The night of the dance...
View Online

Snipping a Diamond

The night of the dance...

Her night had been ruined, and all she had left was a lonely hill with a single tree. "I hate them!" Diamond Tiara yelled out, her voice howling louder than the wind. "I hate them all and they should all die!" She screamed at the top of her lungs before collapsing onto the dirt, staining the special dress she had bought just for this day. She didn't care. She couldn't care. The chilly winter night wind lashed at her face, drying her tears so that no one would ever see them. "What do they know!"

"Yeesh, you sure can scream loud," a new voice broke out from the bottom of the hill, interrupting Diamond Tiara's temper tantrum.

"Who's there!?" she shouted back.

A round stubby unicorn appeared just over the crest of the hill. "It's Snips," he answered, wearing a wrinkly dress coat.

"Oh Celestia, why the hay are you here, pig?" Diamond Tiara barked at Snips, in no mood to deal with his dimwitted antics. “Don’t you have anything better to do, like leave me alone!”

"Well, you know,” he replied uneasily. “The weather just felt perfect for a night stroll." Snips put on his widest smile, but failed to disarm Diamond Tiara’s venomous gaze. She knew he was lying, and he was squirming under her almost-murderous gaze.

"Fat story, pig!" she finally spat back. Her eyes had turned red and her trademark sneer had evolved to a blood-thirsty scowl. "I swear, if you're here to make fun of me, I will end your life, pig!"

"I-I'm not here to make fun of you! Honest!"

"Then why are you here, Pig!" Diamond Tiara shoved a hoof into Snips’ chest, knocking him over and sending him tumbling over the hill, covering him in mud. He howled with pain when he reached the bottom of the hill, hitting a rock at the base and letting out one last pitiful cry, bits of dirt now engraved into his already ruined outfit.
Snips picked himself up, trying to shake off some of the sediments and a tear of pain running out of the corner of his eyes. “Really hurts, you know,” he sighed turning his back to Diamond Tiara. "It's that kind of attitude that makes ponies hate you," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that, pig!" Diamond Tiara yelled back at him again.

"Nothing!" Snips answered quickly.

"So, like, who are you taking to the hearts and hooves dance, Diamond Tiara?" Silver Spoon asked her friend as they walked down the school hallway. The school staff and younger foals had placed little pink hearts and posters all throughout Ponyville in celebration of the holiday and advertise the school Hearts and Hooves Dance to the students.

"Hmmm," Diamond Tiara mused to herself, bringing a hoof to her face. "Shady Daze is quite the hunk. The coolest filly with the coolest colt, together. It’s a match made by the Princess herself, and would make all those foals green with envy." Diamond Tiara let out a malicious giggle as she imagined the look on every filly’s face when she would stroll in with Shady Daze wrapped around her hoof, one of jealousy.

"I bet it will," Silver Spoon agreed monotonously.

"I can't wait to see the look on Sunny Day's face when she sees me walk in with him. She's had a stupid secret crush on him since forever."

"She has?"

"Like, duh. You're so dense, Silver."

"Sorry," Silver Spoon apologized, turning away to hide her blush.

"Whatever." Diamond Tiara nonchalantly let go of the issue. All she could think about was how she was going to make every single pony at the dance jealous, but her ears picked up on a familiar sound, the sound of nerds, some of her favorite prey; Snips and Snails. "Oh this should be good," she whispered to herself.

"So, did you ask her out yet, Snails?" Snips asked his lanky friend as they stared at the hearts and hooves dance poster, head filled with boyish excitement.

"Well…" Snails turned away from Snips, hiding his beat-red face. “No.”

"The dance is only a couple days away, you know!" Snips excitedly exclaimed. "You better ask Twist out soon or some other colt will."

"I-I know," Snails replied back, somewhat annoyed. "I'm just working up to it… and not so loud, please."

"What, no good at talking to fillies?" Diamond Tiara butted in, catching the colt’s off-guard. Perfect. "I guess I should expect that from a couple of geeky losers."

"Why are you here, Tiara?" Snips groaned.

"Just thought I'd add a little reality to your melodrama," she sneered, letting a cold smile spread across her lips. "I couldn't help but overhear your little dilemma, but really, let's be honest. Who in Equestria would want to go out with either of you two?"

"Plenty of fillies!" Snips snapped back defensively.

"Really?" Diamond Tiara was beside herself with the ammunition Snips had given her. "Where are they?"

"Yeah, where are they?" Silver Spoon added for emphasis.

Snips wanted to buck Diamond Tiara with every ounce of his strength. Who would care if the meanest, cruelest, worst filly in the school lost a few teeth? No one would care, he was sure. Still, he held back his trembling hooves. "They're just off somewhere!" He once again tried to defend himself and his feeble dignity.

"Really, well I await the train of gaggling doofusses you show up with." Diamond Tiara turned away. "And boys, comics don't count," she added before walking off with her nose in the air, Silver Spoon following right after in a similar pose.

"I hate her, so much," Snips seethed.

"But she's right," Snails lamented. "No filly in school would want to go to the dance with us."

"We can get dates! We’ll get dates and show them!"

The filly and the unicorn colt laid on the grass, staring into the sky, or at least one of them did. Diamond Tiara was lost in her own world of self-doubt and broken delusions, the painful world of irony and reality. This world could end for all she cared, and perhaps she wanted it to end. It’s not fair… I never stood a chance!

"Hey, Tiara," Snips piped up. He didn’t receive an answer. "Tiara?" Snips tried again, picking himself up and forcing himself over to the filly of his nightmares. "Tiara! Equestria to Diamond Tiara!" he yelled again, finally grabbing her attention.

"What!?" Diamond Tiara jolted up, aware of the colt's existence again. "Oh, you're still here," she fumed.

