Chapter 1

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“Class, we’ll be arriving in Manehatten in fifteen minutes! Make sure you have everything you brought with you when you leave the train, okay?”

“Okay!”

Cheerilee’s smiled faded as she looked over her students, and she began walking over towards two particular colts whose heads were stuck out of a window. “Snips! Snails! How many times do I have to tell you…”

Sweetie Belle giggled as she looked over at the two colts being scolded by their teacher, before turning her attention back to her two friends, who were looking outside of their own window, pointing out the shapes that clouds made as they passed them.

“Just fifteen minutes until we get to see Babs again. I can’t wait!” Sweetie Belle said excitedly. Her two friends turned around to face her with equally excited grins on their faces.

“She said she’s been doing better at school since she got back, right?” Scootaloo asked, receiving a nod from Apple Bloom.

“She’s even made friends with two fillies who also don’t have their Cutie Marks, and made ‘em Crusaders!”

“Cool! That means we now have six members!” Scootaloo’s wings shot out as she hoof pumped the air. “Aw, yeah! This trip is gonna be awe.Some!”

“Ten minutes, class! Make sure you double-check your belongings before we arrive!”

The train carrying the students from Ponyville Elementary School pulled up to the Manehatten Platform 8, and the excited fillies and colts from Ponyville began pouring out onto the platform. Cheerilee had to use a loudspeaker to address her students over the noise caused by all of the ponies around them, and told all of her students to gather around her so that she could take the register.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked around in awe at the sheer number of ponies around them. It was unlike anything they’d ever seen. There had to be more ponies in this train station than there was in all of Ponyville!

“Apple Bloom?” Cheerilee called out.

The yellow filly jumped up and waved her hoof to the teacher. “Here!” she shouted, though she could barely even hear herself over all of the noise. Thankfully, Cheerilee noticed her, and marked her down as ‘present’.

“Wow… So many ponies…” Sweetie Belle said, stumbling on her hooves as she started to feel dizzy. “What do we do if we get lost?!”

“We’ll be fine!” Scootaloo assured her. “If we get lost, we’ll just climb up on one of those tall buildings, and Miss Cheerilee will be sure to find us!”

“That doesn’t sound very safe,” Sweetie Belle said, looking at one of the many skyscrapers that she could see from the station.

“Since when has that ever stopped us from doing anything?” Scootaloo pointed out. “Anyway, it’ll be fine! Just as long as we don’t fall off.”

“How about you just don’t get lost in the first place?” Diamond Tiara suggested, groaning when she couldn’t even hear herself over all of the noise around her. She could see that the Crusaders didn’t hear her either, and spoke up. “How about you just don’t get lost in the first place?!”

“It’s not like we’re plannin’ to!” Apple Bloom said, before turning to Scootaloo for confirmation. “Right?”

Scootaloo nodded. “But the Junior Speedsters saying is: always be prepared!”

“That’s the Colt Scouts,” Sweetie Belle said.

“An’ ye’re not a Junior Speedster,” Apple Bloom added.

Scootaloo glared at her two friends. “Whatever, it’s still a good saying!”

“Well, it’s not like it can be helped,” Diamond Tiara said with a grin. “After all, you three are always causing trouble for those around you.”

Silver Spoon giggled and nodded in agreement. “They got lost at school, so of course they’ll get lost here.”

“Only once,” Sweetie Belle said with a pout, her cheeks turning red at the memory. “Nopony told me they changed the classrooms around,” she added in a mumble.

“Anyway,” Diamond Tiara said, “I bet you three wouldn’t even know what to do if you got lost in a place like this.”

“Oh yeah?” Scootaloo challenged. “And you would?”

“Yes, actually.” Diamond Tiara turned around and pointed at a large red skyscraper in the distance, one that really stood out among the rest. “Daddy says the police here are incompetent, and he doesn’t trust them with his precious little girl. He told me that, if I ever got lost during one of our visits, I should go to that building, where my uncle works as the CEO.”

“Not that you’d ever need to, right?” Silver Spoon asked. “After all, unlike some fillies, you know how to behave and stay out of trouble.”

“That’s right,” Diamond Tiara said with a proud smile.

“Not exactly,” Apple Bloom added quietly.

“What was that?”

“Ah said-Hey, there’s Babs!” Apple Bloom pushed past Diamond Tiara, and waved over to the orange Earth Pony filly in the distance. “Babs! Over here!”

Babs, dressed in her navy-blue school uniform, didn’t seem to take notice, and continue to chat with two other fillies, one a Unicorn, the other a Pegasus.

“Darn it, ah’m gonna go talk to her,” Apple Bloom said, readying herself to push through the crowds.

“Aaand, they’re already getting into trouble,” Silver Spoon said, brining up her left forehoof to check a watch that wasn’t there. “That’s got to be a record.”

“Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo called out, reaching forward to grab her friend’s tail with her teeth. She let go when Apple Bloom stopped to turn around. “Miss Cheerilee’s getting ready to move on.”

The four other fillies turned their attention back to their teacher, who had finished taking the register and was telling everypony to stay close together. At some point, she had told them what to do in case they got lost, but the Crusaders must have missed that whilst they were talking.

“We’ll see her later,” Sweetie Belle said. “Our schools are going to meet up at the theatre later, right?”

“… Right!” Apple Bloom said, her face lighting up as she remembered the reason they were here in Manehatten in the first place.

“Great,” Diamond Tiara said in a sarcastic tone. “The blank flanks have been doubled.”

“Even worse,” Silver Spoon said, pointing over to Babs, who was now talking one-on-one with a Unicorn colt. “She has a coltfriend now. That means there are seven of them.”

Apple Bloom stared at the scene in shock as she watched her cousin talking with this unknown colt, her mouth hung wide open. “N-No way!”

“Ewww,” Scootaloo said with a cringe. “Please don’t tell me we’re gonna have to put up with those two being all lovey-dovey when we hang out with each other.”

“I don’t know…” Sweetie Belle said. “Something doesn’t feel right. I don’t think they’re going out with each other.”

“Y’sure ‘bout that?” Apple Bloom asked, feeling somewhat relieved for reasons beyond her. “How can ya tell?”

“Because I’ve seen how differently Rarity acts when she’s flirting with somepony for real, or just to get a discount,” Sweetie Belle said with a frown. “Trust me, I can tell.”

“Hey!” Diamond Tiara shouted, causing the three Crusaders to face her and find that the group was moving on. “At least try to keep up.”

“Blank flanks!” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon said in unison, giggling as they wandered off with the rest of the group.

With frowns on their faces, the Crusaders followed after the two rich fillies, trying to keep their distance from them. Once outside of the station the three friends were once again in awe as they took in their surroundings. The buildings were so tall that they felt dizzy just trying to see the top, and they were so cramped together, just like they had heard.

Ponies were moving about all over the place, some slowly moving up and down the street, others running about and bumping into each other, before moving on without so much as an apology. There were taxis all over the place, too, as opposed to there only being a few in Ponyville.

“BLANK. FLANKS!”

Despite the noise pollution caused by all of the ponies around them, the Crusaders could hear that even without Diamond Tiara shouting it at the top of her lungs. Their snapped their attention back to the two rich fillies, who were some distance down the street from them.

They quickly caught up to them, and continued admire the scenery as they passed through the city. Every now and then, Diamond Tiara would call out the same insult to them: “Blank flanks!” And every time she did, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle would shoot them hard glares, before the three picked up the pace to catch up to the group.

Apple Bloom, however, noticed something. Whenever Diamond Tiara called out to them, the three of them had to run to catch up to the rest of the class, since the three of them kept stopping to admire the scenery. At first, the farm filly thought that it was just a coincidence, but whenever they weren’t getting distracted by the scenery, she noticed the pink filly occasionally glancing over in their direction, looking for only a moment before quickly turning back to her friend.

‘Is she… making sure we don’t get separated?’ Apple Bloom quickly shook the thought from her head. No way. That couldn’t possibly be it.

After thirty minutes of walking through the huge metropolis city, the class arrived at the Manehatten theatre, where they, along with a class from a Manehatten school, would be watching a film together. The film was a part of their school’s curriculum, where they were to write a review on a piece of media chosen by their teacher.

Cheerilee and her friend Bright Mind, a teacher from Manehatten, decided to get their two classes together for a joint screening of a recently famous movie, Shrek, and then afterwards they would take the students into town, where they could do some sightseeing and some window-shopping.

“Hey, where’d Sweetie Belle go?” Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo when she realised that the third Crusader had gone missing. The two began looking around for their Unicorn friend.

“There she is!” Scootaloo exclaimed, pointing a hoof at the glass entrance of the theatre, where they could see Sweetie Belle standing outside, talking to somepony. Before they could go over to her, an orange Earth Pony ran up to Sweetie Belle, and began yelling some things at the stallion that she was talking to.

Said stallion ran off, and the orange filly that the two Crusaders could identify as Babs led Sweetie Belle by hoof into the theatre.

“What were you thinkin’?” Babs asked sternly, pulling the Unicorn filly into the theatre lobby. “Ya can’t just go talkin’ ta any random pony that offers ya candy!”

“But he seemed nice enough, and he said he liked my mane.”

“This isn’t Ponyville! There are a lot of crazies out there, and ya gotta-”

“Babs!” Apple Bloom shouted, and before Babs could move out of the way, she charged at her cousin and pulled her into a big, tight hug. “How’ve ya been? Ah haven’t seen you in like, forever!”

“AB! You’re… crushing… me…” Babs said as she tried to pry the excited filly off of her. Apple Bloom quickly loosened her grip and backed off, but kept her hooves on Babs’ shoulders and gave her a big, friendly smile. “Good ta see you again. You too, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo lifted a forehoof up and offered it to Babs, the Manehatten filly grinning as she bumped her hoof into the Pagasus’. “This is so cool! We get to spend the day together after this screening!”

“I hope you don’t mind,” Babs started, “But I kinda told my new friends that they can join us.”

“‘Course we don’t!” Apple Bloom responded. “But, where are they? I don’t see anypony else from your school with you…” The three Crusaders looked at the theatre entrance, and then around the lobby.

“Ah, yeah… I kinda got excited when I saw Sweetie Belle outside, and ran off ahead of everypony-”

“MISS SEED!” a voice boomed as the theatre doors suddenly swung open. Everypony in the lobby immediately turned their attention to the doors, to see a group of foals dressed in the same school uniform being led inside by a well-groomed stallion in a navy-blue suit. “How many times must I tell you to stay with the group? Detention when we return to school!”

“Aw, come on!” Babs pleaded, running up to her teacher. “We were right there, it’s not like I ran too far ahead of ya!”

“Young filly, rules are made to be followed, to keep us safe, and maintain harmony in Equestria. More importantly, it’s my neck if anything happens to any of you.” The teacher shook his head, and walked past the filly. “If you’re unhappy with your punishment, perhaps an alternative… Say, no free time after the movie finishes?”

Babs’ eyes widened, and she quickly shook her head. “Detention’s fine, sir!” she said with a salute.

Bright Mind grinned, but kept his face forward so that his students didn’t notice. “Very well then. Now, there will be fifteen minutes before we head inside, so until then… you may talk to your friends.”

Babs’ face lit up. “Thank you, sir!” she shouted, before running over to her friends from Ponyville, followed by a Pegasus filly and a Unicorn filly.

Bright Mind joined his old friend Cheerilee, who was giggling to herself at the little display that she just saw. “You find something amusing, Lee?”

“Don’t you think that was a little harsh?” Cheerilee asked, still giggling despite his use of the nickname she so despised.

“Not at all. Those three are a nightmare, and Babs is always the worst of the lot… I’m telling you, if I don’t straighten them out for every little mistake they make, it’s going to come back to bite me later.”

“Still, you’ve always been a little strict with your students. That’s why the foals in Ponyville never liked you very much.”

“And you, on the other hoof, are far too lenient. You don’t even issue a school uniform? I understand that Ponyville is a small town, but even so…”

“Well, let’s just agree to disagree,” Cheerilee said with a wink. “Today, we’re here to just hang out and have fun, like in the old days.”

Bright Mind cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. “That sounds like a fair arrangement.”

Meanwhile, Babs trotted over to the Crusaders from Ponyville to introduce her two new friends. “This is Flitterheart…” She waved a hoof over a confident looking purple Pegasus filly with a two-toned blue and dark-blue mane. “And Snowcatcher.” She waved her hoof over to the blue Unicorn filly with a pink mane, who looked a bit more timid than her two friends, even hiding behind Flitterheart’s leg as she introduced herself.

“H-Hello,” Snowcatcher said, waving a hoof towards the three fillies from Ponyville.

“Sup?” Flitterheart asked, offering a hoofshake to the three fillies. “Babs has told us about you guys. Any friend of hers is a friend of ours, right Snow?”

“Y-Yeah,” Snowcatcher answered quietly, shifting her attention towards Sweetie Belle, who was giving the filly a big smile. She smiled back nervously, and tried to think of something to say to break the awkward tension she was feeling.

“Hey Bloom, ya think you could make two more of those capes for these guys? Y’know, so they’ll be full-fledged Crusaders?”

“Y’all will have ta ask Sweetie Belle. She’s the one who makes ‘em.”

“Ya don’t say,” Babs said, looking over at Sweetie Belle, who was blushing a little bit. “So, ya think you can do it?”

“Well, sure!” Sweetie Belle answered. “But, I didn’t bring any fabric with me… I guess I can give you mine before we leave, and then just make a new one when I get home.”

“I don’t mind giving you mine,” Scootaloo said, receiving a hoof bump from Flitterheart in return.

“You mean that cape you brought to school with you once?” Snowcatcher asked Babs, who nodded in response. “The one the teacher confiscated?”

“The teacher what?!” Apple Bloom shrieked, staring at Babs in shock.

“I got it back!” Babs clarified. “‘Sides, how was I supposed ta know it was against the rules? I was wearing my uniform underneath, so what’s it matter?”

“Yo, Babs!” a colt’s voice called out. Babs groaned as a yellow hoof wrapped itself around her neck, pulling her into a headlock. The owner of that hoof was a yellow Earth Pony colt with a slicked back orange mane, who was just a little taller than Babs and the other Crusaders. “Who’re your friends? You gonna introduce me to ‘em?”

“Hey, isn’t that the colt we saw her talking to at the station?” Sweetie Belle whispered to Scootaloo, who nodded in response.

“Babs, you didn’t tell me ya had a coltfriend,” Apple Bloom teased, a sly grin on her face as she jab her elbow into Babs’ side.

“Not exactly,” Babs said, worming her way out of the headlock and turning to face the colt with an angry look on her face. “Go away, Biggs! Go bother somepony else for once!”

Upon hearing this, Apple Bloom’s grin fell into a frown as she looked over at the yellow colt, who was then joined by a brown Earth Pony colt with a black mane tied into a ponytail. The way Babs spoke to him reminded Apple Bloom of the way she spoke to Diamond Tiara.

“Still have no manners, huh blank flank?” Babs and Scootaloo immediately scowled at the use of that name, and Biggs laughed at the sight, giving himself a pat on the back for once again riling up the filly.

“Babs, who is this?” Sweetie Belle asked with an uneasy look on her face.

“Biggs and Wedge,” she answered, still glaring at the two colts. “The most obnoxious ponies you’ll ever meet.”

“Obnoxious? I save that word for a group of blank flanks who run around the school, babbling on about all the ways they’ll ruin everypony’s good times,” Wedge said, turning his attention to Snowcatcher, who flinched and quickly hid behind an enraged Flitterheart.

“We don’t do that! We look for ways to earn our Cutie Marks!” Flitterheart corrected.

“Whatever, we all know you’re never gonna get ‘em. After all, you’ve been at it for, what, months now? And you still have found your special talents?”

“We’ll find ‘em!” Babs responded. “And when we do, they’re gonna be ten times cooler than yours!”

“Unlikely,” Biggs scoffed. “So, these three losers from Ponyville? Maybe you should just go live there. It seems you’ll fit right in.”

“Maybe I will,” Babs said. “Then I won’t have to see your ugly faces again!”

“Ugly?! Why you-” Biggs stretched out his hoof to stop Wedge.

“In return, why don’t you give us those two?” Biggs pointed behind the group to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who were discussing something silently amongst themselves. “They seem way too cool to be hanging around dweebs like you.”

“Sounds good to me,” Scootaloo whispered to Apple Bloom jokingly. Though she wasn’t expecting Apple Bloom’s response to be so spirited.

“Forget it!” Apple Bloom shouted, surprising her fellow Crusaders. “Ah haven’t known you that long, but ah know a jerk when ah see one! We’re not givin’ any of our classmates to a couple of jerks like you, no matter who they are!

“And y’all should be ashamed of yerselves, tellin’ one of yer own ta leave fer somewhere else. If you were members of the Apple family, you’d be bucking trees on yer own fer weeks!”

“Dude, what’s with your accent?” Biggs said, seeming completely bored by the filly’s rant. “Seriously, I can’t even understand a word you’re saying.”

“Who are you to make fun of the way somepony talks?!” Scootaloo asked, coming to Apple Bloom’s defence. “What’s with that high-class, condescending tone of yours, huh? You think you’re above everypony else or something?”

“We are above everypony else. And we’re definitely above the likes of you three, and everypony else from your two-bit town.”

“Say that again!”

“What’s going on over here?” Silver Spoon asked as she joined the conversation by approaching the group. “Ugh, more blank flanks? Just what we don’t need. Right, Diamond Tiara?”

“Well, at least these two seem cool enough,” Diamond Tiara said, walking towards Biggs and Wedge. “You two were giving them a hard time, right?”

“What if we were?”

“Ooh, nice attitude. We should totally hang out after this lame-o movie is finished.”

“It’s not that lame…” Silver Spoon mumbled, receiving a strange look from Diamond Tiara. “… Uh, yeah… What she said.”

“Hmmm… Sure, why not? Beats hanging around any of the losers from our school. What’re your names?”

Diamond Tiara frowned at the yellow colt. “Don’t you know it’s impolite to ask a lady’s name without introducing yourself first?”

“She told you, man,” Wedge said with a grin.

Biggs chuckled, and lifted Diamond Tiara’s hoof up to lay a gentle kiss on it. Snowcatcher, Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle blushed and looked away in embarrassment, Babs, Scootaloo and Flitterheart cringed from the grossness of it, and Apple Bloom simply scowled at the action, though she wasn’t sure why it annoyed her so much. Diamond Tiara also scowled, and pulled her hoof away quickly.

“Forgive me, madam. My name is Biggs, and this is my good friend Wedge. And you two are?”

After wiping the spot on her hoof that Biggs had kissed, Diamond Tiara’s expression returned to its prior grin, and she introduced herself. “Diamond Tiara. And for the record, I only let daddy kiss me.”

“Silver Spoon,” Silver Spoon said, offering her hoof to the two colts. “A hoofshake only, if you don’t mind,” she quickly said, making sure they didn’t misinterpret it as her wanting a kiss, too.

“Heh, you two afraid of ‘cooties’ that much?” Biggs teased. “Well, whatever. You two seem alright, so I’ll show you around when we have our free time. Who knows? Maybe after we’re finished, you’ll want to move here.”

Apple Bloom was about to speak up, when Cheerilee’s voice suddenly called across the lobby. “Okay class, it’s time to go in! Single file lines, please!”

“Well then, we’ll see you after the movie?” Biggs asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Diamond Tiara responded, turning around and moving towards the screening room with Silver Spoon.

As soon as Biggs and Wedge left, Babs and her two Manehatten friends bid the Ponyville Crusaders farewell. “We’ll meet up here after the movie’s over,” she said, giving her cousin one final hug before they left.

“Y’know, this is actually kinda great,” Scootaloo said, earning a confused look from her two friends. “Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon meeting those two colts, I mean. This way, they won’t be bothering us.”

“Hey, yeah! That is great!” Sweetie Belle said with a big grin on her face.

“Yeah… Great…” Apple Bloom added, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

“That movie was awesome!” Scootaloo shouted as she flapped her wings excitedly, hovering in the air for just a second before she slowly descended back down to earth. “What did you guys think?”

“It was better than ah thought it would be,” Apple Bloom said. “Wouldn’t exactly call it ‘awesome’.”

“I really liked it! It’s too bad they aren’t screening it in Ponyville.”

“Bloom!” The Crusaders saw Babs and her friends approaching, and ran forward to greet them. “Great movie, don’tcha think?”

“Hay yeah!” Scootaloo exclaimed.

“It was alright,” Flitterheart said, sounding bored. “More importantly, we’ve got some Cutie Marks to earn!”

“We do?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Well, us mostly,” Snowcatcher clarified, ducking behind Flitterheart when attention was drawn to her. “We’re gonna see if we can get our Cutie Marks in being tour guides…”

“So what about us?” Apple Bloom asked with a pout. “We’re just supposed ta go along with ya and watch you earn your Cutie Marks before us?”

“Chillax, Apple Bloom. There’re tons of things you can try in Manehatten to earn your Cutie Marks.”

Scootaloo pushed Apple Bloom aside and fluttered her wings in excitement. “Then what are we waiting for?!”

As the six fillies prepared to leave the theatre, Cheerilee’s voice called out across the lobby, catching their attentions and stopping them in their tracks.

“Listen up, my little ponies! You have free time for the next two hours, which you may spend however you wish, as long as you remain within this district! Also, you must stay in groups of at least four, and you must be at the train station by five! Have fun, but stay safe, and if any of you get lost, head towards the big clock tower near this theatre!”

“Yes, Miss Cheerilee!” the students of Ponyville Elementary School responded in unison, before scattering and arranging themselves into groups. After the Manehatten students received a similar lecture from their own tutor (with more emphasis on the consequences of any rule-breaking), the six Crusaders assembled and began their trek into the vast metropolis outside the theatre doors.

“So in thirty minutes, we got kicked out of five gaming stores, four sports shops, two hardware stores, five fast-food joints, a library, and a church. We received a warning from a patrol officer, we broke a mailbox and narrowly escaped being arrested, we won five giant stuffed animals in some street sideshow thing, and we helped accidentally catch a pickpocket.” Apple Bloom scanned across the other five fillies in front of her. “That about right?”

They all nodded, and Apple Bloom sighed. “And yet, through all that, we still haven’t got out Cutie Marks.” The other five sighed as well, and all six looked like they were about to give up hope.

“Well, I guess next we should show you the park,” Babs said. “It’s just on the edge of this district, so we should be fine goin’ there. And there’s always somethin’ goin’ on there! I’m sure at least one of us will be able to get a Cutie Mark there!”

“Sounds like a plan to me!” Scootaloo said, suddenly perking up from her depression just moments earlier. “Lead the way, Babs old buddy old pal!”

“… Don’t ever call me that again,” Babs said, taking a moment to blow her fringe out of her eyes before walking past Apple Bloom. “It’s not too far. Just around the-AH!” Babs fell down onto her haunches as somepony suddenly collided into her, and Apple Bloom rushed to help her cousin to her hooves. “Thanks, Bloom. Hey, watch where you’re go… in’?”

Silver Spoon rose to her hooves and looked over the six fillies standing before her. ‘Not who I was hoping for, but…’

“What’s the hurry?” Scootaloo asked, before a grin appeared on her face. “Lemme guess: you got lost, didn’t you?”

“In your dreams!” Silver Spoon responded spitefully, before calming herself down when she remembered she had something more important to deal with. “It’s Diamond Tiara! She’s in trouble!”

Scootaloo’s grin immediately faded, and Apple Bloom quickly took a step towards Silver Spoon. “What d’ya mean?” the yellow filly asked. “What kinda trouble?”

“Stop it! Give me that back!” Diamond Tiara growled, jumping up to try and grab her tiara from Biggs’ clutches. “You’re gonna ruin it!”

“Awww, you gonna cry?” Biggs taunted, before throwing the tiara like a frisbee over to Wedge, who caught it skilfully. Diamond Tiara quickly ran over to the other colt, but was still unable to reach it. He was simply too tall for her. “I thought you were cooler than those dweebs, but I guess not.”

“Is this thing really so important to you?” Wedge asked, dangling the tiara over the pink filly with one forehoof as he used the other to keep her at a distance. “Well then… go get it!” he shouted, throwing the tiara over to his partner.

Diamond Tiara, along with the crowd of foals that had gathered to watch the scene unfold, followed the tiara flying through the air, over Biggs, and into a pool of mud behind the colt. “Oops,” Wedge said, “Must’ve thrown it too hard.”

A tear fell down Diamond Tiara’s face as she watched her tiara sink into the shallow pool of mud, and she felt her face burning up. “Oh Celestia, she’s actually crying!” Biggs shouted, laughter escaping his mouth as he watched the filly turn redder and redder with each passing second.

Diamond Tiara snapped a moment later, and she turned around and pounced at Wedge, who was also laughing along with his partner. Pinning him to the ground, Diamond Tiara fought back the only way she really knew how: reverting to base animal instincts. In other words, she bit down the colt’s foreleg, not letting go even when he screamed.

“Y-You psycho! Get off of him!” Biggs shouted, rushing to his friend’s aid. He successfully pulled Diamond Tiara off by yanking her mane, forcing her mouth open as she cried out in pain. More tears fell down the filly face as she was forcefully dragged across the park by her hair, and she let out a loud yelp when something sharp piercing right foreleg.

“LET GO OF HER!” somepony in the crowd shouted, causing Biggs and Wedge to stop and look over to see who it was. The crowd parted, and an enraged orange Pegasus filly approached the colt holding Diamond Tiara with steam coming out of her nose. “I said, LET GO OF HER!”

“And what are you going to do, huh?” Biggs challenged, and a moment later, his answer was received in the form of an orange hind leg connecting with the side of his face. Hard.

Wedge watched as his friend was knocked down onto his back, and then charged at the filly responsible. While the two began exchanging kicks, with the occasional mane-pulling and wing-biting, Apple Bloom rushed over to Diamond Tiara, who was still sitting on the ground, her face a mess of tears and snot, rubbing her head to ease the pain from having her mane pulled.

“Are you okay?” Apple Bloom asked, more worried for the filly than she would have ever thought possible. “Silver Spoon and Babs can take you back to the theatre. Scootaloo and I will handle these two,” she said, glaring at Biggs as she got up and ran over to the fight to assist Wedge.

“Why are you helping me?” Diamond Tiara asked, trying to sound angry, but instead her voice was weak from her crying.

“Because ah don’t like it when ponies bully others, and there’s no excuse fer pulling a filly’s mane like that!” Apple Bloom said sternly, reaching forward and pulling Diamond Tiara into a hug to calm her down. “You just go back to the theatre. We’ll handle those two, ‘kay?”

Diamond Tiara blushed from the sudden embrace by Apple Bloom, but she didn’t try to push the filly away. She simply nodded, her heart beating faster at the idea of Apple Bloom standing up to her. “Um… my tiara…”

Apple Bloom gave Diamond Tiara a reassuring smile. “Ah’ll get it,” she said, helping Diamond Tiara up to her hooves. Silver Spoon ran towards them, just in time for a pained cry to come from Scootaloo. The three looked over to see Wedge holding Scootaloo in a headlock, and Biggs rising to his hooves with a sadistic grin on his face. “SCOOTALOO!”

As Apple Bloom ran off to assist her friend, Silver Spoon led Diamond Tiara away from the fight by her hoof. Diamond Tiara spared one last look at the four fighting foals as she left the park, a smile gracing her features at the thought about the two fillies coming to her aid, then her frown returning as she watched them exchanging kicks with the two colts.

Apple Bloom winced as Cheerilee applied another bandage to her face, and Sweetie Belle pulled the icepack away from her eye to check the damage. It was still pretty swollen, so she reapplied the icepack.

“Honestly, girls,” Cheerilee said, finishing up with Apple Bloom and preparing to treat Scootaloo’s injuries. “How many times must I tell you? Violence is not the answer.”

“What were we supposed ta do?” Apple Bloom asked. “Diamond Tiara was in trouble, and nopony was doin’ anythin’.”

“I understand that, Apple Bloom. But there were plenty of grownups around. You should have gone and spoken to one of them, instead of taking justice into your own hooves.”

“I’ll have a word with those two later,” Bright Mind said as he approached the group. “Lee, I hope you’ll not be too lenient, like you always are?”

Cheerilee sighed and rose to her hooves. “I respect them for wanting to stand up for their friend, however… Sorry girls, but I will have to discipline you for this.”

“No way!” Diamond Tiara shouted. “They started it! I was the victim, you know?!”

“That’s enough, Diamond Tiara!” Cheerilee said in a strict tone. “You three will each remain here until it is time to go home, and you will each serve detention on the train ride home. Diamond Tiara, I understand you bit one of those two colts, correct?”

“… Yes, Miss Cheerilee,” Diamond Tiara grumbled.

“That kind of behaviour is not acceptable! Naturally, I will also be having a word with each of your families once we return to Ponyville.”

“You can’t!” Scootaloo pleaded. “If my dad gets one more visit from you, he's gonna cut off my allowance!”

Cheerilee bit her lower lip as she looked at the pleading filly. If this were any other sort of misbehaviour, it wouldn’t have bothered the teacher. But Scootaloo was standing up for somepony in trouble, and she didn’t want to punish her too much for that… “… Sorry, Scootaloo, but I’m afraid I have no choice,” she said, turning around to face Bright Mind. “I’m out of bandages. Do you have any with you?”

“Yes. I just finished treated Biggs and Wedge, and I have plenty more to spare.” He led the teacher away to top up her first aid supplies.

“Don’t go anywhere!” Cheerilee warned the three fillies. “I’ll be right back.” As she followed Bright Mind, she let out a depressed sigh. ‘Maybe I could at least cast them in a good light when I speak to their families…’

Once Cheerilee was out of the room, the other Crusaders gathered around Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and Silver Spoon approached Diamond Tiara.

“This sucks!” Babs said, kicking the ground violently. “You shouldn’t have ta stay here ‘cause of those two jerks! It ain’t right!”

“It’s fine,” Apple Bloom lied, smiling up at her cousin. “But, there’s no reason you four should stay on account of us. You should go and enjoy the rest of your free time.”

“No way! I ain’t leaving no cousin of my here all on her own!”

“Ah won’t be alone; ah’ll have Scootaloo here with me.”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said, “You guys go and have fun. Try and find your Cutie Marks. We’ll be fine. It’s not like we haven’t had detention before.”

“Are you sure?” Snowcatcher asked.

Scootaloo nodded, and Babs sighed. “Well, if you say so…” She gave Apple Bloom a quick hug, and then waved goodbye to Scootaloo. “See ya, guys! It’s been great catchin’ up to ya again!”

“You should go, too,” Diamond Tiara said to Silver Spoon. “You wanted to visit that glasses shop to look for that new frame, right?”

“But, I need to be in a group of four,” Silver Spoon pointed out, before she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned around to see Sweetie Belle smiling at her.

“You could come with us,” she offered, causing Babs to visibly gag behind her.

“Are ya serious?” Babs asked, frowning at the thought of hanging out with the grey filly.

“Why not? Just as long as she doesn’t call us ‘blank flank’ for the rest of the day.”

Silver Spoon cringed at the thought of having to spend her day with these four fillies, but when she remembered that limited edition frame that was sitting inside an optometrist’s shop in this very district, she ultimately decided that she had no choice. “Fine…” she said reluctantly.

“Then it’s settled!”

“But we go where I want to go first, got it?” Silver Spoon quickly added, not wanting to risk missing out on this chance because these four troublemakers end up wasting time with their silly little games.

“Fine,” Babs said. “Whatever, just as long as ya don’t get in the way of our crusading.”

As the five fillies left, Diamond Tiara slowly rotated her right foreleg around to check on the damage that had been done it earlier.

“Hey,” Scootaloo said, causing Diamond Tiara to snap to attention. “Why exactly were you guys fighting, anyway? You seemed to be getting along pretty well to me.”

“… We were getting along, ‘til I learned that those two are the most stuck-up, arrogant jerks in the whole world! Always looking down on everypony…”

“Gee, I wonder who that reminds me of,” Scootaloo said sarcastically, causing a giggle to come out of Apple Bloom.

“Those two took it too far! They kept insulting Ponyville. Not just the ponies that lived there, but the town itself!”

“Ah didn’t realise you cared so much ‘bout our town,” Apple Bloom said in genuine surprise.

“Of course I do. It’s where I was born, and it’s the town my daddy and granddaddy spent so much time and effort building up from nothing. Insulting it is like insulting my family, and nopony insults my family and gets away with it!”

For a second, Apple Bloom felt her heartbeat suddenly increasing, and her face heating up. She had never seen Diamond Tiara speak so passionately about… well, anything, before. And to hear that the rich filly cared for their town as much as she did kind of made her… happy.

At the same time, Scootaloo experienced something similar, though for a different reason than Apple Bloom. Diamond Tiara actually stood up to two, clearly stronger opponents, to protect the town from further insults. Her honour was insulted, and she risked her neck to defend it. She suddenly had a little more respect for the usually obnoxious rich filly, but also, there was something else there, too…

“Oh,” Apple Bloom said, suddenly remembering something. She reached down beside herself, and pulled out a small tiara, covered in mud. “Sorry, ah wasn’t able ta clean it up just yet. But ah made sure ta grab it before we left the park.”

Diamond Tiara’s eyes widened as Apple Bloom offered the tiara to her, and she stretched out her hooves to grab it… stopping when she noticed all of the mud covering it. “Um… t-thanks, I guess,” she said, still not sure how exactly she would take the filthy tiara without getting her hooves muddy.

Apple Bloom sighed when she saw the trouble that Diamond Tiara was having. “D’ya want me ta wash it fer ya, too?”

“Um… if it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Diamond Tiara said with a sheepish grin. She had no idea why she was suddenly being polite with the yellow filly… It must have just been out of gratitude. ‘Yeah, that’s it. I’ll repay my debt, and then everything will be back to normal.’

Apple Bloom put the tiara back on the ground beside her. For some reason, the idea of washing Diamond Tiara’s jewellery, rather than having the pink filly do it herself, didn’t bother Apple Bloom. In fact, she almost felt kind of happy about it…

“Sorry I took so long,” Cheerilee said as she re-entered the room. “Oh, the others left?”

“We told them that they should go enjoy themselves,” Scootaloo explained. “You said us three had to stay behind, but you didn’t say anything about them.”

“Well, they didn’t do any actual fighting,” Cheerilee said, leaning down in front of Scootaloo and opening her first aid kit, now restocked with fresh bandages. “Now hold still, Scootaloo. This will only hurt a bit.”

“Lines… Why did it have ta be lines?” Apple Bloom asked, moaning as she reached her fifth line of ‘I will not take matters in my own hooves, and violence is never the answer’. She looked over at Scootaloo to see that the Pegasus was writing each letter of each line down the page individually, and was almost finished writing all of the second ‘I’s down the page. “Y’know that doesn’t actually make it go faster, right?”

“You sure?” Scootaloo asked, rasing her eyebrow. “Always feels like it goes faster when I do it like this.” Scootaloo glanced over at Diamond Tiara, who was still on her second line. She saw the pink filly cringe and drop her pencil on the paper. “What’s up? You got a hoof cramp?”

Diamond Tiara rubbed her right forehoof, and shot a glare at Scootaloo. “It’s nothing,” she said, picking up the pencil again… this time with her left forehoof.

Scootaloo tired to ignore the obviously trouble that Diamond Tiara was having, and even had to stifle a laugh a few laughs whenever the filly’s pencil slipped across the page… But she eventually began to feel sorry for Diamond Tiara, and also, a little worried.

“Ugh, lemme see,” Scootaloo said, reaching over to Diamond Tiara and pulling up her right forehoof. Diamond Tiara tired to protest, but as soon as Scootaloo grabbed her forehoof, she let out a yelp and a tear fell down her face. “You’re hurt? When did that happen?”

Diamond Tiara yanked her hoof back, and rubbed the sore spot where a sharp stone had penetrated her skin earlier. “It happened in the park, when I was being dragged around… Anyway, it’s none of your business!”

“Of course it is!” Apple Bloom said as she got up. “Ah’m gonna go tell Miss Cheerilee. Ya can’t write all those lines with that hoof.”

“No!” Diamond Tiara shouted, stopping Apple Bloom in her tracks. “Y-You can’t! I have an image to maintain, you know? And besides…”

“… Yeah?” Scootaloo pressed, leaning closer to Diamond Tiara.

“… Silver Spoon would worry over it,” she said quietly, though it was still loud enough for the other two to hear. “Think about if it was one of you two. Would you want Sweetie Belle to know you were hurt, when there’s no reason to worry her over such a tiny injury?”

While Apple Bloom had to take some time to think about it, Scootaloo was able to answer instantly. “I guess… I wouldn’t,” she said, sighing as she released Diamond Tiara’s hoof. “Still, you can’t really write like this, can you?”

“Well, I don’t really see how I have much choice,” Diamond Tiara responded. Scootaloo suddenly leaned over Diamond Tiara, making the pink filly blush as she did, and grabbed her paper and pencil. “W-What are you doing?”

“Here. I’ll do your lines for you,” Scootaloo said with a grin pointed at Diamond Tiara. “You just let that hoof heal, alright?”

“Are ya sure?” Apple Bloom asked.

“You don’t have to,” Diamond Tiara said, once against feeling her heart rate increasing, and her stomach feeling funny as she looked at the Pegasus filly.

“It’s fine,” Scootaloo insisted. “I’m not gonna let somepony hurt themselves when I can help! That just wouldn’t be cool!”

“… Thanks,” Diamond Tiara muttered, turning her head away the moment she did, to avoid eye contact with the other filly. Because she wasn’t looking anymore, she failed to notice the redness of the Pegasus’ cheeks as she smiled nervously at Diamond Tiara’s word of gratitude.

Apple Bloom noticed though, and for some reason, she was feeling uneasy once again. Not like earlier. This wasn’t a good kind of strange feeling. She felt… threatened? Worried, perhaps? She wasn’t sure, but whatever she was feeling from watching Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo right now, she didn’t like it.

As soon as their lines were completed, the three fillies handed their papers in to their teacher. Thankfully, she didn’t notice Scootaloo’s similar hoofwriting on Diamond Tiara’s paper. As soon as they handed their papers in, they were escorted to the dining car, to eat the dinners that had been saved for them, and after filling their bellies, they were allowed to spend the rest of the train ride with their friends. Though, after the long day, and the fact that they had gotten up very early that morning, the three fillies decided instead to simply retire to their cabins.

Diamond Tiara moved to her cabin, which she was sharing with Silver Spoon and Alula, and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo moved to theirs, which they were sharing with Sweetie Belle.

“Night, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo said as they tucked themselves into their beds, making sure to speak quietly on account of Sweetie Belle already being asleep.

“G’night,” Apple Bloom responded, and within minutes, the two had drifted off into the realm of sleep…

“Diamond Tiara! Sorry ah’m late!” Apple Bloom shouted as she ran up to Diamond Tiara, who was sitting underneath a tree with a smile on her face.

“It’s fine. I just wanted to show you my appreciation for helping me out, is all.”

“So, uh… You said something ‘bout spendin’ the day together?”

“Mhm.” Diamond Tiara reached forward, and locked her foreleg with Apple Bloom’s. “C’mon, let’s go check out the new rodeo that’s in town! Maybe you could show me how everything works.”

“D-Diamond Tiara… is this… a date?”

Diamond Tiara looked at Apple bloom with a grin on her face. “Do you want it to be?” she asked, to which Apple Bloom had no answer. To the farm filly’s shock, Diamond Tiara began leaning forward, inching her face closer and closer to her own…

“Whoa! So fast!” Scootaloo shouted as she watched her two heroes, Spitfire and Rainbow Dash, racing each other at such high speeds. “This is amazing! I can’t believe I’m actually here, watching the Wonderbolts live!”

“Hey, don’t forget about me!” Diamond Tiara said, jabbing a hoof into Scootaloo’s foreleg. “Remember, I’m the one who got you these tickets.” Diamond Tiara turned her head to pout. “And to think, I did all this to show you my appreciation, and you won’t even pay attention to me.”

“H-Hey,” Scootaloo said, a guilty feeling passing through her as she slowly wrapped a foreleg around the pink filly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to… I was just so excited to see the two greatest flyers in all of Equestria racing each other, that’s all.”

“… Well then, how will you make it up to me?” Diamond Tiara asked, giving Scootaloo a coy look as she leaned closer to the Pegasus.

“What d’ya want me to do? Maybe, help you carry your shopping next time we go out?”

Diamond Tiara shook her head, and leaned closer.

Scootaloo swallowed the lump in her throat, and felt her breathing increase. “P-Pay for the meal on our next date?”

“Like you could afford it,” Diamond Tiara said jokingly. “One more chance.”

With a gulp, Scootaloo placed her hooves on Diamond Tiara’s shoulders, and moved forward towards the other filly’s face…

“AH!” both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo screamed as they bolted out of their beds with a start. They both breathed in-and-out heavily, their faces beat red as they tried to understand what the hay they had just experienced.

“… Bad dream?” Apple Bloom asked after she had recovered from her quick panic attack. Scootaloo simply nodded, and Apple Bloom gave her an understanding look. “Yeah, ah had a… strange dream, mahself.”

‘Strange doesn’t even begin to describe it,’ Scootaloo thought to herself as she climbed out of her bed. She noticed that Sweetie Belle was missing, and turned back to Apple Bloom. “D’ya know where Sweetie Belle went?”

Apple Bloom simply shrugged, before jumping out of bed herself. “Ah guess she woke up before us an’ went ta join the others in the passenger cars?”

“Yeah, guess so,” Scootaloo said, stretching her hooves and her wings as she tried to clear the still-clear memory of that dream from her mind. “Wanna go join her.”

“Sure. We got nothin’ better ta do, after all.”

As they walked out of their cabin, it seemed that fate really had it out for the two fillies; Diamond Tiara just happened to be passing by as they opened the door, and for a brief moment, her eyes met with theirs… and the next thing they knew, their faces were red once more, and they bolting down the train away from Diamond Tiara, leaving the very confused rich filly with her friend Silver Spoon standing with a bewildered look as she watched them run off.

“What was that all about?” Silver Spoon asked, watching the two with just as much confusion as Diamond Tiara.

“I… don’t know,” Diamond Tiara said. ‘Were they blushing just now? Why would they have been blushing? And… why did they run away from me?’ As Diamond Tiara pictured the two Crusaders’ red faces in her mind, she felt her own face starting to heat up, and she quickly shook the thought away. “How would I know?” she said, trying to regain some control over herself. “Just ignore them. It’s just blank flanks being blank flanks.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Silver Spoon said, the two walking down the cabin car together in an awkward silence. “By the way, why are you blushing.”

