It had been some time since Princess Twilight had had guests this early in the morning. She may let Spike cater to her food and drink needs during the day, but she was certainly no slouch in the kitchen. Before too long, Princess Twilight had prepared two steaming mugs of hot cocoa, and both ponies sat at a large crystal dining table.
Twilight was fumbling around inside her own head, still unsure of what, exactly, she should say. Diamond Tiara wasn’t sure what to say either, and she let out a long sigh while staring at the beverage in front of her. While Princess Twilight was blowing on the still-hot liquid in her mug, Diamond Tiara caught sight of a crudely-drawn placard on the wall.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle
Happy Hearth’s Warming
It was messily signed at the bottom, but Diamond Tiara couldn’t make out the names. “Um, Princess… who was that made by?” she said, gesturing toward the crude creation.
“Oh, that? Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom made that last week for me.”
Those names again! What’s so special about them, anyway? Diamond Tiara’s brow furrowed into a frown, one that didn’t go unnoticed by the alicorn opposite her. “I… never understood why you disliked them so much. I mean, I get that they can get a little out of hand on occasion, but deep down, their hearts are in the right place.”
The filly snorted, and looked at Twilight while taking an apprehensive sip from her mug, “You know what I see when I look at them? I see betrayal. Or rather… eventual betrayal. We were taught at school that anypony who isn’t with you is against you. I know that it’s not right to think that, but… it’s hard to see differently after years of looking at others like that.”
Diamond Tiara was very much aware of how duplicitous ponies at school were. She sank back into her own thoughts, and remembered a time at prep school when she had a crush on one of the students in her class. She came clean on her feelings, wanting to spend time with somepony she felt a connection with. That student made sure to spread that juicy piece of gossip across the school, further cementing the suspicious nature beginning to take root in her personality.
She thought back to when she moved to Ponyville, and was enrolled in school. It was weeks before she opened her mouth to say more than two words to anypony. As it happened, that pony was Sweetie Belle.
For the remainder of the week, they talked, and talked and talked. Sweetie Belle was into fashion and music, and Diamond Tiara remembered how happy she was to find somepony with similar interests. At the end of the week, Sweetie Belle said that she’d enjoyed spending time with her, and wanted to hang out more after school.
What happened next she had previously dismissed as an arrow dodged, as something that needed to happen, but she was now looking at her memories with the hindsight of wisdom. She’d laughed at Sweetie Belle, belittling her for daring to think that she had the class to hang out with her, jabbing that she and her hanging out together would be over Celestia’s cold, dead flank.
Sweetie Belle was doing her best to hide it, but years spent at prep school had well-prepared Diamond Tiara to notice another pony’s anguish. Sweetie Belle was crying, but this was not the simple weeping one might exhibit after banging their shin against a table; these were the tears of a pony breaking, tears that usually flowed after having something you liked… or loved, snatched away from you.
And she felt good. She remembered how low she felt after someone did this to her; now that she’d established a way to avoid that from happening again, she felt elated. She remembered that, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scootaloo run over to comfort the sobbing filly. It was then that she remembered Silver Spoon walking up to her and introducing herself; Silver Spoon had mentioned that she was a relative of nobility from Canterlot, and asked Diamond Tiara if she would like to attend a fancy dinner that evening. In Diamond Tiara’s mind, it all fell into place; her social status is what should guide her friendships, not her heartstrings. After all, she deserved the best, and daddy had clearly demonstrated that the best only came to those with money; Silver Spoon fit that bill perfectly.
But now... she was filled with regret. Sweetie Belle didn’t deserve what I did, just like I didn’t deserve it at prep school. For the first time in her life, she felt the icy cold grip of guilt upon her throat, causing a slight gag that caught the attention of the pony opposite.
Twilight tilted her head at the pink filly, “Diamond Tiara… are you okay?”
She jolted to attention, her mind running through that same memory again. Did… did Sweetie Belle have a crush on me? Taking a sip of cocoa, she looked nervously at the princess, “Sorry… just trying to find some answers.”
“I may not have all the answers for you, but if you need somepony your own age to talk to about something... you could do a lot worse than those three.”
“Oh, is that so?” the filly responded sarcastically, “I've had to relive the fact that I was.... “ Diamond Tiara closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, trying to force the words to come out, “... raped. Those three couldn’t even begin to imagine how angry I am… and for that matter, you couldn’t begin to imagine that either!” she raged, striking a hoof down in the table with an audible clunk.
The purple princess looked down at the table, “... you’re right, my little pony. What happened to you was awful, something that nopony should have to experience. I’m not sure what I’d do if that happened to me. But, if something bad were to happen to me, I know that I can count on my friends to help me through it. They may not understand what I’d be going through, but they would help me through it, doing so without judgment or thinking less of me.”
Diamond Tiara’s eyes fell to the table as she took another sip of cocoa. She thought back to how she’d acted around Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, and couldn’t help shake the feeling that, if she opened up to them, they’d throw it back in her face as payback. Especially Sweetie Belle. Even if they didn’t… they’d probably still think I was faking it. Or looking for a way to scam them.
The cloying darkness in the pit of her stomach was vying for attention, grasping at an inner despair that seemed to stir when she drew on how she’d so carelessly… and needlessly burned her bridges with her classmates. She didn’t care for the antics they got into, but she conceded that, as friends, they helped each other out with their problems. Diamond Tiara sighed, and wondered just how many problems she personally had squirrelled away.
Twilight got down from her chair, and walked around to Diamond Tiara, “I can’t change what happened, and I’m genuinely sorry that you had to experience what happened to you… but I mean it when I say that, when it comes to friendship, you’d be hard-pressed to find better friends than Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They may not be the smartest of ponies sometimes, but they are some of the most loyal and caring I’ve ever met.”
The Princess gave the clearly tired foal a small hug, “I promise you; as the Princess of Friendship, if you require my assistance, you can count on me. ”
Diamond Tiara felt a small smile creep across her mouth; that kind of support was something she never thought she’d need, but it took a weight off her mind to know that she had a safety net in somepony. Chugging down the dregs of the now-cold beverage, her eye spied the clock on the wall. Ten to Three.
Shaking her head to clear the haze of fatigue, she got off her stool abruptly. Princess Twilight was caught slightly off-guard, “Is… there someplace you need to be?”
She slowly made her way to the front entrance, and looked back at the purple pony, “Yeah... I have an appointment with the future, and I don’t want to be late.”