Truth behind truth
Diamond Tiara's legs burned from running so much and so far. The cold, relentless storm kept pouring down, soaking her to the bone, while her face remained hot and flushed. So much time had passed between then and now that she could no longer tell if she was still crying or if it was just the rain. All she could hear and feel was the splattering of her hooves against mud and grass, and all she could think about was getting away. Far away, so nopony could hear her. She didn't care where it was, or how dangerous it may have been. It was better than letting them see her like this.
(“It's not fair...it's not fair! It's not fair, it's not FAIR, IT'S NOT FAIR!!!”)
One of her front legs sank into a particularly soft patch of earth, making her trip and fall. She tumbled forward and slid along the ground, caking mud all over herself. In any other circumstance, such a disgusting act would have sent her into a fit, yet she didn't have the strength to move. All she could do was lay there as a weak, pathetic whimper came out of her mouth.
*sniffle*
“It's...not fair...why did this have to happen to me?”
“Goodness me, what have we here? Those eyes of yours are full of fear.”
She pried her head out of the mud as her eyes made contact with a zebra staring down on her. She wore a saddle bag on her back with a lit oil lantern hanging off the side. A stick protruded from the strap on her back, with what appeared to be an enormous leaf attached to it. Holding the leaf over the pony at her hooves, she said, “Little one, are you just being silly? The Everfree Forest is no place for a filly.”
“Oh...that's where I am, huh?” She made a grumpy face and stood up in a hurry, wiping her eyes with her foreleg. “Just-just leave me alone, okay?! I can take care of mysel - ”
*KRA-THOOOOOM*
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, the resulting thunder shaking her heart and causing her to involuntarily jump. When she regained her senses, she found herself clinging to the zebra's foreleg, earning a small smirk from her.
“Hm hm hm. Little filly, if I may be so bold, would you stay in my home before you catch a cold? This storm will not pass very soon, and I doubt you'd want to be soaked till' you're a prune.”
----
Her home was but a single roomed hut, but also felt cozy rather than cramped. A small fire burned in the center to keep the place warm, the smoke escaping through a hole in the ceiling.
“Now tell me child, what troubles you so? That is, if you would let me know.”
Diamond Tiara heard her clearly, but was too preoccupied by the zebra's décor to respond. The multitudes of plants, tribal masks, and ceramic pottery caused her to shrink towards the stairs at the front door, her mouth curled into a frown. Her legs were jittering just enough to show that she was nervous, and she couldn't stop looking back and forth between these strange artifacts.
“Uhm...I don't...think I like this place,” she exclaimed. “My dad always told me not to trust strangers, and...you're pretty strange.”
The zebra's brow creased, “I would not keep you here against your will. But first, I suggest you look outside my windowsill.”
Raising an eyebrow, she trotted over to the round window and pulled herself upward onto the ledge. She didn't see anything past the torrent of rain at first, but gasped at the sight beyond the trees. There were at least two or three timberwolfs lurking about, sniffing the air and scratching the ground, no doubt looking for food to hunt. Her hooves fell away from the window when one of them looked in her direction, making her tremble even more. Gaping with her mouth open at first, she twisted around into a sitting position and eventually responded, “Uh, uhhh...okay! I guess I can trust you for now. At least until those...things go away.”
The zebra nodded once, stepping over to one of her many shelves and pulling out a large cloth with her teeth. “It seems you are quite a mess. Forgive me, this is the only clean towel I possess.”
She laid it next to the filly, watching her look at it like it was going to bite her. Deciding that she'd rather not be filthy anymore, she took it in her teeth and draped it over her face, wiping the caked mud off with her hooves. Though when the cloth came off her eyes, the zebra was inches away from her face, sniffing the air.
“Wah! Wh-what do you think you're doing?!” She scooted back into the wall, giving her an accusatory glare.
*sniff...sniff*
The zebra straightened herself out and took a step back, saying, “Hmmm...I apologize if you feel harassed. It's just that you smell of rosemary and demon grass. Now, I may come off as uncouth, but...have you sipped a potion of truth?”
The filly grit her teeth as her face became red as a beet. Her eyes went wide and her nostrils flared before she screamed, “You shut up! You're lying to me too, aren't you?! There's no WAY I meant any of those things! I'm better than that! I'm better than YOU! I'm better than ANYPONY!!!”
She glared at her and jumped to her hooves, breathing heavily. The zebra merely looked back with an understanding and concerned gaze, tilting her head to one side. She closed her eyes, walked next to the fire, sat down with her back to it and replied, “It's clear that your heart is filled with anger and despair. I can help you with your troubles, but only if you would share.”
Diamond Tiara's glare softened, her eyes falling to the floor. “Okay...fine.”
