Just One Guest
Written by ZekeOfTheFreaks
It was an average day in Ponyville. Nothing significant going on with anypony around. Everything just seemed... normal, until one filly was seen in town, crying.
Diamond Tiara, a notoriously bratty filly, was sitting on a bench in town square, alone. Her birthday was coming tomorrow, and she learned that her own parents wouldn't be able to be with her due to their business ventures. To make matters worse, Silver Spoon had been sick with a bad case of the trots, and hadn't shown any signs of recovery. Since she had always been mean to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they didn't want to join in her festivities (or lack thereof). All she could think about is how sad she would be on her birthday.
A stallion came walking by, wearing a blue vest, brown glasses, black cowboy hat, and futuristic watch of sorts. He noticed Diamond Tiara crying on the bench, went up to her, and asked,
"Hey, little filly? Why are you crying?" She looked at him, and quickly turned back, not sure who he is, or why he could possibly care about her.
"I-I'm Diamond Tiara." The filly was so sad, even her tiara started to sag, almost to the point where it could have fallen off. "What do you care about why I'm crying?"
"Well, it's just that it's such a nice day today. The sky is beautiful, everypony else seems to be enjoying themselves, I can't see a reason to complain."
"So, I assume you don't have a birthday party tomorrow, with nopony else coming?" The stallion was shocked, not only by her smart remark, but also that she'd be alone on her own birthday.
"Oh, my! Is that what's wrong? I understand that feeling." Diamond Tiara then started looking at him, trying to look presentable.
"Y-you really know what it feels like?"
"I've had many birthdays where nopony would show up. Sure, I got a few gifts from my parents and a couple friends, but it didn't feel right without anypony actually being there. It was lonely." The filly started crying harder, now adding empathy to her hard feelings.
"Excuse me, s-sir?"
"Oh, my name is Source Code."
"Oh, sorry. Source Code? Would you mind coming to my party tomorrow?"
"I'd be delighted to. I wouldn't want somepony to be alone on their birthday." Diamond Tiara started feeling happy again, and her tears started to dry up.
"Thank you, Source Code. This means a lot to me." Source Code smiled and asked,
"Where do you live, Diamond Tiara?" She handed him a piece of paper with her address, and Source Code put it in his vest pocket. "I'll be sure to visit you tomorrow morning."
The next day, Diamond Tiara was getting ready. It wasn't a school day, so she didn't have to do much. Just a simple combing of the mane, and maybe a bit of eye makeup and she'd look cute as a button. She heard the mansion doorbell ringing, and she promptly walked to it, and unlocked the door. The door opened, and surely enough it was Source Code. He was amazed by the mansion's decor.
"Wow, no wonder your parents named you Diamond Tiara. You're living like a princess." She chuckled out of flattery, but still lowered her head, sad that her parents hadn't returned, and Silver Spoon was still sick. "Oh, I'm sorry, was it something I said?" Diamond Tiara commented,
"If you want to see the rest of the mansion, I can give you a tour of the place." Source Code could tell that she was trying to hide her emotions, but he didn't want to upset her further, so he simply said,
"Yes, I'd appreciate it." The two ponies started walking together, and Diamond Tiara eventually showed him the entire mansion. Source Code couldn't believe what he had seen. A mansion complete with five master bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, multiple lounge areas, a grand dining hall, and a back lot filled with beautiful greenery, not to mention all the expensive decor everywhere.
"So, how do you like my mansion?"
"Honestly, it's an honor and a privilege that I get to even set hoof in this place. I guess your family must be one of the wealthiest in Equestria."
"Yeah, we are."
"With a venue such as this, why would nopony else want to come here today?" Diamond Tiara started weeping again. "Oh, I'm sorry. I guess that must be a sensitive topic for you."
"Oh, it's not your fault. Actually, it's all mine." Source Code was surprised at her words. He didn't expect somepony with as luxurious of a life as Diamond Tiara to be blaming herself.
"What makes you say that?"
"If I tell you, do you promise to keep it a secret from everypony else?" Source Code nodded in agreement.
"Okay then, I'll tell you. You see, I'm really proud of my rich family. In a way, I am kind of a 'spoiled princess'. I sometimes like to pick on other ponies because they're inferior to me, especially these three ponies at school, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo." Source Code had a feeling of conflict about this. He had no tolerance for bullies, as he was once a victim to them so long ago, but he could tell she was feeling remorseful, so he let her continue. "I usually make fun of them for not having their cutie marks yet, because it makes me feel like I'm better than them. My friend Silver Spoon usually joins me, because we're both rich fillies, and we both have our cutie marks. I just wish Silver Spoon could be here with me, but she's still sick." Source Code still couldn't believe that she could be so mean. At least she had somepony to call a friend.
"Tell me, about Silver Spoon, how close are you two?"
"Well, we're pretty much best friends. We sit next to each other in class, we always play together, and we always laugh at the blank flanks together."
"And you said she couldn't show up here because she's sick?"
