...And Courage, and Faith
"Starlight, come on," Spike groaned, waddling down the castle's corridor beside Starlight Glimmer. "You're just being pedantic now."
"Pedantic?" Starlight leveled a teasing, half-lidded look at Spike. "That's an awfully big word for such an awfully little dragon."
Spike rolled his eyes. "You know, in all the time I've been alive, I don't think I've ever not lived in a library – or at least library-adjacent – so can you please stop pretending to be surprised at my vocabulary?"
Their walk had brought them to the towering double-doors of the library. Starlight paused in front of them and tapped her chin, hamming it up with a crinkly-nosed expression of contemplation.
"Okay," she said at last. Then she smirked. "You're still wrong, though."
Spike groaned. "Look, I helped Twilight research her speech. I wrote her note cards, for pony's sake! The law doesn't care about technicalities."
"First of all, the law is all about technicalities," said Starlight. "Second, this isn't about technicality, but perspective. Equestria might mark the signing of the treaty as the anniversary, but Saddle Arabians celebrate the date the treaty took effect, not the date it was signed. Which means they're not celebrating the 150th anniversary for another three months exactly. Which, if Twilight doesn't know that now... eh, she probably will by the time she leaves Saddle Arabia."
Spike, still skeptical, folded his arms. "How would you even know that?"
"Think about it. Three months from now? The thirtieth?" She looked expectantly at Spike.
"...Oh!" Spike's arms dropped. "Isn't that your birthday?"
"Look who remembered!" Starlight grinned. "That's a little bit of historical trivia my mom liked to give me every year – sometimes instead of a gift." She blew her mane out of her face and resumed her walk down the corridor. "Look it up, if you don't believe me."
"About your mom, or about—" Spike went abruptly silent.
Starlight, realizing Spike wasn't keeping stride anymore, turned around. He was staring at the library doors – the partially open library doors, now that Starlight took the time to notice. A razor-thin line of sunlight from the opening cut across the carpet and into the wall, refracting into a pale rainbow on contact.
"Coulda sworn I closed this last night." Spike looked at Starlight. "Have you been in and out this morning?"
"No, and Twilight won't be back for another two days. So, unless she's taken up astral projection as a hobby, and has mastered interaction with the corporeal world in that state..."
Starlight approached Spike, a nervous feeling crawling up her spine. Leaning down, she pulled him close and lowered her voice.
"...We might just have an intruder in the castle."
Spike pulled away with an incredulous look. "Or I didn't close the door all the way last night."
"Or we could have an intruder in the castle!" Starlight hissed. "Ugh, if Twilight had just put in for that Royal Guard garrison after the changeling incident..."
Cyan light shimmered around her horn, reflecting off the corridor walls.
"But never mind that; we'll have to handle this ourselves. Stay behind me."
Spike backed away from the door, a palm against his forehead. "Oh, here we go..."
Starlight took a deep breath and flung the doors open with a thought. She swept into the library, flaring her aura brighter, and drawing herself up to full height. Being a fairly slight unicorn, that admittedly wasn't much, but her grandiose entrance more than made up for it.
Hopefully, she thought.
The library was wall-to-wall bookshelves, furnished with scattered tables, chairs, and a pile of cushions in the middle of the room, which were bathed in a sunbeam from an easterly window at ceiling height. Atop those cushions, a pony curled – a filly, much slighter than Starlight, with a candy-striped mane and a pair of saddlebags that were the same shade of pink as her coat, and trimmed in stylish silver.
The filly's face was emotionless as she lifted her head and glanced at Starlight's horn. She blinked, once, slowly – her eyes were red from lack of sleep.
Or perhaps from something else.
Spike pitter-pattered into the library and leaned smugly against Starlight's flank. "Gosh, you're right. She looks like trouble. Might have to break out the Elements."
Starlight, her face flushed, dimmed her aura. "I was right about an intruder, wasn't I?"
Spike gave her a condescending pat and pulled away from Starlight, putting his hands on his hips in an awkward attempt at a commanding posture. "The castle isn't open to the public until 10, Diamond Tiara."
The filly flopped onto her side, her back to Spike. "You really oughta put up a sign, in that case."
"There is a sign."
"One that isn't so easy to ignore," she amended.
Spike gritted his teeth and turned back to Starlight. "Can there be literal kicking involved when we kick her out?"
