> A Diamond For Your Trouble
>  by Cadiefly
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Frown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The hustle and bustle of the townsfolk was unremarkable from any other day in Ponyville. There were ponies either gathering around and setting up their stalls in the shopping district or commuting to some preordained, undetermined destination. For Apple Bloom and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders, it was a trip to their local school. It wasn't just a regular trip to the school, however. An exciting new adventure was in store for them. 

Like a bullet soaring past on comers, an orange color-coated pegasus by the name of Scootaloo raced down the street, her magenta-colored mane billowing in the wind as her wings fluttered vibrantly back and forth. She’d turn one near collision after another into an acrobatic feat that permits her to just narrowly dodge said pedestrians.

"Watch it!" shouted an angry shop owner with a shaking hoof. His gaze fell to the ground, with a glare still planted on his face as he stared at the mess the filly had caused him. A brilliant looking vase, obliterated. He was taken by surprise as a sudden crash sent him sprawling right into his own windows, bits of glass flying around him. He growled out in frustration as he watched another filly race past him.

Apple Bloom wasn't far behind the pegasus, dashing as fast as her hooves could take her; as an earth pony of yellow fur and red mane, she did not not have the aid of the scooter to close the distance. She wasn't quite as dexterous, either, and after barreling straight into the shopkeeper, she fell farther behind her competitor. 

Though her course was unfazed, her attention was diverted by the distraction. Glancing over her shoulder, she cried, "Sorry!" While all of her focus was on the stallion, who raised a hoof at the filly out of frustration, Apple Bloom did not see the cart crossing her path. Abruptly, her head found lodging between the wooden spokes of one of its wheels, and as the cart set into motion, she was taken for a ride in the opposite direction.

"What the hay?" She said as she looked back ahead. The world was spinning around her as the cart led her down an alleyway. She placed her fore hooves on the contraption and shoved. As she freed herself, she was unexpectedly soaring backwards through the air. Momentum carried her straight into an awning at an extreme angle, which then propelled her straight towards the leading crusader as the fabric of the awning tore. She could see Sweetie Belle now, who had been at the rear of the pack before Bloom's excursion, and she could see that she was heading straight for her. "Uh oh."

All of this was unbeknownst to Sweetie Belle, who was dashing towards the school at perhaps a somewhat more strenuous pace, albeit a less impactful one, than her two filly companions. In her struggles to keep up with them, she gasped for breath. She wiped beads of sweat from her face, pushing aside strands of her violet and pink mane. “Wait up!” she cried. Unexpectedly catching up to Apple Bloom, the white-coated unicorn collided into her, and together the two fell into a frenzy of hooves and manes as they rolled across the ground at an alarming rate.

A rapidly approaching school awaited them. At that moment, that goal was all that existed for Scootaloo, who was still at the head of the pack. All auditory cues were drowned out by the rolling of her scooter and the wind in her mane. This was how it should be, Scootaloo thought to herself as she reveled in the glorious speed.

Unsurprisingly, she was so caught up in her escapade that she paid no attention to her friends rolling behind her, who crashed into her. “Aw man!” was all she could say before she was enveloped by the uncontrollable mass which carried them all the way to the gates of the school.

They came to a stop altogether in front of the school grounds before their worst nemesis. A pink pony sporting an extravagant tiara atop her head and finely brushed pink, accentuated by white highlights, mane stood before them. Accompanying her was a fashionably similar gray-coated filly wearing a pearl necklace and cute-looking glasses.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders groaned as they reoriented themselves. They could hear the high pitched giggling at their misfortune. "Nice landing there, blank flanks! It was, like, really touch and go there for a while, but I'll give it a ten out of ten ... on the loser board!" After delivering her insult, Diamond Tiara broke out into an uncharacteristically forced laugh. 

When her friend hesitated in joining in her jubilance, she had to nudge Silver Spoon once before the other filly took the hint. The laughter that Silver Spoon subsequently produced was much more subdued and lackluster, and it was clear from her vacant expression that she was not enjoying the act.

The whole exchange elicited nothing from the Cutie Mark Crusaders aside from Scootaloo’s mocking response. “Ha, ha. Very funny. Don't you and your friend have something better to do than to torment us?”

"Of course we do," Diamond Tiara said in between hysterics, "but you make it so easy, how could we not? Right, Sil?" 

Silver Spoon nodded somewhat weakly as she stared at Diamond. "Of course. For old times s-" Her response was unenthusiastic, but when she saw the incredulous scowl the pink pony suddenly directed at her, she stopped altogether and broke eye contact.

Fed up with the constant bullying, and seething with fury, Scootaloo said, "This routine is getting old, alright. Just take a hike and leave us alone, or else!"

The haughty tone in Diamond Tiara's glare as she began to circle around the crusaders momentarily caught off guard. There was an abnormally intense fierceness to her eyes that caused the orange Pegasus to flinch. "Or else what? You'll cry?" When she saw the anger in Scootaloo's eyes rekindle, she inched forward, only centimeters away from the orange filly. "I dare you to hit me with everything you've got. All I do is torment you. I'm nothing but trouble, aren't I?" 

Everything was a blur as Scootaloo's hoof made impact with the rich filly's face, sending her careening to the ground. She would have continued, but Sweetie Belle jumped up from the ground to stop her. "Wait! She's not worth it, Scootaloo." 

It was some time later before Scootaloo could calm herself down enough to nod in acquiescence. "You're right." Despite her statement, she shot the pink filly a firm glare even as she receded away from the fallen pony. 

With a forlorn expression fixed on her face, Diamond Tiara got up and dusted herself off.  “Whatever..." Silver Spoon immediately ran to her friend's aid, whispering words of comfort as they turned away and began receding towards the school.

A mere moment had passed before the duo suddenly stopped in their tracks. Silver Spoon glanced over at her friend, worry suddenly present on her face. She reached her hoof out to comfort her, but retracted the appendage hesitantly. Her muzzle contorted as she struggled to form words. When none came, she let out a sigh and trotted ahead of Diamond Tiara before disappearing within the confounds of the school. The pink pony’s head slumped and, facing the ground, she resumed her walk at a noticeably slower pace.

Having taken the brunt of her friends' weight, Apple Bloom had been winded during the whole exchange, but as it played out before her it appeared to be anything but normal. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, she discounted the possibility of it being nothing more than her imagination. There was definitely something off about Diamond Tiara's behavior, but it was unclear as to why she was acting in this manner. 

Entirely unaware, Scootaloo let out a sigh of frustration. "Go figure. We can't spend a day without them teasing us at least once." 

Ignoring the complaint, Apple Bloom continued all her focus on the pink filly. At the entrance, Diamond Tiara glanced back at them with a frown on her face and a slump in her shoulders for a moment before peering away. In stark contrast to the usual snarky expression on the filly's face, her unhappy face was quite unsettling. If there had been any lingering doubts in her mind before, they were gone now. "I can't put my hoof to it, but I reckon somethin's different about Diamond Tiara. She seems kinda...sad."

Scootaloo gave her a skeptical look. "Diamond Tiara, sad? As if." She shook her head skeptically before proceeding into the school.

Sweetie Belle was equally in disagreement to the statement. "You really think Diamond Tiara’s sad? She seemed pretty happy to me, at least until Scootaloo hit her." After helping Apple Bloom to her hooves, Sweetie Bell ran after the Pegasus. Before entering the building, however, she stopped and spun around. "Come on, we’re going to be late,” she said right before the bell rang. 

Apple Bloom, still lost in thought, snapped out of her reverie and stared at Sweetie Belle. "Comin’!" She followed after her friends, unable to shake the uneasy feeling of Diamond Tiara’s frown from her mind.





By the time school was let out for the day, it was mid afternoon. As they bolted towards the playground area, the Cutie Mark Crusaders reconvened to discuss their plans for the day. 

“Alright, finally!” The earlier exchange all but forgotten, Scootaloo could hardly contain her excitement as she fluttered her wings and pumped her forehooves into the air for the adventure to come. “So, what kind of awesome adventures do we have lined up today to get our cutie marks?” Scootaloo asked, already eagerly gripping her scooter. With a determined look on her face, she set her favorite helmet on top of her head. 

Sweetie Belle shared in Scootaloo’s jubilation, beaming widely as she eyed her friends and said, “Oh, I know! I heard they’ve got a new milkshake down at Sugarcube Corner.” From the look on her expression, she was clearly interested in trying out the delectable dessert. 

“We could do that…” A smile played on Scootaloo’s face as she ran her hooves across the handles of her scooter and edged it forward impatiently. “Or we could catch some air in my scooter. I’ve been dying to try out some of my new tricks.”

Sweetie Belle was just about to respond to that inquiry when Apple Bloom cut her off. “I don’t rightly think I’m up for crusadin’ today, girls. I just can’t seem ta get somethin’ off my mind. I’m sorry,” she said. Trotting on ahead of them, she continued, “Maybe tomorrow?” 

“Hey, this isn’t about Diamond Tiara, is it? You’ve seemed pretty distant today.” Scootaloo’s scooter sagged to one side as she momentarily forgot about their prospective adventures. Her brows furrowed with growing worry and then looked her in the eyes. “She isn’t worth another second of your thoughts.” 

"It ain’t like I’m tryin’ ta think about her!” Unbidden, the troubling scene of the rich ponies' interactions came to the forefront of the farm filly’s mind again. Aggravated, she struck a nearby pebble, causing it to skitter across the ground until it came to a stop a few hoof-steps away. “What in tarnation has gotten into me? I need to go clear my head. You go on crusadin’ without me today."

“If you say so,” Scootaloo said dejectedly. Her shoulders sagged visibly, disappointed in missing out on crusading with her one of her best friends. 

“In that case, we’ll see you tomorrow, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said. “Try not to let this bother you too much, okay?” She flashed her a smile in an attempt to ease her friend’s worries.

"Thanks. I’ll try not to." She trotted ahead of her friends towards Sweet Apple Acres. Looking over her shoulders, she could see them waving theirs for a few moments and before going off to crusading without her until they were no longer in sight. Even before they were gone, she immediately doubting her decision. She repeated her question aloud to herself. “What in tarnation has gotten into me?”

Upon reaching Sweet Apple Acres, she sought out her sister and brother, who were already well into harvesting apples for the cider season, in order to help them out. When she spotted Applejack out in the fields, she approached her and watched as one tree after another was bucked. The resulting vibrations sent the tree’s fruit descending into well placed barrels, some of which were already full. 

“Howdy there, sugarcube,” Applejack said as she picked stray apples off the ground to place in a nearby bucket. After dropping one into the bucket, she continued, “Everythin’ go okay at school today?”

“Yup.” Apple Bloom unconsciously began to pace back and forth behind her sister. After a few moments of being lost in thought, she went over to the barrel and picked it up onto her back. She then hauled it back to a cart standing off to the side, where it joined several other barrels already packed inside. At the sight of the barrel taken away from Applejack, her attention was drawn to her.

