Fear spread through Diamond's mind and body and after a moment of hesitation, he ran down the hall, down the stairs, and outside to hide from the pending wrath she knew she was in for from one of the Elements of Harmony, Applejack, and her little filly sister, Apple Bloom. Her mind was still blurred. She couldn't think of a normal escape, so as a ditch effort, she dove into Winona's doghouse to hide out. The brown dog jumped back from her sudden guest and gave a questioning bark at Diamond. "I'm sorry, Winona, but I'm in serious trouble with both Applejack and Apple Bloom. I need a place to hide-out until they cool off." Winona frowned and barked out a suggestion to her, but Diamond just shook her head. "No, they wouldn't just take a simple apology. I was rude to Applejack a bit too much today and this last time I went a bit too far and said some things to Applejack I'm not quite sure I can take back."

The dog shook her head and sat back on her haunches, giving Diamond a look like things might just be too far gone for anything to change the situation. Diamond's shoulders sagged. She knew she should have left Applejack alone, but just hearing them yelling at each other all because of her sent mixed feelings throughout her body.

She wasn't sure what the sudden urges of needing to know what was going on meant or why she was feeling them. She could say she was scared, but of what? She couldn't be scared that Applejack may have been right about Apple Bloom just using her, about how Apple Bloom was just going to end up hurting her, could she? Apple Bloom was Applejack's little sister, after all, and the recent feelings she'd been feeling towards Apple Bloom certainly weren't normal, but yet she didn't feel like she had to stop any advances coming from Apple Bloom from happening. No, fear couldn't be the reason because it just didn't make sense and was wrong to boot.

An idea hit her and she grinned. It wasn't fear, it was protection. She didn't want Apple Bloom getting hurt and what better way to make sure of that than to make sure things between them got off to a pleasant start before they could got bad? That wasn't right either, was it? She sighed and leaned her back against a wall in the doghouse.

This was starting to give her a headache, but she had to figure a way out of this and fast before she was found hiding here. What could she do, though? Applejack wouldn't listen to her begging and the only major thing Apple Bloom could do to her would be to stop talking to her, followed by her folks telling her she was putting her nose where it didn't belong. Applejack was another story, however. Not only was Applejack bigger and stronger than her, but she was very stubborn and would kick her ass first, then ask questions later. She was also odd when it came to showing her feelings.

Diamond felt that the kiss she'd shared with Apple Bloom was a split between the script and hidden desires, but more on Diamond Tiara's part than Apple Bloom's. She could still hear the soft moans, and no doubt Applejack had heard them too, prompting her to investigate, to see exactly what was going on. Granted, it was none of her business, but the sounds had naturally gotten her very curious.

When Applejack opened the door of her sister's room and had seen her and Apple Bloom in a close embrace, kissing deeply, she hadn't been quite sure what to think, hence her shocked expression, but she also naturally just couldn't turn away and leave well enough alone, even though Diamond figured that she should've known she should've. Applejack must have felt captivated by the very act and she'd longed to see more, but Diamond Tiara had spotted her and broke her from her trance. Diamond sighed, frustrated. How was she going to get out of this mess?

Although far-fetched, her only hope was to imagine herself as a superhero and see what one of the Power Ponies would do in a case like this . . .

What started out as a pleasant daydream quickly turned into a terrifying nightmare, prompting Diamond Tiara to sit bolt upright and scream. Instantly, the fantasy was over. She shook her head and wiped the layer of sweat off her brow that collected there. Where had that come from? Normally, her fantasies turned out with a great solution to a problem she was facing, but this time things had gone horribly wrong. She knew Applejack and Apple Bloom too well to know that no matter what she'd say to them they wouldn't listen to reason.

Winona whined and lay her head on her guest's lap. She wished there was something she could do to help, but there wasn't. Diamond scratched the dog between her ears. "I don't know what to do, Winona. Applejack won't listen to anything I'd say to her. I could see if she might listen, but she flies off the handle too fast and would no doubt tell my uncle that I was smarting off to her earlier. Well, I guess the best thing for me to do is just hide here until the two of them cool off."

