GBOYHVerse Tarnished Diamonds

Chapters

The Masks We Wear
Sleepovers
Alone in the Crowd
Past Uncovered
Common Ground
To Look in the Mirror

The Masks We Wear

GBOYHVerse: Tarnished Diamonds
Chapter 2
The Masks We Wear
By Godzillawolf

Sometime earlier

“Silver Spoon! Rise and shine!” barked a stallion's voice.

The silver Earth Pony blinked awake, the world around her an unfocused blur. Her hooves followed the daily activity repetition had ingrained in their muscle memory and carefully picked up the little (and quite expensive) piece of blue plastic and glass that enabled her to see the world clearly between them.

Her hooves slipped and fumbled them. The little foal fearfully managed to catch them and gave a sigh of relief. Silver Spoon carefully put them on her muzzle, adjusting them until she could see her room in detail. Piles of stuffed animals and fancy dolls came into focus. She crawled out from under the big fluffy blanket and stretched with a yawn.

Silver Spoon trotted over to her vanity mirror and looked herself over; her long mane hanging down and the tired, unassuming expression on her face looking back at her. She looked almost like any other filly.

With some difficulty, the Earth Pony got her mane into its typical ponytail using her hooves and slipped the circle of pearls she wore around her neck.

It took all but a second to for the tired filly to don a cheerful, sweet expression that could make one mistake her for a relative of Ponyville's resident party pony.

She chuckled at herself for a moment before turning and heading down the long hallway to the dining room.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” said the refined voice of a Pegasus seated at the long dining room table. The mare was almost identical in color to her young daughter, but had a navy blue mane in place of her white one. She wore an expensive looking blue dress with gold highlights that hid her Cutie Mark, and fancy styled glasses of the same color.

Silver Spoon gave a cute curtsy. “Hello, mother,” she said with a sweet but refined tone.

A muscular, dark gray Unicorn sat at the other end of the table, his mane color matching that of Silver Spoon's, but in a flat top style. He currently wore nothing, allowing his Cutie Mark (a silver bullet racing through the air) to be seen in full, but a set of golden Royal Guard armor sat on a stand behind him, several medals hanging on it. “Sleep well, Spoon?” he asked in a gruff voice but with a warm smile.

Silver effortlessly saluted her father with an obedient, but strangely cute expression and picture perfect posture closer to a soldier than a lady. “Yes sir!”

Lieutenant Silver Bullet chuckled and ruffled his daughter's mane. “Glad to hear it.”

An elderly unicorn maid floated food onto the table as the little Earth Pony took her seat and prepared to dig into her breakfast: soy eggs, toast with top grade butter and imported jam, and two glasses, one filled with ice cold milk and the other with orange juice bought directly from the Orange Family in Manehatten.

“Remember your manners, Silver Spoon,” her mother, Silver Wing reminded.

“Yes mother,” she said politely, carefully and gingerly beginning to eat her soy eggs.

“Don't forget to drink your milk, Spoon. It builds strong bones.”

“Yes daddy,” the silver filly replied in an obedient tone, taking the milk between her hooves and drinking it down.

“Slower Silver Spoon, a lady doesn't slurp,” her mother reminded.

“Yes mother,” Silver replied sweetly, slowing down without missing a beat or losing the cheerful smile she'd kept since she woke up.

“Remember, Spoon, be careful on the way to school, alright?” asked Silver Bullet asked, now in full armor.

She gave a salute to her father. “Yes, sir!”

He gave a chuckle and hugged her. “Alright, have a good day,” the stallion said, teleporting away.

“You will be careful, won't you dear?” asked Silver Wing, giving a worried look to her child.

Silver nodded, giving a mature smile. “Yes, mother, I will be very careful,” she said in a lady-like tone.

Her mother gave her a nuzzle. “Alright, Silver Spoon, I love you.”

“I love you too mother.”

The pegasus flew off to her room in the house to do her job (all Silver Spoon understood of it was it involved lots and lots of paper work) and the little foal put on her saddle bags and started to school, still maintaining the cheerful expression.

Diamond Tiara sat in her seat, eyes searching the room for any distraction (instead of on the book she had resting between her forelegs to support her alibi) as she waited for somepony else to come other than Cheerilee. The teacher wasn't somepony the bully was used to talking to except for the cases when somepony caught her, trying to sound smart or...or manipulating her against the Crusaders. She wasn't really somepony Diamond talked to except when it suited her. She normally just listened enough to get by and that was that.

So she just sat there, stuck with her own thoughts and her own confusion. Her eyes kept wandering back to the Crusader's normal seats. 'Please let Silver be the first one here...'

The last thing the foal wanted was to be stuck in the same room with those three blank fl-brats for however long it was until class started.

Thankfully, it was that yellow pegasus foal with a purple mane and feather Cutie Mark that came in first, so at least she wouldn't be alone.

The foal blinked, eyes going across the room and finding only Diamond there. She just stood there for a moment, staring in confusion and uncertainty.

“Alula?” asked Cheerilee, looking at the filly. “Is something wrong?”

The little filly jumped slightly. “Oh! N-Nothing...” she said, and quietly took a seat in the back of the class.

Diamond gave a small sigh of relief. Sure, she had no idea who that foal was, but at least she wasn't going to be alone with those three when they showed up. If push came to shove she could have some small talk with Alula and distract herself and the Crusaders.

'So long as they don't do anything humiliating, you'll be fine, Diamond Tiara,' the pink Earth Pony thought. 'Just wait for Silver to get here and just talk to her for the rest of the school day. Simple.'

“Uh, Miss Cheerilee?”

'Oh come on!'

“Girls? What happened?”

Diamond turned to see the three blank flanks standing at the door...covered in tree sap to the point of being stuck together.

Diamond's eye twitched as her mind filled with a number of insults and teasing ideas and demanded she make them first opportunity.

“We were in a rush to get here and...kinda ended up in a tree,” Scootaloo said in an embarrassed tone.

Cheerilee gave an exasperated sigh. “Again?”

Diamond's other eye began to twitch.

“You weren't watching where you were going!” Sweetie Belle complained, trying to pull herself off of her friends.

“Applebloom distracted me!”

“Hey! Ah didn't know there'd be a rock right there!”

“Good thing Derpy was there to get us out of the tree...”

Diamond started to sweat heavily.

“Alright, should we try to get you three washed off before class starts?” their teacher asked politely, leading the trio towards the bathroom.

As soon as they were out of the room, Diamond slammed her head into the desk in front of her with a thud that made Alula jump. “Maybe this will be harder than I thought...” she muttered.

Silver Spoon finally trotted up to the door of the school house and took a second to focus. The cheerful expression receded, becoming the smug, high and mighty smirk she'd become so well known for to her and Diamond's regular victims.

The silver filly walked in, now carrying herself with an air of 'I'm better than you' and her eyes fell on Diamond Tiara, who sat nervously at her desk and gave a relieved sigh when she saw her.

“Hey Silver Spoon, boy am I glad to see you,” the pink bully said as her cohort sat down in the seat next to her.

Silver Spoon blinked. “What happened?”

“Just been having a bad day, that's all,” Diamond replied simply. “I needed a distraction.”

“The Blank Flanks causing you trouble again?” Silver asked, with practiced venom.

“Something like that...” Diamond replied, giving a perfectly fake smile that Silver didn't question. “But let's not talk about them right now.”

Silver Spoon gave a confused blink. “Huh?”

Diamond then realized how much of the dialog between her and Silver since her cute-ceañera revolved around planning some plot against the Crusaders.

"We have better things to do than just tease those losers."

"We do?"

"Of course we do! Didn't I just say so?"

"Oh, right, of course,” Silver chimed in, not missing a beat or letting her inner confusion show. “So...what do we talk about?”

“...How are your parents' doing?”

“They're doing great. Daddy just got promoted to Lieutenant.”

Diamond Tiara blinked. “Your daddy's is in the guard?”

Silver nodded. “Yeah, a really good one,” she said, genuine respect in her tone.

The pink filly just started for a moment. How had she not noticed that?

She was also surprised to see Silver Spoon's admiration for her father. Diamond had begun to believe that Silver didn't think of anything except helping her bully the CMC.

“Oh...that's good,” the tiara wearing bully replied.

“Yeah.”

“...My daddy's doing well and momma...she's back.”

“That's really good Diamond,” Silver Spoon said sincerely. “I'm glad your momma got better, Diamond Tiara.”

“Thank you...”

“Alright, my little ponies,” said Cheerilee, walking the now cleaned up Crusaders into the room and directing them to their seats as the rest of the foals finished trotting in and taking their seats.

Diamond turned back to watching the teacher, grateful for a distraction.

Silver Spoon slipped on her cheerful smile and kept her eyes directed at the teacher, looking the part of an eager student.

Cheerilee took a piece of chalk in her mouth and began writing on the board, drawing a diagram of the three types of pony, as well as a spectral horse. She spat out a little chalk dust as she put the chalk down. “Alright class, today we will be going over a little more Equestrian history. Show of hooves, who has seen a Hearth's Warming Eve play?”

The Crusaders raised their hooves, as did several other foals. Diamond and Silver's hooves remained down. The pink filly recalled that had been while her mother had been recovering from her illness. Her father had said that the recovering mare wasn't in a condition to travel so going to a play hadn't yet been an option. She knew the basic idea: evil monsters came after the three tribes because they didn't get along, hatred is bad. That's all she really knew.

She noticed Twist didn't raise her hoof either. Diamond didn't know or care why she wasn't. She was pretty sure Button Mash was sneaking time on one of those video games. How did his parents afford those?

“We saw it in Canterlot with Rainbow Dash and her friends!” Scootaloo announced cheerfully.

“Alright then, Applebloom, would you, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo explain since you saw it so everypony is on the same page?”

“Sure Miss Cheerilee!” announced all three Crusaders at once.

Diamond Tiara ground her teeth as the trio began to speak.

“A long time ago, the three tribes didn't get along! The Earth Ponies made all the food. The Pegasi made the weather. And the unicorns raised the sun and moon,” Applebloom explained in a cheerful but simple and to the point tone.

“Isn't that what they do now?” asked a foal behind Diamond. She wasn't sure who spoke up, but didn't really care.

“But then, a massive blizzard started!” announced Scootaloo in a tone akin to a movie trailer voice over. “There was no food, the pegasi couldn't control the weather, and they were all at each others' throats.”

Diamond struggled not to laugh out loud at the over the top fashion the pegasus foal spoke in.

“The beautiful leader of the unicorn tribe, Princess Platinum, who was played by my big sister Rarity in the Canterlot production,” Sweetie Belle started in a lofty, more classical sounding tone. Diamond's blood began to boil as Sweetie Belle got some impressed looks from other foals. “The brave leader of the Pegasi, Commander Hurricane-”

“Who was played by Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo chimed in, her fanfillly mindset clear in her tone.

“And the...eccentric leader of the Earth Ponies, Chancellor Puddinghead, came together for a vital assemblage to determine the best resolution to this horrible calamity,” the unicorn filly continued, keeping up the over the top purple prose tone she was trying to use.

Diamond Tiara was tempted to call her a living dictionary, but bit her tongue. Literally.

“But they were just too stubborn and hateful tah get anythin' done,” Applebloom continued in her down to earth way. “So they all decided tah move tah somewhere else tah get away from the blizzard.”

“But when they got to a new land, they found the other tribes there as well,” Scootaloo narrated dramatically. “And soon the blizzard followed them.”

“The bewildered and freezing leaders and their noble assistants, Princess Platinum's bright and brilliant assistant Clover the Clever, Commander Hurricane's timid but dutiful subordinate Private Pansy, and Chancellor Puddinghead's honest and faithful secretary Smart Cookie.”

“Who was played by mah big sister Applejack!” announced Applebloom with a wide smile.

Diamond Tiara snarled in rage at the impressed foals looking at the Crusaders.

“But it turned out that the cause of the winter was nasty monsters called Windigos,” the yellow Earth Pony foal continued in her bare-bones tone. “They were feedin' off their hate tah grow stronger and freeze the whole world.”

“But then the three assistants became friends, and their friendship did the impossible!” announced Scootaloo spectacularly. “It lit a fire that burned the Windigos away and saved everypony!”

“And the three tribes finally, at long last, after many trials, put aside that which stood between them and united together as one,” Sweetie continued.

“And that's how Equestria was made!” announced all three as one, using that uncanny speed they seemed to have to come into a pyramid, Sweetie and Applebloom on the bottom, Scootaloo on top. Diamond's wondered if they were trying to overshadow her. Or if the universe just hated her.

Cheerilee smiled as the class clopped their hooves in approval...except a certain pink filly who was attempting not to blow a blood vessel from sheer jealousy and a silver one who eagerly awaited the pink one's plans. “Good job girls. Now, let us continue...”

Diamond was relieved when the lesson was over and recess began. The filly didn't know what it was, but the lesson about fighting between the three tribes and irrational hatred strangely seemed to make that sick feeling in her stomach return.

And what made it worse was that not only had the Crusaders been called to talk in front of the class and impressed them, but they'd been called to talk about something Diamond didn't know well! Something she had no way of overshadowing them with!

Diamond's brain screamed at her to find the trio, call them blank flanks, and then subtly manipulate them in such a way as to end in their humiliation. To rip them apart with her words however she could.

“Can you believe them?!” Diamond found herself asking out-load. “Those attention hogging blank flanks!”

Diamond found her plotting interrupted when the sick feeling returned, along with memory of her resolution the night before.

“I know, Diamond. Should we go pay the blank flanks a visit?” Silver Spoon asked, saying the word blank flanks with a practiced mocking tone.

The pink filly put a hoof to her stomach.

“...Nah. Not right now.”

Silver blinked, cocking her head in confusion. “Are you feeling okay, Diamond?”

Diamond nodded. “Yeah! It's just picking on them is getting dull. Did you ever notice it's all we ever do?”

Silver Spoon blinked, putting a hoof to her chin. “...Kinda...”

“So come on, let's do something we haven't done in a long time, alright?” the pink filly asked with her typical confident air.

Silver just nodded. “Okay...what?”

Diamond actually had to pause. What hadn't they done in a long time? She tried to think back to before they'd made their primary pass time the torment of three foals.

Her eyes fell on a teeter totter that she'd honestly forgotten the last time she'd actually gone near. But she remembered back when she and Silver were blank flanks themselves (a truly dark time in Diamond's remembrance) and it was one of her favorite activities. “Let's go take a ride on the teeter totter.”

Silver didn't object, and the two fillies trotted over and took their positions.

To Diamond Tiara's surprise, she actually found herself smiling from the simple act of going up and down. Silver seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit as well.

Diamond had to begrudgingly admit how long it'd been since she and Silver had actually played like normal foals without thinking about the Crusaders or plotting something cruel to do to them. Sure, she and Silver Spoon hung out. They'd eat together; sometimes have parties at her house together (typically with a group of foals that jealously watched them enjoy themselves). But they hadn't really played much since they'd started picking on the blank flanks.

After awhile, the two of them got off and Silver seemed rather upbeat and in high spirits. Diamond honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Silver with that cheerful smile instead of the smug one Silver and herself normally wore. Diamond found herself smiling a bit, but couldn't help still feeling her anger and jealousy nagging at the back of her mind.

“That was fun,” Diamond admitted, giving her friend a smile.

The silver Earth Pony filly nodded. “Totally. That was a good idea Diamond.”

“Of course it was, I always have good ide-oof!”

Diamond looked up to see Applebloom had collided with her, a rubber ball following seconds later and hitting the pink filly on the head. “Ow! Get off me!”

“Oops! Sorry Diamond Tiara,” Applebloom said, quickly getting off the foal.

