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…”

Author's Notes:

Who will Diamond Tiara choose?! Will it be: bachelorette #1 (camera zooms on Apple Bloom), bachelorette #2 (camera zooms on Scootaloo), or, bachelorette #3 (camera zooms on Discord)?

Find out in the thrilling conclusion, coming out some time next week! (Not guaranteed)