//------------------------------//
// Confrontation 
// Story: A Diamond For Your Trouble 
// by Cadiefly 
//------------------------------//

 The route back to home was scenic. All around, birds were melodiously chirping away. White and yellow flowers were in full bloom down a gravel path leading up to a small bridge overlooking a small stream. The stream, its sound of gentle splashing upon a rocky outcrop soothing to the ear, was flowing slowly towards a lake somewhere on the outskirts of Ponyville.

Diamond Tiara took notice of none of it. 

Her trek home was fraught with worry. There were no words that adequately described the myriad of emotion running through her as she carefully constructed the argument she would present that evening. It would take a high level of genius and intuitiveness to convince her mother of the advantages of having the cutie mark crusaders around. Despite the slim chances, she had to try.

Getting ponies to do what she wanted to do in the past had always been simple; this was easily the highest bar she had set for herself. It went against everything her mother stood for. A small part of her suddenly imagined her mother being away upon her return to the mansion. She would be able to put off the dreaded conversation for a few more hours. A few more hours before the end of her world. The end of her world at home, at any rate. 

Making it home from school in nearly record time, Diamond Tiara discovered in the form of a sticky note taped to the refrigerator that her mother was indeed still out and about somewhere in Ponyville. She should have been relieved to have a few more hours to construct her argument, but the extra time only served to hang her in suspense of her mother's response to her pleas. She could feel her confidence beginning to wane.

There was always the possibility that she could outright defy her mother's wishes and befriend the Cutie Mark Crusaders behind her back. It would be easier to stray away from the confrontation now and ignore the problem, hoping it never came back to haunt her.

The pink filly shook her head ruefully. She would eventually be found out and reprimanded for it. Her mother could possibly force her to stay away from them altogether, opting to have her home schooled or sent to a private institution. Silence was not a viable solution.

Making way to the second floor, Diamond Tiara came upon her butler, Humfrey, who busied himself with his daily routine. He was currently mopping their lounge with expertise. So focused on his chores was he that he did not notice the filly step inside. His attention was only broken by the sound of Diamond Tiara clearing her throat. 

"Welcome home, Miss Tiara. It is so good to see you. Have you had a pleasant day at school?" He asked amiably as he continued his chore. He dunked the head of his mop into a bucket of clean water, wrung out the excess fluid, and slapped the instrument back on the floor. His mouth firmly planted on its handle, he swung the mop across the floor and made quick work of any lingering residue.

"It was fine." She replied ambiguously. There was no sense in letting him worry over the troubles she had at school, not when she had it all under control already and there was nothing he could do about it. "Will mother be out for a while?"

Spitting the mop out into his hand, Humfrey set the cleaning utensil down and turned back to Diamond. "I believe she mentioned going out to the market for some supplies earlier. That was a while ago, so she should be back before long."

With a curt nod, Daimond muttered, "Thanks." Promptly leaving the butler to his task, Diamond returned to her room and closed the door behind her.

The room bore none of the clutter or damages that it had received the other day. One of their servants must have come in to clean it while she was out. At least she didn't have to deal with any broken glass.

In a single stride she reached her bedroom desk. On it was an array of brushes, beauty supplies, mirrors, and other miscellaneous objects; it served as her main area of preparation everyday before school. Diamond Tiara cleared off a portion of the desk and placed a notepad on it. After retrieving a pencil she began mouth-writing bullet points she wanted to cover in their discussion.

The list only took a few minutes to create. The pink filly set the pencil down after she was finished and scrutinized it for a moment while she waited for her mother's arrival. The list stated the following:

- I need friends to hang out with.
- There are no fillies left in Ponyville you would approve of.
- I should be able to befriend somepony regardless of status.

Frowning at the list, Diamond Tiara predicted her mother's reaction to this being sour, and she groaned in frustration and smacked her head against the desk with a resounding thud. The desk's contents bounced about an inch into the air before returning to their resting positions, some being knocked over onto their side.

Even while knowing this was not going to be a good enough argument to get through to her mother, she struggled to come up with more specific argument points that would align with her mother's wishes. The problem was the solution was so obviously simple, and the constraints weren't lenient enough for a compromise. 

Diamond Tiara tried to squash the sinking feeling of defeatism that crept up in her consciousness. She couldn't allow herself to give up just yet, not when she hadn't even tried.

The sound of somepony coming home broke her out of her reverie. Was her mother home? For the sake of getting this conversation over with, she had to check it out.

Getting up from her desk, Diamond Tiara made her way back out of her room and through the hall before reaching the flight of stairs. From her vantage point, she could make out not her mother, but her father instead, who had arrived early from work, presumably to work out some figures in his study.

