A Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 5
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I tend to shy away from promises, but when I claim something that passionately, I always do my best to hold up my end of the bargain. Sure enough, during that week when I was grounded, I kept silent from my dad. However, towards the middle of the week, we had a half day, so Silver Spoon and I were able to talk more. After a brief discussion about our cutie-marks, which we had not obtained yet, our conversation drifted into the idea of "hoof surgery."
Silver Spoon started off that conversation by saying, "Hey Diamond, have you thought about getting hoof surgery before?"
"First off, no, and second off, that sounds painful."
"It actually isn't. I might not have told you this, but I've been playing piano since I was five, and it eventually became patience-trying, since I…you know, don't have 'fingers'."
"That's cool, but what does that have to do with hoof surgery?"
"Hoof surgery is where they cut in your front two hooves, and then they give you a magic glove that allows your split hoof to go into each of the five "fingers" as they like to call it."
"Eh…OK. But I can't see any holes in your hooves, Spoon!"
"Oh, after I took the glove off, they just vanished, yet the glove still worked fine after!"
"Awesome! Do you know I can get it?"
"Sure! Would you like to do it right now?"
"Does it take very long?"
"Half an hour tops."
"Alright, lead the way!"
However, as we were running, something popped into my head. "Wait, are you sure I'm allowed to have this without an adult watching me, Spoon?"
"According to the pony at the front desk, since this surgery is simple, painless, and popular, they decided to let minors take it without an adult watching you. You can double check, but I'm pretty sure that's what I heard."
"Great! Continue leading the way!"
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Since I knew my dad thought this was a normal day, I didn't think he would get suspicious if I got the surgery real quick. Spoon and I got to the hospital relatively quickly, as, once again; there was only one real hospital in Ponyville. I asked for the surgery, found out from the reception pony that I could get it without dad's permission, gave her the bits, and proceeded to walk down the hallway, claiming I would be back to see Silver Spoon in two shakes of a mare's tail.
I knocked the door of "Doctor Ate" the doctor I had been instructed to see, and a tall colt opened the door with a brown body, a white mane, and professional looking white framed glasses. I thought his guy should have given Spoon any tips on glasses, because they looked five times better than hers.
"Yes? What can I do for you, young lady?" he asked once he saw me.
"I have a form for hoof surgery. Could I get it now, please?"
"Certainly. Please have a seat."
He instructed me to sit on some weird combination of a mattress and a bench, and began checking my temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure to make sure that there would be no complications.
"Alright, everything seems to be in order, Mrs. …Tiara, correct?"
"Yes, I'm Diamond Tiara. Could we begin, please?"
"No need to hurry. I've got the scalpel."
With that, he gently divided my two front hooves into five sections then carefully put on the gloves. Sure enough, just like Silver Spoon said, they fit perfectly, and I was able to use all five sections of my hoof.
I happily said, "Thank you!" and then exited without another word. I took the gloves off in front of Spoon, and sure enough, my hooves became whole again.
I was ecstatic, and gave Silver Spoon a hug as well as our secret hoofshake before I left to go back home. I couldn't wait to practice my saxophone.
I was a little concerned when I opened the door, but luckily, nopony was there, so I simply went back to my room. When my dad returned, he did open my door a little forcefully. But, when he saw me playing my saxophone, he simply closed it without another word.
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Finally, when the week was over, my dad ran up the stairs only to see me pretending to sleep.
However, he wasn't fooled, because he said, "Diamond, the week is over. You can talk to me again. Don't shut me out like this."
I was still enraged with my punishment, so I yelled, "Why not? Huh?"
"Because I hoped I could teach you a valuable business lesson with this."
I sighed. "Go on."
"That lesson is that sometimes, not everything will go right when you do something…controversial. People will blame the person who performed that action, and if you are not able to simply shake it off, you'll go nowhere. That applies to life, too. I hoped that you would be able to let go of a grudge, but I guess you aren't there yet."
"Dad, I'm eight years old. Do you really expect me to learn a lesson like that?"
"I guess not. Anyway, I'm really sorry about grounding you for doing something in self-defense. I just hoped it would be able to teach you to control yourself better, and that you would remember not to do it again."
"You know what? I think you're right. Fine, I promise to do my best not to fight anymore, but simply punishing me without any real reason is going to make me angry. I haven't exactly been grounded before, you know?" I said, with a wink.
"That's my girl. I love you, Diamond."
"I love you too, Dad."
