Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

295 - Spoiled for Options

"She's not only who you need," started Sweetie.

"But also a client." Apple Bloom nodded.

"Even if she never... It's complicated, but it worked out in the end!" Scootaloo circled the ground, wing buzzing to propel her scooter along.

Star Swirl walked along, in no specific hurry. He nodded to Cozy Glow who was beside him. "If you are certain she has something to contribute?"

The girls let out a communal cry of affirmation, hurrying ahead out of sight.

Cozy Glow smirked at the sight. "Foals, always full of energy, aren't they?"

"Quite." He glanced sidelong at her. "You are not lacking for energy either."

"I'm not--"

"--I like it."

Cozy came up short, her cheeks warming a little. "You seem... even paced."

"I hurry when there is an immediate need," he agreed, seeming to find no insult in it. "Now where are they taking us?"

They were coming up on a house, one of the larger they'd seen in Ponyville. Well upkept as it was large, it was more of a small manor than a house, really. It had an ornate wall around it with a proper gate. The CMC were in front of that gate, talking animatedly to a filly on the other side of it, a butler standing behind her.

"Good thing," noted the filly they were speaking to, "--she didn't try that at our school." She rolled her eyes and looked past the CMC. "Is that her?"

Scootaloo twirled on her scooter, kicking it away mid-motion so it fell against her when she came down. "That's her. Come on over, Cozy!" She waved excitedly.

Cozy continued her approach with Star Swirl at her side. "So... hi there." She gave a big smile, cheeks stretching in a saccharine display. "They tell me you have something important to talk to me about." She hadn't full meant it, but some of her usual foalish mask had emerged.

The filly inclined her head softly. "B+" She turned to the fillies. "Yeah, she has it."

"Has what?" Cozy deflated, only for it to turn to rage. "Don't you ignore me!"

Apple Bloom casually put herself between the two. "No reason to get ornery or nothin'. Diamond Tiara's gonna help, promise."

"Glad you're promising." Diamond squinted a little at Apple Bloom. "I don't remember saying that."

Sweetie threw a hoof wide. "Aw, please?"

Diamond made a subtle gesture and her butler hurried to open the gate, allowing her to step out without doing it herself. "So, you think you're in charge, that everypony around should be listening to what you say?"

Cozy Glow pointed at Diamond, her anger only growing. "When they actually listen to me, everything works out!"

"I used to think that." Diamond gave a toss of her mane. "But they didn't listen, did they?"

"What? I mean... At first..." She flopped from the air where she had been buzzing to fall to her haunches, worrying her hooves.

"But never in the end, especially not when it's most important." Diamond approached slowly, never looking away from Cozy, meeting her eyes. "Hey, it's alright. You're a leader."

"What kind of leader can't get ponies to follow them," bitterly spat out Cozy. "And you're a filly, who are you to lecture--"

Diamond set a hoof on Cozy's lips. "Shhh. I'm not here to attack you."

Cozy swatted the hoof away. "What are you here for?"

Diamond directed a hoof at her rump. "I'm a leader too. That can be a great thing... It can also go really wrong in a hurry." She hiked one brow. "So, wanna tell me how it went?" She turned back for her house. "Let's chat."

The CMC spread apart, giving plenty of room. Sweetie gestured after Diamond as she began to go. "Go on."

Cozy glanced between the retreating form of Diamond, the CMC, then Star Swirl. "I don't know her," she complained, folding her arms over her chest.

Star set a hoof on her shoulder. "There is only one cure for that. I can come with you, if you prefer?"

"N--actually, yeah... yeah, do that." She set all hooves down and started forward after Diamond. "I don't trust her."

The CMC watched the two proceed past the gate, the butler shutting it silently behind them. Apple Bloom waved at Randolph. "Keep an eye on 'em, please."

"Of course." The butler, Randolph, tipped his front forward before turning to walk after them all.

Sweetie glanced left and right at her co-conspirators. "It's out of our hooves now."

