A Diamond in the Rough

by DarkShockBro

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Silver Spoon, Original Character, Adventure, Diamond Tiara, Slice of Life
Length: 23765

A Diamond Tiara focused story. I give her a back story and a cutie-mark talent.

Diamond Tiara has always been forced to endure experiences that would break an average pony. But it was not until she realized her anger failed to help her that she was able to truly conquer the terrors that plagued her life. Diamond Tiara's back story. Basically, I wrote this story because Diamond Tiara is woefully underrated and hated, two words that should never be associated with any pony. I hope that this look of Diamond Tiara's unknown childhood and adulthood explains and helps you to sympathize, love, and tolerate her, as I have. It is also an outlook on the future on Ponyville, and the creation of a new Mane Six, composed of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Pipsqueak, Dinky, and of course, Diamond Tiara. Finally, this idea has been ignited by the Deviantart image known as The New Elements of Harmony by musapan.

Published 2012-04-30 00:04:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-24 01:35:29 UTC

Introduction

A Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 1

"I'm so excited! If this works I'll finally get a promotion!" I said as I left the door, making sure my blue coat was shimmering, and my white mane was neatly combed. With my camera and the strap attached to it wrapped around my neck, I trotted over to the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville. A simple knock on the door was all it took for somepony to open it.

"It's 8 o'clock! Let a lady get some beauty sleep!" a pale unicorn said. Crap. This wasn't the pony I was supposed to meet!

"I'm very sorry ma'am. Do you know where a pony named Diamond Tiara is?"

"She's upstairs. Go to the pink door."

"Thank you very much! Sorry about waking you."

"Just don't do it again. Goodbye."

I was exhilarated so I blazed up the stairs and knocked on that very door. Its design was very regal and opulent, so I could definitely gather that she was very wealthy.

"Rarity? The heck are you doing here? I thought you were taking a nap!" a decently high-pitched yet powerful voice rang out. Who was Rari… oh! She must have been the one who I accidentally woke up! Anyway, I gathered my voice and asked, "Is this Diamond Tiara?"

"The one and only!"

Suddenly, her once happy tone changed into one of suspicion. "Wait, you don't sound like Rarity. So, who are you and why are you here?"

"My name is Photo Bucket. I am here to record a documentary about your past. It will be recorded on public TV."

And just like that, she became happy again, perhaps even more so. "Really? Wow, that's amazing! Tell me more, and come on in!"

As I turned the doorknob and entered the room, I saw a very beautiful pony sitting behind a long wooden desk. Her cerulean eyes shine like diamonds, her mane is almost straight, but still curly enough to convey a stylish, classy look, and she is very slim. Admittedly, I had to give a great deal of effort to concentrate on the project and not her, but I managed to make due.

With a big smile on her face, she continued. "This is magnificent! About this documentary, do you want my account of it?"

"Please. I'm afraid I did not bring a tripod, so I'll have to record it from my camera. Is that fine?

"Of course! I want everypony to know how special I am! It's going to be a very long story so tell me, how long do you have?"

"As long as it takes. I have all day, and it's only 8 AM right now."

"Awesome! Hold on a second."

With that, she got up, and trotted into another room. A few minutes later, she came back, lugging a big, rather ordinary brown box. She plopped it down, and at last, I was able to analyze its contents. To my surprise, it contained a huge number of neatly organized diaries. Due to the fact that she picked up the diary farthest to her left of the box, I'm almost certain she organized them chronologically.

Suddenly, she spoke up. "These should definitely help. Been writing in them since I was a filly."

I nodded, and suddenly, she took out a key from the shelf of the diary, and unlocked it. To my shock, that diary had an electronic screen with an electronic keyboard on every page, and she had least fifty of them! How rich was her family? And is she still that wealthy? Right then and there, I knew was in for quite the treat, so I knew I had to stay focused and get this story!

She sighed wistfully, but managed to cheer herself up with surprising quickness. "Ah, it's been such a long time since I've looked at these. Still, what better way to take a trip back to memory lane than with a televised documentary? Alright, I'm ready! I might make up some dialogue or a few events due to my lack of memory about them, but that shouldn't be a big problem. So, let's start from the beginning, and unlock the door to my memories!"

Author's Note

Next Chapter: Diamond Tiara tells the journalist about her early life and her problems with her parents, as well as her early life in school. She also meets her first friend at that school. Who is it? (I'm sure you know, but whatever.) Find out next chapter!

Dull Beginnings

A Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 2

The booting up of my camera was a little slow, but I managed to start my video recorder quickly. Then, I gave Mrs. Tiara the nod to begin. I could tell I wouldn't be going anywhere for quite some time, but I knew that the promotion would be worth it. With that, she cleared her throat and began her tale.

"Well, first off, I'll tell you about my parents. My dad, Filthy Rich, was brown and had a pitch-black mane, along with a small blue and white tuxedo and a red tie with dollar signs, and my mom, Glamour Tiara, was, like me, pink, with a diagonally striped rainbow mane and she is one of the tallest female ponies I know. Unfortunately…they hated each other."

(24 years ago: Diamond Tiara's modern perspective of her infancy.)

I lived in a gargantuan, three story mansion even as an infant. We had about 5 footcolts, and I tried to befriend them since I could utter my first words. After all, even as an infant, my parents rarely looked after me. They seemed to only do two things: argue and run their seperate businesses. Glamour ran a very successful jewelry store, and my dad ran the best business in Ponyville, Rich's Barnyard Bargains. I couldn't understand what they were saying to each other back then, but I'd imagine their conversations sounded like this...

Glamour might yell, "I told you we should have waited until they made gender control pills, but you had to say 'It will be a male, trust me!' Now we have a useless daughter who can't take over your shitty business!"

Then dad might respond, "We can raise her and have her teach the son once those pills exist! She is not useless, and my business is not shitty!"

"Oh, sure! Let's raise the frilly pink pony until she knows everything about business! That's not going to happen! And even if it does, she'll learn from a moron who can't even get away from royalties that he has to pay to a farming family!"

"I know that I'll be able to work out some deal or find one loophole in the contract we have with the Apple Family. So please, just leave me alone!

"Fine! I hate you! Why did I even marry you?" she would conclude, and then they would leave and go to their businesses, stressed out and distraught.

Of course, it wasn't all that bad. The footcolts were very polite and attentive. Also, the butler, White Handkerchief, who had a dull white body, a gray mane, and brown eyes, was so nice, he practically treated me like I was his daughter.

He was very polite, and actually enjoyed his job, especially considering, from what I can remember, I was fairly quiet as an infant, and not as demanding as you might think.

But, the fighting continued, and when I was about four years old, they officially divorced.

I can't remember my Dad's reaction and my Mom's reaction to the divorce, but I do remember that was around the time I got 'the talk' about cursing. I still do it constantly, so it ain't like it made too much of a damn difference, but I at least attempted to control myself early on in my life.

Anyway, Dad spent about two years recovering before he finally signed me up for school. And yes, I got my first diary between the divorce and my first day of school, and I did start writing in it almost immediately after I acquired it.

Anyway, going out of the mansion, I felt like a needle on top of a field of hay. The place I had lived in for six years now felt foreign and distant, so concern gripped me like a leech as I hesitantly trotted to school.

My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Joy, was a green pony with golden curls of hair that had a contagious, fun-loving spirit. Of course, I was still hesitant to raise my hand when she asked questions, but after I saw no one knew the answer to 6 X 6, I felt my hoof go up, as if I was being possessed.

"Yes, Diamond Tiara?" she said, making me sweat like crazy.

"Uh…it's 36, right? I hope I'm not wrong…"

"That's correct! Great job!"

I can still remember my cheeks turning pinker than ever before after that. "Thank you, Mrs. Joy."

All of a sudden, I heard a few kids clopping, and I even got a few compliments after school. I had been complimented by my footcolts before, but those words felt a bit empty. For the first time, I felt like the world had acknowledged who I was, and it felt amazing. From that point forward, I knew my goal in life was to make everypony realize how special I was. So, I did my best to make sure I never worried about making mistakes, and to just say whatever it on my mind.

About 5 days later, a day after we had our first quiz, Mrs. Joy said, "Now, class, I will announce who got the best score on this quiz!"

I had no doubt it was me, but, surprisingly enough, a filly named Silver Spoon got 100% on it, and I only got 90%! I pondered how she was able to do so, and soon enough I found myself walking with her.

Without further ado, I said, "Hey, Silver Spoon! I'm Diamond Tiara! Nice job on that test!"

"Um…hi diamond tia…"

"Hey, are you OK? I can't hear you!"

"It's just…well, I don't talk much, so I don't really know how to talk to you without..."

"Hey, I've got a great idea! Why don't I teach you how to talk better, and you teach me how you got that grade?"

"Um... sure! C... can we start now?"

"Of course! Just don't be afraid to say anything! You know, like what I did when I answered the 6 X 6 question!"

"Wow! Is... is it really that simple?"

"Yep! It worked for me, so it'll work for you!"

"Wow, thanks, Diamond Tiara! C... can we be friends?"

"Sure! Say, would you like to see my mansion?"

"You live in a mansion? Wow, and I thought my family was rich! I mean, I live in a two story building!"

"Yeah, my last name isn't called Rich for nothing! Come on, follow me!"

"I'm right behind you, Diamond!"

And just like that, I met my first and very best friend.

Author's Note

Next Chapter: Diamond and Spoon talk with each other more, we discover some of Diamond's hobbies. What are they, and how will Diamond and Spoon bond? Find out, next time!

Changes

A Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 4

After the creation of our secret hoofshake, I discovered how it felt to be friends with someone, and it felt beautiful. I also thought, maybe, I could get more assertive in school, and express myself in other ways aside from answering questions.

Anyway, after a brisk walk, I opened the door to the mansion, only to find it was completely barren. I called for the butlers, but they were all gone too! It was scary, but I managed to calm down quickly and do the sensible thing; call my dad. I got a signal.

"Dad, it's me, Diamond. Where the heck are you?"

"Diamond Tiara? Didn't I tell you I had a very important business meeting today?"

"No, but…"

"I can't talk with you. I'll be home very late, so make sure you control yourself. Goodbye."

And, just like that, I lost him. A wave of loneliness swept over me, but then I realized I had let it dominate me for my entire life. So, I decided to combat the loneliness by reading one of the business books on my bookshelf. I knew my parents wanted me to go into business even before they got divorced, so I might as well discover why.

Of course, it would have helped if I actually knew what any of the words meant back then. Stocks? Aggregation? Buying in bulk? They should have called it "The Gibberish Book!" Business was much more difficult than I thought! No wonder I live in one of the richest families in Ponyville!

So, after taking some time to do my small amount of homework and play my saxophone, I saw only one other thing I could do. I walked over to the dance studio, and fortunately, by the time I got back, it was my bedtime! Happy and content, I drifted off to sleep.

The rest of kindergarten was relatively uneventful. My assertive lessons worked great for Silver Spoon, I managed to ace all of my classes, and we graduated, feeling like Equestria was our oyster.

Also, I should probably explain the education system here. There is only one elementary, middle, and high school in the entirety of Ponyville, and ponies are assigned to one teacher out of three per grade, who teaches all of their subjects. Apparently, there would be times when ponies would switch teachers, but that never happened to me.

Getting back to business, literally, I never really got the chance to ask dad to go over my questions about the absurdly confusing books I read until the summer, since at that time, I wasn't busy with school. In fact, I was able to ask him earlier on than I thought!

"Dad, the books on my bookcase are really confusing. Could you explain them?" I asked.

"Which ones, Diamond?"

"The ones about business. I couldn't even get passed the first ten pages without having my head blow up!"

He gave me a warm smile. "I'd be more than happy to go over them with you, Diamond."

We walked to my room, I pointed out the book that I read, and he meticulously went over them, but related the concepts to things I could understand. Heck, he even related stocks to the mood of a pony!

He would say, "Stocks are exactly like talking to ponies. If you talk to somepony in a good mood, their mood will get better, and so will yours. If you talk to somepony in a bad mood, both their and your moods will plummet."

It was a great bonding experience, which was immediately followed by a loud knock on our door. I ran to the door, opened it, only to find my good mood accelerating.

"Grandpa!" I said, leaping out to give him a hug.

"Diamond! It's so nice to see you! How has kindergarten been for my favorite daughter?"

"It's been great, Grandpa! How have you been?"

"Just fine, those Zap Apples are growing like crazy! Can't wait to sell them!"

I couldn't believe Stinkin' Rich, my great-grandfather, after the horrific divorce, was coming over just to say hello to us. I never knew my actual grandfather or grandmother, because I think they died from some disease before I was born. Well, my father's parents, at least. I also think that Dad told me my mother's parents died in a big war. But, I loved Stinkin', probably even more than my dad, because he really treated me like I was special. I felt so glad that at least one pony could see what I saw.

About a minute later, my dad saw him. "It's wonderful to see you. How have the Zap Apples been?"

"We've got a great deal of them this year. How has Diamond been? Have you been treating her well?"

"I'd say so. I just taught her some business lessons."

"That's great news. I know she's going to be a vital part in our business. Make sure you keep the lessons steady."

"Understood. Is this all the time you have?"