"Well, yeah." Snips dismissed the comment. "I don't disappear on a whim."

"I thought that’s what unicorns do. Disappear whenever they're being stupid and annoying."

"Well," Snips sighed, "winking is a really hard spell to do." Memories of some unsuccessful attempts at winking turned Snips’ stomach into knots. "I'll figure it out eventually."

"Oh Celestia, you think I care." Diamond Tiara held her head, growing even more aggravated. "I don't care about anything you do! Go away already!” She had some effect on him, as he turned away blushing and embarrassed. "Well! Are you going to go away now?"

"No," Snips sighed, sitting himself down at a patch of grass parallel to her. “You’re stuck with me.” His voice made it obvious he didn’t like being there any more than she did. He wanted to leave, but he didn’t.

Diamond Tiara ignored Snips, turning away from him to get back to her isolated world of self-pity, a world she wanted to stew in alone if she could help it. Why was he bothering her? She kept tossing the question in her mind, always coming to the conclusion that Snips was here only to make fun of her. It’s what she would do, and she couldn’t blame him. That didn’t mean she would be any less mean.

"Tiara,” Snips finally broke the silence, forcing Diamond Tiara back to the little hill that she wanted to be away from, “why are you so… so…"

"Why are you such a short, fatty, loser!" Diamond Tiara screamed back. She didn’t want to hear the end of Snips question.

"I should have expected that," Snips sighed to himself.

"We'll show them, Snails!" Snips’ voiced echoed through the empty park. "We’ll get dates and show them up and be the coolest ponies at the dance!"

"How are we going to do that?" Snails asked.

"We'll show up with dates," Snips replied, sure his plan had no holes in it.

"That isn’t easy, you know,” Snails replied with a dismissive tone. “We’ll just get laughed at by every filly in school.”

“We have to try!” Snips didn’t want to let Diamond Tiara get away with her snide insult. He wanted to show up, prove her wrong, and rub her face in it. “I’ll show up with the cutest filly in school! And then she’ll never be able to make fun of us again when we show up with dates!”

"So who’s the cutest filly?" Snails asked.

"Sweetie Belle, duh," Snips replied. "We’re already kinda friendly. She doesn’t dislike me at least.”

"Think Sweetie Belle will go for it?”

"Eh, nothing a want-it-need-it spell can't fix."

Snails gasped. "You know how teacher feels about that spell."

"That was a joke!" Snips tried to calm down the panicking pony. "I'll just… put on the ol' Snips patented charm." Snips puffed out his broad chest, putting on an air of machismo that he believed could charm any filly he would come across.

"You have charm?" Snails commented, displaying his characteristically bright smile.

"Oh, a wise guy?" Snips slugged Snails' shoulder. "You'll see." Snips couldn't help but smile back as the two began to sock each other in the side, proudly displaying their friendship. "So why don't you go ask out your lucky filly."

"I don't know," Snails replied, "seeing you get rejected by Sweetie Belle seems more fun to watch."

"Oh I'm really going to have to deck you for that one," Snips jumped on Snails and tried to pin him in a headlock, a task that proved troublesome with Snail’s squirmy frame, leading the two to topple over on one another. “I’ll just call that a tie,” he moaned.

The two colts picked themselves up with their destinations clear in mind. Snips set his sight towards Carousel Boutique and took a few steps forward, purpose guiding his movements. "Best of luck to you," he called back to Snails.

"You too," was his answer.

Rarity's boutique slowly came into view for Snips. He eagerly trotted up to one of the most decorated buildings in all of Ponyville, its only competition coming from a house that looked like it was made from candy and cake. Snips started to feel somewhat self-conscious as he stood before the store, his hoof just an inch away from the door. Would she really go with me? He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. Each knock felt an eternity in-between.

"Coming!" a melodious voice answered back. The door was opened by the store's proprietor, Rarity. "Oh, Snips? What brings you to my boutique?" Snips didn’t blame her for being confused. He never had an eye or interest for fashion.

"Oh, I was wondering if…" Snips closed his eyes. "Wondering if Sweetie Belle is here," he said in one breath that left him gasping for air.

"Oh!" Rarity gasped, her mind already buzzing with juicy gossip for why Snips would be here for Sweetie Belle; the obvious one being the he wanted to ask Sweetie Belle out to the dance she had been excited about for weeks. Snips: short and round Snips, wanted to ask out Sweetie Belle. "I'll… go get her." Rarity disappeared into the boutique. She had known Snips for awhile. He wasn't the worst colt in Ponyville. Far from it, actually. He just wasn't a looker.

Snips stared into the boutique, his mind spinning with anxiety. “This was a bad idea,” he told himself slowly realizing that he was most likely going to get rejected. “Then what? What will I do?”

"Is somepony here for me?" Sweetie Belle appeared and was staring straight at him. "Oh, hi Snips," she greeted him with a sweet and innocent smile. "What are you doing here?" Behind Sweetie Belle, Rarity had to resist the urge to hit herself with her own hoof.

"Oh, I was just wondering…" Snips trailed off.

"Wondering?" Sweetie Belle repeated.

"Wonderingifyouwouldgotothedancewithme?" Snips asked in a single second of time, the hardest second of his life he had ever endured.

"Oh, really?" Sweetie Belle replied quickly.

Snips could feel a dagger burying itself in his chest, making his head fuzzy. "Yeah… really."

"Sorry, but I'm already going with somepony."

"Oh," Snips replied, "who?"

"Apple Bloom and Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle replied giddily. "We planned to go together when it was first announced so nopony would feel left out. If I wasn’t already going with them I would have gone with you though." Her answer was as innocent as her genuine face, something Snips took a little comfort in. It was slightly better than being rejected because she was going with another colt. "Hey, maybe we'll see you at the dance anyway!”