She wasn't sure. Not about the kick – that much she was pretty certain was off the table – but whether it was necessary to do anything. Trespassing in the Princess's castle outside of normal hours did call for some kind of punitive measure, if not one quite as severe as a hoof to the hiney, but Starlight wasn't sure what the rules were where minors were concerned.
Especially when said minor was, judging by her limp, floppy limbs, and the redness in her eyes, somewhat disquieted. So Starlight asked herself what Twilight would do, as she found herself doing with greater and greater frequency in her everyday life, and decided to spare the rod.
"That seems uncalled for." Starlight trotted toward Spike. "What say we let it go this one time?"
Spike glared at her. "Seriously, Starlight? She's trespassing, and you want to let it go? Miss 'The-Law-Is-All-About-Technicalities' wants to let something go?"
"Doesn't the spirit of the law come before the letter in this case?" Reaching Spike, she beckoned him close and lowered her voice again. "Maybe I jumped the gun before, but I don't think she came to rob us blind. And she isn't hurting anything, right?"
"Well, no, but..."
"So maybe we cut her a little bit of slack?" Starlight nodded toward Diamond. "Look, just... let me handle this one, alright? I think she's upset about something, and I don't think she's gonna open up to you about it."
Spike shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, your heart's in the right place and all, but I really don't think you know what you're getting yourself into."
"What are you talking about?" Starlight touched her chest indignantly. "Hey, I can be very sympathetic and compassionate when I want to be, you know."
"I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about her. Diamond Tiara has a reputation for being—"
"I can hear every word you two are saying, you know," Diamond called out.
"It's rude to eavesdrop," Spike retorted.
"It's also rude to gossip about somepony when you think she isn't listening. What are you, the seventh element? Element of Being a Little Purple Hypocrite?"
Spike's hands clenched into fists. "So, about that kick, Starlight."
"Spike." Starlight put a hoof on the dragon's shoulder and leaned over him. "Treaties and Alliances of the Age of Harmony. Volume four. The one with the red cover and the worn-out binding, three shelves up, over there. Do me a favor – go get it, and flip through it for a while. In the other room."
Spike, his face awash with irritation, looked at her silently.
"Because," said Starlight, responding to an unasked question. "I have a point that I need to make."
Spike did as he was asked, grumbling all the while. He stomped away, toward a ladder that leaned against a nearby wall, and ascended to fetch the indicated book.
That left Starlight to contend with Diamond Tiara alone. Thinking on it made her nervous – if the filly had a friendship problem, then solving it would probably make Twilight happy, but she didn't have a great deal of experience talking to foals, and she wasn't sure what help or guidance she could provide. Part of her was tempted to cast a localized time displacement spell and peruse that dog-eared copy of Discourse on Fillies that Twilight kept in her bedroom...
...but perhaps messing with the fabric of space/time was a step too far to solve a mundane friendship problem. And reality-altering magics really shouldn't be her first recourse when dealing with everyday troubles. That was a lesson she had to learn the hard way.
"Diamond Tiara, right?" said Starlight with a smile. "I'm Starlight Glimmer. Sorry for jumping to conclusions before, but we've had security problems in the past."
She neglected to mention that she had been one such security problem, once upon a time.
Starlight cleared her throat. "You're welcome to stay for a while, if you'd like. Enjoy the library. Just make sure you put everything back where you found it when you're done."
After all, Twilight was very much alone in her love of reshelving.
"That's okay," said Diamond. She rolled to her other side and looked up at Starlight. "I actually just came to talk to Princess Twilight. I figured she'd be in here, but I haven't seen her."
"You want to talk to Twilight?" Starlight frowned. "Whatever for?"
Diamond Tiara looked into Starlight's eyes.
"I'm going to ask if I can be her personal student."
The distinct sound of suddenly dislodged literature tumbling over a baby dragon drew their attention to Spike, who was currently being bombarded by a series of books about Equestrian foreign policy.
When the deluge finally ceased, Spike was red-faced and snorting green-tinged smoke from his nostrils. "What are you talking about?! You can't just break in here and expect Twilight to—"
"Spike," said Starlight firmly. "Go read. I got this."
Spike grumbled even more irritably than before as he slid down the ladder, lugging a massive red tome that was close to half his own size.
"What Spike was going to say," said Starlight, keeping her voice sweet. "Is that, while Princess Twilight has been known to take on students occasionally, it's usually for, um... certain special circumstances and situations. I don't think you really meet the criteria, I'm afraid."