“I know that look,” Applejack said. “I don’t rightly know if I can solve whatever it is, but I’ll try my darndest. What’s wrong, sugarcube?” 

“I don’t know.” Why should she be concerned for Diamond Tiara, in the first place? The pink filly was nothing more than a bully to her. Even if there was the slightest chance that something was wrong with her classmate, there shouldn’t be cause for her worry. She sighed. “It’s nothin’.” 

“That doesn’t sound like nothin’ to me.” Her chore forgotten, Applejack wrapped her hoof around her shoulder. “I’m all ears.”

“It’s Diamond Tiara. She always bullies us around, and no matter how much we try ta tell her to stop, it don’t seem ta matter,” Apple Bloom said. “But today was different somehow. I don’t know what it is, but I reckon somethin’s got her feelin’ pretty down all of a sudden.”

Applejack contemplated her words for a moment before replying, “Have ya tried talkin’ ta her yet?”

“Well, no. But this is Diamond Tiara we’re talkin’ about! She’s never done anythin’ but be mean to us.” Apple Bloom stamped her hoof on the ground, tears welling up in her eyes. “But despite that, no matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem ta get her out of my head. I don’t rightly know what I should do, and I’m worried that my friends might not understand.” 

A sad smile played on Applejack’s muzzle as she enveloped her into comforting hug. “Oh, sugarcube, there’s nothin’ to worry about. The best way to deal with it is to approach your classmate directly and ask her what’s wrong. Your friends will understand, you can count on that.”

Wiping away the tears from her eyes, Apple Bloom looked up at her sister and said, “Yeah, I think you’re right. Thanks Applejack! Sorry, I gotta go now.” With renewed energy, she dashed back towards town in search of Diamond Tiara.

“Can’t this wait…” By the time Applejack could formulate a response, the filly was already well out of earshot. As she looked up to the setting sun, she muttered to herself, “until morning?” 






After the heartfelt moment she shared with her sister at the farm, the trip back into town was by far uneventful for Apple Bloom. Along her journey, she noted that it was a good thing she didn’t have any need to make any purchases, for everypony was closing up shop for the evening. 

As the sky grew darker, she began to have second thoughts on coming back out so far into the evening. There was little chance that she would find the pink pony out here after dark in the first place. Even if she had spotted her, would she even be well received?

Just as she was about to give up and head home, she saw Diamond Tiara out of the corner of her eye. The filly was walking alone, without the presence of her best friend, towards an unknown destination. With her head slumped and her eyes half-lidded, Diamond Tiara was unaware of anypony around her. 

Apple Bloom called out to her. “Diamond Tiara! Wait up!” 

At the sound of her name being called, Diamond Tiara glanced up. Though she wasn’t presently crying, the filly’s eyes were bloodshot. “Oh, it’s just you, blank flank. Can’t you see I’m, like, too busy to listen to your whining? I’ve got more important things to do.”

Normally, Apple Bloom would snap off a rebuke, but the sight of the rich filly’s bloodshot eyes startled her. “Have you been cryin’? What’s wrong?”

For a brief moment, there was surprise in Diamond's eyes. Then, with a sinister glare, she said, “There’s, like, nothing wrong with me. There must be something wrong with you. Go pester somepony else for a change.” 

“But you’re the one that pesters…” Apple Bloom bit her lip before continuing, “Nevermind. Look, I don’t know what in tarnation is goin’ on, but I’m worried about you!”

The façade that Diamond Tiara was struggling to maintain was beginning to crack. In a voice almost too quiet for Apple Bloom to hear, she said, “I don’t need your pity, blank flank. I can handle myself just fine.”

“If you’d just tell me what’s goin’ on, then maybe I could-”

“You big dummy,” Diamond Tiara snapped at her. “Why can’t you get it through that thick skull of yours that we’re just enemies. I guess living on that dirty old farm not only makes you constantly reek, but it makes you dumb as a rock as well! I … I don’t deserve your pity!” 

Before Apple Bloom could stop her, Diamond Tiara turned and hightailed it back to the Rich estate, leaving Apple Bloom standing there with a blank expression on her face. “What the hay just happened?”
> The Spying Crusaders
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse was not an exceptionally spacious abode, but it reasonably served its purpose to act as meeting arrangements for three young fillies. It has seen its fair share of use over the past year by the fillies as cool hangout sessions and professional, at least to some degree, meetings directed to the acquisition of their cutie marks.

It was currently, it was being occupied by said fillies. In front of them was a notably long list, depicted in crayon doodles, which covered various activities, potential candidates for cutie marks. Several of the drawings were already crossed out, either having been done already or having simply been written off as being unfeasible. Slaying a grown dragon, much to Scootaloo's chagrin, just wasn't going to happen.

Presently, not a single drawing was left to cross off their list. The group sat there in a state of silent anguish. The list of potentially successful ventures to achieving cutie mark status seemed to be growing slimmer by the day, something that did not go unnoticed by the three young fillies. Given there predicament, their meeting consisted of grunts and 'hmms' as they pondered over their next adventure.

After eliciting one noise of concentration and a rub of hoof on chin, Scootaloo raised her hoof in indication to an idea, but promptly retracting her submission, mumbling a quick, "no that would never work..."

Another moment of silence dragged on. One could hear the chirping of birds in the background, a pretty collection of noises, adding to the serenity of their environment. A moment in which eventually led to Apple Bloom saying "We could go zip-lining!"

"But we already tried that ... Twice." Said Sweetie Belle in a diminutive murmur. She shuffled her hooves back and forth nervously as she glanced down. Her shoulders seemed to sag, almost as if she hated being the bearer of bad news to Apple Bloom's suggestion. After all, zip-lining was fun, even for her.

"Oh right, Ah must've forgot." Apple Bloom said with a chuckle. She walked over to the podium and picked up a set of papers no larger than ten and wrapped them against the surface. Not that they needed organizing; it was just that they had been silently trying to think of an idea for nearly thirty minutes now, and so far their best idea was fighting a dragon. They might have to call it a day here and reconvene in the morn.

That was when they collectively heard a gasp from Sweetie as she exclaimed, "I've got it. We should get our marks in spying!" With a bright smile, she looked to each of her friends for their reactions. Scootaloo was quick to jump on board with the idea, as was Bloom.

It was easily the best idea they had all day. Each of them could just picture their cutie marks. Apple Bloom, sporting a gadget on her flank, flipping a switch on a controller that sent out radio waves that mind controlled a conglomerate of animals and ponies alike into doing her bidding. Sweetie Belle wearing high-tech glasses and a business suit as she walked into a heavily secured facility. And for some reason, Scootaloo pictured herself with a ninja cutie mark. Ninjas were cool and stealthy.

"What are we waiting for, let's do it!" Scootaloo cried as she eagerly made a break for the door, flapping her little wings as hard as she could. The other two fillies were right behind her, smiling all the way.





They stumbled into the town square, tiptoeing in boxes to small too be concealed in, and then attempted to situate themselves in such a way to make the box appear to have naturally been there the whole time. There were small holes poked through the boxes for peeking eyes. Three sets of eyes blinked behind those slits as the crusaders chose their target.

There were several people to choose from. With so many people around, they simply chose the first one they laid their eyes on. It was an elderly mare, holding crutches to help her walk. There was little caution in their approach, creeping much too close. The elderly pony turned around to look at the boxes, which from her perspective seemingly materialized out of nowhere, and in her own senile away she smacked the boxes with her crutch until the crusaders screamed and ran off with newly formed bruises.

Their next attempt was as fruitless as the first. They monitored their next target whilst hanging off the side of the building. Bloom and Sweetie both flailed as they tried to get a better angle while Scootaloo, with all her might, tried to hold them all up via a rope. When her hooves gave out, all three of them tumbled boisterously onto the ground. Their target in question turned to face them with a confused expression on his face.

Their third target simply flew away, whilst their fourth was a large pony who spotted them immediately and tried to give them a tight and disturbing hug, to which they promptly scurried away from whilst yelling in fright.

After their attempt at spying on a neighborhood cat had ended in several newly adorned scratch marks, The three crusaders were lying on the ground and huffing and puffing. This lasted for some time as they regrouped.

"Did we get our cutie marks yet?" Apple Bloom asked. They each looked at their flanks and, upon seeing that they hadn't, sighed unhappily. "We're never going to get them." the farm pony said impatiently.

A spring could heard in the distance, steadily getting closer to them as they caught their breath. When it reached its peak magnitude, they were greeted with a friendly pink party pony. "What are you doing all down in the dumps for?" Pinkie Pie said excitedly, spinning her extremities around each other in an impossible manner.

"We stink at spying." Scootaloo said.

"Oooh, spying!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, leaping into the sky to pop into countless pieces before reforming into a single entity once more. With a big smile planted on her face, she yelled, "I love spying! Who are we spying on?"

"No one. We couldn't even spy on a cat." the little pegasus said dejectedly.

"Aww, don't be like that!" Pinkie said gleefully. "Come with me!" With a hop and a skip, she proceeded to bounce off towards...somewhere. The crusaders looked to each other and shrugged. It wasn't quite clear where she was headed, but they followed the party pony, hoping that wherever they were headed would provide more fruitful adventure than their current location.

They journeyed to a small forested area on the outskirts of the village. Within this wooded area was a clearing sporting a small pond. The fauna of the forest were plentiful here. Deer sidled through a copse of bushes to drink, and Squirrels were rustling through the trees. Birds were chirping as they soared overhead, and anteaters feasted on grubs. But nopony was in sight. It was the perfect place to take a private dip.

"We're here!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, indicating that this was their destination. The scenery was quite a sight to behold, but there was one critical thing missing from their adventure. There was no pony here to spy on, at least none that were visible.

"Great.." Scootaloo murmured. "There's just one problem. There's no pony here to spy on."

Ignoring the comment, Pinkie Pie walked up to one of the trees, where she dug her hoof into an unsuspecting hiding spot and procured a bouncy ball. "I store these all over Ponyville for all sorts of occasions!" She rambled excitedly as she returned to the group, where she began to bounce the ball off the ground. The ball gave off a high pitched squeal as it thudded against the ground, much higher than one would expect from a toy such as this.

The three crusaders stared at Pinky Pie with a blank expression. In moments, Scootaloo exclaimed,"How exactly is this going to help us spy? A ball doesn't exactly strike me as something a spy would use."

"Wait for it..." Pinkie said as she leaned into the ball, one eye as wide as could be. Slamming the ball onto the ground with immense force, it suddenly burst with a resounding popping sound, which in turn caused Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle to all cover their ears. As the next few seconds passed them by, they could could feel the sensation of ears ringing, deafening them.

When equilibrium was reestablished, they slowly turned their attention to what Pinkie Pie was now holding in her hoof. In place of the bouncy ball, which showed no outward properties other than having a rubbery material, was a collection of brilliant shards of crystal. They sparkled as the sun's rays beamed down on them, the shine easily perceived by all those present as the twinkled beautifully a mirage of colors[1] of the rainbow.

