//------------------------------// // Chapter Two: Diamond in the rough // Story: Boarding School // by HaloEssence111 //------------------------------// Chapter Two On Sunday, after nearly a day's journey to Trottingham, Diamond was relieved to finally get off the train. While riding, there was absolutely nothing to do except look out the window and buy ice cream cups from the train's snack bar. On one of her frequent trips, she accidentally bumped into a plump, cheery looking mare. Her ice cream cup clattered to the ground, spilling all over the carpet. "Very sorry, little lady, din't mean to-" "Hey, watch where you're going, lard flank!" yelled Diamond irritably. "Can't you see I'm walking here?" The mare looked very offended. "I'm sorry for bumping into you, but there sure ain't no need for that kind of talk, girlie!" "Whatever, fatty. I don't need to listen to you." Diamond was about to walk off, but the mare grabbed her by the scruff of her collar and pulled her back. "Now listen, missy, I don't tolerate being treated like this. Din't your mum ever teach you that it ain't nice to talk like that to other ponies?" "My mom is a dumb slut who left me a long time ago. Now get out of my way." Diamond blew past the mare indignantly, making a beeline for her compartment. She locked the door behind her and closed the blinds so that she could change out of her uniform. When she was done, Diamond sat down on one of the plush seats and thought. What, is the whole world out to get me now? she said to herself in her head. First Silver Spoon, then Cheerilee and Daddy, and now some old fat mare who doesn't know squat about me. And anyway, what does she know about Mom? Even if she hadn't left, I'll bet she still wouldn't have taught me anything but how to apply lipstick properly. But from the pictures I've seen of her, I'll bet she doesn't even know how to do that. None of this is fair. Everypony else gets to have an awesome, normal life, when mine is always, always, always filled with some sort of drama. How would they like it if their dads just decided to ship them off to some reform school somewhere with hardly an explanation? Some ponies just don't get it. My life isn't all sunshine and roses every day. Everyone is always nagging me for something. 'Oh Diamond, don't put off your homework.' 'Oh Diamond, be nice to the other foals.' 'Oh Diamond, we're sending you off to some stupid freaking boarding school because you screwed up like, once.' Ugh. Can't they just lay off for a change? Pretty soon Diamond heard the train slowing to a stop. Peeking through the blinds, she saw the train station coming into view. Diamond noticed that the Trottingham train station looked very much like the one in Manehatten, but cleaner. A number of chauffeurs holding signs were scattered around the area, Diamond seeing none bearing her name. " 'Oy! I need a Diamond Tiara Rich 'or here! Anypony 'ere named Diamond Tiara Rich?" Diamond perked up at the sound of her name. She turned around, searching for the pony who had called for her. Finally, she found a young earth pony stallion holding up a sign bearing her name, which was apparently spelled 'Diamond Tiara Retch'. She frowned. Is this supposed to be HUMOROUS??? Diamond scanned her escort suspiciously. The stallion couldn't have been older than twenty, with a scruffy goatee and a long, cheerful face. His mane and tail were a dark orangey-brown, and his hide a tannish orange. Diamond scowled. This is supposed to be my chauffeur?! she thought, disgusted. Who do those idiots at the school think they are? I'm Diamond Tiara. I deserve better than this! The stallion turned around and saw her, a smile lighting up his face. He trotted over to Diamond, grinning. " 'Ay, are you Diamond Tiara Rich? If ya' are, I'm here to take you to Madame Roseberry's." Dazed, Diamond slowly nodded her head before realizing that she had butchered her last chance for escape. "Oh, good! Well then miss, if you'll hop in my wagon, we'll be on our merry way. Let's go!" Before she knew it, Diamond had been herded into a gleaming white wagon with the words Madame Roseberry's School for Girls in rose-colored paint on the side. The stallion was busy loading her suitcases into the wagon, chattering all the while. "Name's Hamish (1), by the way. I'm going to be taking you to Madame Roseberry's today. You seem like a right good 'lil filly, ya' know..." Hamish started pulling the wagon down the road, pointing out certain buildings and attractions along the way. He irritated Diamond. His constant cheerfulness, thick accent, and eager nature reminded her too much of a certain resident of Ponyville. "Would you just shut up?!" snapped Diamond after a few moments of his jabber. Hamish stopped talking and looked up, surprised but unoffended. "Yer a little rude now, ain't ya'? That must be why your 'tendin Roseberry's, eh?" Diamond Tiara was shocked. Usually, ponies were offended when she snapped at them, or were too terrified of her to do anything but obey. Hamish was neither. "H-How dare you! I'm Diamond Tiara. You can't speak to me like that!" Hamish only laughed, fanning the flames of Diamond's anger. "Ya better git rid 'o that attitude 'fore you get ta 'th school, miss. Th' 'Edmistress don't stand for that kinda lip, 'ya know." "Hmph," Diamond grimaced. "Yeah. Right. Look, Hammy is it? I don't care what you or this cow of a Headmistress thinks, and if she wants to order me around, she can go and stuff it down her fat old throat! If it means that I get expelled again, then you can tell her I couldn't care less." Hamish