The Masks We Wear
GBOYHVerse: Tarnished Diamonds
Chapter 2
The Masks We Wear
By Godzillawolf
Sometime earlier
“Silver Spoon! Rise and shine!” barked a stallion's voice.
The silver Earth Pony blinked awake, the world around her an unfocused blur. Her hooves followed the daily activity repetition had ingrained in their muscle memory and carefully picked up the little (and quite expensive) piece of blue plastic and glass that enabled her to see the world clearly between them.
Her hooves slipped and fumbled them. The little foal fearfully managed to catch them and gave a sigh of relief. Silver Spoon carefully put them on her muzzle, adjusting them until she could see her room in detail. Piles of stuffed animals and fancy dolls came into focus. She crawled out from under the big fluffy blanket and stretched with a yawn.
Silver Spoon trotted over to her vanity mirror and looked herself over; her long mane hanging down and the tired, unassuming expression on her face looking back at her. She looked almost like any other filly.
With some difficulty, the Earth Pony got her mane into its typical ponytail using her hooves and slipped the circle of pearls she wore around her neck.
It took all but a second to for the tired filly to don a cheerful, sweet expression that could make one mistake her for a relative of Ponyville's resident party pony.
She chuckled at herself for a moment before turning and heading down the long hallway to the dining room.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” said the refined voice of a Pegasus seated at the long dining room table. The mare was almost identical in color to her young daughter, but had a navy blue mane in place of her white one. She wore an expensive looking blue dress with gold highlights that hid her Cutie Mark, and fancy styled glasses of the same color.
Silver Spoon gave a cute curtsy. “Hello, mother,” she said with a sweet but refined tone.
A muscular, dark gray Unicorn sat at the other end of the table, his mane color matching that of Silver Spoon's, but in a flat top style. He currently wore nothing, allowing his Cutie Mark (a silver bullet racing through the air) to be seen in full, but a set of golden Royal Guard armor sat on a stand behind him, several medals hanging on it. “Sleep well, Spoon?” he asked in a gruff voice but with a warm smile.
Silver effortlessly saluted her father with an obedient, but strangely cute expression and picture perfect posture closer to a soldier than a lady. “Yes sir!”
Lieutenant Silver Bullet chuckled and ruffled his daughter's mane. “Glad to hear it.”
An elderly unicorn maid floated food onto the table as the little Earth Pony took her seat and prepared to dig into her breakfast: soy eggs, toast with top grade butter and imported jam, and two glasses, one filled with ice cold milk and the other with orange juice bought directly from the Orange Family in Manehatten.
“Remember your manners, Silver Spoon,” her mother, Silver Wing reminded.
“Yes mother,” she said politely, carefully and gingerly beginning to eat her soy eggs.
“Don't forget to drink your milk, Spoon. It builds strong bones.”
“Yes daddy,” the silver filly replied in an obedient tone, taking the milk between her hooves and drinking it down.
“Slower Silver Spoon, a lady doesn't slurp,” her mother reminded.
“Yes mother,” Silver replied sweetly, slowing down without missing a beat or losing the cheerful smile she'd kept since she woke up.
“Remember, Spoon, be careful on the way to school, alright?” asked Silver Bullet asked, now in full armor.
She gave a salute to her father. “Yes, sir!”
He gave a chuckle and hugged her. “Alright, have a good day,” the stallion said, teleporting away.
“You will be careful, won't you dear?” asked Silver Wing, giving a worried look to her child.
Silver nodded, giving a mature smile. “Yes, mother, I will be very careful,” she said in a lady-like tone.
Her mother gave her a nuzzle. “Alright, Silver Spoon, I love you.”
“I love you too mother.”
The pegasus flew off to her room in the house to do her job (all Silver Spoon understood of it was it involved lots and lots of paper work) and the little foal put on her saddle bags and started to school, still maintaining the cheerful expression.
Diamond Tiara sat in her seat, eyes searching the room for any distraction (instead of on the book she had resting between her forelegs to support her alibi) as she waited for somepony else to come other than Cheerilee. The teacher wasn't somepony the bully was used to talking to except for the cases when somepony caught her, trying to sound smart or...or manipulating her against the Crusaders. She wasn't really somepony Diamond talked to except when it suited her. She normally just listened enough to get by and that was that.
So she just sat there, stuck with her own thoughts and her own confusion. Her eyes kept wandering back to the Crusader's normal seats. 'Please let Silver be the first one here...'
The last thing the foal wanted was to be stuck in the same room with those three blank fl-brats for however long it was until class started.
Thankfully, it was that yellow pegasus foal with a purple mane and feather Cutie Mark that came in first, so at least she wouldn't be alone.
The foal blinked, eyes going across the room and finding only Diamond there. She just stood there for a moment, staring in confusion and uncertainty.