"Yeah, maybe." Snips let his shoulders relax a little, completely losing the feeling in his legs and falling into a sitting position. "I guess I'll see you at school then."

"Yep! Bye, Snips." She left the room, returning to the back of the store.

Rarity approached Snips, clearly sensing a small bit of misery emanating from his young and inexperienced soul. "I'm terribly sorry, Snips." She tried to comfort him, and to her own disappointment found that her typical strategy for dealing with hurt friends might not work with the little colt she barely knew, but she knew it was in her very nature to help anyone who was feeling hurt. "How about I help you out with a new coat for the dance? Actually, I will help you. I insist! Maybe even do something about that knotted mane? Oh, how about a poni pedi?" Rarity generously offered, a little giddy herself.

“Miss Rarity, isn’t that a make-over?” he asked, feeling even more embarrassed.

“Oh don’t be silly,” she answered with a nervous giggle. “I see stallions at the spa all the time.”

Snips sighed, looking up to the edge of his orange mane. "Thanks, Miss Rarity,"

Rarity placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder. "She’s always been a little slow at developing," Rarity tried to joke.

"No, it's all right," Snips dismissed her, "I didn't stand much of a chance anyway."

"Oh Snips," Rarity looked him right in the eye. "It doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside because it's what's on the inside that counts."

"Sure it is," Snips groaned. “But… thanks.”

Snips laid on the ground. He wondered how his day had gone so wrong. Even when he woke up his expectations were small, but now here he was trying to comfort the most jagged diamond in Ponyville; the hardest, most inflexible filly in all of Equestria. He thought to himself. He turned back to Diamond Tiara who still had her back turned towards him. Snips got up and examined his jacket, to his dissatisfaction he found grass stains. Rarity would kill him. He got up and turned in the direction of his home.

"Leaving now?" Diamond Tiara asked from behind him.

Snips didn't know how to answer. Should he leave? he wondered. Should he let her wallow in her own misery? He believed he couldn’t do anything for her, and she wanted to be alone. So, in silence, he started on his way home, giving Diamond Tiara the solitude she seemed to crave.

"Just like everypony else," Diamond Tiara muttered.

Snips stopped. "And what's that supposed to mean?" he barked back.

"You just came here to laugh at me, pig!" Diamond Tiara glared at Snips. "Just came to laugh at mean Diamond Tiara who everypony hates! You only care about making fun of me!"

Snips’ entire body trembled. He was being antagonized by the most antagonistic filly in school, an absurdity he could not and would not tolerate. He turned back to Diamond Tiara, anger seeping out of his voice. "Oh yeah. I came here to make fun of Diamond Tiara all right. I've just been sitting here, laughing my plot off! And I only care about making fun of her? Well what has she done to me my entire life! Ever since I met you!” He wanted his turn to be angry and mean and spiteful, to not just be the dumb little colt everyone saw him for. He wanted to show the world, and especially Diamond Tiara, that he had feelings to. “Since I got here it’s been pig pig pig pig from you! I'm the bad pony here? I'm the horrible pony! But you're the pony everypony hates, Diamond Tiara!" He sneered, finding joy in sarcasm and spite. “Ha ha ha!” he punctuated his anger with fake laughter.

Diamond Tiara stared at him bile building in her blood. She wanted to rip his head off and parade around town with his pig head on a pike. "That's right! I make fun of everypony and nopony does anything about it!" she screamed at him. "What do you know!?"

"That you're just a big meanie!"

"Because if I wasn't then I would be the one being made fun of!"

"Yeah, right!"

"Yes, right!" Diamond Tiara forced herself into Snips' personal space, her Tiara poking him menacingly in the throat. She was losing control of her emotions and saw Snips as the embodiment of everything she feared and wanted to lash at. "A rich filly transfers into class and everypony automatically hates her because she's the privileged one! Her parents give her everything she wants and she gets everything they want!" Hot tears were crawling down her face again, stinging when the wind would lash at her. "Nopony would talk to me! Nopony would listen to me! Nopony would look at me! It was either I become that big spoiled meanie everypony thought I was and spit on them or be devoured by my peers just for being rich!"

Snips could barely understand her, and he felt his body tremble when she weakly punched him. She felt so weak. "So you spit on everypony because they expect you to?"

"Yes!" Diamond Tiara cried collapsed to the ground. Years of sorrowful irony finally bucking her in the face. The one thing she always wanted to avoid had hit her. Everyone hated her, now more than ever.

"So, like, we should go to the dance together," Diamond Tiara flirted with Shady Daze. "We’d make everypony at the dance jealous."

Shady Daze stared at the most annoying filly in all of Equestria with half-closed eyes. He couldn't stand her. Yet, in his mind, an idea had formed. "Sure," he said, apathetically.

Moments later, Diamond Tiara was walking down the hall with Silver Spoon by her side. She went on about how she was going to show up everyone and love it. "Like I told you it was only natural Shady Daze and I would go together,” she giggled, already imagining all of those down-trodden faces.

"Yep," Silver Spoon agreed as she followed along. “You’re so awesome.”

"So did you ask anypony yet?" Diamond Tiara asked, showing some interest in her friend. “We have to show up together!”

"Me!?" Silver Spoon was taken aback by suddenly being the topic of discussion. She wasn’t used to being in the limelight and was even afraid of it.

"Yeah, you," Diamond Tiara said back, "did you ask anypony yet?"

"Well…" Silver Spoon replied. "I haven't asked anypony yet."

"What!" Diamond Tiara gasped. "Like, what about that pipsqueak, Pipsqueak!"

"N-not so loud!" Silver Spoon reflexively shoved a hoof into Diamond Tiara's mouth. Diamond Tiara stared back at her friend with the hoof still in her mouth unamused. “S-sorry,” Silver Spoon apologized, retracting her hoof. "Sorry, I just haven't worked up the nerve," she lamented.

