//------------------------------// // A Shining Diamond // Story: Pony Tails // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// Diamond Tiara awoke to a new day. She went through her usual morning routines: Brushing her teeth and mane, polishing her hooves, and donning her signature tiara. Once that was done, she trotted downstairs, joining her parents for breakfast. "Good morning, darling." Filthy Rich smiled. "Morning, dad." Diamond Tiara smiled back. "Good morning, Diamond Tiara." Spoiled Rich said tersely. "Good morning, mother." Diamond Tiara returned. Things were still a little tense between Diamond Tiara and her mother, following Diamond finally standing up to her (in front of so many others, even). Randolph, the family butler, brought over the plates with their food. "Thank you, Randolph." Diamond Tiara smiled. "You're quite welcome, miss." Randolph nodded, pleased by the words of gratitude. For a few minutes, the family was silent, as they ate their breakfast. "So dear, what is on the agenda for today?" Spoiled asked. "Well, I was planning on hanging out with my friends." Diamond Tiara revealed. "Your friends?" Spoiled frowned. "Does that include those former blank flanks?" "It depends on whether or not I run into them." Diamond Tiara shrugged. "Would that be a problem, mother?" "As a matter of fact, it would." Spoiled declared. "As a member of a... refined family like ours, you really should be more mindful of who you associate with... especially if it means associating with a trio of rambunctious rabble-rousers..." "Now, now, Spoiled." Filthy stepped in. "I for one am happy she's been making new friends. That Silver Spoon is a nice filly, but she shouldn't be our little girl's only friend." "But at least she hails from a respectable background." Spoiled scoffed. "Not unlike those common fillies..." "To be honest mother, it doesn't matter to me what their 'background' is." Diamond declared. "It used to." Spoiled scowled. "But not anymore." Diamond Tiara retorted. "Dad, may I be excused?" "Of course, dear." Filthy nodded. "Thanks." Diamond Tiara got out of her seat, and left the dining room. "Thank you for the support, Rich." Spoiled glared at her husband. "Our daughter is lowering herself to slumming with common ponies, and you don't seem to care." "Oh, Spoiled." Filthy sighed. "Can't you just be glad that our daughter is happy?" "Of course." Spoiled nodded. "It's the manner by which she has attained the happiness that worries me." "Well, what should be more important to Diamond Tiara, good friends or social status?" Filthy asked. "I'm surprised you even have to ask." Spoiled huffed. "What good are friends if they're the wrong kind? I know those so-called 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' had something to do with corrupting my formerly perfect little girl." "They seem like nice fillies to me." Filthy shrugged. "Especially that Apple Bloom. She comes from fine stock." "Farm stock." Spoiled sneered. "And I refuse to speak of such tawdry ponies any more." Spoiled got up and left the room. "Oh, Spoiled..." Filthy rolled his eyes, exasperated. Diamond Tiara made her way over to Silver Spoon's home, a slightly less larger and grander house than her own. She knocked three times, and the door opened, Silver Spoon emerged. "Hey, Diamond Tiara." Silver Spoon smiled. "Hi, Silver Spoon." Diamond Tiara grinned. They went into their trademark routine. "Bump! Bump! Sugar Lump! Rump!" The little reaffirming of their friendship felt especially good for Diamond Tiara, who had not too long ago feared that she had lost her best friend forever when she yelled at her during the recent student council president election. "So, what should we do today?" Silver Spoon asked. "How about you decide?" Diamond Tiara asked. "But you never let me choose." Silver Spoon frowned. "I do now." Diamond Tiara smiled. "You name it." "...How about the park?" Silver Spoon suggested. "Sounds great." Diamond Tiara grinned. The two trotted over to the park, finding it full of fillies and colts who were enjoying the pleasant. As they walked by, Diamond Tiara was elated to see some of them throw smiles and waves her way. Not too long ago, they would have glared at her, or just looked away completely. Now they were actually happy to see her (thanks in small part to her having her father provide money to fix the schoolhouse's playground equipment). Before, Diamond