//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Diamond in the Rough // by MorningGlory //------------------------------// The day was shining brightly and Diamond Tiara felt positive. Today was her last and only chance to dole out the letters she had written for hours the night before. She was certain some reactions would leave her in tears and others would leave her unsure of how to respond. She was prepared yet not. After all, how can one ever prepare for a reaction they don't know will happen? Regardless, she walked into the school with a purpose in every step. Fortunately, it was before school would begin and she began slowly putting each letter in the desks of her classmates respectively, smiling gleefully to herself. She hadn't felt so happy about a plan in years. And this time, it was beneficial to all parties instead of just herself. The last letter she put up was for her teacher with a big, red apple she bought from Applejack the day before. Then she settled back into her desk with a minute to spare before the others began filling in and chattering, some happily going to her side and one lone mare sticking to the edge of the class room. After ten minutes of casual conversation, Cherilee came in and called the class to order. Before the last lesson they would learn began, Diamond stood up. "Miss Cherilee? May I speak to the class?" Although befuddled and slightly amused, the older mare nodded. "Of course, dear. The floor is all yours," she said cheerfully, waving her hoof to the front of the class as she settled to her desk, unaware of the letter and treat on it. Diamond took a deep breath before she stood at the front of the class. "As you all know, this is our last day of class forever. Tomorrow we start our new lives as mares and stallions and we've grown a lot together. Because of that, I have myself carpal hoof last night writing every letter you will see on your desk. I saw a lot of confused looks but I ask you not to open them just yet." Murmurs of confusion surrounded the class as she took a breath before continuing. "I've done something to each and every one of you that I deeply, deeply regret. And this is my final apology. Everypony, you may now open your letters one at a time, beginning with Scoot and ending with Twist. Then Miss Cherilee? I want yours to be the very last, if you please," she added respectfully, getting a nod from her teacher. She waited in what seemed like a soundless bubble as she watched Scootaloo open the letter. As her eyes ran over the paper, Diamond saw flickers of emotion run through them. Soon, Scoot was flying up to the front of the class and hugging her wordlessly. She hardly saw Silver Spoon open her own letter respectfully. And it continued on that way, with her friends hugging her tightly or crying from the touching letters. The only one who did not seem to respond was Silver Spoon. Even Babs had come forth and hugged Diamond- albeit quickly- and thanked her for the heartfelt apology. Diamond began to feel nervous, wondering what her former best friend was thinking. The gray mare had a stone face and was only looking out the window, but the letter was not thrown aside like trash. It almost looked as though she was contemplating it. An hour passed after the initial opening and many "congratulations" were flying around after Snips read his letter and had ran up to the front of the room and pulled Diamond into a tight hug and kiss, causing their teacher to shed some tears- though she brushed it off as something being in her eye. Yet still, Silver Spoon was the only one who didn't react. By the end of the day, the class left on a happy note. Diamond Tiara let her new fiance and friends leave and remained behind. Silver Spoon was slowly packing up, stone face still there and no expression readable. Diamond walked up to the other mare and took a breath. "Silv-" "Just... Don't." The voice that came out from that stone face was like a mewling kitten, and Diamond realized that Silver was fighting her emotions all day. "You've got a ton more ponies waiting for you who clearly have made your life better than I have. So why bother?" Diamond frowned. "Silver... I never said anypony made my life better than anypony else. All of you made my life so special in different ways, but that doesn't mean one was better than the rest. You were there for the majority of my life so of course I still love you and I always will. You're the sister I never had! But that doesn't make what we did right." The ice began to break and Silver stood there, stunned. Diamond continued before the ice would freeze back up again. "We hurt so many ponies with our behavior and we can never properly excuse it. I moved on from that and found out that a lot of the ponies we bullied became amazing friends. I don't want you to be alone. I don't want anypony to be alone like I was after mom died. So for once, stop being so bucking stubborn and just hug me and be my friend again." By the end of her plea, Diamond's eyes were full of tears. The iceberg began to melt and Silver Spoon burst into sobs as the mares hugged one another tightly. After years of cruelty and terror, they both had finally allowed adulthood to take over and their bias had died away. Cherilee watched from the doorway and thanked Celestia for the heartmelting sight in her classroom. Diamonds were made from coal with a lot of shaping, and it seemed that the little tiara had become the brightest diamond in her class.