----
The last bell felt like an angel's chorus after the day she had. Eight hours of nothing but lecture after lecture, without a moment to even ask a question. Diamond Tiara stretched her legs out, watching another pony her age bounce about ahead of her.
(“Hmf. Look at her, prancing around like a loser. Jumping over that fence like a loooser. Drinking a juice box like a – huh. You know, I am thirsty.”)
They were already a good distance away from the schoolhouse, so it was unlikely anypony would see her swipe a juice box from Applebloom. Diamond Tiara increased her stride until she was next to her, bumping her flank into the yellow filly's shoulder and knocking her over. Catching the drink in mid-air with a single hoof, she took a long sip from the straw and smiled, looking down on the lesser pony.
“Oops, did I do that? Well, at least I managed to save what was important. Thanks for the free refreshment, loooser!”
She turned around to head back home, only to hear Applebloom's voice behind her saying, “Say DT, how come you bully us all the time? Ah don't remember ever doin' anythin' ta you.”
“Huh? What kind of dumb question is that?” She turned back around to face her, “Ugh, of course it's because I need to make myself feel better.”
Both fillies froze upon hearing that. Diamond Tiara brought a hoof to her mouth while Applebloom looked straight into her eyes, dumbfounded. “Wait...what'd you jus' say?”
“I...I said...” She tried to stop herself, but only succeeded in stuttering her response. “I...need to...make myself feel better...! AHHH!” Her hindquarters gave out, forcing her to drop. Both her hooves were over her mouth now, and sweat began to gather around her brow.
“Whu...what's going on?! I-I didn't want to say that! I don't even mean that! Except that I do, and – AHHH!”
“Uhh...Diamond Tiara...” Applebloom stood up and looked away, scratching the back of her foreleg with the other. “That wasn't a juice box you just drank. It was a truth potion ah made. It forces ya to tell the truth whenever somepony asks ya a question, and...uhm...whaddya mean you need to make yerself feel better?”
She wanted to stop. She wanted to remain silent, to just shove her hooves down her throat so nopony could hear her. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. It was like she was possessed by some unknown force, by some horrid power forcing her to do something unspeakable. Her shaking hooves slowly came away from her mouth as she stammered out, “It's...because...I'm lonely.” Her forelegs dropped to the ground, her eyes glazing over as she stared forward. “Mom isn't around anymore, and Dad is always busy at work. All of the maids and butlers hate me. A-and...I just know that Dad hates me too. He's...never around. He buys me whatever I want, but he doesn't even tuck me in at night. He doesn't read me bedtime stories anymore. He won't even take the time to hold me. I-I...” Her pupils contracted as tears started to stream down her face. “I'm just...so...lonely...NOO!!! I DON'T MEAN THAT! DAD LOVES ME! HE DOES!!!”
Diamond Tiara brought her hooves to her head as she started screaming at the ground. Applebloom walked over and tried to put a hoof on her shoulder, only to have it swatted away, the eyes glaring back at her filled with hate. “You...! You stupid liar! That wasn't a truth potion, it's just some concoction you threw together to make me look bad! I'd never say anything like that about my dad! Well, are you happy now?!”
The look in the yellow filly's eyes shone with nothing but empathy and compassion...and it drove her crazy. The fact that she was showing concern like this only served to infuriate her more, like she was looking down on her. Diamond Tiara scrambled to her hooves and ran off, kicking up clouds of dirt as raindrops began to fall. She didn't know where she was going, but anyplace was better than here.
----
“I'm sorry to say this, but what she said was true. These feelings were truths that you already knew.”
The pearl-colored filly glared her again. “And what do you know?! You're just some kooky zebra living out here in the middle of nowhere! What makes you think you know anything about me?!”
“The potion of truth reveals what is in your own heart. If you want to deny it, then some contemplation would be a good start.” The zebra walked away from the fire and took a broom in her mouth, idly looking out of her window. “The danger is gone and the storm has passed. Run along now little filly, and get home fast.”
“Well...good! I didn't want to stay in this shoddy hut in the first place!”
Diamond Tiara bolted out the door, finding a path that led away from the zebra's home. Her legs were still sore from running so much earlier, so it was only a matter of time before her stride slowed back down to a trot.
(“That stupid know-it-all...thinking she can just tell me how I'm feeling...”)
Her breathing became short as she stopped completely. There was no way she wanted to believe what either of them said, but in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but consider them. What if they were right? What if she really believed that there wasn't a single pony out there who loved her, not even her own father? What would she do then? Gritting her teeth again, she pressed forward, making a beeline back home. Surely her father would tell her otherwise. All she had to do was ask.