"Unfortunately, it is. I'm sorry I have to leave so soon."

When I heard of the bad news, I said, "Do you really have to go Grandpa?"

"I wish I didn't, but Barnyard Bargain's isn't going to run itself."

"Bye, Grandpa. I'll miss you…"

"Don't worry, I'll come back soon, OK?" he said, then after a quick peck on my cheek, he closed the door.

After my great-grandpa's visit, the summer seemed to go by a lot quicker, and I learned a lot about business from my dad. However, there was one particular point that he always seemed to focus on.

That point was, "The number one rule in business is to not let your feelings influence your decisions in the slightest. I'm not saying that you should apply this rule to life, but you have to apply it to business if you want to succeed."

When the summer ended, school was back in session. I told Silver Spoon about some of the business skills I learned, but she didn't seem to be interested in it. That didn't really faze me though, since I was initially bored by it too.

We walked and talked about our summer together, until we reached our first grade classroom. Our teacher was a former actor known as Mrs. Bright, with a dull yellow body and a blond mane. I liked her instantly. She was a very good teacher in our normal subjects, but by far my favorite subject was drama.

It was a little tough convincing Silver Spoon to give drama a try, because she was still relatively shy. But, I gave her pointers, and she managed to stick it through with me for the entire school year.

One of my favorite parts about drama had to be the hand gestures she taught us.

"Now, class, when you have finished with your performance, there is a certain way to handle the applause the audience gives you. Follow me, please. First, you put your dominant hoof directly above your head, like this!" she would say with enthusiasm.

We mimicked her. "Good! Next, we make a downward half circle with that hoof, and bow, like this!"

All of a sudden, another student, a unicorn with a pale body and white and purple curls raised her hoof.

"Um, aren't females supposed to curtsy?" she asked.

"Where did you get that idea from?"

"My sister Rarity told me!"

"I'm afraid that isn't how it works in drama. Now, class, please follow me."

Again, we followed, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I've seen that unicorn before.

We quickly finished, giving her the sign to continue. "Finally, you point your hoof at the other members who helped your play become successful, hold one pony's right hand with your left, hold another pony's left hand with your right, and bow again. Try to do it more than once if the applause is loud enough. Now, then, let's practice. Ready, Set, Go!"

With that signal, we practiced a few times until we were able to do it successfully.

Through this drama class, I was able to realize I had a natural stage presence, and I sought ways I could get on the actual school stage. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a way before a tragedy swept over my life.

Towards the end of first grade, my dad said that he was going to take me to Stinkin' Rich's place for a business event.

However, when we got to his mansion, about the same size as ours, I saw him slumped on the ground.

He wasn't moving, and he had no pulse.

He was dead.

I was very, very heartbroken, and I had to spend I week at home recovering from the pure stress I experienced from that event, and at the funeral, which my dad insisted I come to.

It was the first time I disagreed with one of his decisions.

I couldn't believe the pony who I loved was dead, and I couldn't even talk to him after he left on that fateful day. But, through it all, my dad comforted me, taught me, and allowed me to dance and play my saxophone before I was mentally able to go back to school.

I told Silver Spoon. "That's horrible, Diamond! I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?" was her reaction, and I did feel her sympathizing for me.

"No, Spoon. I've recovered, and I feel more determined than ever to learn about business and to make him proud. I know that I'm special, and I'm going to prove it to him!"

"Diamond, you just give off so much confidence. I'm really lucky to have a friend like you."

I gave a sincere smile to Silver Spoon that seemed to make the after effects of the tragedy float away.

Next summer, after I aced all of my classes in first grade, even receiving a 100% in drama, I felt obligated to get on the stage. While Mrs. Rhythm and her dance classes really couldn't help me too much, Mr. Blues said that I had progressed far enough to participate in a recital. Once he told me a recital was where people get on stage to play the music they learned in their lessons, I got hooked. While my father was unable to make it, I practiced heavily for the big event, and managed to get a great applause for playing, what was for my skill level, a decently challenging song with only one minor mistake.

My recital allowed me to go into second grade brimming with confidence, and a new desire to make my great-grandfather proud of me. Sadly, while I did like my teacher, Mrs. Stone, a rather elderly lady with a gray body and a white mane, the subjects began to increase in difficulty.

However, by far, my least favorite subject was history. It was boring, stupid, and the worst part was it was an absolute pain to prepare for the tests. Early on in the year, I got a 70% on a history test, and got my first B ever during the first semester of history.

Needless to say, I was crushed. Even Silver Spoon seemed to be noticing the upward spiral of challenge, and barely managed to pass the first semester with all A's!

To add, at the beginning of the second semester, Silver Spoon brought up an interesting topic.

"Hey Diamond, have you noticed that most adult ponies have these weird marks on their flanks?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. I think they're called cutie marks. Do you know anything about them?"

"It looks like they help ponies perform cool stuff, like I once saw a pony with a construction cutie mark who created a floor of a fairly large house in only one day!"

"Wow! That's awesome! I wonder if we can get them!"

"I'm sure we can! According to my mom, anypony can get a cutie mark, and it's something that is triggered by something we do from our hearts!"

"That sounds awesome! Let's try to get our cutie marks soon!"

"Alright, bye Diamond! Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump!"

Also, during that semester, the workload seemed to die down, and I was getting A's again. But, even though my grades were good, I ran headfirst into a brick wall; an after school problem that seemed to destroy the connection I had with my father.

That problem came in the form of bullies.

Towards the middle of the second semester, an absurdly huge black pony with a checkered white and black mane, who I later found out was called Black Flag approached us as we were walking home from school.

After closing some of the distance between us, he said to Spoon, "Hey, Four Eyes! Why don't you suck on your glasses just like it was your pacifier? You big baby!"

"I'…m not a b-b-baby."

I had to protect my best friend, so I screamed, "Leave her alone!"

"Oooooh. The prissy little pink pony is going to stand up for her retard friend. Why don't I take you two down a notch!"

He then proceeded to beat the living crap out of me and Silver Spoon.

As he laughed at us, I felt an inner rage being channeled through me. I really didn't know what happened next, until I realized he was vomiting blood.

After a minute, I put all of the pieces together. You see, one of the things I liked to do to make me look pretty would be to file my hooves with a diamond filer. Once I realized that, I came to the conclusion that I had punched him. Hard.

In a panic, I called the Ponyville Emergency Committee, and told them about the incident. 5 minutes later, an ambulance took him to the hospital.

I was almost afraid to check, but my right hoof did have blood on it. I wasn't looking forward to explaining this to dad…

Silver Spoon probably thanked me, but I was too busy running home to wash my hooves before my dad could look at them.

That…didn't happen.

Instead, my dad caught me, and I explained the entire situation to him.

Even after I claimed it was self-defense three times, his response was, "Diamond, you're grounded. For a week."

"What? Why?"

"Because you need to take this as a lesson to control your temper. You can't run a business if you don't have a cool head."

"I did it in self-defense! Read my lips, dad!"

"Diamond, my decision is final."

"Fine. But during that week, don't expect me to talk to you!"

I stomped up the stairs, shut, and locked my door. I couldn't believe my own father disagreed with my assertive behavior. He disagreed…with who I thought I was as a pony. Well, I intended to live my life as an assertive individual, and if it takes me protesting his actions to tell him that…so be it.

Next Chapter: Diamond goes through one week of silence at her home, and tries to reconcile with her mother. Diamond and Silver also make efforts towards getting their cutie marks. Will she treat Diamond better than Diamond believes her father does and who will get their mark first? Find out, next time!

A Shattered Heart

A Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 5

I tend to shy away from promises, but when I claim something that passionately, I always do my best to hold up my end of the bargain. Sure enough, during that week when I was grounded, I kept silent from my dad. However, towards the middle of the week, we had a half day, so Silver Spoon and I were able to talk more. After a brief discussion about our cutie-marks, which we had not obtained yet, our conversation drifted into the idea of "hoof surgery."

Silver Spoon started off that conversation by saying, "Hey Diamond, have you thought about getting hoof surgery before?"

"First off, no, and second off, that sounds painful."

"It actually isn't. I might not have told you this, but I've been playing piano since I was five, and it eventually became patience-trying, since I…you know, don't have 'fingers'."

"That's cool, but what does that have to do with hoof surgery?"

"Hoof surgery is where they cut in your front two hooves, and then they give you a magic glove that allows your split hoof to go into each of the five "fingers" as they like to call it."

"Eh…OK. But I can't see any holes in your hooves, Spoon!"

"Oh, after I took the glove off, they just vanished, yet the glove still worked fine after!"

"Awesome! Do you know I can get it?"

"Sure! Would you like to do it right now?"

"Does it take very long?"

"Half an hour tops."

"Alright, lead the way!"

However, as we were running, something popped into my head. "Wait, are you sure I'm allowed to have this without an adult watching me, Spoon?"

"According to the pony at the front desk, since this surgery is simple, painless, and popular, they decided to let minors take it without an adult watching you. You can double check, but I'm pretty sure that's what I heard."

"Great! Continue leading the way!"

Since I knew my dad thought this was a normal day, I didn't think he would get suspicious if I got the surgery real quick. Spoon and I got to the hospital relatively quickly, as, once again; there was only one real hospital in Ponyville. I asked for the surgery, found out from the reception pony that I could get it without dad's permission, gave her the bits, and proceeded to walk down the hallway, claiming I would be back to see Silver Spoon in two shakes of a mare's tail.

I knocked the door of "Doctor Ate" the doctor I had been instructed to see, and a tall colt opened the door with a brown body, a white mane, and professional looking white framed glasses. I thought his guy should have given Spoon any tips on glasses, because they looked five times better than hers.

"Yes? What can I do for you, young lady?" he asked once he saw me.

"I have a form for hoof surgery. Could I get it now, please?"

"Certainly. Please have a seat."

He instructed me to sit on some weird combination of a mattress and a bench, and began checking my temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure to make sure that there would be no complications.

"Alright, everything seems to be in order, Mrs. …Tiara, correct?"

"Yes, I'm Diamond Tiara. Could we begin, please?"

"No need to hurry. I've got the scalpel."

With that, he gently divided my two front hooves into five sections then carefully put on the gloves. Sure enough, just like Silver Spoon said, they fit perfectly, and I was able to use all five sections of my hoof.

I happily said, "Thank you!" and then exited without another word. I took the gloves off in front of Spoon, and sure enough, my hooves became whole again.

I was ecstatic, and gave Silver Spoon a hug as well as our secret hoofshake before I left to go back home. I couldn't wait to practice my saxophone.

I was a little concerned when I opened the door, but luckily, nopony was there, so I simply went back to my room. When my dad returned, he did open my door a little forcefully. But, when he saw me playing my saxophone, he simply closed it without another word.

Finally, when the week was over, my dad ran up the stairs only to see me pretending to sleep.

However, he wasn't fooled, because he said, "Diamond, the week is over. You can talk to me again. Don't shut me out like this."

I was still enraged with my punishment, so I yelled, "Why not? Huh?"

"Because I hoped I could teach you a valuable business lesson with this."

I sighed. "Go on."

"That lesson is that sometimes, not everything will go right when you do something…controversial. People will blame the person who performed that action, and if you are not able to simply shake it off, you'll go nowhere. That applies to life, too. I hoped that you would be able to let go of a grudge, but I guess you aren't there yet."

"Dad, I'm eight years old. Do you really expect me to learn a lesson like that?"

"I guess not. Anyway, I'm really sorry about grounding you for doing something in self-defense. I just hoped it would be able to teach you to control yourself better, and that you would remember not to do it again."

"You know what? I think you're right. Fine, I promise to do my best not to fight anymore, but simply punishing me without any real reason is going to make me angry. I haven't exactly been grounded before, you know?" I said, with a wink.

"That's my girl. I love you, Diamond."

"I love you too, Dad."

With a hug, and a peck on my cheek, I was able to forgive my dad for grounding me…for the most part. It still bugs me when I think about the event as a whole, so I've done my best to put it behind me.

The rest of the second semester of second grade went pretty smoothly. Both Spoon and I got straight A's, and I was able to practice more complex pieces on my saxophone.

When I told Mr. Blues about my hoof surgery, he said, "Cool. Maybe you can try some of these tunes. They've got some wicked fast notes that used to only be possible on string instruments, but I think you could play some of the easier ones."

"Sounds great, Mr. Blues! Where are these books?"

"I'll go get 'em, so chill right there. Stay cool with the beats, Diamond."

With a point, he left, and returned quickly with those awesome books.

The finals for the second semester were tough, the desire to have time to play those pieces made them go by quickly. Some of the short ones I was able to learn within one day, but I did learn a fairly long and complex song for my second recital.

Once again, I performed admirably, and my dad even managed to make it, making the day even more special. I think I was finally able to truly bond with my father during that summer, and I felt even closer to my family.

Also, by now, I was starting to realize how truly special I was compared to other ponies, so I walked around undaunted by any challenges that would come next grade. Apparently, that confidence was contagious, because Silver Spoon was finally beginning to radiate confidence. I knew that as long as we stuck together, nopony would intimidate us.

My teacher for the third grade was known as Mrs. Lemon, and unfortunately, she was the first teacher I didn't really gravitate towards.

