Chapter One: A Change of Scenery

"Diamond, Diamond."

A little pink-coated earth pony yawned as she stretched underneath a rather fancy canopy bed and gazed at the family's butler, an old purple earth pony with a set of white mane looking rather tired. The filly yawned, wanting to go back to sleep, and mumbled, "Give me five more minutes, Randolph."

Randolph gulped, looking abit worried as he replied, "Diamond, your mother instructed me to get you up for school."

The filly eyes lit up as she cried, "Oh yeah, today's the first day of school!"

Diamond Tiara then hopped over to her fancy bedroom with pristine white walls and pink carpet covered with simple fancy furniture. She was then escorted by her butler to her private bathroom, and assisted with giving her a short bubble bath, brushing her teeth, combing her mane and tail just like her mother's, and picking out a cute outfit, putting her into a pretty little light purple and white striped dress, then topping it off with a new pristine saddlebag with gems encrusted on it. Her mane was perfect, and her tail was combed out and wavy.

Walter then bowed and said, "Now you're prepared for school. I must take my leave."

"Ok, thank you, Randolph!" Diamond chirped and waved a hoof as he left. The filly stood in front of a massive mirror admiring her reflection, looking over her outfit and making sure it looked perfect for her first day of school. The little filly already met her new teacher, Cheerilee, earlier this week. She seemed so interesting she couldn't wait to see her again! Not only that, but she wanted to make so many new friends. Having only Silver Spoon, it's not that she didn't like her. But she was excited to meet other foals her age that her mom didn't pick out.

"Diamond!" her mother shouted.

The unicorn filly was so engrossed in her reflection, looking over her outfit and mane, that she didn't hear her mother.

"Diamond, you answer me this instant!"

The filly squeaked as she realized her mother's voice and cried, "Yes, Mom!"

Diamond ran to her door and opened it, revealing an angry, older, pink-coated mare with a set of stern teal-blue eyes walking into the room. Diamond's mom continued to glare at her as she trotted around her and snapped, "Diamond, why are you not answering me? I called you multiple times!"

The filly subconsciously bent her head down and whispered, "Sorry, Mom, I was just getting ready for school."

"And are you ready for your first day of school?"

She then started to hop up and down, unable to contain her excitement, and squealed, "Yeah, I'm so excited!"

Spoiled Rich started to get irritated as she snapped, "Stop bouncing like an idiot and sit down. And it's yes, mother."

Diamond stopped, quickly sat on a nearby chair, bowed her head, and whispered, "Sorry, yes, mother."

"That's Better now that I know it's your first day of school, but there are some things we need to discuss."

“Yes…mother…”

"Now, I expect you to be on your best behavior and make eye contact with the teacher. Try to raise your hoof as often as possible. I'm not raising an imbecile."

"I will, Mother."

"As you're there, I expect you to get top marks in class. There will be punishment if you don't."

"Yes, mother."

"You know that at school, every one of your other classmates is beneath us, and you will not befriend them, understand?"

Diamond paused, her heart clenched in her chest upon hearing her mom tell her she couldn't make friends. She really was hoping to be able to, so she tried to protest, "Yes, Mother, but I was looking forward to making new frien-"

"But nothing! You are a Rich, not some common riffraff; whatever you do reflects on us and myself, so if you befriend common ponies?"

Diamond Tiara looked up, confused, wondering why she couldn't make friends. Spoiled stood over her and shouted, "Stop standing there gawking like a backwater foal! If you befriend common ponies?"

"No, I won't," The filly bowed and quivered as she whispered, "It makes you look bad."

"Not me, the family! Your father, the butler."

"His name is Randolph."

"Whatever, you understand your actions at school will reflect the family and yourself. You are a Rich, so remember that and make sure everypony else does, too."

Diamond didn't fully believe her, but she wanted to please her and show her she was worthy of being her daughter, so she put the idea of making friends out of her mind. But then she thought about Silver Spoon and saw she'd be going to school with her. She looked up at her mom's glaring eyes and asked, "What about Silver Spoon?"

Spoiled smirked, then said, "Yes, you can be friends with her, but remember, she will always be yours. You will also ensure she is beneath you, but keep her close."