“… S-Shut up… It’s just warm in here, that’s all.”

Chapter 2

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Monday came about very slowly for Apple Bloom. Despite spending all of Saturday with her fellow Crusaders, the three didn’t really get much done that day. Although Sweetie Belle was energetic, Apple Bloom just couldn’t get into the spirit of hunting for her Cutie Mark that day. She noticed that Scootaloo also seemed to be down that day, but she already had too much on her mind to try to figure out why.

Sunday wasn’t much better either. Just like on Saturday, thoughts of Diamond Tiara refused to make themselves scarce in Apple Bloom’s mind. She couldn’t figure out why, but for the whole weekend, there were two concerns on her mind: whether Diamond Tiara was okay or not, after the incident in Manehatten, and that dream that she had had on the train ride home… along with the two other dreams she’d had about the filly since then.

“If ah was just concerned about how she was doin’ after that incident, that’d be one thing,” Apple Bloom said to Twist on her way to school, “But why am ah havin’ dreams about… bein’ her friend?” Despite her confidence that she could share any concerns she had with Twist safely, she still wasn’t going to reveal the full extent of her dreams to her, or to anypony, for that matter.

“Maybe you just want to make sure she isn’t too traumatised by what happened to her?” Twist suggested. “Remember when Dinky Doo was being bullied a few months ago, and you spent the rest of the day trying to cheer her up?”

“So ya think ah’ll be okay once ah see her back the way she was before?” Apple Bloom asked hopefully.

“Maybe. We’ll find out soon enough anyway.” The two fillies stopped at the gate to the schoolhouse for a moment and looked around at all of the fillies and colts playing around outside. “Doesn’t look like she’s here yet. Wanna go play hopscotch?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. She really wasn’t up to doing much right now. “No thanks. Ah’ll just wait inside ‘til the bell rings.”

Twist looked at her with wide eyes. Apple Bloom, choosing to sit silently rather than playing with other foals outside? “Wow, this must be really getting to you, huh? I hope this doesn’t last too long.”

“Me too,” Apple Bloom said with a slight giggle. “Ah’ll see ya later, Twist.”

Twist nodded, and waved as Apple Bloom entered the schoolhouse by herself. She looked concerned for her friend, and wished that there was something she could do to help her out.

Scootaloo bolted up out of bed with a start. This marks the fourth time she had had a dream about herself and Diamond Tiara. The first two were about the two of them going on a date somewhere. The third was about the two of them being stuck in detention together, and Scootaloo making advances she would never do in real life. The fourth dream was the most weird by far… it was a dream of Diamond Tiara being bullied by two colts, and Scootaloo coming in to rescue her…

The strange part is that Scootaloo enjoyed the thought of rescuing Diamond Tiara, and the thought of the pink filly showing her appreciation with hugs and kis-

“Blech!” Scootaloo shouted as she scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out. “Gross! What’s wrong with me?”

Scootaloo thought back on the dream again, and found that she had mixed feelings about it. On one hoof, she felt her heart flutter from the thought of being so close to Diamond Tiara… Her face heated up, and her stomach started to feel light. But on the other hoof, whenever her mind drifted to the part of the dream where Diamond Tiara was in trouble… seeing that face hurt look on the pink filly’s face, the tears streaming down her cheeks, and the fear in her eyes…

Remembering these things triggered something in Scootaloo. The orange Pegasus was never one to allow bullying to just happen right in front of her, and she’s probably the first in her class to jump into a fight to protect somepony when they’re in trouble, but usually, she never really felt so strongly about it. Sure, she didn’t like seeing others sad… but she never feared it. And that’s what she was feeling right now: fear at the thought of Diamond Tiara being hurt so badly. She didn’t want to see Diamond Tiara in pain. She wanted to protect her, and it went far beyond the feeling of wanting to protect a classmate or a friend.

“Ugh, what is wrong with me?!” she asked herself again as she pounded the sides of her head with her forehooves. “She’s Diamond Tiara! The stupid, stuck up little snob who’s always giving me and my friends a hard time! Why am I feeling this way about her?!”

A loud ringing next to Scootaloo startled the Pegasus filly, and caused her to jump off of her bed with a loud yelp, her heart beating quickly and almost threatening to jump out of her mouth. “Oh, my alarm clock,” she calmly deduced as soon as she calmed down. She sighed, and reached over to turn the annoying device off. “Guess I’d better get ready for school… SCHOOL! Oh, no! I’m gonna have to see her, aren’t I?!”

Scootaloo paced up-and-down her bedroom frantically as she wondered how she was going to approach this situation. If she went to school, she would have to see Diamond Tiara. Somepony she didn’t want to see. At least not until she had figured out why she was having she strange dreams and feelings towards her.

But then, an idea presented itself to Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash had once taught her that the best way to deal with a problem, is to face it head-on. “So… I gotta go to school and see Diamond Tiara?” Scootaloo grabbed her mane with her hooves and pulled as she groaned out loud. “No way! I don’t wanna do that! But… I don’t want to go against Rainbow Dash’s teachings…

“Wait, maybe this isn’t so bad after all! If I go to school and see Diamond Tiara being the big jerk that she always is, these feelings are sure to go away! Yeah!” With a nod and big smile on her face, Scootaloo rushed about her room to pack and collect her saddlebags, and pick up her scooter. “I’m leaving!” she shouted as she ran downstairs, receiving a simple murmur from another room in the house.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon giggled together as they entered the gates to the schoolhouse. They had been reminiscing about the movie they watched during their sleepover last night, and picking out all of its bad points piece-by-piece. It was a terrible movie, but making fun of it brought a smile to Diamond Tiara’s face, so Silver Spoon considered it a job well done, praising herself for her efforts.

“We still have ten minutes left before we have to go inside. Wanna go hang out by the swings while we wait?” Silver Spoon asked.

“Sure, as long as there aren’t any losers there,” Diamond Tiara responded. She was feeling just as great as she felt before the trip to Manehatten a few days ago, and she knew that it was all thanks to her friend. She considered herself lucky to know somepony as great as her, and wasn’t about to ruin the grey filly’s attempts at cheering her up by stubbornly remaining miserable. She was going to be happy, and she was going to laugh alongside side her BFF all day long.

Or that was the plan, at least. But when the screams and yelps of nearby foals caused the two rich fillies to turn around, and she saw Scootaloo sliding into the school gates on her scooter, skidding to a stop and causing some fillies and colts to jump out of the way, Diamond Tiara’s spirits suddenly dropped again. ‘Ugh, great! It’s her! And after I had just gotten her out of my mind…’

During the entire weekend, Diamond Tiara couldn’t stop thinking about that incident in Manehatten, where she had gotten into a fight with two colts much stronger than herself, and was then saved by two fillies who she considered to be her enemies. One of those two fillies was Scootaloo, and, if Diamond Tiara, the rather crude and energetic Pegasus filly was the first one in a whole crowd of ponies watching her suffering to actually step up and do something.

She wasn’t really paying much attention at the time, as she was so shaken up and was too busy wiping her tears out of her eyes, but when she had time to reflect on it later, the way that Scootaloo stood up for her, taking on the two colts all on her own… and the look in her eyes as she told them to let her go. Diamond Tiara had to wonder whether that rage was from seeing her in such a state. Whether Scootaloo got that angry for her sake.

Of course, such thoughts were absolutely ridiculous. She cared not for how the Cutie Mark Crusaders thought of her, just as long as she could continue making fun of them and pulling her pranks on them every now-and-then. And she certainly didn’t dwell on the incident in the train, where Scootaloo had chivalrously offered to take on Diamond Tiara’s punishment, due to her injured hoof. She spared no thoughts on the Pegasus’ generousness, or he kindness, or how amazing her hoof felt against her own…

‘GAH! It’s happening again! I thought a weekend away from her would get those disgusting thoughts out of my head, but now, I can’t even go two seconds without them coming back to me! I have to regain some control… and I know just how to do it!’

Diamond Tiara approached Scootaloo with a grin on her face. The foals around knew where this was going, and began to back away enough to get out of the splash zone of any incoming fights, yet not so far away that they would miss any of the action. Silver Spoon was the exception, following Diamond Tiara, ready to back her up.

“Oh my,” Diamond Tiara said, causing Scootaloo to turn to her just as she removed her helmet. The pink filly stopped, and watched as Scootaloo’s scruffy mane revealed itself from under her helmet, before the Pegasus flicked it back-and-forth to sort it out, her face glistening from the sweat she worked up riding her scooter to school.

There was a strange tug in Diamond Tiara’s chest as she watched Scootaloo coolly leaning onto her scooter’s handle, holding her helmet with her left foreleg and staring at Diamond Tiara with two big purple eyes. ‘Oh my,’ she repeated in her mind, but in a much different tone.

“Yeah?” Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow at Diamond Tiara’s sudden hesitation.

“Oh, uh…” Diamond Tiara cleared her throat, and commanded her heart to slow down a bit. “Hey, is that a Cutie Mark you have there?” she asked, pointing to Scootaloo’s flank…Her flank… ‘Her f-flank…’ Diamond Tiara’s cheeks turned red, and she averted her gaze.

Nopony else seemed to notice though, as all eyes were directed immediately to Scootaloo’s flank… which was still blank. “There’s nothing there,” a colt from the nearby crowd said, with confusion in his voice.

“Well of course not,” Diamond Tiara said. “It’s just like hr special talent: non-existent!” The two rich fillies laughed at the joke, along with one or two ponies around that only saw it as a harmless practical joke on one of their classmates.

“Now now, Scootaloo, don’t feel so bad,” Silver Spoon said, following up on Diamond Tiara’s joke. “After all, you could become the oldest pony alive who doesn’t have their Cutie Mark! That’d be pretty impressive, too, y’know?”

The two fillies’ laughter continued for a bit, before dying down as they waited for Scootaloo’s reaction… which never came. Normally, Scootaloo was the first of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to lash out at the two fillies, but right now, she was simply staring at them with an un-amused look on her face.

“Is that all you wanted?” she asked. Diamond Tiara was rendered utterly speechless by this, and before she could think of something clever to say in response, Scootaloo walked off with her scooter towards the schoolhouse, entering it and leaving many bewildered foals outside, some worried that the Pegasus might be sick, and others thinking that she had gone crazy, or was being possessed by a ghost or something.

“Well, that was… weird,” Silver Spoon said. “I guess we were just too much for her to handle on her own, right, Diamond?”

“Y-Yeah,” Diamond Tiara responded, glaring at the door leading into the schoolhouse.

“Well, c’mon. Let’s go hang by the swings until the bell rings.” Silver Spoon turned around and began walking towards the swing set in the distance. On the way, she tried to engage Diamond Tiara in a conversation regarding the latest jewellery available in her mother’s shop, but stopped when she realised that her friend wasn’t responding. “Diamond?” She turned around to find that the pink filly in question was nowhere to be found. “… Where’d she go?”

Scootaloo rolled the dial on her locker to the number seven. A click sounded, and the filly pulled her locker open so that she could put her folded-up scooter inside. She closed the locker and locked it up, and then just stood there in silence as she considered going to class early.

Scootaloo sighed as she thought back to her encounter with Diamond Tiara just moments earlier. ‘I should have just told her where to shove it… I wanted to, but I just… couldn’t. And it’s not like I could get into a fight with her without making sure her hoof’s okay.’

“Hey,” a voice called out to her. Scootaloo cringed. This was the last voice that she wanted to hear right now. She considered quickly running away, but that would just look completely uncool. So she instead stood her ground, and faced the approaching pink filly with a nonchalant look on her face. “What’s with you, running off like that when I was trying to embarrass you in front of everypony?”

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Uh, sorry? I just didn’t feel like taking part in your bullying today, that’s all.”

“You’re the victim!” Diamond Tiara shouted. “You don’t get to chose whether you take part or not!” ‘Why am I getting so worked up? I could just go and find Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom… It doesn’t have to be her!’

‘So, Diamond, what’s it like being Queen of your own messed up little world?’ Scootaloo wanted to ask her that, but for some reason didn’t. ‘Just go bug somepony else. Stop bothering me with your annoying, whiny, stuck-up voice.’ For reasons beyond her, all the things that Scootaloo wanted to say to Diamond Tiara to make her run away crying, she just couldn’t. And in addition, she found that some of those thoughts were betraying her. ‘Well, I guess her voice isn’t that bad.’

“Well? Are you going to say something, Cutie Mark Cry-baby?”

“I’m not a cry-baby!” Scootaloo shouted in response, bringing a smirk to Diamond Tiara’s face. “Ugh, do you honestly enjoy tormenting me so much?”

‘Of course not! Right now, I’d rather be with Silver Spoon, talking about jewellery. It’s your fault though… If you’d just reacted outside…’ Diamond Tiara moved closer to Scootaloo, causing the other filly to back up a bit. “I just decided to go to class earlier, and happened to pass you in the hallway. That’s all.”

“S-Sure,” Scootaloo said, her face heating up as Diamond Tiara moved closer to her. “Well then, why don’t you just go on ahead to class?”

A few seconds of silence passed between the two fillies, with Scootaloo shifting her eyes about uncomfortably, and Diamond Tiara examining her closely. Finally, Diamond Tiara said something. Something that Scootaloo was not expecting to hear. “Thank you…” she said, though it was in a low mumble.

“… Uh… what?”

“For sticking up for me in Manehatten!” Diamond Tiara shouted, her face quickly turning red. “And for helping me on the train, when my hoof hurt… There! I thanked you, now stop bothering me already!”

Before Scootaloo could say anything, Diamond Tiara turns around and tries to run away quickly, but only gets to steps away from the bewildered filly before crashing into a locker door that had been carelessly left open. Scootaloo cringed as she heard the painful thud! from the collision, and walked over to Diamond Tiara as she fell to the floor.

“Um… you okay?” she asked, not sure if she should be concerned or laughing uncontrollably right now. “You need a hoof?”

“… I’m fine,” Diamond Tiara said, slowly pushing herself up to her hooves. She rubbed the sore area on her muzzle, and then stumbled backwards a bit as a dizzy spell washed over her. “Wah!” she cried as she began to fall backwards.

“Whoa!” Scootaloo quickly reached forward to catch the pink filly before she fell down. As soon as she did, she once again began to scold herself in her mind. ‘It would have been hilarious to see her fall on her flanks after all she’s done to us! Why did I help her?’

Diamond Tiara gulped as she looked up at Scootaloo’s face, peering down at her from above. Both fillies just stared at each other in silence for a bit, neither one saying anything to break the uncomfortable silence. ‘W-Why?’ Diamond Tiara asked herself, this time in fear. ‘Mommy said… this is how you feel towards your special somepony. Why am I feeling this way towards her of all ponies?’

‘You’ve gotta be kidding me,’ Scootaloo told herself as she looked down into Diamond Tiara’s big, wide eyes. ‘There’s no way I can be feeling this way towards Diamond Tiara of all ponies! Why? Why has life gotta be so cruel?!’

“Hey,” they both said in unison.

“Uh, you first,” Scootaloo said, turning her gaze away from Diamond Tiara’s.

“D’you think you could, like, let go now?” Diamond Tiara asked, motioning towards Scootaloo’s hoof, which the Pegasus filly hadn’t even realised was holding her tighter than necessary.

“Oh, right,” Scootaloo said, releasing Diamond Tiara and allowing her to get back to her hooves. ‘Man, why her? What’s so great about her? And, what did she mean when she said I was ‘bothering’ her?’

The school bell rang, startling the two fillies and breaking Scootaloo out of her thoughts. Behind her, the Pegasus filly could hear the sounds of the schoolhouse doors opening, and several fillies and colts entering. Scootaloo turned back to Diamond Tiara, only to find that the pink filly was now running away, towards their classroom. After giving herself a few seconds to shake off the last remnants of her weird thoughts, Scootaloo followed after her, but at a much slower pace.

Apple Bloom groaned as she buried her head into her hooves. ‘Please don’t let Diamond Tiara be in school today… Please please please plea-’

“Oh, if it isn’t the other blank flank.” Apple Bloom slammed her head into her desk. She was here. Wait…

“The ‘other’ blank flank?” she asked. What did that mean? Had she encountered Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle already today?

‘Yeah, as in the other blank flank that won’t get out of my mind!’ Diamond Tiara shook the thought away, and walked up to Apple Bloom’s desk. The yellow filly raised her head to look at her… and suddenly, Diamond Tiara had to avert her gaze. “I-Is my tiara ready yet?”

Apple Bloom’s ears twitched, and she quickly sat up straight. “Oh, right!” She had actually forgotten all about it since entering the classroom. Her mind had been on more important things… like trying to get a certain obnoxious pink filly out her mind. “It’s in mah bag. One second…”

Diamond Tiara watched as Apple Bloom lifted her bag onto her desk, and began to rummage through it for the tiara. As she watched, she kicked a hoof against the floor and grinded her teeth together. Scootaloo wasn’t the only one haunting the filly’s mind this weekend… Memories of how Apple Bloom had come to her side and comforted her in her time of need kept coming back to her, casting the uncouth Earth Pony filly in a whole new light that made Diamond Tiara question her sanity.

She was sure that there was only one way to rid herself of these thoughts. “T-Thank you,” she said, causing Apple Bloom to stop her rummaging and slowly poke her head out of her bag. Diamond Tiara closed her eyes and continued. “For helping me back in Manehatten… Thanks.”

“N-No problem,” Apple Bloom said, her heart skipping a beat as she pulled the tiara out of her bag and extended it towards Diamond Tiara. “Here…”

Diamond Tiara opened her eyes and saw the familiar piece of jewellery before her. She reached up with a forehoof and grabbed a hold out of it. As she took the tiara and placed it atop her head, the two fell into an awkward silence. Diamond Tiara looked at her desk beside Apple Bloom’s, and tried to move towards it. But her legs felt like jelly, and she couldn’t for the life of her figure out how to move them right now.

“It looks good,” Apple Bloom said, surprising Diamond Tiara. “The tiara, ah mean!” she quickly added. “Ah didn’t get mah Cutie Mark for it, but ah think ah did pretty good, if ah do say so mahself.”

Diamond Tiara blushed as Apple Bloom kept staring at her, and both fillies quickly turned her heads away from each other. “It’s… not bad… for a blank flank.”

Any other day, Apple Bloom would have frowned at Diamond Tiara’s trademark insult, and fallen into a bad mood until her friends arrived to cheer her up. But currently, the term ‘blank flank’ didn’t bother her like it usually did. In fact, she actually felt a smile forming on her face. Why? Why would she be happy that Diamond Tiara is being her usual annoying self?

She remembered what Twist had said to her earlier, and wondered if she was just happy to see that Diamond Tiara was indeed doing okay after that incident in Manehatten? ‘Well, that’s good, right? ‘Cause it means ah’ll stop thinkin’ ‘bout her so much.’

Diamond Tiara finally managed to work her legs properly again, and casually walked past Apple Bloom’s desk, her head held high and her eyes shut so that she wouldn’t accidentally make eye contact with her, and she took her seat next to Apple Bloom. As she did so, Apple Bloom caught a scent that was familiar to her, from previous days of sitting next to the rich filly… It was some strange, expensive perfume that Diamond Tiara made a big deal about some time ago.

It was a familiar smell to Apple Bloom, so she had never paid it much notice. So why was it that, now, the smell was making her head spin, and her face to flush. Maybe she was just not feeling well today? Or maybe Diamond Tiara put on much stronger version of that perfume? ‘… Or maybe… N-no, Granny Smith said that colts belong with fillies, and that fillies belong with colts. Ah can’t be attracted to another filly, it’s just not possible… ‘Specially not that one.

The classroom door opened suddenly, snapping Apple Bloom out of her thoughts, and she quickly turned around to see her classmates entering. ‘… R-Right. Ah’m just not feelin’ well today, that’s all. But as soon as school’s out, ah’ll be right as rain!’

“Good morning, class,” Cheerilee said as she sat at her teacher’s desk at the front of the classroom.

“Good morning, Miss Cheerilee,” the class responded in unison.

‘Okay, so if I carry this number then… Ugh, I’m lost.’ Scootaloo put her pencil down and rested her head on the table in front of her. ‘Stupid numbers. Why do I even have to learn them? I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt someday!’

“Diamond Tiara, eyes on your own book,” Cheerilee said, causing most of the class to turn their attentions to said filly, who quickly pulled her head away from Apple Bloom’s desk.

“Hmph. Not like she has anything useful for me to copy anyway,” Diamond Tiara said back, pouting as she rested her chin a forehoof. Some of the class began to laugh, but that was quickly ended by Cheerilee.

“Five more minutes, and then we’ll go through the answers together.”

Scootaloo was probably the last foal still looking at Diamond Tiara after the class had settled down. ‘That’s right, she’s bad at Math too… And English, and Geography, and Science, and… well, I guess she’s actually pretty good at History.’

Diamond Tiara was glaring down at her question paper, looking as if she was ready to just get up and explode with rage at it. She tapped her pencil against her exercise book as she bit into her forehoof. It seemed to Scootaloo that she was genuinely trying to answer the questions, but just couldn’t make sense of any of it. ‘Yeah, I know how that feels.’

A piece of paper suddenly flew at Diamond Tiara, hitting her forehoof and landing on her book. Both Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo looked towards what they thought to be the paper’s origin: Silver Spoon. The grey filly was paying attention to her own question paper, not writing anything down. Knowing her, the two fillies assumed that she was already checking her answers.

Diamond Tiara opened the paper, and soon began writing at a much faster pace than earlier. There was no doubt about it in Scootaloo’s mind: that paper contained the answers to the questions on the sheet. ‘Great,’ she thought to herself, ‘Now I’m gonna have the lowest score of the class.’

Sparing one last look over at Diamond Tiara, Scootaloo could just about make out the smile on the pink filly’s face. She quickly put her head back into her forehooves as she felt her face heating up again. ‘I don’t get it, what do I see in her?! She’s loud, and obnoxious! I mean, sure, Rainbow Dash can be loud sometimes, too, but Diamond Tiara’s just loud for the sake of being annoying! That stupid, stuck-up, high-and-mighty tone of hers!…’

Diamond Tiara’s voice began to sound in her mind. ‘… I guess, it isn’t the worst voice in the world, but still! Okay, I’ll admit she’s… kinda… c… cu… cu… not the ugliest filly in school, but that doesn’t mean I should like her! She’s always tormenting me and my friends! And that giggle she always does whenever she’s with Silver Spoon… Um, what did it sound like again? Darn it! Now I want to hear her giggling?! That’s it! I’m going straight to therapy as soon as school is out!’

“Scootaloo?” Cheerilee called out, causing Scootaloo to bolt upright in her seat. “Do you have the answer to question three?”

Scootaloo looked down at her paper. Question three was one of the few questions she could actually make a decent attempt at, but she still wasn’t very confident about it. Still, she decided to give t a go. Anything to get her to stop thinking about a certain tiara-wearing pink filly.

Speaking of which, Scootaloo turned her attention o where Diamond Tiara was sitting. Normally, this would be where Diamond Tiara would be grinning from ear-to-ear, just waiting for the chance to laugh and poke fun at Scootaloo’s poor arithmetic skills. Today, however, Diamond Tiara seemed to be paying no attention to her whatsoever.

“Um, I got… twenty-eight?”

A few giggles around the class was enough to tell her that she was wrong, and brought a frown to her face. Surprisingly, though, Diamond Tiara wasn’t one of the ones giggling. Even with her back turned, Scootaloo could see that Diamond Tiara wasn’t laughing at her incorrect answer. And while that shouldn’t have bothered her in any way, for reasons unknown to Scootaloo, she was actually upset with it. ‘What, I don’t even exist in her eyes?’

As Miss Cheerilee went over the answer on the board, none of the information went into Scootaloo’s ear at all. She was far too busy scowling at the back of Diamond Tiara’s head, half of her wondering why the pink filly was refusing to acknowledge her existence, and the other half wondering why she cared so much.

Lunch could not have come sooner for Apple Bloom. After spending a whole two hours in class next to Diamond Tiara, she thought that the strange thoughts she had been having lately would go away, and she’d be back to hating the very thought of even being classmates with the pink filly. But no, they didn’t go away. In fact, they had made her act like what she could only describe as a ‘grade-A goofball’.

She noticed that Diamond Tiara was looking over at her book for answers to the Math questions, and whilst she usually would have just ignored it, or sent Diamond Tiara a glare to make her back off, this time, she found herself actually edging her book towards the other filly, making it easier for her to see her answers.

When Diamond Tiara was caught by Cheerilee, Apple Bloom then decided to write the answers both in her book, and on a separate piece of paper. She then folded the paper up, and tossed it over to Diamond Tiara. She knew that Silver Spoon had a tendency to do that, so she wasn’t afraid of being caught. She could just act innocent, and let Diamond Tiara think that her friend did it for her.

Finally, near the end of class, when Apple Bloom was supposed to be on full alert for a sudden question from Cheerilee, she found herself drawing little tiaras in her exercise book, and then quickly rubbing them out with her eraser. While caught up in doing this, she had been called upon by Cheerilee to answer a question on the board. A question which, of course, she couldn’t answer, since she hadn’t been paying attention. Still, she tried her best, and somehow managed to guess the right answer. As she went back to her desk, she made a brief moment of eye contact with Diamond Tiara. That brief moment was all she needed to completely space out and trip over her saddlebag on the floor, making a complete fool of herself, and earning a bout of laughter from the entire class. Even from Diamond Tiara.

As she got up to her hooves, with Cheerilee’s help, she noticed that Diamond Tiara’s laughter wasn’t the usual haughty, mean-spirited laughter that she was used to hearing, but was instead more of a soft giggle. As if the pink filly was attempting to hold her laughter in, but it came out anyway, against her wishes. And the sound of it gave her butterflies.

The two made eye contact again as Apple Bloom sat down, and immediately turned their attentions back to their books.

‘Ah need help,’ Apple Bloom thought to herself just as the bell rang.

During lunch, the three crusaders decided to eat outside, seeing as how it was such a lovely, sunny day. Sweetie Belle was ecstatic with her lunch: three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crust cut off, an orange (which made Apple Bloom cringe), and a juice box of grape juice.

Apple Bloom was less ecstatic, though not because of the food she had. She loved apple fritters and apple-flavoured muffins, and apple juice to wash it all down, but she was just unable to get a certain pink filly out of her head, and it was sapping away all of her spirit.

Scootaloo had a similar problem, and that wasn’t helped by the fact that, today, her lunch only consisted of an apple she had stopped to buy on the way to school.

“Is that all you’re having?” Sweetie Belle asked with a look of concern.

“Yeah… Dad was sick again last night, so I didn’t really have enough time to put together a lunch for today.”

“Oh my, I hope he’s okay.”

“He’ll be fine. Ever since mum walked out on us, he’s been getting sick spells every now-and-then, but I take good care of him,” she said with a proud smile on her face. “And he has a ‘special medicine’ for it, too.”

“Still, I can’t let you eat just that.” Sweetie Belle placed one of her sandwiches in front of Scootaloo, along with half of her orange. “Here, you can have some of my lunch.”

“Wow, really?” Scootaloo asked, touched by her friend’s concern.

“Of course. If you tell me why you and Apple Bloom have been acting so weird lately.”

Scootaloo’s ears twitched, and she turned her head away. “What are you talking about? I’m not acting weird.”

Apple Bloom stared down at her lunch for a few seconds, before sighing and raising her head to look at her two friends. “Actually… ah think ah’ve got a real big problem…”

Sweetie Belle turned her attention away from Scootaloo, and gave Apple Bloom a worried look. “A problem? What’s wrong? Are you sick? Is there a problem down at the farm?”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “No, nothin’ like that. It’s a… ah’m not quite sure how ta describe it…”

“Actually, I’ve kinda got a problem too,” Scootaloo said, now feeling a little more secure with sharing her concerns since Apple Bloom had done. “Though, it’s probably nothing to worry about… I’m probably just being silly…”

“Well, talk to me,” Sweetie Belle said, shifting her gaze between her two friends. “I’m your friend! You’re supposed to talk to your friends when you’re having problems. And besides, I might get my Cutie Mark in helping you two,” she added jokingly with a smile on her face.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo smiled back, and decided to start telling her of their troubles, albeit hesitantly.

“Ah’ve… been having these weird feelings for somepony lately.”

“Me too,” Scootaloo said, surprising Apple Bloom. “I’m glad I’m not the only one. I thought I was going crazy.”

“Feelings?” Sweetie Belle asked, before gasping and leaning closer to her friends, giving each of them sly grins and she chuckled under her breath. “What, you mean like love?”

To her surprise, both fillies, now as red as the Red Delicious in front of Apple Bloom, nodded their heads slowly. Sweetie Belle stopped her chuckling, realising that the situation was more serious than she had thought.

“Well, that isn’t so bad,” she said, though she wasn’t entirely sure. “I mean, Miss Cheerilee did say that ponies start to change at our age, and Rarity said that it’s only natural that we start to ‘notice’ colts as we get older.”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Scootaloo said, scratching the back of her head.

“It’s a filly,” Apple Bloom said, pressing her face into her forehooves in shame.

“Oh. Well, that’s still not exactly a bad thing, right?” Sweetie Belle asked, receiving a surprised look from Apple Bloom. “Well, Rarity’s had marefriends before, and she says there’s nothing wrong with it.”

“But Granny Smith says it ain’t natural! That two colts and two fillies shouldn’t ever be together! She said it’s a sin against Princess Celestia, and that Discord would rise again if fillyfoolers and coltcuddlers began ta spread!”

“Okay, deep breaths Apple Bloom.” Apple Bloom breathed in deeply, and then out. She continued this as she backed away from Sweetie Belle’s face, and went back to looking down at her lunch with a shamed look on her face. “And what about you, Scootaloo? Same problem?”

“No. Well, yeah, she is a filly, but it’s not really that that I mind… It’s who it is that bothers me.”

“And who is it?” Sweetie Belle asked, picking up her grape juice and taking a sip.

“Diamond Tiara,” both of her friends answered in unison. They then turned to each other with shocked looks on their faces, and an uncomfortable silence descended on the group, save for the sounds of Sweetie Belle gagging on her grape juice as it sprayed out of her nose.

“Oh… my…”

Chapter 3

View Online

The Cutie Mark Crusaders observed as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sat together in school cafeteria, eating their lunches as they chatted about something that the three fillies, stealthily concealed behind their copies of this week’s Foal Free Press, couldn’t hear.

“Well?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Anything?”

Scootaloo cringed as she turned her attention to her paper, actually reading some of the articles inside in the hope of clearing her mind. “It’s kinda hard to explain… I’m not sure if I’m feeling anything good or bad right now, I just know that I’ve never felt it before…”

“Sounds like you’ve got it bad to me,” Sweetie Belle said. “Apple Bloom?”

“… Any of you ever notice that Diamond Tiara smiles to Silver Spoon the same way she does to us?”

The two fillies next to her raised their eyebrows at the strange reply. “Her smile?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“What, you mean whenever she picks on us?” Scootaloo added.

Apple Bloom nodded. “Ya’d think with her friend, she’d smile differently. Less… spitefully, ah guess.”

“Maybe it’s just her natural smile, and she can’t help it,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Wait, why are we talking about the way she smiles? I thought we were trying to figure out if you two really do have a crush on-”

Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom quickly shushed Sweetie Belle in unison, before looking around to make sure that nopony had heard that.

“Are you trying to let everypony in school know?” Scootaloo asked once she was sure that their secret was safe.

“S-Sorry,” Sweetie Belle said, her ears flattening against her head. “Anyway, what’s the deal, Apple Bloom?”

“Ah don’t know, ah just… noticed. Ah saw her smile, an’ just suddenly couldn’t take mah eyes off of it.”

Sweetie Belle giggled, drawing the attentions of her two friends. “Oh, sorry… I think we need to ask somepony else. Somepony with more experience in this area.”

“Like who?” Scootaloo asked.

“Who else? My sister, Rarity!” The other two fillies looked unsure. “C’mon, Rarity’s had lots of dates, and she’s always reading those romance books! We can totally count on her for advice.”

“Ah don’t know… Ah still don’t want anypony findin’ out, just in case Granny Smith hears about it.”

“Well, we could always pretend it’s a problem that somepony else is having. How hard could it be to make up a few names?”

“Good idea,” Scootaloo said. “And if she’s not much help, didn’t you just say she reads romance books?”

“Hey, yeah!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed cheerfully. “I bet we could get lots of good advice from those!”

“Well, ah guess it’s worth a shot,” Apple Bloom said, though she was still unsure. “As long as she doesn’t find out it us we’re talkin’ about.”

“Agreed,” Scootaloo said, and the three fillies then continued observing Diamond Tiara from a distance.

Apple Bloom groaned as she lay her head down onto her desk. The class was just starting their final lesson for the day, and the yellow filly was at the end of her rope right now. ‘Just one more hour… Just one more hour, then ah can get outta here!’

“Today, class, we will be reviewing correct punctuation usage. I have some sheets here with a number of sentences that have been written down incorrectly, and would like you all to go over them and correct them by adding the appropriate punctuation.”

Cheerilee picked up a pile of sheets from her desk, and split them into two separate piles. “Now since I don’t have enough for everypony, I want you to work with the pony sitting next to you.”

Apple Bloom’s ears shot up, soon followed by her head, as she stared at her teacher disbelievingly. ‘N-No way! That means-’

“Miss Cheerilee!” Diamond Tiara shouted, raising her forehoof. “Can I swap seats with Archer? I don’t want to work with Apple Bloom!”

Cheerilee gave the filly a disapproving frown. “I’m sorry, Diamond Tiara, but as I’ve told you multiple times before, the seating arrangements have been decided, and can’t be changed.” Diamond Tiara pouted and turned her head to face away from Apple Bloom, and the farm filly lowered her own head back to her desk, groaning into her forehooves.

‘This can’t be happenin’’

Cheerilee sighed as she saw the two fillies clearly upset with her decision, but she had to be firm. Although it’s true that she didn’t like alterations to her seating plan, there was an ulterior motive to putting Apple Bloom in-between Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. She hated to see ponies not getting along, and wanted them to at least finish school on friendly terms.

Diamond Tiara begrudgingly took one of the sheets from the pile given to her, and passed the rest to the colt sitting behind her. Then, ever-so-slowly, she scooted her desk closer to Apple Bloom’s, taking great care not to allow the two desks to actually connect.

Apple Bloom leaned over in her chair to move as far away from Diamond Tiara as she could. As the pink filly drew closer to her, the smell of perfume became even stronger, and her face started to turn a light shade of red. Diamond Tiara had clearly noticed this, but to Apple Bloom’s surprise, didn’t say anything about it. Instead, she simply turned away, placing the sheet in the middle of the two desks so that they could both see it.

As soon as everypony had arranged themselves into their pairs, Cheerilee gave everypony ten minutes to work through the problems on their sheets, and whilst everypony else began happily discussing with their partners, Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom were content to just work through them in silence, causing Cheerilee to sigh.

It was an impressive feat, to be sure, but this was the one time that she wanted them to speak during class.

Apple Bloom ran her eyes across the first sentence. ‘‘The father mother and son all sat down together’. That’s an easy one! Put commas here an’ here…’

Diamond Tiara read over the same problem. ‘‘The father mother and son all sat down together’. Uh… is it one comma, or two?’ After hazarding a guess, Diamond Tiara wrote out what she thought to be correct.

Apple Bloom glanced over to Diamond Tiara curiously, and noticed the answer that she had wrote down. “Jus’ one?” Apple Bloom asked. “Are ya sure?”

Diamond Tiara’s eyes met Apple Bloom’s, and the two fillies quickly turned their heads away from each other again. “Y-Yeah, what’s it to you?” The two remained silent for a time, before Apple Bloom turned her attention back to the worksheet. “… By the way, why did you give me your answers earlier?”

Apple Bloom froze up. “W-What d’ya mean?” she asked, putting on the best innocent face that she could manage. It was clear that Diamond Tiara wasn’t buying it though.

“Well, for one thing, your hoofwriting was too scruffy to be Silver Spoon’s,” Diamond Tiara said. “And for another thing, Silver Spoon wouldn’t have gotten so many answers wrong. It had to have been you.”

“… Ah jus’… Ah don’ know, ah just did it.”

Diamond Tiara’s face brightened, and she tried not to look at the yellow filly sitting next to her. “I didn’t ask for your help, so don’t expect anything in return.”

“Don’ worry, ah wasn’t.” Another silence descended over the two, making Apple Bloom shift uncomfortably as she was once again assaulted by the smell of the other filly’s perfume. She could swear that she was becoming addicted to it. “S-So, what’ve ya got for the next problem?”

“Huh? Oh… Um, don’t we need to put a colon here?” Diamond Tiara tried to move her hoof over to the part of the sentence that she was referring to, but didn’t notice that Apple Bloom was also moving her hoof there. When the two hooves touched, the two fillies pulled back and yelped simultaneously, drawing the attention of the entire class.

“Girls, what’s wrong?!” Cheerilee asked, looking over at the two fillies with a look of concern on her face.

Apple Bloom noticed everypony looking at her, and her face turned beat red as she tried to think of something to say. “U-Uh, it’s nothin’, Miss Cheerilee! We just, uh…”

“A spider!” Diamond Tiara quickly shouted. “T-There was a spider on my desk, but it’s gone now!”

“A spider?!” the colt behind Diamond Tiara shouted, quickly bolting out of his chair and checking the floor. “W-Where?! Where is it?!”

Around them, various fillies and colts began jumped out of their seats, and started looking around for the spider. Whilst some were doing this out of genuine panic, others were doing it simply for the fun of it.

“Alright, class! That’s enough!” Cheerilee shouted, quickly calming her students down. “Back into your seats, now! Diamond Tiara, did you see where this spider went?”

Diamond Tiara pretended to think about it. “Um, I think it went out the window,” she said, before looking around to see that all of the windows were closed. “I-I mean, though the door! I-It went under the door crack.”

“I see,” Cheerilee said. “Then we can all get back to our work without any further distractions?” The two fillies nodded their heads, and Cheerilee smiled as she resumed the work that she was doing before the interruption.

“That was close,” Apple Bloom whispered as soon as the class had settled back into their work. “But, why did you react like that just now?”

“Why did you?” Diamond Tiara asked, trying to look and sound strong, despite how flushed her face was.

“W-Well, it just… took me by surprise, is all…” Apple Bloom wanted to change the topic quickly. “Um… H-Hey…”

“What?” Diamond Tiara asked in an annoyed tone.

“Ah was jus’ wonderin’… about what ya told me before, back in Manehatten, about how those two colts insulted Ponyville, an’ ya didn’t like it…”

“What about it? Am I not allowed to defend the town I live in?”

Apple Bloom quickly shook her head. “I-It’s not that. Ah was jus’ surprised is all. That you would actually fight somepony over it…” Apple Bloom shot a smile to Diamond Tiara. “Ah like that. Ah guess ya aren’t as bad as ah first thought.”

Diamond Tiara swallowed hard, and tried to back away from Apple Bloom’s gaze. She could feel her heart racing, and her temperature rising quickly. “Uh, well… I never thought you would stick up for me…”

“Doesn’t matter who it is, ah hate seein’ stronger ponies pickin’ on weaker ones.”

“… I’m not sure if that should make me happy or angry,” Diamond Tiara said, letting out a slight giggle against her will. Apple Bloom joined her, and the two fillies laughed together for all two seconds, before they realised what they were doing. They quickly stopped, and resumed working in silence, both trying to act innocent and pretend that nothing had just happened.

“… Um, that perfume ye’re wearin’,” Apple Bloom started. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. She had to bring up that intoxicating scent. “Aren’t ya a lil’ young for stuff like that?”

“Maybe you’re too young,” Diamond Tiara said with a grin, “But that’s where we differ. Well, that and our flanks.”

Apple Bloom glared at the pink filly as she waggled her flank, putting emphasis on her Cutie Mark. “Really? Ah thought it was that ah’m not all suck up and spoiled, like you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!”

The two fillies butted their heads together, eyes narrowed as they growled at each other. Soon, Apple Bloom realised how close their muzzles were to each other, and quickly pulled back. Diamond Tiara noticed it too, and turned her attention back to her work.

‘Hurry up and end this day already!’ Apple Bloom prayed in her mind.

‘T-This can’t be happening… Not just one, but two blank flanks?’ Diamond Tiara put her head into her hooves, and closed her eyes as she tried to think about something else. But the thought would always come back to her, and she would be haunted by it each time. ‘Why? Why is this happening?’

Apple Bloom noticed that Diamond Tiara wasn’t actually working anymore, and that the pink filly was refusing to raise her head for any reason. She wanted to make sure that she was okay, but before she could do anything, Cheerilee announced the end of the ten minutes, and began to go over the answers on the board.

Apple Bloom nudged Diamond Tiara to get her attention, but it didn’t work. She tried again, but the filly just groaned and pushed Apple Bloom’s hoof away, refusing to lift her up.

Behind them, Scootaloo was glaring at the two fillies out of the corner of her eye. ‘What’s wrong with her? And what were they talking about just now?’ An uneasy feeling passed through Scootaloo as she watched Apple Bloom trying to get Diamond Tiara’s attention, and for a brief second, Scootaloo actually hoped that her friend would only succeed in angering Diamond Tiara. She didn’t want the two getting along.

“Remember class, if you didn’t understand anything today, I will be here for-” Before Cheerilee could finish, practically the entire class was out of the door and making its way out of the schoolhouse. She sighed as she sat at her desk, and looked over the three foals still inside her classroom: Twist, who was simply gathering her notes together and organizing them, and Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, who were both chatting together about something.

“You’re staying behind?” Silver Spoon asked, an incredulous look on her face. “Why?”

“I… just have something I want to talk to Miss Cheerilee about. Something I didn’t understand about the lesson.”

“But that’s never bothered you before.”

“Well, it bothers me now!”

“Okay, okay!” Silver Spoon threw her saddlebag over her back. “Then, I’ll see you later, I guess?”

Diamond Tiara nodded, and the two initiated their ‘secret hoofshake’. “Bump, bump, sugar-lump rump!”

“See ya, DT.”

“Later,” Diamond Tiara responded as she waved her friend goodbye. Twist left the classroom shortly after Silver Spoon did, and, after waiting a few moments to make sure neither of them would come back in suddenly, she walked over to Cheerilee’s desk. “Miss Cheerilee?”

