• Published 29th Apr 2013
  • 13,617 Views, 1,104 Comments

Cubic Zirconia - arcum42



Diamond Tiara has always enjoyed picking on the Cutie Mark Crusaders. But one day, she finds she's gone too far, and everything for her comes tumbling down. But help may come from the most unexpected of places...

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Another Day In Paradise

Lying on a cushion in the clubhouse, Diamond Tiara slept a restless, disturbed sleep for the rest of the day and well into the next morning. Periodically she awoke, and then, as the events of the previous few days registered with her, she drifted back off to sleep. If she actually had to get up, she would have to deal with things, and right now, she just couldn't.

Eventually, after the fifth time a rooster had crowed, she woke up, and the sunlight hitting her eyes was too bright for her to just go back to sleep again.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked around. A blanket was wrapped around her that she didn't recall putting on the evening before, but then, she had been in a pretty bad state at the time.

In any case it was morning, and it must be time for school. Memories of how she had left school yesterday came to her mind.

No. No school. She wasn't going back. She was never going back. They couldn't make her.

Diamond pulled the blanket over her head. Maybe without the sun in her eyes, she'd be able to go back to sleep again. Then she heard hoofsteps coming in her direction.

"Morning!" a voice said cheerily.

She resolutely stayed curled up under the blanket. Maybe if she ignored Scootaloo, she'd go away.

"Good morning, Diamond! Time to get up!"

"Mrrggmmmph!" she replied.

Suddenly, the blanket was pulled from over her eyes. She blinked as the bright sun shone in her eyes. The first thing she saw was Scootaloo standing there looking satisfied, blanket in her muzzle. Then the blanket was dropped unceremoniously on the floor.

"I was willing to let you sleep in earlier, but if you don't get cleaned up and ready for school now, we'll both be late."

What are you, my mother? she thought irritably, then winced. Her own mother's death still hurt, even a few years after the fact. She covered it up with a scowl. "I'm not going."

Scootaloo frowned as well. "What do you mean, you aren't going? It's a school day!"

"I can't go back after what happened." She buried her head in her forelegs. "I just can't."

Scootaloo sighed. "If I spend time arguing with you, I will be late. Fine. We'll take about this later. Just make sure you forge a note for when you return to class on Monday."

She grabbed her saddlebags and marched out of the clubhouse. Diamond snatched the blanket off the floor, curled up, pulled it over her head, and went back to sleep.

Eventually she had to get up, though. Her stomach was grumbling too much, and her bladder was about ready to burst. She lay there for a few minutes anyway, then forced herself up and darted out the ramp, ignoring her hoof's protests.

There weren't any bathrooms anywhere close enough for her to get to, unfortunately, which, in her mind, was a major strike against the clubhouse as a place to live. After using a bush, much to her embarrassment, her stomach's complaints came to the forefront.

Diamond had never been this hungry before. She was used to just calling for Greywithers anytime she wanted a snack, and if she missed a meal, she'd have just gotten something from Grey afterwards. Now she'd gone a full day with only a hayshake, a muffin, pieces of another, and some peppermint sticks. Upset as she was, she was still going to have to find something to eat soon.

Well, she was surrounded by apple trees, wasn't she?

She looked around, and, fortunately, none of the Apples were there. She really should have looked before coming down. That was going to get her in trouble if she wasn't careful, though it didn't really seem like they came by this area often.

So, there were apples all around her. How was she supposed to get them down?

Actually, Diamond had seen the Apple family getting apples down. They just kicked the trunks, and a whole bunch of them fell. It seemed almost pathetically easy. Big Macintosh, Applejack, and even Apple Bloom did it. Though, she thought guiltily, Apple Bloom wouldn't be doing that again for a good while.

Her eyes darted around, despite having already checked for other ponies, because she really didn't want to get caught doing this. She backed up slowly to a tree, and kicked out with one of her hind legs, as hard as she could. Then she fell down as pain shot through her leg.

She lay there for a few minutes, clutching it and whimpering, eyes watering.

Dumb, Diamond Tiara, dumb. Kicking the tree with the same hoof you bruised earlier was a really really dumb idea.

When her eyes stopped watering and the pain subsided, she realised that not a single apple had fallen. This was clearly far more complicated than she'd thought.

At this point, she'd better just go into town and buy something with some of her precious allowance. She didn't want to. Some part of her was still huddled under the blanket in the clubhouse. But she was too hungry. She would have to ask Scootaloo how she got apples later.

Her course of action decided, Diamond got herself up, hoof still hurting a bit, and limped down the road towards town. The dirt road turned to cobblestones, and soon she was coming up on the town square.

The first stall she saw made her wince and back away a little. It was the stand for Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack was manning it. On seeing her, Applejack looked at Diamond with such a glare that she found herself quickly trotting to the other side of the square, regardless of how her hoof felt.