"Well you should," Diamond Tiara stated. "If he doesn't go to the dance with you then that's his own fault. Anypony would be lucky to go with you!"

"That's all right. I wasn't sure about going to the dance anyway," Silver Spoon finally admitted to Diamond Tiara.

"W-what!?" Diamond Tiara's heart sunk a little. It had never dawned on her that she might go to the dance without Silver Spoon. "B-but, what about being seen as the coolest fillies in school!?"

"I-I don't need that," Silver Spoon stuttered. "I'm happy just being your friend."

"Silver Spoon…" Diamond Tiara had to hold back a few tears. She would never allow herself to be seen as weak in front of anyone, but the feelings she felt from Silver Spoon was slowly shattering that façade, but Reality came back to her when she remembered Silver Spoon wasn’t planning on attending the dance. "It's still not too late to ask out that pipsqueak!"

"That's all right," Silver Spoon replied. "I heard he has a crush on another filly anyway. I doubt he would like a pony like me."

"N-no," Diamond Tiara almost shouted, "he’d have to be a loser not to like you!"

"Well, he did look really dorky in that pirate outfit," she joked before solemnly looking off in another direction. "My father is really coming down on me about learning to handle silver. He wants me to keep up the family tradition. I've seen more silver spoons in his craft shop then at a family reunion.”

Diamond Tiara eyed her friend who replied back with a cheesy grin. Less than a minute later they were both on the floor laughing at the awful joke in a display that betrayed their public personas. For a few moments they allowed themselves to be a couple of normal fillies without a care in the world; a reality detached from family expectations and public perceptions.

Diamond Tiara arrived at the hearts and hooves dance alone. Red and pink streamers were strewn around the building and already some ponies were out on the dance floor with their special someponies in each other’s hooves. She had to keep herself from jumping up and down and squealing like a school filly. She was so excited for the event that she had gone out to Canterlot just to buy a special dress just for this evening. The dress perfect for just this night. This night that, now, Silver Spoon wasn't here with her for. Still, she would be with Shady Daze. That’ll make everything better, right? Diamond Tiara would dance with Shady Daze and be the envy of everyone. That’s what she decided on, but now her head swam in uncertainly. Is tonight going to be the best night ever like I planned now?

Feeling parched, Diamond Tiara made her way to the punch bowl. There, in front of the bowl, stood Snips. Perfect… She didn't feel like messing with him now and she doubted she would be able to get a drink without some sort of sour exchange. "I don't have time for this," Diamond Tiara muttered to herself. "Where is Shady Daze?" She scanned the room, looking for the blue colt.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle," Shady Daze greeted Sweetie Belle with a playful smile, "what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm here at the dance with my friends Apple Bloom and Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle answered innocently.

"Well, why don't you come and hang with me?" Shady Daze flashed Sweetie Belle his most charming smile.

"Oh, that's quite all right," Sweetie Belle answered back obliviously.

"Sweetie Belle!"

"Oh, coming, Apple Bloom!" Sweetie Belle turned back to Shady Daze. "Gotta go. Later Shady!"

Shady Daze stared at the now empty space in front of him before chuckling to himself. "I should have expected that."

"You!" Diamond Tiara screamed at him. "What was that!?"

"That?" Shady Daze looked back to Sweetie Belle who was dancing with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "I wanted to dance with Sweetie Belle. She's a really cute."

"You're at the dance with me!" Diamond Tiara scowled at him, blood rushing to her face.

"Oh yeah, huh, that's right." Shady Daze lazily turned back to Diamond Tiara. He barely acknowledged her.

"Yes," Diamond Tiara tried to calm herself and put up with Shady Daze’s aloof nature, "that is right."

"About that," Shady Daze started, "I was just messing with you."

"What?" Diamond Tiara's mind blanked.

"I mean, who, in all of Equestria, would actually want to go out with you?" Shady Daze spat back. "You're just a selfish mean pony."

Diamond Tiara’s face snapped into a twisted frown of rage, and the way he barely acknowledged this also made her angry. She was growing madder with each passing second. "You what! You foalish little loser! Who do you think you are to trick me like this! Do you know who I am!?"

"I know who you are," Shady Daze started, advancing on Diamond Tiara, "You’re the cruelest, meanest, most hated pony at school! Nobody likes you!" Shady Daze spat back. “I bet not even Silver Spoon.”

“Take that back,” Diamond Tiara hissed. “Take that back before I buck your teeth in!”

Shady Daze ignored Diamond Tiara. Instead he just trotted over to the punch bowl where Snips still stood trying not to gawk at the two. Diamond Tiara’s shouting had caught the attention of most of the ponies and she hadn’t noticed. She was too busy focusing on Shady Daze, who strode over to the bowl of punch.

“Take it back!” she yelled again.

Shady Daze smirked, and threw the bowl of punch on Diamond Tiara. All her dreams about the dance were washed away and her heart almost stopped when she heard one pony start laughing. One pony was followed by two, who were followed by two more, until almost every pony at the dance was laughing at mean and cruel Diamond Tiara.

“I bet you’ll be sweeter now,” Shady Daze joked, laughing at her with everyone else.

Diamond Tiara gritted her teeth and bucked Shady Daze in his chest. He collapsed onto the floor, his legs twitching in the air. "I hate all of you!" She yelled back before storming off, out of the dance, into the cold night.

Snips had no idea what to do. Before him laid the filly that had tormented him for most of his life, but now she was hardly the monster that tormented him and others when given the chance. All that was left of Diamond Tiara was a smoldering pile of shattered self-esteem. He hated Diamond Tiara, but was this Diamond Tiara, he wondered. "Hey, Tiara?" He tried to reach out to her.

