over the past week. The pink pony gladly accepted, much to the delight of her parents. Helping a Princess? There was no higher honor in their eyes. It felt much less flattering now that she was standing out in the freezing cold. Her teeth chattered as a bitter breeze blew across the tall snowdrifts. A faint cloaked figure approached from the distance, could it be..
"Twilight? Is that you?" Diamond inquired, hardly able to see through the blustering cold.
"Huh? No, it's just me." Apple Bloom answered, her voice cutting clear though the howling wind.
"Oh. I see. What are you doing here?"
"Ah'm supposed to help Applejack plant the new spring harvest, but right now.. well..I have somethin' for you, seeing as this is your first time on wrap-up duty." The country pony dug into her saddlebag and pulled out a freshly knit green and red scarf. Diamond allowed the country pony to wrap the hoof-made gift loosely around her neck. She immediately felt warmer, as if the cold bite of the early morning were being warded away by the simple woolen warmer. Their eyes met for a moment, Diamond could almost swear the twinkling night sky danced in those saffron-yellow eyes the same way they had done all those years ago.
"Ah know it was you. On Hearts and Hooves day. Ah knew it was you right away. And... Ah.. do want you to be my very special somepony, even if Hearts and Hooves day is over. Sorry it too me so long to say so, it's been a mite difficult gettin' you alone.. " Apple Bloom breathed. Before she could even take a moment to deny it, they were kissing. Diamond felt the world swirl around her like the wild snow, her heart began to beat fast inside her chest. There wasn't a hint of cold left in her body as she felt her muzzle flush hotly. The massive castle door creaked open as a bundled up Princess Twilight emerged from within. Between the time the door opened and the princess appeared, the two had broken their kiss. The pair of them blushed as the warmth and light of several roaring hearths poured out into the dark.
"Good morning Ms. Diamond Tiara! Sorry if I kept you waiting, Spike forgot to set my alarm. Good thing I had a back-up! Oh, Apple Bloom, I wasn't expecting to see you here! Come in, you're both so rosy-cheeked from the cold!" Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara exchanged a knowing glance and giggled quietly to each other as they stepped inside.
The now faded and well-worn scarf hung on the coat rack amidst other seasonal apparel. The pair looked at it for a moment, lost in the memories it contained.
"It wasn't the last thing Granny Smith made for you." Apple Bloom chimed in, gently nuzzling the large quilt that encompassed her love. That much was certainly true, In the years since their romance first blossomed that elderly mare had gifted many knitted wares on the young couple.
"True, but it was the first thing that got me in major trouble, aside from my big mouth." Diamond rebutted, blinking back a less pleasant memory.
"Diamond, what is that... thing?" her mother Spoiled Rich demanded. A dirty and soaked red and green scarf flopped wetly on the table. Diamond flushed, cursing herself for her poor choice in hiding places. Her father, Filthy Rich, simply coughed in the momentary silence the moment created.
"Oh, that old thing?" Diamond answered, pointing to the scarf hanging off the back of her chair. "One of my friends gave it to me a few months ago."
"I do hope you didn't wear that out in public, dear." Spoiled Rich groaned. "I won't have my daughter seen wearing such... low class garb."
"It ain't low class!" Diamond countered, immediately aware of her mistake but catching it far too late. She was beginning to pick up her country girl mannerisms. After all that time they had been spending together, it was bound to happen. Spoiled Rich gasped loudly in horror.
"Diamond Dazzle Tiara!" She shouted, gawking at her daughter. "Filthy! You must do something, now she's starting to talk like that... that.. blank flank!" Filthy Rich continued to noisily chew his food, seemingly looking through his wife and daughter.
"Apple Bloom is not a blank flank, mother!" Diamond exploded, anger rising up inside her as she stood up from her seat. The plates clattered in protest, a cacophony of tinkling china and crystal finery. "She got her cutie mark nearly a year ago! For helping me, or don't you remember?"
"Helped you spend your fathers' money, more like." Spoiled Rich huffed.
"I think you're doing a good enough job of that yourself." Diamond countered hotly.
"That is quite enough!" Spoiled Rich yelled. "Diamond Tiara, I forbid you from consorting with those.. low class pony folk."
"Or what?" Diamond demanded, unwilling to give an inch to her overbearing mother. Her angry was burning out of control, making her say things she knew she would regret. "You're going to kick me out? For being friends with the kindest, friendliest, and most helpful pony I know? For spending time with a beautiful pony who just wants me to be happy?!"
"Diamond! Don't say such things, ponies will think you two are..."
"We ARE a couple, or did you not notice that either?" Diamond screamed, feeling a weight lifting off her chest but also suddenly feeling very foolish.
"GET. OUT." Spoiled Rich commanded, pointing a hoof out the front door. "You're no daughter of mine."
"F-fine!" Diamond replied, the words hitching in her throat as she grabbed the scarf ran from the table. She slammed the door behind her, the windows rattling loudly with the force of her swing. She didn't cry until the large mansion house disappeared completely behind her. Tears stung her eyes as she galloped blindly forward, her breath ragged as she sucked in air between sobs. She had nowhere else to go,she knew she wouldn't be welcome back home with open hooves for quite a long time, if ever. So she ran, clear across Ponyville as the afternoon sky turned to evening.
After what felt like hours she finally saw it, the familiar red silo and barn. The moon began to rise as she wrapped on the door of the simple farmhouse, the door eventually opened with a creak.
"I'm a comin', hold your horses..." Applejack called from the living room, her hooves clattering off the wooden floor. "Oh. Diamond. What brings ya here at this hour?"
"I... I have nowhere else to go..." The pink pony tried to say, instead leaning against the orange farm pony and sobbing deeply.
"Applejack? Who is it?" A familiar voice called from upstairs. Diamonds ears perked up and her crying lessened as she heard the yellow farm ponies hoof-steps descending the stairs.
"Have Big Mac pull out the guest bed, Apple Bloom." The country mare said with the warmest smile she could muster. "We got ourselves some company."
"Okay, I'll admit. I may have overstayed my welcome by a year or two." Diamond mused, bittersweet tears tricking down her face.
"Silly filly." Apple Bloom clucked, dabbing her eyes. "We weren't about to leave you with no place to go. Besides we still had a year of school to finish and after that we needed to save money for..."
"The wedding." Diamond answered with a soft smile, shifting her glance to one of the many framed pictures hanging on the wall. "How could I ever forget that beautiful disaster?"
