Silverspoon hadn’t left her side. Not once. Literally not once. The bathrooms got awkward. But she absolutely refused to leave Diamond Tiara’s side for the last three days. You could say Silverspoon was as much to blame for what happened to Twist has DT was, and you would be right. But Diamond took it so much harder. Though if you asked anypony else...
Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and even Snips and Snails had said they didn’t blame her. Twist’s sister Bon-Bon however… they were sure if they hadn’t stopped her that she had intended on killing Diamond Tiara just like Applebloom had. And while really that was only beat the living hay out of her and not actually kill her, it was still a very heavy situation they’d had to deal with.
Naturally she hadn’t been to school since then, not that much of her class had either. Today was Friday, and every student and Cheerilee was here today. It was Twist’s funeral. Bon-Bon wasn’t thrilled about Diamond Tiara being there. DT wasn’t too thrilled about it either. It was a ‘celebration of Twist’s life’ and for all the things she’d said about the filly, Diamond didn’t know Twist at all.
Still, every part of it hurt her. Every word from the parent’s eulogy, every little fact she learnt about Twist after it was too late, it all just dug into her. But what hit her the hardest was when asked if anypony would like to speak, Applebloom stepped forward. She, along with Silverspoon, had been there constantly for her. And as thankful as Diamond was, that fact her hurt too. Diamond Tiara knew that Applebloom wanted to… no, needed to grieve. But because of her, she was never given the chance.
Once she took the stage, Applebloom didn’t start speaking right away. Instead she just looked out over the crowd, looking towards Twist’s family, towards her own family in attendance and then to her friends. And while Applebloom called Diamond Tiara her friend, Diamond still didn’t believe it was anything more than not wanting the guilt that hung over her head about Twist over Applebloom’s head about herself.
“Me and Twist… we were friends. Ah don’t know if she knew that. Ah hope she did, ah really do. Ah don’t know how she musta felt… ta think ya’self so alone. That nopony’d care if yer gone.” she paused for a moment. “Ponies‘ll always care. Even if you don’t think they will! And, and ah’m asking all’a ya. Ah’m BEGGIN’ y’all... please. Ah know so many of ya think it. But it ain’t Diamond Tiara’s fault.”
Diamond up until now had been looking down at the ground, at Silverspoon’s hoof over her own. She instantly looked up at Applebloom when she heard it. She knew it, knew half the class blamed her. Knew Twist’s sister and likely her parents blamed her too. She wouldn’t even be surprised if Silverspoon secretly blamed her. But she was surprised that maybe... perhaps, Applebloom didn’t.
“She’s been hurtin’ just as much as any’a us. Some’a you need somepony ta blame… ah get that. Ah did too. But don’t go blamin’ her! Blame… me, if ya have ta blame somepony. Like ah said, me and Twist, we were friends… ‘were’. Ah think ah may’ve been her only friend ta ever hang out wit’ her outside’a school. Than ah stopped. Ah don’t blame Diamond Tiara. It ain’t her fault. Ah, ah blame maself!”
Applebloom finished and walked away. She had planned to say more. She just didn’t think she’d be able to though. She’d planned out exactly what she would say over and over earlier that morning. In the moment though, it had all gone out the window. Aside from the first few words, nothing she’d said had been part of that plan. A few steps away from her place in the crowd she was met by a hug from her older sister not a metre away from Diamond Tiara who could easily see the tears rolling down her friend’s face… her friend.
A few more ponies spoke on Twist’s behalf. Some brighter, some darker, some understandable and one who barely got out a single comprehensible word out. Once that finished, it was time for the final farewells. It was a closed casket, with a simple picture of Twist smiling happily on top of it. Family went first, followed by Applebloom, Snips and Snails, then Cheerilee, before ponies DT didn’t really know followed. Then lastly a few ponies from her class and others from town went and paid their respects.
Applebloom returned from the front, Snips and Snails not far behind. “D’you wanna say anything Diamond?” she said, indicating towards the casket.
“What can I even say?” she replied. It was true, she had no idea what to say. In fact, those had even been her first words she’d said aloud since arriving at the wake.
“It don’ matter what you say, ya don’t have ta say anything even… just… just go up and show her that you’ll miss her.” Applebloom said with a smile as she put a hoof onto her friend’s shoulder. “Ya will miss her, won’t ya?”
Diamond Tiara took a moment to answer, but she did. “Yes…” and she began forwards. Halfway there, she looked to her left, then to her right and noticed something. For the first time in three day now, Silverspoon wasn’t by her side. And naturally, despite having wanted her gone so many times since then, she felt she needed her there more than ever.
DT began to turn around, her courage and will to see Twist suddenly all but gone. And yet, as she did Diamond saw her. No, she saw them. All of them. Silverspoon, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Snips and Snails. They were all staring at her. But it wasn’t the stare she’d been getting from other ponies. There was no blame, no hate, no anything other than compassion and possibly even admiration from a few.
And she may have imagined it, and probably had seem this was a funeral, but Diamond Tiara swore she had seen Applebloom giving her an approving smile. And that’s all she needed. Silverspoon may not be by her side, but instead she had six friends at her back. She’d once thought she knew the pain of having nopony that Twist had been feeling. But she knew from this day on, she never would again.
All that aside however, as she closed the last few steps up to the coffin, she felt that stare she’d been feeling earlier once again. Such blame and hatred… Bon-Bon was standing next to her as she came to a halt. Diamond had killed her sister, she couldn’t blame the mare for hating her. The two locked eyes for a moment before Diamond broke away. Bon-bon though kept her gaze locked on the filly even after they had broken eye contact.
But… she hadn’t killed Twist. What DT had done was horrible yes, but it wasn’t her fault Twist had died. Applebloom and all the others assured her of that. And Diamond Tiara knew it too. It wasn’t her fault. And she truly believed it wasn’t her fault. She had nothing to be guilty over, nothing at all… and yet. “I’m sorry…” she whispered, putting a hoof onto the coffin and looking at the smiling picture of Twist atop of it. “I’m sorry!” she cried much louder than the last.
Diamond Tiara slumped onto the casket and cried. It was all she could do. She had nothing to say sorry for and yet it’s all she could think to say. She was there for nearly a minute before she felt a hoof on her shoulder. Diamond just kept her face up against the wooden box for a short while longer. Eventually she lifted herself away and turned to thank her friend for their support. But it wasn't any of them, it was Bon-Bon’s hoof on her shoulder. And she had just as many tears running down her face as DT did.
Diamond Tiara lunged at the mare, wrapping her hooves around Bon-Bon as she in turned wrapped her hooves around Diamond. “I know… I know my sister. She, she…” Bon-bon trailed off. She couldn’t bring herself to say it. As much as she hated this filly in her hooves, she knew what she was going to say was true, and honestly, she felt it herself. “I knew my little sister…”
“She forgives you.”