Diamond Tiara never came back to class after lunch. She stayed out there for a while before finally just leaving the school altogether and heading home early. She hated them all so much right now. The reason she’d left the school: she’d finally started crying. But she had no reason to. She was right! She hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true and her friend… her… she didn’t even know what Silverspoon was to her anymore. But if Silverspoon didn’t have any friends like she’d claimed, then she'd brought it upon herself with this whole stupid argument.
But why did she have to bring it onto her as well? Silverspoon may no longer have any friends, but as a result neither did Diamond. She knew it wasn’t her fault… and that’s why it hurt so much. That somepony she used to call her friend had done this to her, that’s what had made her start crying. That’s why she’d left the school. If anypony saw her crying for no reason then… well, she’d suddenly have a reason to be. She’d be humiliated. She’d be called a cry baby by those babies who didn’t even have Cutie Marks!
DT just wanted to go home and lay in bed. What else could she really do? Normally after school she’d hang out with Silverspoon but that obviously wasn’t an option. Without her, nothing really seemed worth doing. So she just walked around Ponyville aimlessly for ages. Eventually, it must’ve been just about the time school would’ve finished anyway and she still hadn’t done anything but walk aimlessly.
And as luck would have it, Diamond Tiara ran into the one pony she hadn’t thought she’d even see today. The pony that had started all of this: Twist. “What do you want?” she said, more aggressively than usual. Twist hadn’t even seen her, let alone acknowledged her, and hated the ‘greeting’ she’d received. It wouldn’t matter for long though.
“N-noffing…” Twist squeaked out with her lisp as she dropped what she’d been carrying in her mouth. As much as Diamond Tiara hated Twist, Twist hated her just as much. But she also feared her that much too. “I waf, juft heading to fweet apple acref to leafe thif letter to let Applebloom... know fome fing.” Twist added, finishing in a tone so low and quiet, that one would usually only expect to hear from that yellow pegasus with the severe self-confidence issues.
“Pfft, can’t even talk to her in person? Yeah, I was totally right yesterday.” Diamond responded. She hadn’t wanted to see Twist, but this may be exactly what she needed to feel good about herself again. Somepony she was clearly superior to in every way.
“You’re right… I shthouldn’t…” Twist barely managed to say. Diamond Tiara had completely destroyed her yesterday. She and Silverspoon had tore into her for a full fifteen minutes before she’d finally just had enough and ran away crying. They ragged on everything about her. Her mane, her glasses, her lisp, her bent nose, her absolutely atrocious off-cream coat colour and how she was just so generally unattractive she’d never get a colt, not even Snips or Snails. And what she should just do...
Just remembering it tears started to well up in her eyes once more. Something that didn’t go unnoticed by Diamond Tiara. “Crying already? I haven’t even said anything yet. I guess I don’t even have to mention all the stuff wrong with you anymore. It’s good that you realise all of it yourself. Maybe you’ll fix it that way. But I won’t be holding my breath on that one. I doubt you even care enough to brush your messed up mane in the morning!”
“I brushth it every day… it’f juft… naturally…” Twists didn’t bother continuing. What was the point? Diamond Tiara was right. No matter how much she worked on how she looked, she was still ugly. She couldn’t fix her bent muzzle. And she couldn’t do anything about the way she spoke. Just… why bother? “I shthould… go.” she added, trying not to let this bully see her cry again. And failing at it.
“What happened to the letter you were going to deliver? Not even worth reading I guess. I doubt anything you’d write would be. That’s if you could even read your chicken-scratch writing." she teased. She'd have to try remember that line for Scootaloo too. This was EXACTLY what she needed. Some ugly mule who knew she was ugly to let bask in the glory, the perfection, the radiance that was Diamond Tiara. Sure she had used about half her weight in make up, hair care products and jewelry this morning alone to achieve it but she at least had the self-worth to even try to look good.
“It’f nothing… it doefn’t matter.” Twist admitted. It really didn’t. It would make no difference anyway. She just turned around on the spot and left the letter there on the ground. Diamond didn’t really notice it, just thinking of her own needs in the moment. But she had broken this filly. DT had shattered every shred of confidence the once cheery and happy-go-lucky young mare ever had. And honestly, if she had noticed, it probably would’ve just made the smirk on her face even bigger.
Once Twist had left, Diamond Tiara went over and picked up the letter. She looked at it for a moment and read what was written on the envelope. ‘To Applebloom’. Short and simple. She scrunched it up and threw it into a nearby bush. “Heh, what do you know… she can write afterall.”
~ ~
As Diamond Tiara lay in bed that night, a pillow tightly pulled into her chest with her hooves wrapped around it, she sobbed and quietly whimpered “Why did I say that?... Why didn’t I just say sorry? Why did she do that to me? I didn’t do anythi...” she couldn’t get any more words out coherently. She could barely even think coherently. Despite having given Twist a what-for, she still felt horrible, felt so depressed.
She didn't know it. But it was exactly how Twist felt. And had for quite a while now. Had...