The teacher looked down at her student, a smile covering her surprise that Diamond Tiara, of all ponies, was staying after school to ask her something. “Yes, Diamond Tiara?”

“There’s something I want to talk to you about…” Diamond Tiara looked around the room, to make absolutely sure that they were alone. Her face turned red, and she scuffed her hooves against the wooden floor as she tried to find the right words to say. “Um… it’s about what you told before… about how we change when we get older?”

Cheerilee’s eyes widened, and she quickly rose a hoof to silence the filly. “Hold on. If this is a sensitive topic, perhaps you would like to discuss it in private?” Diamond Tiara nodded, and Cheerilee climbed out of her seat and trotted over to the classroom door to close it. She then wandered over to the filly’s desk, and motioned for her to sit down.

“Um, actually,” Diamond Tiara said, starting to lose her confidence, “Maybe I shouldn’t waste your time like this. I-”

“Diamond, sweetie, this is what I’m here for,” Cheerilee said in a reassuring tone. “Come on. Tell me what’s troubling you, my little pony.”

Diamond Tiara nervously made her way over to her desk, and took her seat beside Cheerilee, who was sitting down in Apple Bloom’s seat. “I-It’s kind of complicated…”

“Take all the time you need to think about it.” Diamond Tiara took full advantage of that offer, spending a full five minutes in silence as she tried decide where to begin. Cheerilee tried not to let her annoyance show, but at the same time, she knew that she had to correct what she had said. “Um, perhaps you should start from the beginning?”

Diamond Tiara nodded. “Well, first of all, it’s not about me. I’m just asking on behalf of a friend.”

“I see,” Cheerilee said. ‘It’s always a friend…’

“My friend, who’s the same age as me, knows this filly who she doesn’t usually get along with. Like, they’re always at each other’s throats…”

‘So it’s something that happened between Diamond Tiara and one of the Crusaders…’

“But, recently, she’s been having these weird thoughts about her. Like, she pictures her in a whole new way. For some reason, she can’t speak or act properly around her anymore, and when she thinks about her, her head feels funny, like all dizzy-like, and there’s a strange feeling in my-her, stomach… Does that make any sense?”

“Um, I think so,” Cheerilee said, taking a moment to go over what the pink filly had just told her. “So, basically, your friend has a crush on this filly?”

Diamond Tiara’s face turned red, but she acted as if nothing was wrong. “S-She doesn’t know, That’s what I want to talk to you about… How do you know when you… have feelings… for somepony?”

Cheerilee had to resist the urge to giggle as her student’s face turned progressively redder, and she shifted about nervously in her seat. “Well, that’s not something that I can tell your… friend. It’s something she has to find out on her own. But from what you describe, it’s clear that your friend feels something towards this other filly, and the only way to find what that is, is to confront the filly directly.”

“You mean… spend more time with her?”

“That’s right. Talk to her, find out more about her, and see if you have anything in common. If you do, you may find out what you like about her, and you may find that you enjoy spending time with this other filly.”

“You mean my friend, right?”

Cheerilee rolled her eyes. “Uh, yes. Your friend.” Diamond Tiara smiled for a second, but then frowned again and let out a sigh. “What’s wrong? Is there something more?”

“… Well, it’s not quite so simple…”

“Relationships never are, but I can assure you-I mean, your friend, that not pursuing this problem now might come back to haunt her later.” Cheerilee placed a hoof on Diamond Tiara’s shoulder. “And you can tell your friend, that if things don’t go so well, I’ll always be here for an hour after school, so she can always come to me if needs somepony to talk to. And whatever she says to me, will remain between the two of us. Okay?”

Diamond Tiara nodded, but still didn’t seem to be any more at ease. “But… But…”

Cheerilee was concerned now. It almost looked as if the filly was resisting the urge to cry! “What is it? What else could possibly-”

“There’s another!” Diamond Tiara shouted, startling her teacher. “… My friend… she has these feelings for two fillies, at the same time.”

“O-Oh… I see…”

“B-But, she’s a nice pony, really! Please don’t judge her because she-”

“It’s alright, Diamond Tiara,” Cheerilee interrupted, still smiling at the panicking filly. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure your friend is a lovely pony, and this doesn’t change things.”

“But… But I thought that only bad ponies go after two ponies at once! Dinky’s mum chased out her husband because he cheated on her, and Sweetie Belle’s sister had that fit last week when she found out her coltfriend was seeing somepony behind her back!”

“Yes, well, it’s one thing to be unfaithful to your special somepony, whilst you’re actually dating them… but there’s absolutely nothing wrong, with having feelings for more than one pony at the same time. And I assure you, your friend is perfectly normal to be having these feelings.”

Diamond Tiara seemed to ease up a bit, bringing a feeling of relief to Cheerilee. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. With all the ponies that there are in the world, it’s impossible for you to have feelings for just one. But you must understand, even if you have feelings for two ponies at once, you should only pursue one of them.”

“H-How do I-How does she do that? How does my friend… choose which one I want to-”

Cheerilee shook her head, and cut the filly off. “I can’t answer that. Your friend must decide that for herself. She must decide which of the two fillies she likes most, and she has to do that on her own.”

“… I see… Thanks, Miss Cheerilee. I’ll make sure to tell my friend that.” The pink filly rose out of her seat and picked up her bag. She shot one final, nervous glance towards her teacher. “Um, you won’t tell anypony about any of this, right?”

“You know that I won’t, Diamond Tiara,” Cheerilee answered, drawing a smile from her student. “Now, if your friend ever needs some more advice, I’ll be happy to help further. And don’t forget that your parents are also there for you, too.”

“Uh, yeah…” Diamond Tiara looked up at the clock behind Cheerilee. “I should probably get going. Silver Spoon’s probably waiting for me to meet up with her.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow then. And make sure you get that homework done this-” Before Cheerilee could finish, Diamond Tiara was out of the door, leaving her all alone, sighing to herself. “-Time…”

“Thank you for your business! Please come back soon!” Rarity waved goodbye to her latest customer, and sat back in her chair as she relaxed from a long day of working on dresses. “Finally, a little time to myself. I think I’m going to close the shop for a little while, and pay a little visit to the spa.”

The sound of the boutique’s front door slamming open, followed by a very familiar high-pitched voice, shattered Rarity’s dreams in an instant. “RARITYYYYY!”

‘Oh well. It was a nice dream while it lasted.’ Rarity put on her best smile as she approached her sister, who was being accompanied by her two friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. ‘Oh no. They’re all here.’ “Sweetie Belle! How nice of you to drop by! How was school today?”

“It was great! Well, mostly…”

“Mostly?” Rarity raised an eyebrow and approached her sister with a concerned look on her face. “Are you alright? You didn’t get into trouble again, did you?”

Sweetie Belle shook her head, and looked offended by her sister’s question. “Of course not! It’s just… Hey, can we ask you something? Something important?”

“Important? Sweetie Belle, if this is about your homework again, then as I said last time, I will certainly help you, but I am not going to simply give you the ans-”

Sweetie Belle quickly cut her sister off. “No, no! It’s not that this time! It’s something really, really important!”

Apple Bloom walked up next to Sweetie Belle, and gave her sister an apologetic smile. “It’s alright, Rarity. If ye’re busy, we can go ask somepony else.”

Rarity noticed the nervous look and the lack of energy on the usually hyperactive farm filly’s face, and suddenly grew interested. “No, no, I’m not busy at all. In fact, I have just finished my last dress of the day.”

Sweetie Belle’s face lit up. “Then, you’ll help us?”

“Of course! As your sister, you and your friends are always welcome to drop by when you need help. But first, why don’t I go and pour us all some tea?”

“Actually,” Scootaloo said, “I’d rather just get this over with quickly. Dad’s ill again, and I wanna get back home and help him out.”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry to hear that, deary,” Rarity said, shooting the Pegasus filly a concerned look. “Well, I do hope he gets better soon.” Scootaloo showed her appreciation in a warm smile, and then the three fillies followed Rarity inside the boutique, after she had flipped the sign on the door to show that it was closed. “Now, what exactly is troubling you three?”

“It’s nothing to do with us,” Apple Bloom answered quickly. “It’s about, uh, some friends of ours.”

“Oh, is that so?” ‘It’s always a friend…’

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “Our friends, two of them, are kinda… They’re um…”

“They’re in love,” Sweetie Belle said flatly, causing her two friends to quickly cover her mouth with their hooves.

“Love?” Rarity asked, her interest growing when she saw how the two fillies reacted. ‘So Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are… Oh, this is marvellous. But then, why are coming to me, and not Applejack?’

“W-We don’t know that yet!” Apple Bloom shouted. “It could be anything!”

“Except… we kinda do know,” Scootaloo said, sighing as she released her friend. “Yeah, they’re in love alright… I mean, what else could it be?!”

“Now hold on a second there, Scootaloo,” Rarity said. “Why don’t you start from the beginning? Why exactly do you think that these two friends of yours are in love?”

Apple Bloom shifted uncomfortably on the spot. “A-Ah don’ know. Ah mean, it doesn’t make sense! For one thing, fillies can’t love each other, right?”

Rarity waved off the notion. “Don’t be silly, darling. That kind of talk is from the dark ages! Now-a-days, same-sex couples are more common than you think!” The three fillies giggled together, causing Rarity to frown when she realised what word they were laughing. “Girls, do you want to have a serious talk, or not?”

“S-Sorry, Rarity,” Sweetie Belle said, calming down. “It’s just, we never thought we’d hear you of all ponies say a word like that.”

“Well, I am a lady, but even a lady can say such things when it is appropriate. But let’s not get off-topic here. So your friends are both fillies, I’m assuming?” The three fillies nodded. “Well, there’s really no problem with it at all. Why, when I was your age, I don’t mind admitting that I myself had a crush on a particular filly in my class. Though it ended suddenly when she had to move away…” Rarity let out a sad sigh as she recalled her first ever crush. “… Oh! Terribly sorry, girls! Now, back to my original question: what sort of hints are there that these two friends of yours are in love?”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged glances for a second, and then turned back to Rarity.

“She keeps dreaming about her,” Scootaloo said.

“She can’t speak properly ‘round her,” Apple Bloom added.

“She keeps feeling light-headed and dizzy around her.”

“Her stomach feels weird when she’s nearby.”

“She wants to hear her voice more.”

“She suddenly wants to be kind ta her all the time.”

“She gets jealous when she sees her around others.”

“She can’t get the smell of her perfume outta her head.”

“Really?” Scootaloo asked, giving Apple Bloom a strange look. Apple Bloom simply blushed and turned her head down to the floor.

“I-I see,” Rarity said, surprised by just how much information the two fillies were giving her. ‘I didn’t know Scootaloo wore perfume… I certainly can’t smell it.’ “Well, it certainly does sound like your two friends are in love.”

“AGH!” Scootaloo shouted, slamming her forehooves into the floor below her. “I don’t get it! Why, of all ponies, is it her?!”

“N-Now, now, Scootaloo dear. There’s no helping who you fall in love with. These things just… happen.”

“So, what do you do when you get these feelings?” Sweetie Belle asked with innocent curiosity.

“Well, there are really only two things you can do,” Rarity said, and almost immediately, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo moved in close to make sure that they could hear her clearly. “You can either ignore these feelings, or you can act on them.”

“You mean like… confess?” Scootaloo asked. “And start dating?”

“The first one sounds easier, if ya ask me,” Apple Bloom said, frowning down at the floor.

“Well, at the end of the day, it is your friends’ decisions. But, whilst running away may seem like a good solution at first, let me assure you, it is not good in the long run. The feeling of knowing you may have given up the chance to be with your perfect partner… the sadness you feel when you see them with somepony else… and the endless nights you spend awake, wondering what may have been.”

“Rarity? Are you okay?” Sweetie Belle asked, walking up to her sister as she saw tears falling down her cheeks. She reached up to nuzzle her sister’s cheek, and Rarity responded by pulling her sister into a hug.

“I’m fine, Sweetie Belle… Like I said, it’s up to your friends to decide, but it is not a decision that they should take lightly, by any means.”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom exchanged a nervous glance. “It’s… a little more complicated than that, though,” Scootaloo said. “Our two friends, they-”

“They love each other?” Rarity guessed, smiling at the two fillies. “Yes, love between friends can be difficult, but-”

“What?” Apple Bloom asked, cutting Rarity off. She exchanged glances with Scootaloo again, and the two fillies immediately cringed and backed away from each other. “EWWW! No way!”

“You gotta be kidding me! No offence, Apple Bloom, but there’s no way I could see you that way! You’re just too good a friend!”

Sweetie Belle laughed at the awkward situation, whilst Rarity’s face turned red as she realised that she had been mistaken. “Then… what is the problem?”

Apple Bloom swallowed the lump in her throat, and looked up into Rarity’s eyes. “They’re… in love with the same filly…”

“… Oh.” Rarity said. “Oh… my…”

Chapter 4

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Every morning, Diamond Tiara would wake up at 07:30, make a hassle of getting out of bed, walk drowsily through the halls of her home, slowly descend the staircase downstairs, enter the kitchen, greet her father with a quiet mumble, and then hop onto the chair nearest to the kitchen door, where her bowl of Flim & Flam Cotton Candy Puffs was waiting for her. If the box was newly opened, she would first search it for the toy inside. Otherwise, she would just start to chow down immediately, the high-energy cereal giving her the fuel that she needed to properly wake her up.

Today, however, Filthy Rich was concerned. Not only had Diamond Tiara come downstairs fifteen minutes earlier than she usually would, she hadn’t complained when she arrived at the kitchen table and found no bowl of cereal waiting for her. She just sat there, waiting patiently. Patiently. Filthy Rich knew that his daughter was many things. She was special, she was cute, she was a hoofful, and she was sometimes a troublemaker. But she was not patient.

“Diamond, honey?” he called out, and was thankful that she responded by turning to face him. “Is everything okay?” he asked as he poured some milk into her cereal, and placed the bowl in front of his daughter.

“Mm…” was all she responded with. Her eyes were still half-shut, so she wasn’t truly awake just yet. Her mane was a mess, she had dried drool running down her cheek (which told Filthy Rich that she had probably been dreaming about sweets), her tiara was dislodged, and her movements were sluggish and inelegant. If somepony other than her mother or father had caught her like this, she would never be able to live it down.

However, after starting off with her breakfast, the aura around Diamond Tiara began to change. Her eyes began to open up, her movements sped up, she ate the cereal with the grace one would expect from the rich filly who acted like a Canterlotian noble, and she sat up in her chair properly, as opposed to slouching over her bowl like she was previously.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Filthy Rich asked, hoping that, now, he would be able to get a proper answer out of the filly.

“Of course,” Diamond Tiara responded after swallowing the spoonful of cereal in her mouth. “Why?”

“Just checking. You know how I like to make sure my little Diamond Tiara is alright.” Filthy Rich smiled at his daughter, who simply rolled her eyes and looked back at her breakfast. However, he knew that she wasn’t being honest. After raising her for his whole life, Filthy Rich knew when his daughter wasn’t telling him the truth. “Well, if there’s ever anything that’s bothering you, you know that you can always talk to me about it.”

Diamond Tiara stopped eating, and shifted her eyes to her dad. She had already spoken to Cheerilee about her problem, but she hadn’t really done much to help. Despite telling Diamond Tiara that there was nothing wrong with her, the pink filly didn’t feel the same way, and she had her doubts about going to her parents about this matter. ‘… Well, if I just pretend it’s a friend again…’

“Actually, daddy?” Filthy Rich put down the coffee that he was about to drink, and gave his daughter a surprised look. He hadn’t expected her to actually speak to him, at least not so soon. She usually went to her mother whenever she was upset. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course you can. What’s on your mind?”

“… How did… you and mommy first meet? And get together?”

Filthy Rich tilted his head in confusion. “Why do you ask?”

“Uh, you know. Just curious. Trying to pass the time, that’s all.” Diamond Tiara tried to play it cool. Act like there was no ulterior motive to asking this other than taking an interest in her parents’ history.

“… Well, I certainly don’t mind telling you, though I’ll have to keep it short, so that you get to school on time.” Diamond Tiara nodded, and her father took a long sip of his coffee, before thinking about where to begin. “Let’s see… I believe that we were both in Middle School when it happend… Yes, it was during our final year, to be exact. The two of us were asked to work on an assignment together, along with two other ponies, which required the four of us to meet up a lot outside of school hours.”

“And that’s when you two fell in love?” Diamond Tiara asked, reaching across the table to grab a carton of orange juice sitting in the middle.

Filthy Rich laughed, and shook his head. “No, no. Not quite. You see, your mother never showed up to any of those meetings. She was too afraid to come near me.”

“Afraid?”

“That’s right. You may not believe me when I tell you this, but back in my youthful days, I was a brat.” Filthy Rich scratched the back of his head as the uncomfortable memories came flooding back to him. “Certainly not the charming gentlecolt that I am today,” he added jokingly, successfully drawing out a laugh from the filly across the table.

“When you say ‘brat’, what do you mean?”

“Oh, you know. Just a colt who tried to be ‘cool’ by whatever means necessary. Calling fillies names, telling fillies they stunk, and had ‘cooties’. Stealing sweats occasionally with my friends… Though, sometimes, I may have taken things too far. Such as repeatedly picking on the one foal with low self-esteem, or getting into arguments over the silliest things.”

Diamond Tiara stared at her father in disbelief. “Wow. You were really like that? That’s not ‘cool’, you know?” Filthy Rich gave his daughter an incredulous look. “… What?”

‘Really? She doesn’t see the similarities? Well, not like I noticed until I was much older, either, but still…’ The stallion shook the thoughts from his head. “Anyway, you know how stories tend to spiral out of control, right? Well, by Middle School, I had somehow worked up quite a nasty reputation. It took months to convince everypony that I wasn’t some cold-hearted, bada- flanked, bully. But even then, there were still ponies that feared me.”

Diamond Tiara shot her dad a proud grin. “Nice! So you were, like, the boss of that place, right?”

Her father sighed. “I can see why you might think that, but trust me, it was like a nightmare, having so many ponies think such things about you, and judging you behind your back. And because your mother was avoiding our group meetings because of it, it was my job to go and talk to her. To convince her that I wasn’t such a bad colt.”

“And that’s when you two fell in love?”

Filthy Rich hesitated for a moment, and then turned his head away as he started to blush. “Y-Yeah… It didn’t happen overnight, mind you, but that was definitely the turning point. After our talk, we both realised that we had feelings for each other. But it wasn’t until much later, in High School, that we actually acted on those feelings.”

“It took you that long?”

“Regrettably, yes. Those months where your mother and I were simply friends, and I was too afraid to talk to her about how I felt, were like torture to me. I couldn’t focus on my schoolwork, and I acted like a complete dork around my friends.”

Silence filled the room for a moment. “… And, is she the only pony you’ve felt that way about?” Diamond Tiara asked. “Were there others? And how could you tell that you were in love? Did not being around her help? Do you think there’s a way somepony could just lose those feelings?”

Filthy Rich studied his daughter closely, who was eagerly awaiting a response to all of her questions. She had already finished her breakfast, and was just sitting there, staring at him intently in complete silence. “… Diamond,” he began, leaning closer to her, “Tell me the truth. Is there a colt that you like?”

The question caught Diamond Tiara completely off guard, and she quickly reeled back in her chair. “What?! N-No! Of course not! I’m just asking for a frie-”

“Diamond Tiara,” Filthy rich said in a stern tone, letting her know that he could tell she was lying.

The filly bit her lower lip, and looked around the room nervously. The clock showed that she still had plenty of time, so she couldn’t play the late for school card. “… Y-Yes…” she answered reluctantly. ‘If I just tell him it’s one pony, I should be fine. Better say it’s a colt, for now.’ “Well, I think so, at least…”

Filthy Rich sighed, and leaned back in his chair. “I thought so,” he mumbled to himself.

“Um… I’m sorry?”

Her father quickly shook his head. “No, no. You haven’t done anything wrong. It’s just, I’m really not the one that you should be speaking to about this. Your mother was always better at stuff like this than I was.”

“Even though it took you both a year to confess to each other?” Diamond Tiara asked teasingly, earning a chuckle from her father.

“Well, in any case, you’re still young, Diamond Tiara. Perhaps you should try just being friends with this colt, and see where it goes from there.”

“F-Friends?” Diamond Tiara gulped. Friends, with two of those blank flanks?

“And who knows? Maybe it’ll just turn out to be a schoolyard crush? Y’know, it’s not uncommon for foals your age to have crushes that just disappear as suddenly as they appear in the first place. At least, that’s what my mother taught me.”

“So, it might just go away in time?” Diamond Tiara, a hopeful expression on her face. Though inside, part of her felt uneasy. Almost like she had just received a grounding, or been told to sit in detention.

Filthy Rich simply nodded. “That’s right. Now, perhaps you’d better go and get ready for school.” He pointed a hoof at her mane, which reminded him of the pink mare’s that he recognised from the sweet shop his daughter frequented. “Unless you were planning to go to school as an example of what happens when you play with electricity.”

Diamond Tiara gasped, and quickly raised her hooves to feel her mane. Feeling her hairs sticking out all over the place, she quickly bolted out of her chair, and ran upstairs, desperate to reach her hairbrush and sort of her rat’s nest of a mane, and at the same time, leaving her father to clean up after her in the kitchen.

Scootaloo slumped her head onto her desk, burying her face into her forehooves as she groaned something incoherent. Between the whole situation with Diamond Tiara, and her father not feeling so well, the orange filly hadn’t been able to get much sleep last night, and as a result, she wasn’t feeling quite as energetic as she usually was today.

The fact that the first class that day was another boring math class didn’t help, either. And of course, today would just have to be the day that Cheerilee decides to try a new method of discipline. Those who had finished the homework set for them were allowed to leave fifteen minutes, and enjoy an early recess. Those who hadn’t, had to stay to do it in class.

The students that hadn’t done their homework were: Scootaloo, Snips, Snails, Twist, Archer, and… Diamond Tiara.

‘Well, at least I won’t have to be alone with her,’ Scootaloo thought as she looked around at the other foals sitting with them in the classroom. Of course, she was wrong again. It turned out that Twist hadn’t finished her homework due to an honest mistake of forgetting about it, and Snips and Snails were caught up practising their magic. All three of them proved to be capable foals, though, and had finished the homework in under five minutes.

Archer was lucky enough to be sitting next to Twist, so she was able to copy her answers and get out of the classroom quickly, too. That just left Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara, who, by the seventh minute, were both still struggling to get through their sheets. Seeing this, Cheerilee asked them both to sit next to each other, so that she could go through the answers together.

At first, she had considered just speaking to them both individually, after remembering that Diamond Tiara had come to her with love troubles that may or may not have concerned one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. But she decided that it wouldn’t be fair to whichever filly she got to second, and also, she highly doubted that Scootaloo was the filly that Diamond Tiara had her eye on.

In fact, Cheerilee had money on Diamond Tiara’s affections being for Apple Bloom, considering the two had been fighting for much longer than the other Crusaders.

And so, with Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo nervously sitting next to each other, each one doing their best to distance themselves as much as possible, whilst still sitting at their connected desks, Cheerilee began to go through the problems one-by-one.

“And then, there is still three leftover. So the answer is forty-seven, with a remainder of three.” The two fillies nodded, though she wasn’t sure if either of them had actually followed her. Only one way to find out. “Now, would either of you like to go through the next one on your own?”

Silence. Cheerilee sighed. “Which part did I lose you both at?” she asked, wondering if a visit to their houses to discuss afterschool classes was necessary.

For Scootaloo, the orange filly was honestly trying her best, but her mind kept getting distracted. She was worried about her father, and at the same time, she couldn’t stop thinking about the annoying pink distraction sitting next to her, constantly staring at her. “Uh, the start,” she admitted, giving a nervous chuckle as Cheerilee gave her a blank look.

“I just don’t get what you mean by ‘carrying over the remainder’,” Diamond Tiara said, staring at the numbers as if they were going to jump out and attack her. She spared a moment to glance at Scootaloo, and quickly averted her eyes. ‘She’s still doing it! Every time I look over at her, she’s staring at me!’

‘Stop staring at me!’ Scootaloo shouted in her mind. ‘If there’s something you wanna say, then say it!’

Cheerilee smiled at her two students, and decided to go over the example one more time. However, before she could begin, the door to the classroom opened up, and three fillies walked inside, one of them holding up her hoof and crying.

“M-Miss Cheerileeeee,” the middle one sobbed. “I… I tripped and c-cut my hoof…”

The fillies’ friends helped her into the classroom, and Cheerilee quickly excused herself to deal with the situation. She walked over to the hurt filly, and examined the small cut on her hoof. “Oh my. I told you to be more careful when you’re playing outside, Dinky.”

The filly sniffled, and was escorted out of the classroom by her teacher. “Girls,” she said to Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara as she left, “I’m going to go take care of this. Please try to work through the problems together, if you can.”

The two fillies that brought their friend here giggled, and told the teacher that that was impossible. True, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the two ‘rich fillies’, as they were known, had a reputation for being arch-enemies. Truffle Shuffle had even started a comic series about them getting into fights around Ponyville, though it was more of a comedy, and the five fillies would often end up embarrassing themselves. Diamond Tiara put a stop to this when she read through issue one, and was not amused by his portrayal of her. It was perhaps the one time that both factions had agreed on something.

After Cheerilee and the three fillies left the room, Diamond Tiara slumped down on the desk almost immediately, and Scootaloo stretched her legs and let out a loud yawn. “Aren’t you even gonna try?” Scootaloo asked, looking down at the pink filly sitting beside her.

“Nope,” Diamond Tiara said. “‘Cause I know I won’t be able to answer them. And it’s just, like, such a waste of time.”

“You don’t know that,” Scootaloo said. “Rainbow Dash says that you should never give up before you even try!”

“And Rainbow Dash is, what, some kind of Princess?”

Scootaloo frowned. “Well, no, but-”

“My daddy says that you should play your strengths, and not dabble in unfamiliar territory. And I trust my daddy a lot more than I trust some crazy Pegasus pony who crashed through our roof one evening when we were having a delightful dinner together.”

“She did that?” Scootaloo asked. “Anyway, that’s just stupid! You’re not gonna get any better if you don’t try. C’mon, let’s take a look at the next question.” Scootaloo picked up the paper to take a look. “Three hundred and seventy five divided by four…” Scootaloo began to write in her exercise book, but only got as far as setting up the problem the way her teacher had taught her to. How to actually solve it eluded her.

“… My, you’re doing so well,” Diamond Tiara stated sarcastically, tilting her head so that she could peek at Scootaloo’s work and grinning at the struggling filly.

“At least I’m trying!” Scootaloo countered. “Argh, I should have just skipped the first class and taken a nap outside. I really can’t think when I’m tired like this…”

“You’re tired? What happened? Did you have a nightmare that you were a blank flank, only to discover it was real?”

Scootaloo scowled at Diamond Tiara, who was giggling in response. “No, actually. Not that it’s any of your business, but my dad wasn’t feeling well!” Diamond Tiara’s giggling stopped. “It’s always been like that. He would get sick, take the day off work, and then the next morning, it would be even worse. He’d have headaches, he’d throw up a lot, and he’d be completely unable to get out of bed. I usually fetch him some water and his medicine, and cook him some healthy meals, but last night, it was super bad!

“I’m… I’m worried about him…”

Diamond Tiara rolled her head back into her hooves, feeling mixed emotions for the sad Pegasus sitting beside her. She felt sympathy, for a start. After all, if her dad was ever seriously ill, she knows for a fact that she wouldn’t be able to sleep right, either. She felt angry at herself for bringing up something so painful for Scootaloo, and making her sad… And she also sad herself, because she had seen Scootaloo frowning. Which was weird, because usually, that would be exactly what she would want to see from her. But not right now. Not anymore…

She glanced over at Scootaloo’s exercise book, and then to the question paper. Diamond Tiara was never very good at comforting ponies when they were down. Silver Spoon could vouch for that. So instead, she decided to try the next best thing, something she was actually good at.

“Hey, show me how to do long multiplications,” she said, sitting up and glaring at the confused filly. “You know how to do them, right?” She pointed to the answers in Scootaloo’s book. The only answers that the filly was able to actually come up with.

“Oh, yeah, but… why should I?” she asked, returning Diamond tiara’s glare.

“Because I said so, that’s why! You should feel honoured! A blank flank like you, being allowed to teach somepony like me? Not every day that such a chance presents itself.”

“Yeah, well maybe I don’t want to teach you! Maybe you should just ask Miss Cheerilee to do it, instead!”

“Miss Cheerilee tried, and failed! But if you can do it, there must be some super secret technique that you used! Show it to me!”

Scootaloo had to admit, the annoying filly was right. There was a secret technique that Scootaloo’s father had taught her for long multiplications, one that, for her, works much better than the complicated methods that Cheerilee had taught the class. But still… “No,” she said, narrowing her eyes.

Diamond Tiara leaned closer. “Yes.”

“No.” Scootaloo leaned closer too.

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Yes, yes, YES!”

“No, no, NO!”

The two butted heads when they met in the middle of their two connected tables, and growled angrily at each other. It took a few seconds, but soon, Scootaloo remembered just why this filly had been causing her so much grief lately… and then realised how close their faces were. Her face turned red in response, and when Diamond Tiara saw that, she realised the situation too, and quickly pulled away.

Scootaloo moved back more slowly than Diamond Tiara did, but kept her eyes off the filly the entire time. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Scootaloo sighed, and leaned over to grab Diamond Tiara’s exercise book.

“Hey, what’re you doing?!”

“Teaching you long multiplications,” Scootaloo said. “Now pipe down and listen already! I don’t wanna have to repeat myself!”

Diamond Tiara huffed. “Who do you think you are, speaking to me like that?”

Scootaloo put on a pair of fake glasses, and gave Diamond Tiara a smug grin. “For the next minute or so, your teacher.”

“… Where did you get those?”

“Old idea for a Cutie Mark that didn’t quite go well. Kept hold of ‘em, just in case. Anyway, let’s begin!”

‘In case of what?’ Diamond Tiara wondered, but shook the thought away as Scootaloo began to draw squares into her book. “What’s that?”

“This is the method I use for long multiplications! Let’s use this question here as an example. You put the two number in question here and here…” Scootaloo wrote ‘372’ at the top of the three-by-three square grid, and ‘174’ down the right-hoof side. “Next, put some lines through the squares like this…” She drew diagonal lines through each of the squares, cutting them in half. “Now, we do some short multiplication. We multiply the numbers down the right-hoof side by the numbers at the top, and write the answers in these squares, tens-digits above the line, unit-digits below.”

Diamond Tiara watched as Scootaloo did an example in the top-right square, which was two times one. Scootaloo wrote ‘01’ in the square, with the zero above the one. “That’s… pretty easy to follow, actually.”

“Isn’t it? Now try to do the rest on your own.”

Diamond Tiara nodded, and continued through the square, filling in the answers and actually finding herself enjoying it. It was also like a puzzle that she was solving, rather than just a boring old math problem, like what it always felt like. However, she soon hit a snag. “Um… Seven times seven is…”

Scootaloo quickly looked through her own notes to find the answer, since she had done the question earlier. “Forty-nine,” she said, and the filly wrote the answer down. “You know, for somepony who’s planning on running a big business someday, you sure do suck at Math.”

Diamond Tiara paused from her work to give the filly a fresh glare. “Oh yeah? Well, for somepony who’s always talking about being a Wonderbolt, you sure do suck at flying!”

“I’ll get there someday!” Scootaloo shouted. “My wings just… aren’t developed yet, that’s all.”

“Like your brain,” Diamond Tiara mumbled, though Scootaloo heard it pretty well. She continued to work through the problem in silence, until she was done. “Okay, now what? How do I get the answer from… this?”

Scootaloo reached over, and pointed some of the numbers in the square. Diamond Tiara could smell the filly’s shampoo and, although it was a scent that she would never be caught dead wearing herself, she still found herself liking it, and blushing as the smell entered her nose.

“You just add the numbers that run down diagonally together, and put the totals at the bottom and the side. Get it?”

Diamond Tiara nodded. “So… like this?”

Whilst Diamond Tiara did that, Scootaloo looked up at the clock on the wall. “Man, Miss Cheerilee sure is running late. And the others are still outside playing, so she hasn’t gone to call ‘em in yet.”

“You know how Dinky is,” Diamond Tiara said. “She’s probably making a big fuss over her hoof, and making it hard for Miss Cheerilee to treat it. By the way, I’m done. Is ’64,728’ correct?”

“… Actually, yeah. It is,” Scootaloo said, genuinely impressed.

Diamond Tiara smiled. “Wow. I can’t believe I had so much trouble with this before! You make it look, like, super easy!”

Scootaloo blushed and scratched her neck. “Well…” She suddenly started to feel uncomfortable again, so she tried to change the topic. “By the way, why were you staring at me earlier?”

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. “What? I wasn’t staring! You were!”

“Was not,” Scootaloo said.

“Were too,” Diamond Tiara argued.

“Was not.”

“Were too.”

Was not!”

Were TOO!”

Suddenly, the door opened, and the two fillies quickly pulled their faces apart from each other, and then blushed as they realised that they had once again come into such close contact together. Cheerilee walked into the class, followed by her students.

“Sorry that took so long, girls,” she said to Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara. “Were you able to finish while I was out?” The two shook their heads, and Cheerilee sighed. “Well, I guess you have an extension on your homework, then. But be warned: if it isn’t finished by tomorrow, then I will have you stay behind for detention! Is that understood?”

The two nodded, and then Diamond Tiara packed up her stuff, and moved back to her seat at the front, ready for the next class to begin. As she left, Scootaloo went over the past fifteen minutes in her mind, trying to make sense of all that had just happened. That’s when she realised something. She looked towards Diamond Tiara, who was sitting herself down at her own desk. ‘Did she… Did she do that on purpose, to get my mind off of my old man?’

Cheerilee told everypony to settle down, and Scootaloo focused her attention on the front of the class as the lesson began. ‘Nah, no way.’

Silver Spoon cast a worried glance at her friend as the two sat in the cafeteria together. “Hey, Diamond? You okay?”

“Mhm,” Diamond Tiara replied, not taking her eyes off of the air in front of her. “Just fine, why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s just that, most ponies like to unwrap their chocolate bars before eating them.”

Diamond Tiara stopped her chewing, and pulled the half-eaten chocolate from her mouth… still all wrapped up. She could then taste the unpleasant wrapper in her mouth, and quickly grabbed her orange juice to take a drink.

“What’s with you?” Silver Spoon asked. “You’ve been like this ever since second period. You’re usually so good at History, but today, you were just… so out of it.”

Diamond Tiara shot a glance over to a table in the far corner of the room, where a certain orange Pegasus filly was sitting with her two friends. “… It’s nothing,” she said. However, Silver Spoon didn’t believe her.

“Don’t lie to me, DT!” she said, putting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Do I need to recite the third amendment of our ‘Sugar-Lump Rump Friendship Pact 2.0’!”

Diamond Tiara gasped in horror. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Try me.”

Diamond Tiara sighed, and looked around herself cautiously. “… Fine. But not here.” She turned back to Silver Spoon, and leaned in to whisper: “The walls have ears.”

Silver Spoon looked around, and noted that they were in the centre of the room. “The walls are pretty far away,” she joked. Diamond Tiara wasn’t amused. “Fine, whatever. Let’s go behind the schoolhouse then.”

Behind the schoolhouse, Silver Spoon waited patiently for Diamond Tiara to start explaining what was bothering her. It didn’t take long. Diamond Tiara had a much easier time confiding in her friend than she did in her teacher or her father. Although that could have been down to the pact that they had made when they first became friends, and revised only once, after the incident involving Babs Seed. The new rule was simple: ‘No Babs Seeds’.

Needless to say, of all the things that Silver Spoon was expecting to hear, she was not expecting to hear this. That her friend had fallen for not just one, but two of the blank flanks. And Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, at that! In all honesty, there was a time that Silver Spoon had suspected that Diamond Tiara had feelings for Apple Bloom, back when she was the only one they bothered, but that didn’t last long.

‘I could kinda understand if it were Sweetie Belle. She’s the only one of those three who even has some grace and dignity, and her voice isn’t as annoying as the other two.’

“So… that’s it,” Diamond Tiara finished, looking down at the floor as she awaited her friend’s judgement.

“… Wow,” was all that Silver Spoon could say. “That’s… I can understand why you wanted to keep quiet about that.”

“I know! There’s something wrong with me, isn’t there?!”

“… Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Silver Spoon said, pulling her friend into a hug. “Maybe it’s just like what your dad said. You know, about it being a phase?”

“You think?” Diamond Tiara asked, returning her friend’s hug.

“Totally. But, if it isn’t, and you really do have a crush on them… I’ll totally help you out, Diamond. Even if they are annoying little blank flanks, and totally not good enough for you.”

“So, you’re still my friend?”

Silver Spoon pulled out of the hug, and gave her friend a stern glare. “Do I need to recite the first amendment of our pact?”

Diamond Tiara smiled, and shook her head. “… Thanks,” she said quietly, sniffling as she resisted the tears trying to force themselves out of her eyes.

“NP,” Silver Spoon responded, waving a hoof dismissively. “So… what’re you gonna do now?”

Diamond Tiara’s ears flattened against her head. “Well… I was thinking of… approaching one of them.”

Silver Spoon’s ears twitched, and she tried to hide the excited look on her face. “Really? You’ve made up your mind already?”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure yet, but today, Scootaloo and I spent some time together, and… I kinda enjoyed it,” Diamond Tiara with a blush. Silver Spoon had to try hard not to giggle. “And, Scootaloo was the first one to stick up for me in Manehatten.”

“So you’d like somepony who’d defend your honour?” Silver Spoon teased, receiving a nudge from the pink filly.

‘There’s also that thing that I learned today, about her father… Her father’s always ill, and she spends so much time looking after him, making sure he’s okay. I never realised she could be so… so…’ Diamond Tiara cleared her throat. “Anyway, I’m going to focus on her for now, and see if these feelings really are just a phase.”

“Sounds good,” Silver Spoon said. “But, how are you going to approach her? You two aren’t exactly on the best of terms.”

Diamond Tiara held her head high with pride. “I’ve already got it figured out! I’m gonna approach her with an offer of mutual benefit!”

“… A what?”

“Like what daddy does with other companies: a trade of goods! I’ll offer to tutor her in History, since she’s falling behind, and I’ll ask her to tutor me in Geography! I learned today that she’s actually, surprisingly, a good teacher, so it’s like killing two birds with one stone!”

“… What if she says no?” Diamond Tiara had no answer. Silver Spoon sighed. “You didn’t think it through past that, did you?”

“… Whatever! We can cross that bridge when we reach it! Silver Spoon, your job is to get the other blank flanks out of the way, so that I can talk to Scootaloo alone!”

“H-How do I do that?”

Diamond Tiara shrugged. “I don’t know. Hang a Cutie Mark outside a window or something, just keep them busy.”

Diamond Tiara entered her house, and silently made her way to the stairs. She couldn’t believe that it had actually worked… That Scootaloo had actually agreed to her proposal. For the rest of the day, she couldn’t concentrate at all in her classes, and she kept wondering to herself whether or not it was a bad idea approaching Scootaloo like that.

‘No. Daddy said he regretted not approaching mommy sooner, and besides, it’s not like I could focus anyway. I need to just get this over with, and find out whether what I’m feeling really is…’

“Diamond Tiara?” Filthy Rich called from the living room. “Could you come in here for a second?”

Diamond Tiara stopped halfway up the stairs, and turned around to walk back down. She rounded the corner, and entered the living room, where she found her father sitting in his favourite chair, a briefcase at his side. “How was school today?” he asked.

“… Okay,” she answered. “What’s with the briefcase? Are we going somewhere?”

Filthy Rich shook his head. “I am, but you’re not.” He got up, and approached his daughter. “You see, I have to visit one of my clients in Manehatten, right away, and your mother is going to be working late tonight. I know that this is rather sudden, but I’ve arrange a foalsitter for you.”

Diamond Tiara smiled. Looks like tonight was going to be fun. “It’s okay, daddy. It’s your job after all.” She leaned up to nuzzle her father, who knelt down to make it easier for her. “So, what time is Miss Fluttershy getting here?” she asked. She loved having Fluttershy sit for her. The timid mare would such a doormat. She would let Diamond Tiara eat whatever she wanted, and stay up late watching cartoons.

“Actually, Miss Fluttershy isn’t available tonight,” Filthy Rich said, a tinge of red crossing his face. “So instead, I arranged for somepony else to watch you. And it will be at their house.”

Diamond Tiara’s smile feel. Looks like tonight was going to be a drag. “Well, who is it?”

Chapter 5

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Filthy Rich sigh contently as he took a sip of his warm tea. It wasn’t often that he was able to enjoy a day off from managing his huge, international business, with branches spread to every corner of Equestria. But when he did get a day off, he made sure to savour every last, peaceful second.

“About three hours before Diamond Tiara will be coming home… I think I’ll go and take a nice, relaxing bath, and then-” The stallion’s planning was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Oh, guess I’ll answer that, first.”

Placing his tea down, and rising to his hooves, Filthy Rich made his way to the front door, picking up the pace whenever the knocking began to grow more rapid. “Hold your horses! I’m coming, already!” Once he reached the door, he opened it up, only to be greeted by his worst nightmare. His biggest enemy. The face of pure evil. The kind of pony that had always managed to turn his best of days into the most stressful of days, and that made him feel sick just from looking at them.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Rich,” the suit-wearing stallion on the other side of the door said. “Please forgive my sudden intrusion, but there is a rather serious matter that I must speak to you about. May I please come in?”

‘Great,’ Filthy Rich thought to himself. ‘The only thing I hate more than lawyers, are lawyers that have ‘serious matters’ to discuss with me.’ Filthy Rich stepped aside, and put on his best poker face as he addressed the pony standing outside. “Of course. I just hope this isn’t about the graffiti problem at our company’s Manehatten branch, because I’m getting tired of these constant-”

“No, this is something much worse,” the pony said, bringing a frown to Filthy Rich’s face.

“Well, why don’t you just take a seat in the living room, and I’ll go prepare you some tea. Or perhaps you’d prefer coffee?”

“Just water will be fine.” The stallion sat himself down in the living room, whilst his host wandered off to the kitchen to fetch his drink. Upon his return, the lawyer decided to cut any small talk, and just get down to business. “First of all, I should probably introduce myself. Gennaro, from the Manehatten Prosecution Office.”

