//------------------------------// // Runner-up - "True, True Friend" - By Comet Burst // Story: The Diamond Refinery: Contest Theme No.1 "Growing Up" // by Telaros //------------------------------// Imperfect Diamond I'm not sure what you want me to say, so I will start at the beginning. My name is Silver Spoon. I'm a filly in Ms. Cheerilee's class, I wear glasses and I have only one best friend. Some ponies, well, actually a lot of ponies, don't like my friend. She's not the easiest pony to get along with. Granted, if I didn't meet her the way I did, I probably would not be her friend either. However, that's not the case. She's my best friend and I am hers. I wouldn't trade a single day of being there with her for anything. We have done everything together, from being in the same class to getting out cutie marks at the same time. Diamond is so special to me and other ponies have noticed. Some who didn't know us have asked if we are sisters. I wish we were, I really do. She's been there for me, ever since we first met. I was new to this town a while back. My family had just moved here to Ponyville from Canterlot to follow my daddy's business. I remember being sad that I had left all my friends and everypony I had ever known. My whole life was turned upside down and, even though my mommy and daddy had told me everything would get better, I didn't see or feel it improving. This new town I now called home was full of strange ponies. Some were obsessed with flowers, some with jelly and one with parties. I felt like such an outsider when I went into town with my mommy. School wasn't any easier. I was always confident about myself back in Canterlot, but here, I could feel the looks I got from ponies all around me. I could hear them whispering about me behind my back. Still, I ignored it and tried to make friends like my daddy said I should. It was a long and difficult process, but some ponies were nice to me, allowing me to sit with them during lunch or inviting me into their group projects. I was always so happy when they did, because I didn't feel like an outsider anymore. I felt like I had finally begun to fit in. But all of that soon changed when a pony started making fun of me. He was unusually mean to me, even though I hadn't ever spoken to him. He laughed at me when I got a question wrong, pushed me whenever he got the chance and even messed up my Arts and Crafts projects. I did what I thought was right by ignoring him, hoping he would stop eventually. As I did, I noticed the ponies who I thought were friends started to shy away from me. They didn't want to sit with me at lunch, since that mean colt would pick on them too, and I was slowly pushed out of their project groups. The colt never stopped teasing and picking on me though, even after I had lost all my other friends. He always said I looked old with my silver mane and glasses or spread a rumor that I was color-blind since my coat is colored grey. I asked him to stop, but he wouldn't. He only seemed to get happier every time I nearly cried at his insults. I told teachers about him, but they never saw what he was doing, so they didn't stop him. I felt all alone again in school, wishing I was back in Canterlot where my real friends were. Then, one day, I met a pony. She was in the same class as me and the same age. She was also new to the school as well, since her family had moved from Manehatten to here for her daddy's health. She had a pink coat, blue eyes and a purple and white striped mane and tail. She spoke in a confident way, even though she was new. I was immediately impressed by her and when she sat next to me, I asked her what her name was. She said it's Diamond Tiara. I spent a couple of days with her in class after that, helping her catch up on what we had already learned. She was quite intelligent and easily understood things like subtracting large numbers. The more I was around her, the more I felt like I had found another friend. I eagerly told my parents about her, about how nice she was and how she had helped me understand something I was having trouble with, subtraction of large numbers. I was so happy that I had found a new friend. But then the colt who was tormenting me decided to do the same to her. He picked on me as well as Diamond, often pushing us around or taking our stuff without asking. I tried to ignore it, but Diamond didn't. She yelled at the colt and argued with him, often getting the class's attention. The colt got more angry with her, but took it out on me. He would be mean to me when Diamond wasn't around, often shooting spitballs at me in class or taking my stuff. Diamond absolutely hated that I never stood up for myself, so she tried to teach me how to. I tried many of her techniques and found the colt started to leave me alone. We were so happy, we had a sleepover to celebrate. Our joy didn't last long after that. Two days after out sleepover, the worst day in my life happened. I was walking back to the classroom after lunch, humming happily to myself. The sun was out, the birds were chirping and everypony was happy. That is, all except one. I was about thirty feet from the schoolhouse when I got pushed from behind. I didn't expect it and tripped. I fell onto my chin and heard laughing behind me. I spun around and scowled at the pony, who turned out to be the colt who picked on me and Diamond. "Hey! What was that for?!" I shouted to him. He kept on laughing and said, "Because you look so funny when you trip!" I stood up and glared at him before speaking. "Just wait until I tell the teacher," I said confidently. He stopped laughing and scowled at me. "You won't, you big sissy," he replied. "Watch me," I said before turning around and trotting off to the class. I didn't get very far before the colt ran in front of me. He glared at me even more angrily and said, "I told you 'you won't', got it?" I scrunched up my face back at him and said, "I will, and you'll be in big trouble." "No, you won't." "Yes, I will." "No, you won't!" "Yes, I will!" "NO, YOU WON'T!" Before I could say anything else, the colt shoved me. I wasn't expecting it and I fell over backwards. I hit the ground and rubbed my head as he started laughing