With a hug, and a peck on my cheek, I was able to forgive my dad for grounding me…for the most part. It still bugs me when I think about the event as a whole, so I've done my best to put it behind me.
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The rest of the second semester of second grade went pretty smoothly. Both Spoon and I got straight A's, and I was able to practice more complex pieces on my saxophone.
When I told Mr. Blues about my hoof surgery, he said, "Cool. Maybe you can try some of these tunes. They've got some wicked fast notes that used to only be possible on string instruments, but I think you could play some of the easier ones."
"Sounds great, Mr. Blues! Where are these books?"
"I'll go get 'em, so chill right there. Stay cool with the beats, Diamond."
With a point, he left, and returned quickly with those awesome books.
The finals for the second semester were tough, the desire to have time to play those pieces made them go by quickly. Some of the short ones I was able to learn within one day, but I did learn a fairly long and complex song for my second recital.
Once again, I performed admirably, and my dad even managed to make it, making the day even more special. I think I was finally able to truly bond with my father during that summer, and I felt even closer to my family.
Also, by now, I was starting to realize how truly special I was compared to other ponies, so I walked around undaunted by any challenges that would come next grade. Apparently, that confidence was contagious, because Silver Spoon was finally beginning to radiate confidence. I knew that as long as we stuck together, nopony would intimidate us.
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My teacher for the third grade was known as Mrs. Lemon, and unfortunately, she was the first teacher I didn't really gravitate towards.
I think the primary reason why I didn't like her was because she tended to ignore me during discussions, even though I always had good ideas. Over time, her actions were starting to get rather irritating and, remembering what my dad taught me, I confronted her after class rather than making a fuss during class.
I'm really glad I did.
Her response to my confrontation was, "We need to get everyone in the discussion, or no one will learn."
"But, Mrs. Lemon! I know the answers to the problems you ask! The stuttering that some of the other ponies do just makes both them and me look dumb!"
"Listen to me very closely, Mrs. Tiara. No student is dumb. They are just trying to learn. And I am trying to help them. Calling on you would defeat the purpose of learning for them."
"Errrgh…fine! But don't come crying to me when none of those students has 'learned' anything! Goodbye!" I said, shutting the door behind me.
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Needless to say, the classes with Mrs. Lemon sucked, and it really, really shortened my fuse over time. Sure enough, she never called on me, and over time, I just stopped raising my hand. In fact, during one time when I knew the answer to a math question, and no one else did, considering math was my best subject, I refused to raise my hand, and said I didn't know the answer when Mrs. Lemon called on me.
Silver Spoon talked with me about this afterwards, and said, "Diamond, you knew that answer, right?"
"Yes, but Mrs. Lemon specifically said she didn't want me to participate in the class."
"Did she really say that?"
"No, but she said something similar. Hey, if she doesn't want my input, that's her hoofing problem. I know I'm special, so I don't really need a teacher to tell me what I already know."
"That's fine. Say, have a look at my flank!"
I gasped. "You got your cutie mark? That's wonderful! I was hoping that I could get it first, but still, wow! What's your talent?"
"As you might expect, my talent it making silverware, but I noticed that I can also tell different flavors much easier, so that's helped me start to become a cook as well! Well, I've got to go now. Bye Diamond!"
"Later, Spoon!"
"Hey morons!"
Oh, no. Not Black Flag! Unfortunately, life did decide to hate me today, because he was walking straight towards me and Spoon.
My response to his taunt was, "Ugh, like, can't some fillies get some privacy? Why in the name of Celestia are you even trying to bully girls who are half your age? Are you THAT desperate?"
Whoa, where did that come from?
"Nah, you two seem like such good friends! Because of that, it would be simple to crush you."
"You make it sound like it's easy. Actually, the only thing you're hurting right now are our noses. Brush your teeth, stinky!" I said, even holding my nose to deliver the full effect.
"Why, you…you're asking for it!"
"Asking for what? For you to pummel two small third graders and get your flank sent to the principal?"
"Damn it! Get the hoof out of my way; I'll bully some other pony."
Silver Spoon turned to me, with sparkles in her eyes.
"That was amazing, Diamond! Where did you even get half of those insults from, anyway?" she asked.
"I…I…I…don't know. Wow. I didn't even know I had that kind of power! This is a perfect way to deal with those stupid idiots who harass us!"
"Yep! I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah! Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump!"
I felt exhilarated coming home, because I couldn't wait to tell dad about what I had done. Sure enough, he was home.
I rushed up to him and said, "Dad! Dad! You'll never guess what I did today!"