“And I guess you already know my name, but formalities and all. I’m Filthy Rich, head of-”

“Listen, I’m on a tight schedule, so let me be brief,” Gennaro interrupted. Whilst this annoyed Filthy Rich, he was thankful that this would at least speed up the conversation. “At about 21:25 yesterday, it was discovered that somepony in your company, a ‘Mrs. Plus Profit’, was involved in an embezzlement scheme within your company.”

Filthy Rich almost bolted out of his seat. “Not Plus! Surely not! She has been one of my most trusted employees for over ten years!”

Gennaro motioned with his hooves for the stallion to calm down. “Well, the evidence against her is pretty hard, but she hasn’t been found guilty yet. Her trial will be in three months, however, your concern is more immediate. Currently, you’re presented with one of two options: shutting down the entire Manehatten branch-”

“Do you realise how many ponies would lose their jobs if I did that?! Or how much that would affect the company as a whole?!”

“-Or, there is an emergency meeting being held in Manehatten tomorrow morning. If possible, your presence is requested there, but failure to attend will result in the shutting down of the Manehatten branch.” Filthy Rich sat back into his chair, and pressed a hoof to his forehead. “I realise that this must be quite a bomb I dropping on you, but rest assured that things are looking quite well for you.”

Filthy Rich shot the lawyer a confused look. “How so?”

Gennaro leaned closer, so that he could whisper to the other stallion. “Well, I’m not supposed to know this myself, but sources have told me that the MPD are hot on the trail of the perpetrator behind this scheme. And so far, it seems as though the money could easily be returned to all the victims, if they are caught. If that happens, then this whole situation should be a synch to resolve. At least, for somepony of your calibre.”

Filthy Rich took a moment to consider that, and then sat up straight in his chair with a confident grin on his face. “Yes, well, if the worst comes to worst… I’ll definitely see my business through this, no matter what! It’ll take more than one little bump in the road to destroy all that I’ve worked so hard to create!”

Gennaro nodded. “Well then, it’s been a pleasure speaking to you, Mr. Rich. I assume you’ll be there at the meeting tomorrow?”

“Of course I will,” Filthy Rich said, standing up to show his guest out. “I’ll need to find a foal sitter for Diamond…” he mumbled to himself, before making his way out of the living room, his guest following him. “Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention.”

As soon as Gennaro was out of the mansion, Filthy Rich closed the door and let out a huge sigh. “‘Somepony of my calibre’, huh? Maybe when I was back in my prime, but now-a-days, my mind is just too focused on my little girl to be the corporate hotshot I was back then. Speaking of which, I’d better see if Miss Rarity is available for foalsitting today.”

“What?! You want me to foalsit, when I have a rush order of fifty dresses to be done for Fancypants and Fleur de Lis’ anniversary this weekend?!” Rarity used her magic to carry over a sheet of fabric that her pet Opalescence was using as a makeshift bed towards a nearby sewing machine. “I’m sorry, but you’ll have to find somepony else.”

Filthy Rich sighed, and decided to leave the frantic dressmaker to her work. If he hadn’t had his own problems to worry about, he would have been more concerned for her mental health, and would have also offered a helping hoof. Unfortunately, he had to hurry up, and find a foalsitter before Diamond Tiara came home from school.

“Guess I’ll try Miss Cloudchaser next…”

Seven foalsitters. Seven different mares, all of which had nothing to do with each other, and all seven had been unavailable on such short notice. Filthy Rich had only one foalsitter left to turn to, and unfortunately, it was the one he was trying to avoid: Fluttershy.

It’s not that he had a problem with the mare. In fact, he found her to be charming, and pleasant dinner conversation… when she actually spoke. However, he felt that Fluttershy allowed his daughter too much leniency whenever she foalsat her, and that it was having a negative impact on Diamond Tiara’s attitude.

Still, this was his last resort. He had to clear up this problem, but his wife wouldn’t be home until later that night, so he had to find somepony to watch his little girl. And it was only for half-a-day.

Taking a breath to ready himself, Filthy Rich raised a hoof, and knocked on the door. Almost immediately, her heard yelping inside, followed by crashing, and then voices. One of which belonged to Fluttershy, and the other seemed to belong to some other mare, but he didn’t recognise it. So she had company… Already things weren’t looking well.

The door slowly creaked open, only slightly, and a blue eye peeked through to greet him. “Oh, Mr. Rich… What brings you by here?” Her voice carried its usual grace and gentleness, but it also contained a hint of urgency.

“I’m sorry if I’m interrupting anything,” he said.

“Oh, you’re not interrupting anything,” Fluttershy responded, before looking behind her for a second… and then turning back to her guest. “Uh, I mean, yes. You are interrupting.” He heard a groan from inside, and a hushed voice scolding the timid mare.

Filthy Rich already had an idea of what he was interrupting, and his face turned red from the images forming in his mind. “Uh, I take it you aren’t available to foalsit, then?”

“Today?” Fluttershy asked, receiving a nod. “I’m sorry, but I’m…” Once again, she looked behind her. “… Lifting weights?”

…

“Oh! I mean, uh… feeding my animals.”

Filthy Rich nodded, and decided that he had intruded on Fluttershy and… whoever was in there with her, enough. “I see. That’s alright, I’m sure I can find somepony else.”

“I’m really sorry…”

Filthy Rich waved his hoof dismissively. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I know it’s rather short notice, and I wouldn’t want to keep your… animals… waiting any longer.” With that, the brown stallion turned around and began to walk away. ‘Well, that was awkward… And even worse, now I have no foalsitter for Diamond Tiara! Unless… No, I couldn’t. But, then, I really am out of options here…’

“Ugh! About time!” Rainbow Dash groaned as Fluttershy closed the door to her cottage. “What the hay was that all about?”

“It was Mr. Rich. He wanted to ask if I could foalsit his daughter for him.”

“His daughter? Y’mean that rich snob who’s always giving Scoots and the others a hard time?”

Fluttershy nodded slowly. “She’s not so bad. I actually think she’s the same as you.”

“As me?”

“… Remember how you used to pull pranks on me all the time, when we were fillies?”

Rainbow Dash scoffed and waved a hoof. “That was just harmless practical jokes between pals!”

“… I didn’t think they were all that harmless,” Fluttershy said, walking over to her friend. “In fact, some of the stuff you did made me cry…”

“… I-It did?” Fluttershy nodded. “Yikes… I-I didn’t know that. I-”

Fluttershy cut her off by raising her hoof. “It’s okay. I know, Dashie. You were ‘too cool’ to approach me by regular means, and that was your way of ‘hanging with me’.” Fluttershy giggled as she saw the stunned look on Rainbow Dash’s face. “I read in one of Twilight’s books that children tend to be mean to those they like, when they’re too afraid to properly approach them. ‘Better to be a negative part of their life, than to be no part at all’, is what the book said.”

Rainbow Dash was speechless. And here she thought that Fluttershy was just a timid little scaredy-pony who knew just as much about approaching other ponies as… well, as she did.

“Um,” Fluttershy said, breaking the silence between the two, “Should I continue?”

Rainbow Dash’s face turned red, and she slowly nodded. Fluttershy also blushed, and lowered her head to pick something up with her teeth. Slowly, she brought the item closer and closer to her friend… and began to run the file against the blue Pegasus’ hind hooves.

“See?” Fluttershy asked, her voice muffled by the file in her mouth. “A hooficure isn’t so bad, is it?”

Rainbow Dash looked up at the ceiling, refusing to show anypony, even her best friend, that she was actually enjoying this. “Remember, tell no one. Alright?”

Diamond Tiara couldn’t believe it. Of all of the places that her father had left her at… Of all of the ponies that could be sitting for her in his absence… Why did it have to be here, at Sweet Apple Acres?

“Thank you for doing this on such short notice, Big Macintosh,” Filthy Rich said, handing the red stallion a bag of bits. “Here’s your payment in advance.”

Big Macintosh shook his head, and pushed the bag back to its owner. “There’s no need for that. Ah’m always happy ta help a friend in need.”

“Oh, but I insist.”

“And ah insist that yah don’t have to.”

“But-”

“Aren’t ya gonna miss yer train, Mr. Rich?” Big Macintosh asked, seeking to end this little back-and-forth before it dragged on for too long.

Filthy Rich looked at the town in the distance behind him, and then turned back to the stallion. “Alright,” he said with a grin, “You win this round, but I insist on paying you upon my return!”

Big Macintosh nodded. “Jus’ bring back some o’ them fritters they sell down in Manehatten. Y’know the ones… Applejack and Apple Bloom love ‘em. That’ll be payment enough.”

Filthy Rich nodded, and turned his attention down at his daughter… who was sitting on her haunches, forelegs crossed, and pouting. He expected this, but it didn’t exactly mean he was prepared for it. “Diamond sweetie, I have to go now. Can I trust you to be on your best behaviour for Big Macintosh and his family?”

“… I guess,” Diamond Tiara mumbled, turning her head away from her father.

“That’s my girl. Now, can daddy get a kiss goodbye?” Filthy Rich offered his cheek, but Diamond Tiara didn’t respond. After a few seconds of silence, he gave up, and turned around to leave the farm. “Right, then I’d better get going. I gave you all of her medical information, right?”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh said, producing a sheet of paper given to him earlier by Filthy Rich. The sheet basically contained a list of her allergies, and the name of her foaliatrician.

“Good. Her mother should come by to pick her up at around nine-thirty.” He gave one last look at his daughter, who was still stubbornly refusing to face him. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Diamond.”

“… See ya,” she said as quietly as possible, though still making it so that she could be heard. As the filly heard her father’s hoofsteps moving away, and then eventually disappearing off into the distance, she turned her attention to the red stallion next to her. He was simply staring down at her. “… What?”

“Well, ah was jus’ wonderin’ if you were gonna be sittin’ there mopin’ all day, or if you’d rather come inside, before it starts ta rain.”

Diamond Tiara gave the stallion a curious look. “It’s not scheduled to rain today.”

Big Macintosh whistled. “So you read the weather reports, huh? Guess ah can’t fool you, then. Still, wouldn’t ya rather sit inside on a nice, clean carpet, than out here on the dusty ground?”

Diamond Tiara’s eyes widened, and she quickly bolted to her hooves, and looked over her shoulders at her flanks. She cringed when she saw them covered in dust, and quickly moved to wipe it all away with her hooves, coughing as she did so.

“Well, I guess you do make a good point…” Diamond Tiara began to walk inside, but stopped when she noticed Big Macintosh walking the other way. “Where are you going? Aren’t you supposed to be, you know, looking after me?”

“There’s already a grownup in there,” Big Macintosh answered. “Somepony far more reliable than me. An’ besides, ah’ve gotta help mah sister with all these apples.”

Diamond Tiara wondered who the stallion as referring to. Another grownup? More reliable than him? But, the only other grownup who lived at the farm was… “You’ve got to be kidding me…”

Whilst Applejack and Big Macintosh were out in the sea of apple trees outside, bucking trees in the hot sun, Granny Smith snoozed the day away inside the farmhouse, sitting comfortably in her rocking chair and dreaming about her youth. From the giggling that escaped from her mouth every now and then, Apple Bloom figured it must have been a good dream.

Diamond Tiara, on the other hoof, was more focused on the clock hanging above the fireplace in the Apple family’s living room. She realised after about a minute of watching the clock that it was broken. After all, no clocks move that slowly. Except maybe for the one in Cheerilee’s classroom.

‘This is so annoying. Why did daddy leave me here? Why couldn’t he just pay Fluttershy more to sit for me? Or Cloudchaser? Hay, even that Pegasus with the funny eyes would have been better than this.’ A familiar tingling ran through the filly’s body, and her frown deepened. ‘Great. Just great. Now I need to use the bathroom, which means I’ve got to ask Apple Bloom where it is.’

Apple Bloom looked up from the floor that she had spent the past five minutes staring at to glance over at Diamond Tiara. ‘Dang it, stop being so quiet! Ah can’t stand this! Jus’… say somethin’! Even if it’s calling me a blank-flank, at least it’d be better than this!’

Diamond Tiara looked back up at the clock. ‘Ugh! I won’t be able to hold it until mum comes and picks me up!’ She turned her attention to the yellow filly sitting beside her, who quickly lowered her head to avoid eye contact. ‘Why doesn’t she just go outside with her friends? Then I can wake up Granny Smith and ask her where their bathroom is!’

Apple Bloom grit her teeth together. ‘That’s it! Ah can’t take this anymore! I’ve gotta break this silence, before it kills me!’

“Hey-” both fillies said simultaneously, each one turning to look away from each other.

“W-What?” Apple Bloom asked, thankful that the other filly was finally saying something, but a little annoyed that she was interrupted when she had finally worked up the courage to speak herself.

“Where’s your bathroom?” Diamond Tiara asked, her face turning red. She didn’t understand why, but for some reason, she felt embarrassed asking such a question. Was it because of her newly-discovered feelings for the filly she was asking?

“Oh, it’s up the stairs, then the first door to your left.”

Diamond Tiara nodded, and then got up. She was all too eager to get out of there, and have a chance to think in peace about how she was going to make this stay more bearable. As she climbed the stairs, she heard the front door to the house open, and somepony walking inside.

‘Stupid Apple Bloom. I’ve already decided to give that featherbrained friend of yours a chance, stop trying to mess things up! Just… go ‘crusading’ those friends of your until my mum comes home. Or put on a movie or something so that we’re not just sitting in silence! Or maybe go to your room and do something away from me!’ As Diamond Tiara entered the bathroom, she wondered to herself why she was unable to do anything if Apple Bloom was with her. ‘I should have paid more attention when Cheerilee was talking how our bodies change…’

Downstairs, Apple Bloom was fidgeting on the spot as she stared impatiently at the stairs. She didn’t realise that her brother had entered the room until he spoke up.

“Where’s Diamond Tiara?” he asked, startling his sister. “You two aren’t fightin’, are ya?”

“N-No,” Apple Bloom said. It was true, but it felt weird saying it when it wasn’t a lie. “She’s in the bathroom right now, that’s all.”

Big Macintosh noticed the nervous tone in her voice. “What’s wrong?”

“… Why does she have ta stay here?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah can’t stand it! It’s so awkward when it’s just the two of us, an’ I can’t say or do anything!”

“Why?” Apple Bloom looked at him confusedly. “Why is it so awkward between the two of you?”

“Because!” was all that Apple Bloom said in response. ‘Because ah have these stupid feelings towards her, that’s why! Not like ah can say that, though…’

Big Macintosh tilted his head, waiting for her to elaborate some more. When it seemed that she wasn’t going to continue, he sighed, and looked around the room. “… How ‘bout you get on with yer homework? If ya’ve got nothin’ better ta do, ya might as well get yer schoolwork out of the way.”

Apple Bloom cringed at the idea, but she had to admit that he had a point… Actually, that might not have been such a bad idea! ‘Yeah! It’ll be somethin’ ta get mah mind off of things, an’ it’d be a good excuse ta talk to her!’

The sounds of hoofsteps down the stairs alerted Apple Bloom to Diamond Tiara’s return, and she turned around to see the pink filly approaching her. Meanwhile, Big Macintosh decided to leave the house and get back to his work, but not before sparing a peek around the corner to make sure that everything was okay.

“So…” Apple Bloom started, watching Diamond Tiara as she sat down far away from her, “Ah was thinkin’, we have a lot of homework ta do for school. Maybe we can do it together?”

The other filly frowned at that idea. Unbeknownst to Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara had already planned something similar with Scootaloo. “Why?” she asked. “Wouldn’t you prefer to go hang out with your friends or something?”

“Well, Sweetie Belle said that she’s spending the day cooking one hundred meals for her parents’ anniversary, and Scootaloo’s been actin’ real weird lately. She doesn’t wanna do much today.”

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “Well, there’s still better ways to spend time. Like, we could watch a movie or something?”

“On what?” Apple Bloom asked. Diamond Tiara looked around the room, and then gave Apple Bloom a wide-eyed stare. “Wynonna broke our TV set last week, an’ it’ll be a while ‘til we can get a new one.”

Diamond Tiara groaned. Two strikes… “Okay, then why don’t you go and do your homework, somewhere away from me?”

Apple Bloom shot the pink filly a glare. “An’ why should ah? It’s mah house, so ah can do mah homework wherever ah please!”

“What, you want to spend time with me?” Diamond Tiara asked sarcastically, though part of her was genuinely hoping for a ‘yes’.

‘Yes!’ Apple Bloom shouted in her head. “Ah jus’ think that if we’re gonna be spendin’ the day together, we might as well make the most of it, an’ do somethin’ productive! Ye’re good at History, right? Well, ah’m…” Apple Bloom averted her gaze in embarrassment. “Ah’m not so good at History… So ah thought, maybe y’all could help me?”

Diamond Tiara studied the filly closely with an even stare. However, inside, her mind was raging up a storm. ‘Oh, come on! You can’t do that! That’s not fair! And what is it with that stupid accent of hers? It never used to bother me, but now I can’t get it out of my head!’

“Well?” Apple Bloom asked impatiently.

Diamond Tiara gave in, and reached over to her saddlebags. “Ugh, fine! But you have to help me with the Biology questions!”

“Alright. Sounds fair.”

Apple Bloom’s plan seemed to work well for her. It wasn’t long after she had started her homework that she had completely forgot all about Diamond Tiara sitting beside her. Though, her plan had only worked half as well as she had hoped; she had thus far been unable to strike up a conversation with the other filly, or even speak to her at all.

She looked down at the final question on her Biology homework sheet. ‘Let’s see… Differences between reptiles and amphibians…’ She bit into the tip of her pencil, and took a moment to think it through. And then a moment more. And then another moment, this time a little frustrated as the answer completely escaped her.

“Amphibians live both on land and in water,” said a voice from behind her. She turned around to find Applejack smiling down at her. “Also, reptiles have scales, but amphibians don’t.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Apple Bloom said, turning back to her paper and writing down the answer. “Wow, Applejack! Ah didn’t know you were so good at Biology!”

“Ah’m not. But when ye’re friends with Twilight, ya tend ta pick up a few things. Anyway, ah thought ah’d come see how y’all are getting’ on.” She glanced nervously at Diamond Tiara, who was clearly having trouble with her homework, as she was biting down on her pencil just as much as Apple Bloom had been. “So ye’re both still alive,” she whispered, in a relieved voice.

“What’s that supposed ta mean?” Apple Bloom asked.

Applejack chuckled, and turned to leave the room. “Nothin’, jus’ a lil’ joke. Well, ah’ll be in the kitchen if’n ya need any more help.” ‘An’ Big Macintosh owes me fifty bits.’

“Okay!” Apple Bloom responded as her sister left the room. She then turned her attention to Diamond Tiara, whom she had completely forgotten about until now. ‘Oh shoot! Ah was supposed ta be helpin’ her with her homework! Ah hope she isn’t too mad.’

Diamond Tiara let out a quiet growl as she glared at the sheet in front of her. ‘What the hay is photo… whatever?!’ Her left eye twitched as she moved on to the next question. ‘Why are there so many questions about plants? They’re just green things that are used to decorate lobbies and office rooms! Stupid plants…’

Apple Bloom watched for a few second as Diamond Tiara struggled to make sense of even a single question, growling and gritting her teeth as she made her way down the sheet. She never noticed before, but when frustrated, Diamond Tiara actually looked… kind of cute. ‘Y’know, ah think ah could actually just settle for watchin’ this for a bit.’

“What are you laughing at?!” Diamond Tiara shouted, snapping Apple Bloom out of her thoughts, and confusing her for a bit. Until she realised that she had just let out a giggle against her will. “And why aren’t you helping me? I thought we had a deal!”

“N-No! Ah wasn’t laughin’, honest!”

“Liar! I heard it, loud and clear! You think you can look down on me and laugh like that, just because you know a little more about such a useless subject than me?”

‘Why not? You do it often enough.’ Apple Bloom shook her head. “It’s not like that. Ah was laughin’ at… somethin’ else.”

“Oh really?” Diamond Tiara asked disbelievingly. “Well then, what was this ‘something else’?”

“Ah… can’t say,” Apple Bloom said, turning her back to Diamond Tiara. However, as expected, the stubborn rich filly wouldn’t let it go that easily.

“Nuh-uh! You’re not getting away that easily! Answer my question, now!” Diamond Tiara grabbed Apple Bloom’s shoulders, and attempted to turn her around. The yellow filly resisted as best she could, using her superior physical strength to keep her back to Diamond Tiara. “I said… tell… me!”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“NO!”

“Who’s up for a game of Monopony?!” Applejack shouted as she suddenly entered the room, carrying said game in her hooves, a nervous smile on her face. “Y-Y’know, since you two girls have been workin’ hard an’ all, ah figured you could use a break.”

“That sounds fun!” Apple Bloom shouted, jumping to her hooves and running over to her sister. Diamond Tiara didn’t look as enthusiastic.

“Hmph! There’ll be no challenge playing against of simpleminded, lower-class ponies like you,” she said, pointing her nose up into the air.

Applejack gave a quick look of disapproval, but didn’t say anything. Apple Bloom, on the other hoof, wasn’t going to stay quiet. “What’s the matter? Y’all afraid of losing to a bunch of ‘lower-class ponies’?”

“Me? Afraid of losing to you?!” Apple Bloom made a chicken gesture to Diamond Tiara, angering the filly even more. “Fine! You’re on!”

“Hah! Pay up, Big Macintosh!” Diamond Tiara shouted, holding out her hoof for the stallion to put money into. She had a huge grin on her face, and showed no signs of being merciful.

Big Macintosh looked down at his pitiful pile of money. A one bit note, two five bit notes, and a fifty bit note. He only had one property to mortgage, but even with all of that combined… he couldn’t afford it. Letting out a defeated sigh, Big Macintosh gave whatever he had left to Diamond Tiara, and was then declared bankrupt.

“Yes! Why couldn’t this be one of our tests at school?” Diamond Tiara asked as she placed her new property with the rest, making sure that it was with the right colours, and in the right spot. She then placed her three new notes with the rest of her money, which, compared to Apple Bloom’s, was monstrous in size.

Big Macintosh decided to go and make a start on dinner, since he was now out, leaving his two sister to avenge him.

“Well, somepony’s certainly in a better mood now,” Apple Bloom said dryly as she watched Diamond Tiara pick up the dice.

“It’s because I’m winning!” Diamond Tiara said cheerfully. “And I love to win!”

“Ah hadn’t noticed,” Applejack said sarcastically, grinning at the pink filly. “Ya know, ya kinda remind of mah friend Rainbow Dash. She don’t like losin’ either, but when she wins, she can’t stop rubbin’ it in other ponies’ faces.”

Diamond Tiara harrumphed. “Well, I’m not quite as brutish or uncouth as that motor skill-impaired pony, but thank you anyway.”

‘It wasn’t a compliment,’ Applejack though to herself, but shook away the thought as she watched the filly roll. Diamond Tiara moved her piece onto a red property. “Well ah’ll be! That’s mine!” Applejack grinned as she looked down at her property cards. “That’ll be one hundred an’ five bits there, Miss Diamond Tiara.”

Diamond Tiara giggled as she reached for her money. “Oh, that’s cute,” she said as she picked up a wad of cash. “I do hope you have change for, a fortune.” She threw a series of fifty bit notes at Applejack, who gave the filly a bemused look in return.

“Yeah, yeah. Ya don’t have ta go showin’ off like that,” she said as she returned the excess notes, and gave Diamond Tiara forty-two bits of change.

“Oh, but I do,” Diamond Tiara responded. “What’s the point of being amazing and better than everypony else if nopony appreciates you for it?”

Apple Bloom snatched the dice, and started to shake them in her hoof. “Well, we’ll see how long that lasts. Juuuuus’ keep that throne warm for me, ‘cause ah’m gonna be takin’ it!” Apple Bloom rolled the dice across the table, and both Applejack and Diamond Tiara watched as she moved her piece into the greens… into the purples… and stopped on Hayfair. Hayfair, with a hotel on it, which was owned by…

“Oh, look at that,” Diamond Tiara said in an innocent voice. “So, how much money do you have exactly?” Apple Bloom gave her a glare, before looking down at her small pile of money. Not exactly in the danger zone, but certainly not enough to pay Diamond Tiara the full amount…

“Ah guess ah’m out…”

Diamond Tiara’s smile fell. She should have been happy that she had bankrupt another pony, and was one step closer to winning. However, Apple Bloom looked so disheartened, and she didn’t like to see that. Not to mention, she wanted to keep playing a bit more… She wanted to spend more time playing with Apple Bloom. ‘Oh no… No, I’ve already chosen Scootaloo! Go away, you stupid feelings!’

Apple Bloom picked up whatever money she had, and handed it over to Diamond Tiara. “Here ya go. Guess ah was no match for ya, huh?”

Diamond Tiara stared at the money for a bit, and then at Apple Bloom’s face… which proved to be a mistake. Suddenly, she couldn’t fight it any longer. “… How about, we make a deal?”

Apple Bloom and Applejack were both caught completely off guard by this, and neither one were sure that they had heard correctly. “Beg pardon?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I’ll let you off the hook… if you form a partnership with me!” Diamond Tiara blushed as she realised what she had just said could be misconstrued. “D-Don’t misunderstand! Your sister is just a bit better than I thought, so I’m following daddy’s advice, and makings allies of weaker businesses to take down the stronger ones!”

Apple Bloom wasn’t sure what was going on, but she smiled nonetheless, and placed her money back into a pile next to her properties. “So, ah’m still in?” Diamond Tiara hesitantly nodded. “Awesome! Sorry sis, but y’all know how it is in business! Survival of the fittest!” She paused for a second, and then looked over to Diamond Tiara for confirmation. “Right?”

“Y-Yeah…”

Applejack simply looked at the two fillies with a bewildered look on her face. ‘… Did ah miss something here?’

“Finally!” Apple Bloom shouted as she plopped her head down onto her pillow. “Ah never knew remembering dates could be so hard…”

“Took you long enough,” Diamond Tiara said smugly. “I finished, like, twenty minutes ago.”

Apple Bloom frowned as she looked over at the pink filly, who was sitting on the floor, against the wall on the other side of the room. “Ya could’ve helped me, y’know?”

“Like you helped me with that Biology homework?” Diamond Tiara asked, a bitter tone in her voice.

“Well, yeah, but… ah thought we were partners!”

Diamond Tiara’s heart felt like it had stopped beating for an entire second, and she stared at the filly with her eyes as wide as they could possibly be. All sound around her seemed to vanish, and she suddenly found breathing to be more challenging than it was a second ago. “W-What?”

“Y’know, back when we owned Applejack at Monopony before dinner? We formed a partnership, right?”

Diamond Tiara realised that she had gravely misunderstood, and suddenly felt herself calming down. ‘So that’s what she meant…’ Clearing her throat, and taking a moment to compose herself, Diamond Tiara gave Apple Bloom an even stare. “That was then, this is now.”

Apple Bloom blew a raspberry in response, unable to think of anything clever to say. Diamond Tiara simply yawned. “… Still, y’all were pretty good at that game. Yer dad teach ya how ta play like that?”

Diamond Tiara held her hoof in the air to examine it. “Well, in a manner of speaking,” she said as she pulled out a file from her saddlebag, and began to run it against her hoof. “My daddy has taken me to see him work a lot in the past, and he’s explained to me lots of how a business is run properly, and how finances are handled.”

“Ooh, that’s right!” Apple Bloom said. “Yer dad’s like some kinda multi-billionaire tycoon, right?”

Diamond Tiara shot Apple Bloom a proud grin. “That’s right! Greatest businesspony in all of Equestria!” She didn’t bother telling Apple Bloom that they weren’t quite that rich. There was no need for her to know, really. “And I intend to follow in his hoofsteps.”

“That so?”

“That is indeed so. Do you see my wonderful Cutie Mark?” she asked as she waved her flank to Apple Bloom, who simply rolled her eyes, and turned her head to hide her blush.

“How could ah not? Ye’re always rubbing it in our faces…” Apple Bloom pictured that literal scenario for a second, and her blush intensified.

“Well,” Diamond Tiara continued, completely oblivious to how uncomfortable Apple Bloom was feeling, “It represents my ability to lead others, and run a business just as well as daddy can. And one day, I’m going to follow in his hoofsteps, and open up Equestria’s largest, and most successful jewellery business!”

Apple Bloom clapped her hooves slowly as Diamond Tiara finished her little speech. “That sounds pretty cool,” she said. “Hey, maybe y’all could partner up with Sweet Apple Acres in the future! Ah bet ah could make it every bit as big as any business you open up.”

Diamond Tiara laughed, bringing a frown to Apple Bloom’s face. “Oh, no no no no… Sweet Apple Acres is way too small, and far too out of the way, to become such a successful business throughout all of Equestria.” A thought crossed her mind, and her laughter died down a bit. “Although, if invested right, zap apples could really make this place big. Your family could become rich beyond their wildest dreams, and then… I may consider it,” she finished, doing her best to sound like she didn’t really care.

Apple Bloom liked the sound of being rich beyond her wildest dreams… but she knew that it wouldn’t happen. “We may be able ta make good money off of it, but this farm was started as a small, family business, for jus’ the ponies in Ponyville. Sure, we cater ta other towns every now an’ then, but the spirit of our farm lives here. An’ we’re quite happy jus’ the way things are.”

Diamond Tiara stopped her filing, and gave Apple Bloom a look that had suggested the farm filly had gone mad. “How could you be happy with running such a small-time business like this, with minimal profits?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “As long as ah have mah family, what more do ah need?”

Diamond Tiara scoffed. “Family’s good, I’ll admit, but don’t you want your name to be recognised, everywhere you go? Don’t you want your face to be immortalised in every fashion magazine across Equestria? To have your name go down in the history books as somepony that future ponies will remember?”

“Maybe that’s what you want, but ah’m jus’ happy stayin’ here with mah family!” Apple Bloom gave Diamond Tiara a playful grin. “And ‘sides, how exactly are ya plannin’ to become so big anyhow, what with those awful grades of yours?”

Diamond Tiara’s frown turned into a glare. “S-Shut up, blank-flank! Grades don’t mean a thing! I’m still the smartest, prettiest, and most talented pony in all of Ponyville, and someday all of Equestria!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay, then where’s Fillydelphia?” Apple Bloom asked, resisting the urge to giggle as Diamond Tiara wracked her brain for the answer.

“Uh… Next to the ocean, duh!” she answered.

“More specific than that,” Apple Bloom said.

“What are you, a teacher now? Maybe you should find your special talent, before trying to challenge other ponies!”

“Mah talent will come when it’s ready! That’s what Applejack always says!” Apple Bloom shouted, jumping down from her bed and approaching Diamond Tiara.

“And on that day, Celestia will free Discord from his stone prison!” Diamond Tiara rebutted, also getting up and approaching the other filly.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“Oh yeah?” Apple Bloom asked again, this time nudging Diamond Tiara’s shoulder.

“YEAH!” Diamond Tiara shouted, returning the nudge with a little more force than Apple Bloom had used.

Apple Bloom nudged Diamond Tiara again, this time a little more strongly, and then moved aside when the expected counterattack came. Diamond Tiara stumbled past Apple Bloom, and turned around to try again. However, the farm pony’s quick speed allowed her to push Diamond Tiara down onto the bed behind her, and pin her down before she could do anything.

“Oh yeah?” she asked again, this time grinning victoriously.

“Get off of me!” Diamond Tiara ordered.

“What’s that? Ah can’t hear ya. Ah guess it’s ‘cause I’m so untalented, huh?”

Diamond Tiara growled at the yellow filly above her. “That doesn’t even make any sense,” she said. “Let go already!”

“Hmmm… let’s see here…” She grinned as she watched Diamond Tiara struggling to gain the upper hoof, and thought of all the fun ways she could tease her before letting go. Finally, after all the torment that she and her friends had been through, it was time for some payback… Is what she thought, until she saw a tear falling down Diamond Tiara’s cheek. She looked up to where her forehooves were pinning the pink filly down, and gasped when she realised she may have been using too much force. “S-Sorry!” she shouted as she quickly pulled away.

Diamond Tiara quickly pushed Apple Bloom away, and rubbed the sore spots on her forelegs, looking away from the other filly as she did so.

Apple Bloom was now completely worried, for two reasons. The first, was that she was worried about Diamond Tiara being in pain, as she would have been under any other circumstances. But also, she was worried that now, Diamond Tiara had hated her even more than before. That now, there was no chance of the two reconciling their differences, becoming friends, and… possibly something more.

“A-Ah’m sorry,” Apple Bloom repeated, but the words seemed lost on Diamond Tiara. “Ah didn’t mean ta… Ah’m sorry…”

“Shut up,” Diamond Tiara said, still refusing to make eye contact with her.

Apple Bloom flinched, and lowered her head. “… Y’know, if ah was hurtin’ ya, ya should’ve said somethin’. Ah was only tryin’ ta-”

“You, hurt me?! Hah! Don’t make me laugh! I was just… getting bored of your silly little games, that’s all!”

“Diamond-”

“I said shut up!” Diamond Tiara turned her entire body, so that her back was to Apple Bloom. “Just do me a favour, and shut up until my mum arrives, okay?”

Apple Bloom considered doing just that, lest she make the situation any worse than it already was at that point. However, the more time she remained silent, the more time her mind had to form images of Diamond Tiara never forgiving her. Of the two of them being enemies forever, of the two of them always fighting, and… of Diamond Tiara being in pain, by her hooves.

“Ah… Ah can’t do that,” she said, taking a few steps towards Diamond Tiara, who responded by turning around and glaring, seemingly about to shout something again. “Ah can’t do that! If ye’re hurt, ah want ya ta tell me! Especially if it was mah fault!”

“Why do you care?!” Diamond Tiara shouted, and tried to fight back when Apple Bloom grabbed her foreleg to examine it. “What are you doing?! Let go of me, right now, you stupid little blank-flank!”

“Ah care, because ah-” The words seemed to die in Apple Bloom’s mouth, and she suddenly found her courage plummeting faster than a Rarity that had lost her wings. “… Because ah… ah kinda… care about you…” she said quietly.

Diamond Tiara stopped her flailing about, partially because it was only making the pain worse, but also because she had heard what Apple Bloom had just said. “… W-What?”

“Ah like you, okay?!” Apple Bloom shouted, startling Diamond Tiara. Before she could respond, Apple Bloom turned around and ran to the far end of the room, keeping her back to Diamond Tiara. “Ah… Ah don’t know why, or how it even started, but ah… kinda have these feelin’s for ya…”

Diamond Tiara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Literally. She was sure that she was hearing wrong, or misunderstanding. There was no way it could be true… That the filly she had a crush on – or one of them, at least – held the very same feelings towards her.

“… A-Ah’m sorry,” Apple Bloom said, in a choked voice. It was clear, even with her back turned, that she was sobbing. “If y’all wanna go wait downstairs for yer mum ta arrive, go ahead. Ah’ll just… stay up here, outta yer way…”

Numerous thoughts ran through Diamond Tiara’s mind. Numerous ways to respond, both verbally, and through actions. She could continue her original plan, and just leave Apple Bloom’s room, ignoring the filly’s feelings, or she could rework her plan… After all, one of the fillies that she had been after was harbouring the same feelings… She had a chance to make it work. To finally discover just how real these feelings were.

However, what ultimately swayed Diamond Tiara into taking action, was the sounds of Apple Bloom’s restrained sobbing, and the sight of her tears hitting the floor beneath her. Without even a moment of hesitation, Diamond Tiara climbed up onto her hooves, and moved over to the crying filly at the other end of the room. Apple Bloom hadn’t seemed to notice the approach… until she felt a pair of forelegs wrapping around, and a slight pressure against the back of her head.

“You… stupid little blank-flank,” Diamond Tiara said, resting her head against Apple Bloom’s. “You think I’m just going to leave you here like this? You think you can say something like that, and then expect me to just forget about it?”

Apple Bloom’s head lowered again. “Ah’m sorry…”

“Stop apologising!” Diamond Tiara shouted. “Geeze, you really think it’ll matter how many times you say you’re sorry?! That won’t change what you did… If you’re really sorry… then tell me… tell me how you feel about me…”

Apple Bloom slowly turned her head, and gave Diamond Tiara a look of surprise, mixed with the tears that had recently stopped falling down her face. “W-What?”

“You said… you like me… What exactly does that mean?” Diamond Tiara’s hold tightened. “Do you mean you like me… like you like your family? Or your friends?” She closed her eyes. “Or like… something else?”

“… Ah…” Apple Bloom saw the uneasy look on Diamond Tiara’s face, and wasn’t sure what words to use to answer her question… so she used a simple action instead. Or, a not-so-simple one, considering how long it took her to complete it. From lifting her forehoof, to placing it under Diamond Tiara’s chin, to pulling the pink filly closer, and finally, connecting their lips together… It seemed to take forever to complete each step, and it seemed to take longer for the two of them to finally part after she was done.

Diamond Tiara felt tears forming in her eyes again. But this time, she wasn’t in pain. Or at least, she didn’t think she was. At the very least, she wanted to repeat the last action, so she moved in for a second kiss with Apple Bloom, which was eagerly accepted by the other filly.

It seemed that neither filly was satisfied with just the two kisses, though, and after their fifth one, Diamond Tiara was sure of her plan now. Of who it was she was going to choose… Of which filly she wanted to give her heart to…

“Apple Bloom,” she began, gazing into her eyes as she slowly worked up the courage to say what she felt needed to be said. “I… I lo-”

A knock came at the door, and both fillies practically jumped out of their skins. As the door began to open, the two fillies quickly jumped away from each other… neither one remembering that Apple Bloom was sitting next to a wall.

“Diamond Tiara, ye’re ma’s here ta…” Applejack stopped as she looked inside the room, and tried to make sense of what she was seeing… Diamond Tiara was laying flat on her stomach, seemingly fascinated by the rug that she was lying on, and Apple Bloom was stuck to the wall. “Uh… as ah was sayin’, ye’re ma’s here ta pick ya up.”

“Great!” Diamond Tiara shouted, jumping up to her hooves and quickly gathering her stuff. “Well, then, I wouldn’t want to keep her waiting! Guess I’d better be going now. Thanks a lot for letting me stay over so late, see ya, BYE!” she shouted as she bolted out of the room, rushing downstairs to where her mum was waiting for her.

Applejack turned her attention to Apple Bloom, who had managed to peel herself off of the wall. “… What in tarnation was that about?” she asked, walking over to her sister, who she now realised seemed to have been recently crying. “Apple Bloom, what’s wrong?! Did that filly-”

However, before Applejack could finish her question, Apple Bloom gives her an angry glare. “Sis, you… you NUMBSKULL!” the filly shouted, before running over to her bed and jumping onto it, burying her head into her pillow, and letting out a muffled, angry scream.

Applejack simply watched in confusion, now certain that she had missed something between the two of them… ‘What in tarnation? What is goin’ on here? These kids are actin’ crazier than Rarity during spring cleanin’.’

Apple Bloom finished screaming into her pillow, but was not done sulking by a long shot. ‘Stupid Applejack! An’ jus’ when Diamond was about ta say…’ Apple Bloom suddenly felt uneasy. ‘What was she about ta say?’ Another thought crossed her mind, and she let out a horrified gasp. ‘An’… An’ what’ll Scootaloo think if she knew ah…’

Now with seemingly all the problems in the world, Apple Bloom ordered her sister to leave the room so that she could sulk in peace. Applejack had no idea what was going on, but felt it best to give her sister some room for now, promising her that she will be ready to listen whenever she was ready.

‘… Great, so now ah kissed Diamond Tiara… she may or may not like me back… and ah’ve gotta worry ‘bout how Scootaloo will feel about all this. Oh, man! Could things possibly get any worse?’

Chapter 6

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Scootaloo opened the front door to her house with an excited look on her face. Just as she had expected, there was a grey mare standing outside, carrying a bunch of envelopes in her mouth… But, the filly’s face fell when she saw no package anywhere or around the mare’s person.

“Mail for Mr. Teddy!” Derpy Hooves exclaimed, dropping the four envelopes in her mouth down onto the floor. “Oops. My bad!”

“It’s alright,” Scootaloo said, bending down and picking up the letters. “Is that all? No packages or anything?”

“Sorry. No packages.” Scootaloo let out a long, depressed sigh. “I know how you feel. Many a day have a I spent waiting endlessly for that magical package from the postal office that I just knew was coming. Every hour that passed, and I still had not received my muffins, was like absolute torture to my soul. But, when that package finally comes…” The mailmare’s eyes lit up, and she began to drool a little bit as memories of muffins from all over the world entered her mind.

Scootaloo, on the other hoof, was giving the mare a strange look. “Uh, right. Well, I was supposed to be getting my new Wonderbolts helmet this week… But since tomorrow is Sunday, I guess there’s little chance of that, huh?”

“Why’s that?”

“… Uh… No postage on Sundays?”

Derpy somehow managed to make a snapping sound with her forehoof. “Oh, yeah! Totally forgot about that!”

Scootaloo again gave the mare a strange look. “Riiiight. Well, thanks for the mail. See ya around, Derpy.”

“Have a nice day!”

As Derpy Hooves flew off towards her next house, Scootaloo closed her front door, and made her way towards her father’s study. She knocked on it twice, and waited for a response.

“Scootaloo?”

“Dad, the mail’s here. You wanna take a look, or you still not feeling well?”

“… No, I’m doing a little better today. But, could you perhaps fetch me some of my medicine?”

“Sure thing. And some water, too?”

“Please.”

Scootaloo made her way to the house’s kitchen, and pulled up a stool so that she could reach the sink. She grabbed an empty glass from the drying tray next to it, and poured some water into it. Next, she jumped off of the stool, and made her way over to the medicine cabinet.

“Let’s see…” She opened it up, and began to search through the medicine. “Ah, here it is.” She grabbed a packet of paracetomal, and put a couple of pills on a tray with the glass of water. After balancing the tray carefully on her back, she made her way back upstairs, and entered her father’s study.

As always, it was a complete mess. Bottles of many kinds littered the floor, and there were papers just carelessly scattered about. Of course, with the curtains drawn as they were, the room was so dark with the door closed that one might not even notice. However, Scootaloo did notice, and she frowned as she approached her father.

“Daaaad, this is why I said you should let me clean up in here!” She saw the bags under her father’s eyes as she got closer. “Have you been having trouble sleeping?”