"Yeah."
"That's too bad. But I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be sick either, especially on your birthday."
"You're probably right."
"Also, it seems wrong to me that your own parents would be gone on your birthday. Sure, I understand they must be busy, after all paying for all this must require a lot of work. But that doesn't excuse the fact that they'd be missing out on the one thing that should matter more to them than any job they might have: you, their daughter." Diamond Tiara started crying. She knew that he was right, and that only made her feel worse. "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't want you to feel bad."
"Actually, I think I deserve this. I'm such a horrible pony. I'm mean to my classmates, I take the one friend I have for granted, and my parents hardly love me," the filly said between sobs. Source Code had no idea what to say about this, so he asked her,
"Would it make you feel better if we went and had birthday cake now?" Diamond Tiara had nothing else to do, since no entertainment was booked, so she simply nodded, and walked to the dining hall. Source Code followed her.
Source Code took a seat next to Diamond Tiara, who only had a small slice of cake on her plate. He used the knife and grabbed himself a slice, and started biting into it immediately.
"Wow, who picked this cake out for you? It's great!"
"My dad has a personal dessert chef. He always hires him to make cake for me every year."
"Well, that's really nice of him." Source Code took another bite. "He may not be able to be here with you, but he still make sure you can at least try to be happy."
"Thanks, Source Code. I'm happy you're trying to cheer me up."
"Hey, it's your birthday. This is the day to forget what you've done in the past, and honor the fact that you can grace us with your presence at all." Diamond Tiara blushed. Finally starting to smile, she took a bite out of her cake, and she loved it. Source Code was feeling happy for her, so he finished the rest of his slice very quickly. He had always been a fast eater.
"Source Code, even after everything I've told you about the horrible things I've done, why do you still treat me nicely?"
"That's simple. It's because I believe you can be a great pony if you were just shown what it means to be a friend."
"Be a friend?"
"Yeah. You see, Diamond Tiara, it's easier to become friends with somepony if you act like a friend to them. From what you've told me, I can imagine Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are perfectly nice fillies. Maybe if you tried being nice to them, they'd accept you. In fact, maybe they'll come to your birthday next year."
"I doubt that will happen. I've done so many mean things to them already. I ridiculed them at my cuteceañera, I tried to sabotage their performances at the talent show and the flag team tryouts, I forced them to write lies for the newspaper, I got Apple Bloom's cousin Babs Seed to be mean to them, and I used them to try to win Princess Twilight Sparkle over. I don't know if they'll ever forgive me."
"Wow, you really have done a lot to them. Listen, I've done things I'm not proud of to some of my closest friends, but it's when I told them how sorry I was for what I did that they forgave me. I know you probably might not win them over right away, but I know that if you just try, they'll be your friends one day." Diamond Tiara smiled, knowing that he was giving her genuine, helpful advice.
"Hey, Source Code, you're my friend, right?"
"Of course, Diamond Tiara. Everypony deserves to have at least one friend."
"Thanks, Source Code." The filly gave him a hug, feeling grateful that he came to her party. "You think I could open my presents now?"
"Oh yeah, about that, I got something for you. I just left it by the front door. I'll be right back."
Source Code trotted out of the dining hall, and returned with a gift on his back.
"I didn't know what kind of gift you were hoping for, so I just picked out something that I thought you might like." He crouched down, so Diamond Tiara could reach the present. She walked to him, picked up the present, opened it up, and inside the box was a small, white cowgirl hat, similar to his own. She was shocked that he got something so rustic for her, but it was better than nothing, so she tried it on, and it fit perfectly. Plus, the white hat matched her mane's highlights very well. "So, do you like it?"
"Like it? Are you kidding? This is the best gift I've ever received."
"You know, I'll bet you'll look so cute with your tiara on top of it." She took off the hat, placed her tiara on the front of it, put it back on, and looked in the mirror. She nearly screamed in delight over how she looked.
"This is perfect, Source Code! Thank you so much!"
"I'm just glad you can have a nice birthday." The two smiled at each other, and Diamond Tiara gave Source Code another hug. The two spent the next few hours just talking to each other about whatever came to mind. Source Code eventually had to leave, and Diamond Tiara was sad to see him go. Before he left out the front door, the filly said to him,
"Thank you, Source Code, for making this the best birthday I've ever had. I know you have to leave, but I hope you'll come back again some time."
"Maybe I will. I just want you to promise me that you'll try to be nice to other ponies from now on."
"If it will make you happy, I will, Source Code." He smiled and nodded as he left the mansion. Diamond Tiara closed the front door, and went to her room so she could enjoy herself.
Source Code came back to Ponyville a few days later. He walked by the school, where he saw Diamond Tiara with who he assumed to be Silver Spoon, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. They were all playing together, and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Diamond Tiara noticed him from a distance, and as they looked at each other, he gave her a wink, and she smiled. Source Code then continued walking along, as he smiled and shed a tear of pride.