I think the primary reason why I didn't like her was because she tended to ignore me during discussions, even though I always had good ideas. Over time, her actions were starting to get rather irritating and, remembering what my dad taught me, I confronted her after class rather than making a fuss during class.

I'm really glad I did.

Her response to my confrontation was, "We need to get everyone in the discussion, or no one will learn."

"But, Mrs. Lemon! I know the answers to the problems you ask! The stuttering that some of the other ponies do just makes both them and me look dumb!"

"Listen to me very closely, Mrs. Tiara. No student is dumb. They are just trying to learn. And I am trying to help them. Calling on you would defeat the purpose of learning for them."

"Errrgh…fine! But don't come crying to me when none of those students has 'learned' anything! Goodbye!" I said, shutting the door behind me.

Needless to say, the classes with Mrs. Lemon sucked, and it really, really shortened my fuse over time. Sure enough, she never called on me, and over time, I just stopped raising my hand. In fact, during one time when I knew the answer to a math question, and no one else did, considering math was my best subject, I refused to raise my hand, and said I didn't know the answer when Mrs. Lemon called on me.

Silver Spoon talked with me about this afterwards, and said, "Diamond, you knew that answer, right?"

"Yes, but Mrs. Lemon specifically said she didn't want me to participate in the class."

"Did she really say that?"

"No, but she said something similar. Hey, if she doesn't want my input, that's her hoofing problem. I know I'm special, so I don't really need a teacher to tell me what I already know."

"That's fine. Say, have a look at my flank!"

I gasped. "You got your cutie mark? That's wonderful! I was hoping that I could get it first, but still, wow! What's your talent?"

"As you might expect, my talent it making silverware, but I noticed that I can also tell different flavors much easier, so that's helped me start to become a cook as well! Well, I've got to go now. Bye Diamond!"

"Later, Spoon!"

"Hey morons!"

Oh, no. Not Black Flag! Unfortunately, life did decide to hate me today, because he was walking straight towards me and Spoon.

My response to his taunt was, "Ugh, like, can't some fillies get some privacy? Why in the name of Celestia are you even trying to bully girls who are half your age? Are you THAT desperate?"

Whoa, where did that come from?

"Nah, you two seem like such good friends! Because of that, it would be simple to crush you."

"You make it sound like it's easy. Actually, the only thing you're hurting right now are our noses. Brush your teeth, stinky!" I said, even holding my nose to deliver the full effect.

"Why, you…you're asking for it!"

"Asking for what? For you to pummel two small third graders and get your flank sent to the principal?"

"Damn it! Get the hoof out of my way; I'll bully some other pony."

Silver Spoon turned to me, with sparkles in her eyes.

"That was amazing, Diamond! Where did you even get half of those insults from, anyway?" she asked.

"I…I…I…don't know. Wow. I didn't even know I had that kind of power! This is a perfect way to deal with those stupid idiots who harass us!"

"Yep! I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah! Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump!"

I felt exhilarated coming home, because I couldn't wait to tell dad about what I had done. Sure enough, he was home.

I rushed up to him and said, "Dad! Dad! You'll never guess what I did today!"

"You sound excited. All right, I'm curious now."

"I discovered that I could stop bullies by using my mouth, not my fists!"

"You mean you beat him in insults? That's…great I suppose."

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"I don't think it will be a big deal, but it sounds like you are fighting bullies…with bullying."

"Huh? Oh, no, don't be silly. I won't turn into a bully!"

"I hope not. Anyway, I just got a letter from your mother. She wants to see you again."

"Why is that?"

"She says, 'I haven't got to see my child in so long, and I think I have enough time in a week for her to give me a brief visit.' "

"Sounds great! I'd love to see my mom again!"

"Just be careful, OK. We divorced for a reason."

While I did sense a bit of concern in my dad's voice, I was too excited to care. As the day drew closer and closer, I realized that she ran a beauty salon and jewelry shop, so I might as well try to make a gift for her. I realized that since she seemed like she had high standards, and since I wanted to make her proud of me, I felt obligated to make something special.

On the day before the big day, I hatched a brilliant plan. We had a bunch of diamonds, and since my name IS Diamond Tiara, I should try to make one! I knew it might be tough, but I was determined. Once I actually began making the tiara, it was surprisingly simple. In fact, I was able to finish the entire thing in about one hour! I wore the tiara, and went to the mirror. I looked great in it, but as I looked even closer, I discovered something that changed my life forever. Looking at my flank in the mirror, I had a tiara on it that mimicked the one I created.

I had finally gotten my cutie mark! I went absolutely crazy, but I made sure I placed the tiara down before I ran to tell my dad about the life-changing news.

Still jumping like a madmare, I yelled, "Dad! Dad! I got my cutie mark! I got my hoofing cutie mark!"

"Really? Let me see!"

"It's right here! Right here right here right here!"

My dad simply smiled at me and patted my mane before leaving, and it was by far the happiest I had ever been in my life.

I couldn't wait until tomorrow to call Silver Spoon, so I called her that night and told her the great news. She was also incredibly happy for me, but it was close to impossible to be as thrilled as I was.

The next day, I got the directions, and walked over to my mother's house. While also very big, it was only two stories, which I can understand because she lived alone. Out of curiosity, I peeked in the window before knocking, and it seemed as if she was giving ponies orders and she had a calculator in her hooves. I was confused, but I ignored it, and knocked on the door.

She opened it. "Good morning, Diamond Tiara…what is that?" she asked, with a strange look on her face.

"It's a tiara I made! Out of diamonds! I made it just for you!"

"You expect me…to wear that?"

"Sure! It will look so great on you! I even got my cutie mark from it!"

"Yeah. Listen, Diamond Tiara. I was afraid that you would make something to embarrass yourself when my 'husband"'told you about this visit. It's no wonder I broke up with him."

My ears drooped, and I said, "Huh? You…don't…like…it?"

"How can I put this lightly…I guess I can't. I wouldn't get caught dead wearing something that tacky."

I gave her my Diamond Eyes and said, "But…I made it just for you! I…put all of my effort into making it perfect!"

"I'm afraid it isn't, dear. You can wear it yourself."

I was almost crying at this point. All of a sudden, my sadness turned to rage. "Fine! You don't deserve a gift from me anyway! You aren't my mother!" I yelled, and then I slammed her door.

I was absolutely distraught. I had worked so hard into making something that would show my mom, my parent, that I was special. I even used my Diamond Eyes to try to give something away! And she just slapped me! My thoughts became jumbled, but eventually one stood out. It was, "I'll prove to everypony how special I am, whether they like it or not!" I told my dad what happened, and he seemed just as shocked as I was. After that event, I went to sleep a vengeful mare.

The next day, one of the friends of Black Flag approached me. "You little scumbag." he said with venom in his voice.

"How am I a scumbag? I just told your stupid, stinky friend the truth. He is nothing, and you are nothing for even becoming his stupid friend. Leave me alone, now."

As he left, I felt this feeling of superiority grow inside me. It felt so good; I wanted to spread it around everywhere I went. After all, words hurt far more than sticks and stones ever could.

And there we go! Chapter 5 is finished! Another long one! Diamond is finally beginning to transform into her canon self, and her path of destruction will continue for a few more chapters. For now, I leave you with this chapter, so please let me know what you think about it!

Next Chapter: Diamond's newfound superiority complex causes her to begin to bully people through the third and even fourth grade. Will she meet Cheerilee and start harassing the Cutie Mark Crusaders? And how will Filthy Rich react? Find out, next time!

Fragments

A Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 6

After I took Black Flag and his crew down a notch, nopony really bothered neither Silver Spoon nor me anymore. I knew they realized there was no point trying to bring down us, because we were better than them. We were better than most if not all of the ponies that attended our school.

That thought process gave me extra motivation to excel in my academics, so I managed to finish the first semester with all A's, and I noticed my memory was improving, somewhat.

My 'ego' if it were, was boosted right after the first semester, especially after Silver Spoon shouted, "Wow, Diamond! You've gotten so much better at school!"

In response, I simply raised my head and said, "I know. I can best anypony in this school in anything."

The sparkles reappeared in Spoon's eyes, and you could tell that she was impressed by my confidence. As I was walking back home, the thought that stood out in my mind was, "See that, mom? Your little Diamond Tiara is much more awesome then you think! I'll make you proud whether you like it or not!"

During the second semester, my confidence was brimming. I felt no need to make any other friends, since Silver Spoon had stood by me for so long. As a result, nopony besides her really talked with me much during that semester.

Unfortunately, disaster struck again with my bickering parents. During the middle of the second semester, my dad, assured me that my tiara was very eloquent, a statement that held more weight than I believed.

Afterwards, on that very day, I was walking down the hallway when I heard a phone ringing, so I decided to eavesdrop. That was a bad idea.

Dad started out the conversation by calmly saying, "Look, Diamond has been having…behavioral problems lately and I want to know why, Glamour. Now."

I should have realized this would end in disaster when I discovered my mom was on the other end, but I didn't.

Anyway, I didn't hear what mom said in response to dad, but I assume it related to calling my tiara 'tacky.'

Considering that I, in a fit of rage, forgot to tell dad what mom said about the tiara, and he never consulted mom about it, his reaction was quite vulgar.

He yelled, "You said what? Diamond was trying to make you a gift! She even has a cutie-mark for making jewelry!"

I assume she continued with the argument, "Oh dear, there's no way I'll wear a great tiara in public because my 'useless' daughter made it," because my dad continued ranting.

"Diamond could be a business pro right now! She's getting much better at leading, and you want to destroy that progress because of your own goddamn high standards! Fuck you!" and he threw the phone down, enraged, and all that remained of the phone was pile of gears and junk. But, there was one really strange thing about the conversation. Before it ended, I heard a loud sigh coming from the other side of the phone. I initially dismissed this, but thinking back, perhaps that sigh came from my mother.

Anyway, I quickly rushed back to my room before dad walked out of his, and it seemed like I was just causing grief for both of them. Still possessing a vengeful spirit, I vowed that I would go to extra lengths to prove to my parents that I was the best pony in my school. I would make certain that I would stand out from the crowd, make myself look good, and make them look bad.

A few days later, I found that opportunity handed to me on a silver platter. Or spoon. I always forgot how that saying went. Anyway, I saw this pegasus with beige skin, a long brown mane and the thinnest bones I've ever seen. My target…was locked.

I went up to him and shouted, "Hey, skinny! Ever consider eating something?"

"Um…uh…"

"Hah! Pathetic! I bet you can't even speak one sentence without stuttering, you weakling!"

He began to cry. "Why are you being so mean to me?"

I knew I had broken him, so I went in for the kill. "Because I'm better than you. Now, get lost!"

Sure enough, he ran away making these stupid whimpering noises and I simply laughed in triumph. I had broken him in only three sentences! This was easy! All I have to do is keep up my academics and my attitude, and I'd be set for life!

Afterwards, Silver Spoon asked, "Um, Diamond? Don't you think you're being just a little harsh?"

"Absolutely not! He, like, just stood there, I haven't seen him before, and I want to make sure he knows who the boss around here is."

"If you say so, Diamond. Let's get to class."

"Right behind you, Spoon!"

After class, I relished in how good it felt to be able to break somepony, to make sure they knew how awesome and special I was. I knew my mom might not have thought I'm was the greatest, but I thought that if I could make sure other ponies know, then I'd be set for life.

To add, throughout most of the second semester, my dad was extra, extra busy, and he didn't seem to have time to talk with me. I was fine with that, because I knew that I could have extra time to prove to my mom, that I'm not only great at making diamond tiaras.

I also used most of my free time to practice my saxophone. Thanks to hoof surgery, I was at the point where many adult ponies dreamed of getting towards, and Mr. Blues was very, very impressed with me. It seemed as if some of Ponyville was beginning to see what I saw. But, I knew I still had a ways to go.

There were absolutely no plays, nor musical events in school, so I could only prove I was the best from my academics. Silver Spoon did mostly score better than me on almost all of the tests, but I knew I was still doing a great job, and from what I could tell, so did my classmates.

The second semester ended, again, with all A's for both me and Spoon. After we congratulated each other, I walked home to give dad a request.

Fortunately, I actually saw him that day, not busy, so I gave my request. "Dad, could you send this report card to Mom?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, Diamond. I'm very busy so…"

Time to use the Diamond Eyes!

"Please, Dad? I just want to show mom by accomplishments in school!"

He sighed. "I'll try, OK Diamond?"

"Yay! Thank you!" and with a hug, I left.

Unfortunately, during the middle of my first day of the next summer, Dad came back with bad news. "Your mom…has rejected your report card." he said somberly.

"What? Did she say why?"

"I tried calling her, but it didn't work. Sorry, Diamond."

"That sucks!" I yelled while trudging back to my room.

I managed to hear my dad sighing loudly before I slammed the door shut. I couldn't believe it. What the heck did I have to do to impress this staunch perfectionist? Did I have to cure pony cancer? Did I have to make more cash in a business than dad? I was hopelessly lost, so I did the only thing I could think of.

"Hello, mom?"

"Oh, dear, please don't tell me this is who I think it is."