"What the hay are these crystals for?" Apple Bloom asked.

"These aren't just any crystals." Pinkie said excitedly. "These are scrying crystals! With these, we can spy on any pony! I think."
"What do ya mean ya think?"

"Well... , when I use them I usually see something that happens before it actually happens. Crazy, right?" Pinkie said. "Watch. Scootaloo, do a dance for us."

"Uh, Okay." Scootaloo replied skeptically. "Here goes nothing, I guess." She began rapping her hoofs on the ground in a beat, creating an alluring rhythm of moves.

Almost immediately her dance number appeared vividly through the crystals. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle could see Scootaloo's moves a full twenty seconds ahead in time. The two fillies stared through the crystals in awe. Unbelievable! To think something like this would exist right before their very eyes that could shake the foundation of everything they believe in. Pinkie had found a way to bend time to her will.

Seeing the crusader's reactions, Pinkie couldn't stifle the beam that grew on her face. She couldn't contain her excitement any longer, and jumped up and down rapidly. "I know right? I can't wait! Let's do some spying!" She waved her fore hoof over the crystals, and the image of Scootaloo dancing vanished among ripples akin to a current of traveling water.

"Can I stop now?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yes Indeedily!" Pinkie said as she pondered for a moment. "Now... who should we spy on...? Ooh! I know!" With another wave of her fore hoof along the surface of the crystals, a picture of Rainbow Dash appeared within the crystals. "Who wants popcorn?" Pinkie asked as she produced a bag of popcorn seemingly out of thin air.

"What the..How..? Oh never mind, I'll have some." Scootaloo said as she tried, and failed, to figure out just where Pinkie Pie got the popcorn from.

"I know I'm the one who came up with the idea of trying to get our cutie marks in spying, but don't you think this is a bit too invasive?" Sweetie Belle asked as she watched Rainbow Dash through the crystals. Rainbow Dash was currently snoring on top of a cloud in the sky, hovering just over somewhere in the middle of Ponyville.

"Awe, come on! Where's your sense of adventure?" Pinkie Pie asked with an innocent, if somewhat fictitiously bashful expression on her face. "Besides, if I think something sensitive is about to happen I will turn it off. I'd like to give ponies some privacy at least." She said as she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, loosen up a little why don't you." Scootaloo responded candidly. She was intently focused on the picture as she absentmindedly grabbed some popcorn as she intently watched her idol.

In the picture on the crystals, Rainbow Dash promptly woke up from her afternoon nap when she she sneezed, and she was sent sprawling through the cloud. She tumbled towards the ground at an alarming angle, but thanks to the blue pegasus' quick thinking, she recovered in near record times and landed gracefully on the ground. The passersby who saw this transpire immediately applauded Rainbow Dash's performance.

In sync with the other audience, Scootaloo bellowed with excitement. "Woo-hoo! That was awesome!"

Seeing that the excitement was drawing to a close, Pinkie Pie chose this time to end the broadcast, and she waved her hoof over the crystals once more. The picture of Rainbow Dash vanished, and once more there was a normal reflection in the shining crystals. "Would any of you like to try it?" she asked as she held out her hoof and offered the crystals to the three fillies.

As she stared at the crystals, Her mind immediately jumped to all the possibilities. She could discover one's secrets hidden away from the world, guarded closely as if to eradicate it from existence. To know those secrets would bring her to a place of power. Knowledge is power. She could potentially find out why any pony was acting the way they acted.

Thoughts of Diamond Tiara suddenly crept back up to the forefront of her mind. The last few encounters with her left more questions than answers. What was she doing right now, she wondered almost absentmindedly, as if she was an old colleague or something worth worrying over. 'No,' she thought to herself, 'There is nothing different about her after all. She is the same Diamond Tiara she's always been, so stop thinkin' 'bout her.'

Determined to think of anypony besides Daimond Tiara, she took this as an opportunity for returning to normalcy that is a day of crusading. Without taking her eyes of the crystals, she swiped them away from Pinkie. "You betcha!" Apple Bloom cried, "Now all Ah gotta do is find out who Ah wanna spy on. Any ideas?" Anypony would do, anypony at all, as long as it wasn't Diamond Tiara. She shuddered again as a mental picture of her popped into her mind.

"Oh, oh." Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she eagerly raised her hoof, "I know! How about Rarity?"

"Okay." With unwavering concentration, Apple Bloom flung her arms wildly. When nothing happened, Apple Bloom tried again. Still nothing. "What am Ah doin' wrong?"

Pinkie giggled at Apple Bloom's failure. "Silly, you have to maintain a clear image of the pony you wish to see. The hoof movement is just for effect."

"Ah think Ah get it now." Apple Bloom said in understanding. Again, she stood there trying to picture the pony in mind. A vague image of the pony appeared in her mind, shrouded by a mental cloud. 'Concentrate,' she thought, 'Think of Rarity.' She strained as she squinted her eyes shut. Instead of the unicorn she tried to mentally picture, Diamond Tiara sprouted up in her mind again.

"I think it's working." Scootaloo remarked suddenly, nearly breaking her concentration. Apple Bloom slowly opened her eyes to see the one pony she didn't want to see through the crystals.

"Hey, this isn't Rarity." Sweetie Belle said as Diamond Tiara came into focus on the crystals in Apple Bloom's hooves.

"Heh, Ah guess my mind latched onto Diamond Tiara by mistake. Ah'll, try again." With a wave of her hoof, she tried to distill the image so that she could try once more, but the image was as clear as ever, refusing to dissipate.

In the scene being played out, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were in Diamond's room, where they were hanging out and talking. Not much action seemed to be going on, so Scootaloo instantly zoned out. "This is boring. Apple Bloom isn't there somepony else we can spy on?"

"Ah'm tryin' but I don't really know how this thing works." Apple Bloom replied, shaking the crystals at this point out of frustration. Could it be that she was still thinking about that frown? It had made Diamond Tiara seem almost...equine.

Pinkie Pie intervened, pulling forward to halt Apple Blooms actions with a tentative pat to her shoulders. "Ooh, don't change the channel yet. This is starting to look really juicy." Pinkie Pie stated.

"Di, can't we just enjoy our company this one last time? Who knows how long it'll be before we hang out next." Silver Spoon asked as she snuggled comfortably into one of Diamond Tiara's pillows. She claimed a cup of tea, which she sipped out of from time and again.

Diamond Tiara was situated on a similar looking pillow across from her. A tray had been set out before them, harboring a kettle of tea, a few tea cups, a few lumps of sugar, and silverware appropriate for the occasion. Although most of the tray had been left largely underused on Diamond Tiara's side.

The pony in question was pouting, which wasn't something the crusaders normally saw her directing at her best friend. Diamond broke eye contact to stare dejectedly at the carpet. "What's the point. Come tomorrow it'll just be me, myself, and I. How do you expect me to deal with those wacky crusaders all by myself?"

Stifling a giggle, Silver Spoon responded, "I'm sure you'll manage. Who knows, you may even be able to pull off that." She didn't expand on what that was, but Apple Bloom had a feeling that it was pretty significant judging by the pony's tone and by Diamond Tiara's reaction.

Thoroughly flustered, Diamond Tiara murmured, "Yeah right...not in a million years would that ever happen." There was a longing in her eyes that Apple Bloom couldn't quite make out, but the pony looked heartbroken.

Silver Spoon rolled her eyes. "You never even tried. How would you know?"

"I just know, okay? Look, can we just drop it?"

"Fine." Taking another sip from her tea, Silver Spoon set her teacup down and gave a long, worn out sigh. Changing the subject, she said, "I've finished packing today. Who knew there was so much stuff one pony could have. Father says it will-"

Diamond interjected with an exasperated cry, "Enough! I can't stand this anymore!" Diamond Tiara jumped up, knocking over the tray. Its contents spilled out all over the carpet. "I ... I think I need to be alone." Tears were welling up in her eyes, despite her best efforts to keep her emotions in check.

"Alright, I understand Di." Silver Spoon said, "I'll leave you alone. For what it's worth, I really enjoyed our friendship." She walked up to Diamond and gave her a parting hug. After a long moment, she pulled away and made for the door. Stopping at the door, she gave a quick look behind her to see Diamond Tiara stiff as a board. The poor pony was taking this so rough. "Di?"

Diamond Tiara glanced up at Silver Spoon for the first time. Silver Spoon said, "Don't be afraid to make new friends. Being alone painful. Even more so for somepony like you." Silver Spoon bid her farewell and walked out of Diamond Tiara's life, at least for the foreseeable future.

At long last, the scene died away and the crystals reverted back to their initial state. Everypony was silent as they processed what they just saw.

After what seemed like forever, Scootaloo, wide-eyed, finally said, "Wow. Didn't expect that one."

Shaking her head, Apple Bloom stared at the crystals disbelievingly. "Ah don't believe it. So there was something bugging Diamond Tiara after all! Ah knew Ah wasn't just imaginin' things!" A not so pleasant feeling settled in her stomach.

To Scootaloo, this had been the best news she had heard all week. "Woo! Sounds like we'll have one less bully on our hoves come tomorrow girls. Now if only we can send Diamond Tiara away too... Then everything would be perfect."

"Gee, I don't know. Diamond Tiara looked like she felt pretty awful back there." Sweetie Belle responded, "Maybe we should go console her." A worried look was plastered on her face as she stared at the blank crystals in Apple Bloom's hooves. She seemed as if she was going to dash off any second now.

"After all the things she did to us? No way." Scootaloo said.

With a sigh, Apple Bloom returned the crystals back to Pinkie Pie. "Ah don't think we'll need these anymore. Ah don't think spying is really our thing anyways." Turning to Scootaloo, she said, "Ah feel the same way, but can you imagine what it'd be like if Sweetie Belle and Ma-self went away forever?"

"Well...When you put it that way..." The excitement Scootaloo held earlier was no longer present in her voice as she reflected on the other pony's developing circumstances.

"Ah think we should go see her too. Let her know that somepony's thinkin' 'bout her." Apple Bloom added, knowing full well that her friend was still on the fence about this.

Finally conceeding that they should go talk to her, Scootaloo grumbled, "Fine..." She stared at the ground and kicked a pebble away harmlessly. "But I don't have to like it..."

Taking that for an acceptable answer, Apple Bloom turned back to Pinkie Pie and said, "Thanks for all of the help. This adventure was...definitely somethin'. But Ah think we gotta get goin' now."

"Alrighty then! Take care and say hi to Diamond for me." Pinkie Pie said, her cheerful nature unwavering for a single moment.
Each one of them nodded and thanked Pinkie Pie before heading off with a new destination in mind. Diamond Tiara's estate.
> Misery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a little ways down the road when the estate of one Filthy Rich came into view. It came as to no surprise to any of the CMC that Diamond Tiara's home was the largest in all of Ponyville. Equally unsurprising was its extravagance. Even as far away as it was, some of the details of its architecture could already be made out from where they were.