She'd have to deal with Applejack eventually, of course, but that could be later. She wasn't in any state for a confrontation at the moment. She'd just buy something from one of the other vendors.

On the side of the square she was at now, there was a two-pony stall that seemed to be selling teriyaki bowls with mixed vegetables and rice nearby. That was a little plebeian, but it was food, and wasn't going to use up all her bits. She trotted over and looked over the menu. Well, this would do, anyways.

Standing in front of the stall, she looked up. There was only one pony behind the stall at the moment, a cream colored young stallion with a red mane who was busily counting bits behind the counter. He didn't seem to have noticed her.

She could take care of that. Diamond Tiara loudly cleared her throat, and stood there expectantly. The lanky stallion's head jerked up, and the bits spilled out of the box he was counting from, causing him to curse and start gathering them up.

After he had gathered his bits up, he straightened up and gave her a hard look. Well, she had his attention, at least.

"I'll have a rice and vegetable teriyaki bowl with raspberry ice tea," she ordered, in a no-nonsense tone of voice. The tea was a little overboard, but she was pretty thirsty, too. Now, be a good food merchant and get me my lunch. I'm starving!

She wasn't particularly prepared for the look of scorn that crossed his face, or the response he gave.

"You!" he said loudly. "You've made me lose my place! Do you know how long I spent counting that out?"

"Well, I-" she started, before being cut off.

He gave her a closer look. "Oh, it's you. I almost didn't recognise you without your muzzle in the air like some Canterlot wannabe princess. Where's your high and mighty father? Or that tagalong of yours?"

"That's not fair-" She'd never been treated like this when getting something to eat before. Shouldn't he have been serving customers?

"And what would somepony like you know about fair, going around starting fights and breaking other ponies legs?"

What? Did everypony know about that?

A few hoofsteps sounded to the side of the stall, but Diamond Tiara paid them no mind.

"I-I'm not- I didn't-"

"Sure you didn't." He snorted. "We don't need your kind of business. Get out of here! Get your no good, stuck-up muzzle away from this stall!"

Sure, she couldn't go to school, but she couldn't even buy anything to eat? Was the whole universe out to get her? She wanted to be tough and put him in his place, but she just couldn't deal with this today. Tears started streaming down her face despite herself.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Scram!" He stomped one hoof for emphasis. At the same time, she heard hoofsteps ring out coming towards the stall.

Diamond bolted away from the market. Behind her, she heard some arguing, and a strident female voice giving a lecture, but she didn't turn around, even when she heard somepony calling her back. She ran out of the town square as fast as her legs would take her.

She couldn't cope. She was past that. She wanted her daddy. She wanted her mommy or daddy so bad right now. And they weren't there for her. Daddy wouldn't help her, and mommy was gone. With the tears in her eyes, she couldn't even tell where she was going, but it didn't matter. Everywhere was bad for her now.

The funny thing was she'd thought she'd cried herself out yesterday. It didn't seem like she should have any tears left, but evidently she did. She kept going until her hoof started complaining again. Nopony seemed to be following her, so she slowed, then stopped.

Getting slightly better control of herself, Diamond blew her nose, blinked away her tears as best she could, and tried to figure out where she'd ended up. As she looked around, she realised that maybe her thoughts had influenced where she'd gone after all.

This section of Ponyville was fairly deserted, especially this time of day. She would have known where she was from the trees, flowers and the black iron gate in front of her, even if a sign saying "Ponyville Cemetery" wasn't right there.

Nopony really liked to visit the cemetery, and she really was no exception. She hadn't been there in quite a while. But she nudged the gate open anyways, and walked inside, closing it behind her.

Wandering down a grassy path, she weaved between trees and gravestones, her hooves automatically going down a route that was etched in her memory. Soon enough, she was there, standing on a well maintained patch of grass in front of a gravestone. The headstone read "Primrose - Beloved wife and mother".

She lay down in front of the gravestone. She wanted her mommy, but this was about as close as she could get. This was as close as she'd ever get again. At least she could talk to mommy, even if she couldn't answer back.

She lay there shaking for a moment, fumbling for what to say.

"Mommy?" she said hesitantly in a weak voice. "I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while. I miss you, and I really need you right now."

There was no reply but the wind whipping through the trees, not that she'd expected one.

"I've really m-messed everything up. I k-kinda broke another fillies legs. I didn't mean to! But now everypony hates me and nopony wants me and daddy doesn't love me anymore and I just d-don't know what to d-do or where to g-go."

She sobbed uncontrollably for a few minutes before getting her composure back enough to continue.

"I-I know I'm not wearing my t-tiara," she managed. "You always thought I looked l-like a p-princess with it on. Daddy b-broke it. I d-don't even have the pieces."

She sniffed, and blew her nose on the grass.

