Diamond Snow

by ImperfectXIII

Chapter 5: Can We Start Over?

Tiara—

Diamond Tiara…left. Walked right out my front door. I didn’t stop her. I didn’t even go after her. For a second there, I might have, but…my bitterness stopped me.

No matter how much I try not to, I keep thinking back to that moment. Diamond Tiara snapped at me. Or, I guess, we snapped at each other. I just couldn’t understand why. Things had been going so well. And with just a few harsh words, I was back to square one. She was off Celestia-knows-where doing Celestia-knows-what, and I was back to living by myself in a two-bedroom home. And the world spins ever onward.

Whatever. If she doesn’t need me, I don’t need her. I’ve gotten by on my own for this long.

…Then why do I feel so damn lonely?

I go to work the next day, just as I’ve done before. I think Summer said hi to me as I passed her, but I could barely acknowledge the world around me, let alone her sunny face. I have the thinnest of smiles on my face as I ring customers’ items up; didn’t want to scare them off with my disaffected scowl. The work was as monotonous as it always was. Same shit, different day.

When there’s finally a let up in the customer line, Jesse confronts me about my mood. “Okay, dude, that face is seriously starting to bum me out,” he says. “What’s your deal? Did something happen between now and when I came over the other day?”

I’d have been touched by his concern, but I was too out of it to do anything but stare blankly into space. “Dude,” I eventually start, “you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. And even if you did…I don’t really want to talk about it.”

Jesse wouldn’t have that. He presses a palm to his chest. “Rich, come on. It’s me. You can talk to me about anything.”

I heave a sigh in no direction in particular. “Let’s just say…I didn’t know someone as well as I thought I did. Or maybe I did, and I was just fooling myself this whole time. It’s…hard to explain.”

“Would ranting about your ponies help any?” he jokes, patting his chest with both palms now. “C’mon, do your worst. I can take it.”

I chuckle lightly at him. Despite my sulking, he was trying his hardest. I couldn’t fault him for that; that’s just how he was. I pat his shoulder as I pass by him. “Thanks, man, but…I just need a little alone time, that’s all. I’m taking a break.”

“Sheesh… Kid looks like he’s just been through a bad breakup…”

I walk around to a far side of the building and sit in the shade, leaning back against the cool brick wall. One arm is propped up on my knees, and my other hand is lightly gripping the neck of a beer bottle. Once again, I find myself just staring into space, playing past events in my head over and over again.

“I bet I’d have been home by now if I didn’t have to rely on you!”

“Like I’d actually be friends with a stupid…useless…BLANK FLANK like you!”

“FINE! I don’t need you! I’ll get back to Ponyville by myself!”

How did things go so sour so quickly? We became friends. We were happy. At least…I was happy. Was she? Or was it all a ruse? A cruel ruse? I choke down another swig of beer.

“Isn’t it a little early in the day for beer?”

I pick my head up and see Summer looking down at me, one hand secured on her hip. “…Hey.”

I say nothing back to her.

She walks over and seats herself at my right and looks straight ahead. I don’t object to her presence. When would I ever? “…You wanna talk about it?”

I feign ignorance. “Talk about what?”

“About whatever’s bothering you.”

“Nothing’s bothering me.”

“That’s the worst lie ever.” She turns her head slightly to look at me. “Anything to do with where you’ve been this past week? If you feel like talking, I’ll listen. I’m no Jesse or anything, but…”

I meet her gaze, only barely, before glancing away. She was making the effort. Why shouldn’t I? “…You ever…have a friend that you thought you knew everything about, only to later realize you knew nothing about them at all? That you thought you might’ve changed in some positive way, only for it all to explode right in your face?”

“Hmm…” She seems to absorb much of what I’m saying, and then leans back to look up at the clear afternoon sky. “…You remember my old friend Erica?” she suddenly asks.

“Your best friend from middle school?”

“Mm-hmm. She fell in with the ‘cool girl’ crowd when we entered high school. You know, the quote-unquote ‘popular girls’, the girls all the guys wanted to hook up with. And I was happy for her – I really was – ‘cause she had, like, the worst self-esteem in junior high. As it turns out, though, those cheesy high school movies we always made fun of aren’t all that different from real life. …She stole my first high school boyfriend from me.”