“It’s all this paperwork. It’s been keeping me up. Hopefully, this is just junk mail, and then I can get some bedrest.”

Scootaloo shook her head, and gently lay the tray down on the floor, beside her father. “Nu-uh! You’re getting some rest now!”

The stallion chuckled quietly. “I appreciate the concern, but somepony has to fill out all these important forms.” He waved his hooves in front of him for a bit, before finally finding his daughter. He leaned forward from his position against the wall, and wrapped Scootaloo up in a soft, gentle hug. “Otherwise, the bad ponies in suits will come and take you away from me. My only daughter… The one gem I have left in my life…”

“… I won’t let that happen,” Scootaloo said as she returned the hug. “If anypony tries to take me away, I’ll just beat the snot out of them with the moves Rainbow Dash taught me!”

“… Rainbow Dash… You really like her, huh?” The stallion released his daughter, and leaned back against the wall, holding his head in pain. “Ooooh… Scoots, did you bring the painkillers?”

“Sure did! Here, lemme help you out.” Scootaloo picked up the tablets, and placed one in her father’s mouth. She then brought the glass of water to his lips, before repeating the action for the second tablet. “There, now get plenty of rest! You can do all this tax junk later!”

“I’m sorry, Scootaloo. I’m always such a burden to you.”

“It’s cool. You can’t help being sick.” Scootaloo placed the tray onto her back again, and prepared to leave the room. “I’m… going out today, so if there’s anything you need before I leave-”

“Thank you, but I think I’ll be fine.”

Scootaloo nodded, and then began to leave the room. She stopped to consider the state of the room once more, and decided to do a little cleaning before heading out. She leaned down to pick up some of the bottles on the floor. She wasn’t sure what they were, but her father had described them as a ‘special medicine’ to ‘ease the pain’.

She figured they were from some faraway city or something, because she’d never heard of anything like ‘gin’ or ‘bourbon whiskey’ before. Whatever they were, they sure were making the room stink. ‘Maybe I could get him one of those air fresheners while I’m out… I’m sure this kinda smell can’t be helping him.’

After picking up as much as she could hold, Scootaloo made her way back to the kitchen, and placed the bottles to one side, remembering her lessons on recycling. She knew to separate glass from other waste. She then made her way back to her father’s study to gather the rest.

“Hey, blank flank!” Diamond Tiara shouted as she approached Apple Bloom. “Oh, how I totally don’t envy you! Being the only filly in the class who doesn’t have her special talent… It must be so embarrassing for you!”

“…”

“… Hey, did you hear me?”

“Diamond Tiara?” Apple Bloom turned around, and faced the pink filly with a stern look on her face. “Shut up.”

Diamond Tiara was taken aback, but she didn’t let it show. She wouldn’t lose face to this blank flank. “W-What did you say?”

“I told you ta shut yer mouth.”

“Oh? Why don’t you make me?!”

She did, but not in the way that Diamond Tiara was expecting. Apple Bloom suddenly moved forward, and locked her lips with Diamond Tiara’s. The pink filly didn’t fight back. She simply let Apple Bloom do as she wanted.

It was at that moment, that the sounds of knocking suddenly sounded from somewhere behind her.

“Diamond Tiara?” The door to the filly’s bedroom opened, and the brown stallion Filthy Rich walked in. “I’m leaving for work now.”

Diamond Tiara rolled off of her bed, and quickly trotted over to her father. “On a Saturday? Really?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you tonight. Say, by taking you out to your favourite restaurant?”

Diamond Tiara’s eyes suddenly lit up. “And mommy will be there, too?”

Filthy Rich laughed and nodded. “Of course. Now, can I get a farewell kiss from my little Princess?” Diamond Tiara obliged with a quick peck on the stallion’s cheek, which he quickly returned afterwards. “Well then, you know who to go to in the event of an emergency, right?”

“Yes, daddy.”

“There are sandwiches for you in the fridge. If you get hungry, don’t eat too many sweets, and if you feel the need to cook something, please remember to turn the grill off when you’re finished with it this time.”

Diamond Tiara’s face turned red. “Daddyyyyy!” she whined with a powerful kick to the stallion’s leg.

The kick didn’t hurt at all, and Filthy Rich simply laughed it off. “I’ll see you later, then.”

“See you.” Diamond Tiara watched as her father left her room, and remained still for a few moments as she listened to the sounds of his retreating hoofsteps.

As soon as she heard him going down the stairs of their house, she turned around and made her way back to her bed. She climbed onto it, and hugged her pillow as she closed her eyes, attempting to remember where her little daydream had left off, before being so rudely interrupted.

As she was deep in thought, a terrifying realisation struck her. This meant that she would be alone with Scootaloo today. She looked over at her clock, and groaned as she saw that it was too late to go round to Scootaloo’s house and cancel. It also didn’t help that she had no idea where the filly lived.

“Great, just great…” The night that she and Apple Bloom shared that moment together, Diamond Tiara had stayed awake for hours, trying to decide what her next move would be. She eventually decided that she would simply not pursue Scootaloo as she had originally planned, however, the idea of getting free help on her homework was too tempting to pass up. Silver Spoon’s mother had hired Cheerilee to teach Silver Spoon out of school hours, so it was now made much more difficult to copy her friend’s homework.

As such, Diamond Tiara had decided to simply get whatever information she could out of the Pegasus filly, and then feign a stomach ache or something to get her out of the house. Simple. But, now that the idea of the two of them being alone together was running through her mind…

“Hey, how do you answer this?” Diamond Tiara asked, pointing a hoof at one of the Math questions before her.

“Oh, that’s an easy one!” Scootaloo said, with a smug grin on her face.

“Well, explain it to me!”

“Sure thing. But it’ll cost ya.” Before Diamond Tiara could ask any questions, Scootaloo leaned across their workbooks, and moved her face closer to the pink filly’s, too fast for her to dodge.

Once again, the sounds of knocking appeared behind Diamond Tiara.

The filly groaned, and shook her head quickly, trying to erase the unwanted thought from her head. “Stupid brain! Just because we’re alone, doesn’t mean anything will happen! We’ll most likely just fight, and then she’ll leave in like ten minutes, anyway!”

The knocking sounded again, and Diamond Tiara remembered that her father wasn’t home. Sighing, Diamond Tiara rolled off of her bed once more, and lazily made her way over to her bedroom door. She picked up the pace when the knocking sounded once more, and by the time she had reached the stairs, the knocking became rather frequent.

“I’m coming!” she shouted impatiently, though it didn’t seem to reach whoever was at the door. When she finally reached the front door, the knocking stopped completely. She unlocked the door, and opened the door. “Oh. It’s you.”

“You were expecting somepony else?” Scootaloo asked. “What took you so long?”

“Not everypony runs around like a hyperactive dodo.” Scootaloo scowled, and Diamond Tiara stepped aside to let her in. “Well?”

Scootaloo gulped, and slowly raised her right foreleg into the air. She brought it down just as slowly into Diamond Tiara’s home, and suddenly, a chill ran down her spine. She never thought she’d ever step even one hoof in this place. Sure, she had visited once before, during Nightmare Night, but she had never stepped inside, nor had she any intention to.

However, once she was in, a different feeling began to take a hold of her. She looked around at the huge hallway that she was now in, and at the beautiful decorations and furnishings around the room. “Whoa… Your dad really likes this rich guy décor, huh?”

“Most of the things you see around you were picked out by my mother and I. The only room that daddy decorated is his study.” ‘Which looks like something from one of his black and white movies.’

Scootaloo nodded, and whistled as her eyes fell upon a large vase resting in the centre of the room. “This thing looks expensive.”

“And it is. That vase could easily pay your entire tuition all the way up to High School.”

Scootaloo’s eyes went wide, and she gave the pink filly a disbelieving look. “You’re kidding.” Diamond Tiara shook her head. ‘No way. If I had something like that… I could get dad into a really good hospital! One of those ones up in Canterlot!’

“You’re not having it,” Diamond Tiara said, seeing the orange filly eyeing the case like the treasure that it was. Perhaps the only thing that Diamond Tiara had seen Scootaloo crave more was a Cutie Mark. “You can’t buy a Cutie Mark, just FYI.”

Scootaloo’s face fell into a frown, and she turned to the giggling filly beside her. “Whatever. Let’s just get this thing over with.”

Diamond Tiara stopped her giggling, and composed herself. “Gladly. Let me just go and gather my books,” she said, before making her way towards the stairs, and back up towards her room. ‘Right, just get whatever answers I can out of her, and then think of something to get her to leave…’

As Diamond Tiara opened and stepped inside her bedroom, Scootaloo followed in. She almost gagged at what she saw. “This is your room?” she asked. “It’s… pink.” That was all she could think to describe it. Everywhere she looked, the colour pink. With the exception of the white tea set in the corner, and the occasional doll and stuffed animal here and there, the entire room was like a never-ending sea of pink.

Scootaloo recalled that this is how she initially picture Sweetie Belle’s room, but she couldn’t ever imagine Diamond Tiara having a room like this. In fact, until just now, her image of Diamond Tiara’s room was like a witch’s lair, with spooky decorations, and cobwebs all over the walls.

Diamond Tiara suddenly turned around upon hearing Scootaloo’s voice, and her face quickly turned red. “W-What are you doing?! Did I say you could come in, blank flank?!”

“First off, my name’s Scootaloo. Second, what’s the big deal? It’s just a bedroom, isn’t it?” A thought crossed Scootaloo’s mind, and she grinned as she took another step inside. “Unless… you’ve got something embarrassing in here. Something you don’t want anypony to see?”

Diamond Tiara harrumphed, and averted her gaze. “Don’t be ridiculous! I just don’t want you to spread your looser germs all over the place, that’s all!”

Scootaloo wasn’t convinced, but the insult had managed to distract her from her teasing. “I don’t have looser germs! That’s not even a thing!”

“Sure, whatever you say,” Diamond Tiara responded. “Just get out and wait downstairs.”

Scootaloo knew that complying would be the easiest solution here, and that it would also be the fastest way to bring this day to a close. And yet, just like her feelings for this obnoxious filly before her, and the reason for why she accepted Diamond Tiara’s invitation to her house today, the reasoning for her next action completely eluded her. She just sort of did it.

“Hey! I said to wait downstairs!” Diamond Tiara shouted as Scootaloo sat herself on the bed at the other end of the room.

“I’m already up here, and it’s pretty warm in here, too! We might as well just do our work here!”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Because, it’s my bedroom!”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “What’s the big deal? I’d let you in my room, if ya wanted.” As soon as she had said that, she realised her mistake. “I-If we were doing this at my house, that is!”

Diamond Tiara didn’t hear Scootaloo’s last sentence, as she was too busy wondering what her room would even look like. Probably the exact opposite of her own. That is to say, dark colours, instead of pretty pink, and instead of posters of colt bands, probably posters of the Wonderbolts. “W-Well, it’s not like I could, anyway. You’re a Pegasus, so you live in a cloud house, right?”

Scootaloo shook her head, and opened up her saddlebag to pull her books out. “Not all Pegasi live in cloud houses, y’know?”

“… They don’t?” That information took Diamond Tiara completely by surprise. She was sure that all Pegasi lived in the clouds, just like all Unicorns lived in high-class/fancy houses. With the exception of that one crazy librarian mare.

“No, they don’t. Besides, my dad’s an Earth Pony, anyway, so we can’t live in a cloud house even if we wanted to.”

“How is that even possible, having a dad who’s a different race to you?”

Scootaloo shrugged. “I dunno. Ask Miss Cheerilee on Monday if you’re so interested.” Scootaloo swallowed nervously as she watched Diamond Tiara laying her books out on the floor. “H-Hey, you got anything to drink around here?”

Diamond Tiara simply stared at Scootaloo in silence for a few seconds. ‘Daddy always said that being a good host is important…’ “What would you like?”

“Uh… Got any coke?”

Diamond Tiara nodded, and began to leave the room. She stopped as she reached the door, and turned back to Scootaloo for a moment. “Don’t touch anything,” she said, before leaving and making her way towards the kitchen.

Scootaloo stuck her tongue at as the pink filly left, and then briefly wondered what was coming over her. After waiting in silence for a few seconds, Scootaloo decided to take a look around. ‘Sooooo… this is her room, huh? Man, is it girly.’

Something caught the filly’s eyes as she looked over at the vanity against the opposite wall. She got up, and made her way over to it to check it out. She found some photographs lying on the wooden surface, and curiosity overtook the filly, causing her to spread them out in order to get a better look at them. Some were of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon together, and others were of Diamond Tiara with her parents.

In all of the photos, Diamond Tiara was smiling, or laughing. Whatever her expression, each and every one caused Scootaloo’s heart to beat faster as she saw them.

“Hey, what are you doing?!” Scootaloo jumped at the sound of Diamond Tiara’s voice beside her. “I told you not to touch anything!”

“I was just looking!” Scootaloo quickly defended, though it didn’t help that she had accidentally picked up a photograph in her shock.

“Well, don’t!” Diamond Tiara shouted, walking towards her with a tray carrying two glasses of coke on her back. She placed the tray onto the vanity. “They aren’t yours to look at!”

“Sheesh, sor-ry!” Scootaloo picked up one of the glasses, and made her way back over to Diamond Tiara’s bed, sitting down on it without a second thought. “Y’know, you’d probably be liked more if you were like you are in those photos.”

“What?” Diamond Tiara asked, half of her feeling insulted, and half of her trying to understand just what the other filly had actually said to her.

“Y’know, more cute and-” Scootaloo quickly stopped herself. “Uh, I mean, not being so mean and stuff! You don’t look so bad when you’re smiling!”

Diamond Tiara blushed, and turned to look at the photos spread out beside her. “… So, you’re saying I look ugly at other times?”

“No!” Scootaloo shouted without thinking. She cursed herself mentally, and told herself to calm down. “Uh, well… A-Anyway, let’s stop yapping an’ get working! You with me?”

“That’s a new one,” Diamond Tiara said with her usual devious grin. “The laziest blank flank of them all, wants to get a move on with her homework.”

“I just wanna get out of here, that’s all,” Scootaloo said, turning her head away from Diamond Tiara.

“Then, why bother coming in the first place?”

“Because… Well, why did you invite me in the first place?”

“Because…” Diamond Tiara looked down at her books, and then sat herself down on the floor next to them. “Because I’m Diamond Tiara. I can do whatever I like, even waste my time around stupid little blank flanks like you or Apple Bloom.”

“Apple Bloom?” Scootaloo asked.

“Er… J-Just as an example!”

“… You okay? Your face is all re-”

“HERE!” Diamond Tiara quickly picked up her History exercise book, and offered it to the filly on her bed. “All the answers are in there. N-Now give me whatever answers you’ve got for Geography. I’ve also got the Biology answers, if you want them.” ‘Took those from Apple Bloom when she wasn’t looking…’

“Answers? I thought we were gonna show each other how to do this stuff, not just copy each other’s answers.”

‘That was my original intention, but…’ “You said you wanted to get this over with, right? Then this way will be better.”

“Well, yeah. I guess I did say that.” Scootaloo sighed, and took the book from Diamond Tiara. ‘Dummy! I was only trying to… Gah, read between the lines, will ya?!’ The Pegasus opened her own exercise book, and began to copy word-for-word what was written by Diamond Tiara… Or, what she could translate, at least. ‘Wait a minute, this might be my chance!’

“A-hem!” Scootaloo turned to Diamond Tiara, who was looking at her with an impatient look on her face. “Geography homework?”

“Oh, right!” Scootaloo took out her Geography book, and passed it to Diamond Tiara. “Uh, say, these answers are… kinda hard to read. Could you read ‘em out for me?”

“… Ugh. Can’t you do anything right?”

“Hey! You’re the one who still write like a five year old!”

“What was that?!”

“No, I take it back! Five year olds could probably write way better than this!”

“Well, five year old could probably fly better than you!”

Scootaloo’s left eye twitched. ‘Oh no, she didn’t.’ “Five year olds could sing better than you could!”

Diamond Tiara gasped at Scootaloo’s remark. “Five year olds could… could… think better than you!”

“From the sounds of it, they could think better than you, as well,” Scootaloo said with a laugh. “What, you no good without your lackey with you?”

“Lackey? You mean Silver Spoon? She’s my friend, not my ‘lackey’!” Diamond Tiara stamped a hoof for emphasis. “Don’t go calling her things behind her back, especially things I don’t know the meaning of!”

Scootaloo, once again, found her heart rate increasing as she watched Diamond Tiara so passionately defending her friend. She definitely liked this side of the pink filly… but she wasn’t about to let anypony know that anytime soon.

“Anyway, just move over already,” Diamond Tiara said, climbing onto her bed next to Scootaloo, the latter filly quickly scooting over to give her room. “Let’s see… The first one says ‘957’.”

Scootaloo stared at the writing with a blank look on her face. “Really?” she asked. “Well, if you say so…”

“The second one is talking about the neighpone-gryphon war that lasted for eight years. It basically says that Princess Celestia ended it by threatening trading sanctions on both nations if they refused to stop fighting.”

Scootaloo began to write the answers down as quickly as she could, occasionally having to ask Diamond Tiara to slow down a bit so that she could actually get it all down. She was happy that she was now talking with Diamond Tiara, rather than simply sitting in silence with her, but… ‘I was hoping we could talk about something… more fun, I guess.’

A good ten minutes went by, with Diamond Tiara simply supplying answers, and Scootaloo writing them down. Diamond Tiara was trying to get this over with as quickly as possible, whilst Scootaloo was trying to find some kind of opening to start a more casual conversation.

Suddenly, Diamond Tiara felt something on her right hind leg. Some kind of itching feeling… She looked over her shoulder to see what it was, and her eyes almost fell from their sockets as she stared in horror at the monster behind her.

“AAAAAHHHHH!” she screamed as she kicked her hind leg, and rolled off the bed, crashing down onto the floor. “G-Get it off me!”

Scootaloo raised her eyebrow as she looked over the side of the bed. “Uh… you okay?”

“W-Where is it? Is it still on me?!”

Scootaloo turned her head to look down the bed, and found a small spider crawling on the bed sheets. She had to resist the urge to laugh as she made her way over to the tiny creature. “Geez, Diamond. It’s just a lil’ bug,” she said as she extended her hoof towards it. The spider crawled onto her hoof, and the filly then moved over to the nearby window, opening it up to throw the little spider out.

She then turned back to Diamond Tiara, still resisting the urge to break out into laughter as she saw the pink filly rise to her hooves. “There. Mean bug’s gone,” she said teasingly, crawling across the bed to pat Diamond Tiara on the head. “Awww, are you really afraid of such a little spider?”

“Of course not!” Diamond Tiara spat as she readjusted the tiara sitting on her head. “It just took me by surprise, that’s all. And stop doing that!” She batted away the hoof on her head, and Scootaloo moved back a bit.

“Now, now, I won’t tell anypony. But still, who’d have thought you’d have such a cute side?” Scootaloo immediately regretted her words. Yet again, it seemed that her brain was just making no effort to process her words before letting them leave through her mouth today.

Diamond Tiara wasn’t sure how to take what the other filly had just said. That was twice now that she had called her cute, and whilst she wasn’t entirely unhappy with it… she had already decided to give things a chance with Apple Bloom, not with Scootaloo. So…

“Um… maybe we should get back to work?” Scootaloo suggested, feeling the awkwardness in the air between them.

Diamond Tiara, however, had had enough for one day. She was worried about where all of this was going… She had already shared a kiss with Apple Bloom, so that meant that the two were an item. Or at least, that’s how she viewed it. And yet, she was still having these feelings towards another filly… and the two of them were alone together! ‘This has gone on long enough! Forget the answers, I need to get her out of here…’

“Diamond Tiar-”

“Get out.” Scootaloo seemed taken aback by that, but that didn’t stop Diamond Tiara. “That’s enough for today. I want you to leave now.”

“W-What? But, we’re not done yet. You haven’t even-”

“I said get out!”

Scootaloo frowned at Diamond Tiara’s sudden change in attitude, and jumped off the bed to confront her. “Why should I? It was your idea to do this, anyway! I could have been doing better things with my Saturday, but instead, I came here so we could help each other out with our homework!”

“Yeah, well, maybe you should’ve thought about that earlier! Honestly, how stupid can you be?”

“How stupid can I be?! Why invite me, if that’s how you feel? You don’t even like me, anyway!” Diamond Tiara felt a stinging feeling run through her, and hesitated a bit. Scootaloo took advantage of that hesitation to have the next word. “Anyway, I’m not leaving ‘til we get this homework done. I threw away my Saturday for this, so we’d better do something productive with it!”

“Like I said, you didn’t have to come! You don’t like me either, right?!”

Scootaloo winced, and her glare intensified. She took a threatening step towards the pink filly, who backed away slightly in response. “… Actually, I…” ‘… I guess it’s now or never…’ Scootaloo took a deep breath. “… I do like you, actually.”

Diamond Tiara wished that she hadn’t heard that, and she was desperately replaying the last five seconds in her head over and over again, hoping to find that she had, in fact, misheard. “W… What?”

“That’s why I came here today!” Scootaloo shouted, keeping her eyes locked with Diamond Tiara’s. “I… I like you, okay? Like, like like you… y’know?” Diamond Tiara simply shook her head slowly, and Scootaloo suddenly felt her confidence taking a huge hit. “… I-I’m sorry. Maybe I should leave. I guess… There’s no way you… I’ll just go now…”

Scootaloo turned around, and began to gather her books into her bag. Diamond Tiara watched as she did so, wanting to say something, anything, to stop the filly. But at the same time, she felt that it was for the best. ‘Scootaloo said she likes me… But, that kiss with Apple Bloom… But, Scootaloo… Apple Bloom… I-I don’t even…’

Scootaloo, now with her bag packed, began to leave Diamond Tiara’s room. However, as she passed the pink filly, she felt something stopping her. She looked down at her right foreleg, to see a pink hoof holding onto it. “… Diamond?”

“I… I guess… I should at least tell you…” ‘No! I shouldn’t! Because, Apple Bloom and I… But, she deserves to know, right? What if I never get this chance again? But what if I lose my chance with Apple Bloom because of it? ARGH! Daddy, heeeeelp!’

“Tell me what?”

“Uh, you know… Why I invited you here…”

“Huh? I thought you just wanted to copy my homework… You mean, that isn’t it?”

Diamond Tiara gulped. “Well, that’s half of the reason, but…” She turned around to face Scootaloo, and her legs began to shake as she her eyes met the other filly’s. “I… You see, I actually… You…”

“Wha?”

Diamond Tiara swallowed hard, and tried again. “I feel… the same way…”

“The same way? What do you-” A thought occurred to Scootaloo, and her jaw hung open as she stared at the shaking, sweating, red filly before her. “Y-You mean…”

“I… I l-like you, too…” she said, in a quiet voice, though it was still loud enough for Scootaloo to hear. “No, never mind! You should just go!”

Scootaloo dropped her bag to the floor, and turned around to face Diamond Tiara directly. “No way! You can’t just… say something like that, and expect me to just leave!”

“B-But I-”

“No! I want you to say it again, but louder this time!”

“NO!” Diamond Tiara shouted, her breathing increasing as she tried, with little success, to avoid Scootaloo’s stare. “I-I can’t!”

“Do it! I want to hear how you feel!”

Diamond Tiara tired to shut her eyes, but Scootaloo’s hoof grabbing a hold of her own rendered the action ineffective as a countermeasure. “W-Why?! I already said it once, didn’t I?!”

“I wanna make sure I head you right, that’s why! I want to know… whether you really feel the same way as me right now…”

Diamond Tiara opened her eyes again, and, after a few moments, nodded slowly. “… I… I like you…”

“Louder.”

“I like you.”

“Louder!”

Diamond Tiara took a deep breath, and put her all into her confession. “I LIKE YOU, YOU STUPID BIRDBRAIN!”

Scootaloo was certainly not expecting her to be that loud. However, she got the message loud and clear, and now had to form some kind of intelligent response. “Um… c-cool.”

The two simply gazed into each other’s eyes for a while, neither one sure of what to say or do next. Eventually, Scootaloo decided to take the first step forward. And then Diamond Tiara followed suit. The two were now just a little closer than they were before, but neither of them felt it was close enough. And so, with just one more step from each filly-

“Diamond Tiara? I’m home!” Both fillies’ eyes widened, and they backed away from each other quickly. “Good news! Accident at work, so you father’s for the day off! Er, nopony got injured, FYI.” Both fillies heard the sounds of hoofsteps moving up the stairs, and they both began to panic as they realised their situation. Alone in this room together, and at some point, Scootaloo’s hooves had made their way to Diamond Tiara’s face. “Diamond? Is everything okay?”

Scootaloo quickly picked up her bag, and bolted out of the door, before Diamond Tiara could say anything. “H-Hey there, Mr. Rich! Thanks for having me over, DT, see ya in school on Monday!”

Filthy Rich looked on in confusion as the filly ran past him, and down the stairs. He then made his way towards Diamond Tiara’s room, where he found his daughter sitting on the floor, her back to him. “Is… everything okay?”

“Just fine,” she said, though she was lying.

“Uh… You… had a guest over?”

“We were just doing homework together, that’s all!”

Filthy Rich tilted his head in confusion. “Oh. I… I see…” He watched his daughter carefully for a few more seconds. “And… you’re alright?”

“Yes, daddy! I’m fine!”

Filthy Rich didn’t believe her for one second, but he wasn’t going to interrogate her right now. Not when she was clearly in a bad mood. ‘Most likely just another one of her foalish squabbles.’ With a nod, the brown stallion decided to leave his daughter alone for now. “Don’t worry. We’ll still be eating out tonight, in case you thought that me coming home early changed things.”

He was expecting her to perk up a little form that… But no. He received no response. Now, he was just a little bit more worried.

As the door closed behind her, Diamond Tiara feel over onto her side, and let out a deep sigh. “… I don’t wanna go to school this week. Or ever again.”

Despite her wishes, Monday soon came for the pink filly, and she found herself unable to sufficiently fake being ill in order to get the day off. She cursed whoever invented thermometers.

Along the way, she had met up with Silver Spoon, as she does every morning. At first, the grey filly simply engaged her in idle conversation, but after Diamond Tiara’s tenth ‘yuh-huh’, Silver Spoon decided to ask the question that had been on her mind all weekend.

“So, how’d you little date with Scootaloo go?”

Diamond Tiara finally responded, by looking up and glaring at Silver Spoon. “It wasn’t a date! It was just a… study… session?”

Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever. So, how was it?”

“… I don’t want to talk about it.”

“That bad, huh? I guess you really do like her then.” Diamond Tiara gave her a confused look. “Otherwise, you’d be over it by now, and wouldn’t be sulking so much. Let me guess, you’re still debating whether you like Apple Bloom or Scootaloo more, right?”

“… You’re good,” Diamond Tiara said with a sigh. “A little too good.”

“My uncle’s a detective,” Silver Spoon said with a proud smile on her face. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anypony. You know you can share anything with me.”

Diamond Tiara hung her head low. “I’ve been thinking…” She hesitated for a little bit, before working up the courage to continue. “About Apple Bloom and Scootaloo… I don’t suppose… I could have both?”

Silver Spoon stopped dead in her tracks, soon followed by Diamond Tiara, who quickly realised her mistake. “I-I was joking!” she quickly blurted out, turning to face Silver Spoon. “It was just a joke! Of course, I can’t have them both! I know that!”

Silver Spoon sighed, and shook her head. “Honestly… You scared me for a second there.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Diamond Tiara said, laughing nervously as she turned back and resumed walking with her friend. ‘… I was being totally serious, though… I guess that’s a ‘no’ then, huh?’

As Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were talking just outside of the schoolhouse, Apple Bloom slowly approached the two of them, nervously scuffing her forehoof against the ground as she stopped just short of the two fillies.

‘C’mon now, Apple Bloom. You can do this…’

The farm filly approached the two rich fillies, who quickly noticed her coming approach. Diamond Tiara looked to Silver Spoon for some sort of explanation, but the grey filly, with a grin on her face, simply excused herself, leaving her friends all alone with one of the objects of her desire.

Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom stared at each other in awkward silence for a good minute, both fillies moving their eyes all over the place, only occasionally landing them on the other pony, before Apple Bloom finally found the courage to approach the pink filly.

“H-Hey there, Diamond,” she said as she took a few more steps closer.

“H-Hi, blank flank…” Apple Bloom didn’t frown, or even seem put off by the name at all. “W-What do you want?”

“Ah was… wonderin’ if y’all wanted ta come see a movie with me tomorrow… Mah big sis got tickets for me an’ the other Crusaders, but Scootaloo said she has plans, and Sweetie Belle’s grounded for nearly burnin’ her house down…”

That last comment made the eavesdropping Silver Spoon giggle, but didn’t even register with Diamond Tiara. “S-So… you decided to ask me, if I wanted to go?”

Apple Bloom, her face now completely red, nodded. “A-Ah understand if ya don’t wanna… Ah guess ah could ask somepony els-”

“What time?” Diamond Tiara found herself asking, for reasons completely beyond her. “Uh… what time does it start? The movie.”

“Oh. I-It’s about an hour after school ends, so… we can go right after school, ah guess.”

Diamond Tiara gulped, and nodded her head. “I guess… I have nothing better to do.” She could have sworn she just saw a smile on Apple Bloom’s face. “Very well then, as long as it’s not some boring, kid’s movie.”

“Well then,” Apple Bloom started, “Ah guess it’s a date then.” Diamond Tiara blushed at that, but it went unnoticed by Apple Bloom, as she was already on her way towards the schoolhouse.

Silver Spoon came out from her hiding spot a moment later, giggling at her friend’s red face. “Well well well, Diamond Tiara. Looks like you just got yourself a date.”

“… Shut up,” Diamond Tiara said, turning her head away from her friend.

“Oh, this is rich! Finally, something I can tease you with!” Silver Spoon wrapped her hooves around her friend’s neck. “You’re not hoping she’ll hold onto you during the movie, are you? Or maybe, your hooves will meet when you both reach for the popcorn, or something cliché like that?”

“I said shut up!” Diamond Tiara shouted, trying to free herself from Silver Spoon’s grasp, but with little success.

“Awww, my little Diamond’s growing up!”

“Or maybe you’re just incredibly childish! Seriously, let go of me already!”

“Uh, hey. Guys?” The two fillies stopped, and both realised simultaneously that Scootaloo was standing before them, giving the two a strange look. “Is this a bad time?”

Silver Spoon let go of Diamond Tiara, and gave the Pegasus a sly grin. “Let me guess: you want to talk to Diamond?” Scootaloo nodded, and was about to speak, before Silver Spoon cut her off. “No problem. I’ll go ahead and get out of your manes.” She turned to Diamond Tiara, and shot her friend a quick wink, before returning to her hiding spot, where she could hear perfectly well everything that was said between the two ponies.

“What was that about?” Scootaloo asked Diamond Tiara. “You didn’t… tell her about us, did you?”

“‘Us’?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“You know, about… what happened two days ago…”

Diamond Tiara shook her head. “N-No! I didn’t!”

Scootaloo didn’t believe her, but didn’t bother pursuing it any further. “Right, well… I wanted to talk to you about that, actually… Seem I was thinkin’…”

“Did it hurt?” Diamond Tiara asked, giggling a little at her joke.

Scootaloo scowled at the pink filly in response. “Hah, hah. Very funny. Not.” Diamond Tiara recovered from her laughter, and allowed the Pegasus to continue. “… So, anyway… Are you free tomorrow, by any chance?”

Diamond Tiara shook her head. “I… have plans.”

“… Day after tomorrow?”

“I’m… free then, why?”

“Well, how ‘bout we… go to the amusement park together? Just the two of us?”

Diamond Tiara scratched one forehoof with the other, looking down at the ground. “Like… a date?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Diamond Tiara wasn’t quite sure how to answer that. She had already agreed to a date with Apple Bloom, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to agree to one with Scootaloo, right? She looked over to where she knew Silver Spoon was listening, and could see the filly shaking her head rapidly. She looked back to Scootaloo, who was still waiting for an answer.

“Uh… S-Sure!” she said, despite trying to turn the offer down. “What time?”

“Right after school! Meet me at the train station, since I gotta stop by my house real quick before we leave.”

Diamond Tiara nodded. “Um… I guess it’s a date then.”

Scootaloo blushed at what the other filly had just said, and quickly turned around to hide it. “D-Dummy…” she muttered, before running off towards the schoolhouse.

Diamond Tiara could only stare into space, completely lost in thought, as she replayed the last ten minutes in her head in a loop. Her thoughts were only broken when Silver Spoon approached her, and cleared her throat to gain her friend’s attention.

Diamond Tiara turned to see the disapproving look on Silver Spoon’s face. “… What?” she asked, pretending that there was nothing wrong. “I-It’s not like I’m actually going steady with either of them! I’m just… trying them both out, that’s all! Like when you can’t decide between two dresses, you try them both on first! Is that so wrong?!”

Silver Spoon’s expression did not change. “… Well, I suppose it’s alright… as long as you only kiss one of them.”

That made Diamond Tiara’s ears flatten against her head, and she was only saved from having to answer by the sound of the school bell ringing through the air. “W-We’d better get to class!” she said, before turning around and galloping at full speed towards the schoolhouse, tripping along the way.

Silver Spoon brought a hoof to her face, and shook her head as she sighed. “This won’t end well… At all.”

Chapter 7

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The Cutie Mark Crusaders had an air of harmony around them that afternoon. Which was usually a bad thing. These three fillies not acting mischievous was like… well, Discord not acting mischievous.

All three of them were sat outside the schoolhouse, eating lunch together, as was their usual routine. Sweetie Belle was trying her hardest to lift a sandwich with her magic, but only a few sparks emerged from her horn. Scootaloo was checking her points card, whilst savouring the small salad that she had. And Apple Bloom was humming whilst peeling the skin off of the apple given to her by her big sister. And all three of them were in high spirits.

“Sweet!” Scootaloo exclaimed, picking up a lead from her salad and bringing it to her mouth. “Five more points and I get a discount!”

Sweetie Belle stopped her attempts at using magic, her head hurting, and her stomach rumbling from having not been fed yet. “Wow, I didn’t realise things were so bad for you,” she said with a frown on her face, feeling bad for her friend. “You know, I’m sure my mum wouldn’t mind making two lunches a day.”

Scootaloo waved her hoof dismissively. “Nah, it’s fine. It’s just ‘cause dad’s hopping between jobs at the moments, but it’ll pick up! ‘Sides, I’m doing fine. You don’t have to do that for me.”

“But, I mean, look…” Sweetie Belle pointed at the small plastic tub on the table, which contained an even smaller salad. About enough to constitute a quick snack, but definitely not a lunch. “Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

“Relax, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo said, her face never once losing its smile. “I’m telling ya, you’re just worrying too much! Take a page from Apple Bloom’s book.” She looked over at said filly, who was smiling and humming to herself as she peeled her apple, apparently oblivious to the conversation going on beside her. “See? Not a care in the world!”

Sweetie Belle looked over at Apple Bloom curiously, and extended her hoof to poke her friend in the side. Apple Bloom jumped, and turned to face Sweetie Belle. “What’s up?” she asked.

Sweetie Belle pulled her hoof back. “What’s got you in such a good mood? Did you like the last lesson that much?”

Apple Bloom brought her freshly-peeled apple to her mouth, and took a bite. “It’s not that. It’s just… somethin’ good happened today, that’s all.”

“Same here,” Scootaloo said, when she was suddenly struck with realisation. “Oh, that reminds me! I’m free again tomorrow.” Apple Bloom gave her a confused look. “Uh, y’know… You invited us to see a movie with you?”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened, and she bit her lower lip as she swallowed the piece of apple in her mouth. ‘Darn it, why did her schedule have ta free up all of a sudden?! What do ah say to her? The truth? But, that’s…’

“What’s wrong?” Scootaloo asked.

Apple Bloom looked between her two friends, who were now staring at her, both waiting for an answer. Finally, she sigh, and decided to just tell the honest truth. “Well, y’see, Scootaloo, ah kinda… already found somepony else ta go with.”

Scootaloo scratched her neck, and lowered her gaze to the table. “Oh…” ‘Awkward’ was one word to describe the air around these three fillies now. However, Scootaloo’s smile returned as she looked back up at her friend. “Well, can’t be helped, I guess.”

Now, it was Scootaloo that all eyes fell upon. Neither Apple Bloom nor Sweetie Belle were expecting her to let it go that easily. Scootaloo was known for getting jealous easily, and being pretty possessive, even of her friends.

“Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom asked, “You feelin’ alright?”

“Of course!” Scootaloo responded. “I’m feeling great! Never better!” The Pegasus lifted another bit of her salad up to her mouth, and tossed it in happily.

Sweetie Belle tilted her head. “And what’s got you in such a good mood today? It’s the start of the school week, shouldn’t you be groaning and complaining right about now?”

Scootaloo would have given her friend a disapproving scowl, except that she knew she was correct. Instead, she simply shrugged it off, and picked up the tiny apple slice in her salad. “Well, actually…” The other two fillies leaned in, sensing a big story from their friend. “You guys remember what we walk about last week… About Diamond Tiara?”

Apple Bloom froze up. She suddenly didn’t like where this was heading, but she remained silent nonetheless. Sweetie Belle simply nodded.

“Well, I asked myself: ‘What would Rainbow Dash do?’.”

“Rainbow Dash is in love with Diamond Tiara, too?” Sweetie Belle asked, and then received a strange look from Scootaloo. “… Oh, I see! Never mind, continue!” she said, now blushing after realising her misunderstanding.

Scootaloo shrugged off the interruption, and continued. “Anyway, I realised that Rainbow Dash wouldn’t just run or hide from the problem. She’d tackle it directly!”

“So you tackled Diamond Tiara? That doesn’t sound very nice, Scootaloo.” Scootaloo gave her another strange look, and Sweetie Belle once again realised her misunderstanding. “Uh, I’ll just… let you finish…”

“… Right, anyway. I decided to see if what I was feeling for her was… y’know…”

“Love?” Apple Bloom asked, almost hesitantly. Scootaloo blushed, and nodded. “So… was it?” The orange filly nodded again. “… S-So that’s why you’re in a good mood?”

“… Well, there’s more to it… It turns out Diamond Tiara…” Scootaloo looked around cautiously, and then leaned in to whisper the rest to her friends. “She likes me too.”

Sweetie Belle gasped, and backed away from her friends. “No way!” she shouted, her voice cracking and her horn sparking as she did so. “Are you serious?! You, and Diamond Tiara-”

Scootaloo quickly placed a hoof to Sweetie Belle’s mouth. “Quiet!” she whispered. “D’you want the whole school to find out?!”

Sweetie Belle tried to calm herself, but she still felt too excited, and could only lower her voice so much. “But, that’s just crazy! So, does this mean you two are… you know, dating, now?”

Scootaloo grinned. “Actually, we’re going to the amusement park this Wednesday.”

Sweetie Belle let out a short squeal of excitement, but was then startled by Apple Bloom slamming her hooves onto the table beside her. Both she and Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom, who looked like she was sitting a test she had not studied for at all. That is to say, confused, and worried.

“W-What are y’all sayin’?” Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo. “That can’t be right. She can’t be goin’ out with ya!”

Scootaloo remembered that Apple Bloom had a crush on Diamond Tiara, too, and felt pretty guilty for springing this on her all of a sudden. But, she knew there was no avoiding it, and she felt that it would be best to tell her sooner rather than later.

“Apple Bloom, I’m sorry, but-”

“No! She… Diamond’s… How can she be goin’ to the amusement park with you, if she’s goin’ the movies with me tomorrow?!”

“What?!” Scootaloo asked, shocked and not fully believing her. “Y-You asked Diamond to the movies, without telling me?!”

“You asked her to the amusement park, without checkin’ with me!”

“Well, she… she already said that she likes me, so I…”

“That can’t be true!”

“Why not?!”

“‘Cause she-” Apple Bloom stopped herself, slamming her hooves over her mouth before she revealed that the two had already kissed.

“She what?” Scootaloo asked, narrowing her eyes at her friend.

‘Ah can’t tell her that we kissed! Not just once, but five times!’ Suddenly, a thought crossed Apple Bloom’s head. ‘Diamond said she liked Scootaloo, but… she never said she liked me…’

“What? What did she do?” Scootaloo asked, growing impatient. “Did she say that she liked you too?!”

Sweetie Belle shrank in her seat, and tried to ask the two to calm down, but she was cut off by Apple Bloom, who suddenly rose to her hooves and confronted the orange Pegasus filly. “No, she didn’t, but she didn’t have to! Ah know what she’s really feelin’!” Even though she said that, she wasn’t very confident in herself at all.

“Oh yeah? Sounds to me like you’re just jumping to conclusions, ‘cause you’re desperate!”

Apple Bloom growled, and took a step closer to Scootaloo. “Then why did she agree ta go see a movie with me, huh?”

“I don’t know. I’ll ask her on our date!” Scootaloo put emphasis on the word ‘date’ as she also advanced, butting heads with Apple Bloom.

“No need! Ah’ll ask her mahself on our date!” She pushed her head forward a bit, pushing Scootaloo back.

“What’s with you?! I thought you hated her!” Scootaloo returned the push, now engaging Apple Bloom in a full on physical confrontation.

“An’ ah thought you found datin’ and kissin’ and stuff totally gross!”

Scootaloo’s face turned red, but she didn’t soften up. “T-That was ages ago!”

“It was two weeks ago!”

“Well, maybe I’m actually open to new stuff, unlike you, Miss I Won’t Eat Any Fruit That Isn’t Apples!”

Apple Bloom gasped, and dug her hoof into the ground as she pushed even harder. “So… does that mean you’ve kissed her then?!”

Scootaloo flinched, and was pushed back a little bit. She managed to recover quickly, though. “O-Of course not! We haven’t even gone out on our first date yet!”

Apple Bloom grinned. Now, she felt, she had the upper hoof. “Well, ah have.”

Time seemed to freeze for Scootaloo, and the next thing she knew, she was flying backwards from the force of Apple Bloom’s shoving, and the world around her was spinning around. She felt a sharp pain on her lower back followed by the back of her head.

Once the world was finished spinning around her, she brought herself to her hooves, and rubbed the back of her head as she set her gaze on Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom seemed to be avoiding eye contact with the Pegasus.

“W-What did you say?” Scootaloo asked after a long period of silence. Apple Bloom didn’t answer her. “You kissed her?”