"Go away," Diamond Tiara mumbled back, her face buried in the dirt. "Just go away, leave me alone."

Snips wrestled with his inner feelings, unable to distinguish the words that he wanted to say with the words that he should say. "You deserved every bit of what you got!" he said at last.

"Shut up," Diamond Tiara weakly replied. There was no sting left in her words. Snips could have sworn that Diamond Tiara was weak all along.

"Couldn't you have just been nice?" Snips wanted to smack himself. Why did he come here? Just to make fun of Diamond Tiara and get the revenge he longed for? No. He came here because Diamond Tiara was hurting, but he couldn’t help her.

"Don't you think I tried that," she cried. "Whenever I was nice to ponies they would just take advantage of me. They didn't care about Diamond Tiara; just her bits. That's all I am to everypony! A walking bag of bits! I'm nopony and will never be anypony! Nopony likes me! Nopony cares about me! Why should I care about anypony else!" she screamed as loud as she could, almost howling louder than the wind before burying her face in her hooves again.

"So you gave up?”

"Yes.” She was quiet, her voice barely audible from the chasms of her hooves. “Why shouldn't I? I arrived at school knowing full-well everypony would dislike me right away, and no matter what I did they still disliked me. So I gave them a reason to… I became the meanest filly in school. Why? Because they expected it, and they got it. I would make them feel just as bad as they made me feel. They gave me my options, and it was either be the top of the food chain or the bottom, and I chose top…"

"And now you're at the bottom."

"I know," Diamond Tiara pitifully cried, "I know…" She trembled, finding it harder and harder to hold herself together. She wanted to collapse into nothingness and cease to exist, and if she did she feared that no one would miss her. All that she had left was sorrow. Years and years of sorrow.

Snips had had front row seat to the punch bowl event, and it was the most hilarious thing he had ever watched. One moment he was pouring a cup of juice, the next Diamond Tiara was being laughed at by the entire school. "Serves her right," Snips laughed, taking delight in her riotous punishment. Sure he was dateless, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world now. Being Diamond Tiara was.

"Hey, Snips."

"Agh!" Snips jumped. He turned around to find Snails in a lime green dress jacket. "Snails! Don't sneak up on me like that."

"Oh, sorry man," Snails apologized with a cheesy grin. “Having fun?”

“More than I thought,” Snips barked back, slugging Snails playfully in the shoulder. "So, I take it Twist said yes, you lucky stallion?" Snips asked, already aware of the answer and happy for his friend. Tonight seemed to be looking better and better.

"Yep!" Snails answered him with flashing a bright and toothy smile.

"Well I say that's something to drink to!" Snips declared, telekinetically holding up his half-empty cup. “To the best night ever!” Their little cups made an audible clink. "Alright, enough mucking. Get back to your date already!" Snips pushed Snails in the direction of the dance floor where Twist waited for him, the most stunning mare in the world in Snails’ mind. "Go make that filly the luckiest filly in the world."

"Uh, yeah!" Snails held up his head with pride and composed himself, approaching Twist with confidence and purpose.

"You go, guy," Snips cheered, weakly. He doubted Snails could hear him anyway. He was in his own world now, leaving Snips back in reality alone. “It’s not so bad,” Snips sighed, looking back to the empty punch bowl on the floor. “I’m still thirsty too…”

"Can you believe how pathetic that was?"

Snips turned around and found Shady Daze and his friend, Strike lost in conversation.

"Real pinhead that Diamond Tiara," Strike agreed, "thinking she's all that and then getting bowled over by the entire school."

"Still, I won't forget this night now. Best night ever if only to put that rich snob in her place," Shady Daze chuckled. "Now I can enjoy the rest of the dance in peace."

Snips couldn’t help but agree with Shady Daze. With Diamond Tiara gone he didn’t have to worry about her insulting him for not finding a date. He could try and enjoy himself.

"Snips?"

"Agh!" Snips jumped again. "Snails, stop doing that."

"Eh, sorry," Snails apologized.

"Why aren’t you off dancing with Twist!? Leave me alone, I’m fine."

"Well, she saw that I was kinda worried about you," Snails answered him.

"What? Me? Why worry about me?"

"Because you don't have a date," Snails answered, cutting a little deep.

"It’s all right, Snails," Snips sighed. He didn’t like being reminded of his lonely status. "I'll get over it eventually."

"I doubt Diamond Tiara will," Snails added, somewhat down.

"I know!" Snips jumped with joy, grabbing his friend around a shoulder. "She left the place in tears! I wish I had a camera for that!"

"Uh, Snips, don't you think it was kinda mean of everypony though?" Snails asked.

Snips stopped and took a moment to register this question. It sounded to him like pity. Pity? For Diamond Tiara? The filly’s been making fun of us since the day we met? "Snails," Snips started, "this is Diamond Tiara we're talking about. Mean might as well be in the middle of her name. She deserved every single bit of that she got!"

"She did?" Snails questioned for a moment before shaking his head. "But it was mean."

"But she's mean!" Snips almost shouted. "Who cares if ponies are mean to her!"

"But two wrongs don't make a right eh," Snails sighed.

"So?" Snips answered. "So what if two wrongs don't make a right? When the next day comes Diamond Tiara will storm into school, have a whole bunch more names to call everypony, probably buck Daze’s teeth in, and chances are everything will go back to normal. I say we enjoy this night because for once Diamond Tiara got what she deserves."

"But…" Snails tried to put into words what he wanted to express. "I thought we don’t like the way everything is. I mean, Diamond Tiara isn't the only pony that makes fun of us. She's just the pony that does it the most, but tomorrow it’s just going to be like before."

"Well, what can we do?" Snips sighed, wishing he had a chair to collapse into. "Status quo is status quo. Nothing anypony can do about that."

