Diamond Tiara gritted her teeth in disgust as she stared at the phone in her hand. On its screen, a video played showing three girls -- one orange, one yellow, and one white -- singing their hearts out.
She rolled her eyes. Ugh. These girls. These three, dumb girls, making her life a living annoyance factory with their dumb, dumb, get-famous-quick schemes. They pulled something like this every week.
Normally, Diamond could ignore them. This week, she couldn't. Normally, they were only a terrible sight to look at. This week, they were a burden on her ears, too.
And they'd put it all online.
Now the entire world would have to share in Diamond's pain. Had they no shame? "Why do you babies keep doing this?" she said, annoyed.
"Gimme my phone back!" one of the trio cried in reply. Apple Bloom grabbed for the phone in Diamond's hand -- a phone with a prominent picture of an apple as its wallpaper, and a stylized star engraved on the back. "T'ain't yours! And we're not babies, either! We're formin' our own singing group!" Apple Bloom puffed herself up. "The Cutely-Marked Crusaders!"
"The only thing you're forming is noise pollution! Do you hear this? Do you hear yourselves?"
Diamond turned the phone to its maximum volume and held it high above their heads. Waves of well-intentioned, but ultimately grating high-pitched screeching echoed throughout Canterlot High School's acoustics-friendly halls. Several students looked their way. Some held their ears. Others sounded verbal complaints.
Diamond kept it up for ten full seconds, turning the phone's display every which way so that everyone got a clear look at the true reason for the noise. She then lowered it and muted the sound, exhaling once she did so.
"The people have spoken," she said with a satisfied smile. "Baby singing coming from a bunch of babies who don't know when to stop squealing like their mommies abandoned them!"
"Yeah, you'd know all about that, huh," Scootaloo muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" Diamond said, stepping directly in front of Scootaloo. "You feel like saying that to my face?"
"Stop!" Sweetie Belle rushed between the two, and thrust her arms out to both sides. "Diamond, haven't you ever wondered what you could be in life? Haven't you ever had a dream?"
Diamond looked Sweetie Belle's way and scoffed.
"The answer to both of those questions is, 'none of your business'. Now if you'll excuse me, as Princess of this school, I have a duty to defend it from nuisances like you!"
Apple Bloom threw up her hands. "Not again with the 'nuisance' stuff! Seriously, what did we ever do to you?"
Diamond turned her head sharply towards Apple Bloom. She started in on her, causing Apple Bloom to back away with every step.
"Let's see: all this time and you still don't know your place, and you keep embarrassing yourselves with stunts like this," Diamond said, pointing to the phone in her left hand. "And then you have the nerve to play dumb about it?"
She looked at all three Cutely-Marked Crusaders with disdain, then tossed Apple Bloom's phone to two young boys who had been flanking her the entire time.
"Snips! Snails! Make sure this stays outta their grubby little paws for as long as possible! I'm going to class."
"You got it!" Snips said. "Boo-yah! Keep-Away Champs of Canterlot!" Snips threw the phone to Snails, who tossed it back, sailing it high above the girls' heads.
"Give it back! Come on, give it!" Apple Bloom darted back and forth, trying to catch the phone, but the two boys easily lived up to Snips's claim. The phone spent of much of its time airborne as it was tossed between the troublemakers. It might have done so until next period, had someone else not caught it.
All present turned.
An orange upperclassman met their stares. Her bright red and yellow hair gave off a glare under the school's florescent lights, and directly contrasted with her black leather jacket. Only one girl in all of Canterlot High's student body dared to sport that look, and all present knew better than to try and question her about it.
"Sunset Shimmer?" Diamond Tiara was the only one of them brave enough -- or for that matter, allowed -- to look her in the eye. "What are you doing here?"
Sunset gave a dismissive scoff. "Hey, Princess," she said, with an edge in her voice that made Diamond wince. "First off, this is my school. I can go anywhere I please." She put out her hand and examined her nails, a bored look on her face. "Or have you forgotten?"
"R-right," Diamond said. "Sorry. But seriously, what do you want? You don't usually come down to my part of the playground anymore. If you get me."