The filly didn't understand but couldn't disobey, "Yes, mother."

"Do not disappoint me. I am doing this for your own good. One day, you'll thank me for this."

"I understand,"

"Now say I love you."

"I…I love you," she hugged her mother as she patted her daughter on the head. "Now, come down for breakfast; the butler made some excellent omelets. Also, he has your lunch packed and ready."

"Thank you, mother." Diamond then trotted after her, picking her head up like her mom, remembering that she was Rich and that she had to act like one, forgetting all about meeting new friends. All she wanted was for her mom to be proud of her.

Diamond woke up jolted awake by a train. The little pink filly realized she had fallen asleep, then looked out her window, eyes glazed over from being tired from last night. Everything was a blur, from her trying to stop Pipp from being school president to the Cutie Mark Crusaders convincing her that she was wrong, her finding out her Cutie Mark standing up to her mom, but everything felt so wrong. She groaned, looking over the stuffy uniform, then looked down and saw her suitcase packed with some minor personal items she could take. Diamond realized that she was leaving all that behind: her mom, school, and her new friends, Silver Spoon…she closed her coat around her, feeling something shift beneath her back and ache, wanting to break free. "Remember, if you show anypony, I'll make you regret it! We will reveal you at the right time, but when I say so, understand?" Diamond shivered hearing her mother's threat, wondering what she would do? Her mother was powerful and could pull some strings. Maybe have her sent to a rock farm or banished from Equestria!? She knew that standing up to her mom was the right thing to do. Every time she was insulted or belittled, all of it hurt but it made her stronger. Maybe this was all a test she had to pass; if she endured her, she could endure anything.

Then Diamond groaned, rubbing her horn jutting up from her forehead as it throbbed, probably primarily due to her still not really knowing how to use it. But she had to learn quickly, seeing that her mother pulled strings to make it look like she was born a unicorn in her paperwork. Celestia knows she'll look like a baby in front of her classmates at this boarding school, Coldstone Academy if she can't use it. Diamond wiped the tears from her eyes and focused on the outside. Then, she thought about all the times she belittled the Cutie Mark Crusaders, made fun of them, told lies about them, and tricked Scootaloo into being insecure about her wings. Tears filled her eyes again, feeling the heavy weight of guilt coming over her. She threw her head down, feeling this ache in her heart as she cried to herself, "I… I'm so sorry for everything." she then balled into her hooves and curled up, wishing she could disappear.

Diamond Tiara was groaning as she woke up the next morning. She still couldn't believe everything that had happened the previous day. It felt like a dream; finally, standing up to her mother was thrilling but scary at the same time. That was the first time she ever fought back against her, and it was, and now everything hurt her head and back. She groaned slowly, getting up and feeling pain all over her body and shaking from the fear and pain. Diamond Tiara then slowly got out of bed, crossed her room, and went to a mirror, the same one she looked into at herself when she first went to school. She blinked as she rubbed her head, seeing a horn protruding from it, then threw her wings out…wings!? She gave the pink feathery appendages a few flaps; being surprised at what she was seeing, she couldn't help but squeal, "I'm an ali-"

"Diamond Tiara!"

The filly squeaked and then turned to face her mother in the doorway. "Mother."

The mare slammed a bag on the ground, and her eyes widened.

The filly turned to face her and cried, "Mother."

"Diamond yo…. You're."

Despite everything that happened yesterday, Diamond was so thrilled to see she had been gifted a set of wings and a horn that she shouted, "I'm an alicorn! Can you believe it!"

Spoiled's demeanor did not change as she scowled, "Alicorn, or not behave yourself!"

The filly paused, and just like when she was a little filly, she meekly but with a hint of anger replied, "Yes, mother."

"Don't think being an alicorn will get you out of trouble! Humiliating me in front of the entire school and your teacher!"

"Mom, I-!"

"No buts, I am sending you to boarding school."

Diamond's eyes widened, and she shouted, "Boarding scho- Mom!"

Spoiled then slapped her across the face with a crack with the sting of the hoof hitting Diamond as she cried and winced in pain as the mare snapped, "Quiet now! I will not hear another word!"

