After Apple Bloom finished cleaning up Diamond's and Silver's mess, she quickly went to the upper level of the mall to search for her missing friend. She tried to call and text Diamond earlier, but received no response, which made Apple Bloom more worried. Without a cell phone, it was usually impossible to find someone in the mall due to the massive size of a building, which was almost the equivalent of a city. But Apple Bloom decided to head over to a certain area of the mall and hoped that her friend will be there.
Thankfully, her hunch was right when she immediately spotted her friend who was sitting alone by the counter in an ice cream pub. Apple Bloom frowned as she watched Diamond Tiara eating her ice cream from a very large paper bowl with mascara running down her cheeks due to her tears. Apple Bloom had a feeling that Silver's words really affected Diamond greatly and felt terrible bout it since. Wanting to help her friend, Apple Bloom entered the pub and then gently approached Diamond.
"Diamond?" Apple Bloom spoke softly.
Hearing Apple Bloom, Diamond quickly wiped her face vigorously with her sleeve before facing her. "Oh... h-hey Apple Bloom. I-I'm sorry I ran off like that!"
Despite that she was forced to clean up Diamond's mess from earlier, Apple Bloom flashed her gently smile before taking her seat. "It's no biggie Diamond. Ah'm just glad Ah found ya!"
Diamond sniffed. "H-how did you find me?"
Apple Bloom shrugged. "Well... Ah'll admit, it was a wild guess, but Ah knew that you come here because this was yer favorite spot, even when we were younger."
"Y-yeah," said Diamond with a whimsical smile on her face. "My daddy used to take me here whenever he had time off, just to spend time with me... even if it was only a few hours. I would... often ordered as many scoops of ice cream as I can for my cone. I'm sure my daddy's bill was pretty high from all those scoops, but he doesn't care as long as I'm happy."
Apple Bloom nodded with a smile of her own. "Do ya remember how we first met?"
"Yeah and I'll never forget it!" Diamond answered with a chuckle. "It was another day like that with my daddy. But unlike the usual, he told me that he's meeting his business partner there while we're having ice cream. I was annoyed with him that he brought work to our bonding time again, but I also didn't care since I'll be getting ice cream anyway."
"Little did you know that it was mah Granny he was meeting with!" Apple Bloom added. "And she brought me with her, except she told me that she's having a friendly chat with an old friend while Ah can hang out with his daughter as her playdate."
"Y-yeah..." Diamond responded with a sudden frown and a hint of regret from her eyes. "We didn't get along to the point that I knocked your ice cream cone from your hand to the floor and made you cry. My daddy was so mad at me that he made me apologize to you and then punished me by not having any more deserts for a month! Needless to say... I resented you for getting me in trouble at the time, so I decided to name you as my 'enemy'." She then bowed her head in shame. "I must have been so awful to you that you must have hated me since then."
Apple Bloom shook her head. "Ah never hated you Diamond!" said Apple Bloom. "Sure, parts of me was still sore about the things you've done to me and mah f-" Realizing what she was going to say, Apple Bloom quickly corrected herself. "Ah mean... other classmates... I could never bring mahself to hate you!"
Diamond slowly looked up and turned towards Apple Bloom with a serious expression. "Would you hate me if I'm as bad as Sunset?"
Apple Bloom was taken aback by Diamond's question. "What about her?" Apple Bloom asked with a somewhat hard tone. "You're nothing like her!"
"Maybe in some cases like suddenly turned into a She-Demon, but she and I are actually alike!" Diamond pointed out before taking another bite of her ice cream. "I bullied everyone, I used cunning tricks to get ahead of my enemies, I even blackmailed a few just to have my way! But the worse of it was... I looked to Sunset as my idol! Despite all the horrible things she had done, I wanted to be big and untouchable just like her."
Apple Bloom wasn't surprised by this revelation, considering that Diamond used to be a bully herself. She now had another reason why Shimmer should be stopped. With Shimmer out of the picture, she won't influence anyone to do mean things like her again!
"Well... Ah guess she's no longer your idol after the Fall Formal right? Especially now that she made many pathetic attempts to change her ways," Apple Bloom said with a chuckle as if it was a joke.
Diamond looked down. "Actually, what she was doing now... made me admired her even more!"