"I don't," Sunset said, "except when I need something from it. Like now." She pointed to Snips and Snails. "I need to borrow them."
"W-what, those two clunkers?" Diamond crinkled her nose.
"Those two clunkers," Sunset singsonged. "Pretty please?"
Diamond looked at them. "Why my guys? Can't you just snap your fingers and get any boy in this school?"
"Well, yes, but I need a couple of little guys who can sneak around and fit into places. I also need a couple of kids who can follow orders without trying to be smart about it." She pointed to Snips and Snails with a snicker. "And for that second part? They just don't make 'em like those two."
Diamond said nothing. She watched Snips and Snails play a round of rock-paper-scissors, and accidentally punch one another.
Sunset noticed Diamond's silence, and her expression soured. "Something the matter, Princess? Your Queen's asking you a favor! Time's money, and stuff."
Diamond trembled. Her eyes were closed and her fist clenched as she ached desperately to speak her mind.
She squelched it, just like always. The time still wasn't right. "Snips! Snails!"
The two boys stopped their horseplay and instantly rushed in front of her. "Yes, Princess Diamond?" Snips said.
Diamond relaxed a bit upon hearing him address her. "Come on, boys. Queen Sunset's got a job for you."
The two boys looked at the Queen of Canterlot High. "Sunset, huh?" Snails said. "I dunno. What's in it for us?"
"Y-yeah," Snails echoed. "What's in it for us?"
Sunset balled a fist. "Me not giving you a knuckle sandwich?"
"Are you kidding?" Snails's expression became wistful as he placed his hands against his cheek. "The feel of Queen Sunset's lovely fist against my cheek is something I've dreamed about for ages-"
"Liking the sound of that too, actually," Snips said.
"I said stop!" Sunset gritted her teeth amidst the snickering of the two boys. "Fine. You wanna get punched so bad? You've got yourself a deal. But only after I'm done using you." She tossed the phone back to Apple Bloom. "Freebie today, kids. Just this once. Now scram!"
The would-be Cutely-Marked Crusaders did just that as Snips and Snails followed Sunset in another direction. Diamond looked around and found herself alone in the hallway aside from a few passersby.
She backed against the locker, giving a long, deflating sigh. Just great. Now she was going to have to spend who knew how long without her entourage.
Stupid Sunset. Why couldn't she have just been happy lording over the older students? Why did she have to have everything?
She huffed. Well, at least the pain and terrible noises were over. It was time to go to homeroom anyway.
She turned, and a dull thunk sounded as her skull crashed against someone else's.
At that exact, painful moment, she officially regretted ever getting out of bed that morning.
---
"Tiara Turnabout"
A My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Fanfiction
Chapter 1: "History"
Bookish Delight, 2014. MLP:EG belongs to Hasbro.
---
"Ow!" Diamond said, rubbing her head. Once the world stopped spinning, she struggled to rise to a sitting position. "You stupid jerk! Why don't you watch where you're going?"
"Me?" Diamond heard another girl's voice reply. "You're the one who wasn't looking!"
The pain in Diamond's head was gone, replaced by the heat of indignance. She looked up and stared at the girl in front of her. "Are you questioning my word on what happened?"
The girl put her hands on her hips, and glared right back down at Diamond. "No! I'm denying it! Watch where you're going!"
Diamond let out an overlong gasp. "You little..." Her day was already going badly enough -- she didn't need some disrespectful klutz making things worse! "Just who do you think you are?"
The girl opened her mouth, then hesitated. She closed her mouth, took a few deep breaths, then gave a long sigh. Finally, she gathered the books which had been strewn about when the two had collided, and put them neatly in two stacks -- one each beside their owners. She then stretched an open hand out towards Diamond.
"Someone who really isn't a fan of shouting matches," she said. "Especially when my ears are already ringing. Look, it doesn't matter who's fault it was. I'm sorry for bumping into you."
Finally, some respect. This was more like it.
Diamond hesitated, then took the girl's offered hand and allowed herself to be helped up. She wiped and straightened her dress, picked up her books, and took a good look at her assailant. Courteous or not, she would have to be taught a lesson. First from from Snips and Snails, and then probably even Daddy-
Wait.