“Wow, what a bitch.”

“Tell me about it. I was sooooo mad, I refused to speak with her ever again. …But every year since then, I still e-mail her and wish her a happy birthday.”

“Why?”

She shrugs. “I dunno. Maybe to convince myself I’m better than her somehow? Or maybe it’s ‘cause, deep down, I still think we’re friends. She didn’t even reply to any of the e-mails I sent. …Except the one I sent her last year.”

“What’d she say?”

“…‘Thanks, BFF. Sorry about Trevor.’ And a few months ago, she wished me a happy birthday. …I guess what I’m getting at is, even if you know nothing about a person, that shouldn’t stop you from being friends with them. And you have to trust that you’re affecting them in some way, even if it doesn’t feel like it’s worth going the extra mile.”

For the first time since Diamond Tiara left…I smile. “…Thanks, Summer.”

She smiles back and pats the back of my hand. “No problem.” She picks herself up and turns to walk away. But just as she turns the corner, I hear her mumble something to herself.

“Hmm?”

“What?”

“You say something?”

“Me? Nope.”

And she says I’m the worst liar ever? I know she said something just now. And if I didn’t know better, I’d think she said,

‘Your faithful student, Summer Walsh.’

---

I leave work early that day. Didn’t feel much like working at all; honestly, I’d only showed up that day out of an obligation to Jesse. In spite of Summer’s pep talk, I still felt like utter crap. Thought a walk would help clear my head. I didn’t have a destination in mind; I just felt like going for a walk.

I stare at the sidewalk beneath my feet until the concrete gives way to a path of cobblestones, and I find myself in a familiar-looking park. The very same park I’d taken Diamond Tiara to play in the snow. Figures. Can’t even trust my own damn feet to not think about that stupid filly.

I slow my pace a little and take notice of a small handful of people passing through or lounging on benches. They pay me no mind, and I pay them no mind. Same old, same old. As if any of us actually mattered to each other, I thought. I stop momentarily by some trees. Much of the snow is gone, exposing the elaborate network of thin, brittle-looking branches underneath. I exhale a sigh and continue on.

~Sniff~

I freeze in mid-step. That sound… I knew that sound. I’d spent nearly a week hearing it. Little by little, I turn back toward the tree, focusing at its base. My heart skips a beat. Sure enough, I spot a small mass concealed by the shadows, in a position where people would pass it by and not even notice it. My steps are deliberate and as slow as molasses. With each step, the tiny mass comes into fuller view. I poke my head around the tree trunk and look down at it.

A large cloth of wine-red velvet that was draped over something.

~Sniff~

There was that sound again. And just as I’d suspected, it was coming from the cloth. Or, less absurd-sounding, whatever was under it. Whoever was under it.

I swallow the giant lump in my throat before attempting at speech. “…Diamond Tiara?”

The cloth jerks ever slightly at the sound of my voice.

“Don’t run,” I implore it. “Please.”

“Go away, blank flank!” orders the filly beneath the velvet.

I remain firmly where I stand. “What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like? I’m waiting for that stupid Trixie to do her stupid magic trick so I can go home!”

“How long have you been sitting out here?”

“None of your business! Now go away!”

I kneel down beside her, the wet grass dampening my knees of my pants. “I’m not gonna do that.” I take a hold of the cloth and pull it off of her, giving me full view of her eyes. They’re red and puffy, and the blue in them had lost some of its vividness, making them a pale blue-gray. Her mane and tail are disheveled, but other than that, she looks relatively unharmed. I was so relieved.

She pulls away suddenly and tries to run…

…but I grab her and pull her into my arms. “No, Tiara!”

“Let go of me!” She flails her legs about wildly, jabbing and pounding me with her hooves in an attempt to break free. “I said I don’t need you!”

“I don’t care! I’m not letting you go again! I’m sorry I ever let you go in the first place!”

“Let me go!” she screams, tears starting to trickle forth yet again. “I just…want…to go…HOME!”

I let her cry her eyes out while I hold her close to me, coming close to tearing up myself. We sit there for who knows how long, unmoving and silent.