Diamond's eyes narrowed. "I'm plenty smart, I'll have you know."
She stood, pulled off her saddlebags before Starlight could protest, undid the strap holding one of them shut, and reached into it with her muzzle. She produced a stack of papers, some old and faded yellow, others slightly fresher. Starlight reached for a relatively recent-looking one with her telekinesis, and raised it to eye level. It was an old report card – nothing but As, in all categories, signed by somepony named "Miss Cheerilee," who seemed to enjoy dotting her "I"s with sunflowers.
Starlight tried to put a face to the name. It took less time than it normally did with Ponyville's residents, because she'd at least seen and spoken with Cheerilee more than once in the past. She saw her, periodically, on days when the class came to visit the library. They'd never exchanged more than a few words of polite small-talk, but even from that minimal contact, it was obvious that the mare exuded a comforting aura of warmth that put anypony who spoke to her at ease. A natural teacher – five seconds in her company, and Starlight was half-tempted to fetch her an apple.
"Every single one is like that, too," Diamond said. "I've had straight-As for as long as I've been in school. That alone should more than qualify me for private lessons with the Princess."
"That's... very impressive," said Starlight diplomatically as she shuffled through the papers. It was as she said – straight As, year after year. This girl was smart. And a good study, clearly.
"But, also, not really my point." Starlight set the papers down, looking seriously at Diamond. "It isn't a matter of smarts, or dedication. It's about... among other things... time. And commitment. Princess Twilight's just too busy to take on the workload of a full-time educator; she doesn't have the time or the resources to devote to—"
"Yeah, yeah, say no more," Diamond sighed. "I know where this is going."
The filly undid the strap on the other bag and smacked it, tipping it onto its side. An avalanche of shiny gold bits jingle-jangled forth, forming a sizable pile on one of the cushions.
"Like I said. I came prepared." Diamond Tiara looked expectantly at Starlight as she eyed the currency. "I've never actually bribed anypony before, least of all royalty, so I'm not sure if this'll be enough. You can take a little bit for yourself, if you like, as long as you leave the rest for the Princess."
Starlight shook her head. "That's not what I was getting at either. I'm afraid you're... um... just how much money did you bring?"
Diamond shrugged.
Yowza, thought Starlight. Then she shook her head rapidly. "You're not understanding me – it's not about grades, or qualifications, or money. Princess Twilight just isn't taking on new students."
"And how do you know?" Diamond pressed. "Has she said so? Like, with an actual Princess decree and everything?"
"Well, no, but—"
"So you can't really speak for her, can you?"
Starlight's mouth hung open as she made a weak noise from the back of her throat.
"Didn't think so." Diamond flopped onto her side again, staring up at Starlight. "Sorry, but I think I'm gonna wait to hear what Princess Twilight says about this. I'm sure you understand."
"You'll be waiting for a while, you know," Starlight said.
Diamond shrugged. "I've got time."
"You may as well do your waiting at home. Princess Twilight is in Saddle Arabia on state business – she won't be back for another few days. "
"Well, you did say I was welcome to hang out here."
"Did I mention it'd be days?" Starlight felt her patience straining. "Don't you have other stuff you should be doing besides hanging out in an empty library? Heck, I'm pretty sure your mom would notice if you just vanished for two days straight."
At that, she just laughed – but it was a bitter, empty sound. "You've never met my mother, have you?"
Okay, consider that bit of childhood angst trodden upon...
Diamond seemed self-conscious about what she'd just said, and flopped over, baring her back to Starlight again. Starlight swallowed and sat down beside Diamond on the pile of cushions. The filly shifted at her presence.
"That was kinda rude, wasn't it?" Diamond turned her head to bury her face in her cushion. "I'm sorry."
"To be fair, you're right," said Starlight gently. "It's funny, actually. I've been here a while, and outside of my own circle of friends, I'd be hard pressed to match more than a hooffull of names and faces here in town. I even had to think for a moment to remember who Cheerilee was."
"That's not funny." Diamond sat up and looked at Starlight. "Kinda sad, actually."
"Yeah. But it's okay."
Starlight glanced to where Spike was struggling with his book, trying (and failing) to keep it balanced on his back while hunched over. Her horn glowed briefly, and her strength added to his own long enough for him to get a more secure hold on it. Shooting Starlight a look – one that she thought had some gratitude in it – Spike hefted the tome and staggered out the door.
