//------------------------------// // The Frown // Story: A Diamond For Your Trouble // by Cadiefly //------------------------------// The hustle and bustle of the townsfolk was unremarkable from any other day in Ponyville. There were ponies either gathering around and setting up their stalls in the shopping district or commuting to some preordained, undetermined destination. For Apple Bloom and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders, it was a trip to their local school. It wasn't just a regular trip to the school, however. An exciting new adventure was in store for them. Like a bullet soaring past on comers, an orange color-coated pegasus by the name of Scootaloo raced down the street, her magenta-colored mane billowing in the wind as her wings fluttered vibrantly back and forth. She’d turn one near collision after another into an acrobatic feat that permits her to just narrowly dodge said pedestrians. "Watch it!" shouted an angry shop owner with a shaking hoof. His gaze fell to the ground, with a glare still planted on his face as he stared at the mess the filly had caused him. A brilliant looking vase, obliterated. He was taken by surprise as a sudden crash sent him sprawling right into his own windows, bits of glass flying around him. He growled out in frustration as he watched another filly race past him. Apple Bloom wasn't far behind the pegasus, dashing as fast as her hooves could take her; as an earth pony of yellow fur and red mane, she did not not have the aid of the scooter to close the distance. She wasn't quite as dexterous, either, and after barreling straight into the shopkeeper, she fell farther behind her competitor. Though her course was unfazed, her attention was diverted by the distraction. Glancing over her shoulder, she cried, "Sorry!" While all of her focus was on the stallion, who raised a hoof at the filly out of frustration, Apple Bloom did not see the cart crossing her path. Abruptly, her head found lodging between the wooden spokes of one of its wheels, and as the cart set into motion, she was taken for a ride in the opposite direction. "What the hay?" She said as she looked back ahead. The world was spinning around her as the cart led her down an alleyway. She placed her fore hooves on the contraption and shoved. As she freed herself, she was unexpectedly soaring backwards through the air. Momentum carried her straight into an awning at an extreme angle, which then propelled her straight towards the leading crusader as the fabric of the awning tore. She could see Sweetie Belle now, who had been at the rear of the pack before Bloom's excursion, and she could see that she was heading straight for her. "Uh oh." All of this was unbeknownst to Sweetie Belle, who was dashing towards the school at perhaps a somewhat more strenuous pace, albeit a less impactful one, than her two filly companions. In her struggles to keep up with them, she gasped for breath. She wiped beads of sweat from her face, pushing aside strands of her violet and pink mane. “Wait up!” she cried. Unexpectedly catching up to Apple Bloom, the white-coated unicorn collided into her, and together the two fell into a frenzy of hooves and manes as they rolled across the ground at an alarming rate. A rapidly approaching school awaited them. At that moment, that goal was all that existed for Scootaloo, who was still at the head of the pack. All auditory cues were drowned out by the rolling of her scooter and the wind in her mane. This was how it should be, Scootaloo thought to herself as she reveled in the glorious speed. Unsurprisingly, she was so caught up in her escapade that she paid no attention to her friends rolling behind her, who crashed into her. “Aw man!” was all she could say before she was enveloped by the uncontrollable mass which carried them all the way to the gates of the school. They came to a stop altogether in front of the school grounds before their worst nemesis. A pink pony sporting an extravagant tiara atop her head and finely brushed pink, accentuated by white highlights, mane stood before them. Accompanying her was a fashionably similar gray-coated filly wearing a pearl necklace and cute-looking glasses. The Cutie Mark Crusaders groaned as they reoriented themselves. They could hear the high pitched giggling at their misfortune. "Nice landing there, blank flanks! It was, like, really touch and go there for a while, but I'll give it a ten out of ten ... on the loser board!" After delivering her insult, Diamond Tiara broke out into an uncharacteristically forced laugh. When her friend hesitated in joining in her jubilance, she had to nudge Silver Spoon once before the other filly took the hint. The laughter that Silver Spoon subsequently produced was much more subdued and lackluster, and it was clear from her vacant expression that she was not enjoying the act. The whole exchange elicited nothing from the Cutie Mark Crusaders aside from Scootaloo’s mocking response. “Ha, ha. Very funny. Don't you and your friend have something better to do than to torment us?” "Of course we do," Diamond Tiara said in between hysterics, "but you make it so easy, how could we not? Right, Sil?" Silver Spoon nodded somewhat weakly as she stared at Diamond. "Of course. For old times s-" Her response was unenthusiastic, but when she saw the incredulous scowl the pink pony suddenly directed at her, she stopped altogether and broke eye contact. Fed up with the constant bullying, and seething with fury, Scootaloo said, "This routine is getting old, alright. Just take a hike and leave us alone, or else!" The haughty tone in Diamond Tiara's glare as she began to circle around the crusaders momentarily caught off guard. There was an abnormally intense fierceness to her eyes that caused the orange