Diamond got back to her hooves and noticed something was off. She gasped and felt her head, finding something was missing. She looked around, finding her namesake had been knocked off in the impact. Quickly putting it back a top her prim and proper mane, she turned to Applebloom and the other Crusaders with a snarl, pint up jealousy and anger surging to the surface. “Watch where you're going next time, blank flanks!” she spat back.

Silver nodded. “Yeah, trying to earn a 'Not Looking Where I'm Going' Cutie Mark?” she spat with a mocking tone the Crusaders knew all too well.

Diamond prepared to give some more venom laced words, filled with vindictive satisfaction as she noted the hurt the bullies' words earned on their victim's faces. The relief of the pint of jealousy and anger she'd been feeling. It made her give the cruel smirk the Crusaders remembered.

...Then an image of Checker Monarch flashed in her mind again.

The filly almost doubled over from her stomach doing back-flips, breaking out in a cold sweat.

Silver actually gasped in concern as she'd been preparing for her and Diamond's traditional hoofshake. “Diamond? Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah, just something...I ugh...ate...” she muttered, then decided to roll with it. “I...I'm going to go to the bathroom to be on the safe side...”

With that, the pink filly galloped to the little filly's room, Silver following not far behind, leaving the CMC standing in confusion. Once she was safely inside (Silver Spoon safely on the other side, waiting for her), Diamond gave a worried look in the mirror. “This...might be harder than I thought...”

Author's Note

Update here!

Thanks to all my betas!

Sleepovers

GBOYHVerse: Tarnished Diamonds

Chapter 3

Sleepovers

By Godzillawolf

“Thank Cadence...” whispered Diamond Tiara as the school bell rung to end the day. It'd been a couple days since she'd made her resolution. And things had not gotten easier since then if a small twitch in her eye was any indication.

“Alright, my little ponies,” said Cheerilee. “You're free to go. Apparently the loud crash we heard earlier was just Twilight Sparkle having one of her episodes and launching Golden Oaks Library into the air, so it's nothing to worry about. And remember, tomorrow we'll begin your next project, so come prepared with basic materials.”

“Okay, so today we're gonna to try bein' Cutie Mark Crusaders Synchronized Swimmers, right?” Applebloom asked cheerfully.

“I thought we already tried that?” Scootaloo replied, rubbing her head with a raised eyebrow.

“No, we've tried snorkeling, swimming, diving, scuba diving, free-style swimming, water ballet, pearl diving, deep sea diving, and pool cleaning, not synchronized swimming,” Sweetie recited from memory.

'Maybe you should try 'giving up,' blank flanks,' Diamond thought. She would have said this out loud had she not literally bit her tongue to stifle herself. Then struggled not to scream loudly in pain from how hard she'd bit.

“Wait, where do we get swim suits?” Sweetie Belle asked. “We can't go swimming naked!”

“Uh, we're ponies, aren't we always naked?” replied her farmer friend.

“You wear a bow!”

Diamond's eye twitched repeatedly (causing several pain induced tears to fall that were still clinging in her eyes from her tongue bite) and she quickly turned to her partner in crime. “Come on Silver Spoon, we have things to do.”

“Alright...what things?”

“Like dinner, I'm hungry.”

“Oh yeah!”

Diamond Tiara watched the Crusaders head out the door, before leading Silver Spoon out herself shortly there after...then froze up noticing who was there to greet the trio of fillies: a blue unicorn with a white mane.

The pink bully gave a cry of fright and backpedaled, falling on her back in fear.

She then panted, the image of the insidious business mare vanishing as she realized the mare in front of her was not Checker.

“You okay, Diamond?” Silver Spoon asked, looking at her friend.

“Y-Yeah,” said the small filly, getting back to her hooves, trying to ignore her racing heartbeat.

“Hello, Cutie Mark Crusaders! Trixie Midsummer is here to pick you up from school!” the azure unicorn announced in a dramatic fashion...then had to put an icepack back on her head that fell off in her over the top announcement. From the still falling confetti around her, it seemed Diamond had just missed her big entrance preceding said announcement.

“Hey Trixie!” yelled all three Crusaders, rushing over to the mare they'd befriended.

“Why exactly are you picking us up?” asked Scootaloo, cocking her head, though still smiling.

“And why do yah have an icepack on your head?” Applebloom asked, looking at it.

Trixie sighed. “Trixie had the misfortune of being in the closet when the library was launched into the air.”

“Oh, right, Twilight had one of her episodes.”

“...Trixie is unnerved by the fact you said 'one of'...be that as it may, Trixie is here to pick you up as your sisters and mentor are evidently on some trip to the frozen north involving a lost empire or something and they asked Trixie because well...” Trixie looked slightly sheepish. “Trixie...well...”

“We're friends?” Sweetie Belle asked with a wide smile.

Trixie replied with a small smile. “Yes. We are friends.”

“So all three of us are sleeping over?” asked Scootaloo excitedly.

“Yes, to her knowledge. Apparently they believed only two of you having a sleep over would be cruel to the third.”

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SLEEPOVER WITH TRIXIE! YAY!”

The unicorn mare was now used to things enough to cover her ears when the Crusaders inhaled. “Yes. Now Scootaloo, please run home to your parents...”

“I live with my aunt,” Scootaloo interjected.

“Trixie sees...then please run home to your aunt's and get your things, Rarity and Applejack already dropped off their sister's things.”

“Can we still try bein' Cutie Mark Crusaders Synchronized Swimmers?”

Trixie crumbled at the puppy dog eyes staring back at her. “...Well...Trixie supposes a performance is nothing without an audience...”

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SYNCRONIZED SWIMMERS! YAY!”

“Hey! Maybe we need to redo some of our other performance Cutie Marks attempts with an audience too!” Scootaloo pointed out, the others sharing her excitement.

“...Trixie has a feeling she may regret this...”

Diamond found herself shaking in fury as she watched the trio depart with their foalsitter, feeling quite unnerved as well. It wasn't that they had an adult friend. It wasn't that Trixie was the one who defeated Checker Monarch.

It was that the little Earth Pony judged how much 'better' a get together was by how many ponies you could keep out. Or how many begged you to come. It depended on her mood. Having the right to that choice, that control over the situation, made the shallow little filly's ego soar sky high.

The thought that the Blank Flanks were having some sort of get together, and having a blast apparently, made Diamond's blood boil. Several days of enduring jealousy and pint-up frustrations did not help. She couldn't help thinking they'd announced it publicly solely to get under her skin. The thought of following them and somehow raining on their parade entered her mind...which where then followed by her stomach doing back-flips.

Still...there was more than one way to state her raging jealousy.

Time for plan B.

“Silver Spoon.” she whispered. “We're having a sleepover tonight.”

“Sure, just have to ask my parents.”

“Good. Prepare to make ponies jealous.”

“Right.”

Diamond cleared her throat like an actress preparing to go on stage.

“So you're coming over to my house tonight, right Silver?” the pink foal asked in a tone of voice so their classmates currently departing the school would be sure to 'overhear.'

“Yeah, Diamond Tiara. We'll get to swim in your huge pool, right?” the gray Earth Pony replied in the same tone of voice.

“Of course. But only until dark. Then we come in and eat a huge dinner made by our personal chef. And then play video games on my expensive game consoles.”

Silver feigned excitement. Or at least that's what Diamond assumed. “Oh! I'll bring some of my games you like!”

“We can play them till bed time. Or maybe play with some of my many toys. And you don't even need to sleep in a sleeping bag, we can just have the hired help move the spare, luxurious feather bed into my bedroom like we always do when you sleep over.”

Diamond looked around slightly, noting the looks of jealousy on some of her fellow foals. To her vexation, Button Mash seemed to not care at all, and after she'd went through all the trouble of mentioning video games. He couldn't have had the same games, could he? Still, that minor frustration aside, she found her ego sufficiently stroked for her tastes. But strangely, she did not otherwise find herself feeling much better as she did taunting the Crusaders. It just felt sort of empty.

“Sounds like a ton of fun.” Silver gave a practiced high and mighty smirk. “For us!”

Diamond gave a satisfied smirk. “Yeah, it will be. See you then, Silver.”

Both fillies reared up on their hind legs. “Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump!” they chanted, doing the customary two hoof claps, followed by bumping their front elbows together, and finally bumping their hindquarters together.

The Crusaders looked back, hearing Diamond and Silver from a good distance. “Wow, she really laid it on thick that time...” Scootaloo muttered.

“I wonder if somepony made her jealous again.” Sweetie replied, knowing normally when the spoiled pony rubbed other pony faces in things, it was the result of a bruised ego.

“Ah don't think so...” muttered Applebloom, rubbing her head.

Trixie blinked, looking back. 'I wonder what that was about...'

“Thanks for coming over, Silver Spoon,” said Diamond Tiara, leading the way into her house. Not that it was easy to miss. A big fancy house in the middle of rustic Ponyville tended to stick out. Not only did most not have a personal pool, but they certainly didn't have a big enough estate to warrant a wall around it with a large gate. And that was just the way the pink filly liked it. Particularly since the gate was handy during parties in the backyard to watch foals watching enviously.

“No problem, Diamond,” Silver Spoon replied, the little filly now used to the elaborate home of her friend.

Diamond gave a small sigh as she walked through the front gates and into the courtyard.

“Hello, my little princess,” said Diamond's mother as she came to greet her child, giving the pink filly a nuzzle that was returned.

“Hello, momma,” she replied, giving an unusually cute, genuine smile. “How did your doctor visit go?”

Golden Tiara nuzzled her. “Just fine. A clean bill of health.”

“I'm glad, momma.” The daughter gave her parent a hug. “Oh, and Silver's staying the night, do you mind?”

The older mare gave a smile to Silver Spoon. “Oh, hello Silver Spoon, it's been a long time since I've seen you.”

“Hello, Mrs. Tiara,” replied Silver in a respectful tone, but with the cheerful smile she wore around her parents. “I'm glad you're feeling better.”

“Thank you, dear. You can stay, you're always welcome here, dear.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Tiara.”

“Well,” said Trixie, leading the trio into the library quite some time later. “Trixie has never seen that many performances in one evening in her life...and given Trixie's profession, that is certainly saying something.”

“Yeah, but we still didn't get our Cutie Marks,” Scootaloo muttered as the trio looked at their flanks.

“True, but you did manage to essentially be a three pony circus...” The azure unicorn gave the little fillies a smile. “Trixie is curious. Where did you learn to do colt du soleil?”

“Pinkie knows a clown!” Sweetie cheerfully reported.

“That does not surprise Trixie.” The showmare closed the door behind them. “Trixie sometimes wonders why she's a baker and not a clown.”

The unicorn set down and looked rather awkward. “So...what does one do at a sleepover? Makeovers, games, and so on?”

The three fillies blinked. “Uh yeah, but...you're the foalsitter...”

“Yes...” Trixie swayed a hoof awkwardly. “...Trixie...didn't have the most foal-like foalhood.”

The fillies flinched a little, not from the mare's tone, but from the memory of Trixie's poison joke induced time as a filly and how little she knew about how to act like a foal.

“Yah've never really had a sleepover before?”

“Trixie's father believed that you only got something if you earned it, so she didn't have any...Though Checker did one time.”

“That sidewinder had friends?” asked Applebloom asked, eyes going wide.

“Not so much friends as 'ponies who didn't know they were pawns.' Trixie is aware that sounds black and white, but it is honestly how Checker viewed everything that wasn't herself. And Checker being Checker, she 'invited' Trixie to perform for her 'friends' after we got our Cutie Marks. As it turned out, what Checker was really saying was 'please come and perform while I take all the credit for your act, then spend the rest of the party at the back of the room like good little window dressing,” Trixie said, surprisingly not showing so much hate as bitterness.

“Wow...sounds kinda like Gabby Gums...only you weren't the bad guy,” Sweetie said, giving a frown.

“Trixie was aware of Gabby Gums, but not that something similar happened to you three.”

The three little filly's eyes went wide in surprise. “You know about that?!” Scootaloo asked in a nervous tone.

“Yes, including 'the Great and Powerful Trixie's Secrets Revealed.'”

The foals fidgeted. “Sorry...we were kinda big jerks then,” admitted Applebloom guiltily.

“It's fine. Trixie admits the hamster incident was probably entertaining...and has also been a gigantic jerk on several occasions...most occasions until she met Twilight again...Anyway...should we perhaps begin with makeovers? Trixie knows mane spells.”

“Sure!” Sweetie Belle announced excitably while Scootaloo rolled her eyes with an exaggerated gag.

A purple unicorn maid with a mane similar to Golden Tiara's put a bowl of chips in front of the fillies as Diamond took her turn playing the video game. Her efforts received no thanks and she simply left the room.

“Uh...Diamond Tiara?” asked Silver, staring at the screen with a blink.

“What?” asked Diamond, hitting the buttons rapidly with a rather sadistic expression.

“I think you won like a minute ago...”

Diamond blinked, stopping and allowing Spiderpony to let an unconscious thug hit the ground, long defeated.

“Oh...yeah, just blowing off some steam...”

Diamond gave a small growl, unable to help feeling a tad annoyed that despite the overkill inflicted on the hapless NPC, her frustrations seemed to refuse to ease up. It was like her earlier attempt to make her classmates jealous. It just felt...empty.

“I'm tired of this game.”

“Yeah so am I.”

Diamond gave a wide yawn and looked at the clock. She gave an annoyed sigh. “Bedtime...”

“Shiny Star! Randolph! Bring in the spare bed!” she called clapped her hooves loudly, resulting in the same maid from earlier trotting in carrying a heavy looking bed with the help of an old looking light purple Earth Pony stallion in a gray vest and blue bow tie. Both struggled with the bed's weight despite Unicorn telekinesis and Earth Pony strength as they carefully put it across from Diamond's.

“A little to the left,” the pink foal ordered.

The two groaned and moved it again to line it up properly.

“That's fine.”

The hired help seemed to wait for thanks, but finally sighed and left when none was given.

Silver looked to Diamond. “Thanks for inviting me over, Diamond.”

The spoiled filly took a proud stance. “You're welcome, I needed some company.”

Silver gave a genuine smile. “Well, it was fun. We should do it again some time.”

Diamond blinked. Not at the statement, but at that genuine smile. One she remembered her friend having on her face while the two played on the seesaw for the first time in forever. Was Silver actually...enjoying this? The thought left her staring for a moment at her friend before she managed to catch herself.

“Oh...Y-Yeah...we should...”

“N-No...I...I don't want to...I...stop...that's not...”

Diamond Tiara whimpered in her sleep, tossing and turning in her sleep, a look of fear on her face.

“Diamond?”

The pink filly jolted awake as she felt a hoof nudge her.

Diamond panted, looking up at a frightened silver filly. “S-Silver?” she asked. For a moment, the pink bully looked strangely guilty. Like she'd hurt Silver somehow. That was before she blinked fully awake and looked humiliated for a moment at the position she was currently in. She quickly sat up, trying to hide her expressions and hoping Luna's night had helped with that.

“Are you okay Diamond? You looked like you were having a nightmare.”

Diamond quickly downed a more composed look. “Y-Yeah. Just a little one...It was nothing...”

Silver gave a concerned gaze. Diamond mentally noted that the silver filly hardly looked like herself. Silver Spoon lacked any traces of her typical smugness. Even when their attempts to torment the CMC backfired, that sense of superiority that complimented Diamond's so well always remained in the filly's posture and expressions. It was now just...gone. Silver just seemed worried about her.

'Must be because we only just woke up, that's all...' Diamond thought silently.

“Are you sure you're okay?” her friend asked again.

