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Diamond's Admission2,429 words
Diamond's Reflection2,158 words
Scootaloo's Rebuke1,455 words

Diamond's Admission

Diamond Tiara sat at the very edge of the lake, watching the water dejectedly. Her fur was still stained with mud in places. Further in was Silver Spoon, working hard on a particularly stubborn stain on her foreleg.

"I just can't get this mud out," Silver grumbled. "This is all that Babs' fault! How could she go and do that to us? She went back to those blank flanks and left us in the mud, literally! The next time we see them we should show them who's boss, now that that brute is back in Manehattan."

Silver waited for the usual response. The cry for action, the beginnings of a plan of vengeance, but she heard none. Turning towards her friend, Silver saw Diamond staring down at her own reflection.

"Diamond, are you ok?"

Diamond looked up, startled, as if suddenly aware of the world around her.

"Oh, y-yeah Silver. I'm just... Not feeling well. Probably because of all that dirt."

Silver looked at her a little incredulously, but she decided not to push it.

"Oh ok. Hey, let's go home Di. We can get the rest of this mud off properly in our baths."

Diamond nodded, feigning a smile. Standing up, she and Silver waded out of the water and headed back into town. As the two walked, Diamond's mind quickly turned away from her surroundings, and back towards the day's earlier events.

That filly looked so scary. When she lunged forward, it reminded Diamond so much of... She told Silver that it was the mud that caused her to get so teary. She didn't want to think about it anymore. She had worked so hard to leave those memories behind her when she left Canterlot; she wasn't gonna let this one experience bring them all back.

They reached the rich district of Ponyville, and said their goodbyes to each other before heading towards their separate homes. Opening the door, Diamond said a silent prayer that she would be able to get through the house to the bathroom without being-

"Diamond Tiara, please come here!"

Great.

"Coming Daddy!" Diamond shouted down the hall.

She didn't have to guess what this was about. That blank flank or her older sister went and told her dad that she had made them cry or something. Of course they probably left out the part about causing her and Silver to fall in the mud. Oh well, it was nothing she hadn't talked her way out of before. At best she'll probably be able to get away from this with only a few days grounded in her room, full of magazines and toys... She'll manage.

Taking a deep breath, Diamond tried to school her features into something resembling innocence, then made her way into her fathers office. Her facade fell away however at the sight of Apple bloom of all ponies, sitting by her fathers desk, looking anything but angry or spiteful. In fact, the blank flank's expression could honestly be described as guilt, much to Diamond's confusion.

"Hello Princess, I'm sure you know Apple Bloom. She's come here because she has something she wants to tell you." Diamond's father said, then turned to Apple Bloom and gave her an encouraging nod.

Apple Bloom rubbed her foreleg as she began, "Hey Diamond Tiara. Ah just wanted to stop by an' apologize for Babs accidentally knockin' ya and Silver Spoon into the mud. She didn't mean for that to happen, and Ah'm sure she would be apologizing here instead of me if she weren't already in Manehattan by now."

Diamond Tiara didn't believe it. She couldn't believe it. Of all the ponies in Ponyville, she was probably Apple Bloom's least favorite. She should be out gloating with her friends about their supposed victory, and yet here she was apologizing for it? She must've been sent here by her older sister. That was the only logical reason Diamond could see for what was happening now.

"Uh, Diamond?" Apple Bloom said after Diamond remained silent for too long.

Re-schooling her feature Diamond replied, "Yes, well... Apology accepted?"

Diamond's father nodded, satisfied that things have been settled between Apple Bloom and his Daughter.

"Well girls, now that you've buried the hatchet, I've got some business I need to get to. Princess could you show your friend out?"

"Sure Daddy."

Diamond walked to the door, and opened it for Apple Bloom who was walking behind her. As soon as the door closed behind them, Diamond's expression instantly shifted to one of aggression.

"Alright blank flank," Diamond said, "your sister put you up to this didn't she?"

Apple Bloom tried to smile, "No, Ah just thought it was the right thing to do. Look, Ah know we don't get along, but Ah didn't want you or Silver to get hurt... Ok Ah might've wanted it a little, but that still don't make it right."

"Well, why are you apologizing now then? If you're so worried about the right thing, then what about all those other times you caused trouble for us?"

Apple Bloom looked down embarrassed, and began rubbing her foreleg like before. Diamond smiled smugly believing she had caught the blank flank's lie.

"Well," Apple Bloom began, "before Babs left, she told us about how the reason she joined up with you two to be mean to us was 'cause she got bullied back home. An' that got me thinkin' that maybe there was a reason like that for you an' Silver always bein' mean to us..."

"The reason I'm mean..." Diamond said.

Was there really a reason for her behavior? Diamond wasn't dumb; she knew she wasn't the nicest ponies in the world, but she had never really put much thought into why. It was just who she was. Who she had to be after... NO! She had already had to steer herself away from that train of thought before. She wasn't gonna deal with that again. Not because of some blank flank who felt sorry for her.

"Wh-whatever, maybe I'm mean to you because you're so annoying." Diamond said, trying to save face. "Well now that you got your apology out of the way, I'm sure you'll be on your way."

Apple Bloom perked up at this, "Actually I need to go apologize to Silver Spoon now anyway. Well, if I don't see you till the end of break, see you at school Diamond Tiara."

She smiled at Diamond Tiara, then turned and walked to the front door. As she opened the door, Diamond finally spoke up in reply.

"Yeah, see you Apple Bloom."