Apple Bloom detected hostility in her tone at that last question, and gulped as she dared to turn her attention back to her friend. “A-Ah-”

“What the hay, Apple Bloom?! You kissed her, when you knew I had feelings for her?!”

“Ah didn’t mean to! It just kinda… happened…”

“Oh, well that makes it better!” Scootaloo said, sarcasm heavy in her voice.

“Scootaloo, ah-”

“No, forget it! I thought you were my friend, Apple Bloom, but I guess I was wrong about that!”

“How could ya say somethin’ like that?!” Apple Bloom asked, trying not to let her anger slip out into her voice. “Of course we’re friends! Ah’m sorry ‘bout what happened, but ah swear, ah didn’t mean ta hurt ya or nothin’!”

Scootaloo huffed, and turned her gaze to where her salad was still sitting. She walked over to it and picked it up, along with her saddlebags. “You know what? You go have fun on your little date tomorrow.” She turned her back to Apple Bloom, and added, in a spiteful tone: “It’ll be your last one, ‘cause I’m gonna make sure she forgets all about you when we have our date.”

Apple Bloom gritted her teeth together as the orange filly began to walk off. “Oh yeah? Well you’d just better hope she’d still wanna go out with ya after tomorrow!” With that, the yellow filly packed up her own lunch, and wandered off into the opposite direction to Scootaloo, grumbling angrily beneath her breath.

Once all was quiet, Sweetie Belle emerged from behind the small wooden table, wiping a few tears from her face, and looked down both paths her friends had taken, shocked and confused. “W… What just happened?”

The rest of that day, and the following day, classes were very uncomfortable for the children of Ponyville Elementary School. There were clear signs of hostility in the air, and from the moment Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had first returned to class after that fateful lunch break, everypony could already see that something had happened between them.

During class, Apple Bloom could feel Scootaloo’s hard glare on the back of her head, and would continuously turn around to tell her silently to stop whenever Cheerilee wasn’t looking. Scootaloo would insist she had no idea what Apple Bloom was talking about, and would tell the yellow filly to mind her own business.

The tension only grew from there, and their silent rows throughout the class eventually escalated, to throwing bits of paper at each other, to Scootaloo kicking the back of Apple Bloom’s chair, and Apple Bloom shaking Scootaloo’s desk whenever she tried to write, and finally, to insultive comments being passed back and forth on a sheet of paper.

It was clear to everypony that the two were having a fight, though nopony was sure what it was about. They speculated it had something to do with Cutie Marks, but whenever they asked Sweetie Belle if that was the case, the poor, distraught filly would simply shake her head, and look down at her desk with a sad look in her eyes.

Diamond Tiara in particular felt very uncomfortable, watching the two friends going at it like that, considering she had made plans with the both of them. But, she didn’t want to get involved. After all, which one was she going to support, if either at all? Not to mention, she had an image to keep at the school. She couldn’t be seen trying to resolve an internal conflict between the Cutie Mark Crusaders. All she could do, was wait until her date with Apple Bloom, and hope that she could get some information then.

Tuesday eventually came, and the foals were even more eager to get out of that class than usual. Nopony knew when exactly, but there was no doubt in any of their minds that something was going to happen to finally make the two ‘friends’ snap at each other. And given how the two fillies were known for being strong, rowdy, and reckless, nopony wanted to be around them when that happened.

Diamond Tiara told Apple Bloom that she’d meet her outside of the cinema, since she didn’t want to be caught walking through Ponyville with her, though she omitted the reason why when arranging the meeting place. The pink filly was among the first to leave, which attracted some attention from the other foals in the class. Many thought for sure that she would be taking full advantage of this new-found hostility between Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.

The last three ponies in the classroom, besides the teacher, were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Apple Bloom was packing her books into her bag neatly, whilst Scootaloo was simply doing it slowly. She had told herself she wouldn’t follow Apple Bloom on this date, but she just couldn’t help herself. She wanted to keep a close eye on them, to make sure nothing serious happened between them.

What Apple Bloom told Scootaloo the previous day echoed through the Pegasus’ mind. ‘Those two kissed? I don’t believe it, not for a second! Why would somepony kiss somepony, and then tell another pony that she likes her? Apple Bloom just made it up to try to trip me up, I’m sure of ti!’

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom’s mind wasn’t any calmer. ‘Ah can’t believe Diamond would say that to Scootaloo, after she kissed me like that! It was hard enough workin’ up the courage ta tell her how ah feel, and then she just…’ Apple Bloom cleared her mind, and took a deep breath. She decided that there would be time for this later. For now, she had to focus on the coming date.

Sweetie Belle watched as the two exchanged one final glare, before Apple Bloom left the classroom in silence. She didn’t even respond to Cheerilee’s farewell. Scootaloo waited a few seconds, before finishing her packing, and attempting to follow the yellow filly. Sweetie Belle, however, quickly placed herself in front of Scootaloo to stop her.

“Hey, Scootaloo! Um… W-Wanna hang out?”

Scootaloo gave her a confused look. “Aren’t you grounded?”

Sweetie Belle thought for a second. “I-I mean, walk me home! You, uh, wanna walk home with me?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “Sorry, got plans.” She tried to walk around Sweetie Belle, but the white filly got in the way again. “What gives? I’m in a hurry!”

“Uh, well, you see…” Sweetie Belle suddenly pointed a hoof behind Scootaloo, and screamed: “AH! A bee! Get it, Scootaloo!”

Cheerilee turned to her students with a curious look on her face. She felt that something was off lately in her lessons, but she had been so busy lately that she hadn’t had time to pinpoint what it was.

Scootaloo looked over her shoulder, and then back at Sweetie Belle. “That’s a drawing,” she said flatly. “That’s your drawing.”

Sweetie Belle giggled nervously, and lowered her hoof. “O-Oh yeah. Lifelike, isn’t it? Eheheh…”

Scootaloo sighed, and tried to go around Sweetie Belle yet again. “C’mon, lemme through!” she shouted as Sweetie Belle quickly got in her way again. “I gotta go already!”

Sweetie Belle moved as Scootaloo did, doing her best to stop the Pegasus from advancing. “No, Scootaloo! I can’t let you do that! It’s wrong!”

“What d’you mean?! You know I like her, too!” Cheerilee’s eyes widened at that, and she quickly turned around, and tried to tune out the argument behind her. This was clearly a personal matter.

“That’s why you shouldn’t do this! If she catches you, how do you think Diamond Tiara will feel?”

Cheerilee’s ear twitched at that. The two were talking about Diamond Tiara? More importantly, Scootaloo said that she liked Diamond Tiara. Not just that, but that she liked her too.

And Sweetie Belle… She was going to such lengths to stop Scootaloo from going after her… To stop Scootaloo from confessing, maybe? But why? She should be supportive of her friend. She couldn’t imagine somepony as sweet as Sweetie Belle intentionally trying to sabotage another pony’s pursuit of romance. Unless…

‘Oh my gosh!’ Cheerilee thought to herself, looking at the two fillies out of the corner of her eye. ‘Sweetie Belle likes Diamond Tiara, too, and she’s trying to get in Scootaloo’s way! Oh, the poor dears. They must be so confused right now…’

Scootaloo sighed, and looked down at the floor in defeat. “Yeah, I guess you’re right… You uh… You still wanna walk home together?”

Sweetie Belle smiled, and nodded. “Sure. Let me just finish packing first.”

“Cool. I’ll wait for you outside then…”

“And Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle said as Scootaloo began to leave the classroom. “Um… I’m still your friend, okay? And, I’d be happy to help you out anytime you ask me to, but-”

“I get it,” Scootaloo said, cutting off her friend. “Thanks, Sweetie Belle. I’ll try not to ask anything too unreasonable of you.”

Scootaloo left the classroom, leaving Sweetie Belle to her packing. As she did, however, a hoof landed on the filly’s shoulder, and Sweetie Belle turned around to find Cheerilee looking down at her. “Miss Cheerilee?”

Cheerilee smiled at her pupil, and lowered herself down to Sweetie Belle’s eyelevel. “That was very kind of you, Sweetie Belle,” the teacher praised, feeling such pride in her student for doing what she knew had to be though. “I know that the two of you must be having a hard time right now, and it must all be very confusing for you.”

Sweetie Belle regarded her teacher with a look of awe. Had Cheerilee managed to figure out that Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were fighting, and that it was over Diamond Tiara? ‘That’s a teacher for you,’ she thought to herself. “I’ll say,” she said, in response to Cheerilee’s last comment.

“I just want to make sure you know, that if you ever need somepony to talk to, you can always rely on me. I’ll always be willing to listen, and whatever you tell me will remain confidential between the two of us. Okay?” Sweetie Belle nodded. “The same goes for your friends, too.” ‘Apple Bloom must be having a hard time deciding which of her friends she should support. She always did like to pick sides, and doesn’t like to remain neutral.’

Sweetie Belle thought about what her teacher had just said for a second. “Thanks, Miss Cheerilee. I’ll be sure to tell them that.”

Sweetie Belle finished packing her bag, and then prepared to leave. Cheerilee couldn’t believe that her students were already at the age that they were showing interest in other ponies, and the thought almost brought a tear to her eye. “Good luck, my little pony.”

Sweetie Belle thanked her teacher, and then left the classroom to catch up with Scootaloo. It was whilst she was running up to her friend that Cheerilee’s last words actually registered in her mind. “‘Good luck’? With what?”

Diamond Tiara paced back and forth outside the entrance to the Ponyville cinema, hers nerves running high, and her mind racing as she debated whether this was a good idea or not. The more she thought about, the more she couldn’t believe that she was honestly going on a date with Apple Bloom. The pony who, not too long ago, she would always get into fights with at school. The pony who she always chose as the target for her attacks, both inside and outside of school hours. It just made no sense.

But then, that got her thinking… Why did she always target Apple Bloom like that? Why did she always have to give Apple Bloom such a hard time, just for being one of the last ponies in her class to get a Cutie Mark? In fact, even before getting a Cutie Mark herself, Diamond Tiara always went out of her way to find something that she could hold over Apple Bloom’s head.

Diamond Tiara stopped her pacing, and tried to think back on how the two fillies first met.

“Daddy, where are we?” Diamond Tiara, aged five years old, asked as she sat on her father’s back, her father walking down a dirt pathway, cutting through a large field of apple trees. “It’s dirty here, and it smells bad. I wanna be home. Good Grace and Lady Starlet are supposed to be getting’ married today.”

Filthy Rich laughed as stopped to look over his shoulder. His daughter was of course talking about her dolls up in her room. He admitted some regret to cutting her playtime short today. Diamond Tiara looked so cute when she was playing make-believe, and he made sure not to miss a single moment with his video camera. Unfortunately, today would have to be an exception.

“I’m sorry, Diamond Tiara, but this simply be avoided. Anyway, you won’t be alone. The Apples have a filly your age, you know?”

“‘Apples’?” Diamond Tiara only knew apples to be those red (or sometimes green) things that she ate as a snack occasionally. She looked around at all of the apple trees nervously. “They’re ponies, too? But, we eat them.”

Filthy Rich laughed again, and continued to walk down the dirt path. “Not those apples, Diamond. The Apples are a family of ponies that work on this apple orchard.”

“What’s an or… or…”

“An orchard, is a place where ponies grow trees like these ones. And, the apple orchard outside of Ponyville is where we get all of our apples, and apple-based food and drinks. It’s also one of the town’s main source of income.”

“I thought you was the main source of income for the town.”

“Yes, well-” Filthy Rich stopped as he realised they had already reached the farmhouse. Waiting outside, was an elderly green mare, a red stallion who was just a little shorter than Filthy Rich, and an orange teenage mare. Filthy Rich motioned for Diamond Tiara to jump down off of her back, which she did.

“Thanks fer comin’ on such short notice,” Granny Smith said, walking forward towards her friend. Diamond Tiara backed away, and hid herself behind her father’s leg.”

“As soon as I got your letter, I just had to come and make sure everything was okay.” He looked over at the orange mare. “Thank you for agreeing to sit for my daughter.”

“Aw, shucks. Don’t mention it, Mr. Rich.” The mare reached for a bouquet of flowers behind her back, and handed it to the stallion. “Can y’all deliver for me?”

Filthy Rich nodded, and took the flowers. “Of course.”

“Applejack?” Everypony turned their attention to the little yellow filly now approaching them, carrying a pink ribbon in her mouth. “It came undone. Can ya tie it up again, please?”

Applejack smiled, and walked over to her little sister. “‘Course ah can. By the way, Granny Smith an’ Big Mac are gonna be out today.”

Apple Bloom turned around, and allowed Applejack to work the ribbon into her mane. “Are mom and dad comin’ back?”

Everypony fell silent for a moment, and looked to each other, hoping that somepony would take the initiative to tell her the truth. That her parents had been in an accident, and were resting in the hospital. Apple Bloom was a sensitive filly, so they needed o be careful with their wording.

“Who’s that?” Diamond Tiara asked, poking her father’s hind leg to get his attention.

Filthy Rich turned to his daughter and smiled. “She’s the filly I was telling you about. Her name’s Apple Bloom.”

Applejack finished applying Apple Bloom’s ribbon, and the yellow filly turned around to set her eyes on the pink filly, still shying behind her father. With a smile, Apple Bloom trotted over to the new filly, who responded by hiding further behind her father. “Hi there!” Apple Bloom shouted, startling the other filly. “Ah’m Apple Bloom! What’s yer name?”

Diamond Tiara poked her head from behind her father’s leg, and examined the yellow filly cautiously. “D-Diamond Tiara… A p-pleasure to make your ac… ac…” Diamond Tiara felt like breaking into tears. She had learned from her father that greeting new ponies correctly was important, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember how to pronounce the next word.

“Nice ta meet ya!” Apple Bloom reached forward, and grabbed the other filly’s foreleg. “Ah don’t know any ponies mah own age! Wanna be friends?”

Diamond Tiara seemed to cheer up from that, and looked over to her father for advice. He simply nodded, and the filly turned back to Apple Bloom. “Yeah.”

“Great! C’mon, let’s go play some hide ‘n’ seek in the orchard!”

Applejack put a hoof on her sister’s shoulder. “Sorry Apple Bloom, but ah’m afraid we’re gonna have ta stay inside today.”

Apple Bloom frowned, but then smiled again when a new idea entered her mind. “Ah know, ah’ll give you a tour of the farmhouse!”

“That sounds fun,” Diamond Tiara said. Apple Bloom pulled her new friend towards the farmhouse with her, a little too quickly for Diamond Tiara’s legs to keep up with. “W-Wait! Slow down!”

Apple Bloom saw her new friend having some difficulty keeping up, and slowed her pace for her. “Sorry ‘bout that… Ah thought y’all knew how ta run as quick as me, bein’ an Earth Pony an’ all.” When Diamond Tiara finally caught up to Apple Bloom, the farm filly settled with simply walking to the farmhouse. “This’s gonna be so cool! A friend mah own age.”

Diamond Tiara caught her breath, and nodded in agreement. “Y-Yeah… Cool.”

Diamond Tiara put a hoof to her chin. “Huh… Is that… really how it went?” She couldn’t believe that the two had started on good terms with each other, or that she would have forgotten such a thing… Though, it was a long time ago. However, the question that she asked herself earlier still eluded her… Just when exactly did Diamond Tiara start to give Apple Bloom such a hard time, and for what reason?

And more importantly, did Apple Bloom remember any of this?

“Hey there.” Diamond Tiara was snapped out of her thoughts by Apple Bloom’s voice. The young, innocent voice, with that thick southern accent… It hadn’t changed a bit from back then. “What’s wrong?”

Diamond Tiara realised that the two of them had just been standing there, and that she had been staring at Apple Bloom for a while. “Uh, nothing… What are we seeing, anyway?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Some movie called ‘Amnesia’, but ah don’ really know what it’s about. Applejack said she got the tickets from Rainbow Dash, who said it was some kinda action movie.”

Diamond Tiara looked around nervously. Most of the ponies walking around were older ponies, so she didn’t have to worry about running into anypony she knew from school, it seemed. Still, not wanting to take the risk, Diamond Tiara decided to dispense with any idle chitchat, and just walk straight into the cinema, with Apple Bloom following her.

“Well, it had better not be a waste of my valuable time,” Diamond Tiara said as she approached the correct door for the screening.

Apple Bloom grinned as she picked up her pace and caught up to her. “Sorry if ah inconvenienced ya with this, Yer Highness,” she said in a sarcastic tone, earning a frown of disapproval from the other filly. “If the movie’s bad, ah’ll treat ya ta some ice-cream over at Sugarcube Corner.”

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. “Well that’s… certainly generous.” She gave the filly a suspicious glare. “What’re you up to, blank flank?”

Apple Bloom smiled innocently. “Who, me? Nothin’ at all! Just tryin’ ta make sure you have a great day!” Apple Bloom leaned closer to Diamond Tiara, and whispered: “Y’know, after what ah did before, it only seems right…”

Diamond Tiara wondered for a second what Apple Bloom could be talking about, before remembering the kiss in her room. Or kisses, rather. “Oh… Right…” Did Apple Bloom simply mean that she felt guilty about the kiss, and this was her way of making up for it? Or was it just poorly worded? Diamond Tiara wanted to know, but there was no way she could bring herself to ask.

Meanwhile, Apple Bloom was waiting in silence. Waiting, hoping, that Diamond Tiara would insist it was fine. That Diamond Tiara would tell her she didn’t mind the kiss that they shared. That Diamond Tiara would tell her… the same thing that she told Scootaloo. ‘I love you’. Three simple words, that’s all that Apple Bloom wanted to hear. But they never came. Diamond Tiara just walked into the screening room, and silently walked with Apple Bloom to two empty seats.

‘Maybe… she doesn’t like me, after all,’ Apple Bloom thought to herself, frowning as she sat down next to Diamond Tiara. The film was about to start, so there was no time for snacks. Not that she had much money on her anyway. Diamond Tiara, maybe, but Apple Bloom figured that cinema food wouldn’t be good enough for the rich filly’s ‘refined tastes’.

So instead, she just pulled out a few snacks that she had brought from home, and offered some to her date. To her surprise, and delight, Diamond Tiara accepted them. ‘… Maybe things’ll go well, after all.’

This was most definitely not an action movie. Whatever Rainbow Dash had intended when giving those tickets to Applejack, it was definitely a prank of some sort. And in this case, it had worked very well.

Apple Bloom wanted to turn her eyes away from the screen, where the hero of the story was slowly opening a door, and looking around the room on the other side. But her attention was fixated on the movie. She had to know what would happen next. She had to know how it would end, even if she already knew that it would end badly.

Suddenly, the entire room broke out into a series of screams and squeals, and some laughter from the horror-enthusiasts sitting at the front.

Apple Bloom was among the screamers, and her screaming was only intensified more as she felt something grabbing her hoof. She turned around to see Diamond Tiara’s hoof holding her own, very firmly.

Something must have happened onscreen whilst Apple Bloom’s focus was diverted, because Diamond Tiara suddenly let out another terrified scream, and held on tighter to Apple Bloom’s hoof. Despite obviously being scared to death, Diamond Tiara didn’t budge from her seat. Instead, she closed her eyes, and flattened her ears against her face.

It clearly didn’t help, as the pink filly began to bite down on her lip when screaming could be heard coming from the movie.

Apple Bloom had to wonder why Diamond Tiara was simply sitting there, enduring this movie that she obviously didn’t like, when she could have gotten up and walked out at any time. Was it to save face? No… Diamond Tiara didn’t care what the Crusaders thought about her, and it’s not like a bunch of strangers would really pay much attention to a filly walking out of the room before the movie finishes.

Diamond Tiara’s hold on Apple Bloom’s hoof tightened again, and Apple Bloom almost asked her to soften up a bit, before she noticed the tear rolling down Diamond Tiara’s cheek. Well, it may have been sweat. It was hard to tell in the dark. But to Apple Bloom, it was clear proof that Diamond Tiara couldn’t stand this anymore. And if Diamond Tiara wasn’t going to get up and leave on her own, then…

“Hey,” Apple Bloom whispered. Diamond Tiara risked opening her eyes, and turned slowly to face her. “Let’s go. Ah’ve had enough of this movie.”

Usually, this would be the point where Diamond Tiara would make some kind of remark about Apple Bloom’s cowardice. But, after the twenty minutes of hell that she had just been subjected to, all that Diamond Tiara could do at that point was nod, and get up alongside her date.

“Here ya go.” Apple Bloom placed the strawberry milkshake in front of Diamond Tiara, and then took her own seat opposite the pink filly. She drank from her own vanilla milkshake, and boy did it taste good. “So ah guess things didn’t go so well, huh?” Apple Bloom sighed. ‘Great job messin’ up yer own first date there, Apple Bloom.’

“No. They didn’t.” Diamond Tiara drank from her milkshake, and let out a relieved sigh. “Well, at least you got my order right.”

Apple Bloom frowned, and shifted her gaze down at the table. “This was… supposed ta be mah way of apologising for kissin’ ya like that.” Her voice lowered itself as she spoke, to avoid anypony nearby from overhearing her. “Ah’m sorry. Ah really had no right ta.”

Diamond Tiara, her face now red, played with the straw in her milkshake for a bit as she thought about what to say. “Well… It’s not like I hated it, right?”

“What d’ya mean?”

“I mean… I kissed you too, remember?”

“… Mm…” Apple Bloom took another, longer drink of her milkshake. “Anyway, ah’m sorry.”

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for a while, neither one sure of what to say to the other. Diamond Tiara wanted to tell Apple Bloom that there was no need to apologise, and about how she felt towards her. But… She also felt the same towards Scootaloo. And she had already made such a mess of things, she didn’t want to make it any worse.

When it looked like Apple Bloom was about to leave, Diamond Tiara wanted to say something to make her stay. Something like… a joke, maybe? ‘Yeah, I’ll just tell a little joke. Ease the tension a bit.’

“Well, looks like you didn’t get your Cutie Mark in being a good date, huh?” Whilst Diamond Tiara giggled, Apple Bloom was visibly less amused. Still, at least she stayed, so job well done, right?

“Oh yeah? An’ who was it that had ta make a move ta get you outta there? Ah could have easily stayed, y’know?”

Diamond Tiara’s face fell. “Yeah, but you wouldn’t, would you?” she asked in a teasing tone. “Not to your friend.”

Apple Bloom looked at her confusedly. “Friend? Since when were we friends?”

Diamond Tiara’s eyes widened. So that meant… “Uh… You know… Back when we first met…”

“When we first met, we got into a big row,” Apple Bloom stated. “Don’t ya remember? Miss Cheerilee had ta split us up, an’ we’ve been at it ever since!”

Diamond Tiara thought about it… and then she remembered! She remembered the scenario exactly as Apple Bloom had described it. It was their first day of school, months after they first met at Sweet Apple Acres…

“That’s it!” Diamond Tiara shouted, and then quickly slammed her hooves to her mouth as all eyes fell on her. The ponies around the two turned back to whatever they were doing, and Diamond Tiara calmed down when she was no longer being watched. ‘That’s right, now I remember why I started giving Apple Bloom a hard time! It’s because she betrayed me! I was so nervous, so I tried to talk to her, but she kept pretending that she didn’t know who I was!’

Although, now that she thought about it, Apple Bloom didn’t cross her as the type of filly who would do something like that… For the longest time, she had convinced herself that Apple Bloom was being purposefully mean to her, so she fought back in-kind. Eventually, she forgot the reason why, and just started to pick on Apple Bloom out of habit. But now that she remembered her original reason…

“What’s up?” Apple Bloom asked, giving Diamond Tiara a strange look.

“… Nothing,” Diamond Tiara said, picking up her milkshake and finishing it off. “Make sure you pick a better movie next time, okay?”

Apple Bloom’s ears perked up, and she stared disbelievingly at the other filly. “‘Next time’?”

“Well, duh. You ruined today’s date, but being the generous pony that I am, I’m willing to give you another chance, should you so accept.”

Apple Bloom’s face practically beamed, and she would have jumped out of her seat right there and then, jumping for joy, if Pinkie Pie wasn’t already doing the same thing behind her. “W-Well then, how about…” Apple Bloom recalled what Scootaloo had told her. “… You free tomorrow?” she asked. It was a long shot, but-

“Uh, no…”

Apple Bloom sighed. ‘… W-What did ah just do? Did ah realy try ta sabotage Scootaloo’s date with her tomorrow? What would Applejack think if she knew ah- … W-What would Applejack think if she knew ah was attracted to a filly?’ That thought countered any confidence brought about by Diamond Tiara’s ‘request’ for a second date.

“In fact, this week’s a little…” Diamond Tiara wanted to give herself the rest of the week to think about things, after both dates were over with. She didn’t want to make things more complicated than they already were. “I’ll let you know when I’m available, so keep your own schedule free at all times, okay?”

“Ah have mah own life too, y’know?”

“Doubt it.” Diamond Tiara jumped out of her seat, and began walking towards the door. She stopped after a few steps, and turned to look over at Apple Bloom. “… See you…”

“Bye…” As Diamond Tiara left the store, two realisations hit Apple Bloom. The first, was that Diamond Tiara wanted to see her again. She hadn’t given a definite time or date, and she didn’t say the words that Apple Bloom had wanted to hear, but it was definitely a good sign, right?

‘She’s givin’ me another chance. Ah can’t mess this one up. Ah won’t mess this one up!’

The second realisation that hit Apple Bloom, was that she had been left with the bill. Sighing, Apple Bloom reached into her saddlebag, and pulled out her small bag of bits. ‘At this rate, ah’m gonna blow all mah allowance on her… This had better be worth it.’

Chapter 8

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Apple Bloom rested her head on her forehooves as she lay flat on her stomach on her bed. Today was the day that Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara would be having their date, and as much as she wanted to tag along to keep an eye on them, Sweetie Belle had managed to convince her not to.

“Dang it. Ah couldn’t ask Diamond ‘bout her and Scootaloo yesterday, what with that movie bein’ so scary an’ all…” That was half the reason that Apple Bloom was down, but there was something else, too. “Diamond Tiara was actin’ mighty funny yesterday… An’ what was that stuff ‘bout us bein’ friends? We’ve always been enemies, though ah’m not sure why, now that ah think about it…”

“Apple Bloom?” Applejack called from outside the filly’s room. “You alright in there? You’ve been awful quiet today.”

“Ah’m fine, Applejack!” Apple Bloom called back. She then thought about what Diamond Tiara had said once more, and considered that Applejack was older, and thus, might remember things better than her. “Actually, Applejack, ah have a question ah wanna ask ya…”

The train ride to the amusement park was a lot longer than the ticket said that it would be. The ticket promised a fifteen minute ride to the amusement park, and Diamond Tiara was sure that it had been at least an hour. Just to make sure, though, she asked the next train attendant that passed by for the time.

“Three forty-eight,” the attendant told her. So in other words, only eight minutes had passed… There was no way that was correct, but the train attendant had moved on before Diamond Tiara could argue.

“Crazy, isn’t it?” Scootaloo asked as she looked out the window, resting her head against one foreleg on the table, whilst her other one twirled her Wonderbolts cap about, in a vain attempt to somehow speed up time. “We used to drive each other crazy, and now we’re…”

“Going on a date, I know,” Diamond Tiara said, turning her attention to Scootaloo. “I don’t get it. Of all ponies, why you?”

“Same here,” Scootaloo said. “All you’ve ever done is give me and my friends a hard time. Whenever you spoke to me, I just wanted you to shut up before I hurt you.”

“How brutish,” Diamond Tiara scoffed. “Typical of a Pegasus. Even if you can’t fly, you’ve definitely got the part down right.”

“… See? Even now, you’re driving me crazy. But, I don’t want to cancel and go home now.” Scootaloo sighed. “Growing up sucks.”

“You can say that again…” Diamond Tiara rubbed her forehooves together, and looked down at the table separating the two. “But, how do you even know that you… you know…”

“Like you?” Diamond Tiara nodded. “I’m not stupid, y’know?”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Diamond Tiara muttered.

“Okay, so I’m not the smartest filly in the class, but I at least know when I’m in love with somepony! Besides, it’s the only possible explanation for… how I was feeling about you?”

Diamond Tiara grew very curious. So Scootaloo was having weird, confusing feelings, too? She had to know more. “What kind of feelings?”

“… That’s… Well, what about you? Didn’t you have any?”

Diamond Tiara hesitated for a second. “W-Well, yeah. That’s how I realised that I… But, it took me a while to figure out what they were. And what to do with them.” Diamond Tiara sank down into her seat. “I’m still not entirely sure, to be honest.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Is that why you kissed Apple Bloom?” There it was. The questions she needed to ask, before going any further. The question she dreaded asking, and dreading knowing the answer to. But, just like applying disinfectant to a cut after falling off of her scooter, she knew that the best way to deal with it was to just power through straight away.

She underestimated just how hard it would be, though, and now, part of Scootaloo’s brain was scolding her for bringing it up.

“W-What are you talking about?” Diamond Tiara asked. She didn’t know how Scootaloo found out, but that didn’t matter right now. All that did matter, was trying to convince Scootaloo that she was wrong.

“Apple Bloom told me about you two kissing each other.” Scootaloo shifted her attention to the pink filly, who was wearing that same face she always wore whenever she was struggling to think up a convincing story on the spot. She had grown used to that face, sitting through so many detentions with her. “And about your date yesterday.”

Diamond Tiara turned her head to avoid eye contact with Scootaloo. “I… Well, that is, I just…”

“Why would you tell me you like me, then kiss somepony else?”

“I was… Uh… It…”

“Did she… Did Apple Bloom force you to?”

“No!” Diamond Tiara quickly answered, but then soon regretted it.

“I thought not,” Scootaloo said. “… Are you just toying with us, then? Stringing us along, so that you can hurt us both real bad?”

“That’s not it either!” Another quick answer. Scootaloo knew that the quick answers were sincere. It was the stuttering answers that would tell her if Diamond Tiara was lying.

“Then why? Do you really like me?”

Diamond Tiara closed her eyes, and nodded. There was no way she could say it out loud, on a public train like this.

“Do you like Apple Bloom?”

Diamond Tiara hesitated for a moment… and then slowly shook her head.

“… Y’hear that, Apple Bloom? She’s not interested.”

Diamond Tiara’s eyes snapped wide open, and she quickly spun around to look behind her. “N-No, that’s not-” There was nothing there. There was nopony there. Diamond Tiara stared at the air for a few seconds, and connected the dots in her head. “Oh…” She turned back to Scootaloo, who was giving her a hard stare.

“Lemme guess, you like Sweetie Belle, too?”

“No! Just you tw-” Diamond Tiara quickly slammed her hooves over her mouth. She really needed to work on thinking before she spoke.

“I see.” Scootaloo turned her gaze to the table below her, taking in this new information.

“… I… I didn’t mean to,” Diamond Tiara said. “M-Miss Cheerilee said that, it’s not a bad thing to like more than one pony… and, I tried to choose between you, but there are just so many different things about both of you, and it was hard to choose, and I couldn’t say no to either of you when you both told me how you felt and then-”

“Okay, okay. Calm down already.” Diamond Tiara nodded, and took deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down. “I… don’t know about liking more than one pony at a time, but… how could you agree to go out with both of us?”

Diamond Tiara’s ears flattened against her head. “I… thought it would help me make up my mind. D-Daddy says that, when you have to make a difficult choice, it helps if you can sample each one.”

“… What, kissing Apple Bloom didn’t count as ‘sampling’?”

“I-I didn’t mean to do that!” Diamond Tiara shouted, but then calmed herself down again when Scootaloo motioned for her to quiet down. “I… It all just happened so fast, and I thought that would be it. That I would choose Apple Bloom over you. But then, you said that you liked me, and I didn’t want to risk making the wrong choice by not even giving you a chance, but then…” Diamond Tiara lowered her head down onto the table, and held it in her forelegs. “Nopony ever said love was going to be so hard! This isn’t anything like the bedtime stories mum used to read me.”

“Diamond, you may be a spoiled brat,” Scootaloo began, earning a glare from the pink filly, “But you can’t have everything you want, no matter how rich you might be.”

“…”

“You’ve gotta choose, Diamond. You gotta pick, either me, or Apple Bloom.” ‘Obvious answer is me, of course.’

“I know I do… T-That’s why I agreed to both dates. Like I said, after I date both of you, I should be able to make my choice… right?”

“… I don’t know…” ‘But then, if I show her the most awesome date she’s ever had, she’s just gotta choose me, right?’

“Look, I didn’t kiss Apple Bloom yesterday. And I didn’t tell her how I felt, either. So, so long as I don’t kiss you today, it’s no big deal, right?”

“… I guess,” Scootaloo said. The idea sounded reasonable enough… sort of. “Okay then, Diamond. But no more! After today, you have to make up your mind, and until you do, no more accepting dates from either of us! Agreed?”

Diamond Tiara nodded. “That… sounds fair.”

“Alright then.” Scootaloo grinned, and turned her attention back to the window. “Then, let’s just forget about all of that today, and pretend that this is our first date. I’ll show ya what you’ve got to look forward to if ya pick me.”

“Can’t wait,” Diamond Tiara said in a sarcastic tone. “Considering how well you plan out you ‘Cutie Mark crusades’, I’m sure today is going to be a lovely day of getting lost, and covered in tree sap.”

“Heh, just you wait,” Scootaloo said. ‘Apple Bloom won’t even stand a chance!’ “So… About these ‘feelings’ you had for me…”

“Just drop it,” Diamond Tiara said, her face turning red as she once again avoided looking at Scootaloo.

“Hey, that’s fine. But if you don’t tell me yours, I won’t tell ya mine…”

“… Ugh, fine. Since you seem so desperate to hear it.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes, but remained silent. She was pretty curious. “It’s… weird. It was like, whenever I thought of you, my face heated up, and my stomach felt all… weird. And I couldn’t think straight, and everything was just so…”

“Weird?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yeah. And then, when I think back to that time you helped me in Manehatten… you… looked kind of cool…”

It was Scootaloo’s turn to blush now. And also, her turn to answer. “Y-Yeah, that’s kinda similar to my feelings, too. Except, I don’t think you’re ‘cool’. Well, maybe, the way you stood up to those two jerks was kinda cool, but mostly, I think you’re…”

“… Think I’m what?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“… C-Cute,” Scootaloo said quietly. She wasn’t sure if Diamond Tiara had heard her or not at first.

“… L-Let’s just not say anything until we get there.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Sounds good to me.”

“Well, here we are,” Scootaloo said as the two fillies entered the main square of the amusement park, looking around at the various stalls and gift shops around them. There were a lot of ponies around, mostly foals and teenagers though, as a lot of adults were likely still at work.

“Yes, we are,” Diamond Tiara said, her attention fixed on the large water fountain in front of her, where a few foals were having a water fight with each other. She wasn’t particularly interested in the fountain, or the water fight. She just found it difficult to face Scootaloo, or spare more than a few words on her.

“So, what should we check out first? The coaster?”

Diamond Tiara shook her head. “The line will be too big right now.”

“Oh.” Scootaloo turned to Diamond Tiara, who quickly turned her head to face away from the Pegasus. “You, uh, come here often?”

“Daddy brings me here a lot during summer,” she answered, still facing away.

“Oh.” The two didn’t say anything for a bit, and then soon began to move towards the large map sitting in the middle of the square. They both stared at it together for a second, before shifting their eyes slowly to glance at the other filly… and then pulling their gazes back to the map. “How about the flume?” Scootaloo asked.

“I don’t do water rides,” Diamond Tiara replied. “Do you realise how long it takes for me to brush my mane in the morning?”

“But they’re fun! And there’s one real close by!”

Diamond Tiara turned to Scootaloo to argue with her further, but was stopped by the excited look on the filly’s face as she looked over the map. Was the idea of a simple water ride really so exciting? Diamond Tiara had been on them before, and she didn’t really see the appeal… ‘Hold on a second…’ “Is this your first time at an amusement park or something?”

“Of course not!” Scootaloo responded, before lowering her head to face the ground. “I’ve been here before, just… only once. Before my mum left.”

“…” Diamond Tiara turned back to the map, pretending that she was planning out a route to take, when in reality, she was shocked by what her brain was telling her to say. “Ugh, fine! I suppose it’s better than you moping around all day…”

“I wasn’t moping,” Scootaloo said. “If you don’t want to-”

“Come on, let’s go already!” Diamond Tiara said, walking past the map, in the direction of the log flume ride. She noticed that Scootaloo wasn’t following her, and turned back to the orange filly. “Unless you’re afraid of a little water?”

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes. “Me? Afraid?”

“Actually, I think I recall hearing something about chickens not liking water.”

“What d’you call me?!” Diamond Tiara began running through the park, and Scootaloo quickly gave chase. “Get back here, you!”

Diamond Tiara was glad that there was nopony from school who could see her right now. If word got out that she was playing an immature game of chase with a blank flank, she’d never be able to live it down. But then, the questions till remained: why was she playing around like she was five years old again? And more importantly, why was she enjoying it?

As she chased the annoying pink filly, who occasionally made chicken sounds to mock her, Scootaloo was asking herself a similar question. She easily caught up to Diamond Tiara, being the more athletic pony, and before she knew what she was doing, she had tackled the other filly to the ground. Lost in all the fun that she was having, Scootaloo seemed to have forgotten that who she was chasing wasn’t one of her friends, but was the obnoxious rich filly who liked to give her a hard time…

“Hey! Get off of me!” Diamond Tiara shouted, flailing her hooves about in an attempt to free herself.

“Oh! Uh, sorry ‘bout that…” Scootaloo climbed off of Diamond Tiara, and helped her up to her hooves right away. “I guess I got a little carried away.”

“You think?” Diamond Tiara spat, her tone angry, as she dusted herself off. “Honestly. Pinning a cute, fragile young filly such as moi, against the dirty, dusty ground. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Hey, you’re the one that started it with the whole chicken thing!”

“Would you rather I call you blank flank, instead?”

“I have a name, you know? You could try using that!”

The two glared at each other, sparks flying between their eyes and teeth bared as they growled at each other. They stopped as they heard giggling around them, and looked around to find two mares looking at them.

The mares turned away as they noticed the two fillies looking back at them, and Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara faced each other again, this time with confused expressions. “What’re they laughing at?” Scootaloo asked.

“Probably at you,” Diamond Tiara said with a grin.

“Or maybe they’re laughing at that stupid tiara on your head,” Scootaloo said, poking said accessory.

Diamond Tiara quickly raised her hooves to defend her head ornament. “Don’t touch it!” she shouted, with a more malicious tone of voice than the more playful one she used earlier.

“W-What? I was just-” Scootaloo stopped when she remembered the incident in Manehatten. Diamond Tiara flipped when she saw her tiara being thrown into a mud puddle… Maybe, to her, that tiara was something precious? Something more valuable than just a gaudy fashion statement?

“Anyway, let’s just go. You want to ride the flume, right?”

Scootaloo nodded, and the two continued to walk through the park together. Scootaloo looked down at Diamond Tiara’s forehoof, and entertained the idea of reaching out to it for all of one second, before immediately dismissing the move as cheesy, and just plain gross.

A seven minute wait for the two fillies, but it might as well have been a whole hour. At least when they were moving and passing by the various attractions and features, they were able to keep themselves busy with their own thoughts. Now, they were forced to either stand around in complete silence as the line slowly moved, or… talk to each other.

Scootaloo wouldn’t mind talking, but there was just one problem: what would they talk about? She needed a topic that Diamond Tiara would be interested in. Something she wouldn’t just shrug off, or throw back at the Pegasus filly. It would help if she knew more about Diamond Tiara, but all she knew about her was that she was a rich filly who liked to give blank flanks a hard time.

“Oh,” Scootaloo started, getting Diamond Tiara’s attention, “I, uh, noticed you Silver Spoon mess around a lot in class, but she always get good grades anyway. What’s up with that?”

“I know,” Diamond Tiara said. “She’s such a bookworm. She already knows the stuff we’re supposed to learn in class before even going, so she just plays around all the time.”

“You do, too. Except you don’t already know everything.”

“Well, I can’t help it if Miss Cheerilee’s classes are, like, so boring!”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo agreed. “No offence to Miss Cheerilee, can’t she teach the class in a way that doesn’t put us all to sleep?”

“And then she scolds us for falling asleep, or not paying attention,” Diamond Tiara huffed. “So unfair.”

“I bet if Rainbow Dash was the teacher, school would be awesome! I might even learn stuff!”

“I’d hate that,” Diamond Tiara said. “She’d replace every class with Gym class.”

“Hey, you’re an Earth Pony! You’re supposed to be good at physical activities.”

“I prefer to think of myself as a hornless Unicorn. Smart, beautiful, and full of grace.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Yeah. You’re definitely all of those things,” she said, putting emphasis on her sarcasm. “Y’know that Snips and Snails are Unicorns, right? You saying they’re smart and beautiful?”

Diamond Tiara practically gagged at the implication. “Are you trying to make me sick before we even get on any rides?”

Scootaloo giggled, before noticing that the line had moved quite a bit ahead of them. She motioned this to Diamond Tiara, and the two moved along. “Seriously though, today was definitely the most boring day ever. It’s like Miss Cheerilee knew I was waiting for it to end, and intentionally made it drag on.”

“Oh?” Diamond Tiara said with a sly grin. “You were ‘waiting’?”

Scootaloo blushed, but flicked her mane coolly to try to hide it. “Y’know, ‘cause classes were so boring. Even a day with you would be better.”

“Yeah, well, it seems that, for once, we agree on something. School, is boring.”

“You alright, Cheerilee?” Berry Punch asked as she poured herself and her guest two glasses of wine.

“I don’t know,” Cheerilee said, looking around nervously. “You ever get the feeling somepony’s talking about you? And not in a good way?”

“All. The time.”

“So, what’re those notes you pass back and forth with Silver Spoon about, anyway?” Scootaloo asked. She had completely forgotten about her nervousness moments earlier, and was now talking to Diamond Tiara as she would any other day before all this weirdness started.

“That’s a secret,” Diamond Tiara said. “But they’re definitely more exciting than the ones your and your blank flank friends pass around.”

“How would you know? You read ‘em?”

“Yes. I sit next to Apple Bloom, remember?”

“… This needs to be brought up at our next meeting.” A thought crossed through Scootaloo’s mind as she remembered her recent fight with Apple Bloom. ‘… If we even have a next meeting.’

“Will you stop complaining already?” Scootaloo once again had to stop to allow Diamond Tiara a chance to catch up, the latter filly glaring at the back of Scootaloo’s head as she walked behind her at a purposefully slow pace. “So you got a little wet. You never been out in the rain before?”