"But, what if somepony was nice to Diamond Tiara?"

"What? Like Silver Spoon?" Snips wondered.

"No!" Snails was losing his patience fast. "I mean some other pony."

"And who would want to do that?" Who, indeed, would want to comfort the most hated pony in school? The most spiteful pony in school. Such a prospect was too foreign for Snips, but one look at Snails’ face put a rock in Snips’ stomach. "Snails, you better not be thinking what I think you’re thinking. I don’t have a death wish! I wouldn’t touch Tiara with a fifty foot pole! Especially not right now."

“But-”

"But nothing!" Snips glared at his friend. "Why do you think I should go be nice to… to her!" He was furious. Why would his friend want him to go through such a thing? He was pretty sure they were on the same page about disliking everything about Diamond Tiara in general. Was he wrong? “Why, Snails, tell me.”

"Well," Snails took a deep breath, "Diamond Tiara doesn't have any friends here."

"Silver Spoon!" Snips barked back.

"She's not here," Snails answered back, annoyed over being interrupted. "And, she must have been really hurt from, well, everypony laughing at her and-"

"But that's what she does!"

"Stop interrupting me!" Snails finally yelled, starling Snips. Snails was serious. Very serious. "Sorry," Snails apologized, noticing the expression on his friend's face.

"No, no, it was my bad," Snips sighed. "Continue."

"Well, what if somepony else was nice to Diamond Tiara. Maybe she might be a little nicer to everypony else?"

"Snails, that’s a bad plan,” Snips flatly stated. “Diamond Tiara isn't like that. She's not just going to open up and be nice just because somepony is to her. Especially right now. I mean, she must be really… hurting… a lot…" Snips' empathy was beginning to catch up with him. He hated it when then that happened.

"It's worth a try," Snails answered.

"But, why me?" Snips lamented, his posture giving way under the burden that was being placed upon him.

"Well… you don't have a date," Snails replied, smiling as brightly as he could.

Snips glared at his friend before giving in to a fit of laughter. "I hate it when you do that, Snails," Snips dug a hoof into his friend's shoulder. "You can't send me to my death and smile about it."

"I can't?" Snails played dumb.

Snips looked over to the doors leading outside. Was he really going to do this? Try and comfort Diamond Tiara, hoping that she might be a little nicer in the future. "Why not," Snips finally told himself. "Snails, I hope you remember who the brains of this outfit still is?"

"Well, between the two of us I'm pretty sure we have one whole of those."

Snips couldn't help but collapse in a fit of laughter. "Oh, you're good."

"I try," Snails replied modestly.

"All right, you go back to your date." Snips picked himself up. "Don't worry about me. Unless you don't see me in the morning. Then you know who to sue. Lucky for you Tiara has a ton of bits."

Diamond Tiara cried into the dirt, and after a full hour she lifted her head, surveying the area to see if she was alone. Snips was nowhere to be found. "Good," she muttered, "that pig is gone."

"Again with the pig."

"Agh!" Diamond Tiara screamed, falling onto her back and wiggling around helplessly. "D-don't sneak up on me like that, pig!" she screamed.

"I didn't mean to sneak up on you," Snips answered, a bucket levitating behind him. "I was just getting some water. I figured… you were thirsty. Well, I am."

"What happened to 'you got what you deserve'?" Diamond Tiara growled back. "What happened to digging your hoof into my broken self? Well, pig?"

Snips sighed. Snails was right, he found. Two wrongs don’t make a right, and now Diamond Tiara must hate him more than anything else. "Tiara," he started, feeling a lump form in his throat to block out his words, "I'm sorry, all right?" He felt prideless.

"I doubt that, pig," Diamond Tiara spat back.

"I am!" Snips roared. "Even if it was true," darn it, "I shouldn't have said all those mean things." He took a deep breath. "So I went to the lake, found a bucket, and scooped us up a bucket of water because you must be thirsty. So here, enjoy."

"Water?" Diamond Tiara questioned. "Water? You're trying to appease me with water? From a lake? Is this even clean? Pig, are you even thinking?" Diamond Tiara sneered.

"Hello, unicorn horn," Snips pointed to his horn, "I can do magic like making this water clean."

"Prove it," she challenged Snips.

"Oh, I will!" Snips smiled as his horn glowed orange with magic. The bucket of water was wrapped in the same orange glow and no sooner than that did the aura disperses. "And done!" Snips proudly announced. “Drink till your heart’s content, mifilly.”

"What, that's it?" Diamond Tiara yawned. “I’ve seen better magic from clowns: Earth-pony clowns.”

"It's a disinfectant spell!" Snips grumbled. "I left the fireworks edition at home."

"Then how do I know it worked?"

"Try some." Snips pushed the bucket in front of Diamond Tiara. “It’s clean.”

"Like, no."

"Oh c'mon," Snips scowled. He felt more and more frustrated and was at the edge of his wit’s end. "I disinfected it just for you, you know."

"And why should I believe that?" Diamond Tiara glared back. “This could all be a trick.”

"Because… because I'm trying to be nice."

"I don’t believe you."

Snips lowered his head in defeat. "Yeah, I guess you don't." He collapsed to the floor, no longer caring about the state of the coat Rarity gave him. His evening was already a failure, and to top it all off he felt a drop of water fall on his head. Wait, what? He turned up and found dark clouds crawling across the sky. "What the? I don't remember reading this on the forecast!" he panicked.

"Like, calm down, pig. It must have rolled in from the Everfree Forest," Diamond Tiara explained as the rain picked up. "Wait, I don't want to get wet!"

"The tree!" Snips pointed to it and the two ran to it for cover. "Why did it have to rain now?” Snips asked the forces of nature.

"Oh Celestia, stuck here, with you."