Tiara wouldn't have cared about their opinion either way, but after turning over a new leaf, it felt good to be accepted by them. "I love the smell of daisies in the morning." Silver Spoon smiled. "It's no top of the line fragrance." Diamond Tiara admitted. "But it is something." At that moment, the Cutie Mark Crusaders walked by. "Hey, you three." Diamond Tiara smiled. "Howdy." Apple Bloom smiled. "Hi, guys." Sweetie Belle added. "How's it goin'?" Scootaloo asked. "Can't complain." Diamond Tiara smiled. "Thanks to you Crusaders, I'm feeling like I'm way more popular than I was before." She waved to Dinky, who waved back. "Yeah, ponies tend to like you better when you're actually nice." Scootaloo smirked. "It sure helps, that's for sure." Silver Spoon grinned at her best friend. "I never saw it like that until lately." Diamond Tiara admitted. "Chalk that up to some bad advice..." "We oughta be the ones thankin' you, though." Apple Bloom declared. "In a way, it's thanks to you that we finally got our Cutie Marks." Sweetie Belle smiled. "Kinda ironic, considerin' how much ya used to tease us fer bein' blank flanks." Apple Bloom admitted. "Yeah... sorry about that." Diamond Tiara said sheepishly. "Forget about it." Scootaloo shrugged. "All water under the bridge... or off a duck's back. Whichever one sounds better." "You girls wanna hang out with us?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Sure, why not?" Diamond Tiara smiled. "How about you, Silver Spoon?" "Love to." Silver Spoon nodded. "Great." Apple Bloom beamed. The five fillies walked through the park together, Apple Bloom regaling the others with a story. "...And then they gave us rock soup fer dinner!" She revealed. "Rock soup? Seriously?" Diamond Tiara gaped. "I've heard of rock candy, but-" Silver Spoon frowned. "Hey, check it out!" Scootaloo pointed to some mud puddles. "Fresh mud! Who's up for a splash around?" "Darn tootin'!" Apple Bloom grinned. "Count me in!" Sweetie Belle nodded. "Ew!" Diamond Tiara grimaced. Reformed as she was, she still held on to some of her old notions. "I am not wallowing in that mud like some gross pig!" "I'll pass too." Silver Spoon cringed. "It takes forever to wash mud out of my braid..." "Suit yerselves." Apple Bloom shrugged. "But ya don't know what yer missin'." "Besides, I seem to recall you and Silver Spoon getting into some mud before." Sweetie Belle smirked, speaking of the incident when Apple Bloom's cousin Babs had caused the two of them into fall into some mud. "Yeah, and I don't seem to recall having much fun." Diamond Tiara scowled. "Besides, my mom would go ballistic if I came home covered in mud!" "So don't come home covered in it." Scootaloo shrugged. "Wash it off in the pond, or something." "In the pond?" Diamond Tiara snorted. "What am I, a dog?" "It was just an idea." Scootaloo replied. "Besides, nopony's gonna force ya. You two can do your own thing if you want." "There are some lovely bluebells over there." Silver Spoon pointed. "It'd be a nice place to sit down and relax." "Yeah, I guess." Diamond Tiara shrugged. "Have fun... playing in the mud, you three." She shuddered. "Oh, we will." Apple Bloom chuckled. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sat down by the bluebells, while the CMCs ran around and splashed in the mud. Despite her revulsion towards the matter, Diamond Tiara found herself struck by an odd curiosity. "I don't get it." Diamond Tiara frowned. "What's so fun about playing with mud?" "No clue." Silver Spoon shrugged. "Guess everypony just likes different things... We don't have to understand it, just accept it." "Yeah, I guess so." Diamond Tiara nodded. "Even if it doesn't look like all that fun to me. Just a lot of mess." "Exactly." Silver Spoon nodded. "Still, the Crusaders were right about me trying to better than I was." Diamond Tiara recalled. "Maybe they're right about this. Maybe I should know what I'm missing..." "Wait, are you saying...?" Silver Spoon asked. "Could you onto this, please?" Diamond Tiara passed Silver Spoon her tiara. "Sure." Silver Spoon nodded. "Thanks." Diamond Tiara walked over to the edge of the mud puddle. "Oh, hey." Apple Bloom, smiled through a face half-caked with mud. "You comin' in?" "Maybe..." Diamond Tiara said awkwardly. She placed her hoof gingerly into a patch of mud, feeling it squishing underneath. "Oh, it's cold, and squishy..." She started rubbing