It wasn’t that she hated herself. No, that wasn’t it. It was more like she hated what she had become. All that high society stuff, all that proper training(as her parents called it), it had broken her. And her parents didn’t. Even. Care. Diamond Tiara had nothing. Nobody. Sure, there had been Silver Spoon, but, of course, Diamond had scared her off. If it weren’t for those stupid Cutie Mark Crybabies...
Diamond slammed her hoof down and into a puddle, cringing as a wave of muddy water washed over her hooves. Diamond absolutely hated what she had become. Reaching up, the earth pony felt her hoof wrap around the tiara placed delicately atop her head, pulling it off forcefully and flinching as it pulled out a clump of hair.
Glaring down at the tiara, Diamond mentally cursed the object, ready to slam her hooves down on the piece of jewelry repeatedly in an attempt to shatter the hard stone. She cursed everything the tiara stood for. Diamond didn't even know what the damned thing meant. She had hated the object the second it touched her head and the cutie mark had appeared.
Sure, and ordinary filly would be thrilled to see a sparkly, shiny tiara appear on their flank, but Diamond had wanted to be special. Not just another brat who had a cutie mark indicating that she was what, rich? Her cutie mark was so stupid. Her destiny could go fuck itself for all she cared.
Diamond settled for throwing the tiara as hard as she could, hearing a satisfying-wait, there wasn't a noise. No satisfying 'plop'. Diamond glared upwards, trying to find the reason, when a pale yellow face obscured her view. A Cutie Mark Crybaby, Applebloom herself.
Diamond opened her mouth to protest, only to find that her throat was dry. Attempting to speak only resulted in a choked cry, and without warning, Diamond was sobbing. There. In the middle of the cobblestone street.
Normally she would have been embarrassed beyond belief, but right now all Diamond wanted was a shoulder to cry on. And there, right in front of her, she found one.
As her hooves wrapped around the warm pony before her, Diamond felt at peace. And as Applebloom's hooves enveloped her, Diamond felt something she thought she would never, ever, ever in a million years feel ever again. Comfort. Safety.
Diamond Tiara felt safe.
Diamond Tiara awoke, feeling wet, dirty, and warm. Cracking her eyes open, Diamond yawned and rose from her itchy bed. Rubbing her diamond blue eyes, the mare eyed her surroundings with suspicion. Ah, just as she suspected. Diamond was lying on a dirty, itchy haybale. In a dirty, stinky barn. In Sweet Apple Acres of all places.
She sorely hoped that she hadn't broken down in the middle of the street, because then Diamond was convinced that she would probably run away to Griffinstone and never come back.
Pulling herself off of the haybale, Diamond Tiara yawned again. However, she stopped cold when she noticed the grinning form ahead of her.
It was a rather attractive red stallion, with a lopsided goofy grin on his face. He was clearly amused at the sight of Diamond's messy mane, and she quickly brushed a few bits a straw out of her mane.
The stallion said nothing, only nodded to a door in the corner of the room. Diamond timidly made her way towards it, slowly trotting inside after him.
She was greeted by the scent of apples, apple fritters, apple pie, apple pancakes...Diamond breathed it in, moaning as she let the scent envelope her. Realizing her mistake, Diamond looked up at the laughing stallion. The laugh was loud, booming, and it made Diamond's face contort into a frown.
Trying her best to ignore him, Diamond trotted down the hall, rounding a corner only to be greeted by an even stronger chorus of apple scents. She followed the heavenly smell, rounding the corner and entering a tiled kitchen.
And there, surely to spite her, stood Applebloom, who was stacking pancakes onto a large plate. The young mare looked up at Diamond, grinning. "Great! Yer just in time fer breakfast. Now, praline or apple butter?"
Diamond was mostly confused, looking at Applebloom as if she had sprouted two heads. "Well?" Diamond shook her head, murmuring a quick answer.
"Apple butter."
Applebloom nodded, setting down the jar beside her plate of flapjacks. Diamond felt out of place, standing in this simple yet lively kitchen. Diamond had never even been in her own kitchen, as she had servants who cooked for her.