"For now," argued Sweetie with a grin. "At least until we hear what happened." The three wandered off, chatting about what they'd do next in the day.

---

"Go ahead." Diamond gestured at a tray, silver and glittering with studded gems, covered in all manner of sweets. "Try some."

Cozy was seated on a couch, fluffy and soft. She was sitting up, balancing so she could cross her arms, looking untrusting. "What do you know about friendship?"

Diamond flinched back. "That was... cold and sudden." A little smirk spread on her lips. "Color me mildly impressed."

"I don't have to color you to know you're full of it." Cozy leaned forward, glaring at Diamond. "You don't know me."

"No, I don't." She reached out and picked up a cookie with well-encouraged earth-pony sticky hooves. "But that could change, if you want it to. Here, I'll start." She chomped the cookie in half, chewing quietly a moment. "I've been in your horseshoes before."

"I doubt that." Cozy threw a hoof to the side, thudding it against Star Swirl's ribs. "Oops, um, anyway, he can tell you. You have not almost conquered Equestria."

"So you messed up in a bigger way than I did." Diamond tilted her head. "Should I be impressed? I'm not."

"I'm not here to impress some random filly." Cozy turned her head up and away, looking to Star instead. "Can you believe her?"

"She hasn't said anything, yet," noted her older companion, looking to Diamond. "Perhaps it would be best if you explained your background? We're both unaware of it."

"I thought you went to that tacky friendship school." She rolled her eyes. "Whatever, fine." She tossed up the cookie to catch it entirely on her tongue, crunching it away from sight. "Me and the Cutie Mark bunch out there used to... not be quite friends." She turned half away. "Bitter enemies is probably a better word for it."

Cozy suddenly snorted, a smile on her face. "Little brats. They're good at getting in the way."

"You don't need to remind me." Diamond raised a hoof to her chest. "I had the whole school wrapped around my hoof."

"And they took it away," finished Cozy with growing uncertainty.

"Yeah, but in the worst way possible." She stepped towards Cozy. "By making me see how stupid I was being."

"Well, it wasn't them." Cozy waved that thought away. "A different group, six of 'em, ganged up on me the first time. Jerks... One of them even pretended to be my friend!" She crossed her arms, scowling. "False friendship, can you believe it?"

Diamond scowled at the idea. "Really now? That's low, real low."

"Tell me about it!" Cozy threw her hooves up in the air. "Even if they didn't want what I was selling, that was just wrong."

"Agreed." Diamond lifted an ear at the little would-be tyrant. "I once felt like I was betrayed. Worst feeling in the world. My best friend in... basically ever... took a stand against me." She circled the table with the food. "I wanted to shake her silly. I wanted to hit her... She didn't deserve either... I realized that, eventually. She said what I needed to hear, and what she had been afraid to say..."

Cozy smiled a little. "Sounds like a real friend."

"Yeah... Maybe you'll meet her. We're still friends." Diamond's expression lightened. "But we're not here for me. We're here for you." She pointed directly at Cozy. "We were both riding the top, until we came crashing down. Now, do you know what we had in common?"

"We're both small?" ventured Cozy with a raised brow.

"Look, I'm actually a filly. I'll get better." Diamond snorted softly as she turned. "Fetch us some tea, kindly."

"Of course." Randolph moved to comply without ceremony.

"Now, look." Diamond turned back to Cozy. "We both used ponies, like tools, instead of as ponies." She inclined her head. "Don't get me wrong, ponies? They are great tools, but they're alive, have feelings, you know?" She gestured at where Randolph had gone. "Like him, great butler, A+ material, always eager to do what I ask, but he's still alive. A little 'thank you' or 'please' goes a long way. A smile, a little niceness... Something small, but genuine. Show you... care."

"I did show I cared," huffed Cozy, lifting on buzzing little wings. "I cared about them lots! I was going to conquer Equestria with friendship, the most powerful magic there is!"