her hoof into it. "Like that luxury chocolate pudding we sometimes have for dessert..." Diamond Tiara put another hoof into the mud, starting to enjoy the feeling. "This is kinda... neat." She smiled. "Well, whattaya waitin' for?" Scootaloo smirked. "C'mon in!" "Here I come..." Diamond Tiara took the plunge, jumping into the mud and splashing the Crusaders. "Hey, nice one!" Sweetie Belle giggled. Diamond Tiara took a look at herself. She was absolutely filthy... and she loved it. "Yeah!" She started splashing around. "That's the way!" Apple Bloom chuckled. "Oh, my mom would lose it if she saw me right now!" Diamond Tiara chuckled, as she continued splashing around. "She hates it when I get dirty!" "Rarity's the same way." Sweetie Belle grinned. "This one time, I accidentally tracked mud into her Boutique, and she collapsed right onto her fainting couch!" "My mom would need an entire fainting room." Diamond Tiara snickered. Scootaloo did a belly flop, splattering Diamond Tiara in the face. "Whoops." She said sheepishly. "Sorry. No hard feelings?" Scootaloo was answered with another splash of mud. "None at all." Diamond Tiara snickered. "Guess I kinda had that comin'." Scootaloo chuckled. They continued playing in the mud. Diamond Tiara hadn't felt so free and joyful in a long time, once again thanks to three fillies she had once considered enemies. Shortly after, the fillies washed off the mud in the nearby pond. Silver Spoon stood on the shore, still holding Diamond Tiara's tiara. "Never thought I'd have fun getting dirty." Diamond Tiara admitted, as she washed off the last of the mud. "Then again, a lot of things have happened to me that I've never thought of lately..." "But they were good things though, right?" Apple Bloom asked. "Right." Diamond Tiara admitted, as Silver Spoon passed her her tiara. "And kinda fun, too." "I never would have imagined you getting into the mud." Silver Spoon admitted. "First standing up to your mom, and now this. You just keep surprising me..." "Just trying something new." Diamond Tiara shrugged. "I've been doing that a lot lately, in case you hadn't noticed..." "Boy, all that playing around made me hungry." Scootaloo rubbed her stomach. "What say we go to Sugarcube Corner and get a treat?" "You read my mind." Sweetie Belle grinned. "I could sure go for one of their chocolate fudge muffins right now." Silver Spoon declared. "Me too." Diamond Tiara nodded. "And I'm buying." "An offer ya might regret." Apple Bloom smirked. "You haven't seen how much Scootaloo can eat when she's hungry..." "Hey, I'm an athlete." Scootaloo smirked. "We need plenty of fuel..." "Sure you do." Sweetie Belle chuckled. The fillies chuckled as they departed for Sugarcube Corner. After eating their fill (and making a notable dent in Diamond Tiara's savings), they spent some more time walking around Ponyville, talking and joking, until the day's end came, and they had to go back to their respective. "See you around, girls." Diamond Tiara smiled. "Soon, Ah hope." Apple Bloom nodded. "Because today was so much fun!" Sweetie Belle beamed. "It sure was." Diamond Tiara grinned. "Maybe Silver Spoon can join us in our mud play next time." Scootaloo suggested. "I don't know..." Silver Spoon shrugged. "My braid..." "You could always untie it." Diamond Tiara suggested. "Who knows? You might look even better with your mane down. Do what I did. Take a chance." "I guess it'll be worth a shot." Silver Spoon admitted. "That's my best friend." Diamond Tiara hugged her. As they all split apart, bound for their respective homes, Diamond Tiara returned to hers. "How was your day, darling?" Filthy asked. "Great, dad." Diamond Tiara nodded. "Just great." "What happened to your mane?" Spoiled frowned, noting the aftereffects of washing it in the pond. "Oh, nothing much." Diamond Tiara shrugged. "Just hanging out with my friends, that's all..." "Of course." Spoiled sighed, as Diamond Tiara headed up to her room. "What are we going to do with her, Rich?" "Absolutely nothing, dear." Filthy grinned. "Absolutely nothing..." Diamond Tiara lay on her bed, exhausted, but happy It had been a good day for her. One of many since she had turned over a new leaf, and no doubt there were more to come, with good friends like Silver Spoon and the Cutie Mark Crusaders to spend time with. 'It takes great friends to really make this diamond shine...' Diamond Tiara thought gleefully.