Diamond bit down her tongue and looked down, fearing what her mother would do if she did anything else, and waited as Spoiled trotted around looking her over her, "An alicorn, If you think this new body of yours is going to change my mind it won't."

"You can't stop me, but I can just run away!" Diamond cried.

Spoiled took her daughter's face and had her look right into her mom's eyes as she shouted, "I can! I am your mother! Everything you are, everything you have is because of me! You think you won by turning everyone against me! If you want me as an enemy, now I am!"

With tears in her eyes, Diamond Tiara wanted to just run away and hide but somehow mustered the courage to shout, "We'll just have to see what Dad has to say about this! He won't just let you send me away!"

"Your father isn't here, and when he does return from his trip, I'm sure he'll agree that bullying your poor classmates and running that horrible gossip column is so unbehaving of a filly like yourself. I'll make sure to have him see you in a different light as an unruly spoiled brat who needs to learn some humility and discipline."

Diamond paused, her heart thumping. She knew full well her mom had done this in the past to make her look worse than she was. She even used that same tactic against the Cutie Mark Crusaders and other foals. At this point, there really wasn't much she could do but cry, "This is unfair. You can't do this."

Spoiled slammed a hoof onto the ground, making her bow, and then she shouted, "Diamond! You may be an alicorn! Hell, you can be Princess Celestia's descendant. I don't know how or why, but you don't deserve it; you're not becoming a princess, and your behavior is unchecked. We can't hide that horn, but you will hide your wings."

"Seriously!?"

"You will do as I say. We can bind your wings to your sides and make you wear a coat."

"Why would I let you do that!?"

"Listen, you're on thin ice as it is, and remember, if you show anypony, I'll make you regret it! We will reveal you at the right time, but when I say so, understand?

Diamond bowed her head and nodded. Completely scared of what her mother could do, she wanted to fight back, run away, and do anything, but all she could do was shake uncontrollably as she muttered, "Yes, mother."

Spoiled stood up and snapped, "Now pack a suitcase you're leaving tonight," then, the mare walked out and slammed the door behind her. As Diamond rubbed her bruised cheek with tears welling up, she looked into her reflection. She was thrilled to see she became an alicorn, but now all she felt was shame and regret, not knowing why. After all these years, Diamond finally stood up to her mother, but in return, she was being sent away against her will, and she could do nothing. The filly cried out and slammed a hoof into the mirror, cracking it into several shards; she then looked at the shattered reflection, wondering who she was, why she was given this gift, and wondered if she even deserved it.

The train finally stopped, and Diamond woke up again from another dream. As the train screeched to a halt, she wiped her eyes, trying to make sure it didn't look like she was crying, and got off. Diamond then pulled her jacket around her, ensuring nopony could see her other new appendages except her horn. She then pulled her saddle bag around her and followed a group of ponies out of the train. It was a dark overcast with a bit of frost forming on the platform. She shivered to clench the coat close to her chest and saw an old grey pony earth pony with her white hair tied in a tight bun and purple eyes glaring at her as she asked, "Diamond Tiara, I presume?"

The filly let out a breath as she whispered, "Yes, that's me."

"Good evening; I am Mrs. Hardwood, your instructor at Coldstone Academy."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Hardwood," Diamond mumbled as she bowed again.

"Young fillies should curtsey, not bow; we'll work on that later. Now come with me."

Diamond rolled her eyes as only old ladies think fillies still curtsied. But she was too tired and aching to fight, so she was led to a carriage, which two stallions led, assisted on, and then rode off down relatively vacant fields spotted with trees and permafrost covering the landscape being relatively close to the North. By the time they came to the school, it looked like some old mansion. It looked ancient, with grey stone and an Iron sign overhead reading "Coldstone Acadamy." The trees surrounding it looked pretty, along with some well-cut shrubbery. The entire courtyard looked clean and to the point; it had no soul. Diamond was then escorted up the steps as Mrs Hardwood continued talking, "Now your mother told me that you have a coat condition, and you must always wear a jacket."