When Filthy Rich took notice of his daughter, he called out to her. "Good evening, Princess. How was your day?" He loosened the tie around his neck and pulled it off to hang it atop of something akin to a coat rack. "I trust it went well."

"It was okay, daddy." The filly responded, deadpanned. She trotted down the stairs and up to him, giving him a quick hug. 

Sensing her uneasiness, Filthy said, "Uh oh. I don't like the sound of that. I know something's up when I hear that tone. What's wrong?" He wrapped a hoof around her comfortingly and stared down at her worriedly.

In stark contrast to the usual lack of contact that she was used to, the pink filly felt the loving care of her father's embrace. For a brief moment, it caused her to drop her guard and reveal her emotions, mixed as they were, to Filthy. "I can't... I... I need to talk to mother about it."

Considering her response, an unsure expression formed on Filthy's face. He let out a sigh as he said, "Alright, Princess. Come to me if you need to talk about it. I'll be up in my study." He released their embrace and he disappeared within the confines of his study, leaving Diamond Tiara to stand there in the living room, alone.

Another thirty minutes had passed before Spoiled Rich, her mother, came bursting through the front door, leading a procession of servants, all of whom were carting purchases from various shops. She had appeared disheveled, as if frustrated for some reason. Apparently, she was in an argumentative mood, for immediately upon entry, she began shouting energetic orders to the servants and reprimanding one when they accidentally dropped a bag.

Diamond Tiara had been sitting on their sofa in the living room, seeing no point in banging her head against wood in an attempt to come up with better talking points for this upcoming discussion. She would have to rely on her intuition this time. Granted, that's how she usually got others to do what she wanted, but somehow she felt this would be different.

Swallowing hard, she got down from the sofa and trotted over to her mother, being careful to stay out of servants' paths as they hurriedly carried this and that inside the mansion to various appropriate locations. This proved difficult to do, as the number of servants bringing in the purchases was staggering. Luckily, she was small and could squeeze in between them as needed. 

By the time she reached Spoiled, the servants had all dispersed deeper into the mansion, leaving the two to themselves. Spoiled was standing there, eyeing the retreating attendants and waiting for the return to take more. She didn't seem willing to do any lifting herself as she tapped her hoof on the floor impatiently.

It took Diamond several attempts to garner her mother's attention, who seemed more interested in her material possessions than her own daughter. When she did spot her daughter, she waved her off, as if to shoo her. "I can't be bothered right now. I am busy carrying this stuff inside." Proving otherwise, she stood there, still, with nothing in her hooves.

"I have something important I need to discuss with you, mother." Diamond said, trying to sound as authoritative as possible. It was imperative that she came across confident; otherwise she would never get anywhere.

Spoile's attention was immediately captured by the sound of her daughter's voice. Delivering the most blank stare she could muster, she said, "What is it this time?"

The breath she had been expecting in her lungs was nowhere to be found as the pink filly prepared to dive into possibly one of the most difficult deliberations in her life. She took air into her lungs and then exhaled, attempting to calm herself down. She looked right into her mother's eyes and said, "I'm going to befriend the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

Furling her brows in anger, Spoiled let out a disgusted gasp. She appeared ready to faint, but thankfully after processing the statement, she stood her ground firmly. The mare stomped the ground and yelled," I won't permit it. To think, you would venture to associate yourself with those ruffians. Now, if it was somepony of wealth, I might take it into consideration."

Glaring in frustration at the ridiculous notion, Diamond Tiara said, "There are no fillies here that's rich anymore, mother. I need a friend."

"Nonsense." Spoiled retorted. There was a hint of sadness to her expression as she circled her daughter. "A friend will only hurt you. The only things you need in this world are wealth, power, and fame."

"But none of that is making me happy. Silver's not here anymore, and I have no one to hang out with." With searching eyes, Diamond Tiara tried, and failed, to assess Spoiled's cold expression. If she empathized with her situation, she didn't convey it. "I'm not like you, mother!"

"Why, I never-," Spoiled began to protest, stopped mid-sentence in thought. A moment passed between them before a smile came to her lips. "I see I'll need to reteach you about the finer things in life."

Continuing to circle around her daughter, Spoiled made eye contact, placed a hoof over her own chest, and began to sing aloud.

My sweet child I am one,
Without any question,
Who cannot stand for fun from within our station,
Alone we must stand here,
Above all the others,
There is nothing to fear, you don't need to suffer,

"But I-," Diamond began to protest.

With one fore-hoof placed over the mare's daughter, Spoiled reeled the filly to her side and extended her other hoof before them and waved it across the air, pointing to all the riches the world had to offer.

[Chorus]
'Together we are fabulous,
And strong if we are serious,
Then we will both be glorious,
Wealthy, powerful, and famous!'