"You were lying," calmly stated Diamond, shaking her head. "They thought you were a filly too, I bet." Cozy began to go beet red, answering that without words. "Knew it. And you didn't try to correct that, did you?"

"Why would I?" snapped Cozy. "They wouldn't want to be best friends with an adult. They're foals," she roared, hair going frizzy a moment before she took a slow breath, calming herself. "It was natural, for the plan."

"A plan that failed." Diamond raised a hoof. "Look, I did it too, just a different way. I scared them. I made them think I could end them." She sat down and clopped her forehooves. "Just like that. I was their god, haughty and demanding. Potentially beneficent, but also easily cruel and destructive."

Cozy softly snorted. "Bet that didn't last long."

"You kidding?" Diamond's eyes flashed as she faced Cozy directly. "It is my cutie mark. I had them wrapped around my whims for years..." She turned away just as quickly. "But that isn't what I was really supposed to be doing, and it isn't what you were supposed to be doing either."

"You don't know me," huffed Cozy. "Stop acting like you do."

Randolph returned, pouring out a cup next to Diamond Tiara and moving to offer to Cozy and Star. Star accepted, a cup on a saucer floating beside him. "Thank you."

"Of course." And Randolph backed out of the conversation.

"Diamond!" A mare burst into the room, glaring down at Diamond across her upturned nose. "What are you doing?"

"Mom, these are guests." Diamond wickedly smirked. "A national hero. Surely you've heard of Star Swirl the Bearded, haven't you mom?"

She had, but only indirectly. The unicorn was important? That changed everything. She straightened herself. "Welcome to our abode. Randolph, why are you serving him on the common dishes?"

"Apologies, ma'am." He was already turning to address his failure.

Star raised a hoof. "No need. I am here to supervise her." He directed a hoof downwards at Cozy. "This will do." He sipped from his floating cup. "Thank you."

"You just say the word and we're on it." She smiled with warmth she normally did not have to share, and bustled from the room.

Diamond turned an ear, listening to the receding hoofsteps. "I still use ponies, I just... do it better, and without hurting them. I get it, Cozy, I do, really." She set a hoof on Randolph's closer haunches. "Randy, do you remember our little talk?"

"Which one, madame?"

Diamond rolled her eyes. "The last big important one?"

"Of course, madame." He nodded softly. "I do appreciate your change of heart."

"Ponies want to be taken seriously," continued Diamond. "And a good leader does that. You can't lead ponies who don't value themselves, and if you're not valuing them, well, it all goes downhill. I was quite... insensitive to Randolph for quite some time, but he's been... well, he's my father when father isn't around." She smiled a little. "Thank you, Randolph."

Randolph blushed quietly, but didn't say a word.

Author's Note:

A heart to heart from one bully to another.

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Comments

[redmar]

Nice to see something of Diamond Tiara. She almost disappeared from the show after Season 5.

[David Silver]

10516742
There was no plan for her after redemption, so they just let it lay. But this is what fanfics are for! I hope I gave her a good moment.

[Booster Spice]

Trouble with Cozy is, her Cutie Mark is that of Chess Piece, but Diamond Tiara knows when its time to change the Game.

Makes me wonder if theres a relative of Button Mash who is a portly old Earth Pony with a monocle, whose cutie mark is that of the Moon with a Monocle and a Helmet.

[TheDragonSage]

The actual....fuck
You jump from 32 chapters.....to pretty much 300?! WHAT

Not complaining, but that is a massive jump

[David Silver]

10524987
This is the story that never ends.

[lainverse]

10525066
Well, at least it's not looping via self-reference like the song that never ends.

Yet.

No, seriously, keep on going. There's plenty of space to fill between season 9 and G5 after all. Someone have to tell us how that happen to be or why it shouldn't. Or tell some entirely different story.

[David Silver]

11097145
One advantage is that I cannot be non-canon, but I also can't call canon in this state.