"It is. What the heck do I have to do to impress you?"

"Listen to me very closely. Mares cannot take over large businesses in Ponyville that are run by stallions. So, since you can't go anywhere in life, there's no point in trying to support you. Goodbye."

I couldn't believe my ears. My own mom gave up on me. She said I was useless. I was never the type of pony who cries, but even I felt my heart sink deep into my stomach, and saw it rain in front of me. I was crushed, both physically and emotionally, and I didn't feel like I could deal with this myself. So, once I stopped crying, I told dad exactly what happened.

"I can't believe her! Damn it! Diamond, I'm going to go give her a piece of my mind!"

"No! Dad! Please! I…don't want you two to argue anymore!"

"She isn't going to get away for what she did to you!" and those were the last words I heard before the door slammed.

I literally felt my heart tearing apart in front of me, and even a class with Mrs. Rhythm couldn't help get this negative energy out of my soul.

When I got back home, my sadness turned into complete rage.

"They…hate me. They…loathe me. They…don't think I'm special. I must be a failure, right? No hoofing way! If I can't get them to love me, then I'll show everypony that I'm the most special! I've made up my mind!" I screamed, punching my pillow until it turned into cotton fluff.

For the rest of the summer, my vengeance grew, until I was finally able to unleash it during school.

Sure enough, when I got back, an opportunity fell right into my hooves. A pony with a pink bow, a red mane, and a really dull yellow body went up to me and said, with a strong southern accent, "Howdy! I'm Apple Bloom!"

"Apple Bloom? Good gravy, you must be poorer than dirt, because there's so much in your mane!"

"What are y'all talking about? Mah sister Applejack brushed mah mane before I came to school!"

"News flash, 'y'all' and 'mah' aren't real words, you bumpkin!"

"Why are y'all being so mean to me? It's mah first day!"

"Actually, I have two reasons. One, I'm the best pony in this school, and I want you to make sure you have that engraved in your feeble little mind, and two, I'm almost certain you're a member of the Apple Family!"

"Why is that a problem?"

"How in Celestia can your poor flanks get so much popularity in Ponyville? Our Barnyard Bargain lines are diminishing because of your stupid existence!"

"Wait a sec, you're a Rich?"

"I'm the one and only Diamond Tiara Rich, you diminutive little piece of dirt! Have some respect for your superiors. Bye, bumpkin!" I said while laughing haughtily.

My teacher for fourth grade was a, relatively young mare named Mrs. Chalk who had a white body and a dark gray mane, and fortunately, she was a very good one. I was almost afraid to raise my hand after my tenure with Miss Lemon, but about one week later, when nopony knew the answer to a fairly difficult math question, I put my hoof up, gave the correct answer, and all was right with the world!

One of my favorite parts about fourth grade was the option to take a chorus class, where the object would be to sing, and eventually perform in a group. But, what really drew my attention to the class was the opportunity to get solos, so I signed up in a heartbeat.

When I entered the room for the first time, I was absolutely shocked to see who the teacher was.

"Miss Rhythm? Is that you?"

"Diamond Tiara? I didn't know you went to this school? It's great to see you!"

"Same here! I can't wait to get better at singing! Thanks for all of the lessons, and I know I'll rise to glory here!"

"Wonderful! Now, could you please take a seat…here?"

I convulsed. That was next to that bumpkin! Not meaning to be rude, I said, "Could I sit next to Silver Spoon? We've been best friends since kindergarten!"

"Hmm…I don't see why not. Go right ahead, Diamond!"

"Yay! Thank you, Mrs. Rhythm!"

Sure enough, Silver Spoon was there, and the first few classes, while a tad boring, went very well. I felt at home with a class led by Mrs. Rhythm, because we had great chemistry. Even when I was in a bad mood, a simple chorus class could cheer me up a little.

As for the bumpkin, I discovered that she was…rather dumb. I never heard her answer any of the questions neither Mrs. Chalk nor Mrs. Rhythm asked, and Silver Spoon told me that she did relatively poorly on tests, so I knew that my next goal was going to be destroying her self-esteem. No country bumpkin was going to beat me at anything!

The time I struck was during lunch, when she was literally eating nothing but apples.

I said, "Oh my god, do you want some apples with those apples Mrs. Bumpkin?"

"Mah name is Apple Bloom."

"Really? I'm surprised you even remember your name, after how poorly you've been doing in class."

"I'm doin' mah best and I'm sure you ain't."

"As a matter of fact, I am. What are you, too shy to say anything in class? Do you fear that little old pink me is going to judge you? Huh?"

"Don't give me that."

Looking at her flank, I changed targets. "Yeah, well, at least I have an awesome cutie-mark. Where's yours? Oh, right! You don't have one!"

She flinched. "You…'re cutie mark ain't so awesome."

"I can make jewelry in a cinch! I made this tiara in one hour! You can't even change your diet or your way of approaching school! Later…Blank Flank!" I said before walking away.

Looking back, she was crying. I had got her in the palm of my hoof. I had made sure that even the family who stole our profits know that I was the best. And it felt soooooo good.

Next Chapter: Diamond Tiara continues to bully Apple Bloom throughout the fourth grade and into the fifth grade. Diamond also tries to get on the school stage before even getting to fifth grade. Once there, all of the canon ponies like Sweetie Belle and Cheerilee will be introduced. Will Diamond ever stop taunting Apple Bloom? And will there be any canon events? Find out, next time!

Shining Bright

A Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 7

I was grinning ear to ear when I saw that poor bumpkin crying, and my good mood was accentuated when I saw a poster about auditions for the latest drama production!

My eyes sparkled with joy, and I just imagined myself performing in the lead role, acting like a star. My first reaction was to find Silver Spoon and tell her about it, and I did manage to bump into her before class began.

I started the conversation by saying, "Spoon! The drama team is making a new play! I'm totally going to audition for it!"

"That sounds great, Diamond! But…do you mind if I don't audition?"

"No, it's fine! Just think about it, Spoon. The audience staring, bewildered by my awesome acting ability! It's going to make me so popular! I'll be known as the most special pony in no time!"

"Alright, sounds great! I'll be sure to attend!"

"Thanks, Spoon! Let's get to class."

And so, we made it through the rest of the day, and throughout the entire week, I was thinking about the play. Finally, after a relatively short week, the auditions took place.

The drama director actually changed, because I didn't see Mrs. Bright when I opened the door. Instead, I opened the door to find a pony with the exact same body color as me, only with a purple mane.

She said, "Who iz next?" and I could hear a definite French accent in her voice.

So, knowing French myself, I said, "Bonjour, madam! Je voudrais to audition for this play, s'il vous plait."

"Ah! Vous savez aussi le francais?"

"Oui!"

"Wonderful, let us begin! My name is Miss Fleur!" she said, seeming to be impressed with my knowledge of French.

I completed some drills that were quite easy, considering I practiced drama frequently after I was introduced to it, and I also sang and danced very well, thanks in part of Mrs. Rhythm. The next thing I know, tomorrow after the parts were posted, I did indeed get one of the main roles.

Afterwards, I joyfully yelled, "Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh Spoon! I did it!"

"Great job, Diamond Tiara! Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump!"

After school, the practice sessions were quite simple, and I always did my best to ensure that I shined in this performance. I always put my hand up whenever Miss Fleur asked for volunteers, and I made sure that I gave it my all every practice.

It was a little difficult memorizing my lines, because I had a good deal of them, but I had more than enough time to make sure I had them down pat. So, when Miss Fleur asked us to memorize our lines, I felt obligated to respond.

"I already have, Miss Fleur, and I can prove it."

"Really, Diamond Tiara? I don't want you do embarrass yourself."

"I know I can do it, Miss Fleur. Give me a chance."

"Alright…one more time, everypony!"

Sure enough, with absolutely no fear, I recited every line cleanly and with emotion during that practice, and as for my reward? More praise! I'm shocked I didn't develop this confidence earlier, because it makes me look great!

Unfortunately, yet again, my mom refused to answer when my dad contacted her about my new lead role, with my Diamond Eyes, and at this point, I just about gave up trying to please her. However, there was the 1% of my soul that convinced me that if I continued to excel and become the best, she would view me as a success. And in the end, I listened to that 1%, because knew I wasn't a failure.

As performance day crept closer, I began saying my lines in front of a mirror after Miss Fleur recommended it, to make sure I had all of my cues and gestures down. Finally, the night had arrived.

I had a wonderful costume that I bought for my performance, because I didn't need the tacky dresses the school had. As the dress rehearsal concluded, I clopped up to the stage about to explode with happiness. I knew I would knock this performance right out of the park!

After Miss Fleur finished introducing us, I began my performance, and I made dang sure that it was flawless. It was. Unfortunately, after my performance ended, but before the end of the play, a colt with this ugly yellowish color, and a snail, of all things as his cutie mark, went up to me and said, while blushing, "Great job. You were really good."

Common sense forced me to whisper in his ear and said softly, but with as much venom as I could put into my voice, "Get lost. Now."

He knew that I was going to kill him if he was to ruin my big moment, so he simply hung his head, and walked away.

As we ended the play, the applause was roaring, and I helped lead applause movements and gestures almost perfectly. Even though my parents didn't make it, the entire experience was a definite boost to my confidence.

To make matters even better, I, once again, got straight A's for the first semester of fourth grade. Again, I got no response from my mother, so my desire to be the best rose.

During the second semester, my academics did begin to slightly increase in difficulty, but it wasn't too hot for me to handle. Even with that difficulty spike in second grade, elementary school really wasn't too bad, and I did see quite a few ponies on the honor roll the one time I checked, but it never really bothered me. As long as I was on it, which I was throughout fourth grade, that was all that mattered.

Anyway, towards the beginning of the second semester, there was another school wide event that I felt obligated to attend. That event was known as the Talent Show, and I had an idea of what to perform.

But, before I could do that, I had to laugh in the face of my enemy! I was determined to bring Apple Bloom down, headfirst, into the floors of this school.

When I came across her, I shouted, "Hey, Blank Flank! Going to sign up for the talent show?"

"Nah."

"Why not? You'll only be destroyed by yours truly! I'll perform a song so wonderful and magical, you're precious little jaw will drop."

"I told ya. I ain't performin' and that's that."

"Whatever. You're both a scardy flank and a blank flank! Bye!" I yelled, laughing as I went to class.

After school ended that day, I ran into Silver Spoon.

She started our conversation by saying, "Hey, Diamond, are you doing the talent show?"

"Of course! Want to help my performance by giving me a little piano?"

"I'd be more than happy to, Diamond! I'll see you tomorrow!"

Why did I let Silver Spoon help me out, you may ask? Simply put, it's because I already had the recording of the song. I figured she could use a little boost to her self-esteem, and it might add something to my performance. I was never completely heartless, at least to my friends.

Considering I linked Silver Spoon the song early on she came up with a great accompaniment a week before the talent show. Oh yeah, we were definitely ready to show this school how much talent we have.

On the night when the talent show began, the performances were absolutely terrible, and some only barely qualified as meager. A terrible violinist, a bad saxophone player that made me want to puke, and a screechy singer were only the icing to the manure cake. Considering that we had signed up last, we were prepared a little before our call time. A pony with a purple body, a pink-white mane, and a bunch of yellow flower tops as her cutie mark called us in. I would get to know her better later.

By the time we got on stage, the lights were out, and soon, I clopped to get the recording started. The lyrics went like this,

(Lyrics sung to Too Cool: by Camp Rock)

I'm too cool for this show

These songs have it the floor

But everypony here don't just yet head for the door

Just follow and I'll lead

Go and try to be like me

But you just cannot compete

Love it or hate it

Aaaahhh

I can't help the way I am

Hope you don't misunderstand

Cause I'm so cool

(So cool)

I'm so cool, yeah, it's so true!

Don't take it personal

Don't get emotional

You know it's the truth

I'm so cool, it's true!

You think you're hot, but I'm sorry you're not

Exactly who you think you are!

I'm having fun

I'll always be number one

'Cause when we walk into the room

I'm so cool, it's true!

You're lucky I'm so nice

Even I'm surprised!

I will still let you be here in my crew

I'll show you how it's done

If you wanna be someone

So, just watch me

And you'll learn some

Aaaahhh

Me, myself, and I agree

You'll never catch up with me!

Cause I'm so cool

(So cool)

I'm so cool, yeah, it's so true!

Don't take it personal

Don't get emotional

You know it's the truth

I'm so cool, it's true!

You think you're hot, but I'm sorry you're not

Exactly who you think you are!

I'm having fun

I'll always be number one

'Cause when we walk into the room

I'm so cool, it's true!

See, some are born with beauty, brains, and talent

And they've got it all!

While others try all their lives,

But they might never get the call

That's the difference between you and me

Obviously!

I'm a natural

I'm the real deal

Yeah!

I can't help the way I am

Hope you don't misunderstand

Cause I'm so cool

(So cool)

I'm so cool, yeah, it's so true!

Don't take it personal

Don't get emotional

You know it's the truth

I'm so cool, it's true!

You think you're hot, but I'm sorry you're not

Exactly who you think you are!

I'm having fun

I'll always be number one

'Cause when we walk into the room

I'm so cool, it's true!

Woo!