Apple Bloom widened her eyes in shock. "Huh!?"
Diamond took another bite of her ice cream and sighed. "Sure, I was upset at first that she just threw all that power away just to make friends with people who was beneath her. But after watching her for a while... she actually turned herself around and become a better person despite all the hardships she had to get through." She then smiled. "And when I saw her looking so happy when she hanged out with the Rainbooms, she actually... inspired me. So when you gave me an offer to start over after you three helped me with my... "problem", I decided to accept it and turn over a new leaf... just like her."
Apple Bloom barely kept her jaw from dropping onto the table. All this time, the very reason why Diamond decided to turn over a new leaf and become a her friend, was because of Shimmer of all people. The very girl that Apple Bloom despite so much, turned out to be a positive influence to Diamond? Apple Bloom couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Ya mean... you decided to be nice me... and everyone around you... all because of her?" Apple Bloom asked with disbelief.
Diamond grinned. "Well... not everything from her. You three helped set me straight big time and I owe you guys for that, but seeing her also owning up to her mistakes and becoming a better person, gives me the final push to step out of my mother's shadow and become the person I wanna be. And things went well for me!" Diamond's then frowned and let out a deep sigh. "But then... when Anon-a-Miss showed up and people believing it was Sunset, people were starting to doubt if people changed. So naturally, everyone doubted that I changed too... including my best friend."
Apple Bloom stared at Diamond as if she just grew a second head. "WAT!? That's crazy! You have changed!"
"Am I?" Diamond challenged. "I knew that Silver wanted this necklace so badly and I knew that she worked hard to get this! And yet... I got it before she has the chance to buy it!"
Apple Bloom eyes were now as wide as dinner plates. "So the things Silver had said was true?! Did... did ya knew that it once belonged to her grandmother's?"
"NO! I didn't know that it was her grandmother's, I swear!" Diamond exclaimed, upset from her friend's assumption. After receiving an apologetic expression from Apple Bloom, Diamond looked down with a miserable look on her face. "But even so... I still kept it for myself."
Apple Bloom frowned, still felt confused. "But I don't get it! Why did you buy that necklace even though your friend wanted it?"
Diamond closed her eyes. "Actually... my mother bought it for me."
"Your mother!?" Apple Bloom cried in shock. "How was she involved?"
Diamond sighed. "It's like this..."
It was another boring day at the pawn shop. No customers were around or cared enough to show up to browse or buy whatever junk they have to offer. It was so dull and boring, even the person behind the register was napping with his one arm keeping is head up. That all changed when the bell rang after the store entrance opened, awaking the register person in the process. Immediately, a tall proud woman with long purple hair wearing a golden necklace, a blue dress shirt and a long blue skirt walked into the store with her nose up. That woman was none other than Spoiled Rich, Filthy Rich's wife and Diamond's mother. Following behind her was Diamond Tiara with an annoyed expression on her face, looking around the store with disgust.
"I don't get it mother, why are we here?" Diamond huffed.
Spoiled turned to her daughter with a mocked shocked expression. "Why Diamond, you mean that I, your mother, can't come in here and buy a birthday present for my dear daughter?"
"...my birthday was three months ago!" Diamond deadpanned.
"Details, details!" Spoiled waved off her daughter. "Anyway, even though this store doesn't match my... taste, it is perfect to get you something that has the finest and cheapest things to buy!"
"Gee... thanks mother," said Diamond in a sarcastic tone.
Spoiled looked around the store with judgemental eyes, scanning one item after another. Her eyes lit up the moment her eyes landed on the very item she was looking for.
"Oooh! This one is perfect!"
Diamond turned where her mother was looking and her eyes widened in shock. There, underneath the glass dome was a beautiful silver necklace with a blue sapphire gen in the center. It looked like it has been around for a long time judging from a few marks and maybe a small scratch, and yet it looked brand new! It was so shinny, it nearly blinded her due to the light which was reflected from the ceiling lights. Diamond attitude would've changed drastically and love the idea of her mother buying that necklace just for her, except for one crucial detail of this familiar necklace that she hesitated the idea to suggest her mother to buy it right away.