"You... look kind of familiar," Diamond said after studying the other girl. "I think my daddy knows someone who looks like you."
"That's funny," the other girl said, wearing the same quizzical look. "I was about to say the same thing."
"All right," Diamond said, "you first. What's his name?"
The other girl clutched her books to her chest. She looked about Diamond's age, but with gray skin that gave a soft sheen when viewed from just the right angle. The blue glasses she wore only enhanced the aesthetic.
Sadly, Diamond couldn't say the same about the rest of her ensemble. Solid pink skirt and lavender blouse? Ultra-basic. Braided ponytail? Diamond had stopped wearing those after grade school. Still, she could get behind the pearl necklace and cute spoon charm.
The clothes could be changed -- and they would if Diamond had any say in the matter -- but at least this girl knew how to accessorize from the word go. It wasn't hard to believe that she didn't get out much, but potential was there nonetheless.
"My father's name is Stainless Sterling," the girl said.
Diamond gasped and pointed at the girl. "Of the Sterling Estate? That means you're his daughter! Uh, Sterling... something?" She put her hand to her chin. "Sterling Spork?"
The girl blushed. "Silver Spoon."
"R-Right! I knew that. The Sterling Estate's next to ours, you know. 'Course, 'next to' still means a few miles away," she said, with a triumphant chuckle.
"Then that means..." Silver Spoon gasped and pointed back at Diamond. "You're the daughter of the Riches! Diamond Tiara, right? I've heard so much about you! I'm glad I could finally meet you."
For a second, Diamond's prideful air disappeared. "You... you are?"
Silver nodded. "Daddy speaks the world of you."
"Forget your dad," Diamond said. "Why didn't you ever try to visit? Or come with your dad whenever he came to my place?"
"I..." Silver took a breath. "I'm not really used to being around other people. Up until yesterday, there wasn't much reason for me to leave my estate's grounds. Homeschooling does that do you. I knew where you were, but I never knew what you looked like, so I guess... I was a little af-..."
Silver stopped, then straightened her posture and adjusted her glasses. "Long story short, things got in the way. Still, I learned you were attending this school, so I asked to do the same," she finished in a firmer voice.
Diamond's confident look was back. She ran her fingers across the side of her hair, flipping the outer locks. "All because of me, huh?"
Silver shrugged. "Well, I needed a school to attend anyway. This was the closest, and I was getting tired of the whole shut-in home-schooled thing." She clutched her books tighter and sighed. "You know what it's like, right? Alone for miles around, with absolutely no one to talk to outside of tutors and the help..."
Diamond sighed back. "Boy, do I ever. Fine, I guess it's nice to meet you. But to be worthy of breathing my air, you need to do more than just live next door." She turned and took a few steps down the hallway. "Walk with me."
Silver raised her eyebrows. "W-what?"
Diamond turned back around and snapped her fingers. "What, are you deaf? I said walk with me. Since you're new, you need to know how this school works, and why there's only one Princess in it."
"Princess?" Silver rushed to catch up. The school bell rang, sending post-homeroom students spilling into the halls. Diamond silently pouted. She'd have to let Miss Cheerilee know that things had gotten in the way of her being on time. Fortunately, she had the perfect excuse walking right beside her.
"Princess." Diamond continued to walk, head held high and eyes half-closed. "As in, the girl who stands at the top of everything. When it comes to the junior grades, anyway."
"Uh-huh," Silver said, keeping pace. "And I take it that's you?"
"You better believe it, sister." Diamond gave a grandiose wave of her hand, in a gesture that spanned the school's halls. "And as Princess, the rules of this school don't affect--ow!" Diamond's hand slammed into a passing violet-skinned girl, knocking her to the floor.
Diamond and Silver kept walking. The latter looked back.
"You... seem to be awfully good at the whole 'bumping into people' thing."
"Nah. People are just bad at standing up for themselves," Diamond said. "She looked like one of the nerds, anyway."
Still, Diamond also took a look back at the girl, who was picking herself up. Interesting skirt, if noisy. Doubly interesting star design. She wondered where she'd seen it before.