After I finished singing, and jumping while doing the splits in rhythm to the song, the applause was enormous. I simply bowed, gave Silver Spoon some spotlight by pointing my hoof towards her, and I got some nice praise the day after the show. Life was good.

Towards the middle of the second semester, we had a speech on cutie marks. Even though I already had mine, I was interested in what Mrs. Chalk had to see regarding the subject, so I paid attention.

She started by asking, "Now, class, who here has their cutie marks?" to which I proudly raised my hand to.

"Wonderful! Most of you do already! But, I would still like to talk about them. They are marks that you do not get as a child. You have to earn them. And you earn them by keeping an open mind, and by trying new and unique things as a filly or colt. Like all of us, our cutie marks allow us to accomplish a special, unique event or task that other ponies might not be able to do at all, or be able to do less quickly. Now then, I would like to give an example. If you look at my flank, you can see that I have a piece of chalk as my cutie mark. This shows that I have a natural talent for teaching students like you, and it also significantly helps me with writing, as chalk is a writing utensil. Would anypony like to tell how they got their cutie mark?"

My hoof shot up like a bullet, and Mrs. Chalk said, "Yes, Diamond Tiara?"

"I got my cutie mark by attempting to make a gift from my mom, which was the tiara that is now on my head. I managed to create the entire thing in one hour, but since my mom didn't except my gift, I now wear it myself proudly."

"Very good! Your statement has brought me to my next point. Cutie marks tend to come from experiences that really affect the heart of a pony, the ones that require a lot of passion to accomplish. I remember back when I was about your age, I had decided to become a school tutor, like my mom was. When I was able to teach my younger brother a very complicated science question, my cutie-mark appeared! And don't worry, if you haven't gotten yours yet, there is still plenty of time! Well, that's it! Class dismissed!"

When school ended, Silver Spoon said, "Diamond, is that how you really got your cutie mark?"

"Yes, it is. Did I forget to tell you?"

"Most likely. Hmm, I think I know why, is it because of your mom?"

"On the muzzle."

"Could you tell me more, please?"

"Alright, but promise that you tell nopony about this. Pinkie promise!"

"Um…cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye? Is that how it went?"

"Yes. Anyway, I went to deliver the tiara to my mom as a gift about a year or so ago, and she simply dismissed my kind gift as 'tacky'!"

"Ouch! I'm really sorry about that. Does that explain why you want everypony to know how awesome you are?"

I sighed. "Yeah. You...do think I'm awesome, right?"

Spoon nodded, and I brightened back up again. As I walked home, I pondered how great to have such a good friend by my side. I felt invincible with Silver Spoon as my friend.

Towards the very end of 4th grade, Mrs. Chalk announced that we would be having a cross-class student group project, and I quickly volunteered to lead my group. My group contained Silver Spoon…but it also had Apple Bloom.

When, I realized this, I said, "Look, Apple Bloom. I don't like you and you don't like me. But, if you do everything I say, I can assure you that we will get an A. Understood?" to that bumpkin as soon as I saw her.

"Fine."

"All right, what type of work are you best at? Art? Writing?"

"A'm a good artist."

"Good. Draw a picture so that I can make sure you aren't lying."

She did, and it actually looked pretty decent. "All right, you've got the job."

Silver Spoon and I handled most of the written work, and under my leadership, no one goofed off during the time we worked on our poster. I made sure I scrutinized whatever I could. Apple Bloom even did a good job artistically. I only rejected one of her pictures, though I would never admit her skill, until now, but whatever.

When we presented our poster, I led, listed the jobs I assigned, and read our work with an assertive voice. Sure enough, our group got a 100%, one of the two perfects in the entire grade.

Even Apple Bloom said, "Good job, Diamond."

"Heh. Thanks, blank flank."

"You're still annoying."

"Hey, your grade improved. Don't blame me just 'cause you'd never be able to lead that well!" and with that I left.

Silver Spoon also congratulated me, and I continued my reign of dominance until the end of 4th grade.

Our final conversation 4th grade started when Silver Spoon said, "You're going to be a great leader one day."

"I know, but still, thanks. I'm going to make my mom proud, I just know it! Oh, I almost forgot! Take this, please!" and with that, I handed Silver Spoon a pearl necklace I made for her.

"Wow! This is beautiful! Do you...really want me to have it?"

"Sure! You've been a great friend, so I thought I'd share...a little bit of my specialness with you!"

"So have you, Diamond! Wow, I'm going to wear this every day...for my best friend."

"Thanks. Really, thank you for your friendship. We are going to knock the next grade out of the park!"

"Your confidence is through the roof! Well, see you next year, Diamond, and once again, thank you!" she said, giving me a hug.

"You too, Spoon. Have a great summer!"

And with that, two best friends parted ways…for the entire summer.

Next Chapter: Events transpire that summer that cause Diamond Tiara to go into 5th grade with extra rage. Her path of destruction involves Apple Bloom falling face first in the ground, in her mind. Will Apple Bloom survive Diamond Tiara's onslaught? Will I introduce the other ponies' next chapter? Find out, next time!

Shriveled

A Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 8

(Back to Diamond Tiara's "present day" room, Journalist's POV)

Ninety minutes. She talked for ninety straight minutes, and managed to get through some of the more heart-wrenching events without shedding tears, yet I did hear her sniffle a few times. Also, she had currently gotten through two diaries, and was at the beginning of the third.

Even with that, she seemed to be very content being able to let all of these events go from her mouth and onto the big screen. When I made my offer, I've seen other ponies that have just shut their doors in my face, but Mrs. Tiara simply exploded with joy, and told me her past in absurd detail. She still had just made it past fourth grade in her tale and yet I was already completely sympathetic for her. I greatly admired her courage for going through this.

After those ninety minutes, I heard a fairly loud throaty cough coming from her, so I said, "Mrs. Tiara? Would you like to take a break?"

She coughed again. "Guess so. I'm famished anyway. I'll go ask the butlers to make me some breakfast, and I'll heat up some chamomile tea."

"The tea sounds wonderful. May I please have some, Mrs. Tiara?"

"Eh, why not." and with that she left.

Seconds later, I heard her yell, "White Handkerchief! Could you tell the butlers to get me some scrambled eggs, pronto?"

"Sure thing, malady."

And with that, she went to make the tea, and got back right before she got her food from White Handkerchief.

"Here are you are, malady." he said as he handed Diamond the perfectly cooked eggs.

If you ask me, he's actually relatively content for having such a crappy job, but I've never been a butler myself.

"Awesome. Got a fork?"

"Yes. Here you are."

"Cool."

And with that, White Handkerchief, matching Mrs. Tiara's description of him to a T, left her office.

She then placed the coasters, then the rather large pink teacups on top of them, before pouring herself some tea. Then, she set the pitcher down. I then filled my cup with some tea, and placed the warm liquid to my lips.

I said, "This tea is very good. The flavor is very full."

"Cool. I found a great recipe for it, so it's nice other people enjoy it."

"Have I introduced myself yet?"

After taking a substantial sip, she said, "No."

"Well, my name is Photo Frame. I've been a journalist for about ten years."

After a brief yawn, she said, "That's nice. So, when exactly are you going to put this on air?"

"If you can finish your tale today, we should be able to televise it three days from now. Also, could you please sing the song you sang in the talent show? It gives the viewers a chance to hear your talents, as this will be broadcast in places besides Ponyville."

"How could I argue with that logic?" she said, clearing her throat before singing.

She had a lovely, powerful singing voice, and with the notes she reached, I could only assume she was a soprano. A good one, at that.

"Your voice is very nice. I'm sure the viewers will love your songs. Could you please sing any other songs that you remember when you get to them?"

"Absolutely." she said, and after slipping those magic gloves on her hooves, she was able to grab her fork and eat her now relatively lukewarm breakfast.

She ate very calmly and gracefully. Even watching her eat had a reverberating reflection of her eloquence and lady like presence. I really did enjoy talking with her, but I also made sure I did not come off as flirting, because I assumed she already had a lover, being the beautiful mare she was.

After about a half an hour, she opened the diary, and gave me the green light to start recording.

(16 years ago: Diamond Tiara's 4th grade summer)

Walking home, I could feel how much my self-confidence rose during 4th grade. Again, my dad wasn't there when I returned, because he said that he had to take about a week off due to a huge business 'convention' as he put it, so I hadn't been able to tell him about my awesome leadership skills.

I didn't mind, though, because I knew he would be back tomorrow, so I decided to practice my voice. Using some of the feedback I received from Miss Rhythm, I noticed my voice became less 'forced' as she called it and the reverberations were clear as diamonds, unmitigated even. After being relatively pleased with the results of my voice, I simply practiced my saxophone before eating dinner and going to sleep.

When my dad got back the next morning, I told him about my endeavors as a leader, and he said he was proud of me. I felt loved by at least one of my parents, and it felt great.

But…as usual…my mom wasn't impressed. I could tell it wasn't my leadership that worried her, but the fact that I worked with Apple Bloom, led to one of the worst arguments I had ever heard between my parents. Yes, I eavesdropped on them. I had quite a bit of curiosity back then.

Mom started this argument by yelling to dad, "You royal pain in the flank! You raised a traitor!"

"What? Why do you always think our daughter is trying to harm you?"

"Don't you dare give me that! She made friends with our enemy and you can't tell me otherwise!"

"She never said that! She just happened to be in Diamond's group, and Diamond couldn't switch groups! Why do you have to hurt our daughter?"

"She's your little abomination! Not ours! So take your flank and get the hoof out of my life! Keep that parasprite away from me!"

The first thing I did was instantly assume that I was hallucinating, and went to sleep instantly, even though it was an hour before my bedtime.

But…it didn't go away.

The next thing I know, I had a nightmare. Take a wild guess what it was about. If you guessed my parents hating me for the fact that I 'made friends' with Apple Bloom, then good job! You aren't helping!

It was very traumatic, and I can describe it in great detail. I was trapped in a sphere composed entirely of nightmare matter. the magic Nightmare Moon used, and about five seconds later, two gigantic heads, one being mom, the other being dad, came up to me on either side, and began chanting.

Their chant was, "Diamond…we hate you…why do you exist…you should be sent to the moon…you suck…yes…"

"Leave me alone! I'll make it up! I'll be as ruthless as you want! Please! I'm not a failure! I'm not a failure! I'm not a flanking failure!"

"Yes you are! Go away! In fact, we will destroy you now!"

The next thing I know, my parents turned into Nightmare matter, and began to choke me. Even though it was a dream, I do remember crying, and feeling so much pain, I wanted to just die! Fortunately, after only ten seconds of being tortured, I woke up. I didn't want to get back to sleep, so I went into my dad's office to listen to the recording of the conversation my parents had.

Sure enough, my mom said the exact things I had heard, and I knew from then on I wasn't dreaming. My parents hated me…just for cooperating with a group project and showing my leadership. We got a perfect, for Celestia's sake! I even called Apple Bloom a blank flank afterwards! Was that really not enough? That appeared to be the only reasonable conclusion. I thought day and night during the entire summer about how to get my parents to at least think I shouldn't have been aborted, and that thought soon turned into a parasprite that devoured my soul, and almost destroyed my entire heart.

Before I turned into a rabid sociopath, I discovered that I hadn't teased enough fillies. My superiority complex was too low. My efforts to get everypony to notice me were not enough. And, most importantly, I hadn't treated Apple Bloom, my enemy as simply a stain on my hoof. Well, during 5th grade, I was going to make sure I accomplished all of those objectives.

About a week before school, I looked in the mirror and said, "I will make them fear me! They'll see that I'm by far the best around! I'll make every blank flank realize that I'm the one who is the queen filly in this school. And, most importantly, I'll make my parents proud! They'll see how special I truly am, just like everypony else! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

With the feeling of vengeance consuming my soul, I walked all the way to school with the evilest smile I could muster. When I saw Silver Spoon she did seem to be concerned about me.

She said, "Diamond, are you alright?"

"Ah ha ha! I've never been better! Let's go and show which fillies are the bosses around here!"

"Alright, if you say so."

Our teacher, who I would have for sixth grade, was named Miss Cheerilee. She was the same pony who was at the previous Talent Show. Anyway, when we first walked in the room, Cheerilee had a seating chart up on the chalk board, marked permanent.

Looking closer at it, I was sitting right next to Apple Bloom!

"Yes!" I screamed, and took my seat.

About two minutes later, when Apple Bloom arrived, I shouted in a loud taunting voice, "Hey, Blank Flank! Guess who you are sitting next to this year!"

"Wh…oh mah gosh! Celestia must really hate me!"

"That's right! You are, like, totally dead this year! I'll make sure of it! Ah ha ha ha!"

"Oh no! Why? Why?" she screamed before taking her seat and performing a nice head desk. Oh…I could not wait for this year to begin!

Of course, like any good victim, she tried to say, "Miss Cheerilee! Ah can't work with Diamond Tiara! Please, for the love of Celestia, move me!"

"No need to worry, Miss Cheerilee, Apple Bloom is just nervous about her first day of fifth grade! She's always like this!" I said, performing my patented Diamond Eyes, just without the pout this time. As planned, Cheerilee ignored Apple Bloom's plea, and class began.