"They sure know how to flaunt their money." Scootaloo said with a hint of disgust. With great reluctance, she glided along beside them on her scooter, every once and a while pushing against the ground with her hoof to propel herself farther. At the same time she fiddled with her head protection, a sleek helmet of simple design, as if to distract her from the the sight of the home.

Scootaloo was not the only one who was having doubts about this meeting, Apple Bloom noted as she glanced over to Sweetie Bell. The unicorn had stared at the ground practically the entire trip. Every possible outcome ran through her mind. She didn't have the will to voice her concerns of how seemingly every one of those outcomes might ultimately result in them being bullied again by the pink filly in their class.

At the sound of Scootaloo's remark, Sweetie Belle looked up. She saw the mansion for only a second before drooping her eyes once more. "Oh... yeah..." Was all she could stammer out before her voice gave out. And yet, despite her better judgment telling her not to approach Diamond Tiara, she couldn't stop herself from replaying the image of Diamond tearing up. After seeing that, she knew she'd be disappointed in herself if she didn't at least try to console the rich pony.

Apple Bloom had second thoughts of her own, for a mixture of reasons. While she felt sympathetic towards the pink filly, It didn't fully account her motivations anymore. On the face of it, Diamond's situation was certainly akin to Apple Bloom's past hardships. Yet, as she pondered over the significance of this new development, It seemed to pale in comparison to her past. She had lost her mother and father before she was even old enough to remember them.

This had left a hole in her heart, which was now filled by her sister and brother. From her perspective, the void she had felt seemed to eclipse what Diamond must be feeling as a result of her friend moving away. Still, her outburst had been uncharacteristic, and that alone worried her. Was she really that depressed over losing Silver Spoon? Or was there something else?

Obligation did not accurately describe her feelings either. She considered Scootaloo's circumstance in this matter, who seemed to be doing this solely because it was Apple Bloom's and Sweetie Belle's decision confront Tiara. Additionally, the rich pony was one of her classmates, regardless of how she treated them. If there was ever a reason for consoling the pink filly, that might be it.

A seed of deep curiosity, together with sympathy and obligation, was what drove her at this point. She had never expressed anything but negativity towards them. Anything else, including sadness, seemed foreign for Diamond Tiara. She could be more equine than she originally thought. She was curious enough to prove it one way other the other. Perhaps with any luck, she could end the bullying and might even gain a new friend.

"There's one thing we haven't thought about, girls." Scootaloo said, breaking the awkward silence that had ensued. Sweetie Belle and she glanced over to Scootaloo, waiting for her to continue. "What exactly are we going to say once we get there? I can't imagine saying 'we saw you through a scrying crystal.' I mean, that sounds ridiculous, even for us."

This elicited a soft giggle from Sweetie Belle. She perked up for the first time in the last thirty minutes or so, responding candidly, "It's simple. We just ask her how she feels. An elaborate ruse would only make things more complicated."

"An elaba-what?" Scootaloo said, befuddled over the term.

Shaking her head in amusement, she listened to her friends conversation. Her thoughts had drifted towards their surprise meeting as well. She was going over in her mind, carefully constructing a reason for their being there that would seem natural to Tiara whilst gathering intel on her.

Another thought entered her mind, however. What would they do if she admitted her sudden loss of friendship? Would the cutie mark crusaders be able to console her? Would she even accept their help?

"What I mean to say is that we should just be frank with her."

"Who's frank?" Scootaloo asked, trying to conjure up memories of this non-existent pony, to no avail. Frustrated, she smacked her helmet and proclaimed, "I don't know who this Frank pony is."

With a cute groan, Sweetie Belle slapped her hoof to her face.

Without taking her eyes off her, she joined in on the conversation. "Ah think what Sweets is tryin' ta say is that we need ta be darect with Diamond is all," she said with a prolonged stare at Sweetie Belle's pretty mane and her mesmerizing white coat. She really admired her beauty. To a degree, she was jealous of her.

"Oh...well why didn't you just say so?" Scootaloo asked. With a roll of her eyes, she turned back to the mansion. They were only a few steps away now. Any moment now they would come face to face with their worst nemesis. She could only hope that it wasn't disastrous.

The estate was surrounded on all sides by an accompanying wrought iron fencing. On top of each of the fencing's pillars stood a miniature statue of a seemingly well respected Earth pony whose name and resemblance escaped the CMC's heads.

A short, but smooth marble path was laid out before them. A hedgerow followed the trail on either side. An arrangement of extravagant flowers accompanied the hedgerow to the base of the mansion and continued around the corner.

A set of stairs leading to a deck awaited them beyond the trail. In stark contrast to the lush yard, the deck was bare. It held a nice polish that gave it an almost regal appearance, but it lacked all the things that one would normally find on a pony deck.

They noted that the door had a similar polish as they approached it. It appeared ominous. A dark gray in color, it stood several feet tall and was wider than the conventional door. A bell stood at its side, ready to be rung and alert the occupants of the mansion of its guests.

"Here goes nothin'." Apple Bloom said as she rang the door bell. In unison, they gulped and awaited their demise. Their mouths dried as they were filled with dread.

The door clicked open. Instinctively, they closed their eyes in fear. After a second, they could hear somepony clear their throats. Slowly, they reopened their eyes. It was just the butler. "Can I do anything for you, little fillies?" he asked in a monotonous tone.

"We were just hopin' ta speak with Diamond Tiara is all. We're her uhh... classmates from school." she said, taking a moment to look for the right words to describe their relationship with the pink pony.

"I shall notify her momentarily. Wait just a moment." The butler said before retreating back into the abode. It was moments later before he returned. With a shake of his head, he declared, "Mistress Tiara wishes to remain in solitude for a time. Perhaps it is best to return later."

For a moment she furled her brows in deep thought. What could they say that would convince her otherwise to meet them. "Can't ya tell her its urgent?" She asked, "Ah mean, she just lost her friend didn't she?"

The butler took a moment to study the fillies. There was a somber look in his eyes as he did this, but there was a small smile on his lips as well. He gave a soft-spoken reply, "I will see what I can do, little ones." Once more he retreated into the mansion. When he returned, it was to announce that she would see them inside and to follow him.

It was too late to turn back now. They followed him through a hallway with twists and turns until finally he led them straight to a plain looking door. It was plain in that it held the same shiny look as every other door in the mansion. The butler gave a knock on the door. They could hear somepony's voice from inside. "Come in."

Opening the door, the butler poked his head in. "I believe it is the cutie mark crusaders, as you called them, to see you." He said. He widened the door and stepped aside to allow them in.

As they poured into Diamond Tiara's room, they noticed one thing. Despite her best attempts to hide it, it was apparent that the pony had been sobbing. Even now, she was fighting back tears as she looked to the cutie mark crusaders with a disgruntled look. "That will be all for now, Humfrey."[1]

After a moment, the door was shut and they were alone with Tiara. "Uhm, Hey." Apple Bloom said. The entire speech she had planned flying out the window. She looked behind her towards her friends for help, but she saw they were too frightened to say anything. It seemed she was alone on this one.

Trying to look as disinterested as possible, she said, "Can't you blank flanks see that I'm busy? What do you want?" She inspected her hoofs absentmindedly. She turned over onto her back and stared at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought.

So far, so good. She wasn't biting their heads off, at least not yet. "We were just in the neighborhood, and Ah thought it was a good idea to see how ya were doin' is all..." Apple Bloom mentally berated herself. She could have at least phrased her question better.

Immediately, Diamond Tiara hopped off her bed and stepped up to the CMC with a cold stare settled on her face. Intently inspecting Apple Bloom, she exclaimed, "I don't believe it...Did Silver Spoon put you up to this?!"

"What?" All three of them asked at once in disbelief. Where had that come from?

"Ha, I knew it..." She grumbled as she continued, "Well, you can tell her that it won't work." She stuck up her face and walked back to her bed nonchalantly. "Honestly, I thought she was a better friend than that."

Gaining the courage to speak, Sweetie Bell said, nearly exasperated, "Wait! Silver Spoon didn't put us up to anything."She frantically wracked her brain for answers that would be satisfactory. Apple Bloom wouldn't be the only one to say something to the foal after all.

Diamond Tiara stopped her trek. Facing away, her look of surprise was masked from their view. She finally murmured, "She didn't?" It was almost too quiet for them to hear.

Turning to the farm pony, she suddenly remembered how she was the one who was originally worried over Diamond's well-being. "Yeah," She continued, "Apple Bloom was just telling us how odd you've been acting lately and she was worried about you."

"Ah-mmfh!" Apple Bloom tried to protest, getting cut off by Sweetie Belle's hoof covering her mouth. She glared at Sweetie as she fruitlessly attempted to swat the intruding appendage away.

For a long moment, everything was absolutely still as the pink filly continued to face away from them and not dignify her explanation with a response. With the ponies standing there and doing nothing, the silence was unnerving. What were her thoughts, they wondered apprehensively.

In order to try and garner her attention, Sweetie called out her name. "Diamond?"

The way she turned around in the blink of an eye was totally unexpected for the three fillies. She gave them her best look of superiority as she stomped in their direction. "Please, as if I need you three blank flanks to worry about the likes of me." Her voice trembled, destroying whatever confidence that statement may have given them accept that statement at face value. She was positively quivering.

Finally managing to free herself, Apple Bloom asked, "Are ya sure? Ya sure look like ya could use a friend right about now."

"I'll have you know that I don't need anypony, least of all Silver Spoon! Look around you. You see all of this stuff? That's all I need, everything I could ever want." Her statement was dripping with sarcasm. "As my mom always said, who needs friends?" With watering eyes she closed the distance with the cutie mark crusaders, pressing her hoofs on the wall to either side of Apple Bloom, cutting her off from the others.

[Diamond begins to sing No Answer]

Don't you get it, can't you see?

This isn't fair, I'm so angry.

Leave me to my misery.

I've lost a precious part of me.

...

She held Apple Bloom's chin up with a hoof, leading her on before dropping her unceremoniously as she spun around. She extended her fore hooves around her.

...

I fill the void with so much stuff,

Yet in the end its not enough.

I have gold bars, I have jewelry,

So why am I so unhappy?

…

Letting her hooves touch the ground once more, she stepped to her window overlooking the yard. Her reflection could be seen by those present as she continued.

...

[Chorus]

Whatever will I do here now?

I am lost and I don't know how,

To find myself here without her,

On my own, I have no answer.

...

She smacked her hoof against the glass, which fractured upon impact. Tears were falling freely on her face.

...

I shouldn't crack, I shouldn't cry

I never got to say goodbye.

She's forever gone, don't you agree?

Beyond my reach, across the sea.

...

Retreating away from the window, Diamond Tiara gathered several objects in her hoofs and heaved them away from their respective places and flung them in every direction.

...

Take away all my finery,

Every last thing that you see,

I'd give it all to you for free.

If you just bring her back to me.

...

Among the objects she threw, a handheld mirror plunged to the ground. As it hit the ground, it shattered. Its remnants depicted a distorted face of Diamond Tiara.