"Mom, that necklace... it's–"
"The loveliest necklace you've ever seen?" Spoiled cut in with an eager smile of her own. "Oh I knew you'll agree with me! And the price for it is doable... but I think I can fine a way to convince the clerk to make it more manageable."
Just as Spoiled made her way to the register in intent to buy the necklace, Diamond spoke up.
"But Mother... I can't have this necklace!"
Spoiled stopped in her tracks and turned to her daughter with a surprised yet questionable look. "And why not?"
Diamond gulped and answered meekly. "My... best friend wanted that necklace."
Spoiled raised her eyebrow. "Well if she wanted it, then why didn't she buy it?"
"Because her parents made her get a job and chores to make her own money," Diamond replied in defense for her best friend. "She... said something about building character and... learning about honest work."
Spoiled let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head. "Making their own rich daughter work? Where is this world coming to?" She then turned fully around and gave Diamond her stern expression. "Well it looks like it's her lost and your gain. We're getting this necklace!"
"But mom–"
Spoiled glare intensely, silencing Diamond's protests. Spoiled then spoke up with a low no nonsense voice.
"Listen here Diamond, we're living in a dog eat dog world! We Riches have to be on top for our social status and we must do whatever we can to make ourselves look the best and get ahead of our competitors... including from your best friend. Remember that!"
"So typically... I believed her. I knew it wasn't right to take what my best friend wanted, but I ignored my guilt and have to wear this proudly like it was a trophy as mother instructed," she concluded with a look of regret on her face. "But if I have known that it was once belong to Silver's grandmother... I could have give that necklace to her in a heartbeat... reformed or not!"
"But it was not your fault," said Apple Bloom. "You didn't know better because you have been misguided by your mother and she was teaching you the wrong things about being your own person!"
Diamond shook her head. "Even without my mother's involvement or not knowing that the necklace once belonged to Silver's grandmother... that was still no excuse. I should have refused that necklace or just give it to Silver afterwords! But instead... I kept it, like a selfish rich snob I am. And on top of that... the necklace was destroyed because of my actions!" She looked down with a sniff. "Some friend I was!"
Apple Bloom hated seeing her friend for sad and beating herself up from her past actions. In attempt to cheer her up, Apple Bloom placed her hand on Diamond's shoulder, which caught the latter's attention.
"Diamond... believe me when Ah say this, you are not the same person you once were a few months ago! You felt bad for everything you did and you made up to the people you've wronged! Heck, the fact that you felt guilty about keeping your best friend's necklace right now proves that you've have changed for the better!"
"...Apple Bloom," Diamond breathed in awe. She sniffed again while trying to wipe her one side of her face with her sleeve to prevent herself from crying again. "That really means a lot coming from you!" She frowned sadly. "But that doesn't change how the others saw me, even my best friend."
"Ah'm sure if you explained this and apologized to Silver, she'll forgive ya!" Apple Bloom suggested.
"Sunset apologized to everyone but people still hated her!" Diamond pointed out. "And now they blamed her as Anon-a-Miss!"
Apple Bloom inwardly groaned, annoyed from the mention of a certain bacon-haired girl. "Shimmer's different! Of course she's-"
"Don't tell me you've bought that garbage too!" Diamond growled aggressively, surprising Apple Bloom from Diamond's sudden one-eighty from her emotions! "Was it because of her silhouette online? I know the old Sunset was cunning and used to do bad things behind the scenes without having anything traced back to her, but she would never do something this slippery to make people think it was her! The people who bought that were either too stupid or used this opportunity against Sunset all because they still have a grudge against her!" Her eyes then narrowed at Apple Bloom. "What about you Apple Bloom? Are you really that stupid to believe that Sunset was Anon-a-Miss... or did you have some kind of a grudge against Sunset?"
Apple Bloom suddenly felt uncomfortable for being put on the spot. She can't tell Diamond that she's Anon-a-Miss or else she'll be madder than she was already. Apple Bloom desperately tried to come up with a excuse to put the blame on Shimmer.
"W-well she... she used to bully mah sister," Apple Bloom reasoned.
Diamond stared at Apple Bloom for a whole minute before shrugging. "Well okay, I guess I'll give you that! I can understand why you were so quick on thinking it was Sunset."