“Alula?” asked Cheerilee, looking at the filly. “Is something wrong?”
The little filly jumped slightly. “Oh! N-Nothing...” she said, and quietly took a seat in the back of the class.
Diamond gave a small sigh of relief. Sure, she had no idea who that foal was, but at least she wasn't going to be alone with those three when they showed up. If push came to shove she could have some small talk with Alula and distract herself and the Crusaders.
'So long as they don't do anything humiliating, you'll be fine, Diamond Tiara,' the pink Earth Pony thought. 'Just wait for Silver to get here and just talk to her for the rest of the school day. Simple.'
“Uh, Miss Cheerilee?”
'Oh come on!'
“Girls? What happened?”
Diamond turned to see the three blank flanks standing at the door...covered in tree sap to the point of being stuck together.
Diamond's eye twitched as her mind filled with a number of insults and teasing ideas and demanded she make them first opportunity.
“We were in a rush to get here and...kinda ended up in a tree,” Scootaloo said in an embarrassed tone.
Cheerilee gave an exasperated sigh. “Again?”
Diamond's other eye began to twitch.
“You weren't watching where you were going!” Sweetie Belle complained, trying to pull herself off of her friends.
“Applebloom distracted me!”
“Hey! Ah didn't know there'd be a rock right there!”
“Good thing Derpy was there to get us out of the tree...”
Diamond started to sweat heavily.
“Alright, should we try to get you three washed off before class starts?” their teacher asked politely, leading the trio towards the bathroom.
As soon as they were out of the room, Diamond slammed her head into the desk in front of her with a thud that made Alula jump. “Maybe this will be harder than I thought...” she muttered.
Silver Spoon finally trotted up to the door of the school house and took a second to focus. The cheerful expression receded, becoming the smug, high and mighty smirk she'd become so well known for to her and Diamond's regular victims.
The silver filly walked in, now carrying herself with an air of 'I'm better than you' and her eyes fell on Diamond Tiara, who sat nervously at her desk and gave a relieved sigh when she saw her.
“Hey Silver Spoon, boy am I glad to see you,” the pink bully said as her cohort sat down in the seat next to her.
Silver Spoon blinked. “What happened?”
“Just been having a bad day, that's all,” Diamond replied simply. “I needed a distraction.”
“The Blank Flanks causing you trouble again?” Silver asked, with practiced venom.
“Something like that...” Diamond replied, giving a perfectly fake smile that Silver didn't question. “But let's not talk about them right now.”
Silver Spoon gave a confused blink. “Huh?”
Diamond then realized how much of the dialog between her and Silver since her cute-ceañera revolved around planning some plot against the Crusaders.
"We have better things to do than just tease those losers."
"We do?"
"Of course we do! Didn't I just say so?"
"Oh, right, of course,” Silver chimed in, not missing a beat or letting her inner confusion show. “So...what do we talk about?”
“...How are your parents' doing?”
“They're doing great. Daddy just got promoted to Lieutenant.”
Diamond Tiara blinked. “Your daddy's is in the guard?”
Silver nodded. “Yeah, a really good one,” she said, genuine respect in her tone.
The pink filly just started for a moment. How had she not noticed that?
She was also surprised to see Silver Spoon's admiration for her father. Diamond had begun to believe that Silver didn't think of anything except helping her bully the CMC.
“Oh...that's good,” the tiara wearing bully replied.
“Yeah.”
“...My daddy's doing well and momma...she's back.”
“That's really good Diamond,” Silver Spoon said sincerely. “I'm glad your momma got better, Diamond Tiara.”
“Thank you...”
“Alright, my little ponies,” said Cheerilee, walking the now cleaned up Crusaders into the room and directing them to their seats as the rest of the foals finished trotting in and taking their seats.
Diamond turned back to watching the teacher, grateful for a distraction.
Silver Spoon slipped on her cheerful smile and kept her eyes directed at the teacher, looking the part of an eager student.
Cheerilee took a piece of chalk in her mouth and began writing on the board, drawing a diagram of the three types of pony, as well as a spectral horse. She spat out a little chalk dust as she put the chalk down. “Alright class, today we will be going over a little more Equestrian history. Show of hooves, who has seen a Hearth's Warming Eve play?”
The Crusaders raised their hooves, as did several other foals. Diamond and Silver's hooves remained down. The pink filly recalled that had been while her mother had been recovering from her illness. Her father had said that the recovering mare wasn't in a condition to travel so going to a play hadn't yet been an option. She knew the basic idea: evil monsters came after the three tribes because they didn't get along, hatred is bad. That's all she really knew.
She noticed Twist didn't raise her hoof either. Diamond didn't know or care why she wasn't. She was pretty sure Button Mash was sneaking time on one of those video games. How did his parents afford those?
“We saw it in Canterlot with Rainbow Dash and her friends!” Scootaloo announced cheerfully.