…

[Chorus]

Whatever will I do here now?

I am lost and I don't know how,

To find myself here without her,

On my own, I have no answer.

...

Diamond was on the verge of sobbing. At this point, she had all but forgotten that the cutie mark crusaders were even there. She wiped her tears away with her hoof. She idly prodded the broken mirror with sudden interest.

"Diamond Tiara..." was all that Apple Bloom could say as she stepped forward. She tentatively placed a hoof on her shoulder to console her. "Ah know that yur-"

Abruptly, her hoof was slapped away. "You know nothing!" the pink filly snapped, causing Apple Bloom to jump away. She glared at all three of them. "Get out of here, you stupid blank flanks! I can't stand being near you..."

When she saw that Apple Bloom wasn't budging from her spot, she got up and began chasing her to the door, and subsequently Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo as well. As she practically shoved them outside, she yelled, "Get out of here! And if you tell anyone about this, I'll make you pay!" And with that, she slammed the door behind her, leaving the cutie mark crusaders speechless at her door.

For the first time since the meeting, Scootaloo spoke. "Well that could have gone better."

"Ya think?" Apple Bloom said with a raised eyebrow as she stared at the orange filly. "Ya didn't even say anything in there."

"Heh, sorry. You know how I am. I'm not very good with the mushy stuff... It kinda makes me uncomfortable." Scootaloo said, trying to sound apologetic. "Anyway, we should probably leave her alone for a while."

"Yeah...We can try again tomorrow." Sweetie Belle said encouragingly. They called their meeting adjourned with the intentions to reconvene later, and proceeded to head home in different directions from Tiara's house.





The news of Silver Spoon and her family's departure from Ponyville arrived the next morning when Cheerilee came in to greet her students. This had the students in an uproar. Their response to the news was overwhelmingly positive, as that meant they had to deal with one less bully in their class. In fact, the only ones who weren't excited about the news were the cutie mark crusaders, whose emotions ranged from unsure about how they felt about it to downright worried for Diamond Tiara's sake.

The pony in question was nowhere to be found. It wasn't until she was extremely late that she had arrived, looking disheveled and not at all together. Her mane was unkempt, and her tiara missing. They decided it was time to face her at the first chance they got.

As soon as they found their opening, during one of their free periods, they confronted her. Despite their best intentions, each of their attempts was as about as unsuccessful as the last. Every time they tried to approach her, Diamond Tiara would either yell at them, shove them, or in Sweetie Belle's case, smack a text book against her face. The latter resulted in Sweetie Belle running away crying. This also resulted in Cheerilee giving Diamond detention.

Sometime after school, the cutie mark crusaders were walking away from the school building. "Are you sure you want to stay? I think Diamond's made it pretty clear she doesn't need our help." Scootaloo said with a roll of her eyes.

"Ya, I'm not ready ta give up just yet. Look, Ah know she's been hard on us, but Ah don't think it'd be fair to ya'll if Ah kept askin' ya to go through with this torture. Trust me, Ah'll be fine on my own."Apple Bloom wasn't too confident that she'd fair any better alone than she had with her friends, and she felt even more exposed just thinking about confronting the filly alone.

"Okay," Sweetie Belle said as she nurtured her head with an ice pack. "Try to be careful okay? She's worse than usual." She then groaned, emphasizing the pain that she was still enduring from that book.

"Ah'll try. And Ah know. But Ah feel like we almost got through to her with that last one." Apple Bloom said, trying to stay positive. Honestly there shouldn't be a reason for her to be trying as hard as she for the filly's sake. She just couldn't get the sight of her sobbing out of her head. She looked absolutely miserable.

They held a bit more conversation, mostly about minor things, to try to lightening the mood a little after a hard day like this. At some point she bid her friends farewell. She watched as they headed home without her.

Now that she was alone, time seemed to draw on to a stand still. The long wait for the filly to get out of detention began. She waited, and waited, and waited some more. After what seemed like forever, just as she was beginning to doze off, the front door to the school building barged open. Being alerted to the noise, Apple Bloom shook herself awake and turned to face the occupant. It was none other than Diamond Tiara.

"You again? Haven't you caused me enough grief already?" she asked as she stepped down the small flight of stairs. At the moment she seemed outwardly apathetic. If she was still in turmoil, she was masking it well.

Apple Bloom bit her lip as she carefully focused on her next words. What could she possibly say that she hasn't already? She gave a heavy sigh as she processed everything. Then, she said, "Look, ah get it. Yur lashin' out at us ta cover up what's really botherin' ya."

"Pfft, no. I'm just annoyed at your constant intrusions into my privacy." She replied as she stared at nothing. Her response was so quick and steady that it almost sounded recited. Her gaze settled into a thousand yard stare.

"Ah find that hard ta believe considerin' how high strung you've been today. Mind tellin' me what's on yur mind lately?"

Diamond Tiara looked down at the ground dejectedly and murmured in so soft a voice that the farm filly almost didn't hear. "I can't...you wouldn't believe me anyways."

Sitting down in front of her, Apple Bloom gave her most attentive and innocent look that she could. "Try me." She said simply.

Tears were forming in her eye again as her eyes fell on Apple Bloom. "Why...?" Was all she could say, her defiant determination weakening. She could vaguely hear snickering from somewhere in the school courtyard, but Bloom was currently occupying most of her attention, and so she didn't pay the odd sounds much notice. "All I do is be mean to you, yet you're still being kind to me."

She wasn't able to help herself as the words naturally left her lips. "Cuz Ah'd like ta think of you as ma friend, Diamond Tiara. Settin' aside the book ya threw at Sweetie Belle, which yur gonna have ta apologize fer that one, You've done nothin' today that that I hold against ya given yur situation."

Diamond Tiara visibly paled as she heard Apple Bloom's answer. She shook her head vigorously. "No, no, no! We aren't friends. You're just a b-blank flank, a-and a-a dirty farm pony who likes to play in the mud. I'm a h-high class p-pony who can't be caught dead associating with the l-likes of you. I-if I were s-some pony else, I-I might have been able to be with you, but I'm not." She was flushed scarlet as her gaze faltered away from Apple Bloom. In little more than a whisper, she said, "I'm sorry."

Apple Bloom wanted to say more, but before she could, Diamond Tiara pushed her way out, knocking her down in the process. She watched as the pony fled the scene, at a loss for words to stop her.

From around the corner of the building, two older ponies from a more advanced class were chuckling to themselves. One of them, a red colt with big stature and a stylish blonde mane said snidely, "How the mighty have fallen, eh Butter Scotch?"

The other pony, an orange colt with a violet mane, chuckled in response. "Got that right, Red Vine."

"And tomorrow, we'll crush her for good!" The red colt said with a sinister smile.
> Double Trouble
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sugarcube Corner was packed. Every week on Tuesday there was a large sale on popular confections that everypony simply wanted to partake. On this particular Tuesday, all confectioneries were half off, ergo the reasoning for the bakery being so packed.

At one of the tables at the far corner of the dining area, three little fillies were taking large sips of a milkshake. They joked with each other as they took turns getting brain freeze. Their grins were lighthearted, their laughter contagious. Every now and then, they would have a short conversation, mostly about something whimsical in nature.

From her seat across the room, Diamond Tiara stared at the three of them, laughing and carrying on, with longing. What she would give to have that again. It had only been a few days since Silver Spoon had packed up and left for Canterlot, leaving her in this friendless state. She missed Silver Spoon's friendly banter and their slumber parties.

She could have those kinds of outings again with the crusaders. Apple Bloom had said as much. If only that was a possibility. Unfortunately, she knew better than to give in to such desire, at least with commoners. She would never be permitted to befriend them. She shuddered at the thought of listening to her mother's disapproval once more.

Her mother's voice, snide and cruel as she verbally punished her, came back to haunt her. The nasty remarks stuck in her head like a mantra. This was especially true during times of distress such as this, where something she wanted to do was certainly against everything she'd been taught. 

Where had that left her? She had no other foals she could befriend as far as her parents were concerned, at least not in Ponyville. She let out an irritable sigh and hung her shoulders, resting her chin on the table she sat around.  The whole thing was disconcerting. Her eyes drifted to a piece of uneaten pie laying on her table. Normally, she would savor its delectable taste, sharing the afternoon with her best friend. That was gone now.

Had she known the move ahead of time, would there have been any difference that she could make? If so, what could that have been? Maybe she could have requested Silver Spoon's father to turn down that promotion. Likely chance of that happening. 

Now all that she had left to cheer her up from her stressful life was the cutie mark crusaders, and she knew even that wasn't going to be enough to fill the growing void in her heart. "Oh Apple Bloom, why'd it have to be this way?" She asked to herself. 'No,' a voice popped into her head for the umpteenth time today, 'Hanging out with peasants without the chance of being elevated socially and politically is pointless.' She could only imagine what other things her mother might have to say about her affections towards another filly.

Tears began to sneak up on her once again, and she steeled herself, quelling those emotions as best as she could. The disgust and hatred she harbored for herself, stemmed from her mother's harsh upbringing, were stronger than ever. How was anypony supposed to live like this?

She was scared of it all. Scared of her feelings, scared of how everypony would react to them, but most of all, she was scared of her mother. She wondered if she could just end it all and be rid of this burden. Not for the first time, thoughts of suicide swirled in her head as she contemplated the potential repercussions.

Knowing that it was wrong to feel this way did not make things any easier. Diamond knew that she needed to get help, but she didn't think she deserved that kind of attention, not after all of trouble she's caused everypony. She didn't feel it was fair to anypony with all this baggage she was carrying. 

A sudden anger coalesced within her heart. Her mother. Surely all of this was her fault, right? By not being able to choose her own friends and by not being able to choose her destiny, this conclusion was inevitable. 

Everypony needs a friend. Surely, even her mother would understand that. If she reasoned with her, it might be possible for her to move elsewhere, perhaps even Canterlot. That sounded real tempting. To reunite with her best friend would be amazing. She would get to do all the things that they used to do again. A smile formed as her imagination took hold for a brief moment.

The fantasy was short lived. To move away meant to leave Ponyville, to leave her loved one. There was something about this place, her home, that drew her in. Images in her mind of her and Silver Spoon were replaced with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. More specifically, images of Apple Bloom. Her mind wandered to Silver's last words to her. 'Who knows, you may even be able to pull of that.' Her face took on a scarlet hue as she desperately tried to push these thoughts away.

A determination festered within her, to convince her mother to allow her to befriend anypony, even the commoners. She still wouldn't be able to act upon her desires, but at least she'd be able to be friends with Apple Bloom and the others.

Leaving the pie unattended on the table, she stood up and strode towards the exit. She weaved through the crowd of customers and stepped through the door with an air of confidence. Once she was outside Diamond Tiara broke out into a gallop towards her home, fully intending to give her mother an earful.

Suddenly, she was stopped by a pair of colts when she bumped into them. She landed on her hindquarters with a resounding thud and a groan. She shook her head for a moment before looking up at the Colts, one red with a blonde mane and the other orange with a violet mane.