“Y-Yeah! I'm fine. We just all have nightmares, right?” the pink foal replied, putting on an air of confidence. She silently double checked her sheets to make sure she hadn't wet herself. Normally she wouldn't worry about that, but with Silver's expression she wondered if she'd done something else to get the silver foal to act like this. “Don't get so worked up, Silver Spoon, like you've never had a nightmare.”

Silver Spoon looked like she wanted to say something else, her eyes wandering to a picture of Diamond's family, specifically her mother.

“Yeah, you're right...”

“...T-Thanks for waking me though,” Diamond found herself saying without thinking, then blinking. Had she just thanked someone? The words 'thank you' were words that she honestly couldn't remember saying to anypony but her parents. Why should she? They should be happy to know she acknowledged their actions without expecting her to show gratitude.

'I just woke up, I slipped. That's all,' she stated mentally.

Silver looked like she didn't know what to say for a second. “Uh...you're welcome Diamond...” she said, blinking.

“...G-Goodnight Silver Spoon.”

“Goodnight Diamond Tiara...”

Diamond watched her fellow filly return to the guest bed with a hint of worry before laying back down and rolling over, looking at the wall. Her mind wandered back to her nightmare. “I'd...I'd never do that to her...I wouldn't...” she muttered fearfully to herself before returning to her slumber.

Trixie yawned widely the next morning, rolling over and standing up in her bed, set next to Twilight's. She'd made it a point to buy one of her own as soon as she got a job and began making money. She might have no longer been afraid to accept help, but she certainly did not like the idea of her 'sister' sleeping on the floor in her own home while she enjoyed a nice warm bed.

Naturally, with Twilight in the far north saving a lost empire (a journey that Trixie was admittedly somewhere between envy and gratitude on the fact she had not gone along), the lavender unicorn's bed was currently occupied by three tiny fillies. Trixie chuckled, checking her unusually braided mane (she'd thankfully managed to wash out the copious amounts of make up Sweetie Belle had somehow managed to put on her...and on the fillies themselves). She felt kind of giddy. Yes, she had been the foalsitter (admittedly not the most mature one that could be picked), but there was just something that made her love the simple act of enjoying sleepover games with those three.

The showmare quietly got up and teleported down to the floor from the higher area where the beds were located. Trixie may have loved being as bombastic and over the top as possible, but even she didn't want to wake three innocent children before needed.

Then a green wisp of flame came in and manifested above her head, turning into a scroll that she caught in her telekinesis. “Huh, Twilight's seal...”

The azure unicorn then opened the scroll and began to read.

A loud, excited squee suddenly rang out and resulted in the Crusaders going from their slumber to the ceiling in a few seconds.

“Ugh...did Rarity see a famous pony she has a crush on again?” Sweetie Belle asked groggily as the three landed back on the bed.

Trixie was presently rereading the letter giddily. “This is fantastic!”

The trio of fillies peaked curiously down at the mare. “What's goin' on, Trixie?” asked Applebloom.

“Twilight managed to secure Trixie a gig at the celebration of King Sombra's defeat in the Crystal Empire! Trixie shall be the first entertainer for a thousand years to entertain the Crystal Ponies!”

“Uh, Trixie?”

“Sure, it's not like the Princesses are there, but it shall still let her make a good first impression on ponies who know nothing of her!”

“Trixie?”

“This is fantastic! Trixie needs to go get ready at once!”

“TRIXIE!”

Trixie was left on her back, ears ringing by the notoriously loud fillies. “Oh...sorry girls...”

“Who's King Sombra?” asked Applebloom, cocking her head.

“And what's the Crystal Empire?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Sounds like something Rarity would really like...”

“And what are Crystal Ponies?” Scootaloo finished.

“Oh...” Trixie said, finally letting her mind catch up to her excitement. “Apparently the lost empire your sisters and Twilight went to protect was called the Crystal Empire and vanished for a thousand years thanks to an evil unicorn king named King Sombra who Celestia and Luna had defeated. From what Twilight said, he returned and those six had to beat him again.”

“Wow! They saved the world again?!” asked Applebloom with a wide grin, the three dashing down in front of Trixie in a blink of an eye.

“It seems so.” The azure mare didn't seem phased by the fillies' speed.

“Awesome!” all three replied.

“I can't wait to hear about this from Rainbow Dash!”

“Ah can't wait tah hear about it from AJ!”

“I can't wait to see Rarity's new designs!”

Sweetie Belle blinked, finding everypony staring at her. “What? It's a Crystal Empire! Rarity's designs are going to look so awesome!”

“Right...” said Trixie, a tad confused, then smirking widely and putting a hoof smugly to her chest. “They're having a celebration of King Sombra's defeat. Twilight discovered there had been storytellers from outside the Empire visiting to perform at Crystal Fairs, so she sent Trixie Midsummer tickets for the train to perform if she so chooses! She leaves as soon as you three are safely at school!”

“That's great, Trixie!” Scootaloo exclaimed, the three smiling.

“Yes it is! It is fantastic! Amazing! Trixie will tell the Crystal Ponies stories the likes of which they've never heard before!” Trixie announced dramatically, standing up on her hind legs in her typical pose.

“Hey, there's more to the letter, Trixie,” said Sweetie, looking at the paper after Trixie dropped it. “'And Trixie, please don't begin bragging until the girls are fed and at school, otherwise they will probably be late for school. And remember, pack light, we'll be coming back tonight.'”

Trixie blinked, falling on her back from being startled while posing. “...She knows Trixie well...”

Diamond sat in class later that morning, giving a small yawn. Her tired eyes wandered the room, once more doing her best not to look at the three fillies who she blamed for the majority of her life's problems. She noticed Alula still seemed to be looking at her. What was that filly's deal anyway? Had she noticed the bags forming under the pink Earth Pony's eyes? Or was she just jealous?

Diamond found herself being a little freaked out and turned back to look at Silver Spoon. Her fellow bully was as she normally was: like a little angel when Cheerilee was looking, as smug as her comrade whenever the teacher's eyes were elsewhere. Once more, Diamond Tiara found herself wondering what had happened with Silver Spoon the night before. Why had her friend looked almost like a completely different pony in that moment?

'Oh well, not important,' Diamond thought to herself.

Fleeing that uncomfortable thought, she dared take a peak in the Crusaders' direction, noting the trio seemed to be talking excitedly about something or other.

Diamond felt queasy as she tried to will herself not to think of an insult directed at the trio. Why did she have to be so good at it?!

She was grateful when the bell finally rang and she could look back at Mrs. Cheerilee.

“Alright, my little ponies,” the teacher announced. “I have some big news that recently arrived from Mayor Mare. Does everypony remember when Princess Luna returned?”

“Yes Miss Cheerilee” was the general reply.

“Princess Luna is the greatest!” was Pipsqueak's reply.

“Well something like that has happened again.”

The teacher now had the class' full, excited attention.

“At some point yesterday, a new city state reappeared in the far north. Not much is known about it right now, but apparently soon we'll be seeing more of the inhabitants throughout Equestria, so remember to be good little ponies to them, alright? They haven't seen much kindness for a very long time and need a good deal of it.”

“Miss Cheerilee?”

“Yes Applebloom?”

“Do yah mean the Crystal Empire?”

Cheerilee's eyes widened. “Yes, Applebloom. That is correct. How did you know?”

“Cause mah big sis helped save it!”

“What?!” asked Diamond Tiara, turning so fast she almost fell out of her seat.

“And so did mine!” Sweetie chimed in.

“And Rainbow Dash did too!” Scootaloo finished, all three Crusaders smiling widely with pride in their big sister figures...or, as Diamond Tiara perceived it, in being the center of attention.

“Really? What can you tell us, girls?” Miss Cheerilee asked, evidently having not yet received the whole story.

Diamond had to cover her mouth to prevent her from saying what she wanted to say. Which she was pretty sure would have gotten her detention...and her daddy asking her where she learned certain words.

“We don't know much. Just that the Crystal Ponies got sent somewhere for a thousand years by an evil unicorn king named King Sombra and they stopped him!” Scootaloo exclaimed, taking an action pose.

“And there's some kinda party goin' on there now! Celebratin'!” Applebloom followed. “Miss Trixie is part of it!”

Diamond put a pencil in her mouth and began biting down on it to keep herself from screaming as once more the Crusaders got their share of excited looks.

“Well, I hope you will tell us more when they return, I'm quite curious about it myself,” Cheerilee replied.

And then Diamond had to begin removing pencil splinters from her mouth when said pencil snapped into three pieces thanks.

“Maybe we could take a field trip there?” asked Sweetie Belle, the three turning on the puppy dog eyes.

To their surprise, the experienced teacher was unaffected other than a chuckle. “Maybe sometime, but not today.”

“Aww...” replied half the class.

“Too bad, would have made a nice distraction...” muttered Diamond. Though she did admit the prospect of hearing the Crusaders brag about their siblings and...whatever Rainbow Dash was to the flightless chicken for the entire time would probably not have been worth it.

“Now, now, remember, today we have a project to start,” Cheerilee replied professionally.

“Dang it, I forgot about that,” the pink filly muttered to herself.

“Your project will be a presentation on a major event in Equestria's history,” Cheerilee explained. “This will include a visual aid, an oral presentation, and a written report. The project will be done in groups of five due to the amount of work and research that is expected.”

Diamond's eyes went wide. “Wait, five?!”

“Yes Diamond, five. This is a big project after all.”

Diamond's eyes looked around the room, the pink filly coming to a realization.

She only had one friend, and now she needed three more.

Author's Note

Note, this chapter takes place before Perfect Companions.

Also, welcome http://www.fimfiction.net/user/HMXTaylorLee to my beta readers!

Alone in the Crowd

GBOYHVerse: Tarnished Diamonds

Chapter 4

Alone in the Crowd

By Godzillawolf

Diamond Tiara's eyes darted around the room in panic. Who else was she friends with? She found she could hardly list any of her classmates names. Well, except Featherweight, but who wanted to be partner with somepony that never said anything? Besides, Diamond Tiara still held a grudge on him for taking her proper place as editor of the Foal Free Press...and then just throwing it away so he could go back to his old job! Who got power and then just GAVE it away? She wasn't too much of a fan of Shady either for 'giving' her the printing press job. It took weeks to get all that ink out of her mane!

Diamond raised her hoof. “Miss Cheerilee? Do we have to work in groups of five?”

Cheerilee shook her head. “Yes, I'm sorry, Diamond. The amount of work for this project necessitates a large group.”

“Can I just have some of my servants be my partners?”

“No, Diamond, that would be unfair to three of your classmates who don't have hired help.”

The pink filly grumbled. 'It's not my fault they're too poor to have them!'

“Perhaps you, Silver, and the Crusaders could work together? This would be an excellent chance for you to get to know each other better,” Cheerilee suggested. The teacher might not have always caught Diamond's bullying, but she noticed enough hostility between the two groups to notice when it'd strangely become less frequent as of late.

The two groups of ponies looked at one another with expressions of pure horror at that thought.

“Regardless, my little ponies, please find your groups and begin thinking of what event you want to do your project on. You'll be expected to have one by next class.”

“Don't worry, Applebloom,” Scootaloo reassured, trying to give off a confident air. “We've got an entire classroom we can partner with, what are the odds of...”

Chairs scooted, hooves stepped, and little bodies darted across the room to others...leaving both the Crusaders and the two bullies staring at one another while the rest of the class set in neat little groups of five.

The two groups of archenemies simply stared at each other for about a minute before their situation fully sank in.

“...Us ending up stuck with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon...”

Diamond Tiara had a sudden urge to try and strangle the universe...but also a pang of...something. What was it? She wasn't used to feeling it. 'Nopony...wants to be with me and Silver?' she thought, looking around and noting nopony had even approached her. 'I don't get it, why is no pony paying attention to me?!'

Both sets of fillies instantly began dashing around the room trying to find replacement partners so fast they knocked their desks over.

“Twist!” Applebloom called, galloping up to the red maned Earth Pony filly. The youngest Apple sibling felt a pang of guilt that she didn't spend more time with Twist. She'd been so busy crusading since. . . well forming the club. She still dropped by to chat a little and get some peppermint sticks, but they didn't hang out nearly as much as they used to. It seemed like a perfect idea. They didn't have to work with at least Diamond or Silver, and she could spend time with ALL her friends! Win win!

“Hi Applebloom!” the candy making pony replied, giving a wide smile.

Applebloom gave a friendly smile, her fellow Crusaders joining her. “Are yah taken? We're two ponies short...and it's been a long time since we got tah do anythin' together, so what do yah say?”

Twist gave a sad frown. “Uh...thorry Applebloom. Buth we kinda already have five ponies...Truffle and three of his friends.”

Applebloom's expression sank before she gave a forced smile. She knew Twist had a crush on Truffle, she couldn't blame her old friend. “Yer sure? Ah mean you could work with us and they could work with Diamond and Silver. Ah mean...Diamond's, uh, a great leader, Ah bet she'd be good for yer group and Silver uh, whatever she does."

"Uh...Applebloom...I don't think that'th a good idea…" Twist admitted, rubbing her head. "I mean...latht time she wath leader, she blackmailed you…"

"...Oh yeah…"

"Thorry, Applebloom. Buth that wouldn't be fair to Truffle's friends, would it?"

"Yeah, Ah guess...okay Twist...That's great...have fun.”

“Okay...Thorry again Applebloom. Maybe nexth thime?”

“...Yeah, that'd be fun.”

Diamond Tiara's first reaction was to resolve this situation the quickest and easiest way she possibly could; by finding somepony who, in her opinion, would be most likely to listen to her brilliant ideas, which in this case, the most recent addition to the class roster, Pipsqueak. Conveniently, the resident 'Pirate Captain' was currently sitting with a blank flank filly who was differing shades of pink with green eyes and a purple unicorn filly with a yellow mane. Perfect.

She noticed the Crusaders rush to talk to some filly with a red mane, but she didn't bother paying close attention, she had her own problems to worry about.

“Hello, Pipsqueak? Or do you mind if I call you Pip?” Diamond asked as she trotted up to the young colt.

“Hello Diamond Tiara!” Pip replied in that odd accent of his. Diamond honestly didn't know (or care) what kind it was. He could be from Neighpan for all she cared. What mattered was he was the new foal in class and thus the least knowledgeable of her. “I don't mind.”

The pink Earth Pony gave a reassuring smile. “Pip, correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is the first big project you've done at school here since you moved here from...”

“Trottingham.”

“Trottingham. Is that right?”

“Yes it is, I'm kind of excited!” the pony replied cheerfully.

'Why is it everypony seems to actually enjoy school projects?' Diamond questioned mentally. She normally just did what she needed to keep her daddy happy so she could go back to having the servants caring for her every whim. The rest of the class seemed to have no issue with Cheerilee's projects except for the initial groaning all foals made at being made aware of impending homework.

“Well, me and Silver were thinking it might be nice if we offer you and your friends to be our partners,” Diamond stated, Silver joining her in giving a false kindly grin.

To the pink filly's surprise, Dinky and Ruby Pinch both seemed more upset than pleased with her offer, while Pip seemed a bit sad.

“I'm sorry Diamond Tiara, but I'm afraid we already have five ponies. Maybe another time?” Pip offered.

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. She peaked over Pip and his friends' shoulders to see two more ponies. One was an Earth Pony filly who's color palette was varying shades of orange named Noi (she only remembered it because of how odd a name it was for a pony), and a light blue unicorn with a purple mane named Tootsie Flutes. The two gave an awkward, forced wave, as if simultaneously trying to be polite but just wishing the moment would be over with.

Diamond gave an annoyed growl. “Fine. Whatever. Your loss.”