The declaration of strength made Diamond Tiara feel anything but powerful. All she could do was think of a miserable future in store for her. With eyes trailing downward, the filly whimpered. "But I need a friend."

The filly's mounting depression went unnoticed as Spoiled shook her head vigorously. The mare almost seemed in denial as she stooped to Diamond's level and placed a hoof on either side of her shoulder and stared right at her.

'My sweet child you must stop,
Cease this talk of friendship,
Now here is one more thought for you that might have slipped,
The others will hurt you,
Tear you apart and leave,
But there is still time to show the ace up our sleeve,'

Diamond was silent as she glared at the ground through a blurring vision. She choked back a sob; those very same words haunted her all over again. 'Friends will only hurt you.' It was a struggle to stay in place and not stomp out right this instant. Making her mother see reason was a losing fight.

Abruptly, a hoof raised her chin so that their eyes made contact. Spoiled wiped the falling tears from her face. A sickening smile grew on her face.

[Chorus]
'Together we are fabulous,
And strong if we are serious,
Then we will both be glorious,
Wealthy, powerful, and famous!'

As her mother's voice died away, Diamond let out a frustrated cry. "You're not even listening to me!" She didn't look back to see if the statement had any outward affect as she ran through the door and slammed it behind her.

Away from the mansion the pink filly went, destination unknown and negative thoughts clouding her mind.





Well over an hour had passed before Diamond Tiara found herself standing in front of the farmhouse at Sweet Apple Acres. With the sun setting, it must have been close to dinnertime, but food was the last thing to come to mind. Frustration and tiredness were her prevailing thoughts.

Pausing for a moment, she didn't fully comprehend her intensions, nor how to explain her unbecoming appearance, while she stood facing the door. Her eyes must have been bloodshot from all the crying, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

Wondering idly if they would allow her to spend the night, she knocked on the door and awaited for them to respond. Applejack was the one to answer, sticking her head out to greet whomever was 	. Immediately taking notice of her expression, she said, "Well howdy there. You must be one of my sister's classmates. Is somethin' the matter, sugarcube?" 

Attempting to pass off her unsightly appearance as being nothing more than a minor ordeal, Diamond waved her hoof down as she said, "What, this? Please, there's nothing wrong with me what-so-ever."

Aware of the obvious lie, Applejack rolled her eyes and stared disapprovingly at her. Expression soon shifting to one of compassion, the orange mare came up to her and patted her on the shoulder. There was a look of understanding in her eye as she said, "I don't rightly know what's upsettin' you, but I ain't about to ignore that look in your eyes. Come on in, you must be hungry. We were just beginnin' ta eat." 

Stepping back to make way for Diamond Tiara to come through, Applejack held the door open and bid her welcome into their abode. A warm smile broke through on the blonde-maned pony when she accepted her offer and walked inside nervously. She could hear the creak of the door being shut behind her.

Upon entering the Apple's dining area, the sweet aroma of apples bombarded her olfactory senses. Mouth watering and tumble grumbling, her depression was momentarily staved off in favor of partaking in the delicious meal they had set out before them. Finding herself being gently pushed towards them by Applejack, she was encouraged to make her way towards the rest of the Apple family.

From her seated position at the table, Apple Bloom noticed her presence. Hopping away from the table, the red-maned filly darted towards her. A duality of excitement and worry in her features, she tilted her head. "Diamond Tiara! What are you doin' here?" 

Nothing came to mind as she struggled to answer the question. Somehow the thought of telling the yellow-coated filly the real reason for her being there, among potentially eavesdropping ears, discomforted her. Even alone, she wasn't so sure she could bring herself to voice it. "Uhh..."

Sensing the discomfort in her voice, Applejack announced, "I think she wanted ta spend some time with us, so I invited her in ta have some dinner. Hopin' that's alright with you Granny."

"Sure thing dear.. Hoo wee, we got ourselves a guest Big Mac. Go get our spare dinin' chair. One of them fold out ones oughtta do." 

Big Mac nodded silently at Granny Smith's request and got up from his chair to retrieve said chair, disappearing for a moment behind a closet. Returning with the chair in mouth, he unfolded it before the table and placed a plate of some apple pot pie and a side of apple fritters in front of it before returning to his own meal.

Diamond hesitantly stepped up onto the chair and looked down at her food. Not sure what else to do besides enjoy the meal laid out before her. Before digging in, she mumbled, "Thanks...I guess." 

Situated next to her was Apple Bloom, who had just gotten back up onto her chair by the time she took a tentative bite. The other filly wasted no time in scarfing down her food. When she was done eating, she made a resounding swallowing noise and licked her lips appreciatively. "That was really tasty, Granny." She then turned back to her and said, "What do ya think?"