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out all reality. She wished she would have just stayed in her bedroom drawing pictures like she should have instead of going to Apple Bloom's house and getting too into character with Apple Bloom. Just then, she got jerked back into reality as a hoof gripped her shirt and yanked her backwards out of Winona's doghouse. Winona did her best to pull her back, but it was no use.

Diamond squirmed and was suddenly dumped on the grass, the brightness of the sun making her blink and squint at his pursuers Applejack and Apple Bloom. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" Applejack said with a wicked grin.

"Looks like we have a mewing little mutton head that enjoys provoking the natural order of things," Apple Bloom replied, adjusting her mane in a rather bored manner.

"Well, all I see is a little brat that's gonna get her face rearranged!" Applejack snarled and grabbed Diamond roughly by the front of her black vest and yanked her to her hooves.

Diamond glared at her. "You can't seem to get it through your head, Applejack, Apple Bloom and I are trying to rehearse a play and you keep poking that big nose of yours in our business and it's gonna stop right now!" She flinched from the blow that she felt as Applejack smacked her across the face, knocking her to the ground.

"Listen here, you little shit," Applejack growled as she loomed over the little filly. "Ah don't have any problem with the two of you rehearsing. It was wrong of me to intrude and keep annoying you like I did, but you ain't gonna disrespect me in mah own house, you understand that?" She suddenly turned to look at her little sister. "Apple Bloom, I'm really sorry that I didn't listen to ya. If Ah ruined yer play in any way, Ah hope y'all will let me make it up to ya somehow."

Apple Bloom quirked an eyebrow and Diamond Tiara glanced over to her, waiting to see what she was going to say. She didn't want to hit Applejack without her approval. If Applejack clobbered her and Apple Bloom was about to forgive her sister, Diamond Tiara would never live it down, let alone forgive himself, and neither would Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom just stared at her sister, then took in a slow, deep breath while stepping closer to Diamond Tiara and Applejack. "Applejack, you overstepped your bounds this time. Not only did you insist upon spying on Diamond Tiara and me, but you barged into my room without so much as a knock. What you did is beyond forgiveness, Applejack! You wrecked more than just a rehearsal. This was truly a masterpiece! I never saw anypony perform as well as Diamond Tiara can, and her talent shines like none I've ever seen before. That moment might not ever be captured again and first impressions are everything." Diamond Tiara wrinkled up her nose and turned to look at Apple Bloom, wondering what she meant by that. Apple Bloom suddenly felt her face redden in a blush and she felt her hooves shaking with fury as she held them tightly against her sides. "Diamond Tiara, just do what you must before I do!" she cried.

Diamond Tiara snickered wickedly and sneered at Applejack, "My pleasure, farm filly." She then yanked back her hoof, getting ready to punch Applejack in the nose when she thought of something and started to remove her clothes. "I can't have him wrecking my clothes. I mean, loser blood doesn't come out easily." She snickered and Apple Bloom knew she was just joking around, prompting her to laugh softly as well, but Applejack apparently didn't see the humor in this comment because she suddenly pushed the little filly backwards as hard as she could, making Diamond fall to the ground.

Now Diamond was starting to get very scared, because not only did she know that Applejack could seriously hurt her, but Apple Bloom was siding with the bully and encouraging her to fight back.

Applejack trembled with anger and she loomed over Diamond Tiara, who remained lying on the ground trembling in fear. "Oh, yeah, like you couldn't afford to buy more clothes! Ah'm surprised y'all even want to hang around Apple Bloom, Ah mean, she don't exactly fit your money-grubbing attitude, but then again, maybe that's the only reason she offered you a part in the play. She probably needed funding and the only way to get it was through you!"

Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes, "Why you trifling rank pantaloon! You're gonna regret saying any of that, you speckle-shirted yellow dog!" She then lunged forward and smacked her sister hard across the face, making her stumble backwards.

Diamond Tiara winced from the strike, but smirked at the same time. [i]A filly after my own heart,[/i] she thought to herself, and tried to control the laugh she felt building after seeing the look of shock and hurt register on Applejack's face. "Oh, brother, what a loser!" she laughed.

Tears of pain and humiliation began to build in Applejack's eyes and she held her cheek in hopes to stop the throbbing pain Apple Bloom's hoof had caused it. However, Diamond Tiara's mocking and laughing began to stir unfamiliar feelings inside of her. Sh didn't care so much about Apple Bloom because she was her sister after all, but the constant ridicule from Diamond Tiara was just something that was causing her to break. Not able to take it much longer, Applejack charged forward and tackled Diamond Tiara to the ground.