"I have good friends." Starlight smiled at Diamond. "So it's not as if I'm lonely, at least. You know?"
Diamond just nodded.
They passed a minute sitting in silence, the sunbeam warm and toasty on Starlight's coat. She looked at Diamond closely, connecting the dots in her head. Diligent student from a wealthy family, and a neglectful mother to boot... It was pretty clear what kind of upbringing the filly was going through. Parts of it, Starlight could identify with – the money, definitely not, but the rest...
Neglectful mother, diligent student. Oh, so painfully familiar.
"Can I ask you something?" said Starlight quietly. Diamond nodded again. "Are... are you running away from home?"
Diamond chuckled once, another bitter sound. "Can't say I've never thought about it, but no. I definitely wouldn't run away here, if I was. I mean, this place is nice and all, but it's kinda..."
"Impersonal?"
"Drafty." Diamond scooted further into the sunbeam, closer to Starlight, who made room to accommodate her. "I don't know how Princess Twilight stands it. I'll make sure to ask her about it when she gets home – a ponycicle wouldn't make an especially good student."
We're still working with that assumption, I see.
"Do you know what day it is today?" Diamond blurted suddenly.
Starlight brightened. "Oh, well, actually – today marks a hundred and fifty years since Saddle Arabia became a protectorate of Equestria. Although, depending on where you live and what your cultural preferences are, that might not actually be..."
Diamond stared flatly at her.
"...And that's not what you meant at all." Starlight sighed.
"It's the first day of school," said Diamond. "Summer's over. Classes are starting. I'm not running away from home; I just don't particularly want to go to school, hence why I'm here, looking for Princess Twilight. I can't avoid school, but I can at least choose where I study, and who I study with, can't I?"
Starlight frowned quizzically. "But why would you want to avoid going back to school at all? You don't want summer vacation to end?"
"Missing the point." Diamond shook her head. "I don't care about vacations."
"You... hate homework? Or you hate having to do it?"
"Still missing the point. Also?" Diamond pointed viciously at her report cards. "Straight As. Every year. Does that spell 'slacker' to you?"
"Actually, I think it'd just spell 'AAAAAAAAAA,' but – oh, you weren't speaking literally, were you?" Starlight grinned sheepishly as Diamond smoldered at her – she had the kind of face where even a look of anger was precociously precious.
"Well, if it's not school you're avoiding, then perhaps... somepony at school? A friend you're fighting with? A bully?" Starlight winked. "Some cutie pie making you nervous?"
"At school?" Diamond stuck her tongue out and bleh'd. "I don't think there's anypony who'd fit the bill."
"Well, if it's not a student, then maybe it's... your teacher?"
Diamond sagged her shoulders at that.
Paydirt.
"I guess that would explain why you came looking for a new one," said Starlight, casting a quick glance back at her report cards. "You don't get along with Miss Cheerilee?"
"Miss Cheerilee moved," said Diamond shortly. "A few months ago. It's somepony new. I don't know her name; I haven't met her yet. There was supposed to be a meet-and-greet at the schoolhouse last week, but I faked being sick so I could get out of going."
Starlight scrunched her muzzle. "You waited until the first day of school to meet your new teacher?"
"What difference would it have made if I met her a week ago, or I met her today?" Diamond snapped.
She spoke so venomously that Starlight was caught off guard. But before she could form a response, Diamond cut her off with a raised hoof.
"Y'know what? Don't answer that, because it doesn't matter." She dropped her hoof, scowling at Starlight. "I've already decided to be Princess Twilight's student, so whether or not I meet this other teacher? Totally irrelevant. And by the way? I did get along with Miss Cheerilee. Everypony did. Because—"
Diamond's voice cracked suddenly, and she rubbed one of her eyes with her fetlock. Then she glared at Starlight, her eyes wet, and redder than before.
"Because Cheerilee is sweet, and kind, and wonderful. This other lady's not Cheerilee, and that is all I want, or need, to know about her."
"Twilight isn't Cheerilee either," said Starlight softly.
"Duh!" Diamond cried, flinging her hooves in the air. "But she knows me, and I know her. You get it? This teacher's a stranger, but Princess Twilight isn't, and I'd rather have somepony who knows me than somepony who doesn't!"
"...I think I do get it." Starlight hesitated. "I thought maybe that you were afraid to meet your new teacher. But I had it backwards. Didn't I?"