Diamond clenched her teeth, but remembering the threat, she whispered, "Y…yes… that's true."

"Well, that won't be an issue as it does get cold up here even in the summer," she was then escorted through the corridors filled with portraits of fillies; it was an etiquette school about learning to be a noble mare. She will be here for a whole year. Will she have to hide herself for that long? Can she risk disobeying her mother? They eventually came down to a room and opened it, revealing a pristine carpet with light pink walls and two beds; on one of the beds, a white-coated pegasus filly with bright blue eyes was lying down reading a book. Upon the two entering her room, she jumped up and performed a curtsey as she replied, "Good evening, Mrs. Hardwood."

"Snowdrop, this is your new roommate. I informed you about Diamond Tiara. Today is your free day to relax after your long trip, but tomorrow starts your classes. We have breakfast at seven AM sharp, so make sure you get a good night's rest and have your uniform ready for tomorrow's dinner at Seven PM; we are quite punctual here."

"Yes, Mrs. Hardwood," the two fillies chimed. As Mrs. Hardwood left, Snowdrop's cheerful demeanor instantly turned sour. She rolled her eyes and complained, "Ugh, why did I get stuck babysitting the newbie?"

Diamond eyed her new roommate, who she already didn't like one bit, and then snapped back, "You don't have to babysit me. I can take care of myself."

"Well, I heard about your "skin condition." You better not get your dandruff on my uniforms; I just have them cleaned."

She returned to reading her book as Diamond placed her suitcase under her bed. Looking worried, she asked," Um, aren't you supposed to show me around?"

"Why would I do that? If you're not a baby, do it yourself."

Diamond was appalled by her and, now getting really angry, snapped, "How dar-"

Snowdrop got up and shouted, "No, how dare you! I'm your elder here! If you want, I can tell Mrs. Hardwood about how rude and brutish you are!"

Diamond paused, fearing she would not only make a bad impression on Mrs. Hardwood but also report back to her mother; Celestia knew what she would do to her and cried, "What, no, please, I'm sorry!"

Snowdrop smirked, seeing she won, then said, "If you're sorry, leave me alone. Don't talk to me; for all I care, we can act like we don't exist."

She then flew off to her bed and went back to reading her book. Diamond stood there heaving in anger, thinking that her old self would find a way to get back at this filly. The truth was Snowdrop reminded her of her old self, and it made her feel queasy. She didn't know what else to do but shouted, "Fine, I'll just go take a bath!"

She then went to the bathroom and slammed the door; then slowly took off her coat, took the massive rubber band off her wings, and unfurled them. She winced, feeling the pain of them being bound for so long. She then flapped them a few times, still not used to her appendages and wobbling about as they put her off balance. The filly then went about and prepared the water; luckily, it was hot and steamy, and then she poured some soap until a froth of bath bubbles formed on the top. The little filly then plopped herself in and sighed, feeling the warm water come over her small, cold body. She lay there looking at the ceiling tiles, thinking to herself, one year of this…she needed to get through one year and somehow talk to her father without her mother present; remember, if you reveal them…she felt a deep rage swelling in her as she growled, "Yes Mother I'll behave for now, but the second I'm out of here I'm going to tell father what you did to me! I'll get through this!"

Chapter Two: The New Foal in School

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Diamond Tiara groaned as she woke up the following morning. She felt her stiff wings as she slowly got into her jacket, wishing she could spread them out, taking a mental note to free them when she used the bathroom. Then, she turned to see her roommate slowly getting up and dressed in a drab grey uniform. They didn't talk at all throughout the morning, but she saw Snowdrop was looking rather guilty, but she herself was still quite angry at how she treated her yesterday.

Then they walked out, trailing behind dozens of other fillies slightly younger or older than her, and followed the rest of her class to the dining hall. She looked up to see the long, dusty hall filled with long benches covered in bowls of sad-looking grey oatmeal, plates with small omelets, and small china cups filled with tea. The little filly then sat down and began eating a small omelet that wasn't filling and some tea. Throughout the meal, the other fillies looked over at her and whispered amongst each other with stares. She tried to ignore them and just went about eating.