Alone at last, Diamond turned and made her way to her personal bathroom. Once inside, her mind practically went on auto pilot, starting the water, filling the bath with fine oils and perfumes. Once the bath water was heated and prepared to the proper quality, Diamond lowered herself into the basin and out of the harsh reality of the day.

That night Diamond had a dream she was back in Canterlot. Back in Canterlot Elementary, sitting alone at her desk. It was lunch time, and all the other fillies and colts were sitting together, and talking with each other. No one talked to her. It was like this everyday. She spent her lunches alone, without friends, and if she was lucky it would stay that way. If she was lucky she wouldn't have to deal with-

"Hey blank flank!"

...Diamond awoke with a start.

A yawn exploded through Diamond's system, as she trudged her way to Silver Spoon's house. After last night's dream Diamond had been unable to get any sleep.

The rich district of Ponyville was much smaller than in other cities, so thankfully Diamond didn't have to walk far. Reaching Silver's house, Diamond knocked on the door while trying to suppress another yawn. The door opened revealing Silver Spoon, who instantly gained a concerned look.

"Hey Diamond," She said, "You don't look so good."

"...Just had some trouble sleeping last night," Diamond mumbled.

Silver looked like she wanted to press the issue, but decided against it. Instead she stood aside, allowing Diamond to enter.

Within the Silver estate, Diamond passed through halls gilded in fine metal, following close behind Silver Spoon. Silver was born into a long line of metal workers, so her house was covered in the art of their trade. Jewelry, sabers, armor, some wrought by ancestor's as far back as Silver's great great great great grandfather.

Diamond passed by all this with little thought, so use as she was to the interior of the Silver estate. When they finally reached Silver's room, Diamond made a quick beeline to the queen sized bed and flopped on top. Silver joined her on the bed, before speaking.

"So? Are you gonna tell me what's bothering you?"

They were always like this. Diamond the one with the problem, and Silver the one ready to help. Diamond supposed if there was anyone she could trust her story to, it would be her.

"Well... I had this dream. But it was actually a memory." Diamond finally said.

"Oh, a memory of what?" Silver asked.

"My time in Canterlot. Back when I lived with my mom."

"So? What was so bad about that time? I thought you were the queen of the school there just like you are here."

Diamond cringed at the mention of that false truth.

"Yeah, see when I said that. It was kinda... A lie."

If Silver were hurt by the knowledge that her best friend had lied to her, she didn't show it.

Diamond continued, "The truth is that the other students... They would bully me."

"For what?" Silver asked.

"Anything," Diamond replied, "The fact that I was an Earth Pony, or that my family didn't own any titles, or that I was a... A blank flank."

A glint of understanding crossed Silver's features, as her friends behavior became that much clearer to her. Wrapping a hoof around her friend, Silver pulled her into a hug. Diamond reciprocated, taking comfort from the friendly embrace.

"Are you mad at me for lying?" Diamond asked.

"No. I understand why you did it, plus you told me the truth now so that kinda makes up for it."

Diamond smiled before responding, "Silver Spoon, why are you the best friend ever?"

"Because you deserve the best, Di," Silver replied, before turning her nose up in feigned haughtiness, "Just be glad that I also look good doing it!"

The two friends shared in laughter, rolling about on Silver's bed. In her blind joy, Silver managed to roll herself right off the bed. Poking her head back over the edge, her skewed glasses and dazed look sent Diamond into an even longer fit of giggles. After everything had calmed down, the two fillies shared a calm moment together, Silver stilled sprawled on the floor while Diamond hanged halfway off the bed.

"Diamond?" Silver asked, breaking the silence.

Diamond turned herself, looking at Silver.

"Hmm?"

"What made you start thinking about your past all of a sudden?" Silver asked.

Diamond Tiara's demeanor tensed a bit, as she was reminded of Apple Bloom's visit.

"Well... Yesterday that Apple Family blank flank came by, and apologized for what her cousin did."

Silver nodded, "Yeah? She came by my house too and did the same thing."

"Mm," Diamond acknowledged, "She also said that the reason Babs had been mean was because she had been bullied back in Manehattan or something. She said that was why Babs acted like... us. And that maybe we had a similar reason for acting that way too."

Silver was quiet for a while. Diamond waited for her response, expecting some kind of dismissal of such an idea. But when Silver finally spoke...

"Do you feel bad about it?"

"About what?" Diamond asked, puzzled.

"The way we act."

Diamond opened her mouth to reply, but closed it in thought. She had never really thought about it before. How did she feel about the way she acts. It was just something she felt she had to do. When she came to Ponyville, she had decided that she wouldn't be bullied again. But was becoming a bully herself the only way to ensure that? Did she really wanna be just like all those ponies that made her miserable back in Canterlot.

"I guess so," Diamond finally answered, "What about you?"

"Weeeelllll, to be honest, I only acted like that because you did."

"Really?" Diamond asked, guilt apparent in her voice at the thought of her friend only doing what Diamond wanted out of obligation, or even fear.

"I don't mean it like that, Diamond. It's not like I didn't want to do it. It's more like I don't care either way how we act, as long as we're friends. But you know, it might be good to try being nice for a change." Silver explained.

Diamond took a moment to process this. Silver was probably right, but after all she had done it might not be so easy for her to turn her whole reputation around. Still, with Silver's help it might still be possible.

"Alright, we can try it." Diamond said, holding out her hoof.

Silver returned the hoof bump, and the two smiled, comforted in their shared determination to change. The two had been best friends since they were little fillies, like sisters. As long as they worked together they were sure they could accomplish anything.

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