They were staring back down at her with condescending sneers. "Well Lookie at what we have here, Butter Scotch. Little miss whiny in the flesh." 

The orange colt, the one called Butter Scotch, laughed menacingly, "Hah, miss whiny. Sure does cry a lot, huh Red Vine?" Together they laughed as they encroached on her space. When Diamond Tiara gave no more reaction, Butter Scotch gave her an unfriendly push.

Diamond Tiara was dumbfounded. It had been so long since she had been on the receiving end of bullying, and she didn't know what to think of it. At this point, it was practically unheard of. Nopony messed with the likes of her and got away with it. She was Diamond Dazzle Tiara for Celestia's sake.

And yet, there they were standing over her with menacing grins on their muzzles. Just what did they want with her? Honestly, these losers weren't even worth her time in asking. "As if you'd catch me dead crying. Unlike you pathetic dolts, I actually plan on going somewhere in life."

The two colts looked to each other and then back to Diamond Tiara as if it was the funniest thing they had ever heard. They guffawed, holding a fore hoof to their stomachs. "Do you hear that Butter Scotch? I've never seen a mare more in denial!" They burst out into another bout of laughter. He continued, "Thinks just because she's got status, she's perfect. Thinks that she's above us 'common folk'! Well I've got news for you, shrimp. Just because you're rich doesn't mean you're not a shrimp... We're gonna enjoy beating the tar out of you." He smacked his fore hooves together in emphasis. 

All pretense of showing off an air of confidence to these louts withered away as she whimpered in response. Suddenly they seemed a lot bigger and more dangerous than before. She tried to make a mad dash to get away from these ponies.

"That's right...you don't have your Sickly Fork to protect you anymore," Butter Scotch cried as he cut off her escape route. Suddenly the two of them pounced on top of her. For a moment, they were a mess of hooves and heads as they attempted to connect a series of blows to her.

The next few seconds were the scariest moments of Tiara's life. She felt completely violated. She'd forgotten all about her station in life, who she was. Who they were. Nothing mattered except getting away from them. Everything was just a blur of hooves as her desperation mounted.

A spike of adrenaline coursed through her as tensions rose. She began worming her way out of their grasp, inch by inch. One of their hooves managed to connect with her midsection with a harsh blow. She hacked as she recoiled from the kick.

Her body failed her. She stood there, still, as she took a moment to catch her breath. When she could move again, she realized that they were still on top of her. She felt a sickening feeling in her stomach, a revulsion stronger than any negative feeling she'd ever had before for these colts. Were they trying to kill her?!

Through sheer willpower alone, she had managed to escape their clutches. As she got to her hooves, she only spared a moment to glance back at them to see that they had already begun galloping after her. She didn't waste any time in fleeing, taking the shortest path back to her mansion.

On the way to her mansion, they had passed some ponies in the streets. Some pony must have noticed the look of terror on her face or the way the two colts chasing her, because at some point they weren't following her anymore. When she had realized this, she had slowed her pace to a stop.

Now that she was alone, her mind could finally catch up with her body. What the hay was all that about? They looked at her with such hate in their eyes, but she didn't remember what she could have possibly done to warrant such aggression towards her. Even if she had bullied them at some point, she didn't recognize them, and what they did was beyond anything she could have possibly done.

She shuddered at the thought of their slimy hooves and sweaty bodies all over her. Her breathing was suddenly raspy, her mind a wreck. She began hyperventilating as she processed what had just happened. Everything could have ended up being so much worse. It almost was worse. 

Fear gripped her firmly to the ground, preventing her from continuing her trot home. Diamond knew that on some level she needed to continue onward. The logical side of her mind was trying to tell her to move forward, to tell her that she wasn't safe here and wouldn't be safe until she was inside her home. In the sanctuary of her room. Yet, even as she told herself this, her body simply wouldn't comply.

Instead, her hindquarters gave out on her, and she fell to the ground in a mess, struggling to regain her composure. Her heart was pounding, and she clenched her eyes shut, their unyielding faces refusing to depart from the forefront of her mind. A lump caught in her throat as she tried to swallow. Each breath she took was shallow, and her chest heaved as it seemed to take on a life of its own. 

She could hear whimpering from somewhere, and she glanced around to see who was there. Was somepony watching her? Then she had realized that she was causing the noise. 

It took a great deal of effort to quell this new sensation. As it turned it wasn't possible, at least not entirely. The sound of her own whimpering, however, was enough to jump start her mind again. After regaining enough composure, when her heartbeat and breathing was only marginally elevated by comparison, she headed home, one tentative step at a time.





When she got home, Diamond Tiara paid little attention to everypony around her. The staff of servants all gave her worried looks as she practically drug her hooves up the staircases leading to the second floor, where her living quarters resided. She was oblivious of their stares, however, as she reached her room and shut the door behind her.

There she lain on her bed, quivering, for several hours. The comfort of her bed did little to shelter her from the onslaught that was the flashbacks of the assault buzzing through her head.

Distraught as she was, she nearly missed the sound of rapping on her door. "Your food awaits you mistress Tiara." came the warming voice of Humfrey, her butler. 

"I'm not hungry, Humfrey." She said. She tried to say more, to alert the pony of the ordeal that she had been through, but her voice failed her, caught in her throat. She shivered, suddenly feeling cold. She tugged the covers on her bed around her flank and snuggled into the bed. 

"May I come in?" asked Humfrey. Judging by the tone in his voice, he could tell something was amiss. A sad smile played on Diamond Tiara's muzzle as she considered the butler's role in her life. He seemed to be the closest thing she had to a loving parent. 

"N-no, that's fine." She wish she had the strength to let him know what troubled her. So many emotions swirled around in her head as she tried to sort them out. She wouldn't even know where to begin to describe what she was going through. 

She felt so alone in the world and so scared that she never wanted to leave this bed again. She wouldn't be hurt by those mean bullies again if she stayed home forever, as if that was any life to live. 

Images reflected in her head suddenly of the cutie mark crusaders. She briefly smiled, recalling their attempts to cheer her up. She wiped tears from her eyes with a hoof, letting the happiness that was welling up inside her to push back the dark thoughts creeping up in her mind.

It was only for a moment, however, as past images of their less than friendly encounters surged forth to the forefront of her mind. As if looking through from a third person's perspective, she watched herself bully the cutie mark crusaders. Her mind silently drew the comparison between how she treated the fillies and how she was just treated herself.

When she saw how similar they were, with the exception of the physical aspect of their interactions, her eyes clenched shut once more. It had been so long since she herself had been bullied, she wondered if that was how it felt for them. She frowned when she considered the possibility. She didn't want them to feel that bad. It was just that teasing them relieved some of the mounting stress her mother gave her in ways that her friendship with Silver Spoon didn't. 

Yet, in the end even that was not enough. All the proof one needed of that was to look at the miserable state she was in right this very moment. She could feel some of her determination to befriend the three fillies return. She could see no other thing besides their friendship at this moment to combat these dark feelings stirring inside her. What she might do otherwise could possibly destroy her. 

Because of what had transpired today, she came to an understanding. One that would help her right her past wrongs and move forward. Surely it'd be difficult given her history with the crusaders, but it was worth it. The best place to start, she thought, would be by confronting her mother. 

Coming out of her reverie, she turned to look at her clock. It read 11:59 P.M. Had she really been in deep thought that long? Suddenly she felt sleepy. Tired eyes drooped closed as she told herself that one more day wouldn't hurt. Tomorrow, she would change everything for the better. 





It was the next day, and school would be in session shortly. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom were racing towards the school as usual, weaving through the traffic that was the general populous of Ponyville. Having narrowly avoided running into a colt selling carrots, Apple Bloom wiped her face of sweat with a hoof and continued onward.

From the school entrance, Red Vine and Butter Scotch were waiting. When they saw the fillies approach, they blocked their path. "Well, well, if it isn't the Cootie Fart Blank-a-teers.  If you wanna pass us, you're gonna have to pay the toll." Red Vine exploded in a fit of laughter as he invaded their personal space to intimidate them.

"I don't believe it. More bullies?" Scootaloo said with a groan. 

"Leave us alone. we ain't afraid of ya. " Apple Bloom retorted as she butted heads with Red Vine. Both of them were glaring at the other, and it seemed as if a fight was about to break out at any moment. 

Diamond Tiara was watching the whole scene play out from afar. She tried to jump to their aid, but her body wasn't cooperating with her. Her own skirmish with the bullies were fresh in her mind, forcing her to relive that horrid scene once more.

"You better be." Red Vine lashed out at Apple Bloom, smacking her in the face with a hoof. Sent reeling away, she ungracefully landed on the ground. She teared up as she caressed the newly formed wound on her cheek.

A burning hatred erupted from Diamond Tiara. Forgetting everything, she leaped to action and placed herself between Red Vine and the crusaders. "Leave them alone," she growled. Every one of the fillies had surprised looks on their faces as they watched her defend them. 

"Or what?" Butter Scotch jumped in, "You're going to wine at us again?"

If glares could kill, these two would be incinerated by now. "You scum are the worst. Treating us ladies like trash." 

She wanted so very badly to just brawl with them, to beat them into the dust, but she knew that given their strength she would very likely lose. She had to think of something fast. Without turning to the crusaders, she asked, "Can one of you get a teacher?"

Wordlessly, Sweetie Belle got up and made a mad dash towards the school. Butter Scotch made an attempt to cut her off, but Diamond Tiara intercepted his advance. She snarled at him, daring him to try. 

One step was all he was able to take before he was bucked in the face by her hind hooves. He tumbled back onto his flank, and he just barely managed to keep himself stabilized before he fell back any farther. Turning to his companion, Butter Scotch grunted and said, "Forget this, Red Vine. We're gonna get in trouble."

Red Vine was beyond the point of listening, however. He towered over the pink-furred filly and raised his hooves to stomp her into the ground. He let out a guttural roar as he brought them down on her. All of her conviction drained the moment he raised his hooves. Wide-eyed and terrified, Diamond huddled close to the ground and placed her hooves over her head.

The attack on the filly never came however, as she was abruptly pushed out of the way. She turned to find Apple Bloom hovering over her some meters off to the side. Her face became heated as she noticed how close their faces were, and she looked off to the side, hoping that it wouldn't be noticeable. Thankfully, she gave no outward signs that she had.

"Stand still so I can hit you!" Red Vine cried as he turned back to them. He advanced upon them again, and he was just rearing back his hindquarters for another attack when he was stopped by Ms. Cheerilee. He looked back to see her face and gulped. The jig was up. He looked around for his partner in crime, but Butter Scotch was nowhere to be found. He had fled when no one was paying him any attention. 

Cheerilee was looking down at him, not to thrilled with his less than upstanding behavior. "I am sure your parents will have some choice words for you when they find out the trouble you are in, young mister." She led him away from the other ponies, ordering him to stand at the door to the school before turning back to the fillies. "Are you girls alright? He did not hurt you, did he?" 