Mrs. Hardwood then came out and tapped a spoon into her cup. "Now, students, settle down."

The chatter died down to a murmur as she continued, "Now we have some announcements. I want to introduce you all to a new student, Diamond Tiara!"

The filly slowly rose and bowed as the rest of the students murmured and whispered, some looking at her with smirks. She felt like a fish in the middle of a swarm of sharks waiting to gobble her up; while she was here, it would be best to keep her guard up.

"Please sit."

"Yes, Mrs. Hardwood," Diamond whispered as she sat down, which got more fillies to murmur. But they went quiet once more as the teacher replied, "Now, since we have a new student and the beginning of a new semester, we should go over the rules now while you are in class; you will do as your teachers say and be on your best behavior. You will receive demerits if there is any misbehaving, missed assignments, or being late. If you reach ten, we will send a letter to your parents about your behavior. I promise you we take your education seriously and will not allow any misbehavior if that is understood!"

"Yes, Mrs. Hardwood," the fillies all chimed.

"Now, enough chit-chat. It's time for classes. Go to your assigned teacher's single-file lines."

The fillies got up, and as they were going to the front of the dining hall, Diamond crossed. She tripped and squealed as she fell. Then she slammed onto a bowl of cold oatmeal face first. The little filly groaned as she struggled to get up, wiping the cold glop from her face. This got a laugh from the other fillies, and Mrs. Hardwood stomped a hoof on the ground and shouted, "Silence!"

The fillies stopped with only a handful of giggles echoing through the hall and snapped, "Diamond, get up and clean yourself up this instant!"

The filly looked up surprised, "But!"

"No buts! Fillies should be more aware of their surroundings. Now, get up and clean yourself."

Diamond was furious that not only were her classmates bullying her, but the teachers couldn't care less or were clueless. She was about to snap back, but Snowdrop put a hoof on her shoulder, bowed, and quickly said, "Don't worry, Mrs. Hardwood. I'll escort her back to the dorm."

"Good, now hurry; you two will still need to be on time for your classes."

"Yes, Mrs. Hardwood," the two fillies chimed as they rushed off. Diamond felt tears coming over her eyes as she looked at Snowdrop, who looked downtrodden, as she escorted her roommate back to their room. As they entered their room, the filly went to the bathroom and cleaned herself. Snowdrop stayed by silently, waiting patiently; once finished, Diamond eyed her and asked, "Why are you helping me?"

"Look, we don't have time. I'll talk about it later, okay? Now come on, we can't be late!" Snowdrop helped her out of the room, and the two ran off through the dusty halls.

Upon finding their classroom, they stopped running and took a second to fix themselves as they slowly opened the door. It revealed a drab-looking classroom with rows of fillies all dressed in their boring grey uniforms, quills in their hooves. At the front of the classroom was a plump earth pony with a chalkboard. She eyed them as they sat down and snapped, "You're late!"

Snowdrop bowed her head. "Please accept our apologies. Diamond slipped into some oatmeal, and I escorted her back to our dorm to help clean her up."

"Yes, I am aware that it does not excuse your punctuality. You two will both receive a demerit now. Sit!"

"Yes, Mrs. Porridge."

Diamond wanted to say something back, but Snowdrop shook her head, "No." so Diamond sat grumpily at a desk as she took out a notebook. Then they went straight to etiquette lessons, learning to eat properly, talk to ponies, and curtsey. Each lesson was more tedious than the last, and it was exhausting to make all the effort to stay awake. Snowdrop nudged her every time she dozed off, and Diamond did her best to pay attention; after their morning classes, they were back in the dining hall having lunch, this time being a hot bowl of a thick veggie stew with tea. As Diamond ate, three other foals came over, and one was a tall, black-coated unicorn with a long purple mane and dark violet eyes. "So, you're the newbie?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well, I'm Onyx, and there are some rules you might not know about. I'm the one in charge when the teachers aren't around."

Snowdrop rose and said, "Look, I'll pay her share today. She's new."

"Of course she is, so she needs to learn who's in charge!" She then threw her mane back and took out a hoof. "I'm sure your parents gave you some bits for your trip here, so how about you lend me some to help make your time here easier."