"I see you managed to get back some of your venom," Snips commented coldly.

"Whatever, pig." Diamond Tiara glared back. "Can't you use your magic to teleport us home?"

"I told you, I'm not good with that spell."

"Ugh, useless pig."

Snips, almost lost his nerve again. I swear, she’s doing all of this on purpose! She said so herself already. Snips’ eyes shot open as something very important about Diamond Tiara dawned on him. He turned to her, and rather than seeing the mean filly that tormented him, he saw a scared pony, mournfully caressing her ruined dress. Her eyes expressed a familiar sadness. "Doing it on purpose," Snips said quietly to himself, finally realizing that that is what Diamond Tiara is doing. "Tiara…"

"What, pig," Diamond Tiara lazily replied.

"You don't need to act like that," Snips told her.

"What are you talking about, pig?" Her voice was breaking and a look of panic shot across her eyes.

"You said you act that way because everypony expects you to," Snips replied, "but you don't need to do that now, do you?"

Diamond Tiara froze. She had said too much. Snips knew about her fears and anxieties now, and armed with such knowledge he could destroy her on every level. She had completely dropped her guard and now was going to suffer for her negligence. "I don’t know what you’re talking about." Diamond Tiara curled up into a ball, rocking herself slowly. "You’re spouting nonsense."

"Tiara…" Seeing her like this Snips felt a little guilty, but he also found himself wanting to reach out to Diamond Tiara. Underneath her diamond-hard exterior was another pony who was scared of being hurt by others more than anything. It was innocent. “Diamond Tiara-”

"Stop it!" She broke out into tears again. "You hate me! Everypony hates me! And now you’re telling me I should let my guard down again! I can't do that! I can't!!" She wailed, her soul pouring out of her eyes, and with each tear she felt a part of her armor cracking away. Soon, she would have nothing left to protect herself. Then what will I do?

Snips looked at the scared filly. She didn't look angry. She didn’t look snide. She just looked sad. Diamond Tiara had feelings. Who knew… "Diamond Tiara," Snips called to her, and she turned back to him with nothing but her tear-stained face to show him. She stared back at him with her azure blue eyes. Beautiful azure eyes. Snips had to shake his head if only to clear his thoughts.

"Yes?" Diamond Tiara answered back softly.

"Uh!" Snips felt himself caught off guard now. A plethora of words swam in his mind and he had trouble picking out the ones he wanted to say from the ones he didn’t want to say. You look nice, no don’t say that! He shook himself again, eliciting a questionable stare from Diamond Tiara. "What I mean to say is that I’m not going to say anything mean, so you don’t need to either. Please?"

Diamond Tiara turned away from Snips. “I…”

"Please?" Snips asked again.

Diamond Tiara hiccupped. "Fine, whatever!" She quickly replied.

"Really?" Snips asked incredulously.

Diamond Tiara had to hold back a gasp. What did I say? She turned back to Snips, ready to tell him that there was no chance on the moon she would be nice to him or anyone else, but she saw something she had never seen before: A genuinely happy, smiling Snips. His happiness and smile were bordering on infectious. Diamond Tiara had to stop herself from smiling back. She looked back in her memories in all the moments she had shared before with him; all the scowling and cruelty she had exchanged with him. None of it led to this whole new moment that played to the backdrop of her hurting soul. "Really,” she found herself saying.

"Great," Snips answered back to her, gazing at her with his sparkling ebony eyes. "Say, Diamond Tiara," he piped up.

"Y-yes?" Diamond Tiara answered back, her mind stepping through every word with a mix of fear and anxiousness.

"I'm sorry for being mean to you earlier," Snips told her from the bottom of his heart.

"W-what?" Diamond Tiara became flustered. “Y-you said that already p-… I mean… I-I mean… Why are you bringing it up again?”

"Well, when you ran out of the dance, crying, it made me happy to see you hurt, but that was wrong of me," Snips admitted. "Nopony, deserves to be hurt, and I feel like my last apology wasn’t strong enough."

She didn’t know how to react to this. Few ponies in Diamond Tiara’s life have ever been genuinely nice to her, and Snips was far from them. To react to his kindness was unknown to her. She wondered to herself; should she be mean and snide? Why is it that that’s the only way she knows? "Well… well…" she grasped for words.

"Well?" Snips questioned.

"I'm thirsty!" Diamond Tiara answered.

"You're thirsty…" Snips echoed flatly, a little annoyed that his heartfelt apology was met with demand.

"Y-yes…" Diamond Tiara curled herself tighter. "Where is that water you cleaned?" she asked, not demanded.

"Oh!? The water, uh?" Snips looked back to the bucket of water sitting in the rain. At least he wouldn't need to disinfect this water. Using his little magic, Snips levitated the bucket over to himself, and offered it to Diamond Tiara. "Here,” he reached out to her.

"T-thank you." Diamond Tiara took the bucket and started to drink from it, an act Snips found amusingly uncivilized. "It's good.”

"It's water," Snips told her, and she laughed.

"You're right! It is just water!" Diamond Tiara continued laughing. Not a laugh of snide amusement, but one of genuine joy. It was one Snips had never heard before.

"It's clean though," Snips replied.

"Yes, it is." Diamond Tiara drank deeply from the bucket. She had needed something to drink since she first stepped into the dance. "Thanks, Snips."

"You said my name!" Snips smiled in disbelief.

"Well… that is your name."

"Yeah, named after scissors. Kinda happens when both your parents are barbers," Snips joked.

"I was named after an accessory," Diamond Tiara shared. “Hardly any better than yours,” and she joined him in another round of laughter. "My mother is really good at fabrications, and my father, an entrepreneur. Sells everything from jewelry to jam."

"Oh, so your mom made that tiara?" Snips asked, eyeing it more closely.