"Everypony t-thinks I'm a b-bad pony. Am I? Maybe they're r-right. M-Maybe Equestra doesn't even need a stuck up p-pink pony that hurts e-everypony around her."

There was nothing but silence.

"Oh, what's the use? I'm just lying here talking to some d-dumb stone," Diamond sat up. "I wish you were here. I l-love you so much…"

She set her head down in her forelegs and just sat there sobbing for some time. She didn't know how long and didn't really care. She only snapped out of it when she felt something furry rubbing against her side.

Diamond Tiara wiped her tears away, and looked behind her. Rubbing against her was a tiny white kitten. It was the cutest thing she'd seen in quite a while. She managed a bit of a smile.

"Hello there, kitty. Are you sure you want to hang out with a bad pony like me?"

In response, the kitten walked up, looked at Diamond Tiara and started walking back and forth next to her, rubbing her head against one of Diamond's forelegs in universal cat for 'pet me now'.

She started stroking the kittens fur obligingly. The kitten purred and arched up against her, rubbing against her side. Her tail flicked back and forth.

She just kept on petting the kitten, feeling its soft fur against her forelegs. After a while, the kitten rolled over, and demanded her attention on its soft underbelly. Of course, this turned out to be more of an invitation to play, as the kitten started tussling with her, grabbing her hoof with its paws and doing a fierce mock attack on her with her claws and fangs.

After a few minutes, the kitten settled down, and let her rub its belly, especially once she started scratching behind its ears as well. Her emotions gradually calmed down as she devoted all her attention to pampering the kitten next to her.

As she returned to a more normal state of mind, she looked at the kitten.

"Now what exactly are you doing wandering around in a cemetery, anyways?" The kitten looked back with unblinking blue eyes. "I'm sure somepony has to be missing you."

She'd be glad to just keep the kitten, of course, but she couldn't even feed herself. Besides, the kitty was wearing a collar. She must already belong to somepony.

Diamond Tiara scratched her under the collar. The kitten purred even louder, enjoying the scratching, and a tag worked its way from the underside.

She flipped the tag over. "Snowpuff. If found, please return to Vanilla on 34 Black Currant Rd., Ponyville 4723". She didn't think that address was too far away, actually. She supposed that wasn't surprising if 'Snowpuff' got here on foot. Maybe she could at least make sure the kitty got home safely, even if she couldn't.

Of course, Snowpuff wasn't that great of a name for a kitten, to her mind. Maybe 'Pearl', or 'Iris', or 'Ivory' would be better. Or Claws, she thought, as they dug into her hoof once again.

"Okay, kitty, come on," She stood up. "Let's get you home to your family."

When Snowpuff didn't want to move from the spot she was in, Diamond just scooped her up, and put the kitty on her back. There, she curled up and seemed to go to sleep faster than Diamond would have thought possible, not even waking up when Diamond started walking.

Following the same path as before, she left the cemetery, and started trying to figure out how to get to the kitten's home. Soon she was walking between houses, looking at addresses, and it wasn't that long before she spotted a little filly wandering around looking back and forth, clearly upset.

The girl's face lit up as she saw Diamond with Snowpuff curled up on her back. She ran up to her.

"You found my kitty!"

Suddenly Diamond found herself embraced in a surprisingly big hug for such a little filly. The kitten, feeling a jolt, cracked open one eye, assessed the situation, and closed it again.

Diamond found that she had very little prior experience that would cover having a young filly clinging to her. "She's yours, then? Are you Vanilla?"

The filly nodded, letting go, finally. With her off-white coat and dark brown mane, it was pretty easy to tell where her name came from.

"I was just going outside, and Snowpuff ran out before I could stop her!"

Several snide responses did run through Diamond's mind, but she stopped herself. Everypony already thinks I'm awful. Why prove it?

"She came up to me, and started rubbing up against me. I think she just wanted to be petted."

"Oh, well, I can do that!"

Vanilla grabbed the kitten by the front legs, and started rubbing her belly. The cat looked at Diamond Tiara with a resigned 'the things I have to put up with' look.

"I don't think she likes being held like that," Diamond Tiara said, having to restrain herself even further. "Maybe you should put her down, and pet her on the ground?"

The filly dropped Snowpuff to the ground. The kitten circled around Diamond once, rubbed against her, and then went over to Vanilla, who started stroking her.

"Thanks for finding my kitty!" the filly called out, and the two of them walked off together as Diamond Tiara looked on, a bit enviously.

If only life were that simple. Well, maybe Scootaloo was back from school by now.

As Diamond Tiara started to back to the clubhouse, her stomach rumbled yet again, reminding her how hungry she was. She sighed, and started munching on the grass on the side of the road as she walked.

Author's Note:

This may be a trend, but a lot of thanks to Luminary, who I ran the chapter by twice. His commentary did help considerably. And poor Diamond. She really can't catch a break, can she?