“Alright then, Applebloom, would you, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo explain since you saw it so everypony is on the same page?”
“Sure Miss Cheerilee!” announced all three Crusaders at once.
Diamond Tiara ground her teeth as the trio began to speak.
“A long time ago, the three tribes didn't get along! The Earth Ponies made all the food. The Pegasi made the weather. And the unicorns raised the sun and moon,” Applebloom explained in a cheerful but simple and to the point tone.
“Isn't that what they do now?” asked a foal behind Diamond. She wasn't sure who spoke up, but didn't really care.
“But then, a massive blizzard started!” announced Scootaloo in a tone akin to a movie trailer voice over. “There was no food, the pegasi couldn't control the weather, and they were all at each others' throats.”
Diamond struggled not to laugh out loud at the over the top fashion the pegasus foal spoke in.
“The beautiful leader of the unicorn tribe, Princess Platinum, who was played by my big sister Rarity in the Canterlot production,” Sweetie Belle started in a lofty, more classical sounding tone. Diamond's blood began to boil as Sweetie Belle got some impressed looks from other foals. “The brave leader of the Pegasi, Commander Hurricane-”
“Who was played by Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo chimed in, her fanfillly mindset clear in her tone.
“And the...eccentric leader of the Earth Ponies, Chancellor Puddinghead, came together for a vital assemblage to determine the best resolution to this horrible calamity,” the unicorn filly continued, keeping up the over the top purple prose tone she was trying to use.
Diamond Tiara was tempted to call her a living dictionary, but bit her tongue. Literally.
“But they were just too stubborn and hateful tah get anythin' done,” Applebloom continued in her down to earth way. “So they all decided tah move tah somewhere else tah get away from the blizzard.”
“But when they got to a new land, they found the other tribes there as well,” Scootaloo narrated dramatically. “And soon the blizzard followed them.”
“The bewildered and freezing leaders and their noble assistants, Princess Platinum's bright and brilliant assistant Clover the Clever, Commander Hurricane's timid but dutiful subordinate Private Pansy, and Chancellor Puddinghead's honest and faithful secretary Smart Cookie.”
“Who was played by mah big sister Applejack!” announced Applebloom with a wide smile.
Diamond Tiara snarled in rage at the impressed foals looking at the Crusaders.
“But it turned out that the cause of the winter was nasty monsters called Windigos,” the yellow Earth Pony foal continued in her bare-bones tone. “They were feedin' off their hate tah grow stronger and freeze the whole world.”
“But then the three assistants became friends, and their friendship did the impossible!” announced Scootaloo spectacularly. “It lit a fire that burned the Windigos away and saved everypony!”
“And the three tribes finally, at long last, after many trials, put aside that which stood between them and united together as one,” Sweetie continued.
“And that's how Equestria was made!” announced all three as one, using that uncanny speed they seemed to have to come into a pyramid, Sweetie and Applebloom on the bottom, Scootaloo on top. Diamond's wondered if they were trying to overshadow her. Or if the universe just hated her.
Cheerilee smiled as the class clopped their hooves in approval...except a certain pink filly who was attempting not to blow a blood vessel from sheer jealousy and a silver one who eagerly awaited the pink one's plans. “Good job girls. Now, let us continue...”
Diamond was relieved when the lesson was over and recess began. The filly didn't know what it was, but the lesson about fighting between the three tribes and irrational hatred strangely seemed to make that sick feeling in her stomach return.
And what made it worse was that not only had the Crusaders been called to talk in front of the class and impressed them, but they'd been called to talk about something Diamond didn't know well! Something she had no way of overshadowing them with!
Diamond's brain screamed at her to find the trio, call them blank flanks, and then subtly manipulate them in such a way as to end in their humiliation. To rip them apart with her words however she could.
“Can you believe them?!” Diamond found herself asking out-load. “Those attention hogging blank flanks!”
Diamond found her plotting interrupted when the sick feeling returned, along with memory of her resolution the night before.
“I know, Diamond. Should we go pay the blank flanks a visit?” Silver Spoon asked, saying the word blank flanks with a practiced mocking tone.
The pink filly put a hoof to her stomach.
“...Nah. Not right now.”
Silver blinked, cocking her head in confusion. “Are you feeling okay, Diamond?”
Diamond nodded. “Yeah! It's just picking on them is getting dull. Did you ever notice it's all we ever do?”
Silver Spoon blinked, putting a hoof to her chin. “...Kinda...”
“So come on, let's do something we haven't done in a long time, alright?” the pink filly asked with her typical confident air.
Silver just nodded. “Okay...what?”
Diamond actually had to pause. What hadn't they done in a long time? She tried to think back to before they'd made their primary pass time the torment of three foals.