I almost never bother ponies during class, because I actually do try my best to pay attention to any new material. But, just to make a statement that I meant business this year, after all of the classes ended, I tripped Apple Bloom.

Once she fell, I yelled, "Wow, you're clumsy, Blank Flank! Pressure of school too much for your stupid little brain? Later!" I said, laughing all the way out the door.

I didn't do any major pranks to Apple Bloom until about 10 days later, where Miss Cheerilee conducted a speech. About cutie marks. Dear Celestia, I've heard this already!

Cheerilee started by saying, "Let's quiet down please. We have a very important lesson to get to! Thank you. Today we are going to be talking about cutie marks."

"Boring." I whispered.

"You can all see my cutie mark, can't you? Like all ponies, l wasn't born with a cutie mark. My flank was blank."

Then, a pony named Twist, with a beige body, an uncombed red mane, and glasses that were stupider than Silver Spoon's said, "Aww, Thee's tho precious!" Celestia, gag me, I think I just puked in my mouth after that!

"Then one day, when l was about your age, l woke up to find that a cutie mark had appeared!" Cheerilee said, while I had to look at one of the saddest sights I've ever seen, Cheerilee as a teenager. Dear Celestia, braces and a mane that was worse off than Twist's?

We laughed and she responded. "Yes l know, but honestly, that's how everypony was wearing their mane back then."

Suddenly, I had no desire to grow up in the 80s, even with awesome songs like Mares Just Wanna Have Fun.

"l had decided to become a teacher, and the flowers symbolized my hope that l could help my future students bloom if l nurture them with knowledge. The smiles represented the cheer l hope to bring to my little ponies while they were learning. Now, can anyone tell me when a pony gets his or her cutie mark?"

Twist, ugh, again responded. "Oh! Oh! Oh! When thee discovers that certain something that makes her spethial!" and after that, I'm surprised I didn't pass out to due to the copious amounts of puke that had accumulated in my mouth.

I had toned out at this point, and tried to get Apple Bloom to pass a note to Silver Spoon, a routine that we worked on before school, and sure enough, Cheerilee caught her right as I handed her the note.

I used my Diamond Eyes again, and as Cheerilee was wondering what was on the note, she soon discovered that it was blank. What? I wasn't heartless enough to use the old, mock the teacher/blame others for it note.

After my prank had taken effect, I sealed the deal by saying, "Remind you of anypony?" and then proceeding to laugh my flank off.

Soon after class, Spoon and I had staged another routine.

This one started with me walking up to Apple Bloom and Twist, then saying, "I don't know why we had to sit through a lecture about getting a cutie mark. I mean, waiting for your cutie mark is so last week. You got yours, I've got mine. We all have them already. Oops, I mean, almost all of us have them already. Don't worry, you two, you're still totally invited to my cute-ceañera this weekend."

Then, Silver Spoon continued by saying, "It's going to be amazing!"

"It's a party celebrating me and my fantastic cutie mark! How could it not be! Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump!"

Apple Bloom, feeling gloomy as ever, making me feel so wonderful, said, "Gimme a break."

Then, Silver Spoon said, "See you at the party!" and finally we ended with a simultaneous quoting of my favorite sentence, "Blank Flanks!"

Finally, while laughing, we walked away.

"That was perfect, Spoon! You're getting the hang of this!"

"Thanks, Diamond. I do feel a little bad, though."

"Don't be. Apple Bloom is part of a family that is the Rich's sworn enemy."

"Why?"

"Because we have to pay royalties to them on Zap Apples. If we monopolized them, we could be the richest family in Equestria, but no! Those stupid 'rights' belong to Apple Bloom's family."

"Oh, that explains it! Alright, I won't feel sorry anymore."

"Good."

Soon enough, I saw Apple Bloom talking to Twist, who had just gotten a cutie mark! Oh, this day just keeps getting better and better!

After Twist asked if Apple Bloom was going to come to my cute-ceañera, I responded for her. "Of course she will!"

Silver Spoon followed me up. "It's not like being the only pony there without a cutie mark, would be, like, the most embarrassing thing ever!" Then, Apple Bloom gave me one of the saddest faces I've seen from anypony. This day was going to be absolutely perfect!

As the afternoon approached, I knew the decorations had to be perfect. Fortunately, when I arrived in Sugarcube Corner, Ponyville's bakery, led by the most hyper pony in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie, to check, they most certainly were.

I picked up my gift, and met up with Silver Spoon, like I planned, and I told her about the dress that lay inside of the box.

She followed up. "Your new outfit is, like, perfect for the party!"

"I know. It totally shows off my cutie mark."

"I love being special!"

I shuttered. "Can you imagine how embarrassing it must be to be...not special?"

"I don't even want to, like, think about it."

"Yeah. My cutie mark makes up about 90% of who I am. If I lose it, oh boy."

That conclusion made me feel a little unclean. Looking back, I really think that Silver Spoon is neutral about having a cutie mark. However, since she is a good, cooperative friend, she sympathized with my concern. I was and still am very thankful for her constant friendship.

My cute-ceañera began decently, considering that most of the school arrived to praise my awesome dress, but soon enough a small problem occurred.

Snails thought it would be a good idea to eat half of the cake that I had intended to eat first, so the first thing out of my mouth when he did so was, "Hey! It's my cute-ceañera, I'm supposed to get the first bite at cake!" and he just swallowed the whole thing. That glutton!

Soon enough, I came face to face with Apple Bloom wearing a pink tablecloth, looking as if her sister, Applejack, who I also hated, blocked her from exiting.

I started by saying, "Well, well, well, look who's here!"

Silver Spoon chimed in. "Nice outfit!"

Apple Bloom then said, "Just sum'n I pulled together last minute."

"It really shows off your cutie mark…oh right! You don't have one!" I responded.

"Um…I have a cutie-mark."

That was a total bluff, and Silver Spoon tried to call it. "Eh, what? Since when?"

"Since…um…earlier today."

What a liar. I wished her flank would catch on fire to burn that stupid tablecloth to show how blank her flank was.

This time, I called her bluff. "Oh, really? Let's see it."

"I shouldn't, I couldn't. Mah cutie mark is so unbelievably amazing, I'm afraid that if I show it off, everyone will start paying attention to me instead of you. Outshined at your own cute-ceañera, can you imagine how embarrassing that would be?"

Dang! Her wit was quicker than I anticipated. I decided I'd find another way to make fun of her, later. "Uh, forget it. I didn't really want to see it anyway."

"Alright! Imma go mingle! Enjoy your party!"

She then proceeded to trip over her own tablecloth, and landed right on the record, exposing her blank flank to everyone! Celestia was kind to me that day!

The instant Spoon and I saw it, we went over.

Silver Spoon, getting much better at insulting started by saying, "Wow! That is an amazing cutie mark!"

Then, I followed up. "Nice try!"

Finally, we delivered the knockout punch by simultaneously yelling, "Blank Flank!"

But, just when I thought this day couldn't get any better, it took a nasty turn for the worse.

This idiotic pegasus with an orange body and a purple mane, and a white-bodied unicorn with a curly pink and purple mane stepped up in front of Apple Bloom.

The peagsus, named Scootaloo, was first to speak. "You got a problem with blank flanks?"

Before I could counter, Spoon stepped in. "The problem is, she's like, totally not special."

The unicorn, named Sweetie Belle countered Spoon's counter. "No, it means she's full of potential."

Afterwards, Scootaloo chimed in. "It means she could be great at anything. The possibilities are, like, endless!" Did I mention she imitated us when saying that last sentence?

"She could be a great scientist, or an amazing artist, or a famous writer, she could even be mayor of Ponyville someday!" Total mule crap.

"...and she's not stuck being stuck-up like you two."

Angered, I responded by saying, "Hey, this is my party, why are you two on her side?"

Oh, no reason, only because of the fact that all three of them were blank flanks! Normally, I would be thrilled at this. But…after every single pony in my party walked over to them and began praising them for not knowing what in the broken hoof they are good at, I began to get a little ticked.

I almost screamed, "Hey, what's everypony doing? This is my party, everypony is supposed to be paying attention to me!"

Silver Spoon tried to cheer me up. "Whatever. We still think you're all losers, right Diamond? Bump, bump, sugar lump, rump?" but it failed.

"Not now, Spoon. Just, not now."

I walked out of Sugarcube Corner from the backdoor, utterly shocked and defeated. How in the unholy name of Celestia's plucked feathers did these idiotic blank flanks steal my party, by claiming some the the biggest hoofwash I've ever heard in my life?

I quickly came to the conclusion that blank flanks had abnormally huge egos, and tried to hide the fact that they were too lazy to, or just can't freaking find their cutie-mark by claiming that they could be good at everything.

Well, guess what, morons? I already had my cutie mark, I could play the saxophone, act, and sing better than most ponies in my grade, and I had leadership skills that even the most successful adult ponies envy. Not only did I hate Apple Bloom from that day, I also hated every single blank flank that plagued Equestria. I was by far the superior pony, and I was determined to make absolutely certain to prove that everypony, especially blank flanks, had nothing on me.

Next Chapter: The Cutie Mark Crusaders sing their song and…yeah, you know where this is going. Discord might also appear, as well as Dinky and little Pipsqueak! Will Diamond ever let their horrible stage presence slide? And what will happen to Diamond's mother, Glamour Tiara? Find out, next time!

Screwed Up

A Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 9

After I swore vengeance against all of the blank flanks who had ruined my cute-ceañera with their false accusations, I went back into Sugarcube Corner only to find the place deserted and Silver Spoon waiting.

Once she saw me, she said, "Diamond…I'm really sorry."

I waved my hoof, then said, "It's fine. I can recover from this. But, dang, those were the stupidest things I've heard. The day Apple Bloom becomes the mayor is the day Twist becomes the most popular girl in this school."

"Hah! Good one, Diamond. I have heard some pretty dumb things, though."

"Is that so? Where?"

"I remember when I was working as a sous chef for a really run down restaurant. One day, the bust boy said that he would become the manager, when he could barely walk ten paces before tripping!"

I laughed. "What an idiot! Well, I've got to go home. You're a good friend, Spoon."

"Thanks, Diamond!"

With that, I left.

It was pretty dark out, but I memorized my route home, so it didn't affect me. I could walk home in my sleep now. When I entered the mansion, I called out for dad, but I got White Handkerchief instead.

He said, "Yes, malady? Do you need anything?"

"Do you know where dad is?"

"I'm afraid he had to go to a business meeting."

"Again? What for this time?"

"Some…stocks we were purchasing suddenly plummeted in value and your father believes it was a result of corrupt business actions. We don't want to lose money, so your father is at the negotiation table."

"Really? Why didn't he bring me along?"

"I know you are a great leader, malady, but his business conferences allow absolutely no minors to participate. Please accept my apologizes."

"It's cool. It isn't your fault the rules are stupid. Later."

As I left, I pondered who really did create the rules of business. Did Stinkin' Rich have any part in it? But, that thought process took me nowhere, so I just did a little homework and went to bed, once again, vowing vengeance on Apple Bloom.

Cheerilee began to crack down, and the lessons became tougher over the span of the week, so I was unable to taunt Apple Bloom much. She's been getting stupidly lucky lately, and it brought my blood to a boil.

But, soon, I found someone who I was able to take out all of my pent up rage on. A small colt, with a body paler than Sweetie Belle's, a brown mane, slightly smaller than the first pony I ever bullied, Featherweight, and a brown spot on one eye, went up to me.

He said, with a British accent, "Hi, I'm Pipsqueak! And you are?"

"You're name is Pipsqueak? Ah ha ha ha! Oh man, your parents must have hated you! Get lost, shrimp!"

"I'm sorry, but could you answer my question?"

"I'm Diamond Tiara, the best pony in this school! Don't forget it, alright shrimp?"

"Cool."

"Oh, and did another bully beat you up? Your eye looks swollen with that stupid spot on it!"

"No, this is natural."

"You…have no idea what I'm trying to do, do you?"

"Not really. I'm only about 8."

"Yeah, I'm in fifth grade. Leave now."

"OK!" he said, simply walking away from me.

That was weird. I did feel better though, so I suppose that confrontation wasn't entirely useless.

After that strange event, I walked home for the weekend, and simply tried to relax all of my stress away by focusing much more on my saxophone, singing, and dancing than I did, almost any other weekend I've been though up to this point. I really felt relaxed going into next week.

But, that relaxation soon turned into pure bliss when I figured out at the beginning of that week Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were going to participate in the next talent show, at the end of said week!

I wondered what would be the best way to make absolutely certain that their experience on stage would be an absolute nightmare, and in the middle of the week, just as the bell rang, I decided I would bring my video camera to the talent show and tape them!

Since Apple Bloom was right by me when I came up with my brilliant idea, I said, "Hey, Blank Flank. How would you like it if I recorded your performance for the talent show?"

"Don't ya dare."

"Ah ha ha! Blank Flank, you should know me better than that by now. I'm going to make your time on stage miserable!"

"Well, we ain't gonna fail, so quit dreamin'!"

"Prove it. I'll be there, with my camera!" I concluded, giggling like a maniac as I walked out the door.