She turned her attention back to more immediate matters. "Let me see your class schedule."
"Huh? Oh, sure." Silver dug into her bag, pulled out a piece of paper, and gave it to Diamond.
Diamond scanned it. "Hmm. We only have History together. In the afternoon."
Silver blinked. "Is that bad?"
Diamond gave the schedule back. "Well, it means you'll be fending for yourself for most of the day. Though it's also a good chance to learn just what life is like here. I promise you it's a lot noisier than either of our houses." She smiled.
Silver smiled back.
In that moment, Diamond realized what was happening and composed herself, replacing her smile with a poker face.
"Anyway, gotta go. If you survive your first day, I might take notice. I only give you fifty-fifty odds, though."
She turned and walked towards her homeroom with a wave, leaving Silver alone in the hall.
---
Hours later, Diamond walked into Miss Harshwhinny's History class. The usual students were inside, as was her usual empty seat in the second row. She looked around and saw Silver sitting in the back.
Silver looked up, saw Diamond, and gave a small wave. Diamond gave a quick twitch of her eyebrows in return. Acquaintance or not, it wouldn't do her image any good to be seen associating with the unproven new girl. She took her seat.
"Ah, good," Harshwhinny said. "Now that everyone's here, we can continue where we left off yesterday. Please open your textbooks to page 137."
Diamond took her book out of her bag and followed her teacher's instructions. Her face soured when she saw the art adorning the page. Just great. This was the chapter on the ancient reign of King Sombra the Depressive. It was going to be a long month.
"Mith Harthwhinny?" A voice sounded from the back of the class -- a distinctive voice that was impossible to mistake.
Miss Harshwhinny groaned in annoyance at being interrupted. "Yes, Twist?"
Twist put down her hand. "I, uh, jumped ahead in the book again latht night, 'cauthe I'd already read thith chapter latht week, and-"
Harshwhinny sighed. "Twist, what have I told you about keeping pace with the rest of the class?"
"But I have a huge quethtion!" Twist was bouncing in her seat now. "In the theventh chapter, the book talkth about how the Richeth helped found Canterlot. Isn't that Diamond'th family? Why doth she get to be in the texthbook?"
Diamond beamed with pride. She thought she'd have had to wait months for them to come to that chapter, paving the way for a glorious month of these silly students learning all about why she was important. It'd still happen, of course, but leave it to that lisping nerdlinger to jump-start the process!
Diamond put her hands on her desk, ready to give her long-awaited speech -- a speech about herself and her family's importance to this entire city. A speech which would make sure everyone knew just why they should always look upon her with reverence! A speech which would be repeated amongst the other kids during lunches and recess! A speech that would become no less than legend!
A speech which never came, because someone beat Diamond to the punch.
Silver Spoon pushed her chair back and stood up. "Because it's all true," she said.
"Hmm?" Harshwhinny looked in Silver's direction. "Oh, yes, the transfer student. You never did actually introduce yourself."
"Silver Spoon, Miss Harshwhinny. Of the Sterlings."
"The other huge property nextht to Diamond Tiara?" Twist rolled her eyes and sighed. "Jutht great. Another rich girl."
Silver ignored Twist's remark. She clasped her hands together and gave a small bow of her head towards her teacher. "I apologize for speaking out of turn. And for Twist's doing the same."
"Hmmm. I'll let it slide," Harshwhinny said. "This time." She looked at Silver, then at Twist. Her eyes narrowed. "Though you sounded as if you had an answer for Twist's question."
"I believe I do," Silver replied. "Is it all right if I give it?"
Harshwhinny nodded. "Let's see what you've got."
"Thank you." She turned to face Twist. "Diamond's family totally belongs in this book." Silver said. "Actually, mine does too, but this book is just really old. The school really should look into getting new editions."
"But you thaid you're a Thterling." Twist gave Silver a confused look. "Doethn't that mean don't you jutht do thilver and thtuff? Like jewelry? How ith that important?"
"Simple," Silver said. "When Canterlot was founded a few hundred years ago, it was the Riches who set up its premiere shops, providing the town with industrial goods and services through trade. My family didn't show up until maybe a hundred years ago, but when we did..." Silver smiled. "Well, things got really modern really fast. We've been pushing this place forward for decades."