Diamond snorted and looked away, tears beading in her eyes.
She's not afraid to meet the teacher. She's afraid of the teacher meeting her.
Starlight stared in silence, once more at a loss. This seemed like a good opportunity to pat Diamond on the back, or cup her chin with her hoof – perform some kind of physical gesture of affection or solidarity. But coming from her – from another stranger – it might come across as clumsy, or awkward. She wasn't even sure why she was opening up this way.
Maybe I just give off a vibe.
Diamond Tiara spared her from making a decision just then by speaking up. "Spike wasn't wrong, y'know. I do have a reputation. It's one that I've tried very, very hard to get away from. One that I don't think I ever will." A quaver crept into her voice. "You asked me if I was afraid of meeting a bully – why would I ever be afraid of that? I was the bully, Starlight Glimmer. I was mean, and cruel, to everypony I knew. Even my best friend! That's not something that ponies just forget about and put in the past – it's gonna follow me around as long as I'm at that school. Maybe even as long as I live."
Diamond's nose was running. She pulled a handkerchief from her saddlebags and blew into it, wiping delicately and sniffing.
"Miss Cheerilee knew all that stuff about me. All the bad stuff I did, she was around to see – and through it all, she never gave up on me. Do you get it? She knew about who I was, because she was there. She saw it all, the bad and the good that came after. And she accepted me. No – she didn't just accept me. She pushed me to be a better pony."
She wadded up the handkerchief and put it away with a sigh. "This new teacher, she's gonna hear a lot about me, from a lot of different ponies. Probably already has, too. She might be nice; she might even be a really good teacher. But in the back of her mind, she's just gonna be thinking of me as a bully. Just waiting for me to mess up. Just like everypony else."
This time, Starlight did reach out and touch her on the shoulder. Diamond didn't shake off her hoof, so she let it linger comfortingly.
"And you think that Twilight wouldn't," said Starlight.
"The Princess of Friendship? Of course she wouldn't," Diamond said with a sniffle. "She knows all about that stuff already, anyway. Not like Miss Cheerilee did, but... but she knew the old me, and she knows the new me too. And with Miss Cheerilee gone, Princess Twilight's the only teacher I can go to who knows both."
Starlight wanted to smile. This little heartbroken filly thought of Twilight Sparkle – Princess of Friendship and scholar extraordinaire – as a mere runner-up to her beloved schoolteacher. Clearly, that spoke to Cheerilee's credit.
"Believe it or not, I know exactly how you feel about your old teacher," said Starlight. "Because I used to be bad, too. I did a lot of harm, and hurt a lot of good ponies in the process."
"You were a bully too, weren't you?" Diamond's eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she gazed up at a baffled Starlight Glimmer. "I can always tell these things. Call it a sixth sense. Plus, you give off a vibe."
...Oh. Um. Should I be offended?
"I'm not sure 'bully' is quite the word I'd use." Starlight scratched the back of her neck. "My 'bad things' weren't really of the 'teasing the fat kids and making ponies eat sand on the playground' variety. More of the 'strip ponies of their individuality and brainwash them, then attempt to subvert the flow of time itself to satisfy my own selfish agenda,' variety. Like, comic book supervillain variety. Like Mane-iac. Or Mooselini."
Diamond's face blanked for a moment. The last of her tears finally shed, and streaked silently down her face. Then her eyes narrowed.
"That's the kind of thing you probably shouldn't just casually drop into the middle of a conversation. Especially with somepony you barely know."
"Ah... sorry." Starlight's face fell. "Sometimes I sorta... barf my dark and villainous past all over anypony who's listening. It's a bad habit."
Diamond's face screwed up. "You're a little socially awkward, aren't you?"
"You have no idea." Starlight blushed and buried her face in her hooves, groaning. "Twilight keeps saying she's gonna buy me a conversational filter..."
"...It's okay," said Diamond, after a pause. "Awkward's kinda fun."
Starlight pulled away her hooves to see the filly smiling at her, and they shared an awkward laugh of relief.
"But my point," said Starlight with a sigh as the last of their giggles ebbed away. "My point is that I know exactly what you're going through. I go through it every day of my life. You're afraid of making new friends, because historically, you haven't had the best track record with it. And you're doubly afraid to try, because you don't know how they'd react if they knew who you used to be. So you live with that fear, and you let it eat you up inside, and you just focus on the ponies who do know about you, and accept you for who you are. You've got friends like that, right?"