The next day, before school, I said, "Hey Spoon, guess what I'm going to do for the talent show?"

"Another song?"

"Nope, I'm going to bring my video camera, and record the entire performance of those Blank Flanks!"

"Wow, that's pretty cruel, but after what they did to you, I don't really blame you too much."

"Meh. I'll see you at the talent show, Spoon!"

With that, we finished the next two days of classes easily before finally going into the big night.

The first two acts were absolutely abysmal. Snails and his obese blue bodied, brown maned friend Snips failed performing a magic act, and two other ponies said poetry…on rolling skates.

Dear Celestia, why did I not go on stage again? Oh…right, I wanted to see and record the Cutie Mark Crusaders fail!

Sure enough, once I had started recording, the CMC came out wearing…dear Celestia, everytime I think I see the worst things ever to be put on a pony, like Cheerilee's braces and mane, someone outperforms them. Their costumes were horrid! And the singing; they picked Scootaloo, their worst singer to lead the song! There wasn't even any background music! It was perfect! Perfect blackmail, that is! Once they finished their song, with props collapsed all over them, everypony in the audience started laughing at them. After the laughter ended, I left, with all of the wonderful, wonderful footage on tape. They should have known not to crash my party without expecting consequences!

I went into that weekend in a complete state of ecstasy, and that feeling carried into next week. Unfortunately, early on, another pony 'introduced' herself to me. This one was a filly unicorn with a gray body and a blond mane.

She said, "Hi, I'm Dinky Hooves! I'm new here!"

"Hooves? Wait a second, aren't you related to that mare with those crossed eyes and who crashes into everything? So, I'm guessing you're very clumsy right?"

"Hey, don't make fun of my mother!" She was making this way too easy for me.

"And doesn't she have a muffin addiction?"

"Hey! Stop it!"

"Relax, I wasn't even done yet! How come you are a unicorn, and she is a peagsus? Did she mingle with an earth colt?"

"Gah! Leave me alone!" and with that, she left.

Truth be told, I didn't mind Derpy Hooves, Dinky's mother, too much. She was a little amusing to watch crashing into stuff and bothering other ponies. I also remember doing an imitation of her, in front of her, that was intended to be insulting, but she actually complimented me on it. True, she was pretty slow mentally, but I always liked ponies that could laugh at themselves when confronted with their flaws and I especially liked ponies who complimented me.

Anyway, after that obvious overreaction, I made it to class, and then, after the lessons, when Cheerilee was out the door, I showed Apple Bloom the tape I had recorded all of their blunders on.

Apple Bloom's face distorted into one of pure fear, and she said, "You really were serious. You…monster!"

"That's right. I now have blackmail against all three of you. I don't remember seeing anypony in this class watching you three, so I could tell Miss Cheerilee to show the tape to the class…if I wanted."

"Give me that tape!"

She was mad.

"Why should I?"

"Because nopony is that cruel to me or my family! Now hand it over!"

She then proceeded to jump on me. She began to punch me, and since I didn't want to get in trouble or cause Apple Bloom to get sent to the hospital, I was very defensive. It took about a half a minute, I'd say, before Cheerilee rushed back in the room, and broke the right up between us two. I hadn't nicked Apple Bloom at all, but she made a relatively large cut in front on my forehead.

After the fight stopped, Cheerilee said, "Alright, fillies. Tell me what happened, this instant."

"I don't know, Miss Cheerilee! I was just talking to her, and all of a sudden, she just jumped on me and started attacking me! I didn't fight back, I swear!" I defensively claimed.

"That's a lie! She did!"

"Apple Bloom, you were not injured at all, so Diamond could not have fought back. Detention. Right here. One month."

"What? She has a tape of our talent show performance, and she's gonna use it as blackmail!"

"Diamond, is this true?"

I actually decided to tell the truth about this, somewhat. "Yes, I have that tape, but I swear I wasn't going to use it as blackmail!"

"I see. My decision is final. Diamond, you may go."

"Thank you, Miss Cheerilee!" I said, giving Apple Bloom my worst evil grin before leaving.

However, when I got home, something very interesting happened. When I walked in, I suddenly got this strange idea to call my mother about the blackmail I had.

So, I called her up.

"Hello? This is Glamour speaking."

"Hey, Glamour."

"Oh dear, you again?"

"I've actually got some interesting news for you. I managed to get some blackmail on Apple Bloom and her two friends. Video blackmail, about their failure to sing and act properly on stage."

"And what do you intend to do with it?"

"I'm not sure, honestly."

She laughed. "Ah, you humor me so. Let me tell you something. If you aren't assertive when it comes to making decisions, that 0.1% chance that you'll actually do something with your life will fade away into complete nothingness. Goodbye, parasprite."

I heard a slight sigh, and then the phone disconnected. My mother actually gave me advice, and I continued to think about when and how to reveal that blackmail.

However, my thought process was cut short two days after Apple Bloom got detention.

It all started with a field trip.

This was the first field trip I had actually been through, so I was legitimately interested as to where we would go to. Turns out, we were going to the Canterlot sculpture garden, which was very, very cool.

Once we arrived, Cheerilee said, "I want to start our field trip here in the world-famous Canterlot sculpture garden. That one over there represents Friendship. Alright my little ponies, this one represents Victory."

And of course, the 'crusaders' had to spoil this tour by being themselves.

Scootaloo started the carnage by saying, "How cool would it be to have that for a cutie mark?"

Then, Apple Bloom said, "Cool, if you were actually victoryful at somethin'."

Sweetie Belle responded. "That's not a word!"

Then, Scootaloo countered Sweetie Belle. "What are you, a dictionary?"

Cheerilee put a...temporary stop to this nonsense by shouting, "Girls! Now this is a really interesting statue. What do you notice about it?"

Apple Bloom said, "It's got an eagle claw!"

Scootaloo followed with, "And a lion paw!"

Finally, Sweetie Belle said, while flapping her arms, "And a snake tail!"

Cheerilee, again, halted the madness by saying, "This creature is called a draconequus. He has the head of a pony and a body of all sorts of other things. What do you suppose that represents?"

And, once again, it didn't last, because Apple Bloom instantly replied by saying, "Confusion!"

Then, Sweetie Belle said, "Evil!"

And Scootaloo finished off by saying, "Chaos!"

Sweetie Belle was the first to 'call her bluff' by saying, "It's not chaos, you dodo!" Ouch, that insult made me proud! And I'm not even kidding, that was pretty good!

Then, Scootaloo responded, poorly might I add. "Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of, and it is too chaos!"

"Is not!"

Finally, Apple Bloom said, "You're both wrong!" and then they fought with each other. You know, at least I learned at an early age that fighting gets you nowhere, but these three were up at each other's throats over a stupid point! I didn't even have to imply anything to get them fighting!

At long last, Cheerilee's fuse had run out of space, and she broke up the fight by saying, "Actually, in a way, you're all right. This statue represents Discord, which means a lack of harmony between ponies. In fact, you three have demonstrated discord so well, that you're each going to write me an essay explaining it."

It's a shame I can't play a trombone, because then would have been the perfect time to play the ultimate "'ail' theme.

But…they still didn't listen, and Apple Bloom ignited the feud again by saying, "It's confusion!" and then the two others countered with their own cryptic, politically correct explanation of a statue! Ugh, I bet they didn't even do the stupid essay.

After the field trip, I noticed many…odd things were occurring in Ponyville. Rabbits had stilt legs, the apple trees had abnormally large apples, it was raining liquid chocolate, and there was popcorn everywhere. Those are mirages you see after inhaling ecstasy, and yet, they were really happening. I could literally gulp down the chocolate milk, and it tasted like chocolate milk.

But that wasn't even the bad part. No, no, no. The bad part started later on in that day, when my dad came running home in one of the worst states I've ever seen. His mane looked worse off than Twist's, he was convulsing, and his face was one of pure fear.

When he finally managed to catch my breath, he said, "Diamond, come with me, please."

"What is it, Dad?"

"Just follow me, you need to see this, for yourself."

"Sure enough I followed him, only to see the core of Ponyville was in even worse shape than the outside. The floor had been revamped to a pink and white checkerboard that was heavily undulated, pies were rising, and I think the town hall was levitating and upside-down.

But, that wasn't even the worst part. After about five minutes of looking, dad and I came face to face with a flying pony, motor boating her lips, with a green propeller hat, swirly light-purple eyes, a body that had my color, and a mane with my colors, except it looked especially messy. She clearly was anything but sane, and seemed to be the epitome of chaos. She also, looked very similar to my mother. After assuring myself that wasn't the case, after about an hour, after I had made it back home, my dad told me the entire story, which he was an eye-witness to.

He said, "Diamond, we need to talk about that flying pony."

"Do you know her?"

He sighed deeply, and then said, "Only too well. She is now being checked into a mental hospital."

"What are those?"

"Those are places where the mentally sick are kept under watch so that they do not bother other normal ponies."

"Why is this important, Dad?"

He sighed, even deeper this time, as he told me the absurdly unpleasant truth, which was, "Diamond, that pony was once your mother."

"What? I don't believe you, I just don't flanking believe you! That abomination can't be her!"

"It is. Discord, the thing who caused all of this insanity, when released from his statue, released a wave of energy that took hold of poor Glamour and turned her…into that."

"No! Why does my life suck so badly! I need to see her, where is she?"

"Here are the directions. Good luck, Diamond!" is what I imagined he said, because he handed me the directions and I blanked out after being told that disgusting monster was my mother!

I ran as fast as I could, and demanded to the receptionist that I speak with Glamour Tiara, my mother.

Unfortunately, she said, "We do not have 'Glamour Tiara' on our list."

"Then who was the most recent pony who checked in!"

"Her name is Screwball."

"I need to see her, now!"

"Very well."

With that statement, I hurried over to Screwball's room.

When she saw me, she said, "Hi! Like my propeller? It makes 'brrrrrr' noises!"

"Mom, it's me, Diamond Tiara, your daughter!"

"Wow! I have a daughter? Cool, let's play hide and seek!"

"This isn't funny, Mom! I don't want to play hide and seek!"

"OK, what do you want to play?"

"Let's play the memory game. I tell you something, and you have to tell me if you remember it. If you don't, you get a point. 3 points, and I'll leave…"

At this point, I was choking every word that came out of my mouth.

"OK, let's begin!"

"First off, do you remember how I got the tiara that's on my head?"

"Uh, you bought it?"

With a sniffle, I choked out, "One point for you..."

Then, I said, "Second, do you remember this colt?" showing her a picture of dad.

"Nope! Never seen him in my life!"

"That's your second point…" I said, with water forming in my eyes.

Finally, I said, "Third, do you even remember your actual name?"

"Of course, silly! It's Screwball!"

That did it. I began crying. I couldn't believe what Discord had done to my family!

I finished our meeting by screaming, "Fine! Three points! You win! Happy? I'm not!" and then I ran out, still crying, barely hearing a cheer escaping from Screwball.

Discord wasn't a monster. He wasn't even a thing. From then on, he was evil incarnate to me.

Next chapter: Diamond is crushed by the loss of her mother to Discord, and begins to wonder if even going to school is worth it, carrying all of this pain on her back. Will Diamond manage to recover from this latest traumatic moment? And will there be more canon events? Find out, next time!

Unbreakable

A Diamond in the Rough: Chapter 10

I walked home, crying every step of the way. How could someone be that soulless as to destroy somepony's family? I may tease, and I may have been mean, but I know family is one of the most sacred parts of a pony, so I would never try to scar them in that way.

The only words I heard coming out of my dad's mouth before I ended this horrible day was, "Diamond, I'm sorry. Sorrier than I've ever been in my life."

Discord was beyond a monster. Even after he had been turned back into stone, the day after my mother transformed, I spit on his statue a few times yelling, "You asshole!" before heading back home.

I couldn't go to school in this state. The slightest act of wrongdoing against me would send me into an unquenchable rage, and I didn't know how many ponies I would hurt in that state. I spent the two weeks in my room, doing my very best not to shed tears, and to forget about this entire situation. I couldn't.

But, on the very last day of the second week, curiosity about my mother lingered over me, until it eventually possessed me to get more info from dad about her.

I approached him, and said, "Dad, could you tell me more about mom? Why does she hate us so much?"

After a huge sigh, dad cleared his throat and began his tale. "Alright, Diamond. I believe it's about time I told you what I know about Glamour. Again, I'm not certain this is true, but it's the only way I can explain her actions. She married me off of the promise that she would split the profits of my business 50/50, but the royalties he had to pay to the Apple family left her unsatisfied with the those bits. She thought I was too old to be able to find a loophole since I had to continue to pay royalties, so she thought we should create a male heir only after gender control pills were made. But, I insisted that they create the heir now, and it turned out to be you, a female, who couldn't inherit our business. Enraged, she broke up with me and did all she could to make sure the relationships between the Apple family and the Rich family stayed bitter, by basically pulling the strings on your heart. She probably thought this would cause enough tension on the Apple family so that they would make a stupid business error, and the Rich's would again be the richest family in Equestria. Unfortunately, before she could complete this plan, she was infected by Discord, destroying both her plan, and our hearts. But, despite her flaws, we love her as a member of their family. Diamond, family is the most important value to me, and I hope that's been instilled in you."