Pegasus to flinch. "Or else what? You'll cry?" When she saw the anger in Scootaloo's eyes rekindle, she inched forward, only centimeters away from the orange filly. "I dare you to hit me with everything you've got. All I do is torment you. I'm nothing but trouble, aren't I?" Everything was a blur as Scootaloo's hoof made impact with the rich filly's face, sending her careening to the ground. She would have continued, but Sweetie Belle jumped up from the ground to stop her. "Wait! She's not worth it, Scootaloo." It was some time later before Scootaloo could calm herself down enough to nod in acquiescence. "You're right." Despite her statement, she shot the pink filly a firm glare even as she receded away from the fallen pony. With a forlorn expression fixed on her face, Diamond Tiara got up and dusted herself off. “Whatever..." Silver Spoon immediately ran to her friend's aid, whispering words of comfort as they turned away and began receding towards the school. A mere moment had passed before the duo suddenly stopped in their tracks. Silver Spoon glanced over at her friend, worry suddenly present on her face. She reached her hoof out to comfort her, but retracted the appendage hesitantly. Her muzzle contorted as she struggled to form words. When none came, she let out a sigh and trotted ahead of Diamond Tiara before disappearing within the confounds of the school. The pink pony’s head slumped and, facing the ground, she resumed her walk at a noticeably slower pace. Having taken the brunt of her friends' weight, Apple Bloom had been winded during the whole exchange, but as it played out before her it appeared to be anything but normal. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, she discounted the possibility of it being nothing more than her imagination. There was definitely something off about Diamond Tiara's behavior, but it was unclear as to why she was acting in this manner. Entirely unaware, Scootaloo let out a sigh of frustration. "Go figure. We can't spend a day without them teasing us at least once." Ignoring the complaint, Apple Bloom continued all her focus on the pink filly. At the entrance, Diamond Tiara glanced back at them with a frown on her face and a slump in her shoulders for a moment before peering away. In stark contrast to the usual snarky expression on the filly's face, her unhappy face was quite unsettling. If there had been any lingering doubts in her mind before, they were gone now. "I can't put my hoof to it, but I reckon somethin's different about Diamond Tiara. She seems kinda...sad." Scootaloo gave her a skeptical look. "Diamond Tiara, sad? As if." She shook her head skeptically before proceeding into the school. Sweetie Belle was equally in disagreement to the statement. "You really think Diamond Tiara’s sad? She seemed pretty happy to me, at least until Scootaloo hit her." After helping Apple Bloom to her hooves, Sweetie Bell ran after the Pegasus. Before entering the building, however, she stopped and spun around. "Come on, we’re going to be late,” she said right before the bell rang. Apple Bloom, still lost in thought, snapped out of her reverie and stared at Sweetie Belle. "Comin’!" She followed after her friends, unable to shake the uneasy feeling of Diamond Tiara’s frown from her mind. By the time school was let out for the day, it was mid afternoon. As they bolted towards the playground area, the Cutie Mark Crusaders reconvened to discuss their plans for the day. “Alright, finally!” The earlier exchange all but forgotten, Scootaloo could hardly contain her excitement as she fluttered her wings and pumped her forehooves into the air for the adventure to come. “So, what kind of awesome adventures do we have lined up today to get our cutie marks?” Scootaloo asked, already eagerly gripping her scooter. With a determined look on her face, she set her favorite helmet on top of her head. Sweetie Belle shared in Scootaloo’s jubilation, beaming widely as she eyed her friends and said, “Oh, I know! I heard they’ve got a new milkshake down at Sugarcube Corner.” From the look on her expression, she was clearly interested in trying out the delectable dessert. “We could do that…” A smile played on Scootaloo’s face as she ran her hooves across the handles of her scooter and edged it forward impatiently. “Or we could catch some air in my scooter. I’ve been dying to try out some of my new tricks.” Sweetie Belle was just about to respond to that inquiry when Apple Bloom cut her off. “I don’t rightly think I’m up for crusadin’ today, girls. I just can’t seem ta get somethin’ off my mind. I’m sorry,” she said. Trotting on ahead of them, she continued, “Maybe tomorrow?” “Hey, this isn’t about Diamond Tiara, is it? You’ve seemed pretty distant today.” Scootaloo’s scooter sagged to one side as she momentarily forgot about their prospective adventures. Her brows furrowed with growing worry and then looked her in the eyes. “She isn’t worth another second of your thoughts.” "It ain’t like I’m tryin’ ta think about her!” Unbidden, the troubling scene of the rich ponies' interactions came to the forefront of the farm filly’s mind again. Aggravated, she struck a nearby pebble, causing it to skitter across the ground until it came to a stop a few hoof-steps away. “What in tarnation has gotten into me? I need to go clear my head. You go on crusadin’ without me today." “If you say so,” Scootaloo said dejectedly. Her shoulders sagged visibly, disappointed in missing out on crusading with her one of her best friends. “In that case, we’ll see you tomorrow, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said. “Try not to let this bother you too much, okay?” She flashed her a smile in an attempt to ease her friend’s worries. "Thanks. I’ll try not to." She trotted ahead of