The moment Diamond Tiara had left the group of five, the Crusaders zoomed up. “Uh, Pip, we're kinda in a tough spot...uh...mind if we partner with you?”

Pip blinked in confusion. “Sorry...I just had to turn down Diamond Tiara too, we're all filled up.”

The disappointed trio moved on. “How did Pipsqueak get a full group before us?” Sweetie Belle questioned. “He's the new kid!”

“Maybe because he has an accent?” Scootaloo proposed with a shrug.

“Hey Ah have an accent too!...Ah think...”

Diamond Tiara gave a quick thought, who else-who else?! Her eyes fell on Button Mash. That lazy pony kept his face buried in a game so often he'd probably be HAPPY to have somepony else take the strenuous activity of thinking off his hooves.

“Hello Button Mash.”

“Oh, hello,” the colt replied, having been talking something over with a dark purple filly with a blue mane, her Cutie Mark a green apple core.

“I was wondering, since you're so into video games, if you'd like to be in our group, whenever we finish for the night, you could play on my expensive new game console. Top of the line, I just got it.”

“You mean the new one from Neightendo? Already got it.”

Diamond's jaw dropped. “How?! It's so expensive! My daddy even thought it was pricy and we're rich!”

“My dad's a game developer, so I get free games all the time! I'm going to be a professional game tester when I grow up!” Button said proudly with a wide grin.

“Fine, whatever,” Diamond replied, giving a snarl at that plan sinking so quickly. Alright, time for Plan B. “Can you still be my partner? I'll do all the thinking, and you just play video games until I need you. Win, win.”

The purple filly stepped in. “Sorry Diamond, but we're actually workin' with Lickety Split, First Base, and Lemon Daze.”

The pink filly gave a growl. “And who are you?”

“Apple Bytes.”

“...You're related to Applebloom, aren't you?”

“Eeyup.”

“...Figures....Ugh, but what are you going to do anyway? Play video games? I'm rich and I can get you whatever you'd need for a project! Plus buy any video game you wanted for a year!”

“Actually, my dad is gonna help us make a video game as our visual thing!” Button replied, seeming excited about it.

"And First Base's brother's in the guard so he's gonna see if he can check out some books from the Royal Archives for our project," Apple Bytes explained, giving a smirk.

“That's allowed?!”

Button put a hoof to his chin. He then raised a hoof. “Miss Cheerilee! Can my dad help my group make a video game for our visual?!”

“So long as you do as much yourself as you possibly can, Button Mash,” Cheerilee replied, currently helping other students with questions.

“Okay!”

Diamond growled. “Well I have servants! They can help do the same thing!”

“Yeah...but dad's coming all the way from his shop in Canterlot to help me, I sent him a letter yesterday about it and he said yes! Miss Derpy is really fast.”

Diamond prepared to open her mouth to say some choice to the Blank Flank that dared defy her...but stopped. “...Wait...letter? You didn't actually TALK to him?”

“Yeah, Canterlot is pretty far away and he needs to open the shop really early, so he normally stays there most of the time…"

"...You don't get to see him much?"

"...No...”

“...Fine...”

Silver Spoon and Apple Byte both blinked when Diamond didn't push any further and simply trotted off on her own.

Silver followed after her friend. “Diamond? Are you okay?”

“Daddy, is momma gonna be at my party?”

“...No, I'm sorry Diamond, she isn't well just yet...Maybe next time...”

"Okay...will you be there daddy?

“...I just didn't feel like he was worth the time, let's try to find somepony else.”

“You're full too cousin?” Applebloom asked with disappointment.

Apple Byte frowned. “Yeah, sorry Applebloom.”

“...Okay...”

“Sorry...Oh, can yah tell Applejack we'll be at the next reunion?”

“Yeah, Ah can.”

Diamond wracked her brain. Who could she ask? Her eyes and mind finally fell on a red maned foal. Twist, of course Twist. Twist always came to all of Diamond Tiara's parties. Why hadn't she thought of it in the first place?

The little pink filly trotted up to the red maned foal with her typical level of smugness, but made sure to dial it down a bit. She had to put on a good face after all. Silver Spoon followed close behind without question. “Hello Twist.”

“Oh, hey Diamond!” the cheerful filly replied. A pudgy blue Earth Pony colt sat next to her.

Diamond gave a smile. “We were just wondering if you and...”

“Truffle Shuffle...” the pudgy (Diamond would call him fat) colt replied. “Uh...we worked on the paper together, remember? I was the one who carried your papers?”

“Oh yeah, yeah, I remember,” the pink filly said, concealing a small growl at THAT memory. Not directed at Truffle. On the contrary, Diamond felt nothing except apathy for the colt. He'd never really done anything of note she could recall, just sat in the background. If anything she wondered why he wasn't thanking her for finally giving him some exercise hauling the papers around.

No, her anger was directed at three other fillies in the room. 'Gabby Gums' as they went by back then. She let them continue having the most popular column in the paper, stopped them from posting stupid little articles no pony would give a flying feather about, and let them bask in the limelight, and how do they repay her? By throwing it all away and getting her booted from HER position!

'Ungrateful Blank Flan-ugh...I mean ungrateful brats...' Diamond thought, feeling her stomach go loopy again.

“...Anyway, we were wondering if you and Truffle would like to be in our group,” Diamond offered. “After all, you've come to all my parties, we hang out...sometimes. No pony else in class is close enough to us for us to consider.”

To Diamond's surprise, the result wasn't Twist giving the pink filly her gratitude and thanks, it was an awkward silence.

“Uh...thorry Diamond Tiara. Our group ith already good to go...” Twist replied, Diamond suddenly finding the filly's preference for alliteration more annoying.

“What?!” Diamond asked. “Who?!”

Truffle pointed behind him to three other foals behind the two. One was Alula. Another was a familiar cream colored pegasus with a brown mane and tail, and feather cutie mark. Finally, next to him was Shady Daze, a light blue Earth Pony with a dark blue mane and tail. Diamond gave a small growl under her breath, two ponies who she decidedly had a grudge on in the same place at the same time. The idea THEY were the reason that Twist wouldn't be bailing her out of working with the Crusaders was salt in a wound.

“Why them?!”

“Well, they're Truffle's friends tho we're doing ith thogether...” Twist explained. Diamond couldn't help noticing a certain apprehension in the foal's voice. Or maybe that was just her lisp.

Diamond Tiara decided to try a different route. She gave a shrug. “Alright, I mean if you don't want to work with the richest pony in class who's daddy can buy us whatever we might want or need, then that's no skin off my muzzle,” she replied in a somewhat pitying tone, as if it was Twist who was missing out and not her.

"...Okay…" Twist said, sounding somewhat tempted, but Diamond could tell there was something she wasn't been told. And Diamond hated it when she was locked out of the loop. She was the one who decided who got locked out of her group, not the other way around! "Good luck Diamond Tiara. Hope you can find thomepony."

Perhaps it was the weeks of pent up frustrations all come to a head. Maybe it was being rejected the entire day by everypony. Maybe it was the impending threat of ending up with those three. But Diamond Tiara felt like a volcano that was on the verge of erupting.

And memories of mocking Twist before she earned her Cutie Mark came surging back to her mind.

Her eyes fell on Cheerilee, who was presently talking to Button and Apple Byte about something. A devilish grin formed on the filly's face.

"So this is the thanks I get for letting you come to all of my parties? Typical," Diamond replied, rolling her eyes as if Twist made a habit of doing something like this.

The red headed filly blinked. "Huh?"

Diamond Tiara looked Twist in the eye. "Well remember a certain filly? Yellow coat, red mane and tail, no Cutie Mark? No? Of course you don't, you've been too busy sucking up to me. Not that I blame you."

Silver Spoon blinked. Diamond was bullying somepony not named Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, or Scootaloo? The silver filly took off her glasses and rubbed them, then put them back on. She simply shrugged and assumed her smug, high and mighty expression alongside Diamond.

Twist looked down. "Well...I…"

"I mean it's not like the day before you earned your Cutie Mark you were her best friend and then the next was just fine attending a party without her held by the pony who bullied you both not the day before, right?" Diamond asked, then gave an oops gesture. "Oh wait…"

Silver didn't miss a beat and copied Diamond's movements. "You did!" she said in stereo with her partner in crime.

Twist's ears pinned back. "I...I...I justh wanted to go to the party…"

"Of course you did," the pink bully said, giving a smile. "It was my party after all. I don't blame you. I'm just saying you have a history of being a flip flop. I'm actually surprised you didn't leap into my good graces when I offered, I mean you left one friend high and dry, what's four more?"

"Yeah, Flip Flop," Silver Spoon chimed in in the same mocking tone the Crusaders had come to hate.

Twist looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"Hey, leave her alone," Truffle intervened. "She didn't do anything to you."

"Oh like you really know her. She's probably only with you because she doesn't look so bad standing next to somepony with your...unique body structure…" Diamond added in, causing the pudgy colt's ears to pin back.

"Hey! Don't blame them," Shady Daze joined in next, coming between the two while Alula simply set looking conflicted. "It's not their fault they don't trust you after you blackmailed the last ponies who tried to work with you!"

Diamond Tiara's face became one of utter fury. "Oh, so now I'm untrustworthy? I seem to remember somepony had to run the printing press and never said one word to Miss Cheerilee, Blank Flank."

"Oh, Diamond, didn't you tell him to run the pictures?" Silver Spoon 'questioned.'

"Yeah, I think I did. And I don't remember him saying one word to stop me."

The colt's ears pinned down. "I...I didn't think it was my place…"

Diamond chuckled. "You know Twist, I think you've got a good group here. I just think all of you should consider investing in eyes in the back of your heads."

And with that Diamond Tiara left the three now hurting ponies, Silver next to her. The bullies having done their thing...However...

"Silver Spoon?"

"Yeah, Diamond Tiara?"

"...We just made three ponies feel bad, right?" asked the spoiled pink filly.

"Yeah, I think Twist was crying…" Diamond didn't notice it, but Silver's smile seemed particularly fake saying that.

"...Then why don't I feel any better?"

If anything, Diamond felt...worse. Her stomach wasn't doing backflips, instead she felt kind of . . . hollow. Oh, she'd enjoyed it...but in that 'empty' short of way. Kind of like after you gorged yourself on lots of sugar and then had a crash. Like the 'high' was there, but didn't stay for very long.

The silver pony gave a blink. "I...You don't feel better?"

Diamond Tiara was at a loss for words herself. Since when had making somepony else feel bad NOT make her feel better? Making the Crusaders bad had always made her feel better before!

Diamond put a hoof to her stomach at that thought.

The pink filly promptly pushed those stupid emotions to the back of her mind and looked around the room. "...So, nopony wanted to be with us?"

Silver Spoon nodded. "Looks like it…"

"I don't get it! Who wouldn't want to be with us?! We're us!" Diamond stated in disbelief.

Diamond thought about what Shady Daze had told her. Did nopony really want to be her partner because of that silly little act of blackmailing the Crusaders to do something against their will?

"Ugh…" Diamond groaned, for some reason putting it in her mind like that suddenly made her feel sick. For a moment, she even felt scared but couldn't understand why.

"Are you okay, Diamond?" Silver Spoon asked, coming up next to her best friend, looking genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

Diamond quickly reminded herself that the Crusaders were the ones who were trying to throw away the fame. She was trying to be nice to them that time, right?

The pink pony looked up just in time to see the Crusaders standing alone, staring back.

The two groups of fillies looked around in a blind panic, trying to find somepony they hadn't asked. Unfortunately for them all, there was no pony.

After that, the archenemies spent about five minutes staring at one another as if the sight before them was a dream...or rather a nightmare.

"Girls?" asked Miss Cheerilee, trotting over. "Is something wrong?"

"We don't want to work with them!" both sets of fillies asked at the same exact time.

The Crusaders and their bullies looked at each other with confused blinks at the jinx.

Cheerilee wished she could have said it was her plan all along, but she wasn't Princess Celestia. That didn't mean she wouldn't leap on the opportunity to try and get these five to bury the hatchet while the iron was hot. She may not have always caught Diamond's bullying, but she did know that the two didn't get along at one. "Well, it looks like you're the only ones left, my little ponies. And you need five ponies. Remember, this is a big project."

For a brief moment, Diamond Tiara considered the possibility of just refusing to do the project out of spite. Spite soon met the one thing Diamond Tiara loathed more than the Cutie Mark Crusaders: the thought of disappointing her parents...And it also occurred to her that Silver would get an F as well.

Meanwhile, Applebloom considered similar thoughts. As well as the red flank she'd probably get if she even considered it. Not to mention the idea of her family being disappointed in her. She was still trying to get them to trust her enough to stay home by herself when they went out! And she just couldn't do that to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle either.

"I'm sure you'll make a wonderful team," Cheerilee suggested. "You're all capable of accomplishing so much. Imagine what you can do together."

Cheerilee blinked, watching the two groups continuing to stare awkwardly at one another.

Diamond's stomach was in knots just looking at the Crusaders. So many insults running through her mind that she knew she couldn't say...not unless she wanted to become...to become like her.

"Um...Miss Cheerilee?"

The foals and their teacher turned to see Alula raising her hoof. "Um...I could switch with somepony and work with Diamond…"

"Alula?!" asked Twist in shock.

"Well...is it fair to Applebloom and her friends to have to work with her?" Alula whispered. Twist lowered her head and pinned her ears in response.

Cheerilee gave a thoughtful look. "...Hmm...well, technically groups aren't solidified yet. So do any of you want to switch places with Alula?"

The Crusaders looked to one another like the idea of one of them swapping out was like cutting off their own leg.

To Diamond's surprise, Silver Spoon didn't just instantly lift a hoof to get the buck out of there.

Diamond Tiara's mind entertained the idea of trying to swap out with Alula herself. She began to raise a hoof to bring up that exact thing...and then saw Silver's face become...hurt when the Earth Pony noticed her hoof move.

"Y-Yes, Diamond…" the silver mare stuttered, trembling next to her 'friend' in terror.
Diamond turned to her with a menacing glare. "That didn't sound like you're having fun."

"S-sorry…"

"You'd better try again, this time with spirit. Or would you rather I rethink my company's deal with your daddy's business?"

Silver's eyes shrank to pinpricks. "No! It was fun! Look at how wide I'm smiling!" she said, forcing the widest smile she could manage.

"That's better...and don't call me Diamond, call me Miss Tiara, got it?"

"Y-Yes D-Diamond-I mean Miss Tiara!"

Diamond suddenly looked at her own hoof in pure horror for a brief second before she lowered it and quickly regained her composure as quickly as equinely possible, much to Silver Spoon's relief. No pony noticed Diamond still seemed to tremble a little bit. "No thanks, we're good…"

The Crusader's looked at one another in confusion.

"Uh...am I dreaming or did Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon just not trip over each other to leave the other one stuck with us?" Scootaloo whispered to her friends.

Applebloom bit her foreleg and gave a yelp. "Nope, ain't dreamin'."

"Did somecreature accidentally let Discord out again?" Sweetie Belle replied with a little panic in her voice.

Alula looked hurt when no pony took her offer. "Okay...just thought I'd offer…"

"Alright, my little ponies," Miss Cheerilee announced. "Please get together with your groups and spend the rest of class discussing your projects. They will be due in a few weeks."

The two groups of fillies looked at each other.

"...This is going to be a long project…" Diamond Tiara admitted aloud.

"Tah quote mah brother, eeyup," Applebloom replied.

Past Uncovered

GBOYHVerse: Tarnished Diamonds

Chapter 5

Past Uncovered

By Godzillawolf

With their desks pushed together, three seated on one side two on the other the five fillies sat as a group. While the rest of the classroom was a buzz of activity, the only activity the enemies turned partners seemed interested in, or capable of at the moment, was to glare at each other and not make a sound. It was almost like watching a very intense staring contest; as if one of them would blink their eyes, they would lose the game.