"Silver Spoon," said Diamond automatically. "And the Cutie Mark Crusaders. And... and Miss Cheerilee, too," she added, looking down at her hooves sullenly.
"For me, it's Twilight. And Applejack, and Rarity, and the rest of the girls. Spike, too, of course. But Twilight, especially." She felt warm, inside and out, and a genuine smile broke across her face unbidden. "The way you feel about Miss Cheerilee? That's how I feel about Twilight. There's nopony else in the world who's seen as much of me as her, good and bad. There was a time, a really long time, where I thought I'd be lost without her. Maybe you feel that way about Miss Cheerilee, too."
Diamond reflected on that in silence for a moment before shrugging. "I don't think I'd be having this conversation if I didn't," she admitted.
"I get that completely. It's something I still struggle with. But that feeling goes away the more you work at it." Starlight patted Diamond's hoof. "At the end of the day, you have to trust yourself – just as much as you have to trust other ponies. You gotta accept that you're not defined by the pony you used to be. It's up to you to decide who you wanna be, as much to everypony else as to yourself. That takes courage, and it isn't easy, but if there's one thing I've learned from Twilight Sparkle, it's... well, actually, it's where to put the two-pronged fun fork on a table setting..."
Diamond tilted her head. "The what?"
"Never mind." Starlight waved the errant thought away. "But if there's two things I've learned from Twilight Sparkle... it's that ponies will like you for who you are now, rather than condemn you for who you used to be, if you just give them a chance. You gotta have faith in yourself to be that pony, and you gotta have faith in everypony else to accept you, too."
She saw the tears coming back – of relief, rather than misery, but tears were a wet and slippery slope one way or the other. Starlight spoke quickly to lighten the mood.
"Besides, your plan to be Twilight's student wouldn't have ever gotten off the ground – you wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise before, but between me and Sunny Delight... or whatever her name is... Twilight's sort of full-up on apprenticeships. I don't think she'll be accepting new ones for a long, long time. Maybe once you're a little older, you can fill out an application?"
Diamond giggled (success! Starlight thought), then sighed, wiping her cheeks with her hoof. "I figured... I figured she'd say no. I guess I just – wait a second." She stopped and stared at Starlight. "Did you say you're her student?"
"Um... yeah?" Starlight looked askance at Diamond. "Why do you sound so surprised?"
"No reason!" A blush dusted Diamond's cheeks, and she looked away, muttering to herself. "Guess I owe Silver Spoon twenty bits..."
...Strange filly.
The blush faded, and Diamond looked over her supplies – her report cards and pile of bits – with a wry half-smile. "So I guess I can't put this off any longer, can I?"
"Probably not, no. When's class start?"
"I got another half hour. But I suppose being early would make a good impression."
Diamond rose, stretching out her back and her legs, and began pushing her belongings back into her saddlebags. Starlight's magic tinkled, and the report cards piled into a neat stack, which she slid into one of the bags.
"Thanks, Starlight Glimmer." She'd stopped crying; save the sticky cheeks and still-red eyes, she looked every bit a cheerful young filly. "For listening. I mean it. And I won't tell anypony that you used to be a bad guy."
"Oh, don't worry; I'm sure I'll find a way to slip it into random conversation with everypony in town, at some point," said Starlight with a self-conscious chuckle. "You know, I kinda need to stretch my legs after all that sitting. Do you mind if I walk you to school?"
Diamond Tiara slid on her saddlebags and stepped out of the sunbeam, looking confidently at Starlight.
"Not one bit."
They passed the map table as they went. Spike was at his seat, with his book open to one of the back pages. He was scanning through it carefully, his mouth working silently as he read.
"Find anything yet?" Starlight called as she stole up behind him, the sound of her voice making him jump in surprise. "I was right, wasn't I?"
Spike glared at her. "No," he said defiantly.
Starlight grinned slyly at him until he blushed and returned to his reading.
"Sh-shut up."
With a victorious chuckle, Starlight ruffled the top of his head. "I'm gonna walk Diamond Tiara to school, okay? I won't be gone long."
Spike mumbled something and waved her away.
She resumed walking, with Diamond close behind, until the filly paused mid-step and turned around, biting her lip.
"Hey, Spike?"
Spike looked up, a cutting remark on his lips. It died when he saw the look on Starlight's face, his hard expression softening.