her friends towards Sweet Apple Acres. Looking over her shoulders, she could see them waving theirs for a few moments and before going off to crusading without her until they were no longer in sight. Even before they were gone, she immediately doubting her decision. She repeated her question aloud to herself. “What in tarnation has gotten into me?” Upon reaching Sweet Apple Acres, she sought out her sister and brother, who were already well into harvesting apples for the cider season, in order to help them out. When she spotted Applejack out in the fields, she approached her and watched as one tree after another was bucked. The resulting vibrations sent the tree’s fruit descending into well placed barrels, some of which were already full. “Howdy there, sugarcube,” Applejack said as she picked stray apples off the ground to place in a nearby bucket. After dropping one into the bucket, she continued, “Everythin’ go okay at school today?” “Yup.” Apple Bloom unconsciously began to pace back and forth behind her sister. After a few moments of being lost in thought, she went over to the barrel and picked it up onto her back. She then hauled it back to a cart standing off to the side, where it joined several other barrels already packed inside. At the sight of the barrel taken away from Applejack, her attention was drawn to her. “I know that look,” Applejack said. “I don’t rightly know if I can solve whatever it is, but I’ll try my darndest. What’s wrong, sugarcube?” “I don’t know.” Why should she be concerned for Diamond Tiara, in the first place? The pink filly was nothing more than a bully to her. Even if there was the slightest chance that something was wrong with her classmate, there shouldn’t be cause for her worry. She sighed. “It’s nothin’.” “That doesn’t sound like nothin’ to me.” Her chore forgotten, Applejack wrapped her hoof around her shoulder. “I’m all ears.” “It’s Diamond Tiara. She always bullies us around, and no matter how much we try ta tell her to stop, it don’t seem ta matter,” Apple Bloom said. “But today was different somehow. I don’t know what it is, but I reckon somethin’s got her feelin’ pretty down all of a sudden.” Applejack contemplated her words for a moment before replying, “Have ya tried talkin’ ta her yet?” “Well, no. But this is Diamond Tiara we’re talkin’ about! She’s never done anythin’ but be mean to us.” Apple Bloom stamped her hoof on the ground, tears welling up in her eyes. “But despite that, no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem ta get her out of my head. I don’t rightly know what I should do, and I’m worried that my friends might not understand.” A sad smile played on Applejack’s muzzle as she enveloped her into comforting hug. “Oh, sugarcube, there’s nothin’ to worry about. The best way to deal with it is to approach your classmate directly and ask her what’s wrong. Your friends will understand, you can count on that.” Wiping away the tears from her eyes, Apple Bloom looked up at her sister and said, “Yeah, I think you’re right. Thanks Applejack! Sorry, I gotta go now.” With renewed energy, she dashed back towards town in search of Diamond Tiara. “Can’t this wait…” By the time Applejack could formulate a response, the filly was already well out of earshot. As she looked up to the setting sun, she muttered to herself, “until morning?” After the heartfelt moment she shared with her sister at the farm, the trip back into town was by far uneventful for Apple Bloom. Along her journey, she noted that it was a good thing she didn’t have any need to make any purchases, for everypony was closing up shop for the evening. As the sky grew darker, she began to have second thoughts on coming back out so far into the evening. There was little chance that she would find the pink pony out here after dark in the first place. Even if she had spotted her, would she even be well received? Just as she was about to give up and head home, she saw Diamond Tiara out of the corner of her eye. The filly was walking alone, without the presence of her best friend, towards an unknown destination. With her head slumped and her eyes half-lidded, Diamond Tiara was unaware of anypony around her. Apple Bloom called out to her. “Diamond Tiara! Wait up!” At the sound of her name being called, Diamond Tiara glanced up. Though she wasn’t presently crying, the filly’s eyes were bloodshot. “Oh, it’s just you, blank flank. Can’t you see I’m, like, too busy to listen to your whining? I’ve got more important things to do.” Normally, Apple Bloom would snap off a rebuke, but the sight of the rich filly’s bloodshot eyes startled her. “Have you been cryin’? What’s wrong?” For a brief moment, there was surprise in Diamond's eyes. Then, with a sinister glare, she said, “There’s, like, nothing wrong with me. There must be something wrong with you. Go pester somepony else for a change.” “But you’re the one that pesters…” Apple Bloom bit her lip before continuing, “Nevermind. Look, I don’t know what in tarnation is goin’ on, but I’m worried about you!” The façade that Diamond Tiara was struggling to maintain was beginning to crack. In a voice almost too quiet for Apple Bloom to hear, she said, “I don’t need your pity, blank flank. I can handle myself just fine.” “If you’d just tell me what’s goin’ on, then maybe I could-” “You big dummy,” Diamond Tiara snapped at her. “Why can’t you get it through that thick skull of yours that we’re just enemies. I guess living on that dirty old farm not only makes you constantly reek, but it makes you dumb as a rock as well! I … I don’t deserve your pity!” Before Apple Bloom could stop her, Diamond Tiara turned and hightailed it back to the Rich estate, leaving Apple Bloom standing there with a blank expression on her face. “What the hay just happened?”