"You sound excited. All right, I'm curious now."
"I discovered that I could stop bullies by using my mouth, not my fists!"
"You mean you beat him in insults? That's…great I suppose."
"What do you mean, Dad?"
"I don't think it will be a big deal, but it sounds like you are fighting bullies…with bullying."
"Huh? Oh, no, don't be silly. I won't turn into a bully!"
"I hope not. Anyway, I just got a letter from your mother. She wants to see you again."
"Why is that?"
"She says, 'I haven't got to see my child in so long, and I think I have enough time in a week for her to give me a brief visit.' "
"Sounds great! I'd love to see my mom again!"
"Just be careful, OK. We divorced for a reason."
While I did sense a bit of concern in my dad's voice, I was too excited to care. As the day drew closer and closer, I realized that she ran a beauty salon and jewelry shop, so I might as well try to make a gift for her. I realized that since she seemed like she had high standards, and since I wanted to make her proud of me, I felt obligated to make something special.
On the day before the big day, I hatched a brilliant plan. We had a bunch of diamonds, and since my name IS Diamond Tiara, I should try to make one! I knew it might be tough, but I was determined. Once I actually began making the tiara, it was surprisingly simple. In fact, I was able to finish the entire thing in about one hour! I wore the tiara, and went to the mirror. I looked great in it, but as I looked even closer, I discovered something that changed my life forever. Looking at my flank in the mirror, I had a tiara on it that mimicked the one I created.
I had finally gotten my cutie mark! I went absolutely crazy, but I made sure I placed the tiara down before I ran to tell my dad about the life-changing news.
Still jumping like a madmare, I yelled, "Dad! Dad! I got my cutie mark! I got my hoofing cutie mark!"
"Really? Let me see!"
"It's right here! Right here right here right here!"
My dad simply smiled at me and patted my mane before leaving, and it was by far the happiest I had ever been in my life.
I couldn't wait until tomorrow to call Silver Spoon, so I called her that night and told her the great news. She was also incredibly happy for me, but it was close to impossible to be as thrilled as I was.
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The next day, I got the directions, and walked over to my mother's house. While also very big, it was only two stories, which I can understand because she lived alone. Out of curiosity, I peeked in the window before knocking, and it seemed as if she was giving ponies orders and she had a calculator in her hooves. I was confused, but I ignored it, and knocked on the door.
She opened it. "Good morning, Diamond Tiara…what is that?" she asked, with a strange look on her face.
"It's a tiara I made! Out of diamonds! I made it just for you!"
"You expect me…to wear that?"
"Sure! It will look so great on you! I even got my cutie mark from it!"
"Yeah. Listen, Diamond Tiara. I was afraid that you would make something to embarrass yourself when my 'husband"'told you about this visit. It's no wonder I broke up with him."
My ears drooped, and I said, "Huh? You…don't…like…it?"
"How can I put this lightly…I guess I can't. I wouldn't get caught dead wearing something that tacky."
I gave her my Diamond Eyes and said, "But…I made it just for you! I…put all of my effort into making it perfect!"
"I'm afraid it isn't, dear. You can wear it yourself."
I was almost crying at this point. All of a sudden, my sadness turned to rage. "Fine! You don't deserve a gift from me anyway! You aren't my mother!" I yelled, and then I slammed her door.
I was absolutely distraught. I had worked so hard into making something that would show my mom, my parent, that I was special. I even used my Diamond Eyes to try to give something away! And she just slapped me! My thoughts became jumbled, but eventually one stood out. It was, "I'll prove to everypony how special I am, whether they like it or not!" I told my dad what happened, and he seemed just as shocked as I was. After that event, I went to sleep a vengeful mare.
The next day, one of the friends of Black Flag approached me. "You little scumbag." he said with venom in his voice.
"How am I a scumbag? I just told your stupid, stinky friend the truth. He is nothing, and you are nothing for even becoming his stupid friend. Leave me alone, now."
As he left, I felt this feeling of superiority grow inside me. It felt so good; I wanted to spread it around everywhere I went. After all, words hurt far more than sticks and stones ever could.
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And there we go! Chapter 5 is finished! Another long one! Diamond is finally beginning to transform into her canon self, and her path of destruction will continue for a few more chapters. For now, I leave you with this chapter, so please let me know what you think about it!
Next Chapter: Diamond's newfound superiority complex causes her to begin to bully people through the third and even fourth grade. Will she meet Cheerilee and start harassing the Cutie Mark Crusaders? And how will Filthy Rich react? Find out, next time!