Neither group knew how long they'd been sitting like this. It just that it felt like about eight months since they'd gotten into this mess.

“...”

“We have ten minutes left, my little ponies,” Cheerilee warned the class, causing several groups to begin discussing how they'd meet after class, who would bring what, and a number of other odds and ends.

“Ugh...look,” Applebloom said, the filly finally breaking the silence. “Ah don't like yah, and Ah know yah don't like meh.”

“What gave you that idea, genius?” Diamond asked, feeling a little sick but not letting up the death glare.

“But mah family ain't gonna be happy if Ah get an F, so let's just get this over with, okay?” the yellow farm filly replied.

The spoiled bully gave a sigh of annoyance. “Yeah, Daddy's gonna take away my allowance if I get an F.”

“And my aunt will ground me from crusading...” Scootaloo muttered, pinning her ears.

“And Rarity will make me bathe Opal...” Sweetie Belle lamented.

“And daddy will make me run laps around our estate...” Silver finished, earning her a few confused looks. “...He's a Royal Guard.”

“He is?” Sweetie Belle questioned, the Crusaders looking like they'd been told the world is flat.

“Ugh! Let's just get this over with so we can go back to ignoring each other!” Diamond Tiara interjected. “What stupid thing should we do it on?”

“The Crystal Empire coming back, let's do that!” Scootaloo suggested, the fan-filly expression she was wearing leaving little to the imagination as to why. “We can ask Rainbow Dash and the others about it! Maybe even get to go there!”

“Yeah! Good idea! We can make a model with lots of glitter!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle in excitement.

“Yah sure like glitter, don't yah?” Applebloom questioned with a chuckle.

“I'm Rarity's little sister, what would you expect?”

While the Crusaders were all bustling with excitement over the idea, Diamond Tiara was grinding her teeth in frustration at the mental image this brought to her mind. Namely spending several days with the Crusaders talking about how awesome their sisters/sister figures were, bragging constantly and enjoying every minute of it while Diamond Tiara had to grin and bare it. She could feel her jealously eating her up already. Normally, she'd be thinking of every possible way to emotionally tear them down and take full control. Except then...she'd be like her...and that thought left her with a mile cold sweat. Still, didn't mean she couldn't do something about the predicament, right?

“Well I don't think it's a good idea,” the rich filly replied, donning her most indifferent look she could manage.

The trio rolled their eyes. “Let me guess, because it's our idea?” asked Scootaloo, crossing her forelegs.

“No, think about it; it just happened. Yeah, we've got your family I guess, but how do you expect to find any books or anything? You know that Cheerilee likes varied sources. We'd be limiting ourselves too much if we did that. Plus, how exactly are Silver and I going to do our share on something only you three can get anything about? You'd have to do all the work. Of course if you'd like to let Silver and I just do the bare minimum by necessity, I can oblige,” was the pink filly's reply, managing to give off an aura of confidence in what she was saying.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked to one another with a blink. “That's...actually a good point...” Scootaloo begrudgingly admitted. “I have trouble finding the right books when they're easy to find...”

“Yeah, plus if the Crystal Empire is what it sounds like, Rarity's probably going to spend the next week making dresses...” Sweetie Belle replied, though also looking a little excited at the thought.

“And Applejack's gonna have a lot of work tah catch up on since she's been gone...” Applebloom finished.

“See?” Diamond Tiara finished with an aura of pride. “So...”

Diamond tried to think of big important events in Equestrian history...but kept hitting a particular snag. She didn't remember many of them. At least not many of them that the Crusaders wouldn't know more about or knew somepony involved in it. “...Isn't there some huge story about Heart's and Hooves Day?”

The pink filly fought the urge to gag. Lovey-dovey stuff rarely appealed to any foal, but it was also the one holiday she knew for sure the Crusaders didn't have some big 'my sisters did something super impressive' on that day. Unless their sisters had somehow managed to travel back in time and be involved in that story, but what were the odds of that?

“Uh...about that...” muttered Applebloom, blushing.

Diamond Tiara gave an annoyed sigh. “What?”

“We kind of got banned from all the books in the library involving Hearts and Hooves Day after...well...we kind of love poisoned Big Mac and Cheerilee...” Sweetie Belle pointed out, looking like she was trying to hide behind her mane.

Diamond Tiara's response was to snap another pencil by biting it to stifle her tongue, eyes twitching like mad.

“Uh...Diamond Tiara, are yah okay?” Applebloom asked, the three Crusaders just staring at her in confusion.

“I'm fine...”

“Really? Cause you look like Rarity when she's trying not to tell me I made her mad...” Sweetie Belle said, cocking her head.

“And that's the third pencil you've bit in half today,” Scootaloo remarked, pointing to the two other snapped pencils on the floor next to the filly's chair.

Diamond took in a deep breath...then held her breath for a second so she couldn't let it out in a scream of frustration, followed by insults she knew would make her feel ill. “I'm fine! Next suggestion!”

“What about Princess Luna coming back?” Scootaloo suggested. “Rainbow Dash and her friends were there too.”

'In other words, another story about your awesome sisters,' Diamond thought. “I think we both know who's got that one covered...” the pink filly replied, pointing a hoof over to Pipsqueak's group, the pinto colt already holding up a surprisingly well done drawing of Princess Luna.

“She's got a point...” Sweetie Belle replied, looking back to Pip. “He's like Princess Luna's biggest fan...”

“Biggest fan? Pipsqueak knows her!” Scootaloo replied, looking a tiny bit jealous.

Diamond's eyes went wide. “What?!”

“Yeah, at the Nightmare Night thing?” Applebloom asked. “Yah didn't see that?”

The spoiled filly smirked. “Well, I was busy trick or treating in Canterlot with Daddy,” she said proudly.

“How's that any different than trick or treating here?” Scootaloo asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“Oh, it's not too different, just they give out fancy, gourmet candies,” Diamond Tiara said in her 'I've got something you don't' tone.

“Because they can afford it there,” Silver Spoon continued, imitating her partner in crime's tone.

Diamond felt a small bit of gratification at the looks of jealousy this earned...

“We still got to meet a Princess,” Scootaloo reminded.

And that gratified grin was replaced with a frustrated glare. “Fine, whatever! Point is that's not working, let's figure out something else, okay?!”

“What about the royal wedding?” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Princess Cadence married Shining Armor and we got to be flower fillies, it'd be great!”

“Uh, we also got invaded by scary, love eating bug ponies,” Scootaloo pointed out, giving a shudder at the memory.

“Yeah but we get attacked by stuff all the time, how many weddings have we been to?!”

“And the Changelings aren't all scary. What about the one that's friends with Miss Matilda?” Applebloom asked, remembering the shy Changeling that occasionally stopped by the town and had to show his passport each time. “He seems nice...”

Diamond Tiara resisted the urge to slam her head as hard as she could into the desk in front of her. Instead she settled for some angry scowling. “Except I wasn't here! That's the same problem as with the Crystal Empire one!”

Scootaloo gave an annoyed sigh. “Fine then, what about Discord?”

Almost instantly the orange pegasus found varying looks of horror and anger staring back at her, causing her ears to pin back. “Oh yeah...that was really really awful...forget I said anything.”

“Good idea...”

Everypony, including Scootaloo herself, looked around at one another in surprise at the group jinx.

“What about Trixie, Rarity, and their beating that mean Checker Monarch?” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Rarity said it was all over the news and stuff.”

Diamond Tiara suddenly tensed up and broke out in a cold sweat. “N-no. L-let's not...”

Scootaloo blinked, giving a confused look. Diamond's statement hadn't had her usual venom. If anything it sounded...pleading. “Why not?”

“B-because that wasn't quite a historical event, doesn't c-count...”

Silver looked at her friend, any smugness disappearing. “...I'm with Diamond Tiara. Doesn't really count.”

The Crusaders looked at each other with unsettled faces, then back to the two bullies. “...Fine...but we still need something...”

Diamond Tiara managed to steady herself...and proceeded to wrack her brain for something to suggest. She looked to Silver Spoon, who didn't seem to even be trying to think of something. No surprise, she'd hardly spoke the entire decision making process. Diamond was on her own trying to think of something that she wouldn't spend the entire time hearing them brag about and that didn't involve...HER. Something that wouldn't leave her fighting back a billion insults she knew she couldn't say without becoming like...HER. Something, anything! Something she was at least on equal footing to the bla-Applebloom and her friends!

Something clicked in her brain and galloped to her mouth before she could think.

“Let's just do it on the founding of Ponyville and be done with it!”

The entire group promptly stared at Diamond with as much disbelief as she had that it'd come out of her own mouth, which she had the urge to insert her hoof into.

“Uh...Diamond, did yah just say we should do the founding of Ponyville or do Ah still have water in mah ears from bein' Cutie Mark Crusader Synchronized Swimmers yesterday?” Applebloom asked, tilting her head and giving the side of it a few taps.

The spoiled filly's eyes batted back and forth between the four shell-shocked ponies looking at her. She had spoke without thinking, even beautiful, smart young mares like her could make mistakes from time to time. The question was which was worse? To admit her idea was stupid and give her ego a bruising, or to grin and bear it working on something she didn't exactly have a pleasant history with?

“Simple. Your family was part of it; my family was part of it. It's probably the one thing that a low-” the spoiled filly's prepared insult about their difference in social class died rather quickly in her throat when her stomach seized up. “That we actually have in common. So why shouldn't we?”

“Because last time it came up, you blew up on Granny Smith in class...” Scootaloo pointed out.

“And had to wear a bunny suit and jump over watering cans...” Sweetie Belle continued.

Diamond Tiara was glad she had pink fur to hide the rather vibrant blush stirring beneath it. “Well, this situation is already unbearable, so it's not like it can possibly make this any worse, can it?”

The rich foal found herself instinctively knocking on the desk for some reason.

The CMC promptly got into a huddle.

“Well, she's got a point...” Scootaloo admitted.

“...Yeah...Ah just think Diamond's acting a bit weird...” Applebloom admitted, giving a concerned look. “She hasn't insulted us once the whole time...”

“Probably because Cheerilee's watching...” the orange filly replied. “Probably doesn't want to end up in the bunny suit again.”

Diamond Tiara looked to Silver. “Do you have a problem with this?”

The silver filly merely shook her head, shooting down any hopes of a way out of this. “Not if you don't, Diamond.”

Diamond couldn't help feeling like Silver looked a bit happier than expected. Then again, her cohort had applauded Granny Smith. The pink filly had never questioned it, considering she was much too busy being punished, a very alien experience for the foal. Perhaps she merely misinterpreted Diamond's feelings on that tidbit of her family's history being presented and expected the lead bully was pleased with it? Yes, that was probably it. Why else would her best friend applaud the enemy's grandmother?

The Crusaders finally turned back to their reluctant teammates. “Alright, sounds good tah us,” Applebloom announced, her two friends nodding. “We can go see Granny Smith aft-”

“Oh no you don't!” Diamond Tiara interjected, the rich filly then putting a hoof on her chest proudly. “The class already heard that part of the story! I think it's only fair we start with my family's side of it! It's only fair, right?”

Silver Spoon naturally nodded. “She's right you know. It is only fair.”

The yellow farm filly gave a glare back. “...Do yah even know yer family's half of it?”

Diamond froze, blinking. She knew her family was wealthy, she knew her Great Grandpa Stinking Rich had created the family business and sold Zap Apple Jam to start with, and that'd lead to Ponyville's founding...

“Well...no...but you're not the only one with a grandparent who was there!”

Applebloom gave a sincerely baffled blink. “Wait, yer granny is still around?”

“My grandfather is, yes,” Diamond Tiara replied with a high and mighty smirk. “He's only a bit younger than your grandmother, so he's bound to know a thing or two.”

“Does he live with yah?”

“No, he lives in his own estate near White Tail Woods, I can have my servants take us to visit,” the spoiled foal replied, now riding a high of self gratification. Sure it felt a tiny bit empty compared to insults, but it was an improvement over feeling sick to her stomach and terrified of becoming like a certain sociopathic unicorn.

Applebloom looked to her friends. “If he's one of the Riches, Granny Smith probably knows 'em, so shouldn't be a problem for meh.”

“Rarity shouldn't have a problem with it...” was Sweetie Belle's response.

“I'll have to ask my aunt, but it should be okay...unless he has a pet giant squid or something...” Scootaloo finished.

Diamond Tiara blinked. “Giant squid?”

“Yeah, we ran into one trying to be Cutie Mark Crusader Scuba-Divers and got chased by one living in a lake, and apparently my aunt's got some really weird fear of them...” the orange filly explained, looking just as confused by that as the rest of the group. “I don't think I want to know.”

The pink filly's eye began twitching. “I...see...well, there aren't any giant squid on my grandpa's estate...he has a pool though. A really big one.”

“Then I should be fine...”

“Good, I'll have Daddy send him a letter...”

“How's it gonna beat us there?” Applebloom questioned. She never been to White Tail Woods before.

“Daddy pays for express delivery, that's how. It's a perk of being rich.”

“I thought you just got express delivery by giving Miss Derpy a free muffin...” Sweetie Belle said, putting a hoof to her chin.

Diamond Tiara once again felt that odd urge to slam her head into the desk. This time she obeyed it.

Diamond Tiara gave a sigh of annoyance, sitting in the seat of her family's personal carriage, as they had been for some time. On most occasions she'd be all too happy to relish getting to flaunt that her family was wealthy enough to afford a personal carriage, with its luxurious seats, imported carpets, and the diamond door knobs she'd managed to convince her daddy to buy just because they went with her tiara.

But most of the time, said flaunting did not involve being in an enclosed space for extended periods of time with THEM,while trying not to become HER.

“Why are we taking a pony drawn carriage anyway?” Scootaloo asked, stealing a peak out the window at the landscapes passing by.

The spoiled filly rolled her eyes. “Because it's faster than walking, and is a symbol of class and sophistication.”

“Yeah, duh!” Silver Spoon chimed in, smirking to her cohort.

“But if ponies are pulling it, how can it be faster?” Sweetie Belle questioned, peaking over Diamond to the window that could be used to speak with the stallions pulling the carriage if the passengers desired it.

“I don't know, I'm not a carriage pony.” The pink filly gave a prideful look. “And besides, you should feel privileged that I'm letting you ride in mine. You're the only ponies in our entire class who have ever gotten to ride in it, other than Silver Spoon.”

“Yeah, you should be thanking us,” Silver Spoon followed up, giving a smirk.

“Thanks fer givin' us a lift Ah guess...” Applebloom said begrudgingly. “But it's kinda boring.”

Diamond Tiara gave an incensed look while Silver's jaw just dropped a little. “Boring?! You're in MY carriage, how can that possibly be boring?”

“Well, there's nothin' tah do,” the farm filly replied. Scootaloo seemed especially anxious.

“I kinda like it though...it's pretty...” Sweetie Belle admitted, looking at the diamonds. “I think Rarity would like it...”

“Well at least one of you has good taste, bl-” Diamond stopped herself as her stomach seized up again. Honestly, she was lucky she hadn't had to tell her attendants to stop, given the practically rapid fire parade of things she could be insulting and picking apart, but couldn't dare say. Perhaps having her father get first class train tickets would have been a better idea, after all. At least she'd been able to convincingly lie to Shiny Star that the ginger ale was a precaution, just in case any of their 'guests' turned out to be prone to getting carriage sick. She'd drunk half a bottle.

“Just hold it together, Diamond. Remember why you're doing this...” she whispered to herself. She turned to the glass, briefly seeing the image of a certain blue unicorn superimposed over her own and giving a shudder.