"I'm sorry for how I talked to you earlier." Diamond Tiara fidgeted. "And for trespassing. And ignoring your 'don't trespass' sign."
"It's..." Spike exchanged a significant look with Starlight, before nodding at Diamond. "It's okay. Don't worry about it."
Relief poured through Diamond Tiara. Then her eye glinted mischievously. "And it really wasn't easy to ignore. I had to try really hard."
Spike's eye twitched. "Thank you," he said icily.
Diamond turned back toward the door, grinning at Starlight's questioning glance. "What? I can be good and still have fun, can't I?"
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You magnificent bastard.
Also I spotted a reference to Discourse on Fillies, too.
Expected doughnut brawl, did not deliver. Very dissapointing. 8/10
8001672 You simply MUST remove your mind from that gutter.
Did you gloss over the Solving for Death reference?
8001717 oh my god I completely missed it the first time.
that’s fucking great
Well, I told you I had high expectations after Teach me Goodness. Guess what? You got them all!
The slow connection between Starlight and DT? vVry neat. Spike sarcasms? Funny. The ending? Top t...-Wait, it's over? It's already over? That's cruel.
Upvoted nonetheless and I hope you intend to continue this. (please?)
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8001742 Scribblefest has a 6k word cap, which even the final draft is kinda pushing.
There was another scene after the last one, where DT and Starlight arrive at the schoolhouse and meet the teacher. It was cute, but added little, and Oro in fact remarked that he felt surprised the story didn't end sooner. All that in mind, it ended up on the cutting room floor.
I'll probably post it to my blog later, if you're curious about what it looked like.
EDIT: I do have another sequel partially written, though that one's about Cheerilee, rather than DT.
8001855
I wasn't saying that this one-shot should have ended later (or even sooner) and I think Oro was right. It's just that I want to see more about the characters you've written, be it DT, Cheerilee or even the CMC. And I'm pleased to see a sequel is on its way.
Oh lookie, a new Diamond Tiara fic. And it's already in the features box. Guess I better read it...
30 minutes later...
Well, that was fabulous, dahling. You've captured Diamond's personality just the way I'd like it to be displayed in the show after her redemption (if she ever stops being a background character again), nicer but still with a caustic wit. Starlight Glimmer has also grown on me considerably since her underwhelmed backstory in season 5, and you portray her social awkwardness and guilt just perfect. Even Spikey-Wikey in his little cameo comes across as fully fleshed out and personable. Whoever did your proofreading did a great job too, as I spotted nary a mistake anywhere, and the whole thing just flowed together brilliantly and was a pleasure to read.
8/10?
Don't undersell yourself. This is a 9/10 at least. 
Thanks for the great story, and keep up the good work.
8001984
?!
Well, shave my cat and call me grandma...!
8002001 It's great a) It encourages good fics that AREN'T clop and b) It gives more attention to one of the most underrated characters in the franchise. Revel in the praise... you've earned it.
8002001 bagels
You know, after that fork incident, I don't think Twilight lets Starlight set the table any more.
*applause*
Starlight's non-flattering awkwardness and actual success as a pre-reform bad guy are two big reasons why I like her so much. I embrace the comparisons and (false) choice between her and Sunny D, because she's like the more believable and less waifu version of a similar archetype.
Therefore I give this an 8/10 (with bonus fun fork) for capturing those aspects of her well, and for framing up a compact little slice of life that does a great job of using them alongside the interesting qualities of another reformed baddie.
8002766 I really wonder what all the people reading this who aren't hip to all the dank writeoff memes must think of all this 8/10 and fun-fork talk.
The prize is an old dustbin full of mud samples. It has a lot of sedimental value.
Bad pun is bad.... Good story is good though, lol. I enjoyed it.
8002902 I suspect that everypony who doesn't get the joke is sad. Either that or they set aside Time Enough For catching up on them.
8003127 Never go full Pinkie Pie, just throw parties. Everyone who ever whined about a Queen calling herself a Princess knows why those wings fall off.
I have been looking for Diamond Tiara and Starlight Glimmer fics for a while. I can see them bonding and having something similar to Scootalo and Rainbow Dash. Heck in the derby episode i was kinda hopping Diamond Tiara participated with Starlight and actually won one of the ribbons.
The interactions between both have so much potential for stories.
Make you her student? It worked out well enough for Starlight.
Huh... I'm just imagining the prospect of an Alicorn Diamond Tiara....