The pink-coated filly eyed her, "No, I'm not giving you a bit."

Snowdrop took out a purse filled with bits, but Diamond placed a hoof and shook her head. "No."

Onyx eyed her, then said, "Diamond, let me say this another way: Pay me, and I can make things much easier for you. I'll get the other fillies to stop teasing you, and we can become best of friends. But you're a newbie, so if you want to climb up the ladder here, you need to pay. Or I can make the next year a living hell. What do you say?"

"I say you can buck off," Diamond growled as she eyed her.

Onyx got in close until they were "muzzle to muzzle" and said, "You really want me to be your enemy?"

"No, but I won't be bullied by the likes of you. There are better ways to make friends than abusing your power over other ponies."

The two other fillies gave each other nervous looks. Diamond smirked, seeing that she had planted a seed of discontent into Onyx's posse, but this just made the filly more furious. Stomping a hoof, she said, "Fine! See what happens when you mess with me!" then, she stomped off with her posse following behind her. After Onyx left, Diamond returned to her meal as Snowdrop asked, "Why did you do that?"

"I used to be like her, and it's easy to intimidate ponies who move to a new school. Standing up to her is the best way to stop a bully like that."

Snowdrop rolled her eyes and said, "You have no idea how things work here. This isn't just any school. You should've just let me pay her off for you."

During the meal, Diamond Tiara grew quite frustrated as she turned to her and asked, "Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden!? You basically told me to buck off last night."

Snowdrop opened her mouth, looked around, and whispered, "As I said, we can talk later."

Just then, she heard a plop and a splash in her teacup. The filly saw a mouse squirm out, making her cry as it ran off. She fell back onto the ground, and there was another round of giggling and laughing as she heard Mrs. Hardwood shout, "Diamond Tiara! Stop making a racket!"

The filly got up and was going to shout, but Snowdrop placed a hoof on her shoulder and bowed, "We will do as you say. I apologize."

Diamond glared at Onyx, who smirked but did as she said, giving a cutesy. Then, as she sat down next to Snowdrop, she apologized, not fully trusting her, but at this point, she was the only pony in this school helping her.

They then spent the rest of the day going by with tedious lessons on the history of Equestria, mathematics, spelling, and language. By night's roll, Diamond was exhausted, hungry, and tired. By dinner time, she quickly ate her meal, not wanting to stay in the dining hall a single second longer than she had to, and then went on her way. Being used to the hushed whispers and the looks, it was like what she did the cutie mark Crusaders, but over a hundredfold. Onyx probably was spreading rumors about her already, but it would be what she used to do.

That night, after Diamond had a long relaxing bath, she dressed in her coat and placed the band around her wings. Then, as she entered her room, she spotted the small pegasus, which seemed a bit crushed. She turned to her and said, "What!?"

"Nothing, just I...I want to apologize."

"For what?"

Snowdrop sighed, then said, "For snapping at you yesterday, I…I was having a bad day and took it out on you. That wasn't right."

Diamond was surprised and then said, "That doesn't explain why you're being nice to me all of a sudden?"

The pegasus looked downward and said, "I see how you're being treated. It was the same for me when I first came here," she then paused and continued, "Most of the foals here were forced to be here by their parents, and we all are a bit…"

"Snobbish, rude, bullies."

Snowdrop winced at Diamond's description but nodded in agreement. Then she said, "Yeah, all that…" She shivered a little and added, "But it's not all our fault. Every filly here was put here by our parents, so you can't blame us for being suspicious—even Onyx, though she's the worst of them."

The pink-coated filly looked downward, reminiscing about seeing a lot of her old self in the black-coated unicorn, and said, "Yeah, she is, but who knows how she's keeping everyone from ganging up on her, intimidating, blackmailing, and spreading rumors about other foals."

Snowdrop just nodded along with every word and said, "Yeah, that's true; guess you had a similar experience?"

Diamond paused, reminiscing a little about how she bullied other ponies, then said, "You could say that."

The pegasus then trotted to her bed and plopped on it as she took off her shoes. "Well, while you're here, I'll teach you the ropes, who to talk to, and how to navigate Onyx and her posse, okay?"