Silver Spoon seemed to notice her annoyance, but didn't say anything. She just looked plain confused.

The spoiled pink filly leaned over. “We've got to put up with these bl-los-three until we're done with the project. And as much as I sincerely hate to admit it, the more we insult them, the harder that's going to be. So let's just cool it until then, okay?” she whispered. “It's not like we have to be nice to them or anything.”

The gray filly blinked in confusion, but nodded obediently. “Alright, Diamond...”

Diamond Tiara cocked her head in a bit of confusion. Silver Spoon's face...well, wasn't blank. It was more like one time this actress had to fill in for another at a play she'd attended and was trying to get into the new character. Not that she blamed Silver Spoon, being anything but a bully to the trio felt so odd, of course she was having the same trouble as the spoiled pink foal.

“Ugh...fine, the doorknobs are pretty...I guess...but why did it have to be so small?” Scootaloo questioned, fidgeting a bit.

“Because it's a private carriage, duh!” the spoiled pink pony replied, giving another roll of her eyes. At this rate, she was wondering when they'd roll out of her head if she kept rolling them like this.

“Well sorry most of us don't have those...” Scootaloo muttered, giving an annoyed look.

“Yes, you should be.”

Scootaloo took her turn to roll her eyes. “Can we play I Spy or something? Otherwise we're just going to sit here glaring at each other the entire time...and my eyes still hurt from doing that in class.”

Diamond raised an eyebrow. “I Spy?”

“Yeah, you know, look out the window and say 'I spy with my little eye, something...' and then the other ponies try to figure out what it was?” Sweetie Belle asked, giving a blink. “You've never heard of I Spy?”

“Of course we have, remember Diamond?” Silver Spoon asked. “Before your momma...you know.”

Diamond Tiara blinked, thinking back. “Oh...yeah...when we were in Manehatten. It's just been a really long time's all...you three bla-three can play if you want.”

At that, the trio turned to the window and looked out.

“Alright, I spy with my little eye...something...green!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“Grass?” Applebloom guessed.

“Nope!”

Diamond noted Silver looked slightly disappointed. Had she wanted to play with those three? No way. Silver Spoon didn't even know why picking on the trio was off limits. Then why would the other bully look disappointed?

“Leaves?” guessed Scootaloo, pointing to a tree they were passing.

“Got it!” Sweetie Belle replied. “Alright, your turn.”

“Alright...I spy with my little eye, something yellow.”

Diamond gave an annoyed growl at the sight of her archenemies having fun in her carriage. It was hard enough to watch either situation separately, but together it was near unbearable. She prepared to say something.

“Good job, you really are a lot like I was when I was a kid. Keep up the good work. Some day you might be just like me."

The spoiled filly gave a frightened shudder. She needed a distraction, now.

She looked to the other window, seeing the landscape passing by, then back to the Crusaders playing their game.

“Daisies?” asked Applebloom.

“Dang it, you got it,” Scootaloo replied. “Your turn.”

“Come on, Silver Spoon, let's play,” Diamond Tiara told her cohort. “I mean obviously not with them, but there's more than one window, isn't there?”

Silver Spoon cocked her head, but then nodded with a smile. “Sure! You go first Diamond!”

The pink filly was taken back by the smile. It was the same one her friend had back when they were on the seesaw and at the sleepover. She shook off her surprise and looked out the opposing window, eyes searching the environment, a few houses with animals, trees, and such passing by as they did so. “I spy with my little eye...something white.”

Silver Spoon put a hoof to her chin. “Hmm...the clouds?”

“Nope, try again.”

The gray filly looked over their surroundings carefully. “Hmm...that house?” she asked, pointing to a white house nestled in the country.

“Nope, try again,” Diamond Tiara replied, giving a confident smirk.

The silver filly pointed her hoof at a white dog with a fancy looking collar running around in one of the yards. “Hmm, that dog?”

“You got it,” the pink filly replied, oddly feeling less incensed than she expected to. Then again, Silver Spoon knew her, why couldn't she guess what Diamond Tiara was thinking? “Your turn.”

Diamond Tiara kept her eyes on the passing scenery as the carriage continued onward and Silver Spoon's eyes scanned their surroundings. “I spy with my little eye...something...pink.”

“Me?” Diamond Tiara guessed instantly.

“No...” Silver Spoon replied, giving a rather confused look.

“What?”

“Oh...just, not used to saying no to you asking me something...”

Diamond Tiara wasn't certain why, but that sentence made her have cold chills. To distract herself, her eyes went back to scanning their surroundings.

Her eyes fell on a row of trees with vibrant pink leaves. She didn't know the name, but they were quite the pretty sight. “Those trees?”

Silver Spoon gave a nod. “You got it! Good job Diamond!”

Diamond Tiara gave smile. “Of course it was. And remember those trees. I think I'll ask daddy if we can get some, they'd look great on our estate.”

“Okay, Diamond.”

“I spy with my little eye,” said Sweetie Belle, apparently now her turn. “Something gray.”

“Derpy?” Scootaloo asked.

“Yep!”

Diamond Tiara blinked in confusion. “Wait, what?”

The filly trotted across the carriage and looked out, seeing a certain wall-eyed Pegasus flying back the way they came, a mail bag at her side. She looked to them and waved, the Crusaders waving back.

“Huh, guess you did get express delivery...” Sweetie Belle remarked.

“Whoa...” was the collective response of the Cutie Mark Crusaders as they stared up at the very sizable estate the carriage was approaching. It wasn't as big as Canterlot Castle's grounds, but it certainly a bigger chunk of real-estate than anypony in Ponyville owned, and it even had a fairly respectable sized lake on the grounds, in addition to the big pool next to the mansion.

The mansion in the center of it was suitably massive; Applebloom was fairly certain her house and the barn next to it would fit inside it. The décor was 'old styled' as Rarity would say, with marble pillars and brick siding, countless windows covering the entire place.

“Your grandpa lives here?!” Applebloom asked, eyes wide.

Diamond Tiara chuckled. “Yes, he does. He ran Rich's Barnyard Bargains before Daddy and built it to be his 'retirement home' for the family. Like a Rich would settle for the same retirement homes as normal ponies. Note that after he built this, Daddy and I are still rich.”

“He stays here alone? Ain't that dangerous?” Applebloom asked, remembering how often Granny Smith ended up throwing her hip out.

“Of course not, he's got his servants,” the spoiled filly replied, as if that should be as obvious a fact as ponies needing air. “And someday this place will be all mine. Cool, huh?”

The trio just nodded as the carriage pulled up to the mansion and disembarked. The chauffeurs kept their heads high, though did give Diamond an indignant look as the spoiled rotten filly simply continued on without a word in their direction, merely basking in the glory of being the center of attention, while Shiny Star got off of the rooftop seat where she'd spent the journey sitting in.

Sweetie Belle looked over to the carriage-pulling stallions. “Thanks for the ride!”

The two stallions blinked as if being thanked by the filly they'd transported was an utterly alien concept to them. They then gave a small, appreciative smile. “You're welcome...”

Applebloom looked back to the carriage. “...Yer pa and ma didn't want tah come along?”

Diamond Tiara stopped in her tracks, Applebloom having to stop to avoid running into her hindquarters. “They wanted to...but Daddy was busy with work and Momma...isn't cleared to travel yet.”

“Cleared tah travel? What does-”

“Momma was sick, she's better now, but her doctors think it's best she stay home and rest for a while, okay?!” Diamond snapped, looking back at Applebloom with a look that made the farm filly's blood run cold.

“...Alright...” Applebloom replied simply. Scootaloo gave an almost...jealous look, while Sweetie's was strangely sympathetic.

“Good...” Diamond replied, Silver putting a hoof on her shoulder. “Let's just get this over with...”

As they reached the door, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon simply sat there, waiting, much to the Crusader's confusion.

“We gonna knock or what?” Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow.

Diamond Tiara looked to Shiny Star. The maid gave an annoyed sigh and knocked on the door.

The spoiled filly then blinked at the looks this netted her from the Crusaders. “What?”

“Really?” Applebloom questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“She's my maid, it's what my daddy pays her for,” Diamond Tiara retorted with a smug smile. “Jealous?”

The farm filly rolled her eyes, but was prevented from doing anything more when the door opened to reveal an Earth Pony stallion in a black suit and bowtie. He had white fur, a small gray mustache, and a balding white mane, his Cutie Mark concealed by his suit. “Hello, Miss Rich, young madams. Mr. Rich has been expecting you.”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon merely trotted in. “Thanks, sir,” Applebloom said before following.

The butler looked to Shiny Star. “Same bundle of joy as always I see?”

The maid sighed. “Yes, Alfred. But Mrs. Tiara is better now.”

“Yes, I heard. That is wonderful to hear.”

The five foals stepped up to a large door leading into a living room. Partially to Diamond's annoyance, the CMC seemed quite determined to stick close to her. Understandable, considering that she knew her way around from the previous times she'd been here and they didn't, and the mansion's massive size made the potential of getting lost rather high. On one hoof, the spoiled pink filly enjoyed being in her element and in charge...on the other, being so close to her archenemies while trying desperately not to snap and insult them was a very sizable task.

“Grandpa Dusty, it's me, Diamond!” Diamond Tiara called.

“Wait, yer grandpa's named Dusty?” Applebloom asked, cocking her head.

“Yes, so what?” was Diamond's retort.

“Well...kinda expected...” the farm filly started awkwardly.

The door opened to reveal an elderly stallion with a grandfatherly smile. His fur was a slightly darker brown than his son Filthy Rich's, his mane gray with age. His Cutie Mark was a simple dollar sign, and the only clothing he wore was the glasses on his face. “Hello, Tarnished Rich, good to see you again.”

Diamond Tiara's smugness instantly dissolved into a look of pure humiliation.

“Tarnished Rich?” Applebloom asked, she and the other Crusaders all getting a look of confusion, while Silver Spoon merely gave an upset look.

“Grandpa! I told you, I'm Diamond Tiara now!” Diamond Tiara argued as her ears pinned back.

“Not to me, young lady,” Dusty snapped, giving a stern glare. “Especially since you have a habit of forgetting why you have that name in the first place...but I'm glad to see you again all the same.” The elderly stallion then looked to the other foals. “Hello, Silver Spoon. And my, little Applebloom, you've gotten big. Come on in, bring your friends.”

As Dusty Rich retreated into the living room, Diamond was busy trying to find some way to hide behind her mane, and failing due to its short length.

“Tarnished Rich?” Scootaloo questioned again.

“It's my birth name, alright?!” Diamond Tiara snapped. “It's some stupid tradition where everypony in my family has to have a name to 'remind us of our roots' or something like that. You know? Like Stinking, Dusty, Filthy?”

The foal admitted she didn't have the worst luck of her family. That would be her Aunt Spoiled Rich, who by marriage ended up with the unfortunate name Spoiled Rotten.

“I changed it when I got my Cutie Mark,” the humiliated filly continued, her pink fur no longer able to conceal her incredibly bright blush. “It's one of the perks of not being a blank flank!”

Diamond Tiara gave a look of smug superiority and relish in the words she just spoke...until she nearly doubled over from her stomach deciding to remind her of why she wasn't saying those two words anymore and felt cold.

Shuddering, the filly composed herself. “...Anyway, Grandpa Dusty just doesn't want to admit that I earned the right to change my name.”

Sweetie Belle cocked her head. “Wait, I don't remember ever hearing you go by that name...”

Diamond snarled, just wanting this miserable moment over with. She knew the trio of fillies was laughing at her on the inside. “If you were named Tarnished Rich, would YOU flaunt it? I just went by my last name until I got my Cutie Mark, just like Daddy does...”

“...I changed mine too,” Silver Spoon spoke up. “My birth name is Silver Mirror. We just like our new names better. Maybe once you blank flanks earn your marks, you can choose better ones too.”

The gray filly looked to her friend, expecting that to see a smug, confident grin to match her own, only for her discomfort to seem to worsen.

“...Yeah...come on, let's get this over with...” Diamond Tiara finished, walking into the living room with a miserable expression and ears flat against her head.

This was supposed to be her element, and not five minutes in her grandpa humiliates her. A bad start meant it couldn't get any worse, right?

Author's Note

EDIT: Corrections thanks to GMZ_Casper!

Common Ground

GBOYHVerse: Tarnished Diamonds

Chapter 6

Common Ground

By Godzillawolf

Considering the group was currently sitting in her grandfather's lavish, incredibly expensive living room with oh so many things she could brag about (as they were both a sign of her family's wealth and would one day be hers), Diamond Tiara should have been having a good day. She was not.

'I knew I should've taken us to Great Auntie Impossibly's place instead...' thought the little pink filly. Granted, Impossibly Rich was rarely ever home, but at least she didn't call her Tarnished Rich! In fact Impossibly was the one who suggested she change her name first chance she got!

“Wow, this is the biggest living room I've seen!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, looking around it. Compared to even the Tiara household, the living room was quite expansive, and lined with portraits and countless expensive odds and ins.

Dusty Rich chuckled, sitting down in an incredibly expensive and luxurious chair next to the fireplace. “I'll take that as a compliment, Miss Belle.”

“It was!”

“Thought so,” the 'Grand Patriarch' (as his twin sister, the Grand Matriarch in her own words, put it) of the Rich Family replied. He motioned with his hoof. “Take a seat, I've got plenty.”

The Crusaders nodded and prepared to jump on the couch as a collective unit.

“Wait!” Diamond yelled, dashing over. “You bl-I mean you three need to clean your hooves! That couch costs more than that entire silly tree house of yours!” she shouted, managing to catch herself at the first twinge of her recurring stomachache. If she had to put up with the three so much as stepping hoof in her family's retirement estate (which would inevitably be hers), she wasn't going to let them disrespect it!

“Oh relax, Tarnished,” Dusty interjected, prompting a blush from his granddaughter. “If they get it too dirty, I can always buy another one.”

Diamond Tiara had a tirade pop into her head...so she quickly bit her tongue and took a seat with a huff, Silver Spoon seating herself next to her. That is after the glasses wearing Earth Pony made sure her best friend saw her clean her hooves off.

“So, little ponies, you want to know the story of Ponyville's founding from the Rich's point of view, huh?” asked the elder Rich, giving a smirk. The fillies nodded. “Well best start at the beginning. You see, it might surprise you, but the Riches weren't all that rich back then.”

The group gasped in shock, Diamond's jaw dropping.

“That's...that's a joke, right Grandpa?” Diamond Tiara asked, looking stunned.

The elder of her family gave a grumble. “No, Tarnished, it isn't a joke! You see this is why I keep calling you Tarnished Rich! You forgot why you got that name in the first place!”

Diamond tried to hide her face as that got a couple chuckles from some of the CMC.

“No, we weren't rich. Your great grandpa's first store was a tent!...You see, your grandpa was traveling Equestria, putting up shop wherever he could find it,” said the elder stallion, looking at a picture hanging over the mantle of his father and Dusty himself (who at the time looked like a colt aged Filthy Rich), along with his little sister Spoiled (who was at the time just a baby being held by their father) and twin sister Impossibly (or as Dusty insisted on calling her even to this day, Musty).

“...Is it just me or does that pony remind you of Fluttershy?” whispered Scootaloo to her friends, pointing to Impossibly Rich. Sure enough, with her long mane and tail and general body shape, one could mistake the mare for Fluttershy, if not for her more haughty expression.

“Maybe that's why Photo Finish was able to make her such a big star?” Sweetie Belle questioned.

The Rich family walked along the roads between towns, Stinking Rich pulling their simple carriage and his children in the back either minding baby Spoiled or organizing the merchandise.