"Actually,” she smiled. “My dad did. Well, with my mother’s help. He wanted to make," Diamond Tiara paused, "a really special gift for me."

"So that's why you always wear it," Snips mused. "That must make it really special."

"It is." For Diamond Tiara nothing could replace the tiara her father gave her.

"Ever take it off?" Snips asked curiously.

"Never!"

"I bet you look different with it off."

"W-what are you getting at?"

"Take it off!"

"No!"

"C'mon!" Snips inched closer to Diamond Tiara, his curiosity peaking.

"N-no!" Diamond Tiara picked up the bucket and tossed it at Snips, who lost balance trying to avoid it. He fell on her, and her tiara fell off, depositing itself on the ground. Diamond Tiara's mane came undone, flowing out all over her face. "S-sorry," Diamond Tiara apologized for throwing the bucket.

"Y-yeah, sorry," Snips apologized for falling on her, and he just lay there, gazing at those innocent azure-blue eyes. They both stared at each other, unsure of what to do.

"It's getting a little heard to breath," Diamond Tiara admitted.

"S-sorry!" Snips threw himself off of her. "I didn't mean to do that!"

"I-It's all right," Diamond Tiara admitted. It was alright, she found. She looked back at her tiara. It was covered in mud. "Oh…"

"I can clean it," Snips barked out rather quickly. "What I mean to say is metal is actually pretty easy to clean much more than water." He was talking quickly, afraid that Diamond Tiara might start crying again. He extended his magic over the tiara and began working his spell, expunging any foreign material from the accessory.
Diamond Tiara watched breathlessly, becoming more awed as her tiara began to gleam as bright as the day she had first put it on and pretended she was a princess. "W-wow, Snips that was incredible!" she squealed, smiling uncontrollably.

"You really do look different with it off." Snips knew his cheeks were burning.

"Different how?”

"Like… cuter…" What did I say!? What am I thinking?

"Really?" It was new for her to be complimented in such a way by a colt, and she did have to admit to herself that Snips was the last pony she expected such a compliment from. She turned her eyes to the fringes of her mane that threatened to cover her eyes and take her away from reality. “I kinda prefer it done up, but,” she hesitated and said, “thanks, Snips.”

“Y-you’re welcome,” Snips replied, afraid his body was going to burn up and reduce him to ash. “Anytime.” He had to forcibly shut his mouth out of fear he was going to continue spouting dorky lines and look even more like a fool. He noticed Diamond Tiara fumbling with her tiara, struggling to put it on without a mirror and her short legs. "N-need some help with that?" Snips asked.

"M-maybe," Diamond Tiara stuttered.

"U-uhh. Well…" Snips took the tiara with his hooves. He looked at Diamond Tiara who seemed to be avoiding eye contact with him. Shaking, he slowly placed the Tiara on her head, but without a stylist handy her mane continued to stray over and to the sides of her face. "Done."

"Thanks again, Snips," Diamond Tiara answered back, voice filled with an unknown gratitude he had never heard before. "You're a really nice colt."

"Y-you mean that?"

Diamond Tiara caught herself too late. She said it without realizing she was saying it, but she meant it. She had never felt treated so nice by another pony her age other than Silver Spoon. She was genuine and didn’t know how to deal with it. "I guess I do."

It rained for hours, but the two just sat under the tree with only each other for company. Eventually, at long last, the rain began to lighten up, and Snips stepped out from under the tree, letting the sprinkle clear his head. "That feels good," he sighed.

"Playing in the rain, that's so kiddish?" Diamond Tiara spat.

"We are kids!" Snips laughed back.

"Well, I guess you're right!" She laughed as well as she stepped out from under the tree, letting herself be overcome by the rain. She could care less about her dress at this point.

"I bet the dance is over," Snips stated. "All that's left is to go home, I guess." As the words left him he noticed that he didn’t want to move. He wanted to stay here with her.

"What!" Diamond Tiara gasped, "but I never got to dance!" she continued to fume indignantly.

"You wanted to dance?"

"Yes! That's what you do at a dance, Snips. You dance."

"Oh yeah," Snips laughed again. "I forgot about that."

"Did you even get a date?" Diamond Tiara sneered.

"Uhhh…." Snips looked down to the floor. "No."

“That’s too bad,” Diamond Tiara answered him, her voice carrying only warmth. “Mine turned out to be a complete dud.”

"Well…" Snips gulped, summoning up all his courage for one last chance. "We're here together."

"I-I guess we are," Diamond Tiara replied, suddenly becoming shy and hiding behind her unkempt mane, "b-but this is hardly a dance though."

"Well, we can still dance… with each other?" he dared to ask.

"W-with no music?" Diamond Tiara became flustered, very visibly becoming uncomfortable.

“Well…” Snips inhaled, and his horn began to glow with orange light. Music, slow and simple music, began to play. A spell he had once watched Twilight perform and since then has been working hard to emulating. A single flute played, its notes off-key, but still melodious. "How's this for music?" Snips asked, a little strained from the advanced spell.

Diamond Tiara was left breathless. It was beautiful. "It's wondrous, Snips. I didn’t know you could do that."

"It’s kinda bad," Snips groaned under the weight of his spell. He closed his eyes and was about to collapse, but someone caught him. He looked up and found Diamond Tiara not more than an inch away holding him up.

"It's still beautiful, Snips." Diamond Tiara told him, gazing into his face and fluttering over the cute smile unfurling behind his buck teeth. "Thank you, Snips, for the best night ever."

“You’re welcome, Diamond Tiara.” He looked up into her beautiful eyes, and felt his world melting away slowly. “And thank you for making this the best night ever.” She stayed silent, but he could see the brilliantness of her feelings shining through to him. “So, wanna dance?”

“I would love to.”