"There is, after all, a real limit to how much ordinary people can learn and know, and to demand that each and every one of them contribute 'strong opinions' to the great debates of the nation cannot, surely, be wise. It is, in any case, absurd that anyone should presume to define a person's 'dignity' in these terms." -Kazuo Ishiguro
Chapter 2
There were 15 minutes left in class. After Cheerilee dropped her bombshell, everypony had split up with their partners to arrange meet-up times and brainstorm ideas. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara hadn't said a word. Apple Bloom had expected Diamond Tiara to be the first one to complain about the match-up, but as it happens, Diamond just regained her far away look as she stared passed the clock on the wall. Apple Bloom knew this whole thing was going to be a mess and a bother, but there was no sense avoiding it.
"Well, we need ta meet up, ya know where Ah live so when is good for ya?" Apple Bloom asked as diplomatically as possible.
Diamond seemed to be waiting for the conversation and had prepared a statement. With little to no pause Diamond replied, "I'm not going to go to your dirt farm. If we really have to meet, you can come to my house."
"But Ah don't know where ya live..." Apple Bloom reasoned, "and stop calling mah home a dirt farm! That don't even make a lick of sense."
Diamond just rolled her eyes, "It is the biggest home in Ponyville. I'm sure even a idiot like you could find it."
Apple Bloom sighed in frustration, Diamond Tiara was starting to get to her, "Fine, your house then. Ah'm comin’ over tomorrow after school, there's no way Ah am gonna waste my weekend on this."
Diamond initially only sighed in response looking away from Apple Bloom but finally nodded in agreement, "Try and use that pea brain of yours to think of a quick idea; the less we have to do means the less of you I have to see."
"Yeah, ya just make sure that ya do your fair share of work, cuz Ah'm not gonna do yer share."
Momentarily forgetting that she tried to copy off Apple Bloom earlier, Diamond Tiara's snide comeback of, "Like I'd trust a blank flank like you to do my work," lacked any real feeling. Realizing her own mistake before Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara quickly hurried on, "Anyway, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Go bug somepony else."
Apple Bloom was all too happy to oblige and quickly turned and trotted off to her two best friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. As Apple Bloom approached, she heard Scootaloo talk about all the sleep overs they would have and how Rarity wouldn't be able to deny the sleep over because it was a school project. Fighting off the feeling of being left out, Apple Bloom gave a warm greeting which was subsequently returned.
"I can't believe you got grouped with Diamond Tiara, that is the worst luck," Sweetie Belle said an understanding tone.
"Yeah, if she says anything mean, you should punch her right in the face!" added Scootaloo.
"Ah'll survive, but she’s all ready givin me a headache," Apple Bloom accentuated her discomfort by rubbing the side of her head with her front hoof. "Anyway, Ah'll deal with that later, we should go get some ice cream!" The other two fillies quickly agreed and made their way toward Sugar Cube Corner.
Diamond Tiara watched Apple Bloom leave with a deep sigh. This was going to be all so much trouble. Silver Spoon, Diamond's best friend had finished talking to her partner and headed over.
"Hey Tia! I thought that today would never end. You ready to head home?"
Diamond Tiara managed a small smile, "Yep, lets get out of here. I'm dying for a smoke."
**********
Twenty four hours passed far too quickly for Apple Bloom’s liking. In a few minutes a bell would ring and she would be following her least favorite pony to her house. Although it wasn't all bad, the forced contact had seemed to lessen Diamond Tiara from actively going out of the way to bother her. In fact, Diamond Tiara seemed to be doing a decreased amount of everything today. Apple Bloom was fairly certain that Diamond Tiara had not slept in at least one night, and Apple Bloom also noticed that Diamond Tiara had not brought or eaten a lunch the last two days. The absence was noted because Diamond Tiara usually spent some of her lunch making fun of what Granny packed for Apple Bloom.