Having never had the pleasure of tasting Granny Smith's apple pot pie before, Diamond was elated to find its tender apple cuts, marinated in a cinnamon and garlic blend, practically melt in her mouth. When her mouth was clear of food particles, she responded chirpily, "It's delicious!" All thoughts of her mother faded away. 

Taking another bite, and then going back for another soon after, Diamond Tiara was surprised when it was all gone. Her hunger was more serious than she had first realized. 

After having finished her meal, she lifted her head to face the other ponies at the table. As they interacted, she could see the care they held for one another. Unshed tears welled up unbidden once more. Why couldn't her family be more like this, there for each other, even if only for small intervals at a time,  instead of off doing their own thing all the time. Maybe then her mother would listen.

Without so much as a word to the others, Diamond Tiara jumped up from her chair and made ready to leave, not wanting them to see her like this. The pink filly was spun around and pulled in for a hug before she made it very far. This close to her, she could feel the rumble of the owner's voice against her head. "I dunno why you're sad, but Ah ain't gonna let a friend of mine stay sad for long." 

Apple Bloom returned the look she gave her when she shifted her head. Diamond wasn't sure when she had started crying full-heartedly, but the extra squeeze around her was so comforting, she wouldn't pull away from the embrace for a long while. 





The sight of her daughter leaving the mansion was the last thing that Spoiled expected. Surely she would have thanked her for giving nothing but sound advice, and yet despite this, she had run away and left the mare in befuddlement. What possibly could she have said that would cause her to do such a thing? It was inconceivable to her that her little filly would have any outlook on life other than her own. It was plain to see that everyone in these cruel lands would stop at nothing to bring them down.

By the time she had worked this all out in her head, several of the servants had come back to retrieve the last of her purchases, each and every one of them very important. Another bag of particularly sensitive glassware was nearly dropped, and one item even fell and shattered on the ground. Spoiled should have punished her servant, tired as he was from the haul, for his clumsiness, but with other things on her mind, she hardly registered the damages.

When it became apparent that she would not shout at him, the attendant gave a quick sigh of relief and made haste to see that the rest of the possessions didn't get destroyed as well. He swiftly vanished into the kitchen.

Something about Diamond Tiara's reaction stuck in her mind, and everything she did to push it to the back of her mind failed. Vivid memories of her own childhood, full with its own depression and anxiety, were suddenly swirling around in her mind. Knowing what she knew now, she would have had a completely different reaction. Was her friend leaving Ponyville not the indication she needed that friends would only hurt her in the end?

A second opinion would clear all of her uncertainty; perhaps her husband, Filthy Rich, would be able to shed some light into the matter, and she would be able to squash the unsettling feeling that was creeping up on her. 

Stepping into study, Spoiled found her husband deeply engrossed in his work. His eyes poured through several sets of numbers as he vigorously mouth-wrote in calculations in the margins of his manuscript. Upon hearing the door open, his ear was raised by a fraction. Without glancing to the newcomer, he said with an amiable tone to his voice, "Yes?"

"Our daughter is gone. I'm not sure where she's gone off too, but our little talk didn't go as well as I thought it would." 

Putting his writing utensil down, Filthy turned to her. There was confusion in his expression as he asked, "Well, what did you two talk about?"

"She talked of making more friends. I don't understand. After all the times I've tried to tell her the truth, she still has the audacity to try to make friends with those hooligans!" Anger overcame her as she began to pace back and forth through the room. "I'm only trying to protect her!"

"Well... Maybe she doesn't see it like that?" Filthy asked, being reduced to a whimper as he prepared for another one of his wife's overzealous rants.

Snapping back at him with a glare, Spoiled stomped her hoof to the ground and vehemently said, "What? But this is the only way. It has to be this way!" She turned away from her husband, gripping at her heart as her ears drooped downward. "Her friends will only betray her ... just like Marge did." Her last words were barely a squeak, and tears were streaming down her face.

A hoof was placed on her shoulder, she turned back to see her husband nervously trying to comfort her. Beads of sweat dripping from his face, he said uncertainly, "Hey, that was a long time ago. And you were just fillies then. I don't think-"

"No!" Spoiled snarled with disgust. Disgust at herself for letting that event get to her after all this time. Marge didn't deserve any modicum of respect for breaking up their friendship all those years ago, regardless of the reason. "No matter how long it's been, I will never forgive her for what she did to me. Nothing you say will change that."

With a sigh of defeat, Filthy dropped his hoof to floor and frowned at her. "Sure thing. She was a monster." 

"She was a monster." Spoiled repeated before she left through the room, mixed emotions clouding her thoughts. The memories of darker times would haunt her for the rest of the evening, as they have every night since that fateful day.