“…Why’d you come looking for me?” Diamond Tiara soon asks in a breathless whisper.

“I didn’t”, I answer her. “I found you by accident. But I’m glad I did.”

“I thought you hated me.”

“I thought you hated me. Why’d you snap at me like that yesterday?”

“…”

“…Tiara…how’d you get your cutie mark?”

I set her down, but only once I’m sure she won’t run away the second I do. Pacing herself, she reaches up, removes her tiara off, and places it in my hands. “…When I first started attending Ponyville Elementary, everypony kinda…avoided me. To them, I was ‘that snooty rich filly’. No one wanted to play with me ‘cause I was ‘spoiled’ and ‘stuck-up’. My only friend was Silver Spoon ‘cause her family was rich too. So for my birthday, my dad surprised me with this tiara. When I have it on, I feel more…confident. Sure of myself. Like I could take on all of Equestria. So when the foals at school made fun of me for being snooty, I started making fun of them for being blank flanks. It was like my tiara gave me the confidence I needed to stand up to them. And that’s when…well…” She wiggles her rump a little, directing my attention to the mark on her flank.

“So your special talent…is confidence?”

“That’s what I thought at first too. But when everypony finally backed off, I realized…I liked telling ponies what to do. I liked being in charge. My tiara made me feel like…a queen.”

All of a sudden, the events of that one episode made a lot more sense. Why the other ponies in Diamond Tiara’s class followed her direction so willingly. Confidence. Charisma. Being a natural-born leader. That was Diamond Tiara’s special talent. She probably had a bright future ahead of her as a businessmare or politician. “But, Tiara,” I protest, “you can be in charge and not be mean, you know? Do you think making fun of other ponies for being blank flanks is any better than them making fun of you for being a snob?”

“It’s not like I want to be mean,” she defends. “I’ve just been doing it for so long, it’s all I know how to do.”

“That’s not true. You can be nice too; I’ve seen it myself. Just show them the real you, the ‘Tiara under the tiara’. They’ll come around. I know they will. …And listen to Silver Spoon once in a while. I think she’ll rub off on you.” I throw in a wink for good measure.

Diamond Tiara rubs her eyes with a foreleg and curls her lips upward. “…I’ll try.”

I return her smile and reach up to rub her ear. “Good. Now let’s get you home before you catch another cold, huh?”

“Hehehe.”

---

I like to think that, thanks to mine and Tiara’s fight, our relationship is stronger for it. She’s become a lot less argumentative and more approachable; in fact, I’d dare say she sees me as close a friend to her as Silver Spoon. Of course, she’s still a filly at heart and will jump at any and all opportunities to tease me. But her laughs are out of foalish amusement and not of spite.

I’d finally kept my promise and taken her shopping for new clothes. Now that was an interesting (and funny as hell) afternoon.

I had convinced one of the store employees (the poor, naïve girl) that Tiara was a plush toy that I’d planned on giving to a cousin for her birthday, and I wanted to buy a few clothes that she could dress it up in. Naturally, she was suspicious at first, but all doubts were banished from her mind when she saw Tiara. Had I not stepped in, the clueless girl would’ve squeezed all the ‘stuffing’ out of her. Either that, or Tiara would’ve given herself away and bucked the girl right in the face.

Humorous complications aside, we walked out of the store with some new wardrobe, and Tiara couldn’t have been happier about it.

On the way home, we’d stopped by an empty playground for her to play in for a short time. A round of tag here, a little hide and seek there; she’d even dragged me over to the swing set to push her on the swing. Her giggles filled the early evening air. She’d cry ‘higher!’ and I’d obligingly accommodate. It was heartwarming to see the rose-coated pony acting her age.

…As ten o’clock rolls around and the ending credits of the movie we’d been watching begin to appear on the TV screen, I shut the DVD player off. “Okay,” I start to the filly sitting in my lap, “time for bed.”

Tiara looks up at me and puts on her cutest pout. “Awww… Just one more movie?” she whines.

“I think not. That was the third one in a row,” I tell her as I pick her up to carry her to bed. She crosses her forelegs and sulks, but I put a smile back on her face by tickling her belly a little. “Besides, it’s already past your bedtime.”