snorted. "First off," he said, turning around, "If you think that 'Edmistress Weaver is fat, then I'm Princess Celestia." "Second," he continued, unabashed by the daggers Diamond was staring into him, "I don't know what school you came from, but I'm betting that the worst punishment they could give out was being expelled. There ain't no expulsion here. When you get in real trouble, ya' don't get sent home, 'less it's just your dead body back from the Ice box." Diamond sneered, not sure if he was joking or not. "The Ice box? Please. What's she gonna do, get me an iced tea?" Hamish laughed heartily. "Ha! When ya' see the Ice box, you'll wish it was jus' iced tea. Nah, from what I hear when I do odd jobs 'round th' school, th' last gil to go in was in there ten hours. She had a nervous breakdown halfway through, passed out, and has been claustrophobic ever since." Diamond's sneer melted off her face. She was sincerely hoping that he was joking; that he would say "Just Kidding!" anytime now. Her nervousness was showing, "Yeah, not so cocky now, are we? Trust me, give it a few months and you'll be falling in line with all the others. Madame Roseberry's ain't failed yet, and I'll bet my right hoof she ain't gonna start now." Diamond Tiara was about to respond when Hamish stopped walking and pulled up to a large red brick building. (2) "Is this the place?' asked Diamond, her voice shaking slightly as she gazed up at the massive structure. It was about three stories high with a dome and clock tower at the top. Stone-rimmed windows lined the front of the school, with rose colored curtains and bars over the ones at the third floor's right side. There was a large obelisk near the entrance with words printed on the front in gold lettering: Madame Roseberry's School for Girls Est. 1854 'Teaching our lovelies to be proper ladies' Diamond gazed in awe up at the mammoth building. She couldn't believe that it was a boarding school and not a nation-wide college. Behind her, Hamish laughed at her gaping expression. "It's a real big place now, ain't it? Don' worry 'lil miss, you'll fin' your way 'round soon enough. Now les' go inside. The 'Edmistress is gon' ta' want ta' see you." Still dazzled by the ginormous piece of architecture, Diamond walked behind Hamish though the front doors and off into a side hallway. The inside was not quite as grand as the outside, but it was still nonetheless impressive. The Entryway's walls were made of rosewood and cherry, the ceiling stretching up nearly two stories before stopping. As they entered the side hallway, which Diamond guessed was the teacher's quarters, she couldn't help but notice the wall was lined with portraits of the previous Headmistresses along the wall. Under each painting was a name, a date, and a quote, but of course Diamond payed no attention to any of this. At the moment, she was mostly focusing on which of her withering remarks she could use to greet the Headmistress with. Along the way, Hamish pointed out certain paintings and rooms similar to the way he did on the ride to the school. This time, Diamond simply ignored him, grimacing all the way. "... and o'er there is Ms. Ivory's office, she's th' street law 'an etiquette teacher 'round here. Bet you'll have 'er this term! And, oh, here's the 'Edmistress' office right 'ere. Right, you run along in there and I'll be on my way. Bin nice meetin' ya!" And with that, Hamish dashed off, leaving Diamond alone outside the Headmistress's office. Finally, now I don't have to listen to his constant jabbering. Diamond turned to the huge mahogany door, now feeling a little afraid in spite of herself. Before, she had convinced herself that it was one big joke; that it was all nothing. Now it all seemed very real. Trembling slightly, Diamond knocked on the door and waited a few moments before a high, throaty voice answered: "You may enter." Diamond pushed open the door, it giving a few sharp creaks before swinging open. Diamond Tiara found herself face-to-face with a sneering, haughty-looking unicorn mare, looking about in her mid-40s. She had a spring green hide and a pink mane with venetian blue streaks, piled on top of her head in a professional-looking updo. Her cheeks were sunken from never smiling, and her horn was sharper than any Diamond had ever seen.(3) Diamond could see why Hamish had laughed when she had called the Headmistress fat, the woman was lean, almost to the point of malnourishment. The thought that anyone in their right mind would call her fat was ridiculous, almost comical. Her cutie mark consisted of a pink and green rose, the emblem all too familiar to Diamond now. Next to the rose, however, was a depiction of a teacher's pointer stick, the sort of thing Miss Cheerilee used whenever they were studying maps. Diamond looked at it curiously, wondering it's meaning. "Young filly, it is very impolite to stare." Diamond snapped out of it, then looked up at the Headmistress, analyzing her style. Over the years, Diamond Tiara had somewhat learned the way teachers worked. Some, like Miss Cheerilee, were very nice and friendly on the first day. Others would be strict at first, then get nicer as the year progressed. But very rarely had Diamond ever found a teacher who was mean on the first day. "Well? Don't just stand there with your mouth open, stand up straight and introduce yourself!" Diamond Tiara hadn't even realized that she had let her jaw drop. She quickly shut her mouth and smoothed her mane, then looked the Headmistress right in the eye. Okay Diamond. She's only a teacher. You've got nothing to worry about, she's