//------------------------------// // Heart of Diamond // Story: Light of a Diamond // by SirNotAppearingInThisFic //------------------------------// Diamond Tiara jumped.  Was school over already?  Recess was only moments ago, wasn’t it?  The clock stated that it had actually been hours, but it felt like it had been minutes. It didn’t help that she had directed almost all of her focus on maintaining something that resembled steady breath and steady hooves. Everypony around her seemed concerned only with getting out and enjoying the rest of their day.  She sat in place while they milled around and chattered.  As far as she was concerned, going home could wait.  She dared not think about what might come of her actions, or rather, lack thereof, when she dutifully informed her mother of the day’s events.  She could lie about it, but that wouldn’t help her in the long run.  It would take her mother a day or two at best to find out. She wasn’t simply terrified; part of her was jittery with excitement.  While stalling made her feel more of a coward than anything else, she had effectively made a decision, even if the Tiara-of-that-moment could blame it on lack of time. The schoolhouse was nearly vacated. Staying in her seat any longer would probably lead to an uncomfortable inquiry from Cheerilee, so she got up, pointed herself in the direction of the door, and numbly walked out.  Nothing had ever elicited this level of anticipation from her.  Not even the statue that she had been promised less than a week earlier. Nothing had elicited this kind of dread before, either.  While the last few days had been full of it, now she felt the culmination of all of it.  Everything that she had thought, said, and done in the last few days had lead to her decision, but she still didn’t know what to do next. Her classmates had dispersed somewhat when she made it outside.  Pip was nowhere to be seen, and while she was a little curious what his crowd had thought at recess, she couldn’t spare it much thought.  She had more imminent things to think about.  Namely, how she could make anything of herself now.  She hadn’t specifically rejected her parents’ ideals, but she couldn’t go through with their wishes.  In the immediate future, the former may become necessary, but if she told them… what would happen to her? “Hey, um, Tiara?” The voice sounded like Scootaloo’s.  Sure enough, a quick glance showed that the troublemaking trio of Crusaders was following her like her own personal raincloud.  This couldn’t end well… could it? “You’re probably still upset about the last time we talked...” Sweetie Belle said. “... and we noticed you watchin’ Pip Squeak durin’ recess, but you didn’t do anything,” Apple Bloom finished.  “We put two and two together.” “You’re going to be in big trouble, aren’t you?” Sweetie Belle asked, a touch of concern in her voice. Diamond Tiara stopped. It almost wasn’t a choice.  A potent mix of her fear and surprise gripped her from inside.  They weren’t even slightly upset that she had yelled at them. They were also right, but why did they care so much? “What’s it to you?” She asked sharply.  Maybe not as sharply as she imagined it. “Look, Tiara,” Scootaloo said, “you’ve teased and bullied everypony for years.  I’m not going to say that that Tiara didn’t earn every bit of trouble coming your way.” “But since you’re tryin’ to change and all,” Apple Bloom continued, “we want to help, ‘cause the new Taira probably doesn’t deserve any of it.” “We know there’s not much we can do,” Sweetie Belle said, “because Rarity says it’s between you and your parents—” Diamond Tiara turned to Sweetie Belle, horrified.  “You told your sister?” “I didn’t mention you specifically!  I promise!” She put a hoof to her forehead.  This was just great.  Any tiny chance that she had of surviving her situation had just vanished.  Her mother would hate her for associating with blank flanks, her father would be disappointed that she had become such a failure, and the school would undoubtedly know all about it within a week. All of Ponyville would probably know by then, too.  Any trouble within the Rich family – given their high social standing in both Ponyville and Canterlot – would be desirable gossip content. That thought didn’t make her feel any worse, though.  What was the difference if a few more ponies knew about it?  She still had to confront her mother about it, and she had already earned the worst possible outcome from that a while ago. “So what?  Do you think a conversation with my parents is going to fix anything?” All three of the Crusaders shifted their weight. After a moment, Apple Bloom said, “It works for us.” “It doesn’t work that way in my family!  You’ll probably somehow make things worse.”  Another thought pushed its way into the front of her mind.  At recess, she had stalled, nothing more.  It wasn’t some grand act of repentance.  “And why are you so convinced that I’m trying to change?” “We’re not convinced that you’re trying that much,” Scootaloo replied, “but you are changing.  The Diamond Tiara we used to know would have made a huge scene after Pip’s meeting with the school board.” “We were a little worried that you might try and go after us, too,” Sweetie Belle said. She took a deep breath to stave off the dizzy feeling that was building in her.  Now that she couldn’t please her mother, it had become much more clear how everypony else felt about her. She struggled to keep her legs from shaking as she realized that her recent troubles had been in the making for a long time.  Nopony had helped her when they finally manifested because she had driven them all away. Even Spoony. She hadn’t simply become a failure in the last few days.  She had been a failure for years, possibly even her whole life, and she hadn’t realized it until something hadn’t gone her way. “But… why?”  She could barely keep her voice steady.  “After years…” “Years of actin’ the same,” Apple Bloom said.  “That’s how we know you’re different.” Scootaloo turned away slightly.  “And as weird as it sounds, we felt bad for you.” She finally lost her struggle to maintain composure, and a tear slid down her cheek.  It was only the first.  She would have rather just about anything else happened, but she was now crying in front of the Crusaders. As her tears continued to flow, she managed, “I don’t know what to do...” She was lost in herself, and Sweetie Belle was hugging her.  