"Maybe you were back then." Twist turned her phone around to show the same stylized star logo that had been on Apple Bloom's. "But you do know NorthTech'th taking over thith city bit by bit, right?"
Silver looked back to Miss Harshwhinny. Harshwhinny gave a silent, straight-lipped nod back.
Silver walked over and tapped the silver backing of the phone. "They wish. To answer your earlier question? My family's in charge of everything bearing the color silver. This includes steel, among other things. Tools, technology, you name it, we've got a hand in it. So 'NorthTech' needs us even more than we need them." She leaned forward over Twist's desk. "To say nothing of you. You're using my stuff right now."
Twist blinked through her glasses. "I... I am?"
Silver tapped the hinges of Twist's glasses. "You can see because of us. You can act all smart on your little online phone because of us. And, because of the way it's minted, you can even spend money because of us." She plucked a loose string from Twist's blouse. "Provided you've ever seen money, anyway. Though on the off chance you ever do, a piece of advice: treat it as nice as you can." Silver cast a quick glance at Diamond, then looked back at Twist with a decisive glower and a dark smile. "You never want to get money on your bad side."
Twist cowered in her seat. "G-got it."
Silver's smile turned mockingly sweet. "Good."
Silver walked back to her seat amidst murmurs of awe from the rest of the class. They rose in volume until Miss Harshwhinny rapped her ruler against the table. All of the students cringed at the noise.
"Simmer down, all of you!" Harshwhinny surveyed her students. "What is the number one rule of my class?"
The students snapped to attention. "Always be professional," they replied in unison.
"Then live up to it or it's extra homework for all of you! Silver, thank you for the, ahem, lesson. Though perhaps now we can go back a thousand years and return to the planned curriculum, hmm?"
Silver nodded. "Yes, Miss Harshwhinny," she replied in a polite voice. "I'm very sorry for my outburst."
"Don't be," Harshwhinny said. A gleam in her eye betrayed her business-like demeanor. "Honestly, I wish all of my students' introductions were as educational."
---
History was the last class of the day. The second it let out, Diamond took a brisk walk to Silver's locker, and stood in front of it. She put on her best scowl as she stood and waited.
Silver arrived not too long afterward. She took one look at Diamond, and shrank back.
Perfect.
"Let's get one thing straight," Diamond said. "As Princess of this school, I don't appreciate being cut off in class."
Silver's eyes shifted downward as she stayed silent. Diamond placed her finger on Silver's chin, nudging the other girl's face up to see Diamond wearing a much warmer expression.
"But I do appreciate when someone around here actually gets it. That history lesson you gave? I couldn't have said any of that better myself!"
Silver's eyebrows raised in surprise, then her entire face lit up in elation. "I swear I don't know what came over me in there. I don't usually do that, any of that, I-"
"Relax," Diamond said. "It's called being proud of who you are. That's what came over you." She turned away. "And as such, I've decided there's hope for you."
Silver blinked. "Hope for me?"
Diamond held up her phone. "I texted Daddy and had him call your house. Your limo won't be showing up outside today."
Silver did a double take. "Then... um, how will I get home?"
"My help will drive you back tonight. Right now you're coming over to my place, in my limo."
Silver stopped. "Oh."
Diamond turned back to see a nonplussed look on Silver's face. She peered closer. "You... don't look happy. Especially given the opportunity you've just landed."
Silver shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to come off that way. I just was making sure I'd really heard what you said." She took a step closer to Diamond. "I'd love to see your place."
Diamond nodded. "Then you're in luck, because that's the plan. Come on. My limo waits at the front door every afternoon."
"Lead the way," Silver said.
Diamond started walking towards the exit, noticed something, and stopped. "Come on, Silver," she said, turning back around. "What, do you want to be trailing behind me forever? Keep up!"
"O-oh, right!" Silver jogged to catch up, then made sure to match Diamond's walking speed.
Diamond smiled at Silver -- and this time, decided to keep smiling. "Much better."
Silver smiled back.
The two opened Canterlot High School's doors, and stepped out into the world beyond.