Before she could grumble about it, a rebellious yawn escapes her lips.

I tuck her into bed, hand her my old teddy bear (yes, that old teddy bear), and kiss her forehead. “Sweet dreams,” I whisper to her before turning around and making for the bedroom door.

“…Richie?”

I stop to look back at her. “What is it?”

Her expression looks somber. “Do you think…I’ll ever get back home?”

I say nothing at first, walking over and kneeling at her bedside, resting my head on my forearms. “Well…let me ask you this. Let’s say…you could never go back home. You had to stay here with me. Would you be alright with that?”

She shoots up to sit upright, holding the stuffed bear tight. “Are you saying I’m stuck here forever?!”

“No, no, I’m not saying that! It’s just… If we can’t figure out a way… What then?”

Her gaze shifts downward. “I… I don’t know. I miss my parents. I miss Silver Spoon.”

She would. Why wouldn’t she? How could I even think of keeping her here, away from her friends and family? Was I that selfish?

“…But…” I pick my head up to see her warm smile and light blush. “…If I am stuck here, I guess I could do a lot worse.”

My heart swells. Despite what she’s been through – what we’ve been through – she didn’t resent me. She wasn’t bitter. Diamond Tiara – my Diamond Tiara – was back again. It was my turn to tear up. I reach out to hug her, and she lightly hugs back, surprised by my sudden embrace. “Tiara… Thank you…!”

I hear her chuckle softly into my ear. “Stop being such a weirdo!”

Once the tears dry, I tuck Tiara back into bed and step out of the room, closing the door shut behind me. I didn’t want her to see me cry again. This time, the tears fall more freely, but I make no movement to stop them.

Tiara had accepted me. She was my friend. And I was hers. I couldn’t help but weep with joy.

Maybe it was because I was the only one around that she could tease and the novelty had worn off, leaving her with little else to do than make the most of it. Whatever the reason, her being here with me makes me happy.

And I can only make sure she’s happy too.

---

Once more, I awaken to the sound of knocking at the front door. I pick my head up off my pillow and silently curse the sun for existing.

As I shuffle into the hallway groggily, I check in on Tiara, making sure she’s still asleep.

Another knock. “Jeez, alright already, I’m coming,” I groan to no one in particular. “At least wait a minute between knocks, huh?” I approach the door and grasp the knob, but I don’t open it just yet. “Yes?” I call out. “Who is it?”

A feminine voice calls back. “Ugh! It’s about time! It’s rude to keep a lady waiting, you know?”

Whoever it is sounds frustrated, but doesn’t answer my question. She wakes me up this early in the morning, and is calling me rude? “Who is it?” I repeat, stressing each word.

“Well, perhaps if you were to, say, open the door, you’d find out!”

Okay. Now I was pissed. “Lady, unless you want me to call the cops…!”

I hear her voice again, but this time it isn’t me she’s addressing. Was there someone with her? “Yes, I know, but he’s being so discourteous! …Ugh. Very well. …Forgive me, sir, but I’m afraid I must insist you open the door. I would teleport myself inside, but I’m under strict order not to.”

‘Teleport’? What? Now I was less pissed and more curious. Deciding to indulge the odd woman, I unlock the door and open it up to let the blinding rays of the sun in. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, and the second that they do…

…I go wide-eyed.

Standing on my doorstep is a short yet mature-looking unicorn. Her coat was a bright eye-catching azure, and her curly mane glistens in streaks of powder blue and silvery blue. As her wisteria star-studded cape sways gently in the breeze, she looks up at me with stunning eyes of pale violet.

It was her. The unicorn mare responsible for everything.

“Greetings, human,” says the blue-coated pony with a grin. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

Comments

[Mr Andrews Pupil]

I'll be in tears soon won't I......

[MagerBlutooth]

"I'm so glad I've found you again! I'm so sorry for everything I said. By the way, how did you get your cutie mark?"

I think our friend Richie has a disorder involving his attention deficit. Still, I think Summer delivered a pretty good message. It's better than the one from Mare Do Well, anyway.

[MintyFreshRainbow]

I like the explanation about DT's cutiemark