again. "See, I told you that you won't say anything," he said between laughs. Angry, I got up and tried to run past him, but he managed to push me back again. I tried two more times and got pushed away twice. He was laughing even harder now, acting like this was a game for him. I yelled at him and tried to run around his reach, but I didn't get very far. He had missed pushing me back with his hooves, but I felt his teeth clamp down on my tail. He pulled me back and I rolled on the ground, scratching myself up and losing my glasses. I tried to stand up, but the colt pushed me back a couple more times. I could feel tears forming around my eyes as I reached around for my glasses, but they weren't near me. The colt kept laughing and, when I finally decided to not get up, he talked to me. "Aw, little baby looking for these?" he asked in a mock baby voice. I looked up and, even though I couldn't see too well, I saw my blue rimmed glasses in his hoof. "Hey, those are mine!" I tried to shout at him, but my voice was all squeaky. "Well, come and get them!" he challenged. I started to stand up when I saw them drop out of his hoof and onto the ground. As I started to move to him, I saw him do the most cruel thing he could. His hoof came down right on top of my glasses and I heard them break. I screamed at him to stop as he stomped on then repeatedly until I started crying. I was so upset at him, I couldn't stop myself. He was laughing at me, I couldn't see and my only set of glasses were now broken. "Hey, leave her alone!" came another voice. The colt stopped laughing and turned to see who it was. My vision was terrible at this point since I couldn't see without my glasses, but I was able to see a blob of pink stand in front of me. I sniffled as I heard Diamond's voice speak up. "What's your problem?!" she yelled at him, "Why are you picking on her?!" "It's none of your business, blank-flank!" he retorted. "She never did anything to you!" Diamond shouted back. "Shut up," he growled back to her. "No!" Diamond kept on shouting. "Shut up!" he said again with a little more force. "NO!" Diamond shouted at the top of her lungs. "I SAID, SHUT UP!" I couldn't tell what happened, but I felt Diamond fall over on top of me. Before any of us could do anything, another shout stopped us. "What the hay are you doing?!" came another voice. With my eyesight as terrible as it was, I didn't see who had said that, but the colt tried to run off. A large blur of color went by after the colt, leaving me and Diamond alone. Diamond got off of me and stood up, even as I stayed on the ground, sniffling. She offered a hoof and I refused to take it, preferring to cry on the ground. Diamond stayed quiet and left me for a second before returning with something in her hoof. She gently placed it in front of me and sat down, looking at me. I took a quick glance at what she brought and gasped. It was my broken glasses. As I sniffed, I looked up at her smiling face. "W-W-Why are you-u still h-here?" I asked. Why wouldn't I be?" she responded. "C-cause all the other p-p-ponies, they l-left me when h-he picked on m-me," I choked out. I wasn't sure what happened next, but the next thing I knew was Diamond was hugging me as tightly as she could. "I'm your friend, Silver," she said to me, "I would never leave you." I don't know why, but I started crying even more at that. I hugged her back and kept on crying, even after the teacher came back with the colt. I remember sitting with Diamond outside the classroom after that, waiting for our parents to come by and pick us up. She held my hoof as I explained what had happened, even through the colt's protests. I also listened as I heard what Diamond had done, how she noticed I wasn't in the classroom, saw me outside crying and ran out to confront the colt. That night, Diamond came to my house with her daddy to see me. While out parents talked, Diamond came into my room to give me a gift, a new set of glasses. They were the same color, but their shape was slightly different. Instead of being big and round, they were pointed and much more cute. I thanked her a lot for them and asked where she got them. "They were my mom's," she responded, "She doesn't wear them anymore and I thought they would look cute on you, so I brought them over. I hope they're the right lenses." I hesitantly put them on, but I was shocked to find they were perfect. I blinked a couple of times as Diamond held up a mirror for me, allowing me to see what I looked like. I couldn't believe how nice they were, so I hugged Diamond and started crying again. She was the first true friend I had ever had in Ponyville. I have been her best friend ever since then. We have been through everything together and I always was happy to be with her. She has changed a bit since that day, but she has never stopped being a friend to me. To other ponies, Diamond has gotten mean and nasty over the years, but they don't understand why she is. Ever since that day, she has been protective of me. Some ponies don't understand and some never will. Diamond has changed, but for the better. Yes, she picks on Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, as well as other ponies, but she doesn't do it out of spite or anger. Diamond wants nothing more than to ward off other bullies and acts like one to scare them off. She wants me to feel safe, as well as her other classmates, from the bullies that torment other schools. Silver looked up from her paper to the crowd of ponies around her. Several of them looked away from her, as if embarrassed. One pony, though, looked at her with a hoof over her mouth and tears down her cheeks. The pink pony sniffled slightly as her purple and white streaked mane bounced lightly. Seeing that, Silver smiled to her and finished reading her paper. "That is why Diamond Tiara is my best friend in the whole world. She is like a sister to me and I will forever cherish my friendship with her." Silver had barely finished speaking when she felt herself get tackled. She fell to the ground as a mass of purple and white hair pushed itself into her face, sobbing like a hurt filly. "You're my best friend too, Silver!" Diamond shouted to her between sobs.