“Manehattan...”

The twins helped their father unload the tent and merchandise in a street corner in Manehatten. Young Musty Rich gave an enamored look at the nearby to passing starlets and high society types while her brother merely rolled his eyes...

“Rainbow Falls...”

The group set up shop at the Rainbow Falls Traders Exchange. While their father did business, Dusty had to pull his twin away from a shop with fancy jewelery and expensive brooches.

“...even some new frontier towns.”

Musty Rich gagged at the dusty condition of a town not unlike present day Appleloosa or Dodge Junction. Dusty tapped her on the shoulder and pointed towards a long line of ponies at their father's humble tent, and thus requiring their attention.

“The stallion bought whatever he felt he could resell, and you bet he could resell it like nopony's business...”

Dusty watched in admiration as his father managed to sell a fancy, up tight railroad owner an old, but still perfectly functional engine that would be perfect for one of his trains. Despite a long drawn up negotiation process, he handled excellently. Managing to match the rich pony's fancy words with ones equal in 'class' to impress him, and showing a good bit of knowhow on the engine's workings. Musty was more interested in sweet talking the owner's young colt.

“...but between keeping a bunch of kids safe and sound and traveling all over, it wasn't exactly the road to riches my sister seemed so keen on us traveling. We had enough to live on, but getting a hoofcarved piece of driftwood as a present was worth celebrating cause it was the best pa could give us sometimes.”

Stinking Rich sat next to a humble little Hearth's Warming Tree in their carriage, Dusty feeding little Spoiled her bottle while the father carved a piece of wood. A few moments later, Musty Rich was given a hoofcarved little statue of a star pony she liked. For once, Dusty's twin actually happily took something so humble.

Diamond Tiara face was an expression of horror at the explanation, Silver patting her on the back comfortingly.

“Golly, Ah never would've thought the Rich family started out like that!” Apple Bloom exclaimed in surprise, murmurings among the foals of surprise stirring.

'Great! Now they've got something to hold against me! I'll never hear the end of this!' Diamond thought, imagining the tables turning and now being on the receiving end of insults and being constantly reminded of this embarrassment until her dying day. After all, it's what she'd do!...Or would have done, if her stomach would let her and she wouldn't end up becoming...her. The spoiled filly gave a shudder as why she'd stopped bullying the CMC came back to her mind.

Dusty gave a chuckle. “Hard to believe, but it's the honest to Celestia truth. It was a humble beginning...but then one day, while we were visiting Canterlot, we met Princess Celestia. And I tell you, meeting her for the first time isn't something you forget! She's such a presence...”

The tent was set up in the street of Canterlot, the uppity unicorns walking by with their noses in the air and paying them no heed...

Until a white hoof picked up a purse. The family's jaws collectively dropped as they saw said hoof was attached to the Princess of the Day herself, standing above them with a warm smile. Musty Rich gently hoofed Spoiled to her brother with neither's expression changing, then promptly fainted.

“Hehe...Such a wonderful mare. Now if I had to guess, I think she could tell we were struggling to get our financial situation in order, and, being Celestia and all, wanted to help...”

After making a sale to the highest pony in the land, more ponies filed in to purchase as if a switch had been pulled. Celestia tapped her chin, talking with Stinking Rich as he made his sales. The Dayarch pointed off into the distance at a little spot where a wisp of smoke was going into the sky.

“And told us about a special discovery a little group of farmers had made in Everfree Forest she was sure would be the surefire seller dad needed to get our start...”

Stinking Rich arrived in Ponyville, and soon began speaking with Granny Smith and collecting baskets of Zap Apple Jam...

“As you can guess, that was your Granny, Apple Bloom! That Zap Apple Jam was just the most amazing thing! And one of the most profitable things too. Enough that soon supply outpaced demand and we made the deal we have to this day.”

The Rich Family gradually built their first store, working hard together (even Musty, despite her complaints). Slowly, buildings began to crop up around them. First a couple, then slowly more and more buildings until a town was formed.

“Of course, as the orchard began to grow, the other apple products began coming in,” Dusty Rich explained with a smirk. “And dad began to make a chain of stores with some of our cousins, just like your family did. I bet a lot of the ponies and businesses that came to form Ponyville came from two big families spreading word of mouth about how good a place to live this place was...Hehe, ironic, isn't it? Two of the biggest families in Equestria and they both got their start in a little patch of land next to Everfree...”

The Crusaders clapped their hooves at the story...while Silver Spoon merely continued to comfort her humiliated friend. Diamond had never felt so mortified in all her life...and what was so much worse is she couldn't take it out on those Bla-annoying ponies! Not without...without becoming her...

“Ah...never thought about it that way...” Apple Bloom admitted, giving a thoughtful look at the pictures lining the walls...then to Diamond Tiara. For a brief moment, she saw Diamond as the little farm pony and herself as the rich filly.

“From the looks of it neither did Tarnished...” Dusty muttered in an annoyed tone. “So anything else you need for your project? I've got some old scrapbooks I could lend you...” he said, letting his butler hoof him one of them. “Thank you, Alfred...” he replied, giving a grateful nod. The old stallion opened the scrapbook and gave a laugh. “Hehe, oh I forgot about that!”

“About what?” Scootaloo questioned.

“The time I asked your Granny out on a date, Apple Bloom! Had quite the crush on her when we were young! Asked her out as soon as I was old enough! Wanna here about it?”

Apple Bloom and Diamond both blushed so vividly they almost looked the same color for a moment. “NO!”

The two blinked, looking to one another in confusion.

“Ah mean no thanks...Ah think we have enough now...”

“Y-Yeah...besides, it's not really got anything to do with Ponyville's founding...so...” Diamond Tiara continued, in minor shock she and Apple Bloom were actually on the same page about something...

After taking a swim in Dusty's pool (which made the Tiara's pool look like a puddle in comparison) and being treated to imported ice cream that was probably worth more than the Crusaders collectively made in a month in allowance per cone, the Crusaders and two rich fillies were on their way home. And did so in even more awkward of silence than they'd came in.

Diamond set with her back to the Crusaders, watching the passing scenery with a scowl on her face. Expecting any minute for them to lay into her with the information they were now in possession of. Why wouldn't they? It's what she'd do.

“...Think she's okay?” Sweetie Belle whispered to her friends. Apple Bloom looked too distracted by her own thoughts to notice.

The rich pink filly didn't react, as she was too busy having an in-depth argument with herself at the moment.

In a miniature pillar of hellfire appeared on her left shoulder, revealing a miniature, but beautiful looking Nightmare version of Diamond wearing diamond barding. And two little devil horns poking out of her mane. “Come on, just one little insult won't hurt! Just to blow off some steam and make those Blank Flanks forget all about Grandpa spilling all those embarrassing secrets! You know know they're just waiting to let you have it over that!”

Diamond Tiara got a devilish smirk.

A flash of heavenly light appeared on her right shoulder, revealing...a tiny angel Breezie Diamond Tiara. She said something...but Diamond didn't seem to hear her. After several more times, she produced a megaphone. “Don't! If you're mean to them, you might end up becoming her! and then you'd hurt momma, daddy, and Silver Spoon!”

Diamond Tiara shuddered with a fearful look on her face.

“Oh come on, it's like sneaking an extra piece of cake when no pony is watching! When has that ever hurt anypony?!” her shoulder devil asked.

“Randolph only gets cake if there's some left over! I'm sure he cares!” replied the shoulder angel.

Her counterpoint scoffed with a glare. “Who cares about Randolph?!”

“He cares about you!” replied the little angel. “He takes care of you when you're sick! Remember when you had the flu because momma was...sick and daddy was too busy?!”

Diamond Tiara didn't know why she suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

“Ugh! How are you even here? Didn't Diamond lock you in a nice little case somewhere?” asked Diamond's shoulder devil with a snarl.

“Fear let me out,” replied the angel smugly. “And she's got my back! Right Fear?!”

Diamond suddenly saw a vision of her adult self, a second Checker Monarch, towering above her in her in the window with a cold, sadistic smirk.

The spoiled filly gave a scream and fell backwards, landing on the carriage's luxurious carpeted floor...then blinked, finding all eyes on her. Her eyes wandered back to her shoulders and then back to the window, finding nothing in either location. “...I really need to get some sleep...” she muttered under her breath. Her sleepover with Silver had helped...but not as much as she'd have liked.

“Are you okay, Diamond?” asked Silver, helping her up.

“Y-Yeah! A bird just hit the window...” Diamond Tiara replied, dusting herself and letting her best friend help her up.

“I hope the bird is okay...” Sweetie Belle commented with a frown.

The spoiled pink filly gave an indignant look. “The bird?! What about me?!”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “What about you? This carriage's carpet is so soft, I'm surprised you didn't fall asleep while you were down there!”

Diamond Tiara snarled. “While my family's carriage does have the most luxurious and soft carpeting available, and probably costs more than your entire year's allowance, that's not the point! The point is I am so much more important than some random bird!”

The trio of Cutie Mark seeking fillies rolled their eyes. “Whatever...” muttered the orange pegasus. “You're alright, so why can't we worry about it?”

The little filly ground her teeth, face turning slightly red. “Ugh...if you want to get under my skin so bad, why are you beating around the bush!”

The trio looked to each other in confusion, then back to her. “What do yah mean?” asked Apple Bloom, the filly cocking her head.

“You know! What Grandpa Dusty told you! Go ahead! Make fun of me already if you're going to!”

“...Why?” Sweetie Belle asked, cocking her head.

The two bullies' jaws dropped at the same time. “W-Why?! What do you mean why?!”

“Why would we lay into yah over that stuff?” asked Apple Bloom questioned, cocking her head. She gave a slight thoughtful look as she was reminded of the story...

“Because...because I make you mad and you take it out on me! That's how being mad at somepony works!” was the pink spoiled filly's angry response.

“...So basically, what you do all the time?” Scootaloo snarked.

“Exactly!”

“Well we're not mean like you, so not gonna happen,” the orange pegasus replied with a glare.

“They're right, it ain't nice tah treat somepony bad just because you're angry at somethin',” Apple Bloom replied.

Scootaloo didn't let it slip that part of the reason was because it was what Diamond Tiara wanted them to do. But the others made good points too.

“You...you blank flanks just don't get it!” Diamond Tiara roared, seeing red. “This isn't how it work!”

The Crusaders prepared to give their rebuttal...

“Good job, you really are a lot like I was when I was a kid. Keep up the good work. Some day you might be just like me.”

...when Diamond Tiara suddenly doubled over and looked sick...and scared. She instantly reached for the bottle of ginger ale and started sipping it. She shot the three...then just set down the now empty bottle and turned back to the window.

A few more miles passed, Apple Bloom sitting and returning to her own thoughts. Thinking about what Dusty Rich had said. “...Hey...Diamond...” she finally asked.

“...What?” the rich filly asked with a low growl, having been trying to forget the Crusaders existed.

“...Both our families started off the exact same way...in the exact same place...” the youngest Apple sibling explained, looking thoughtful. “...Don't that mean if things were different, either of us could've ended up like the other?”

Diamond Tiara gave a gasp of surprise, eyes widening.

The group set in silence for a few moments, no pony sure exactly how to reply to that.

“...Hmph! Well I suppose I should be glad my Great Grandpa was smarter than your Grandma, huh?” was the rich filly's smug retort.

Apple Bloom snarled. “Mah Granny is plenty smart!”

The look on the yellow filly's face made Diamond feel...strange. It wasn't sick like when she bullied them, or empty like when she'd bullied...well, anypony else but them. It was more...inbetween. Not bad enough to make her stop, but empty enough to not give her the satisfaction she wanted. Still, at least wasn't bullying them, so it was perfectly fine. Right?

“Not as smart as mine!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo groaned and facehoofed. The former then cocked her head, noticing Silver just sitting there looking...more worried for Diamond than smug. For about two seconds that is, before joining in with her partner in the argument between the two fillies.

Diamond Tiara sat in front of her mirror in her room later that night, the rich filly trying to just keep calm. The day had been stressful. And humiliating. And angering. And generally all around unpleasant to the point she was lucky she was still sane.

“You did a good job, Diamond Tiara...you barely insulted the Crusaders despite spending the entire day with them...and Grandpa Dusty's slip ups...” she told herself, trying to keep some measure of poise and grace to her. “...Now you just need to keep it up...for...however long this project goes...”

Their big projects could take a week or two to do, and that was not counting the days where ponies presenting. And Cheerilee, being the nice teacher she was, did often let the other students put finishing touches on their projects while others presented. And then there was practicing their parts of the presentation. Which all in all means she was going to have to put up with this for a lot longer than she hoped.

“Think you can keep it up?”

Diamond looked around in confusion. “Hello? Who's there?”.

“Down here...”

The young filly gave a scream, falling backwards out of her chair at the sight in the mirror. Checker Monarch stared back at her from the reflective surface. “N-No...”

“Yes...” said Checker Monarch, emerging from the mirror and stepping onto the floor. The mare looked down at her, looking rather personable and affable. Like she'd been at her meeting with her family before then. “Exactly how long do you think you can stay as a good little filly?”

“A-As long as I need to!” Diamond replied, trying to remain composed. “I'm not going to turn into you!”

Checker gave a cold laugh, switching into an emotionless expression. “You really think the world works that way? You should know better...after all, the word 'bad seed' exists for a reason. And bad seeds grow up into bad plants. I'm sure even your little nemesis knows that.”

The little filly backed away, but it felt like the ground just wouldn't let her get away. “I'm nothing like you!”

She suddenly found herself on a platform at eye level with the insidious mare.

“Hmm...” the corrupt corporate executive said, circling her like a shark. “Really? Wouldn't know it from looking at you...” she said, suddenly looking insane and maniacal as she had when she'd snapped on stage.

Diamond's eyes widened as a mirror was placed in front of her, the image reflected being herself in an identical suit to Checker, with mane and tail styled to match. She also briefly saw a flash of blue in the mirror, but couldn't make it out clearly.

“Oh, and can't forget the accessory, can we?!”

In a flash, Silver Spoon appeared beside her in the mirror: looking broken and almost like a slave.

“NO!” Diamond Tiara screamed, eyes flying awake, once more asleep back in her room. She sat up, feeling her body and mane, finding them completely normal. The filly...simply curled up in bed and whimpered in fright.

Applejack gave a yawn, waking up the next morning. Getting up, the farmer just grabbed her pa's hat and put it on before heading down stairs to get breakfast started. Her mane could wait until everypony's breakfast was made, and even then it only took a few moments to bundle it into a ponytail.

The farmer heard a knock on the door and grabbed an apple muffin (she always kept a freshly baked one ready). Opening it, she found Derpy looking back at her in full mailmare garb. “Howdy Derpy!”

“Hi Applejack!” Derpy called back cheerfully.

“Trade ya,” Applejack replied, throwing her a muffin as Derpy passed her her mail.

Derpy never stayed very long, the wall-eyed pegasus being a very dedicated pony when it came to her job, but she was a friend. Especially after helping save Trixie.

After bidding her farewell, Applejack went through her mail...and stopped on a letter from Manehatten. “Huh? Letter from Cousin Sunflower Seed? Well Ah'll be...”

'Dear Cousin AJ:

Hey, Cousin, long time no see. Hope you're doing well. Things are doing well here in Manehatten...but Cousin Babs is havin' some trouble with bullies at school...''

To be Continued...

To Look in the Mirror

GBOYHverse: Tarnished Diamonds
Chapter 1
To Look in The Mirror
By Godzillawolf

"Hehe...wonderful isn't it, Silver Spoon?"

"Yes Diamond..."

Diamond Tiara watched the scene before her with a smug, cruel smirk as Applebloom stomped up to her.