Then Scootaloo and Apple Bloom joined in.  She was now the center of a large embrace, and had no idea how to respond.  It was uncommon enough for her to share an actual hug with Spoony, let alone her own parents. Yet now three ponies had deemed her enough of a friend to be worth trying to comfort… and as embarrassing as it was, it was working.  She couldn’t help but appreciate that they were there for her, even if only in that moment. A moment later, the Crusaders broke off of the embrace, and she was left to herself again, reassured, perhaps, but still rather embarrassed. “Things can’t get any worse for you if you talk to your parents, right?” Sweetie Belle asked. At that moment, no part of her was less than certain that things could get worse.  “They probably—” she started. “We’ll still be your friends,” Apple Bloom said over her protest, “at least, if the new Diamond Tiara’s here to stay.” As she considered Apple Bloom’s words, it became clear that she had no experience with this level of friendship, which made weighing it against everything else she had been dealing with nigh impossible. Still, if they were promising not to hate her, no matter what happened with her parents, that was at least three fewer angry ponies that she had to worry about. “If you want, we’ll even come with you.  Your parents don’t scare us,” Scootaloo said. Habit, more than anything, elicited a frantic response from her.  “No!  I’ll take care of it on my own… I guess.” “I was joking,” Scootaloo replied, a slight grin now on her face.  “But if you don’t, it would be a great opportunity to make up for some of your teasing… and help a friend.” She let out a long sigh.  “Fine.  You win.  I’ll talk to mom and dad.  I’m going to have to tell them that I ruined my chance to reclaim presidency from Pip Squeak anyway.”  She gave the Crusaders an uncertain smile.  “What’s a little treason on top of that anyway?” There was a moment’s pause as they considered her words, then Sweetie Belle said, “If you’re really that worried about your parents, when I talked to Rarity earlier, she said that there are rules for parents, and that they aren’t allowed to go too far with their punishments.  I don’t know what happens if they do, or what exactly ‘too far’ is, but they get in big trouble.” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom glanced at each other, then at her.  The silence lingered. “That's… not really comforting, Sweetie Belle.  Besides, my mother’s special talent could have been ‘going just far enough’.” “I guess it runs in the family,” Scootaloo said. She winced.  Apple Bloom gave Scootaloo a sharp nudge. “Ow—  Uh... what I mean to say is that you’re a tough pony, Tiara.  I’m sure you will be able to stand up for yourself.” “Thanks, I guess?” she replied.  “But I’m not sure how to convince them to just let me be, or if I even can.” Apple Bloom put a hoof up on her shoulder.  “You should give yourself a little more credit, Tiara.” “Besides,” Sweetie Belle added, “maybe when your parents realize that you aren’t the pony they thought you were, they’ll be more understanding.” She rolled her eyes, but the Crusaders continued. “They can’t deny it or try to stop it from happenin’, either.”  Apple Bloom nodded to the other Crusaders.  “This right here proves that.  Whether your mother likes it or not, you’re talkin’ to us, and even takin’ us seriously for once.” “Which is something that the old Tiara wouldn’t ever do, no matter what her parents thought,” Scootaloo finished. “But regardless of who I am, my parents have their own opinions on what I should do.”  She shook her head.  “It’s what I should do when they disapprove, not if they disapprove.” “Well, even if you’re convinced things aren’t goin’ to improve, you should always try,” Apple Bloom said.  “And so what if you fail?  Just think of everythin’ that won’t fall apart if you do, and try somethin’ else after that.” “We do it all the time to earn our cutie marks,” Scootaloo added.  “Since your point of failure is your family, you can’t really count on that, but what about friends?” “Also, if things don’t work out, you can talk to Princess Twilight,” Sweetie Belle said.  “She’s the Princess of Friendship, after all, and I’m pretty sure you can be friends with your family.” Just thinking about talking to Princess Twilight Sparkle threatened to make her blush.  Asking for help after she had made a fool of herself in the Princess’s own home was one of the most embarrassing things she could think of doing at that point.  “I’ll... keep that in mind.” “As for friends… I didn’t really have any, aside from Silver Spoon, and you all saw how that went.” “That’s hogwash!” Apple Bloom said.  “All you gotta do is apologise to her.” She scoffed.  “All?  She’s furious at me!” “Hurt, more like,” Apple Bloom responded. “Apparently, you’d be surprised how forgiving ponies can be when you aren’t still insulting them,” Scootaloo said.  “Just look at us, talking to you, and you haven’t even apologised yet!” Nopony spoke immediately after, and the pause drew out. When she found her voice, barely, she managed to say, “I am sorry… for all the teasing I did.” It was rather liberating, but followed by a healthy dose of embarrassment.  Putting her feelings out for scrutiny was something that her mother hadn’t just warned her not to do, but something that she had already taken to heart to avoid doing on her own.  Even though it seemed appropriate in the moment, it still felt awkward.   There was nothing she could do to keep from blushing this time. Rather than mock her about any of it, though, Scootaloo briefly wrapped a leg around her in another small embrace.  “See?  You’re already on your way to fixing everything up between you and Silver Spoon.” “Gee… Thanks.” None of the Crusaders responded immediately.   She could no longer ignore the growing feeling that she should get back home before her mother became upset.  Well, more upset. “I guess I’d better go now,” she said.  “The longer I keep mother waiting, the less likely it is that anything good will happen.” “Good luck,” Apple Bloom said. “Not that you’ll need it,” Scootaloo added. “And remember that they’re your parents.  I don’t think they actually hate you,” Sweetie Belle finished. She shook her head slightly and turned towards the heart of Ponyville.  Towards her home, and her future.