If Diamond Tiara were a friend then Apple Bloom would be worried about her. Sparing a few glances at Silver Spoon when she was talking to Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom didn't see any worry on Silver Spoon’s face so maybe Apple Bloom was missing something. Either way, it didn't matter. Diamond Tiara was not Apple Bloom's friend, and if Diamond Tiara didn't want to sleep, well, it made Apple Blooms life easier, so she was all for it.
The bell jolted Apple Bloom out of her thoughts. Packing as slowly as she reasonably could in order to prolong the inevitable, Apple Bloom slowly accepted her fate. As Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle passed they wished her luck and gave her an encouraging pat on the back.
Diamond Tiara also seemed to be packing particularly slow. It wasn't long until they were the only two students left in the room. Cheerilee gave them both loving pats on the heads as they walked out.
As soon as they got out of sight of the school building Diamond Tiara stopped and began rummaging through her satchel. In an effort to avoid confrontation, Apple Bloom waited silently and patiently for Diamond Tiara. The wait was short, Diamond Tiara came out of the bag with a cigarette in her mouth and a box of matches in her hooves.
"Ya ain't old enough ta do that!" Apple Bloom accused as Diamond Tiara lit her cigarette.
"Don't be a baby," Diamond Tiara, "and if you tell on me, like a baby, you will regret it."
"Ah'm no tattle tale," Apple Bloom defended, "Cheerilee says those things can kill ya."
"That is what she says..." Diamond Tiara trailed off as she continued walking toward her home, "Why? You suddenly care about me?" The thought put a smirk on Diamond Tiara's face.
"Shut Up."
The rest of the walk went in relative silence. Apple Bloom walked next to Diamond Tiara instead of following her otherwise she had to smell the cigarette smoke. After a bit of walking, they passed through the Ponyville market and into the residences beyond. There wasn't too many rich ponies in Ponyville, so Apple Bloom could guess that one of the handful of large houses was where Diamond Tiara lived. When they finally arrived. Apple Bloom tried not to seem impressed, but the house was more than impressive. Three stories tall and twice as wide as it’s neighbors. The house wasn't a box, but even to Apple Blooms untrained eye, the staggered levels and architecture was in one word, 'classy.' The outside of the house seemed to be made of stone and dark wood.
As the two made their way through the front garden, a pony opened the door for them before they even reached it. The pony wore a strange black and white suit and stood a little too rigidly. If Apple Bloom wasn't trying to hide her amazement so much, the pony at the door might have made her nervous.
If Apple Bloom thought the outside was nice, she was ill prepared for the interior. White marble floors with surprisingly sparse but well placed upper-class furnishings. The walls were covered large painting of ponies that Apple Bloom didn't know. The home didn't look very lived in; in-fact, the house reminded her of a museum that Miss Cheerilee took the class to, but museum aside, it was certainly a beautiful home.
"Mr. French, if you would prepare some food and drink for me and my guest, we will be in daddy's smoking room," Diamond Tiara nonchalantly commanded. The butler-pony bowed and left the room, presumably heading to the kitchen.
Apple Bloom was keeping quite busy trying to suppress her amazement and resentment. Diamond Tiara had seen it before in better actors than Apple Bloom and took some pleasure in showing off. Upon arriving in the 'smoking room' the name quickly became apparent as Diamond lit another cigarette.
"Don't yer parents care that ya smoke?" questioned Apple Bloom slowly, not wanting to ruin the somewhat civil atmosphere.
"They might, if they were ever around. My father is far too busy with very important business matters." Diamond told it straight and truthfully.
"Well, where’s yer mom? She a business pony too?" asked Apple Bloom with the obvious question.
Diamond's response was slightly delayed by her taking a drag from her cigarette, "She’s dead, so I don't think she cares."
Apple Bloom had to fight every instinct she had not to immediately apologize to Diamond Tiara. She refused to feel bad for someone who was always mean to her. After a few awkward seconds, Apple Bloom managed to squeak out, "Oh, I see."