Apple Bloom sighed in relief, glad that she got herself off the hook. But her relief was short lived when Diamond was suddenly in her face again.
"But had she done anything else bad against you or your sister?"
Realizing that she was not completely off the hook, Apple Bloom tried to come up with a reason again. "She... made Applejack spend more time with her!" Than me! she added internally.
Diamond raised an brow. "Did she really forced your sister to spend time with her or did your sister chose to spend with her? Need I remind you, your sister spent a lot of time with the other Rainbooms, how was this any different?"
Apple Bloom began to sweat as she desperately trying come up with another reason profusely. "Well... Shimmer could've secretly biding her time.. and then take out mah sister and her friends as revenge fer stopping her during the Fall Formal!"
Diamond turned away while she appeared to be in deep thought. "Hmm... I suppose she could have. If the old me was in her shoes, I would feel bitter and angry enough to come up a way to get back at you three for stopping me from taking over the school and another dimension where that princess lived too!"
Apple Bloom stared at Diamond's sudden attitude with her confused expression, wondering what brought this on. She was about to comment about it but Diamond continued.
"I mean, if I really wanted revenge, I guess I shouldn't have decided to befriend you three, despite now that everyone in the school feared and hated me. But then again... I guess you could argue that by befriending you and your friends, it would've given me the opportunity to learn more about you three, especially your "weaknesses" so that I could use them to my advantage. I could let your specific "weakness" slip to another student about you anytime, letting the rumors grow. I could expose your secrets as soon as I heard about it within a week or two, as opposed to months afterwards. Heck, I could've teamed up with those Dazzling girls and helped them take over the school and the world, while taking you three down as a bonus! I could've done all those things... but I didn't." She sighed sadly. "I knew that if I did... nothing good to gain from all of this. People will continue to look at me with great hatred, I'll lose my best friend, no one wanted to have anything to do with me and I'll be alone for the rest of my life... just like my mother."
Apple Bloom stared at her friend in shock. What Diamond just said about the things she'll do if she was still a bully terrified her, but at the same time, it all sounded too extreme and ridiculous. Diamond may have been a mean person back then, but even Apple Bloom knew that Diamond wouldn't be cruel enough to get back at her and her friends. Plus, she can't stand seeing her friend berating herself up for her past mistakes and thinking of becoming a heartless person like her mother.
"Diamond... none of those things you said are true! You're not that kind of person anymore! That would never happen!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, trying to cheer her friend up.
Diamond turned back to face Apple Bloom with an unconvinced expression. "Well... maybe it could've if I continued to go down that dark path without you three! And I'm sure it would happen the same way with Sunset too if she never decided to let those girls befriend her!"
Apple Bloom blinked in surprise. Was this Diamond's way of using herself as an example and list off those so-called "revenge" ideas she would use against the CMCs after being friends for so long with no benefits in doing so afterwords... was just to prove a point how ridiculous Apple Bloom's thoughts were about Shimmer? Before she could spoke up, Diamond leaned closer to her with narrowed eyes.
"Whether you agree with me or not... I still believe she's innocent, despite what others think!"
She sighed as she backed away from Apple Bloom and looked down with a sad expression. "But then again, if people are so quick to blame Sunset easily despite all the efforts she did to change, then what does it say about me? I guess your past will forever hunt you no matter what you did to show others that you're not the same bully anymore. It just makes me wonder... if I should even bother trying."
As Diamond continued to look down dejectedly, Apple Bloom stared at Diamond with a guilt expression. She had no idea how much this affect her rich friend. While she and her friends played their part to help Diamond, it was Shimmer who influenced Diamond to become a better person and part of their group, as much as Apple Bloom hated to admit it. But because of her actions, Apple Bloom inadvertently caused Diamond to doubt herself and potentially broke up her longtime friendship with Silver. Then she thought about all the other things that happened around her because of Anon-a-Miss. Everyone become embarrassed and upset because their secrets were out, they all fought and blamed each other, breaking off friendships left and right, Shimmer was marked as the culprit and suffered for it, her sister and the Rainbooms were miserable, and her two best friends left her... after she herself used and hurt them. She did all of this chaos... was just to get her sister back.
With everything that happened as Anon-a-Miss, only one question came to Apple Bloom's mind.
Was this all really worth it?