“My mane is a mess!” Diamond Tiara shouted. “I knew I should’ve sat in the middle. Back and front always get it the worst…”

Scootaloo sighed, and tried to think of a way to calm Diamond Tiara down. “Look, your mane will dry, right? So what’s the big deal?”

“… Of course you don’t get it. You walk around with your mane looking so scruffy all the time.” Diamond Tiara felt something heavy on her head, and cast her gaze up, to see Scootaloo placing something on her. “W-What’s that?”

“Here. Now nopony can see your ‘messed up mane’.” Scootaloo backed up, and Diamond Tiara noticed that something was different about her. She was no longer wearing her Wonderbolts cap from earlier.

Diamond Tiara lifted a hoof to her head, and sure enough, she was now wearing a cap. Her tiara was already stashed away in her bag, to protect it from falling off during the log flume, so the cap fit rather nicely, and she had to admit that it felt pretty comfortable.

“Don’t think you can just keep it, though! That’s my favourite cap, and I want it back before we leave today!”

Diamond Tiara flinched. It seemed that this cap really meant a lot to Scootaloo… and she was letting her wear it. “… Yeah, well, I suppose this makes up for ruining my mane in the first place.”

“So close!” Scootaloo’s ears perked at the familiar voice, and she turned her head to see who it was. She recognised the black Pegasus stallion known as Thunderlane, with a couple of mares standing beside him, giggling at something. “Third time’s the charm!”

Scootaloo watched as Thunderlane picked up a hammer in his, and swung it down onto some sort of target below him. The target was connected to a weight, which shot up the small tower in front of him, flying upwards towards the bell… but stopping in the ‘silver’ area.

“No way!” Thunderlane shouted, before turning to the two mares watching him. “Uh… Eheheh… We’re still up for dinner, right?” The two mares exchanged looks, giggled once more, and then turned and walked away. Thunderlane kicked the ground and huffed, before turning his attention to a trio off mares passing by. “… Hey, ladies! You got a moment?”

Scootaloo shook her head and sighed as she watched the stallion leave. “Typical Thunderlane. Rainbow Dash said he’s gonna get his flank kicked something bad one of these days.”

“What was he doing, anyway?” Diamond Tiara asked, approaching the machine that the stallion was just using. “‘Iron Will’s Test Your Strength 2000’?”

“Hit the target hard enough to win a prize,” the stallion standing next to the machine explained. “You want to give it a try?”

Diamond Tiara shook her head. “No thanks. That hammer looks heavy.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes, and approached the machine. “Heh, this is nothing,” she said, picking up the hammer with her forehooves. She struggled to keep a firm hold of it, and tried to not let it show. ‘Okay… so it’s a little heavier than I thought.’ “J-Just watch. I’m gonna show you how awesome use blank flanks can really be.”

“Oh, this I have to see,” Diamond Tiara said, before backing away a little as Scootaloo began to raise the hammer. The Pegasus filly swung the hammer down hard onto the target, and watched the weight rise up, higher and higher… and stopping in the ‘bronze’ area.

With a frown and a huff, Scootaloo dropped the hammer, and turned away to leave. However, the stallion at the machine stopped her before could. “Valiant effort, kid. Don’t forget your prize?”

“‘Prize’?” Scootaloo asked. “What prize?”

“Your prize for reaching the ‘bronze’ area. Here.” The stallion reached into a bag, and pulled out a small key ring, with a small plastic animal attached to it. Diamond Tiara started giggling, and Scootaloo gave the key ring a look of pure hatred. “Is… something wrong?”

“It suits you nicely,” Diamond Tiara said, taking the chicken key ring and dangling it in front of Scootaloo. “Here you go. You earned it.”

Scootaloo’s face turned red, and pushed the key ring away from herself, and towards Diamond Tara. “Don’t want it. You can have it, instead.”

“But you won it, fair and square.”

“Well, I’m giving it to you! Consider it a present or something.”

“Pretty cheap present,” Diamond Tiara scoffed, before suddenly being struck with inspiration. “Hmmm, but then, you’re like, the master of ‘cheap’, aren’t you? Cheap cheap, bw-kak!”

“Ugh, whatever!” Scootaloo said, turning around and walking away.

“Hey, you forgot your friend!” Diamond Tiara said, catching up to Scootaloo and taunting her once more with the key ring.

“I said it’s yours!” Scootaloo responded, picking up her pace to get away from the offending key ring.

“And I said I don’t want it!” Diamond Tiara shouted, also moving faster to keep up with Scootaloo. Try as she might, she couldn’t remove the grin that had somehow stuck itself onto her face.

“Man, I’m starving!” Scootaloo said as she sat down on the grass next to a large, sparkling lake. It was a bright, dry day, so the two fillies decided to have their dinners outside. Diamond Tiara had a rather large salad, along with some onion rings and some cupcakes. She took out a blanket from her saddlebag, and lay it down on the grass, before sitting down on it. Scootaloo shrugged, and moved from the grass to the blanket.

Scootaloo pulled out her own dinner, which consisted of an orange, and a pear. Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. “Is that it?” she asked. “I know athletes need to keep their figures, but isn’t that overdoing it a little bit?”

“Can’t be helped,” Scootaloo said. “Dad has enough trouble paying for bills without me buying ridiculously oversized meals.” She glared at Diamond Tiara’s laid out dinner as she said that, and frowned as her stomach rumbled. “Besides, he was up all last night with a fever, so I couldn’t prepare anything beforehoof. To be honest, I almost cancelled today.”

“So why didn’t you?” Diamond Tiara asked. “I know I would have.” She was about to take the first bite of her salad, before what she said ran through her mind. She was immediately worried that Scootaloo might take it the wrong way. “N-No offence, just that, I wouldn’t be able to have fun if I thought daddy was sick or anything.”

Scootaloo grinned, making Diamond Tiara feel uncomfortable. “‘No offence’, huh? That’s a new one. Offence is all you ever intend towards me.”

“W-Well, I…”

“Anyway, dad actually told me I shouldn’t cancel. He said he doesn’t want me to ditch plans I’ve made with friends ‘cause of him. And he promised to go straight to the hospital if he still felt bad, so…”

“Still…” Diamond Tiara looked down at Scootaloo’s pitiful dinner, and scowled at the sight. She didn’t like it. She didn’t like the idea that the Pegasus filly was abusing her body by not giving it the nourishment it needed. “… Here.”

Scootaloo titled her head as Diamond Tiara pushed her salad towards her. “Eh?”

“I-I’m on a diet!” Diamond Tiara immediately spat out. “My dad always packs me too much, and I usually share it with Silver Spoon, but since she’s not here right now, I guess you can have some.”

Scootaloo was shocked, to say the least. Diamond Tiara… was actually offering to share her food with her. She was doing something nice. And Scootaloo certainly wasn’t going to complain. With a smile, Scootaloo wasted no time helping herself to a generous portion of the rich filly’s large salad. “Wow, thanks! Y’know, if Silver Spoon ever goes on a diet too, I’d be totally up for helping you with your extra food!”

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, but inwardly smiled as she saw Scootaloo eating the salad that she herself, with just a little help from her mother, had prepared.

“Come on, blank flank! The park’s closing!” Scootaloo ignored Diamond Tiara’s demand, opting instead to pull out another bit coin from her bag and place it into the crane machine in front of her. “This if your tenth try! As fun as it was to watch you utterly fail the first few times, it’s starting to just get stupid now.”

“I’ll get it this time!” Scootaloo said, focusing hard as she moved the crane towards the centre of the machine, and then lowered it when it was in position. “Alright! Gotcha now!” The crane grabbed a hold of the Spitfire plush toy sitting amongst the sea of other plush toys, and then began to pull up. However, it quickly lost its grip on the prize, and Scootaloo was disheartened as she once again blew a whole bit on absolutely nothing.

Diamond Tiara sighed, too exhausted to even come up with some witty remark this time around. “Are we done now? Seriously, we’re going to miss the train at this rate.”

“…”

Diamond Tiara moved closer to the other filly, but stopped when she could see Scootaloo’s reflection in the crane machine’ glass window. She looked… sad, but determined. She was still staring at that plush toy, with a kind of fire in her eyes that Diamond Tiara had only ever seen before during one of her ‘crusades’. Scootaloo wanted that plush toy. So much so that she was about to blow the rest of her money on it, if that’s what it took.

“Ugh! Fine!” Diamond Tiara pushed Scootaloo aside, earning a surprised yelp from her, followed by an angry glare.

“Hey, what gives?!”

“You’ve already proven you won’t get a Cutie Mark in this game. But lucky for you, I’m here.” Diamond Tiara pulled out a bit coin from her purse, inserted it into the machine, and then began to move the crane. “You want the orange-maned one, right?”

“… Spitfire. Yeah. Not that you’ll actually get it.” Despite her claim, Scootaloo still watched with half-hope, half-curiosity as Diamond Tiara moved the crane above the Spitfire toy, and then lowered it. The crane once again grabbed the toy, and started to pull up. However, despite the previous times that this had happened with Scootaloo, the toy did not fall off. Not only that, but it came with a partner.

“Whoa! You got two!” Scootaloo exclaimed, her wing popping out of her sides as she watched the Spitfire and Soarin plush toys fall into the prize hole. Diamond Tiara picked up the Spitfire toy, and offered it to Scootaloo. “… Uh, thanks. That was pretty cool…”

“There’s one of these machines near my daddy’s main office building in Manehatten. I spent a lot of time playing on it when he had boring talks with his friends.”

“What kind of boring talks?”

Diamond Tiara shrugged. “I don’t know. Something about their wives… and chains… and I think they mentioned vamponies at some point. It seemed to just go all over the place.”

“Huh… Well, thanks. This is just the right size to go next to my Fleetfoot autograph!”

“Yeah, well, I’ll be keeping the other one,” Diamond Tiara said, looking down at the Soarin plush toy in her hoof.

Scootaloo grinned, and nudged Diamond Tiara teasingly. “What, you got a thing for stallions in uniform?”

Diamond Tiara grinned back. “Maybe I do,” she said, opening her saddlebag and placing the toy inside, next to the chicken key ring from earlier. ‘I could care less about some dunce from the Wonderbolts, or some stupid plastic farm animal. But, I don’t want to get rid of them…’

“Oh no!” Scootaloo shouted as she noticed the time. “We’ve gotta get going! The train’s gonna leave without us!”

Diamond Tiara groaned and slammed a hoof into her face. “That’s what I’ve been trying to-” Before she could finished, the sound of retreating hoofsteps caught her attention, and she looked up to see Scootaloo running away very quickly. “H-Hey! Don’t leave without me!”

Apple Bloom waited nervously at the Ponyville train station as she checked the clock on the wall. The train should be arriving soon… along with the two fillies that she was waiting for. ‘Ah can’t believe ah forgot about it. That Diamond and ah used ta be friends. Applejack said we were inseparable those four weeks, so why can’t ah remember it at all?’

Applejack, who tagged along behind her little sister to make sure that everything went alright, frowned as she watched Apple Bloom looking around like Fluttershy during the dragon migration. ‘Ah thought she finally remembered, but ah guess not. It was around that time that ma and pa passed away, an’ the doctor said her memory loss is attributed to the shock… Maybe ah should’ve arranged a play date between them sooner, but ah had no idea Diamond Tiara would have taken it so personally. None of us did.’

The train pulled into the station, and suddenly, Apple Bloom lost her nerves. She quickly turned around, and ran away. Once she was around the corner, she stopped herself, and took a deep breath. “No. Ah can’t run away. Ah hurt Diamond Tiara by forgetting ‘bout out friendship, and she deserves an apology… An’, so does Scootaloo. Ah… Ah shouldn’t have fought with her like that. Friends don’t do that to each other.”

After taking a moment to ready herself, Apple Bloom turned around, started to walk back to the train station.

The two fillies departed the train, and almost immediately felt the day’s exhaustion rush through them. Scootaloo stretched her legs and her wings, whilst Diamond Tiara turned around to quietly yawn, using her hoof to cover her face.

“So… that was fun, right?” Scootaloo asked, turning to Diamond Tiara with a smile.

Diamond Tiara faced her, and simply nodded. She realised that she was still wearing Scootaloo’s cap, and lifted it off of her head to offer it back to the Pegasus. “Uh, here.”

“Oh, right.” Scootaloo took her cap back, and placed it back onto her head. She then remained still and silent as she stared at Diamond Tiara, who did the same as she stared right back. “Soooo…”

“Soooooo?” Diamond Tiara asked, her face turning red as she tried to look away. ‘T-This is the part on TV where the couple k-kiss, right?’

“Um, well, I guess we should, like, say goodbye now. Right?” Diamond Tiara only nodded in response, but neither filly moved afterwards. “Uh, y-you said you wouldn't kiss either of us, until you made your decision…”

“Y-Yeah…”

“… But, y’know, it’s kinda unfair. I mean, you kissed Apple Bloom…”

Diamond Tiara shook her head. “I already said I wouldn’t-”

“You said you’d have this one date with me.” Diamond Tiara nodded again. “… Well, isn’t a kiss… a part of the date?”

Diamond Tiara thought about this seriously for a few moments. ‘S-She’s right. Technically, it wouldn’t be a date if we don’t kiss.’

“So… d’you wanna?” Scootaloo asked, lowering her cap as if it would hide the blush spreading across her face.

“… J-Just one, right?”

Scootaloo nodded, and the two fillies took a moment to wonder how exactly to proceed. Scootaloo took the initiative, and took a step forward. Diamond Tiara gulped, and wondered if it would be too late to back out. Scootaloo placed her forehooves on Diamond Tiara’s shoulders, and slowly moved her face forward.

…

The kiss felt different than with Apple Bloom, was the first thing that crossed Diamond Tiara’s mind. She assumed that kisses would be the same with everypony, but she was surprised to find a very difference experience when doing it with Scootaloo.

With Apple Bloom, it was almost as if the two were in perfect harmony with each other. Each filly moved in perfect synch to make up for where the other was doing something wrong, and they both put equal effort into the kiss.

With Scootaloo, it was as if the Pegasus filly was leading Diamond Tiara the entire way. Like Scootaloo was in control… and, it felt more exciting than with Apple Bloom. Both kisses felt different, and Diamond Tiara wasn’t sure which one she liked more…

And she didn’t have much time contemplate it, as she turned her eyes away the moment the kiss ended, and found Apple Bloom staring at the two of them with a shocked look on her face.

Scootaloo noticed Diamond Tiara looking horrified at something, and turned around to see what it was. “A-Apple Bloom!”

Apple Bloom, not sure how to react to what she had just seen, cursed herself for coming back, and turned around to once again flee the scene.

“Wait!” Scootaloo shouted, but it had no effect. “N-No! C’mon, we have to stop her!”

Diamond Tiara gave Scootaloo an uncertain look. “Are you sure? Won’t she just be mad at us?”

“Well, maybe,” Scootaloo said, resisting the urge to say ‘definitely’. “But, we can’t just leave her, can we? She’s… She’s my friend, and…”

Diamond Tiara looked at where Apple Bloom had been standing moments earlier, and then back at Scootaloo. She was right; they had to catch up to Apple Bloom, and talk about this. Otherwise, things would just get ugly…

“Anyway, let’s go!” Scootaloo shouted, taking off after Apple Bloom, with Diamond Tiara following behind her. They left the train station, but didn’t get far before a tall figure approached them.

“There you are!” The figure revealed itself to be a white Pegasus mare, with a striped green and pink mane. “I’ve been looking all over for you!” she said to Scootaloo. “Where in Equestria have you been?”

“Uh… out,” Scootaloo said, looking at Diamond Tiara with a nervous smile on her face. “What’s going on? I’m kinda in a hurry.”

The Pegasus looked down at Scootaloo with a frown on her face, and let out a sigh as she lowered herself down to the filly’s eyelevel. “Scootaloo… it’s your father. He passed out in the streets today, and he’s at the hospital right now.”

Scootaloo’s blood froze, and her jaw hung open as she simply stared back at the mare with a look of shock and disbelief. “D… Dad’s… Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. He woke up, and the doctor said he’ll recover. But, there’s something we need to talk abou-” Before she could finished, Scootaloo darted past the mare, running through the streets at full gallop. “Wait!”

‘Dad… Please, please be okay…’

Chapter 9

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Scootaloo rode into school slowly the following day, her head hanging low as she sluggishly removed her helmet and fixed her mane. She paused for a few seconds, before putting on her best smile, and jumping off of her scooter.

Diamond Tiara watched as Scootaloo folded up the scooter, and carried it inside the school. It was no surprise to her that Scootaloo was feeling so down today… In fact, it was surprising to see her in school at all. At the hospital, Scootaloo’s dad, Teddy, told her that he was fine, and that he didn’t want her to miss any school for his sake. Diamond Tiara wasn’t entirely sure about what had happened, since Scootaloo remained fairly quiet about the details, but she wasn’t expecting Scootaloo to actually show up today.

Running behind Scootaloo was Sweetie Belle, who was breathing heavily as she chased after her friend, entering the schoolhouse right behind her. Since there was nopony to take care of Scootaloo at her home right now, she was staying at Sweetie Belle’s house.

And as for Apple Bloom… neither Diamond Tiara nor Scootaloo had any idea how she was doing, since they hadn’t been able to catch up to her that evening.

“Hey,” Silver Spoon said, clapping her hooves in front of Diamond Tiara to grab her attention. “So, like, I guess things didn’t go so well yesterday, huh?” Diamond Tiara looked at her friend, and shook her head. “Well, don’t worry. You know I’m still here for you. Bump, bump, sugar… lump…”

Diamond Tiara shook her head again as Silver Spoon trailed off. “Not now, Silver Spoon…”

“… What’s with you? They’re only some stupid little blank flanks, right? Can’t we still just go back to the way things were before?”

“It’s not like that. I had fun yesterday, really, but… Scootaloo’s dad is in the hospital…” Silver Spoon didn’t say a word to that, so Diamond Tiara continued. “It’s nothing serious, he’ll be fine. Really, Scootaloo’s just overreacting. It just… made me think of the same thing happening to my dad, that’s all.”

“Oh… Y-Yeah, I’d be pretty upset if the same thing happened to me, too,” Silver Spoon said, lifting a hoof to her glasses and adjusting them. The same glasses her mother and father bought for her when she first started school. “So, like, were you able to… you know, pick one of them?” Diamond Tiara let out a long sigh, which was answer enough for Silver Spoon. “Okay, I know this is probably not want you want to hear, but, have you considered not picking either of them?”

Diamond Tiara’s ear twitched, and her eyes widened. “N-Not picking… either…”

“Right. Unlike a business, you don’t have to actually choose one. If it’s giving you so much grief, try just ignoring the two of them until it goes away.”

“… W-Will that really work?”

“I… don’t know,” Silver Spoon admitted. “But, I hate seeing you like this. I prefer the strong, confident Diamond Tiara, who leads this school with an iron hoof! And as your right hoof, it makes me sad to see you like this.”

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “Again with this ‘right hoof’ nonsense.” Diamond Tiara grinned as she turned to face her friend fully. “You watch too many mafia movies, Silver Spoon.”

Silver Spoon giggled, prompting Diamond Tiara to join her. “My point is, I hate seeing you so down, and vulnerable.”

“… Right. A boss has to keep up appearances, even when she feels like carp, right?” Diamond Tiara asked, now smiling at her friend. A real, happy smile.

“‘Crap’, Diamond Tiara. Not ‘carp’,” Silver Spoon corrected.

“Oh… What does ‘crap’ mean?” Diamond Tiara asked, to which Silver Spoon simply shook her head and turned away.

“You’ll learn when you’re older.”

“No fair!” Diamond Tiara whined. “Just ‘cause you’re an egghead, doesn’t mean you get to know all this ‘grown-up stuff’ without telling me about it! We’re the same age!”

“Trust me,” Silver Spoon said, her face turning red at the mention of ‘grown-up stuff’, “You’re better off not knowing.”

Diamond Tiara huffed, and walked past her friend. “Well, whatever. Class is about to begin, anyway.” The two walked for a few seconds, before Diamond Tiara stopped and, turned back to her friend. “Oh, right.”

Silver Spoon tilted her head, giving Diamond Tiara a questioning look, before she saw the pink filly assume the first stance of their secret hoofshake. Smiling, Silver Spoon joined her. “Bump, bump, sugar-lump rump!”

The bell rang, signalling the start of school, and telling all fillies and colts to get to their classes. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon quickly began to hoof it, so as not to be late and suffer Cheerilee’s wrath.

The first lesson of the day was two hours of Arts & Crafts group work, which was rather uncomfortable for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who had been grouped together by Cheerilee, after seeing two of them so depressed that morning.

Somehow, putting the three friends together didn’t seem to brighten the mood between them, though she didn’t have much chance to worry about that, as Snips and Snails had somehow managed to glue their hooves to each other’s bodies, and had to be rushed to the nurse’s office.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both sat as far away from each other as they could, without being too far away that they couldn’t do their work. Scootaloo looked around for the glitter, but found that it was on Apple Bloom’s side. Rather than simply ask for it, or reach over for it, she decided to use a substitute instead… Small chunks of tin foil are close enough, she decided.

Apple Bloom looked around for the glue, and found that Scootaloo was using it. Rather than waiting for her to finish so that she could ask for it, she decided instead to reach for the sellotape, and use that to stick the small pieces of macaroni onto the paper.

Sweetie Belle was frowning as she looked between her two friends. She had tried to talk to each of them, to try to strike up a conversation, tried to get the two of them to interact in whatever way she could. When all else failed, Sweetie Belle still had one last trick up her sleeve: break out into song.

“Look, here, are thee little ponies. Ready to sing for this crowd…”

“Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo said in a disgruntled voice.

“Listen up, ‘cause here’s our story. I’m gonna sing it-”

“Sweetie Belle.”

“-Very LOOOOOOOUD!”

“Sweetie Belle!” Sweetie Belle stopped her singing, and snapped her attention to Scootaloo, who was glaring at her with a frown on her face. “Stop it. I’m not in the mood for singing right now.”

“Don’t tell her what ta do,” Apple Bloom said, before giving Sweetie Belle a reassuring smile. “Go on. Ah know y’all like ta sing, and ya have the nicest voice ah’ve ever heard.” She then looked to Scootaloo, giving an even stare. “Not like somepony ah know, whose singin’ voice makes dogs go bonkers.”

“What was that?!” Scootaloo asked, dropping her glue stick and growling at Apple Bloom. “At least I’m not a natural disaster when I try to dance!”

“Uh, never mind,” Sweetie Belle said, deflating in-between her two friends. “I’m not in the mood for singing anymore…”

“Good,” Scootaloo said, picking up the glue stick once more. “… Look, sorry, Sweetie Belle. I’m just, not in the mood for it right now.”

“Why not? Didn’t y’all have a good time yesterday? Sure looked that way.”

Scootaloo growled at Apple Bloom again. “Why were you even there, anyway? What, can’t trust me or something? Some friend you are!”

“Obviously ah can’t, since y’all went an’ did that behind mah back!”

“So did you!” Scootaloo pointed out. “And at least I had the decency not to go stalking you on your date!”

“Ah didn’t ‘stalk’ ya! Ah just had somethin’ important ta tell Diamond Tiara, that’s all!”

“Yeah, sure! What, it was something that couldn’t wait until, I dunno, the next day?”

Apple Bloom considered that, and realised that she could have waited. But… “Why’re y’all actin’ like this? Ah thought y’all were mah friend, but then y’all go an’ do that behind mah back, and now ye’re treatin’ me like…”

Scootaloo didn’t take the time to think about her next response. She was angry right now. She just wanted the school day to end. She just wanted to go to the hospital, and make sure that her dad was okay. She didn’t want to have to deal with this right now. Why couldn’t they see that? Why couldn’t they see that she just wanted to be alone right now? “Just leave me alone. You’re getting on my nerves.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both stopped and stared in silence at Scootaloo, who quickly turned around and continued gluing, not paying the two of them any mind. Apple Bloom furrowed her brow, and also turned around. “Fine then. If y’all are gonna be that way…”

Sweetie Belle looked between the two of them, on the verge of tears as she saw her two friends drifting further apart by the second. ‘… Well, that could have gone better,’ she thought to herself, picking up the scissors at her hooves and cutting a sheet of paper into little hearts. A few tears dropped from her face, and stained the hearts that she had cut out. ‘Why is this happening? I thought we were friends…’

When lunch came around, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon left quickly, to secure the best spot outside before any of the other children could. As Diamond Tiara made her way out of the classroom, she stopped for a second to look over at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who were both still glaring at each other as they finished cleaning up their work spaces. A quick nudge from Silver Spoon diverted her attention, and the two fillies left the classroom quietly.

Sweetie Belle approached Apple Bloom, putting on her best smile as she offered to help her friend pack away. “Thanks, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said.

“No problem. We’re friends, after all. And friends are always there for each other, even through the worst of times.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Ah wouldn’t exactly call this ‘the worst of times’.”

“I just mean in general,” Sweetie Belle said. “You know, like, when you’re being bullied? Or when you’re running late on an important deadline? Or when you have a falling out?”

“… Sweetie Belle-”

“Because friends see past all their differences, and always make up in the end.”

“Sweetie Belle, ah appreciate the effort, but-”

Sweetie Belle noticed Scootaloo passing the two of them, and quickly ran in front of the Pegasus filly to stop her. “Hey, Scootaloo, I got this great idea for a crusade! We should all discuss it together, while we eat!”

Scootaloo lowered and shook her head. “Sorry, Sweetie Belle,” she said in a quiet tone. “Nothing against you personally, but I’d really rather not eat with her right now.”

Apple Bloom’s brow furrowed, and she was about to speak up, but Scootaloo was already leaving before she had a chance. Once she was gone, Apple Bloom approached Sweetie Belle, who was watching where the Pegasus had just left with a dejected look on her face. “See, Sweetie Belle? She’s bein’ stubborn, an’ selfish. Ah don’ think eatin’ with her is a good idea, either.”

Sweetie Belle quickly shook her head, and turned to face Apple Bloom, tears forming in her eyes, but being held back. “But, she’s our friend! Our best friend! We formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders together, and swore that we’d always be friends, no matter what!”

“Sweetie Belle-”

“I… I know she’s been acting kind of rude today, but I’m sure she’s just feeling upset about her dad being in the hospital.”

Apple Bloom gasped, and dropped her bag to the floor as she quickly moved closer to Sweetie Belle. “Her dad’s in the hospital? Why didn’t ya say somethin’?!”

“I-I thought you knew,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Well, ah didn’t!”

“Oh… Y-Yeah, her dad’s in the hospital, and she’s staying with me at the moment. She said it’s nothing serious, and that he’ll recover just fine, but it still can’t be easy for her… And, besides, you’ve been acting kind of selfish, too.”

“Ah have?” Apple Bloom asked. She then took a moment to think about it, and then shook her head. “A-Ah didn’t mean ta… Ah never meant ta hurt no one.” A few moments of silence passed between the two, Apple Bloom keeping her gaze fixed on the floor as she concentrated hard, and Sweetie Belle simply watching as her friend made the same face she made during tests.

Finally, Apple Bloom spoke up again. “… Sorry, Sweetie Belle. Ah have ta go find Scootaloo, an’ talk ta her, so ah can’t discuss yer idea with ya today.”

Sweetie Belle smiled. “I’ll help you look, then,” she said.

“Are ya sure?”

“She’s my friend, too.”

“… Yeah,” Apple Bloom said, returning Sweetie Belle’s smile with her own. “Yeah! Y’all are right! Then, let’s split up an’ find her!”

“Right! Cutie Mark Crusader… uh… Scootaloo Finders?”

Apple Bloom giggled. “That’ll work.”

The two nodded to each other, and then, in unison, shouted: “YAY!”

Scootaloo searched the schoolyard for a decent place to sit and eat her lunch. After a while of searching, she wound up finding Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sitting together on a blanket, eating their fancy-looking meals and drinking from an expensive looking tea set as they giggled together.

“Did you see the way Dinky fell over in Gym class yesterday?” Silver Spoon asked her friend. “How can a filly her age not know how to jump rope yet?”

“I know, right?” Diamond Tiara responded. “That must be, like, so embarrassing.”

“Hey guys.” The two fillies turned around, and were confused to find Scootaloo standing before them. “Uh… mind if I sit here?”

Diamond Tiara hesitated for a moment, before turning her head away with a harrumph. “W-Why should we let you eat with us? Don’t you have your own loser friends to hang out with?”

Scootaloo frowned, and took a few steps closer to the pink filly. Silver Spoon remained quiet as she watched. She had to admit, she was curious as to where this was going. “What’s up? You didn’t mind eating with me yesterday.”

“That was then, this is now,” Diamond Tiara responded, making sure she didn’t face Scootaloo as she said it. “Don’t get too close. We don’t want to catch your loserness. Right, Silver Spoon?”

Silver Spoon simply nodded in response. Scootaloo didn’t seem ready to back down just yet, though. She furrowed her brow, and sat down next to Diamond Tiara, who quickly turned her head to face away from the Pegasus filly.

“What’s going on?” Scootaloo asked. “Has this got something to do with Apple Bloom?”

‘She’s smarter than she looks,’ Silver Spoon thought to herself, sipping her tea as she watched the scene before her with a look of amusement. That amusement quickly faded, though, as she saw something sneaking up on the other two fillies.

“If it’s ‘cause of her… I know you said you wouldn’t have anything do with us until you made your mind, but, just so you know, that doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“Even though she’s your friend?” Diamond Tiara asked, surprised at what she was hearing.

“… Hardly,” Scootaloo said. She heard a gasp to her right, and both her and Diamond Tiara turned to find Apple Bloom, wide-eyed and looking completely shocked at what she had just heard. Scootaloo’s face paled as her own words caught up to her. “A-Apple Bloom, I didn’t-”

“H-How could ya?” Apple Bloom asked, tears rolling down her face as her eyes narrowed, and her teeth bared. “How could ya say somethin’ like that?! Ah can’t believe you! Ye’re… Ye’re terrible!”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon could both feel the tension in the air, and they both felt very uncomfortable as they watched the two friends staring each other down.

“Ah thought you were mah friend, but ah guess ye’re jus’ an awful, self-centred filly, who betrays her friends for her own convenience!”

“Don’t you dare!” Scootaloo shouted. “You’re the one who’s sneaking around behind my back all the time! You’re the one who took it too far, and then got upset when I evened the score!”

“Diamond,” Silver Spoon whispered to her friend. “I think we should probably get out of here.”

“But…” Diamond Tiara looked between Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who both seemed ready to jump each other at a moment’s notice.

“I really don’t think we should get caught up in this.”

“But I…” Silver Spoon gave Diamond Tiara a questioning look. “… I don’t want them to be hurt. Either of them.”

“… You… can’t just ignore them?”

Diamond Tiara shook her head immediately, before thinking back over the past weeks and a half. To when these feelings first started to surface, to her realisation of love, to her sneaking around with both of them, to the dates that she enjoyed with both fillies…

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo butted heads with each other and growled. Diamond Tiara quickly got up, and forced herself in-between the two feuding friends. Silver Spoon backed up, watching the situation closely, and getting ready to go and summon Cheerilee if the situation grew out of hoof.

“Stop it already!” Diamond Tiara shouted, giving each filly a harsh glare to make them back down. “Honestly, what’s with you two?! I knew you were hopeless, but this is just beyond stupid!”

“What?!” Apple Bloom asked, taking a hard step forward. “You’re just as bad as she is! Ah can’t believe you kissed both of us!”

Diamond Tiara blushed as she heard Silver Spoon snickering, but pushed that little distraction out of her mind for the moment. “I-It’s not like I planned for any of that to happen!” she shouted back. Apple Bloom looked hurt, and backed up a little bit. “I… I’ve been so confused lately, because I’ve never felt anything like this before. And then, I suddenly feel it for two useless blank flanks?! I didn’t know what I was doing until I was actually doing it!”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both looked down at the ground, their angry looks gone, and replaced with saddened ones by this news. “I-Is that so?” Apple Bloom asked.

Diamond Tiara gasped, and quickly continued. “I-I didn’t exactly hate it, though! But, I didn’t exactly expect either of you to actually feel the same way… let alone both of you… Anyway, I never meant to hurt either of you… this time. And, I don’t want you two fighting with each other because of this. You two are supposed to be friends, right? Even if you’re blank flanks, you should at least be able to talk this through, instead of just… declaring war on each other.”

“… S-Sorry,” Scootaloo said, not lifting her head up. “I wanted to talk to you about this yesterday, but I didn’t get the chance…”

“… Yer dad’s in the hospital, ain’t he?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Y-Yeah. I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I’ve been in kind of a bad mood today. But, I shouldn’t have taken it out on you and Sweetie Belle like that… Sorry.”

“… Ah shouldn’t have snapped at ya, either. Ah didn’t take well ta hearin’ y’all were goin’ out with her, but ah knew what ah did was much worse. Ah just… felt like ah had ta do something, or risk losin’ mah chance.” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both lifted their heads simultaneously, and met each other’s gazes. “Sorry, Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle was right. Friends shouldn’t let their emotions get the best of ‘em. Can ya ever forgive me?”

“Only if you forgive me,” Scootaloo answered. The two fillies smiled at each other, before remembering the main cause of their conflict. “So,” Scootaloo began, looking at Diamond Tiara, “… What now?”

“… It’s up ta you, Diamond,” Apple Bloom said. “Whoever ya pick, we’ll still be friends. Right, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah… The Cutie Mark Crusaders are friends to the end!”

“An’ that goes fer you too,” Apple Bloom added, looking at Diamond Tiara, who gave her a quizzical look in return. “Ah wanted ta apologise yesterday. Applejack told me that we used ta be friends, but, ah don’ remember any of it… You must have felt like ah betrayed ya before, but, ah promise ya, ah honestly don’t remember anything!”

“… I-It’s okay,” Diamond Tiara said. “… To tell you the truth, I actually forgot about it myself, too. It did hurt, when you said you didn’t know me, but I met Silver Spoon afterwards, so it’s not like I was alone or anything…”

The three just remained silent for a bit, nervously looking between each other and the ground. Finally, Silver Spoon, who couldn’t stand the awkward silence anymore, stepped in. “Hey, Diamond, we should probably finish eating, before lunch ends.”

The three fillies suddenly remembered that they hadn’t had their lunches yet, and Apple Bloom set her eyes on Scootaloo. “… Ah think ah’d better go find Sweetie Belle. Y’all comin’, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo smiled and nodded. “Yeah, sure… Gotta apologise to her, too, I guess…” She turned to Diamond Tiara, who was now standing by her friend again. “Uh, look… no pressure or anything, right?”

Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. “Right. Ah don’t want ya ta think ya have ta reach a decision soon.”

“R-Right,” Diamond Tiara replied, though she still looked unsure. As the two Crusaders left, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sat back down on the blanket, and began to eat peacefully for a few moments. “… I can’t do it!” Diamond Tiara shouted, throwing her sandwich behind her and grabbing her head in her forehooves.

Silver Spoon almost choked on her sandwich, and quickly swallowed it before scooting over to her friend. “Diamond?”

“I can’t ignore them, but I can’t pick one, either! Argh! Why is life so unfair?!”

Silver Spoon placed her hoof on her friend’s, and gave her a reassuring gaze. “Diamond… You know that you can’t have them both, right?”

“I know! But, what am I supposed to do?”

“… Well… how about we try separating their good and bad points? You know, like when you have to make an important decision in a business.”

Diamond Tiara considered it for a second, and then nodded slowly. “I-I guess… that might work…”

“Right!” Silver Spoon clapped her hooves together excitedly. “Well then, let’s start with Apple Bloom!”

“… You seem a little excited about all this.”

“Of course. I just know you’re going to act the same way when I find my special somepony. So I’m not holding back.”

Diamond Tiara smiled. At least, if all else went wrong, she had the greatest friend in the world by her side. Even if she was a little insane. “Right. Apple Bloom, let’s see… She’s stubborn, she’s whiny, she’s reckless, she’s always causing messes, she’s aggressive, and her accent can kinda make it hard to understand her sometimes. Also, she smells like an apple orchard.”

“Gee, I wonder why that could be?”

“… But, she’s kind, and surprisingly thoughtful. She cares for Ponyville as much as I do, and… we did get along well, when we were fillies. She messes up a lot, and she’s a complete scatterbrain, but she means well, and she’s quick to defend her friends.”

Silver Spoon nodded, grinning and barely containing her laughter. “Alright, that’s Apple Bloom. Now, how about Scootaloo?”

“… Just FYI, Silver, you tell this to anypony, and we’re through.”

“My lips are sealed. Now c’mon, tell me!”

Diamond Tiara sighed, and looked down at the ground as she thought. “Scootaloo is… I haven’t know her as long, and in the time I have known her, she’s been crude, easily provoked, loud, stupid, and not to mention how she ruined my cute-ceañera.” Diamond Tiara crossed her forelegs and huffed at the memory. “… But, recently, I’ve noticed she’s… kinda cool. And she was the first to stick up for me in Manehatten. And, she has a secret sweet side, too. Not just to her father, but to others, too. Even to me, back when we were still enemies… And then, we did have fun yesterday…”

Silver Spoon nodded, and hummed to herself as she tried to sort the information out in her head. “Alright. So it seems they both have quite different pros, huh? That makes things pretty difficult.”

“… I think,” Diamond Tiara started. “I think… I’ve decided… Just now, when I was thinking about them…” Diamond Tiara put a hoof to her chest, and her face turned red as she thought about her chosen filly once more. “I think I know which one I want to choose. It’s…”

Chapter 10 (Apple Bloom)

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It was coming around late afternoon now, and Applejack was beginning to feel the burn in her legs from all of the hard work she had done that day since early morning. She had easily reached her daily target for number of apples picked, and she was quite pleased with the combined harvest she and her brother had come up with. And so, with one final buck to collect the last remaining apples from the tree she was currently working on, Applejack decided to call it a day, and go back to the farmhouse to give her legs a rest.

Once she was back home, she poured herself a glass of water, and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off of her face. She brought the glass to her mouth and chugged it in just a few seconds. Sighing after drinking the refreshing beverage, Applejack started to make her way to the living room, but stopped when she heard a loud crash from upstairs, followed by the sounds of fillies arguing, and then quiet, and then, right on cue, giggling.

Applejack looked over at the clock, and decided that it was still a ways to dinner. She smiled as she heard the giggling upstairs, and decided to spoil her sister and her guest a little bit by baking them some tasty apple fritters. It also gave her an excuse to go and check on them, but she would deny such an accusation if anypony made it.

After whipping up a quick tray of fritters, and pouring a couple of glasses of fine quality apple juice, Applejack balanced the tray onto her back, and made her way upstairs, heading towards her little sister’s bedroom. When she got there, she raised a hoof, as if she were about to knock on the closed door. However, the door wasn’t closed, just left ajar. And the conversation inside made Applejack curious, so instead of knocking, she pushed the door open a little more, and peeked inside.

She could see Apple Bloom and her ‘friend’, Diamond Tiara, sitting inside, at opposite ends of a small table. Apple Bloom was happy sitting on the floor, but it seemed that Diamond Tiara required one of the sofa cushions from downstairs before she would be seated. Their seating styles were also different, too; whilst Apple Bloom was slouching over the table, Diamond Tiara sat up straight, and kept her chin up. It was like she was watching a miniature version of herself and Rarity, and she had to suppress a giggle when Diamond Tiara scolded Apple Bloom for slurping her tea. ‘Guess the juice wasn’t really necessary…’

She was happy that the two were able to make up and become friends again, and, although she was a little uneasy about it at first, she couldn’t deny that the two made a cute, if mildly dysfunctional, couple together. Despite Apple Bloom’s best attempts to hide the fact, Applejack and Big Macintosh could see right through her, and they were both happy for their little sister, though they did feel the need to watch over her, in case things suddenly went south. Thankfully, it seemed that Granny Smith, the one pony they were actually afraid of finding out, was still none the wiser.

What made Applejack feel the most uneasy, though, was remembering how she had watched Apple Bloom running away from the station in tears, with Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara chasing after her. She didn’t see what had happened, and she still had no idea what the fight Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had at school was all about, but their Crusader meetings were still being held as usual, and it seemed that the two fillies were alright now, so she decided to just leave it be.

“How can you not get this?” Diamond Tiara asked Apple Bloom. It seemed she was trying to teach Apple Bloom the ‘correct way’ to hold a teacup, which caused Applejack to roll her eyes. “You already got this the last time I taught you!”

“You know ah can’t remember that!” Apple Bloom argued, rotating her teacup as she awkwardly tried to mimic Diamond Tiara. “This is stupid! What does it matter how ah hold it, so long as ah can still drink from it?”

‘You tell her, Apple Bloom!’ Applejack cheered in her head. That was the exact argument she had used on Rarity so many times before, and she still maintained that it was a good one.

“A lady should know how to do this, anyway!” Diamond Tiara argued back.

“Then maybe ah ain’t a lady.” Apple Bloom answered in a sarcastic tone.

“So you’re a colt then?”

“If it means ah can hold mah cup however ah want without it bein’ a federal case, then sure!”

“Alright. In that case, you have to carry all my bags for me around school, open all doors for me, buy my snacks and drinks for me when we’re out and, while you’re at it, do all my homework for me.”

“No,” Apple Bloom replied with a deadpan stare. “Ah said ah’m a colt, not a dolt.”

“Same thing,” Diamond Tiara quickly said back, causing both fillies to giggle simultaneously as Apple Bloom agreed.

Applejack decided now would be as good a time as any to cut in, whilst tensions are low and both fillies are in a good mood. She moved back, raised her hoof to knock on the door, opening it in the process. She acted as if she hadn’t noticed it was partially open, and then walked inside as the two fillies quieted down.

“Hey there. Just thought you two might appreciate a nice snack,” she said, laying the tray down on the table. “Ah see y’already have drinks. Guess I should take these back down.”

Apple Bloom shook her head, and reached for the glass nearest to her. “Nah. Ah prefer juice ta tea any day. Plus, there’s no ‘proper way’ ta hold a glass… right?”

Diamond Tiara reached a hoof forward and picked up a fritter. “It must be so embarrassing, having a sister who doesn’t have any grace or social etiquette.”