"It is no big deal, shit happens," Diamond Tiara deduced, "it was a long time ago anyway." At the mention of 'long' time Apple Bloom saw that far away look momentarily return and quickly vanish from Diamond Tiara's tired eyes.
"Ah kinda understand too; Ah lost both mah parents a long time ago," Apple Bloom said without thinking. Apple Bloom immediately berated herself. Why was she trying to find common ground? Diamond had no business knowing about her mom and dad. Diamond Tiara was having similar thoughts; she was questioning herself for being open and did not understand Apple Blooms response.
In a puff of smoke, the situation was diffused by Diamond Tiara, "Whatever, it doesn't matter. Lets figure out this stupid project. You have any ideas?"
Several ideas were tossed back in forth. Apple Bloom never really liked Diamond Tiara, but she did at least respect Diamond Tiara's ability to stay on task. Apple Bloom was sure there was no way that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were going to be this focused... Then again, they would probably be having fun. Mr. French came in halfway through Diamond Tiara's second cigarette with a wide assortments of snacks and beverages. Apple Bloom thought it was an amazing amount of choices but was still wary of anything offered by Diamond Tiara. They finally settled on doing a research project over the summer. It fit within Cheerilee's guidelines and the Library was conveniently located between their two houses. They figured that with Twilight's help they could knock out the whole project over a few meetings.
With a preliminary plan in mind, there was little point for Apple Bloom sticking around. Maybe it was the fact that Diamond Tiara, while not being nice, was not exactly being mean either. Maybe it was the large buffet of snacks and drinks that weren't made from apples. Either way Apple Bloom found herself lingering.
If asked directly, Diamond Tiara would adamantly deny having any enjoyment from Apple Bloom’s company, but the fact of the matter was that Diamond Tiara spent most of her time in her home alone. Her only friend, Silver Spoon, would come over sometimes, but Silver Spoon had the kind of parents that were exactly the opposite from Diamonds father. While Diamond's father was never around, Silver Spoon’s parents were always around pushing Silver to do things that she didn't particularly care for. Piano for two hours a day after school was just an example. Diamond Tiara couldn't objectively say which one was better or worse.
If asked directly, Diamond Tiara would also deny being lonely. It was a matter of pride, but it shouldn't be surprising that a young filly would get lonely in a big house filled only with servants. To be honest, their conversations were a bit one sided - Apple Bloom never seemed to run out of things to talk about. Diamond Tiara would just sit and listen. Diamond Tiara found Apple Bloom’s accent to be a bit annoying, and the tone of her voice was particularly grating. But, the company was an appreciated change.
Seeing that Diamond Tiara wasn't being outright hostile, Apple Bloom decided to press her luck and request a tour of the house. Which turned out to be asking quite a lot, but for a different reason that Apple Bloom feared. The house was much bigger than she had imagined, with a basement level and a massive back yard. The pool was big enough that it took a full minute to just walk around. The tour continued going through all the bedrooms and Apple Bloom no longer felt it necessary to hide her reactions, so she was gasping and aweing every few minutes which helped to inflate Diamond’s ego quite a bit.
Diamond had been saving the best for last, her room. She was sole occupant of the house for most of the year, so it only made sense that her room would be the grandest. It did not disappoint. Apple Bloom stared in awe at the sheer number of toys and conveniences Diamond had in her room. Diamond Tiara's own cutie mark was embroidered in nearly everything around her room. Apple Bloom didn't even feel any jealousy over the massive amounts of things showing off Diamond's cutie mark. Diamond was actually acting like a halfway civil pony, and Apple Bloom was more than happy that the situation wasn't turning out to be as bad as she thought it would.
But that was when Apple Bloom noticed something. As Diamond Tiara trotted over to her balcony to show off her amazing view, out of the corner of Apple Bloom's eye she saw something. On top of Diamond Tiara's dresser, in-front of her mirror was a small pool of what looked like dried blood.
A big up to this chapter's celebrity proofreader - Reasonandrhyme
A bit rushed, If you like the story, I will continue, and expect a eventual rewrite. thanks - apple blumpkin