"You...you...you…" the yellow Earth Pony's face was the picture of despair and rage.

"I did something?" asked Diamond, feigning innocence so perfectly that she'd have fooled Applebloom if the farm pony didn't know any better. "Whatever makes you say that?"

"Because yah told meh yah'd do this!"

"Can you prove I did?"

Applebloom was taken back. "Well...Ah...Ah…"

"Just like you were able to 'prove' that I was the one who called you blank flanks all the time? Or that I was the one who convinced you Granny Smith was an embarrassing screw up? Daddy punished me for insulting her in class, you had nothing to do with it."

The Earth Pony lowered her ears.

"Face it, what have you ever been able to prove I did, blank flank?"

"...N-Nothin'…"

"And do you have any more proof than you ever had before?"

"...No…"

"Is anything different than any of the other times we've been through this?"

"...N-No…"

"Then it's just my word versus yours," the tiara wearing Earth Pony replied in a sing song voice. "But go ahead, tell them mean old Diamond Tiara's big plan is to ruin an innocent family's lives'."

Diamond smirked cruelly, the pink mare looking over Applebloom's shoulder to see the Apple Family sitting crying outside of their boarded up, run down farm. Applebloom's foals were bawling their eyes out. What were their names? Diamond didn't know and didn't care. All she cared about was making sure they were out of earshot.

"And then you know what I'll do? I'll act the part of the wounded mare who's been accused of such horrible things on false grounds. Because guess what, Applebloom? You have no proof! You'd be right, but who's going to believe the dumb, dirt poor farmer over the rich, powerful business mare?"

"Well...well…"

"That's right, no pony. All you'll do is let me sue the Cutie Mark off you...if you'd ever earned one."

Applebloom growled. The adult blank flank barely held herself back from pouncing on Diamond.

"Now get out of my face before I have you arrested for trespassing on my property," the business mare spat.

"...Ah shoulda known you'd do this after how you ruined your folks…"

"You say ruined, I say 'took over the company in a hostile takeover,'" she said as Applebloom had to trot off, heading down to her ruined family. Diamond just laughed cruelly. "Wasn't that fun, Silver?"

"Y-Yes, Diamond…" the silver mare stuttered, trembling next to her 'friend' in terror.

Diamond turned to her with a menacing glare. "That didn't sound like you're having fun."

"S-sorry…"

"You'd better try again, this time with spirit. Or would you rather I rethink my company's deal with your daddy's business?"

Silver's eyes shrank to pinpricks. "No! It was fun! Look at how wide I'm smiling!" she said, forcing the widest smile she could manage.

"That's better...and don't call me Diamond, call me Miss Tiara, got it?"

"Y-Yes D-Diamond-I mean Miss Tiara!"

Diamond smirked, the cruel mare turning back to the ruined farm. "Now, I think it's time to start redoing the place. Are the Flim Flam Brothers on their way?"

"Y-Yes, Miss Tiara…"

"And Scootaloo and Sweetie?"

"...They're being arrested on false charges as we speak."

"Good. Anything else?"

"Y-Your parents sent another letter a-asking for help, M-Miss Tiara...it appears your mother is...getting sick again…"

"Politely write back and tell them to spend the money they're using to send the letters on more important things. If they have money for that, they've got no business bothering me."

"Y-Yes Miss Tiara."

"NO!" yelled Diamond, eyes snapping open.

She laid in the dark, panting heavily in a cold sweat, staring into Luna‘s night, her body trembling in terror.

The Earth Pony finally fumbled for the light and managed to pull the cord on the magic empowered lamp next to her bed with her teeth.

Diamond untangled herself from her covers and looked herself over from head to hoof, feeling herself. Still a filly.

She looked around the room. Mounds of stuffed animals. The most cutting edge video games she could think of to ask her parents for. A Power Ponies poster on the ceiling. A dozen pictures of herself in various poses. A few of her parents and Silver Spoon...all with the self-centered filly in them.

Diamond Tiara galloped to the huge vanity mirror in her room and looked at herself. Mane style still the same. Eyes still the same. No business suit. Just plain old Diamond Tiara.

She gave a sigh of relief. "T-Thank Cadence...it was just a nightmare…"

The foal gave a shaky grin...then for a moment, she swore the image in the mirror turned into a blue unicorn mare with a white mane giving a sadistic smirk back her way.

Diamond gave a cry of fright and fell out of the chair, hitting her head on the floor. "Ow…" she muttered, rubbing her head. She groaned, getting back to her hooves and looking back in the mirror with a child's fear. "J-Just a normal mirror, Diamond Tiara...calm down…You‘re just seeing things. Relax…"

The filly examined herself in her vanity mirror. She touched a hoof to the bags forming under one of her eyes. When was the last time she’d slept well?

"Good job, you really are a lot like I was when I was a kid. Keep up the good work. Some day you might be just like me."

Diamond shuddered. She held a hoof to her stomach as it clinched up just thinking about those words. "...Why do I keep feeling sick? Momma and daddy took me to the doctor, they said I was fine! So why do I keep feeling like this?" she asked in frustration. The spoiled foal gave a growl at the thought of not having control over her own body.

Then her eyes fell on a group picture of herself, Silver, and both their parents.

The filly trotted over to it and looked at it with a frown.

"Y-Your parents sent another letter a-asking for help, M-Miss Tiara...it appears your mother is...getting sick again…"

"Politely write back and tell them to spend the money they're using to send the letters on more important things. If they have money for that, they've got no business bothering me."

"Y-Yes Miss Tiara."

Diamond Tiara shuddered as what she'd realized that day came back full force. "I...I don't want to do that to them...I don't want to do…"

“Checker, how could you do this to your own sister?!”

“My sister? Do you think that really matters? You don’t get it, do you?! The strong rule the weak! I can manipulate everypony else as easy as breathing! That means I’m the strongest! That makes you and everypony else the weak. And that means you are all just my pawns to do with as I please whenever I feel like it!”

The filly hugged the picture to her chest, fear induced tears starting down her face. "I...I don't want to be like...like her…"

She realized what she was doing and shook her head. "C-Come on Diamond, this isn't like you. You're a confident, strong, and composed young mare!" she stated, taking a smug pose. "You just...need to figure out what it was that she saw in you that was like her and then do away with it! That's all!...Now, what did she say that about?"

She put her hoof to her chin and thought back hard to that day...the moment she'd ended up seeing her potential future. When she remembered, her eyes went wide.

"She saw me making fun of the blank flanks and their loser dragon friend?!" the schoolyard bully asked in disbelief and a bit anger. Not at anyone in specific but at whatever cruel cosmic force had gotten the bright idea to play a joke on her. "Come on! That...that can't be it, can it?"

She thought about the situation in as much detail as her young mind could manage. "Oh! There was...no, I hadn't done that yet...There was...no, I'd done that in my house...what about-No, Miss Monarch was backstage by then…"

The little filly wracked her brain, looking for any possible thing the insidious mare could've seen in her. But she kept coming back to one thing. The thing she’d spent every moment from that day till now trying to avoid admitting to herself but now, sleep deprived and terrified, could not deny. She gave a bitter, angry, annoyed sigh...then groaned, holding her stomach, the sick feeling getting worse as she thought about that moment.

"...Ugh...Okay, let's think about this...she saw me picking on them and told me I reminded her of herself as a foal...that is literally the only thing I did other than walking…"

The bully then blinked, it occurring to her how much of her life seemed to revolve around making those three fillies as miserable as she possibly could...she found her ears pin for some reason and the sick feeling getting so bad she was tempted to run to the bathroom just to be on the safe side.

"...So that means all I've got to do to not become like…her is…" the pink filly pinned her ears and gave a growl ."Stop...stop...stop teasing...the...theblankflanks!" she spat out finally, gagging on her words. The thought of being being nice to those blank flanks made her sick to her stomach...well, sicker. "That's what she said made me like her, right? So I'll just stop doing it…Y-Yeah! I don't have to be nice, I just have to not be mean! I can do that...right?"

She got back to the mirror and stared into it. "It'll be easy. I don't need to make fun of them. I can quit whenever I want, right?" she asked, giving a nervous smile that just barely convinced herself.

"Right! From this moment forth, Diamond Tiara will never pick on the blank flanks again!"

Pinkie suddenly shot out of her bed on the other side of Ponyville, her Pinkie Sense going crazy for a moment. Gummy looked up at her as she landed back on her bed and blinked. "My Pinkie Sense is tingling. I sense a disturbance in the status quo, as if, if this were an episode, every bronies' jaws would have just dropped in disbelief…"

Gummy blinked twice.

"...Yeah, you're right, Gummy! Probably just Trixie being our friend now! Goodnight!"

Diamond then blinked, staring into the mirror in confusion as the weight of what she said just and thought about doing. "...I can't believe I just said that! Those three miserable little pains in my mane get off way too easy if I stop reminding them they're-” he gaze returned to the picture of her family and friend. "...I-I'll do it...For daddy, momma, and Silver…And only for them! Certainly not for the blank flanks!"

The foal looked out the window at the sky. "You'd better be grateful universe! You owe me for making me do this! Do you hear me?!" she yelled, shaking a hoof.

She jumped as a lightning bolt lit up the sky and thunder boomed. "Sorry! I didn't mean it!" she yelled and pulled her head back into the room, slamming the window shut.

Derpy blinked, having simply been jumping on a nearby cloud to get all the lightning out of it and burn off a late night energy burst. "...Did somepony say something?"

Diamond curled back up under her covers. "You can do this, Diamond Tiara. You just need to never, ever say a mean word about Applebloom and those los-those friends of hers ever again. Then you'll never turn into...her. How hard can that be?...Ugh...and why won't this weird stomach ache go away?"

“Are you doing well today, Golden?” asked Filthy Rich, sitting at their breakfast table bigger than some pony's entire dining rooms with his family, looking up from his newspaper.

“Much better, dear,” replied Diamond's mother, the Earth Pony mare very similar in coloration to her daughter, only with longer, curlier hair. The mare had a rather muscular physique to her, and currently wore nothing. “The doctors say I'm almost completely recovered from my...illness.”

Filthy gave a warm smile. “I'm very glad to hear that.”

"So am I...Princess, are you okay?" the mare asked in a concerned tone, taking notice of their daughter.

Diamond looked up from her stack of potato pancakes and waffles, made with herbs she knew most ponies couldn't afford even if they knew what they were and covered with syrup, whip cream, and butter, and soy omelets made with imported cheese. She had hardly touched it.

"Oh! I'm fine momma! I just had some bad nightmares last night…"

Golden Tiara frowned. "Do you want to talk about it, honey?"

Diamond looked at her mother, who was now looking at her in concern.

"Are you alright?" Filthy Rich asked his daughter, lowering the newspaper he held between his fetlocks and giving his daughter his full attention.

Diamond blinked, finding herself in a position she was normally all too happy to be in. The center of attention.

She looked back and forth nervously for a moment…then did what she did best.

"...I...I had a nightmare that you lost everything…" she whimpered, pinning her ears and giving puppydog eyes.

Her mother hugged her. "Oh Diamond, it's okay. You don't have to worry about that, right Filthy?" the older mare asked.

Mr. Rich gave his wife a smile and nodded, getting up from his chair and trotting over to give his little princess a hug. "That's right, Golden. We've got plenty of money and Rich's Barnyard Bargains isn't in any danger of going out of business any time soon.”

Diamond smiled and nuzzled her parents. "Y-Yeah...that's what I was afraid of...thank you momma, thank you daddy."

"Anything for our little princess," Golden replied, releasing her filly.

Mr. Rich nodded. "Now, we can talk business later, eat your breakfast, Diamond Tiara. You don't want to be late for school.”

Diamond's eyes shrunk to pinpricks. "Right...school…" she said, returning to her meal halfheartedly. "...and the blank flanks…" she muttered giving a gulp.

Diamond slowly trotted towards the school. As slowly as possible without being late. For once the little foal was glad her father had decided she 'needed some exercise' and had her walk instead of taking the family carriage.

"It'll be fine, Diamond, just find a seat away from the blank flanks, then you won't have a chance to pick on them, then you don't have to worry about becoming like...her," Diamond muttered to herself, feeling her stomach tighten. "Right? Right."

"Scootaloo! Slow down!"

Diamond blinked, turning and looking behind her. “Oh come on!”

"We'll be late if I slow down, Sweetie!"

Diamond yelped, jumping out of the way of the almost out of control wagon pulled by an orange pegasus on a scooter.

Which promptly skidded to a stop. "Sorry!" Sweetie Belle yelled.

Scootaloo gave a look. "Why are you apologizing? It's Diamond Tiara!"

"Do you WISH we’d hit her?" the little unicorn asked narrowing her eyes.

Scootaloo opened her mouth...then sighed. Bully or not, she was still a pony. "...No…sorry…"

Applebloom looked to Diamond. "Are yah okay Diamond?"

"No! Of course I'm not you stu-" Diamond started yelling...then her insult came to a screeching halt and she looked a little sick. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little dirty…" she said, smiling nervously and dusting herself off. "That's all."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had a collective jaw drop and looked at each other. "Uh...a-are sure you're okay?" asked Sweetie Belle, staring wide eyed.

"Yeah, of course I am," Diamond muttered, eyes darting around then pointing. "Hey! Look! Cloud Gremlins!"

The CMC looked in the direction as Diamond ran off towards the school.

"Hey!" yelled Rainbow Dash, flying up to a dark cloud with two red, pointed eared monsters with flight jackets on it. She gave a frustrated sigh. "You guys again? Alright, this time, I'm just getting my friends to zap you BEFORE you make your stupid big cloud of-"

"Ahh! The rainbow maned one again! Run!" one of the Gremlins yelled as both screamed like little fillies, took their cloud, and ran for the hills. "You said she was on vacation!"

Rainbow just blinked in confusion. "Uh...yeah! You better run!"

"Good job Rainbow!" Scootaloo exclaimed happily.

"Thanks Scoots!" the rainbow maned pegasus called back and flew off.

Sweetie blinked, looking back to where Diamond was standing. "Hey! She ran off!"

"So?" Scootaloo asked. "Shouldn't we be happy about that?"

"Yeah...but...she didn't even call us Blank Flanks!" the little unicorn gasped.

Her friends both mimicked her gasp.

"She's right!" the CMC's Earth Pony exclaimed. "Do yah think she's sick?"

"Nah, she's probably just plotting something," Scootaloo replied, the orange pegasus looking around just in case. "Like she always is. Silver Spoon's probably waiting somewhere to see us fall for it or something."

"...Yeah, probably…" Sweetie admitted, giving a confused look at where the filly was standing. "I'm just a little...weirded out."

"Yeah, I think we all are," Scootaloo replied, rubbing her head. She gave a shrug. "Ah well, probably just her daddy threatening to take away her fancy toys or something. Come on, we've got to get to class."

Diamond panted, skidding to a stop at the door to the little school house. “O-Okay, we’re here…”

She walked into the room…and realized the only other pony there was Cheerilee. “Oh, hello Diamond Tiara. You’re early,” the teacher said, giving a smile.

Diamond looked around, coat drenched in sweat. She realized this was a first. She had never been here first. She’d only been here…without Silver Spoon when Silver was sick. The rich filly felt strangely naked. “Uh…yeah…” she said, forcing a smile. “Just wanted to get a head start for a change!”

Cheerilee smiled. “That’s very impressive of you, Diamond. I’m proud.”

The Earth Pony filly took a seat in the empty classroom…and sat alone with her own troubled mind.

Author's Note

It's finally here! This comes before Magic Duel chronologically, and in order is GBOYH's direct sequel. Hope it's worth the wait!