The sudden pain in her cheek returning, Apple Bloom brought a hoof to rub the tender wound. "A little." Apple Bloom mumbled.

Frowning, Cheerilee came down to eye level with Apple Bloom and inspected the wound. "Oh dear. I will get you an ice pack for that." Returning her attention back to the colt responsible, she shot him a disappointed look and said, "Somepony has a lot of explaining to do. In the meantime you can wait here." With that, she walked over to the colt and dragged him inside by the ear. 

She returned a moment later to give Apple Bloom an ice pack. "Here you go, sweetheart. It looks painful. Are you up for school today, Apple Bloom?" 

"Ah think so, thanks." Apple Bloom responded. She turned back to Diamond Tiara and gave her a hug. "And thank you for standin' up fer us like that." 

Cheerilee smiled as she watched the two fillies. Seeing them like this was a nice change of pace from their normal exchanges. It was wonderful to see them getting along like this instead of being at each other's throats. 

Diamond Tiara was blushing madly as she attempted to extract herself from Apple Bloom's arms whilst also looking away. "Okay, okay. That's enough. Stop being so clingy all of a sudden. I-I was just getting back at him for what he did yesterday is all. It was nothing, really." She chanced a look back to her to see her reaction.

"He did something to you too?" Cheerilee asked, her smile dissipating. "Did he harm you?"

"Not exactly..." she responded. She then went into a full recount of everything that happened to her the previous day. She shuddered as she tried to overcome the trauma they had placed in her. 

After she was finished telling her tale, Cheerliee placed a hoof on her shoulder reassuringly and said, "I am terribly sorry for what they had done to you. nopony should have to go through that ordeal alone. What they did to you was inexcusable. Rest assured they will be punished severely for this. Please, if you ever need somepony to talk to about this, come to me. Traumatic experiences are best dealt with together." 

"Thank you, Ms. Cheerilee." she said. As Cheerilee walked back inside, she turned back to the crusaders. There was still something she had to say to them. "Apple Bloom. There's something I've been meaning to ask you. Is your offer still on the table?"

A beam from ear to ear was fixed on Apple Bloom's face as she shouted, "Of course it is, Di!"

Giving a small smile in return, Diamond said, "Thank you all for being there for me. I know I'm not the best at expressing how I really feel, but I have a lot on my plate right now. I know that's no excuse for how I treated you all...Will you give me a few days to work things out with my mother? She...isn't exactly the most accepting of ponies, and she'll probably flip out about this."

"Uhm, sure." Apple Bloom said, unsure of what to say next to show her support. She didn't know what exactly could be done to help except by being there for her if something went wrong. It was not apparent was even going on in their family behind the scenes.

After giving them another word of thanks, Diamond Tiara departed into the school, leaving the remaining fillies to ponder over what just happened. Scootaloo was the first to broach the subject. "What was that all about? What offer was that?"

"Oh, right. Ah didn't tell ya yet. Ah told her she could be our friends." Apple Bloom explained simply. She jumped up to the top step of the school and began receding into the building.

Sweetie Belle was hopping up and down in joy as she exclaimed with glee about how she was excited to be getting a new friend. She followed Apple Bloom inside shortly thereafter, all the while discussing what fun activities they could do with the pink filly.

Scootaloo, on the other hand, was not nearly as excited. She wasn't sure how she felt about that piece of news yet. Diamond Tiara, a friend? Something didn't seem to set right with her about the notion, and she eventually settled into a scowl. Finding it hard to take the change of heart seriously, she distrusted the rich filly. She was the final one to trot into the building, a sense of foreboding veiling her mind.
> Confrontation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The route back to home was scenic. All around, birds were melodiously chirping away. White and yellow flowers were in full bloom down a gravel path leading up to a small bridge overlooking a small stream. The stream, its sound of gentle splashing upon a rocky outcrop soothing to the ear, was flowing slowly towards a lake somewhere on the outskirts of Ponyville.

Diamond Tiara took notice of none of it. 

Her trek home was fraught with worry. There were no words that adequately described the myriad of emotion running through her as she carefully constructed the argument she would present that evening. It would take a high level of genius and intuitiveness to convince her mother of the advantages of having the cutie mark crusaders around. Despite the slim chances, she had to try.

Getting ponies to do what she wanted to do in the past had always been simple; this was easily the highest bar she had set for herself. It went against everything her mother stood for. A small part of her suddenly imagined her mother being away upon her return to the mansion. She would be able to put off the dreaded conversation for a few more hours. A few more hours before the end of her world. The end of her world at home, at any rate. 

Making it home from school in nearly record time, Diamond Tiara discovered in the form of a sticky note taped to the refrigerator that her mother was indeed still out and about somewhere in Ponyville. She should have been relieved to have a few more hours to construct her argument, but the extra time only served to hang her in suspense of her mother's response to her pleas. She could feel her confidence beginning to wane.

There was always the possibility that she could outright defy her mother's wishes and befriend the Cutie Mark Crusaders behind her back. It would be easier to stray away from the confrontation now and ignore the problem, hoping it never came back to haunt her.

The pink filly shook her head ruefully. She would eventually be found out and reprimanded for it. Her mother could possibly force her to stay away from them altogether, opting to have her home schooled or sent to a private institution. Silence was not a viable solution.

Making way to the second floor, Diamond Tiara came upon her butler, Humfrey, who busied himself with his daily routine. He was currently mopping their lounge with expertise. So focused on his chores was he that he did not notice the filly step inside. His attention was only broken by the sound of Diamond Tiara clearing her throat. 

"Welcome home, Miss Tiara. It is so good to see you. Have you had a pleasant day at school?" He asked amiably as he continued his chore. He dunked the head of his mop into a bucket of clean water, wrung out the excess fluid, and slapped the instrument back on the floor. His mouth firmly planted on its handle, he swung the mop across the floor and made quick work of any lingering residue.

"It was fine." She replied ambiguously. There was no sense in letting him worry over the troubles she had at school, not when she had it all under control already and there was nothing he could do about it. "Will mother be out for a while?"

Spitting the mop out into his hand, Humfrey set the cleaning utensil down and turned back to Diamond. "I believe she mentioned going out to the market for some supplies earlier. That was a while ago, so she should be back before long."

With a curt nod, Daimond muttered, "Thanks." Promptly leaving the butler to his task, Diamond returned to her room and closed the door behind her.

The room bore none of the clutter or damages that it had received the other day. One of their servants must have come in to clean it while she was out. At least she didn't have to deal with any broken glass.

In a single stride she reached her bedroom desk. On it was an array of brushes, beauty supplies, mirrors, and other miscellaneous objects; it served as her main area of preparation everyday before school. Diamond Tiara cleared off a portion of the desk and placed a notepad on it. After retrieving a pencil she began mouth-writing bullet points she wanted to cover in their discussion.

The list only took a few minutes to create. The pink filly set the pencil down after she was finished and scrutinized it for a moment while she waited for her mother's arrival. The list stated the following:

- I need friends to hang out with.
- There are no fillies left in Ponyville you would approve of.
- I should be able to befriend somepony regardless of status.

Frowning at the list, Diamond Tiara predicted her mother's reaction to this being sour, and she groaned in frustration and smacked her head against the desk with a resounding thud. The desk's contents bounced about an inch into the air before returning to their resting positions, some being knocked over onto their side.

Even while knowing this was not going to be a good enough argument to get through to her mother, she struggled to come up with more specific argument points that would align with her mother's wishes. The problem was the solution was so obviously simple, and the constraints weren't lenient enough for a compromise. 

Diamond Tiara tried to squash the sinking feeling of defeatism that crept up in her consciousness. She couldn't allow herself to give up just yet, not when she hadn't even tried.

The sound of somepony coming home broke her out of her reverie. Was her mother home? For the sake of getting this conversation over with, she had to check it out.

Getting up from her desk, Diamond Tiara made her way back out of her room and through the hall before reaching the flight of stairs. From her vantage point, she could make out not her mother, but her father instead, who had arrived early from work, presumably to work out some figures in his study.

When Filthy Rich took notice of his daughter, he called out to her. "Good evening, Princess. How was your day?" He loosened the tie around his neck and pulled it off to hang it atop of something akin to a coat rack. "I trust it went well."

"It was okay, daddy." The filly responded, deadpanned. She trotted down the stairs and up to him, giving him a quick hug. 

Sensing her uneasiness, Filthy said, "Uh oh. I don't like the sound of that. I know something's up when I hear that tone. What's wrong?" He wrapped a hoof around her comfortingly and stared down at her worriedly.

In stark contrast to the usual lack of contact that she was used to, the pink filly felt the loving care of her father's embrace. For a brief moment, it caused her to drop her guard and reveal her emotions, mixed as they were, to Filthy. "I can't... I... I need to talk to mother about it."

Considering her response, an unsure expression formed on Filthy's face. He let out a sigh as he said, "Alright, Princess. Come to me if you need to talk about it. I'll be up in my study." He released their embrace and he disappeared within the confines of his study, leaving Diamond Tiara to stand there in the living room, alone.

Another thirty minutes had passed before Spoiled Rich, her mother, came bursting through the front door, leading a procession of servants, all of whom were carting purchases from various shops. She had appeared disheveled, as if frustrated for some reason. Apparently, she was in an argumentative mood, for immediately upon entry, she began shouting energetic orders to the servants and reprimanding one when they accidentally dropped a bag.

Diamond Tiara had been sitting on their sofa in the living room, seeing no point in banging her head against wood in an attempt to come up with better talking points for this upcoming discussion. She would have to rely on her intuition this time. Granted, that's how she usually got others to do what she wanted, but somehow she felt this would be different.

Swallowing hard, she got down from the sofa and trotted over to her mother, being careful to stay out of servants' paths as they hurriedly carried this and that inside the mansion to various appropriate locations. This proved difficult to do, as the number of servants bringing in the purchases was staggering. Luckily, she was small and could squeeze in between them as needed. 

By the time she reached Spoiled, the servants had all dispersed deeper into the mansion, leaving the two to themselves. Spoiled was standing there, eyeing the retreating attendants and waiting for the return to take more. She didn't seem willing to do any lifting herself as she tapped her hoof on the floor impatiently.

It took Diamond several attempts to garner her mother's attention, who seemed more interested in her material possessions than her own daughter. When she did spot her daughter, she waved her off, as if to shoo her. "I can't be bothered right now. I am busy carrying this stuff inside." Proving otherwise, she stood there, still, with nothing in her hooves.

"I have something important I need to discuss with you, mother." Diamond said, trying to sound as authoritative as possible. It was imperative that she came across confident; otherwise she would never get anywhere.

Spoile's attention was immediately captured by the sound of her daughter's voice. Delivering the most blank stare she could muster, she said, "What is it this time?"