Applejack wanted to point out that she was the same way, but decided to respond with a joke, instead. “Ah dunno. Ah think Big Mac’d like a lil’ brother ta play ‘round with,” she laughed as she roughed up Apple Bloom’s mane. “In fact, ah think she should enter the brotherhood social this year. That way, we can finally show that featherhead Thunderlane what we’ve got.”

Apple Bloom batted away her sister’s hoof and pouted she tried to tidy up her mane. “But ah like doin’ the sisterhood social with ya! Are you sayin’ ya don’ wan’ me as yer sister no more?”

“‘Course ah’m not! Sister or brother, y’all always be mah lil’ Apple Bloom.” Applejack wrapped a foreleg around her sister, and nuzzled her lovingly. The affection was returned by Apple Bloom, who nuzzled back.

Meanwhile, Diamond Tiara had lost track of the conversation at some point, and was looking confused. “So, wait. Is she a colt now?”

Apple Bloom flipped a page in her family’s album, revealing a photograph of her entire family at their last reunion. “An’ this is our most recent Apple family reunion, where Applejack went jus’ a lil bit overboard…”

“Why are you hiding behind a stack of hay with that Manehatten blank flank?” Diamond Tiara asked, looking at a picture of Apple Bloom and Babs Seed huddled together behind some hay, both looking nervous and worried.

“So we didn’t have ta run Applejack’s seven-legged obstacle course of doom no more.”

Diamond Tiara looked over at Applejack, who was pretending not to hear them speaking as she set the table. “Her what now?”

“Trust me, ya don’t wanna know,” Apple Bloom said, shuddering from the memory. “It’s a miracle neither of us got our Cutie Marks from that, considerin’ how much stuff she crammed into one race.”

“Applejack!” Granny Smith called from the kitchen. “Ah could use an extra hoof here! Your brother’s completely hopeless!”

“Comin’!” Applejack called back, placing down the final dinner placement and then heading into the kitchen.

“Okay, what next?” Diamond Tiara, flipping through the photo album with a bored look on her face. “What next in the oh-so thrilling life that is the Apple family?”

Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes and jabbed Diamond Tiara’s foreleg with her hoof. “Oh, pipe down! Ah had ta sit through your family photo album! An’ at least ah’m lettin’ you touch ours.”

“I was my hooves regularly, and don’t crease the pages as I turn them.”

“Honestly, ye’re so finicky.” Apple Bloom was about to explain the next photograph in the album, which showedher cousin Braeburn flirting with her other cousin Apple Fritter. What the photo didn’t show, was the big turndown her received from her, and the five glasses of apple cider he drank later, offered by his buddies to him up. However, a quick look around the room reminded her that the two were alone for the moment.

“So? What’s the story behind this one?” Diamond Tiara asked, trying not to sound interested. However, the stallion in the photograph was somewhat cute, so she was just a little curious about it. However, Apple Bloom didn’t answer. “Bloom?”

“Huh? Oh…” Apple Bloom tried to form the words in her mouth, but not that the thought of them being alone had entered her mind, she just couldn’t dismiss it. “Uh, hold that thought.”

“What’re you-” Diamond Tiara was stopped by a sudden kiss from Apple Bloom, catching her completely off guard and stunning her into silence. It only lasted for a few seconds, before Apple Bloom pulled away and grinned. Diamond Tiara flustered, and her voice cracked as she whispered: “S-Stop doing that so suddenly!”

Apple Bloom was ready to talk back with a witty retort, but didn’t get the chance when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something green moving towards her. Slowly, she turned her head, followed by Diamond Tiara, and they both shook with fear as they saw an angry-looking Granny Smith looming over them.

“G-Granny-”

“Young lady,” Granny Smith said to Diamond Tiara, “Ah think you’d better leave, now.”

“Now hold on there, Granny!” Applejack pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.

“Ah said now. And don’t ever think of comin’ back, y’hear?”

“D-Diamond…” Apple Bloom gave her fillyfriend a worried look, and tears began to form as she watched Diamond Tiara slide of the sofa, nervously sidestep around Granny Smith, and then bolt towards the door. “Wait!”

“Ah think you an’ ah need ta have a talk,” Granny Smith said to Apple Bloom. “You go to yer room right this instant. Without supper.”

“Granny!” Applejack shouted. “Ya can’t do that! So what if she-”

“Applejack!” Granny Smith said in a warning tone. “Now y’all know ah do mah best ‘round that there rainbow friend o’ yers. An’ ah ain’t gonna cut our relationship with the Richs off just because of their daughter. However, ah’ll have none of that sinful behaviour in this house!”

“That ain’t fer you ta decide!” Applejack responded.

Apple Bloom’s tears started to increase as she watched her sister and her grandma argue, and she jumped up when she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She looked up to see Big Macintosh, his usual calm expression still on his face.

“Apple Bloom, go wait in yer room,” he said, his tone much kinder than the one Granny Smith had used. “Ah’ll bring ya some supper soon as it’s ready.”

“But-” Big Macintosh shook his head, and Apple Bloom’s face fell as she slowly slid off of the sofa. She then walked silently around the two arguing mares, and then ran up the stairs, towards her room. Once she was in, she slammed the door shut, jumped onto her bed, and began to muffle the sounds of her crying into her pillow.

Diamond Tiara sat mulling on her bed as she ran a brush through her favourite doll’s mane. The strokes were random and without purpose, they just helped her calm down as she thought about how things were going to be from now on. How Granny Smith was sure to keep her and Apple Bloom apart. How she had probably destroyed the long-lasting relationship between the two families. How Apple Bloom was probably going to move to Manehatten now.

“It’s not fair!” Diamond Tiara shouted, throwing her doll aside and falling down onto her side. She was interrupted from her sobbing by a sudden thud! from her window. She jumped up with a start, and turned around to look outside her window. Down below, she saw Apple Bloom standing outside of her house, waving up at Diamond Tiara. “Bloom?” Diamond Tiara opened the window so that she could call out to her. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah ran away from home,” Apple Bloom explained, shocking Diamond Tiara. “Can y’all let me in? Ah need ta talk ta ya.”

“Y-Yeah. Just wait right by the front door, okay?” Diamond Tiara turned around, jumped off her bed, and ran straight for her bedroom door. She grabbed the handle and opened it quickly, then ran through the house, down the stairs, and finally reached the front door, where she unlocked and opened it to find Apple Bloom standing there. The two fillies immediately embraced each other in a warm hug, both so happy to see the other, and afraid that this might be their last time together.

“Ah’m so, so sorry,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s all mah fault Granny Smith found out about us. If only ah wasn’t so stupid-”

Diamond Tiara shook her head, and pulled away to look Apple Bloom in the eyes. “Forget about that. What are we going to do? I don’t want to lose you again!”

“Ah don’ know. Granny can be pretty stubborn, especially when it’s ‘bout somethin’ she believes in.”

“Diamond Tiara?” The two fillies jumped at the sound of Filthy Rich’s voice coming from the stairs behind Diamond Tiara. “Who’s that at the door?” They turn to face the stallion, who was now standing right behind his daughter, looking down at them quite confused. He then looked worried, as he saw tears running down both of their faces. “Apple Bloom? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Daddy,” Diamond Tiara said, grabbing her father leg and holding onto it tightly. “Can Apple Bloom stay here for tonight? Please?”

“What? But, that’s rather sudden. And, what about her family? Do they know she’s here?” Filthy Rich asked, looking down at Apple Bloom, who’s ears had flattened against her head.

“Well, not exactly,” Apple Bloom answered, looking guilty. “Ah, uh, kinda had a fallin’ out with Granny Smith, so ah… ran away from home…”

Filthy Rich sighed, and moved his free forehoof over to pat Apple Bloom on the head. ‘Dear Celestia, poor filly. That old mare can be a tough opponent…’ “Well, come on in, Apple Bloom. I’ll let your family know you’re here, and ask them if you can stay over.”

“But-” Apple Bloom began, but was cut off by Filthy Rich.

“I’m sure they’re all worried sick about you, provided they’ve noticed you’re gone yet. They deserve to know where you are, and that you’re safe. Besides, I can’t just let you stay here without their permission, now can I?”

“… Ah guess not,” Apple Bloom said, hanging her head low as she entered the house. Diamond Tiara held her hoof as they walked inside, and Filthy Rich ushered them into the living room. “But, they’ll be mad at me.”

“I’m sure they’ll be more relieved to find out that you’re okay,” Filthy Rich assured her. “Now then, I’d like to get a good idea of what exactly happened between you and Granny Smith, and make sure that you’re okay, before I go over to the farm. So, do you think you could tell me what happened?”

The two fillies exchanged nervous glances, and huddled together to whisper to each other. “D’you think we should?” Apple Bloom asked. “What if he takes Granny’s side?”

“Daddy wouldn’t do that!” Diamond Tiara whispered back. “And if he does, just make a cute pouty face, and he’ll change his mind.”

“Ya sure?”

“It’s worked for everything else.”

Filthy Rich waited patiently for the two fillies to reach a decision, which didn’t actually take as long as he thought it would. Once they were done, they explained to him about how they were both in love with each other, how they had started seeing each other, and how Granny Smith had found out, and was against the idea of two fillies together.

Filthy Rich was quite surprised, to say the least. He knew that the two were on friendlier terms lately, but he never imagined that there was anything romantic going on between the two. Part of him was in shock, and wasn’t quite sure what to say, other than offering a congratulations to the two for finding love between each other, and assuring them that he was happy for them. Another part of him wasn’t sure if he was willing to accept it, because it told him that his little girl was growing up faster than he realised. He dismissed that side, though, so that he could concentrate on the more important matter at hoof.

“Right, well…” Filthy Rich looked between the two fillies, and sighed. “I get the basic idea here… But, quite frankly, I don’t really know what to do here. Granny Smith is one of my oldest friends, but I can’t say that I agree with her on this…”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Filthy Rich hesitated for a second, before excusing himself to go and answer it. Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom waited in silence, watching where the corner that the stallion had rounded anxiously, for what felt like forever. Finally, he returned. “Apple Bloom, your sister is here.” Apple Bloom grabbed Diamond Tiara’s hoof harder. “She wants to know if you’ll go back with her. But, she says it’s your choice. If you want, she’ll bring some of your things so that you can stay here for tonight.”

Apple Bloom breathed a happy sigh of relief, and eased up a bit as she nodded her head. “Ah think ah’d prefer ta stay here tonight.”

“Wait!” Diamond Tiara said, startling Apple Bloom. “What about tomorrow?”

Filthy Rich shook his head. “She can’t stay here forever, Diamond Tiara. Just tonight, so that she can calm down.”

Apple Bloom’s nervousness seemed to return at that, and Diamond Tiara frowned as she held the shaking filly close. “… Can I,” she began, but stopped for a second as she considered what she was about to ask. A quick look at Apple Bloom steeled her resolve, though, and she continued. “Can I… talk with Granny Smith?”

“Do what?” Apple Bloom asked quickly, not quite sure she had heard correctly.

“I want to talk to her… to get this situation settled now, because I…” Diamond Tiara stopped herself from saying anything ‘dorky’ in front of her father, and instead just settled with nuzzling into Apple Bloom’s mane, hiding her red face from the world at large.

Filthy Rich couldn’t help but smile. His daughter really had grown up faster than he realised… and he couldn’t be any prouder. “I’ll ask Applejack if that’s okay. It’s best to wait for Granny Smith to calm down after she gets angry, before trying to approach her.”

Diamond Tiara nodded, and the two fillies waited again as Filthy Rich rounded the corner to speak with Applejack. “Have y’all gone an’ lost yer marbles?” Apple Bloom asked as soon as they were alone again. “There’s no way ya can convince Granny Smith ta let us stay together!”

Diamond Tiara tutted, and pointed her hoof down at her flank, brining attention to her Cutie Mark. “Did you forget who I am? I’m Diamond Tiara, talented Princess of the Rich family. I can sell anything to anyone.”

“… Ah dunno.”

Diamond Tiara frowned, and placed her hoof under Apple Bloom’s chin to lift her head, and cause their eyes to meet. “Look, we can’t avoid this forever, right? Daddy always says that resolving a problem before it can escalate is the key to a successful business, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

Apple Bloom smiled, and then grinned as she gently moved Diamond Tiara’s hoof away. “That again? Just how many ‘keys to a successful business’ are there, anyhow?”

Diamond Tiara harrumphed, and turned her head away. “Just you wait and see.”

After a quick talk with Applejack, the two Apples went back home together, along with Diamond Tiara, who wanted to talk to Granny Smith, and Filthy Rich, who wanted to be there for his daughter in case things didn’t go well.

Upon returning to the farmhouse, Applejack asked everypony to wait outside whilst she went inside to talk to Granny Smith. Whilst they were waiting, Diamond Tiara started to feel nervous, and second thoughts began to fill her mind. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, after all. Maybe she should leave now, while she still has the chance.

Apple Bloom sensed her unease, and joined her hoof with Diamond Tiara’s to try to calm her down. “You sure about this?” she asked, giving the pink filly a worried look.

“… Y-Yeah… totally…” Diamond Tiara answered, still shaking on the spot as she stared at the farmhouse in front of her.

“Ya don’t have ta force yerself. If ya don’t think y’all can do it… ah’d rather not see you get hurt ‘cause of me…”

Diamond Tiara turned her head to face Apple Bloom. “But… I want to do this. You came to my aid when I was in trouble once, so I should do the same for you…”

Apple Bloom smiled, and leaned forward to nuzzle her fillyfriend’s cheek. A quick cough from Filthy Rich startled both fillies, and made them distance themselves a bit, both blushing madly.

Filthy Rich watched the two with a look of amusement on his face, but remained vigilant. No matter how adorable it was, now was not the time for such things… Besides, he didn’t have his camera right now, so he couldn’t get any good shots for the family photo album.

Applejack came back out moments later, and motioned for the three to follow her in. They did so in silence. When they reached the living room, they found Granny Smith sitting on her rocking chair, waiting for them. Diamond Tiara gulped, and stepped forward, Apple Bloom following closely behind her. Filthy Rich tried to follow, too, but was stopped by Applejack.

“Let’s let them have a go, first,” she whispered. “We’ll just wait here ‘til it’s our turn ta step in.”

Filthy Rich reluctantly nodded. The room was silent for a short while, and the tension in the air was almost suffocating Diamond Tiara as she tried to find the courage to start off the speech she had thought up on the way there.

Diamond Tiara opened her mouth to speak, but Granny Smith decided to get the first word in instead. “First off, ah guess ah owe y’all an apology…” Nopony in the room saw that coming, and it showed in their facial expressions. “Don’t get the wrong idea. Ah’m apologisin’ fer shooin’ ya outta the house like that. It wasn’t somethin’ ah should’ve done to a child, especially not the child of one of mah oldest friends…”

“Oh, um… A-Apology accepted?”

“But,” Granny Smith continued, “Ah still don’t approve of yer… relationship, with mah granddaughter. Ye’re both fillies. Y’all should be with a colt, not another filly.”

Diamond Tiara’s eyes narrowed, as she rediscovered some of her lost resolve. “I… I don’t care if she’s a filly, too. Daddy and Miss Cheerilee said there’s nothing wrong with that…”

“It’s a sin against Celestia.”

“The Princess wouldn’t be opposed ta two ponies bein’ happy together!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Ah’ve met her! Ah mean, only once… but still, ah don’t think she’d be that kind of pony.”

Applejack nodded her head. ‘That’s right. Ah can’t imagine the Princess would be against this, either.’

Granny Smith leaned forward, ignoring Apple Bloom’s outburst, and glared into Diamond Tiara’s eyes. “… Are you sayin’ yer love is real? Despite the fact that ye’re both fillies?”

Diamond Tiara tensed up and backed away a bit from Granny Smith. There was something about this old mare that really intimidated the filly right now… Apple Bloom held Diamond Tiara’s hoof, which offered some comfort. “… Y-Yes. It is.”

Granny Smith observed Diamond Tiara for a while. ‘… She reminds me of that foolish son o’ mine. Always doin’ what his heart told him, even if he an’ everypony else knew it was wrong… At least he was happy, though…’ Granny Smith leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes. “An’ suppose ah forbid ya from seein’ her?”

“You can’t do that!” Apple Bloom shouted. “That ain’t fair!”

Diamond Tiara furrowed her brow, and stepped forward. “I’d still find some way to see her! My daddy’s the most powerful pony in Ponyville! There’s nothing you can do to keep us apart!”

Filthy Rich laughed nervously. “T-That’s quite a weight she’s putting on my shoulders…”

Granny Smith sighed, and raised her head to look up at the ceiling. “… What is up with you young folk these days? Ah remember when foals respected and obeyed their elders…”

“Granny,” Applejack started, “Ah’m sorry. Ya know ah’m always with ya on everythin’, but ah’m afraid ah can’t agree with ya this time.”

“Ah know ya can’t,” Granny Smith said. “Ya have a kind heart. A lil’ too kind… But, ah’m too old ta try an’ change that, an’ it seems our lil’ Apple Bloom ain’t a filly no more…”

Applejack’s face lit up with a shimmer of hope. “Does that mean-”

“It means,” Granny Smith interrupted, “That ah still don’t approve of this relationship o’ yers, an’ never will. An’ ah’ll thank ye ta keep it out of the farm. However, ah can’t stop ya… so just do whatever y’all think’ll make ya happy.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened, and tears began to form in her eyes. “Granny…”

Granny Smith lowered her head again, and smiled at her granddaughter. “An’ ah’m sorry fer yellin’ at ya like ah did earlier. Ah don’t approve of this relationship, but ye’re still mah granddaughter. An’ ah still love ya.”

Apple Bloom immediately ran up to the old mare, and jumped up onto her lap to tackle her into a hug. “Oh Granny! Thank you, thank you!”

Granny Smith patted the back of Apple Bloom’s head as she cried into her chest. “C’mon now, half-pint. Ah though y’all were a big pony now.” Apple Bloom pulled her head back, and wiped away her tears, before looking up at her grandma and offering a wide smile. “If you two’re dead set on goin’ through with this, then just do me one favour…”

“What’s that?” Diamond Tiara asked. Granny Smith turned back to face her, but this time, she didn’t look quite so intimidating…

“… Prove me wrong. Show me that two fillies can be happy together, so ah can tell ‘er parents that she’s doin’ just fine.”

Diamond Tiara didn’t hesitate to smile at that. “Well, duh! That was my intention all along!”

Filthy Rich and Applejack both approached the scene from their background viewing spot, both satisfied that the situation had been resolved peacefully. “Well then,” Filthy Rich began, “I suppose we had better be heading back now. We still haven’t had dinner yet, after all.”

“That so?” Granny Smith asked. “As it so happens, we haven’t eaten yet, either. Why don’t y’all stay an’ have dinner with us? It’ll be just like ol’ times.”

“That sounds like a fine idea,” Filthy Rich answered. Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom both looked excited by the proposal, and the latter filly quickly jumped off of her place on Granny Smith’s lap and landed beside her fillyfriend.

“You two sit at opposite ends of the table, though,” Granny Smith said, rising to her hooves and looking down at the two fillies.

Both fillies moaned, but nodded their heads anyway. “Yes, Granny Smith.”

Chapter 10 (Scootaloo)

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Cheerilee was well-known amongst her students for giving stern, but fair lectures about the importance of paying attention in class. About not being distracted by that one student doodling in their book, or by that squirrel outside climbing a tree. About how focusing on your schoolwork was very important, and focus in general will become a key asset in the future, no matter what your job will be.

But right now, Cheerilee was finding it very hard to focus on the lesson she was trying to give to her students. Something was off that day… It wasn’t that Scootaloo was absent. It wasn’t that Snips and Snails had come dressed up as ‘evil magicians’, with paper mache ‘evil amulets’, black capes, and red eye shadow. It was the two fillies at the front of the class, who were sitting quietly, doing their work in complete silence…

“And so, uh, if you substitute this value here…” Cheerilee glanced behind her again. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara. At this point in the day, they should have already caused at least a mild disturbance. A spit ball fired… a note with a cruel joke on it… maybe even a full-out hoof fight! But today, nothing. She was happy that the two were getting along, but somehow, it just didn’t seem right.

The class noticed Cheerilee’s odd behaviour, and were silently discussing it amongst themselves. Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom also noticed. “Why’s she keep lookin’ at us like that?” Apple Bloom asked.

“… You think she’s freaked out that we’re getting along?” Diamond Tiara suggested.

“Nah. That… can’t be…” To test the theory out, and as an excuse to justify her next action, Apple Bloom reached out and grabbed Diamond Tiara’s hoof. Cheerilee winced, and quickly turned back to the board. “… Ah think ye’re right.”

Diamond Tiara quickly yanked her hoof away. She was glad Scootaloo wasn’t here to see that just now. “Wow. I almost feel sorry for her.”

“Yeah… We should do somethin’.”

“We should?”

“She’s our teacher. We should do what we can ta cheer ‘er up.”

Diamond Tiara thought about it for a second, and then nodded. “Fine,” she said with a sigh. She took in a deep breath, and then… “Blank flank!”

“Cut it out, Diamond Tiara!”

Cheerilee quickly turned around and pointed a hoof at the two ‘bickering’ fillies. “Apple Bloom! Diamond Tiara! What have I told you two about fighting?!”

The two fillies looked down at their desks. “We’re sorry, Miss Cheerilee,” they both mumbled in unison.

Cheerilee smiled, and then turned back to the board. Things were feeling right with the world once more, and she was now able to concentrate on the lesson properly. ‘… Such sweet girls.’

Apple Bloom leaned over to whisper to Diamond Tiara. “Hey, ye’re gonna drop by the hospital ta visit Scootaloo after school, right?”

“Yeah,” Diamond Tiara whispered back. “She said it’s nothing serious, but it must be if she’s taking the day off from school.”

“Well… tell her me and Sweetie Belle wish her dad gets well soon.”

“You aren’t coming?”

Apple Bloom shook her head, giving Diamond Tiara a sly grin. “Nah. Ah wouldn’t wanna be a third wheel for you two.”

Diamond Tiara blushed, and turned her head to the side. “I-It’s not like we’re going on a date or anything. We’re going to a hospital.”

“Apple Bloom! Diamond Tiara!” Cheerilee shouted, startling the two fillies. “Pay attention to the lesson!”

“… Yes, Miss Cheerilee.”

After school was out, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walked home together, as was the norm for those two fillies. However, after they had split off, their houses being in different directions, Diamond Tiara took a different route than she usually did. Today, she wasn’t going straight home; she was making a stop at Ponyville’s hospital, first.

When she got there, she found Scootaloo sitting in the lobby, looking down at the ground. She looked like a complete mess. Her mane was all over the place, as if she had just jabbed a metal knife into a wall socket, and she had bags under her eyes, suggesting she hadn’t got much sleep last night.

Diamond Tiara approached her, but she didn’t even seem to notice. “Hey,” Diamond Tiara called out, making Scootaloo jump and turn to her.

“Oh, hi. Is school out already?”

“Yeah… What happened to you? You look horrible.”

Scootaloo frowned and turned her head away. “Nice to see you, too. I’m fine, I just… I’m worried about dad.”

Diamond Tiara sat down next to Scootaloo, and opened up her saddlebag to begin digging through it. “I thought he was fine. He just needed some rest, right?”

Scootaloo said nothing as Diamond Tiara pulled out a brush from her bag – her ‘emergency brush’, if Scootaloo remembered correctly – and brought it up to Scootaloo’s mane. She didn’t do anything to stop her… In fact, she kind of liked it. Diamond Tiara’s brushing was a lot less painful than the Pegasus’ own.

“… Would you like to talk about it?”

Scootaloo sighed, and buried her face into her forehooves. She sat in silence for a few seconds, before lowering her hooves and nodding her head. “… Okay, so it’s like this…”

Scootaloo sat by her father as he lay in his hospital bed, waiting as the doctor stood on the other side of the bed and did some doctory things that only made her more worried, simply because she had no idea whether it was a good or bad sign. Once the doctor was finished writing stuff onto his papers, and collecting some blood from his patient, he left the room, giving the two some privacy.

“Hey, kid,” Teddy said as he struggled to push himself up into a sitting position. Scootaloo tried to stop him, but he already managed to sit up before she could lean forward. “How’s school going?”

“… Okay,” she said, though it was a lie. Her grades weren’t exactly bad, but they definitely hadn’t been getting any better. And with everything going on between her, Diamond Tiara, and Apple Bloom… and now this… “Dad… is it true, that you’re an ‘alcoholic’?”

Teddy’s smile turned into a frown, and her hung his head in shame. “… I guess you would’ve figured out eventually…”

“Blossomforth told me. She said what were drinking was damaging your liver, and that you need an operation.” A tear rolled down Scootaloo’s cheek, and she raised a hoof to wipe it away. “Why, dad?”

“… I’m sorry, Scootaloo. I never meant to… I-I…” Teddy wracked his brain trying to find the right words, but it was no good. Seeing his daughter crying in front of him… She never cried, no matter how hard things were for her. She was strong, and tough, just like her mother… “I guess… I should tell you the truth…”

“About mum?” Scootaloo asked. Her father looked up at her in surprise. “I asked the doctor if mum was gonna visit… and he told me that she couldn’t. And that I should ask you about it.”

“… Scootaloo… your mother, Sweetheart, she didn’t walk out on us. In fact, she loved us, especially you, more than anything.” Teddy gulped, and turned his head away to say the next part. “She died.”

Scootaloo sniffed, and her tears started to fall faster, but she remained silent. She could sense that there was more that he was going to say. “I… I didn’t mean to keep it a secret from you for so long. I-I didn’t know how to tell you. You were so young, and so innocent, and… and I was a coward. I didn’t say anything, because I didn’t want to see you cry. And, I also couldn’t accept it myself. That’s why I started drinking, to ease the pain.

“I intended to tell you when you were older, but I could never bring myself to do so, and the lie just grew bigger and bigger, until I didn’t even know what to do anymore. My drinking grew, too. I tried to escape the reality of it. I tried to forget, and ease the pain… but by doing that, I missed a big part of your life, didn’t I? And now, I may miss the rest…”

Scootaloo saw her father shaking in his bed, and holding his forehooves over his face to hide his sobbing. “I’m sorry, Scootaloo. I’m so, so sorry…”

Teddy gasped as he felt something wrapping around him, and lifted his head to find Scootaloo holding onto him around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. “It’ll be fine,” she said, choking back a sob as she tried to be brave. “It’ll be fine. It’ll all be fine.”

“So… it’s more serious than what you told everypony else, then?” Diamond Tiara asked, running the brush through Scootaloo’s mane one final time to finish tidying it up.

“He’s in there now,” Scootaloo said, looking down the corridor. “W-What am I going to do? What if he doesn’t make it? And, even if he does, Blossomforth said I might not be able to live with him anymore?”

Diamond Tiara put her brush away, and leaned over to pull the anxious filly beside her into a hug. Scootaloo returned it immediately, and rested her head on Diamond Tiara’s shoulder as she took steady, calming breaths.

“It’ll be fine,” Diamond Tiara said. “Your dad will pull through, I’m sure. And when he does, I’ll make sure they don’t take him away from you.”

“Y-You can do that?”

“Of course. My daddy is the richest, most powerful pony in Ponyville. All I have to do is ask him, and he’d do anything for me. He said so himself.”

“… Heh, thanks,” Scootaloo said, sniffing back a few tears. She remained in Diamond Tiara’s comforting embrace a while longer, until a set of approaching hoofsteps suddenly stopped beside the two fillies.

“Miss Scootaloo?” Scootaloo looked up to find Nurse Redheart standing before her. “The operation was a success.”

Time froze for Scootaloo, and her jaw hung open as she simply gaped at Nurse Redheart, fresh tears running down her eyes from the news that her father was okay. Diamond Tiara held Scootaloo’s hoof, and shot her a smile.

“C-Can we see him?” Scootaloo asked, but her heart sank when the nurse shook her head. “Why not?”

“He’s still resting. But you’ll be able to see him soon, so why not rest yourself whilst you wait? You look like you haven’t slept well lately.”

Scootaloo nodded her head, and then let out a loud yawn. With the relief of her father being well suddenly washing over her, the realisation of just how tired she really was hit the filly suddenly. “Yeah… I guess I could do with getting some shuteye.”

Scootaloo leaned over, and rested her head on Diamond Tiara’s lap. The pink filly blushed, and flustered as she nudged the orange filly. “H-Hey! What are you doing?”

“Gettin’ some sleep,” Scootaloo answered, yawning once more as she closed her eyes, and shifted about to make herself more comfortable.

“G-Get off!” Diamond Tiara ordered. She looked up to the nurse for help, but the older mare simply giggled, and turned away, so Diamond Tiara turned her attention back down to Scootaloo. “I said get off! I’m not your pillow, you know?”

“Ssh,” Scootaloo said. “Trying ta sleep.”

Diamond Tiara huffed, but couldn’t bring herself to push Scootaloo off by force. Sighing in defeat, she simply sat back in her chair, and idly moved her hoof over to Scootaloo’s, connecting the two as the other filly started to snore. ‘My legs hurt… Stupid dodo-brain…’

An hour later, Nurse Redheart woke up the two fillies sleeping in the waiting room to let them know that Scootaloo’s father was awake, and that they could now visit him. Scootaloo wasted no time in getting to his hospital room, and Diamond Tiara had to run faster than she ever did in Gym class just to keep up with her. By the time she reached the room, she was completely out of breath, and the world seemed to be spinning around her.

Scootaloo didn’t notice, as she was too busy hugging her father tightly, calling him an idiot over and over again for making her worry. Teddy seemed to take notice of Diamond Tiara walking in, and directed his attention to her. “Are you Diamond Tiara, by any chance?” he asked.

It was then that Scootaloo remembered her being there with her, and quickly jumped away from her dad. Wiping her tears away, Scootaloo leaned against the side of the hospital bed and tried to play it cool, hoping that Diamond Tiara hadn’t noticed her little display just now.

Diamond Tiara did notice, though, and was already giggling to herself at Scootaloo’s pathetic attempt to look cool. However, something else crossed her mind, and she stopped and turned her attention to Teddy. “How did you know who I was?”

“Scootaloo told me about you,” he answered, making Scootaloo’s face turn red. “Though I can’t really tell what kind of filly you are from her descriptions of you. Once, you were the mean, bratty, spoiled, uptight little rich kid, and you were fat, too.” Diamond Tiara cast a glare on Scootaloo, who quickly turned her head and began whistling innocently. “But recently, you’ve been strong-willed, loyal, determined, and cute.” Scootaloo blushed harder. Diamond Tiara wasn’t sure whether to wear her insulted face, or her cocky face.

“Um… h-has she told you anything else?” Diamond Tiara asked.

“About you two dating? Yeah.” Diamond Tiara’s eyes widened, and Teddy let out a weak laugh, before choking a little bit. “My throat is pretty dry… and you look pretty worn out. Scootaloo, do you think you could bring us some water?”

“Huh? What about the nurse?” Scootaloo asked.

“She’s been at my beck-and-call all week. I feel kinda guilty constantly bothering her like this…”

“It’s what they get paid for, though,” Scootaloo pointed out with a laugh. “Well, whatever. I’ll be back before you can say ‘Wonderbolt’!”

Scootaloo dashed out of the hospital room with just as much speed as when she raced towards it. Diamond Tiara was amazed at just how much energy the filly had, despite her lack of sleep. “Too bad she can’t fly, or she might actually become a Wonderbolt someday.”

“It’s common for Pegasus offspring of two Earth Ponies to have difficulties flying… At least, that’s what the doctor told us when she was born.” Diamond Tiara turned to face Teddy, who was pointing a hoof to the stool beside his bed. “Sit down. I wanna talk to you about something.”

Diamond Tiara gulped, and nervously approached the stool. Could this have something to do about her relationship with his daughter? Maybe he wasn’t happy with his daughter dating her former bully?

“I want to thank you, for getting along so well with my daughter.” Diamond Tiara felt a little calmer now, and nodded. “Are her other friends not here? Those ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’?”

“One of them’s grounded,” Diamond Tiara explained, “And the other is a complete imbecile.”

Teddy titled his head in confusion. “Wait, what?”

Diamond Tiara blushed as she remembered Apple Bloom teasing her during class. It didn’t help that Silver Spoon did the same thing after school. “Never mind. So, you’re not… angry, or anything?”

“I assume you’re referring to all the name-calling and such that Scootaloo’s told me about?” Diamond Tiara nodded. “Don’t worry about it. Scootaloo’s a tough filly. You never really did any damage to her. Besides… I used to give my fillyfriend a hard time, too. ‘Cause I was secretly shy and stuff…”

“I-I’m not shy!” Diamond Tiara shouted, her red face not backing her claim up. “And besides, I started with all that before I liked her!”

Teddy chuckled, and slowly moved a hoof forward to pat Diamond Tiara on the head. “Wow. You’re just like I was, back when I was a colt. Only, completely loaded. Anyway, do you think you could ask Scootaloo’s other friends to drop by sometime? I want to thank them, too. It’s thanks to them, that Scootaloo didn’t become messed up, from not having a father figure in her life.”

Diamond Tiara batted his hoof away, and narrowed her eyes as she stared into his. “You know, Scootaloo looks up to you.”

“She does?”

“Yeah. On Family Appreciation Day, she’s always upset that you’re too ill to come in. She’s always talking about how she has the best father in the world, because, despite your illness, you still try to find the time to talk with her. And, she’s always pushing herself to help you out, and make things easier for you…”

“… I… No, I’m not worthy of being looked up to like that. I… I ran away from the truth, because I was scared, and I lost my daughter because of it. Even if I start to change now, there’s no way I’d be allowed to keep her.”

“So you’re just going to give up, just like that? ‘Cause I don’t think Scootaloo will!”

Teddy shook his head. “No. I’ve already told myself that I’ll stop drinking. And I’m going to find myself a proper job just as soon as I get out of here. But… Scootaloo deserves a better father than me…”

“No!” Both ponies turned the open doorway, to find Scootaloo running back inside the room, carrying a tray with three cups of water on her back. “I don’t want another dad! I don’t want a ‘better father figure’! I want the dad that’s always been with me, for as long as I can remember!”

“Scootaloo, I-”

“I won’t let them take you away! If they want to keep us apart, I’ll… I’ll…”

“We’ll do something about it,” Diamond Tiara said, jumping off of her seat and approaching Scootaloo, giving her a quick, gentle nuzzle to calm her down. “My daddy knows how all this legal stuff works. I’m sure he can think of something.”

Scootaloo smiled and nodded, and then set her gaze back on her dad. “So there you have it! We still got a lot of father-daughter stuff to catch up on, so you can’t leave me yet!”

Teddy stared at the two fillies in complete bewilderment, before sighing and letting out a soft chuckle. “Honestly, how’d I get so lucky to have a daughter like you… and a future daughter-in-law like you?”

Both fillies’ faces flushed red in an instant, and they both stepped away from each other as quickly as they could. “I-Idiot!” Scootaloo shouted. “W-We’ve only just started going out!”

“Yeah! There’s no way we’re thinking about m-marriage yet!”

Teddy broke out into laughter at their responses. It had been a long time since he had laughed so much, and he found himself unable to stop. Though, it came at a price, since his body was still aching all over from his earlier operation. Still, it was worth it. He was laughing, and his daughter was happy… so it was all worth it.

“Maybe,” he started, “Maybe everything will be alright, after all.”

One week later, a very special day came around. It was a day that only happened once every year, and, in a certain mansion in Ponyville, was the most important day of the year. Even more important than Winter Wrap Up, or the Summer Sun Celebration, or even Hearth’s Warming Eve.

Yes. Today, was Diamond Tiara’s birthday. And, as was tradition on her birthdays, her father had taken the day off from work so that he could spend the entire day with his little Princess. And, just like every year that this day comes around, the Rich family went out to eat someplace fancy that evening. A restaurant up in Canterlot, that had recently been recommended personally by Fancypants himself.

Only this year, there were two more accompanying the Rich family. Scootaloo, and her father, Teddy, who was now feeling a lot better than he was last week, although he still had to walk on a crutch for the time being.

When they arrived, Scootaloo and Teddy were in awe at the fancy, high-class appearance and atmosphere of the restaurant. Even if it was a family restaurant, it seemed that the ponies of Canterlot were still a whole lot different than the ponies in Ponyville. The vibe the two were feeling from all the posh-looking ponies, and the expensive-looking furniture all around them, almost made the two feel a bit uneasy.

‘And I thought Diamond was all fancy and upper-class…’ Scootaloo thought to herself as she looked around the outside of restaurant. Something caught her eye, and she nudged Diamond Tiara to get her attention. “Hey, check it out!”

Diamond Tiara looked to where Scootaloo was pointing a hoof, and looked uninterested when she set her eyes on a small play area sitting outside of the restaurant. There were a few swings, a slide, some monkey bars, and a jungle gym, and it was currently completely empty. “Yeah? What about it?”

“Let’s go check it out!”

“We’re a little old for that, don’t you think?”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Don’t pretend you’re not interested,” she said as she grabbed Diamond Tiara’s hoof, and began running towards the play area, dragging Diamond Tiara with her.

“H-Hey, wait!” Diamond Tiara shouted in protest. She looked over to her parents for help. “Daddyyyyyy!”

Filthy Rich simply smiled, and waved over to the two fillies. “Have fun you two! I’ll come and fetch you when our meals are ready!”

“Alright!” Scootaloo shouted back.

Diamond Tiara couldn’t believe that he father had abandoned her so mercilessly… but, there was nothing she could do about it now. Scootaloo was an athlete, and Diamond Tiara wasn’t. That gave Scootaloo the advantage here.

Scootaloo pushed the gateway to the play area open, and released Diamond Tiara’s hoof as she began to climb the ladder up to the top of the slide. “C’mon!” she called down, noticing that Diamond Tiara wasn’t following her up. “You’re not scared of heights, are ya?”

“O-Of course not!” Diamond Tiara shouted, even though that wasn’t true at all. She was actually terrified of heights, ever since she was a very young filly, and had hijacked one of those platforms used by window cleaners in Manehatten.

“Well, c’mon up, then!”

Diamond Tiara scrunched her face up, and glared at the base of the ladder. Reluctantly, she placed one hoof on, and then another. She started to climb the ladder, looking up the entire time. ‘Don’t look down. Don’t look down. Don’t look down.’

Once she reached the top, Diamond Tiara tried not to look over the edge. However, the platform itself wasn’t very big, so it was easy for her eyes to wander just a little too far to the right, and glance over the edge of the not-so-high rail behind her. ‘T-That has to be at least a one thousand foot drop!’

“Man, not very high, is it?” Scootaloo asked, shocking Diamond Tiara.

“Y-Yeah,” she answered nervously, her voice shaking a little bit. “T-Totally…”

“Well, let’s go!” Scootaloo moved aside, offering the slide to Diamond Tiara. “‘Ladies first’, right?” she teased. Diamond Tiara used that line many times against Scootaloo. To get the first bite of ice-cream, to make Scootaloo hold the door open for her, to be the first one to get a free sample at Bonbon’s candy store…

“Um… R-Right…” Diamond Tiara approached the top of the slide, and sat down on it. She looked down the slide, and could almost feel her small lunch from earlier working its way up her throat. She really didn’t want to be up here anymore, but there was no way she could just say that, and look completely lame in front of Scootaloo.

Suddenly, a pair of orange hooves wrapped themselves around the pink filly’s chest, and she turned around to see Scootaloo sitting right behind her, a grin plastered on her face. “Don’t worry. I gotcha.”

Before Diamond Tiara could say anything, Scootaloo pushed forward, and both fillies began to fall down the slide at high-speed. Diamond Tiara screamed the whole way down, though her screams of terror were covered by Scootaloo’s excited cheering.

When they finally hit the bottom, Scootaloo jumped to her hooves and ran in front of Diamond Tiara. “That was awesome, don’tcha think?”

Diamond Tiara gritted her teeth together as she glared at Scootaloo. “No! I don’t!” she shouted, rising to her hooves to confront the rash Pegasus filly. “What were you thinking, doing something like that?!”

“Oh, come on,” Scootaloo said, still smiling as she stepped closer to Diamond Tiara. “You know I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to ya.” Scootaloo leaned forward, and connected her lips with Diamond Tiara’s. The surprised filly’s eyes widened, and she froze up as she tried to process what was happening.

Scootaloo pulled back, and giggled at Diamond Tiara’s stupefied expression. “W-Wha…”

“Happy birthday, Diamond,” Scootaloo said. “I… couldn’t buy you anything. So, I wanna make sure we have lots of fun today, instead…” Scootaloo kicked the ground nervously, and looked off to the side to hide her blushing face.

Diamond Tiara felt her anger slipping away, and she was about to say something, before a voice behind Scootaloo cut her off. “Diamond Tiara, Scootaloo!” It was Filthy Rich’s voice. “Come on! Our meals are ready!”

“Already?” Scootaloo asked, sounding disappointed. “Oh well… C’mon, let’s go! I’ll race ya there!”

Diamond Tiara harrumphed as she walked past Scootaloo. “No thanks. You’ll obviously win.”

“I’ll give ya a handicap, duh!” Scootaloo said, almost in a cocky tone. “Onetwothreego!”

Diamond Tiara jumped to the side, and watched as Scootaloo sped past her. “I’m not going to take part in such a childish game!” she shouted as she chased after Scootaloo, putting everything she had into trying to catch up and push past the athletic filly. “Darn it! Slow down already!”

“Last one there does the winner’s homework for a week!” Scootaloo called back.

“What?!” Diamond Tiara shouted back. “No faaaaaair!”

When the two made it inside the restaurant, Diamond Tiara was utterly exhausted, and Scootaloo was holding back her laughter, watching as Filthy Rich had to carry his tired daughter to their table on his back. The two fillies sat next to each other at the table, and the waitress came by soon after with everypony’s meals.

Diamond Tiara chugged her glass of soda in one go, breathing a sigh of relief when she was done. She could hear Scootaloo still trying to hold back her laughter, and shot the Pegasus filly a glare to shut her up. It didn’t work.

‘Honestly. Dragging me around like that, making me ride that gargantuous death-trap, making me run a marathon, and then laughing at me! This was absolutely, without a doubt…’ Diamond Tiara placed her glass down, and set her hardened glare onto her meal. She lifted up her cutlery, and began to eat, sparing on last glance at Scootaloo as she did so. ‘… The best birthday ever.’

A Diamond Comes Between Friendship?

by Yukito

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10 (Apple Bloom)

Chapter 10 (Scootaloo)

Chapter 10 (Bonus)