Diamond turned to her, appreciating the thought, but she didn't want to be protected. Deep down, she wanted to do more and explained, "Thank you, Snowdrop, but I'm not going to let them walk all over us. In fact, I think I can change them."

The little white-coated pegasus paused as she started to laugh. "Change them? Yeah, good luck with that. In the meantime, I'll try to keep you alive."

"Trust me, I think we can change them," Diamond said.

"Alright, if you say so?" Snowdrop scoffed, unconvinced, as she took off her uniform. Upon doing so, Diamond's eyes widened to see she didn't have a cutie mark, and she replied, "You're still a blank flank?"

The filly eyed her, then snapped, "Yeah, I'm a blank flank, alright!? You better not tell anypony else!"

Diamond squeaked, seeing she didn't mean how she said that, and then said, "Right, sorry, but I'm just surprised."

The filly looked back at her flank and said, "Well, if I'm being honest, my whole life, I wanted to be the perfect filly like my mother wanted me to be, but I barely ever knew her. I was raised by nannies, and most of them were quite cruel. I became bitter and angry as the only times I ever saw my mother was when I was in trouble, so I lashed out a lot and disobeyed them. They soon had enough, and the last time I saw my parents, they packed me up and sent me here to teach me how to be a proper filly."

Diamond paused hearing the story, feeling so sorry for her and the dozens of the fillies here, all being punished unfairly. This would only make them crueler. Then an idea crept into her mind as the pink-coated unicorn took out a suitcase and opened it. Some clothes were removed, revealing a red cape with the sigil of a prancing pony on a blue field. Snowdrop eyed it and then said, "What is that?"

Diamond turned to face her and said, "This is the cape of the cutie mark crusaders, a group of ponies who changed me for the better. They spent years looking for their cutie marks and helped me find out what pony I wish to be."

After hearing Diamond's words, she placed a hoof on her chest and said, "They sound like great fillies."

She then placed the cape around Snowdrop's shoulders, tied it around her friend's, and continued, "In time, with some faith and help from friends, you'll find your cutie mark, and I think other foals here might be blank flanks as well. We can help them find their cutie marks, too!"

"That… that's a great idea!" the filly squealed. Then she threw it behind her as she fluttered about, giggling with glee. Then her joyful expression turned sour, and she groaned, "But the teachers won't ever permit us to wear these or host a club."

Diamond Tiara tapped a hoof to her chin, wondering what the Cutie Mark Crusaders would do. Then an idea came out as she said, "Then we have to hold our meetings in secret, a place where the adults don't ever go."

Snowdrop got excited again as she shouted, "We should meet in old Classroom 3C! It's been abandoned for years; no pony would ever go there. We can meet after dinner. Most of the teachers leave, but only Mrs. Hardwood walks about, so we'll still have to keep an eye on her."

"Okay, that works. Then all we need to do is find other foals scared of Onyx and have them come. It can be a place where they can relax and learn about themselves, even if they do have cutie marks."

The pegasus filly nodded and said, "Right, I might know some fillies who would join.

Diamond started to get excited as she exclaimed, "Sounds like a great plan! We can start our first Cutie Mark Crusaders meeting tomorrow evening to spread the word!"

Snowdrop nodded, then yawned, "Right tomorrow, we better get going to bed. We can't be late. We're already on Mrs. Hardwood's bad side."

The pegasus gave her an odd look and asked, "Also, I have to ask why you are wearing that jacket?"

The filly looked away, then clenched it hard as she said, "It's my coat condition, please. I don't want to talk about it."

Snowdrop wanted to pursue it more but sighed, "Fine, I'll drop I, but…if you're going to keep my blank flank a secret, I'll keep your secrets as well."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Diamond whispered as she lay under the covers and slowly fell asleep. Feeling the wings beneath her stir, she wanted to break free. The little filly wanted to reveal them to Snowdrop, but she couldn't still hear her mother's threats.

The Tiara weighs Heavy

by Foal Star

Chapter One: A Change of Scenery

Chapter Two: The New Foal in School