Diamond Tiara was stunned beyond belief, but her mind cleared quickly and she grabbed the flailing hooves of Applejack and held them from her body. "Oh, yeah, that was really smart!" She tried shoving Applejack off her, but Applejack was stronger, managing to strike back first, sending her tumbling to the ground while following with his own body.

"You done gone and pissed off the wrong pony, girl!" the farm pony bellowed. She then stood up, picking Diamond off the ground as she did so. "Ah held back long enough from kicking yer ass and this time you pushed mah buttons just right." And with that, she slammed her hoof hard into Diamond's jaw, sending her staggering backwards, the filly holding her head in pain. At first, Diamond was concerned with Apple Bloom's reaction, but when she glanced in her direction, the filly was looking on with disinterest, but Diamond could still see the slight smirk on her face, showing that she didn't mind what she was doing.

Getting that subtle bit of approval, Diamond Tiara approached Applejack and punched her in the jaw with her right hoof. Applejack counterattacked with a sharp uppercut with her left hoof, this time knocking Diamond Tiara completely over. Diamond shook her hoof from the stinging pain she felt from the hit, then glanced down and noticed her shirt was dirty and her bootts were torn. "Sweet Celestia! Look at what you did!" she cried and was about to pounce on the panting Applejack when Apple Bloom clapped her hooves, stopping her.

"Come, Diamond Tiara, I think she's learned her lesson. Let's get out of here before the very sight of that annoying little mosquito makes me sicker than it already is." She shook her head with disgust at her sister and stomped off.

Still panting, Applejack looked down at Diamond Tiara and snickered slightly. "Consider your ass saved by mah sister, If it were up to me, you'd be part of the grass right now. Next time your hormones get in a rage where you gotta be a pervert, just go to Rainbow Dash's house. Ah'm sure she's got some magazines y'all would be interested in." She then spat on the ground near where Diamond lay and walked back inside the house, leaving Diamond to lay in pain over what she had done, her brain going over what it could and knowing that this was one hard learned lesson and she was truly lucky that it all stopped when it did. With this thought in mind, she staggered up to her hooves and followed Apple Bloom's tracks.

Dear Journal,

Ah'm sorry Ah haven't wrote to ya in a while, but Ah'm finally beginning to think straight, not to mention getting rid of that terrible headache, after the fight Ah got into with Diamond Tiara. Y'all should remember her. She's the rich bully that's always bothering mah sister and her friends. Anyway, she and mah sister Apple Bloom have been acting odd with each other, but when Apple Bloom asked Diamond to be part of a play she wrote, Ah couldn't believe it. The two of 'em were sharin' laughs and havin' a good time in the backyard while they rehearsed, but Ah didn't believe that could be possible either, so Ah decided to check on things mahself. It wasn't a good thing to do with either of them because Ah can sometimes let mah anger get the best of me and mah sister can be very moody. So, naturally, Ah got into trouble with them one time that day, but for some reason Ah couldn't quit and Ah ended up walking in on them doing something Ah probably shouldn't have seen, Ah shoulda just stayed in mah room minding mah own business. Ah tried to be nice, but Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom decided to be smart with me, so I ended up poundin' the tar outta Diamond Tiara, which brings me to now.

Things are still strange between the two of them, but Ah don't want to know what's going on with them because mah health and well being are a bit more important. The play went on like it was supposed to and Ah was actually well enough to go with mah folks to see it. Ah never knew it, but Diamond Tiara is a pretty dang good actress, and Ah was actually impressed. Ah still don't see what the attraction is between Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara, but Ah learned mah lesson. Ah guess Ah learned that one should keep one's nose out of mah younger sister's business and keep out of it. It still bothers me to see 'em together, but as long as Apple Bloom's happy, that's all that matters, Ah suppose, even if it is with a rich snot-nosed brat of a bully that just so happens to be in love with 'er. Ah danced on the wild side and now Ah've paid the price, but no more. Ah learned mah lesson and Ah hope things work out for the best with mah sister. Ah mean, what could go wrong?

Applejack