The earth pony watched Applebloom work, setting out other glass plates. Apart from the red stallion, Diamond didn't think that there was anyone else there at the moment, as it was eerily quiet-
"Applebloom! Ya made flapjacks!" Diamond's head snapped up at the southerner's voice, eyeing the orange pony that was carefully trotting down the staircase. She had a nice blonde mane, tied up with a red ribbon.
The mare glanced from Applebloom to Diamond, clearly satisfied. "Finally woke up, did ya? How 'bout ya help Applebloom finish up breakfast while I contact yer parents." Diamond nodded, hastily telling the mare that her parents were at a hotel in Canterlot and to just contact her butler.
When the mare had left the room, Diamond's ears pricked as she tried to pick out her words.
"Hey, Diamond. A little help, please?" Applebloom was grinning at her, holding a jar of apple butter. Diamond nodded, trotting over to the other earth pony. "There's a few more flapjacks on the oven, could ya grab 'em?"
Diamond grabbed a rag, pulling off the pan. Who could ever need this many pancakes? Diamond wondered, thinking about the few ponies in the household.
Applebloom seemed to read her mind, answering without skipping a beat. "Big Mac likes his flapjacks, and Granny has a big appetite for such an old pony."
Diamond nodded, bringing the pan over to Applebloom. "Hey, did ya lose yer voice?" Diamond gulped.
"Um, Applebloom? Why am I here?" Asked Diamond, hoof scuffing on the floor.
"Well, I found ya sittin' in the middle of the street, and I thought ya looked like ya needed some help. Turns out you had a mild cold from sittin' out there." Applebloom replied simply.
Come to think of it, she had been feeling a bit under the weather.
"Alright, we're done."
Applebloom picked up the plate and held it between her teeth, carefully carrying it to the dining room. Diamond carefully followed, eyeing Applebloom's toned muscles for not the first time.
As she sank into a seat, looking at the family as they ate. Diamond Tiara didn't feel comfortable here, didn't feel welcome.
Diamond felt herself mentally panic as the orange mare turned to look at her. "So, yer a friend of Applebloom's, eh?"
The pink pony didn't know what to say, sitting awkwardly.
"She's mah project partner, an' she needed somewhere to stay fer the night. She didn't feel happy at home." Applebloom interjected, winking at Diamond. "She was that bully ah told ya about, Applejack!"
Diamond mentally cursed Applebloom, taking a bite of her own flapjack. Diamond felt herself squeak in pleasure, feeling the taste of the flapjack slathered in apple butter flood into her mouth.
Applejack clearly looked like she had several questions, but held them off as she grinned. "Alright, Diamond Tiara, was it? You two finish yer flapjacks so ya can finish yer project."
Diamond took another bite, wondering how Applejack had bought that. "Oh, yeah. We don't have much to go." Applebloom muttered.
"Ah, I understand." Applejack winked at Big Mac, grinning. I'm so stupid, she obviously didn't buy it.
"So, yer workin' on a project about what, exactly?" Asked the green elderly pony that Diamond had hardly noticed.
Applebloom quickly answered. "Ah, well, Granny, it's a project about durable materials." Diamond Tiara nodded vigorously, taking another bite and pushing her flapjacks away.
"So, yer sure yer okay?" Asked Applebloom again, pacing and casting glances at Diamond's stationary form.
"Yeah," Diamond nodded, "I'm fine." She sat awkwardly, playing with her hooves.
Applebloom trotted over to her bedside table, pulling open a drawer. "Here ya go." She muttered, dropping Diamond's tiara on the cushy bed.
And all of a sudden, Diamond began to babble. She began to tell Applebloom all her feelings, words flowing from her vile mouth-
Diamond was cut off, feeling a pair of warm lips press against her own. She was too stunned to kiss back, sitting and hardly daring to move as Applebloom kissed her.
"There. To shut ya up. Ah know that yer gonna be mad at me if ya remember that ya told me alla' that tomorrow." And with that, Applebloom ushered Diamond out of the room.
Oh, sweet mother of Celestia.