just like all the others. Most likely she'll break down or at least be pretty stunned once I'm through with her. Finally, Diamond scowled, then spoke. "Look lady, I don't want to be here. So since I always get what I want, you'd better get that retard busboy back here so he can take me to the train station. And 'cause I'm feeling generous, I'll let you carry my luggage, mmkay?" At this, the Headmistress's eyes blazed and her nostrils flared furiously, only to be replaced a moment later by a cold, stern glare. "And just who," she said in a scarily calm voice, only barely held under control, "do you think you are, that you can just walk in and insult me in my own school?" No worries, she's just trying to gain control of the situation. Well, tough luck lady, cause I'm in charge now. "Diamond Tiara Rich, that's who." she smirked, giving a saucy flip of her mane. "Well then Ms. Rich, just what makes you think your name will have any effect on how you are treated here?" she said, seeming to be struggling to keep her tone in check. "In fact, what makes you think you deserve any special treatment at all?" Diamond was rather taken aback. All her life, she had received special treatment from adults and foals alike, because apparently she was above them. And she knew the reason why. "W-well, my Daddy is the CEO of-" "Your Daddy isn't here." she said coldly. "He sent you here so that you may learn to be polite and ladylike, a skill you are obviously in serious want of. So since you obviously have no grounds for special treatment, then tell me: What should I do with a student that has the nerve to talk to her superior like you have, and then claim the she has the right to do so, simply because her 'daddy' is the CE-whatever of some business somewhere that no one here could care less about?" Diamond Tiara stifled a look of astonishment; no one had ever said anything like that to her before. Wait... what did she just say? she thought. She's supposed to be cowering in fear or crying or something by now! Did I not do it right??? Okay. Let's try this again. "Maybe I didn't explain myself correctly. My Daddy is very rich and very influential. So unless you want this dump shut down by morning, I suggest that you- stop laughing! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING????" The Headmistress had sat down behind her desk, chuckling lightly. Her hoofs were clasped together and holding her forehead. "Ms. Rich, you seem to have an exaggerated idea of your father's importance. I suppose that it's to be expected, seeing as how you grew up in such a rural area, where he most likely is the wealthiest stallion in town. But now that you've arrived here, it's high time you come to grips with the reality that no matter how great of a stallion I'm sure your father is, the basic truth is that he's a mildly successful businessman who, while he does have more money than the average citizen, he most certainly does not have the influence to shut down my school on a whim." Diamond's face flushed bright red. But... but that's impossible! Daddy knows people. He's practically rubbing elbows with Celestia! "But back to the matter at hand. I will let you know right now that outbursts like that will not be tolerated by me, nor by any of the faculty. I'll let you off this time because this is your first offence, but don't try it a second time; it will not end well for you." "In addition," she continued. "I will also expect a letter containing a full apology for both myself, and for Hamish. He is a honest and hard-working boy and does not deserve any sort of bad-mouthing from fillies like yourself. I'm sure that your previous teachers have taught you the correct way to write a letter?" "Um..." Diamond reflected back to the previous school year, where Cheerilee had indeed taught them how to write friendly letters. However, she also remembered that she had forced Silver Spoon to do all of her work during the lesson. For a moment, Diamond thought about lying and saying that of course she could write a proper letter. But fortunately, common sense won over. "Erm... No, I don't." The Headmistress was a little surprised. "How interesting..." she said, eyeing Diamond as if she were some sort of scientific specimen instead of one of her pupils. "I shall speak with your composition teacher to give you some remedial work over the weekend." Diamond looked aghast. Already she's giving me make-up work?! What kind of a sick sociopath does that??? "I shall also have one of the prefects show you around the school. Here is a map of the school and your class schedule-" She handed Diamond a slip of paper. "Please report to the main office, and wait there until one of the prefects is summoned." Diamond nodded her head, then turned around to leave. "Oh, and before you go," said the Headmistress, causing Diamond to turn back once more. "Welcome to Madame Roseberry's." *** (1)- Pronounced hAY-mish. Not hAM-ish. hAY-mish. (2)- I included this picture because this is how I want Madame Roseberry's to look like. If you guys think that that's being unoriginal, than I guess it is. Just pretend that Twilight's cutie mark isn't on the front window, and instead of a bunch of horse statues on the building there are statues of roses. (and no mirror connecting to the Equestria Girls universe.) Besides that, there is a horseshoe, but instead of a moon in the middle, it has a circle. So even though this place looks a lot like Canterlot High, I'm not totally unoriginal. (3)- Except for that one guy at Diamond's Cutecenára, but that's beside the point. (um, no pun intended.)