The breath she had been expecting in her lungs was nowhere to be found as the pink filly prepared to dive into possibly one of the most difficult deliberations in her life. She took air into her lungs and then exhaled, attempting to calm herself down. She looked right into her mother's eyes and said, "I'm going to befriend the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

Furling her brows in anger, Spoiled let out a disgusted gasp. She appeared ready to faint, but thankfully after processing the statement, she stood her ground firmly. The mare stomped the ground and yelled," I won't permit it. To think, you would venture to associate yourself with those ruffians. Now, if it was somepony of wealth, I might take it into consideration."

Glaring in frustration at the ridiculous notion, Diamond Tiara said, "There are no fillies here that's rich anymore, mother. I need a friend."

"Nonsense." Spoiled retorted. There was a hint of sadness to her expression as she circled her daughter. "A friend will only hurt you. The only things you need in this world are wealth, power, and fame."

"But none of that is making me happy. Silver's not here anymore, and I have no one to hang out with." With searching eyes, Diamond Tiara tried, and failed, to assess Spoiled's cold expression. If she empathized with her situation, she didn't convey it. "I'm not like you, mother!"

"Why, I never-," Spoiled began to protest, stopped mid-sentence in thought. A moment passed between them before a smile came to her lips. "I see I'll need to reteach you about the finer things in life."

Continuing to circle around her daughter, Spoiled made eye contact, placed a hoof over her own chest, and began to sing aloud.

My sweet child I am one,
Without any question,
Who cannot stand for fun from within our station,
Alone we must stand here,
Above all the others,
There is nothing to fear, you don't need to suffer,

"But I-," Diamond began to protest.

With one fore-hoof placed over the mare's daughter, Spoiled reeled the filly to her side and extended her other hoof before them and waved it across the air, pointing to all the riches the world had to offer.

[Chorus]
'Together we are fabulous,
And strong if we are serious,
Then we will both be glorious,
Wealthy, powerful, and famous!'

The declaration of strength made Diamond Tiara feel anything but powerful. All she could do was think of a miserable future in store for her. With eyes trailing downward, the filly whimpered. "But I need a friend."

The filly's mounting depression went unnoticed as Spoiled shook her head vigorously. The mare almost seemed in denial as she stooped to Diamond's level and placed a hoof on either side of her shoulder and stared right at her.

'My sweet child you must stop,
Cease this talk of friendship,
Now here is one more thought for you that might have slipped,
The others will hurt you,
Tear you apart and leave,
But there is still time to show the ace up our sleeve,'

Diamond was silent as she glared at the ground through a blurring vision. She choked back a sob; those very same words haunted her all over again. 'Friends will only hurt you.' It was a struggle to stay in place and not stomp out right this instant. Making her mother see reason was a losing fight.

Abruptly, a hoof raised her chin so that their eyes made contact. Spoiled wiped the falling tears from her face. A sickening smile grew on her face.

[Chorus]
'Together we are fabulous,
And strong if we are serious,
Then we will both be glorious,
Wealthy, powerful, and famous!'

As her mother's voice died away, Diamond let out a frustrated cry. "You're not even listening to me!" She didn't look back to see if the statement had any outward affect as she ran through the door and slammed it behind her.

Away from the mansion the pink filly went, destination unknown and negative thoughts clouding her mind.





Well over an hour had passed before Diamond Tiara found herself standing in front of the farmhouse at Sweet Apple Acres. With the sun setting, it must have been close to dinnertime, but food was the last thing to come to mind. Frustration and tiredness were her prevailing thoughts.

Pausing for a moment, she didn't fully comprehend her intensions, nor how to explain her unbecoming appearance, while she stood facing the door. Her eyes must have been bloodshot from all the crying, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

Wondering idly if they would allow her to spend the night, she knocked on the door and awaited for them to respond. Applejack was the one to answer, sticking her head out to greet whomever was 	. Immediately taking notice of her expression, she said, "Well howdy there. You must be one of my sister's classmates. Is somethin' the matter, sugarcube?" 

Attempting to pass off her unsightly appearance as being nothing more than a minor ordeal, Diamond waved her hoof down as she said, "What, this? Please, there's nothing wrong with me what-so-ever."

Aware of the obvious lie, Applejack rolled her eyes and stared disapprovingly at her. Expression soon shifting to one of compassion, the orange mare came up to her and patted her on the shoulder. There was a look of understanding in her eye as she said, "I don't rightly know what's upsettin' you, but I ain't about to ignore that look in your eyes. Come on in, you must be hungry. We were just beginnin' ta eat." 

Stepping back to make way for Diamond Tiara to come through, Applejack held the door open and bid her welcome into their abode. A warm smile broke through on the blonde-maned pony when she accepted her offer and walked inside nervously. She could hear the creak of the door being shut behind her.

Upon entering the Apple's dining area, the sweet aroma of apples bombarded her olfactory senses. Mouth watering and tumble grumbling, her depression was momentarily staved off in favor of partaking in the delicious meal they had set out before them. Finding herself being gently pushed towards them by Applejack, she was encouraged to make her way towards the rest of the Apple family.

From her seated position at the table, Apple Bloom noticed her presence. Hopping away from the table, the red-maned filly darted towards her. A duality of excitement and worry in her features, she tilted her head. "Diamond Tiara! What are you doin' here?" 

Nothing came to mind as she struggled to answer the question. Somehow the thought of telling the yellow-coated filly the real reason for her being there, among potentially eavesdropping ears, discomforted her. Even alone, she wasn't so sure she could bring herself to voice it. "Uhh..."

Sensing the discomfort in her voice, Applejack announced, "I think she wanted ta spend some time with us, so I invited her in ta have some dinner. Hopin' that's alright with you Granny."

"Sure thing dear.. Hoo wee, we got ourselves a guest Big Mac. Go get our spare dinin' chair. One of them fold out ones oughtta do." 

Big Mac nodded silently at Granny Smith's request and got up from his chair to retrieve said chair, disappearing for a moment behind a closet. Returning with the chair in mouth, he unfolded it before the table and placed a plate of some apple pot pie and a side of apple fritters in front of it before returning to his own meal.

Diamond hesitantly stepped up onto the chair and looked down at her food. Not sure what else to do besides enjoy the meal laid out before her. Before digging in, she mumbled, "Thanks...I guess." 

Situated next to her was Apple Bloom, who had just gotten back up onto her chair by the time she took a tentative bite. The other filly wasted no time in scarfing down her food. When she was done eating, she made a resounding swallowing noise and licked her lips appreciatively. "That was really tasty, Granny." She then turned back to her and said, "What do ya think?"

Having never had the pleasure of tasting Granny Smith's apple pot pie before, Diamond was elated to find its tender apple cuts, marinated in a cinnamon and garlic blend, practically melt in her mouth. When her mouth was clear of food particles, she responded chirpily, "It's delicious!" All thoughts of her mother faded away. 

Taking another bite, and then going back for another soon after, Diamond Tiara was surprised when it was all gone. Her hunger was more serious than she had first realized. 

After having finished her meal, she lifted her head to face the other ponies at the table. As they interacted, she could see the care they held for one another. Unshed tears welled up unbidden once more. Why couldn't her family be more like this, there for each other, even if only for small intervals at a time,  instead of off doing their own thing all the time. Maybe then her mother would listen.

Without so much as a word to the others, Diamond Tiara jumped up from her chair and made ready to leave, not wanting them to see her like this. The pink filly was spun around and pulled in for a hug before she made it very far. This close to her, she could feel the rumble of the owner's voice against her head. "I dunno why you're sad, but Ah ain't gonna let a friend of mine stay sad for long." 

Apple Bloom returned the look she gave her when she shifted her head. Diamond wasn't sure when she had started crying full-heartedly, but the extra squeeze around her was so comforting, she wouldn't pull away from the embrace for a long while. 





The sight of her daughter leaving the mansion was the last thing that Spoiled expected. Surely she would have thanked her for giving nothing but sound advice, and yet despite this, she had run away and left the mare in befuddlement. What possibly could she have said that would cause her to do such a thing? It was inconceivable to her that her little filly would have any outlook on life other than her own. It was plain to see that everyone in these cruel lands would stop at nothing to bring them down.

By the time she had worked this all out in her head, several of the servants had come back to retrieve the last of her purchases, each and every one of them very important. Another bag of particularly sensitive glassware was nearly dropped, and one item even fell and shattered on the ground. Spoiled should have punished her servant, tired as he was from the haul, for his clumsiness, but with other things on her mind, she hardly registered the damages.

When it became apparent that she would not shout at him, the attendant gave a quick sigh of relief and made haste to see that the rest of the possessions didn't get destroyed as well. He swiftly vanished into the kitchen.

Something about Diamond Tiara's reaction stuck in her mind, and everything she did to push it to the back of her mind failed. Vivid memories of her own childhood, full with its own depression and anxiety, were suddenly swirling around in her mind. Knowing what she knew now, she would have had a completely different reaction. Was her friend leaving Ponyville not the indication she needed that friends would only hurt her in the end?

A second opinion would clear all of her uncertainty; perhaps her husband, Filthy Rich, would be able to shed some light into the matter, and she would be able to squash the unsettling feeling that was creeping up on her. 

Stepping into study, Spoiled found her husband deeply engrossed in his work. His eyes poured through several sets of numbers as he vigorously mouth-wrote in calculations in the margins of his manuscript. Upon hearing the door open, his ear was raised by a fraction. Without glancing to the newcomer, he said with an amiable tone to his voice, "Yes?"

"Our daughter is gone. I'm not sure where she's gone off too, but our little talk didn't go as well as I thought it would." 

Putting his writing utensil down, Filthy turned to her. There was confusion in his expression as he asked, "Well, what did you two talk about?"

"She talked of making more friends. I don't understand. After all the times I've tried to tell her the truth, she still has the audacity to try to make friends with those hooligans!" Anger overcame her as she began to pace back and forth through the room. "I'm only trying to protect her!"

"Well... Maybe she doesn't see it like that?" Filthy asked, being reduced to a whimper as he prepared for another one of his wife's overzealous rants.

Snapping back at him with a glare, Spoiled stomped her hoof to the ground and vehemently said, "What? But this is the only way. It has to be this way!" She turned away from her husband, gripping at her heart as her ears drooped downward. "Her friends will only betray her ... just like Marge did." Her last words were barely a squeak, and tears were streaming down her face.

A hoof was placed on her shoulder, she turned back to see her husband nervously trying to comfort her. Beads of sweat dripping from his face, he said uncertainly, "Hey, that was a long time ago. And you were just fillies then. I don't think-"

"No!" Spoiled snarled with disgust. Disgust at herself for letting that event get to her after all this time. Marge didn't deserve any modicum of respect for breaking up their friendship all those years ago, regardless of the reason. "No matter how long it's been, I will never forgive her for what she did to me. Nothing you say will change that."

With a sigh of defeat, Filthy dropped his hoof to floor and frowned at her. "Sure thing. She was a monster." 

"She was a monster." Spoiled repeated before she left through the room, mixed emotions clouding her thoughts. The memories of darker times would haunt her for the rest of the evening, as they have every night since that fateful day.