.....The point between rage and serenity.
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I like the possibilities this pairing offers, as I never expected such a pairing, but it works well. While a sequel wouldn't really make sense, other stories could come from this, with Diamond's new found perspective, I imagine Starlight taking a mom role for Diamond at things like the Sisterhooves Social and the Running of the Leaves, things that are too peasant for her mom. Plus if you subscribe to the idea that Twilight's family being minor nobility, I can picture her playing up how these things will improve her relationship with a minor noble to her mom. All in all, this could lead to some interesting stories.
8005213 I would really enjoy to see them both in the sisterhoove.
I refuse to touch a single chapter before the following words.
Thank you.
Now, let's. Fucking. GO!
Proceeds to read.
Done. You know, I feel like this ended too soon. I feel like this should be expanded on. It has... that irritating thing that I can't help but always notice in a good story that is far, far too short.
It has potential.
You are a fool for not tapping into it, please do that soon. 10/10 otherwise.
...Why haven't I followed you yet?! Quality feels like these are too good to pass up!
8005391 I appreciate the sentiment, and I might do more with DT and Starlight in the future if the mood strikes me, but as far as following up on this specific idea, I think I'm tapped out. If anything, this story's already an epilogue to an idea that played to its conclusion in "TMG."
But I have at least one more sequel to that story in mind (with Starlight, but without DT) that would carry over some of the same themes you're seeing here. If that strikes your interest, then I hope you'll stick around and check it out when it goes up.
8001717 Oh good, I saw that and went 'N'aww, that can't be deliberate.'
Hah.
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I feel like there's a theme going on around her
derps 6.9
Spike and Diamond Tiara do make a cute couple.
Somehow, I was actually expecting a twist ending where it turns out Starlight was the new teacher all along.
Still good, though.
8012431 DAMN, I wish I'd thought of that...!
Diamond tiara, the most hated pony in the show until you met her mother.
8012431 That.....that would have been BRILLIANT!
8012586 Mayyyybe still possible?
8016354 It's a cool idea, but I like to keep my stories in continuity with one another, and I've already planned out at least one more Glim-Glam story where she is not Ponyville's schoolteacher.
Besides, I think it would have ended up being too much of a contrivance.
Hey there! I've reviewed your story here.
This story deeply understands Starlight Glimmer in a way most others don't. It didn't touch me as deeply as the first story, but it's still a great successor.
These are my notes from round one of judging. Nothing's decided yet, but this one's still in the running!
8080986 It took me a moment to realize the context for this. So, yay, thank you.
This is a well written slice of life. Starlight is characterized well, but I felt DT is a bit back and forth in her attitude. I also like that there's a good moral to the story. My one problem though, is that it seems to dismiss its own premise. Why couldn't DT be Twilight's student? That's never really answered to my satisfaction, as Starlight just 'assumes' on Twilight's behalf. Otherwise, quite good though!
THERE'S A HUNDRED AND FOUR DAYS OF SUMMER VACATION AND SCHOOL COMES ALONG JUST TO END IT~
I'm really lazy when it comes to writing, but you're inspiring me to starting typing some horse words of my own, Posh.
8195481 "Horsewords?
FerbPosh, I know what we're gonna do today!"8195657
Some nice stuff here. I like Starlight and Spike's sparky exchanges and (later) Glimmy's with DT. I think my not having read the prequel (deliberately, given it was a contest fic) may have hurt it slightly -- for example, Cheerilee's actions seem weird coming to this cold. Still, that prequel is now on my RiL list, which has to say something!
Go sit in the corner and think about what you've done.
Oh my god, what are these fillies learning in school? @_@
I can't help but think this story is aptly titled, because you're gonna be hard pressed to top the original. :B Is still good, tho.
There can be no possible redemption for you after this. What you have done is unforgivable.
The prequel definitely left me wanting more, not for lack of completion, but just 'cause it was so good! This was an engaging read, and it was nice the way Starlight helped Diamond Tiara sort things out, listening with an empathetic ear and relating her similar experiences to let her know she wasn't alone. The story had some good little bits of humor in it too - one of which actually made me laugh out loud! Overall, I'd say this was a worthwhile read.
Thanks for sharing. 
You can has review!
10528669 's review made me see that I never commented on this and now I feel guilty :P I read this back when it got posted, I just read it again now and it's still great, and I'm not just saying that because I got a reference in it.