Her eyes fell on a teeter totter that she'd honestly forgotten the last time she'd actually gone near. But she remembered back when she and Silver were blank flanks themselves (a truly dark time in Diamond's remembrance) and it was one of her favorite activities. “Let's go take a ride on the teeter totter.”
Silver didn't object, and the two fillies trotted over and took their positions.
To Diamond Tiara's surprise, she actually found herself smiling from the simple act of going up and down. Silver seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit as well.
Diamond had to begrudgingly admit how long it'd been since she and Silver had actually played like normal foals without thinking about the Crusaders or plotting something cruel to do to them. Sure, she and Silver Spoon hung out. They'd eat together; sometimes have parties at her house together (typically with a group of foals that jealously watched them enjoy themselves). But they hadn't really played much since they'd started picking on the blank flanks.
After awhile, the two of them got off and Silver seemed rather upbeat and in high spirits. Diamond honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Silver with that cheerful smile instead of the smug one Silver and herself normally wore. Diamond found herself smiling a bit, but couldn't help still feeling her anger and jealousy nagging at the back of her mind.
“That was fun,” Diamond admitted, giving her friend a smile.
The silver Earth Pony filly nodded. “Totally. That was a good idea Diamond.”
“Of course it was, I always have good ide-oof!”
Diamond looked up to see Applebloom had collided with her, a rubber ball following seconds later and hitting the pink filly on the head. “Ow! Get off me!”
“Oops! Sorry Diamond Tiara,” Applebloom said, quickly getting off the foal.
Diamond got back to her hooves and noticed something was off. She gasped and felt her head, finding something was missing. She looked around, finding her namesake had been knocked off in the impact. Quickly putting it back a top her prim and proper mane, she turned to Applebloom and the other Crusaders with a snarl, pint up jealousy and anger surging to the surface. “Watch where you're going next time, blank flanks!” she spat back.
Silver nodded. “Yeah, trying to earn a 'Not Looking Where I'm Going' Cutie Mark?” she spat with a mocking tone the Crusaders knew all too well.
Diamond prepared to give some more venom laced words, filled with vindictive satisfaction as she noted the hurt the bullies' words earned on their victim's faces. The relief of the pint of jealousy and anger she'd been feeling. It made her give the cruel smirk the Crusaders remembered.
...Then an image of Checker Monarch flashed in her mind again.
The filly almost doubled over from her stomach doing back-flips, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Silver actually gasped in concern as she'd been preparing for her and Diamond's traditional hoofshake. “Diamond? Are you alright?”
“Y-Yeah, just something...I ugh...ate...” she muttered, then decided to roll with it. “I...I'm going to go to the bathroom to be on the safe side...”
With that, the pink filly galloped to the little filly's room, Silver following not far behind, leaving the CMC standing in confusion. Once she was safely inside (Silver Spoon safely on the other side, waiting for her), Diamond gave a worried look in the mirror. “This...might be harder than I thought...”
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Diamond's going to have a tough time not being Diamond.
I have two suggestions for Diamond.
First, you need to talk to Silver Spoon about your fears. I'm sure you'll feel much better if you can get that off your chest.
Second, and this is important, take baby steps. If you try to pull a complete 180-degree personality shift in one day, or even one week, you'll only make other ponies wonder if something's wrong with you, as well as drive yourself crazy. But if you take it one step at a time, I'm sure you'll be able to gradually become able to at least tolerate the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Come on Diamond, you can do this.
Who is the real Silver Spoon? This is the question (for now).
As for Diamond Tiara, she is in a bind. If she even thinks about being mean to the Crusaders, her stomach does flip-flops. On the other hand, if she doesn't say anything to them, her anger and jealousy will eat away at her psyche. She needs to talk to somepony and she needs to do it now. Elsewise, she is going to the hospital (for physical or mental illness.)
4405994
Maybe they'll put 'er in the same room they were going to put her mother when she almost went crazy.
4405520
Exactly, she was brought into the universe for the sole purpose of being the snotty kid for the CMC to overcome, now she's trying to defy the very reason she exists in a 'natural flavor' style setting, she's going against the rules!
At this rate she will end up giving herself an ulcer from stress.
Guilt!
I did enjoy the chapter and I hope it won't be too long for the next one.
well, we know one other character trait she has, she really loves her father, see her applauding like crazy after a lecture that put everyone else to sleep
4089816 What, not even Fluttershy? She could probably be sympathetic to King Sombra or Tirek if they sincerely wanted to change.
Yeesh. Nothing to say that hasn't already been said- DT needs to talk to somepony.
It's never easy changing stripes, is it? That she lost control in an instant like that makes it that much more believable that it's a struggle.
Well done!
Glad I finally decided to give this story a shot. It's really good!
You DO know the term 'foal' means baby in the show right? They never used the term 'foal' to describe anyone other than the cake twins in the show.