I was utterly shocked, and the only word that escaped from my mouth was, "What?!"

"I'm very sorry, Diamond, but I know that this condition is only temporary. Just keep that faith high."

I felt much better after that talk, but I wasn't sure how much of it was true. I didn't know Glamour much, but it seemed like she acted in the interest of business, and I heard her make a few comments about how dumb the business system is; about how only a male heir could inherit a business. Around that time, I also began to think about a few times when she said she could run Barnyard Bargains better than my dad. Unfortunately, the pieces were too disjointed for me to put together at that point, so I just decided to move on.

I wasn't really too worried about my academics, since I got them at home, but I didn't do nearly as well as I normally did, due to emotional strain. So, at the end of the first semester, most of my grades were B's.

The day I went back to school was the first day of the second semester, and Cheerilee openly acknowledged she was glad to see me back in action. I was very quiet for the first week, because I wasn't planning on having those blank flanks see me crying. I wouldn't cry for them even if I got shot in the gut!

Anyway, that week was nice and non-confrontational, and that week ended Apple Bloom's detention month.

But, Apple Bloom was apparently still angry at me for pretty much giving her detention, because in the middle of the next week during recess, she arrived with a cutie-mark!

Fortunately, it was just a hoop, and all she could really do was twirl it around her flank. Pft, big deal!

Apple Bloom's stupid friends actually thought it was cool, so I thought it would be a good deal to give them a hard slap of reality. "That's it? That's your talent?" I asked scornfully.

Silver Spoon chimed in. "Spinning a hoop around your waist? Puh-lease!" she said, and I began giggling to myself.

Unfortunately, the day just spiraled downhill from there.

Apple Bloom, being the little pain in the flank that she was, said, "Oh, you ain't seen nothin' yet."

With that, she performed some of the most self-centered, egotistical, insultingly professional tricks with her hoop I had ever seen. Even my talent show performance wasn't that self-indulgent!

And, sure enough when she was done, everypony started cheering for her! You could measure my anger using a seismograph at this point, and it was about to get worse.

After Cheerilee tried to bring all of us in for class, she said, "Apple Bloom?"

"Yes, Miss Cheerilee?"

"I want you to take your loop-de-hoop into the yard, and give us all a lesson on your amazing loop-de-hooping!" Absolutely amazing. It's no wonder I never liked Miss Cheerilee.

In my defense, after I tried doing the 'loopty piece of mule crap'. I was better than the other filles who tried it, but guess who noticed besides me? Nopony!

Then, Apple Bloom went up to us and said, "Don't worry gals. Keep at it and you might get to be half as good as me!"

I was resisting the urge to punch a filly in the mouth and watch her bleed. Fortunately, because that was a pretty awesome mental image, I was able to prevent myself from actually doing it.

After Apple Bloom was humbled by her friends, something she didn't deserve after that display of arrogance, she said, "Nah, you just need a little practice. Soon you'll be able to... hoop and bump! Hoop and hop! Hoop and skip! And hoop and flip!"

Damn, it was really hard to be more arrogant than me, but this Blank Flank was accomplishing it. In. All. The. Wrong. Ways!

After Cheerilee prompted Apple Bloom to continue, what followed was one of the cockiest statements I've ever heard, and it wasn't even from my mouth! It was from that bumpkin's mouth!

That statement was, "Well, all right, just a few more tricks. But be warned! These are advanced moves, not for beginners. Got that, Diamond Tiara?"

I really hoped she would die during one of those 'tricks'.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen, but after she pulled a using tail and hoop to fly trick, which she called the "hoop-la" she did crash into the ground, with another cutie mark!

I took full advantage of this situation and promptly replied, "Another cutie mark? Hah! I guess that last trick was a lot of hoop-la. Those cutie marks are fake!" leading to everypony gasping. Take that, bitch!

To prove my point, I asked, "Miss Cheerilee, have you ever heard of a pony with two cutie marks?"

"I must say that I never have, but maybe Apple Bloom has two special talents!"

I knew that was absurd, and so did Spoon, because she said, "Oh yeah? Then let's see you do that!" pointing to the spinning plates that were also on Apple Bloom's flank.

She performed it. She had Two. Damn. Cutie-marks. I punched myself repeatedly, refusing to believe this was anything besides a dream. Only, it wasn't a hoofing dream! I took the time when everypony was crowding around Apple Bloom to lay on the ground until school officially ended.

Early on, Silver Spoon said, "Diamond, I know those marks are fake!"

"Shut up and leave me alone."

She did so, and since I also didn't want to talk after school, I avoided her for the rest of the day.

Even after I got home, my thoughts were clouded with vengeance. I thought from then on, my life's purpose was to destroy Apple Bloom in any possible way that I could. I refrained from using the blackmail immediately, because that would be way too simple. No, I needed something to break her down psychologically so much that she wouldn't dare to come back to school. That place was mine and any other pony who dared to challenge that authority would be punished!

I refused to talk at all during the next two weeks of school, and focused more on my academics and music to block out any thoughts of vengeance, so I wouldn't become a sociopath.

But, towards the end of the second week, I finally got the chance to ruin Apple Bloom's life. My father had to go to the Apple farm to discuss royalties, so I used my Diamond Eyes, and he took me with him. Once there, I saw Bloom and her grandmother Granny Smith dressed up in a bunny suits singing the alphabet, while hopping over water cans. You just can't make this stuff up! I proceeded to laugh right before my dad had to talk with Granny Smith about said royalties. Oh, and Granny Smith was a green pony with a white mane, and had more wrinkles than the entire population number in Equestria. I was rather angry that my beloved great-grandfather was killed instead of her, and I knew she was, most likely, the one who came up with the idea of royalties. Still, I thought of a way to use her against Apple Bloom.

Considering that Granny Smith hadn't been a speaker at Family Appreciation Day, I thought I could encourage her participation next week. Once I came up with that plan, I talked with Bloom.

I said, "Oh, you poor, poor thing, having to make all that zap apple jam with Granny Smith?" before doing a fake double-take in my mouth.

Apple Bloom responded. "Actually, I've been looking forward to making zap apple jam for years!"

"I'm not talking about the jam. I'm talking about Granny Smith! You must be so embarrassed!"

"Uh, what do ya mean?"

Oh, she knew exactly what I meant, but it wouldn't hurt to rub a little salt in the wound, would it?

"You know, with all her silly ways, how she forgets things, and makes you wear these ridiculous costumes?"

"Granny said that the water needs…"

"Thank goodness you're here on the farm and not in town where everypony could see you! Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me!"

I quickly stepped away from Apple Bloom, and proceeded to laugh like a maniac once I saw dad hitting Granny Smith with a spoon with a metal pot on her head! No, I am not making this up! As Celestia is my witness, next week was going to be awesome!

Later on that day, me and Silver Spoon were talking about the fact that my dad was going to participate in Family Appreciation Day tomorrow.

During one part, she asked, "Diamond, is it alright if I catch a few Z's when your dad speaks tomorrow?"

"Sure, but you're going to miss some great business tips!"

"Sorry, Diamond, but I'm just not that interested in business."

"It's fine. It's a phase that you just have to get past, but I can understand if you don't want to pursue it."

But then, I came across Apple Bloom and her kooky grandmother. Oh, and get this, Apple Bloom was wearing a baby hat! This day was just so wonderful. Karma is a bitch, isn't it Apple Bloom?

Anyway, after we stood around, Apple Bloom noted our existence, and Granny Smith said, "What? Are those fillies your friends? Hello, Half-pint's friends!"

Silver Spoon responded by saying, while waving with me, "Hi, Granny Smith! Hi! Half-pint!" and I laughed harder than I believe I ever did before that day. Ah, it's the simple things in life!

After that day, my dad arrived at school to give a speech about our business. I was all ears, but everyone else was asleep, including Silver Spoon. I didn't mind, of course, because becoming interested in business is a phase, and it was to the loss of everypony if they missed out on these tactics.

During the last part of his speech, he said, "And, by capturing the whole sale market, purchasing in bulk and slashing all prices, we undermine every other gift market in town, and that's how Rich's Barnyard Bargains became the cornerstone of retail in Ponyville!"
.
It was such a pity we couldn't apply these tactics to the Zap Apples, which was the product we had to pay royalties on, but I clopped heartily once dad was done with his speech anyway.

Then, Cheerilee said, "Well, thank you, Mr. Filthy, I mean, Mr. Rich, what a wonderful day of sharing! And thank you for being a part of Family Appreciation Day! Now, uh, let's see who will be bringing in a family member for next Monday's Family Appreciation Day. Um... oh! Apple Bloom!"

"But Miss Cheerilee, Monday is Zap Apple harvest day, and Applejack and Big Macintosh will be too busy to come and speak!"

By Celestia's mane, she was making this too easy for me!

"Well, is there anypony else in your family that could…"

And with that, I sprung the trap. "Miss Cheerilee. Apple Bloom's Granny Smith isn't working harvest. She could come!"

What happened next was a pathetic attempt from Apple Bloom of trying to stop the inevitable, and the bell rang immediately after. Next Monday was going to be a fun day!

The weekend went by very quickly, and I managed to finish another saxophone piece. It would be nice to actually join a musical band later on, but I think we might need more ponies. After all, the saxophone that I play and the piano that Spoon plays don't really give us too much room for songs. Plus, I think we might need a colt for more diversity in our music.

Monday finally came, and I'm assuming Apple Bloom pulled a failed stunt to try to stop Granny Smith from coming to Family Appreciation Day, because I heard Granny Smith had taken a train that contained Apple Bloom's uncle, Apple Strudel. As it turns out, he also came with Granny Smith, and gave Apple Bloom once of the fiercest noogies I had ever seen.

I said, before Granny Smith began her lovely speech, "I can't wait to hear Granny Smith's presentation. If she can remember any of it!" and Spoon and I laughed.

I really, really don't want to tell what happened next, but I have to, don't I? I do? Fine.

She started by saying, "Long ago, when I was a little pony, things were very different here in Ponyville, 'cause there was no Ponyville!"

From that very sentence, I could tell I screwed up big time.

But, she continued, by saying, "That's right, my little ponies. Me and my family were pilgrim pony folk, back when I was a little filly. Oh, we ventured far and wide, collecting new seeds and sellin' the old. But my pa was the finest seed collector in all of Equestria. Then, one day, the Smith family found themselves in the most brilliant, most grand, most magnificent of all cities. A place called... Canterlot. Well, I bet your hooves to hindquarters I had never seen anything like it before or since. And as if the beauty of that city wasn't enough, suddenly, she appeared. Princess Celestia, the most regal of all ponies. When lo and behold, she stopped to look at my pa's seed collection. Then Princess Celestia saw that we were plumb-tuckered, and hankerin' to find our forever home. And bein' a royal Princess and all, she knew exactly the place for us to lay down our stakes. My pa gave the Princess a mighty thanks. We quickly found that land near the Everfree Forest, and we built our first home. Next, we planted our first orchards. But an orchard don't grow overnight, and we were getting mighty short on food. Now mind you, we were cautioned about the forest, and we knew that it was not fit to enter!"

Dang it! I had really, really screwed up! Also, this was the first time I found out that Apple Bloom's last name was Smith. Yet, the psychological harm was just beginning!

She continued her speech by saying, "But I knew there was critters livin' there. There must be somethin' to eat. It was dark and musty, and I won't lie, it was scary. But every inch was covered in plant life, and before I knew it wasn't I standin' in front of the most incredible apple trees! I had never seen anything that bore this kind of colorful fruit! Oh, I started picking apples quick as a whip! I turned, and there before me stood the timber wolves! I've never run so fast in my life. I did the only thing I could think of. My pa and I planted those special apple seeds, and before our eyes they grew like wildfire. Well, we had full grown trees faster than you could say lickety split. Then each year, I paid close attention to the signs of the zap apple special harvesting times. How the weather affects the Everfree Forest, how the timber wolves howl when the zap apples first start growing, and how they zapped away if you didn't pick 'em all in one day! And the fruits of our labor were the best fruit we ever tasted. Soon enough I was mixing up batches of zap apple jam. Just like harvestin' the zap apples had its special rules, so did makin' zap apple jam. I learned that you gotta be extra friendly with the bees, otherwise their honey won't taste rightly sweet to mix in with the zap apples. Who'd'a thought that glass jars needed talking to? Or that zap apples like pink polka dots? But magic is as magic does. Just funny that way. Then ponies started comin' to our farm from far and wide just to get a taste of my zap apple jam. Some of them decided to stay, like Stinkin' Rich, Diamond Tiara's great grandfather. Matter of fact, the first thing he ever sold was my zap apple jam! And before we knew it, we had ourselves a nice little town, bustling with all kinds of ponies. And that is how Ponyville was founded!"

And with that, the story ended. What did I think of it, you may ask? It was the stupidest, most absurd story I've ever heard in my life! I refused to believe she could have done all of that, and even today, I still doubt the validity of that story.

But, guess what? Nopony else did! Even worse, Silver Spoon actually clopped first when Granny finished! And Apple Bloom thought this was a wonderful time to rub salt in the wound.

She said, very clearly, "If it weren't for my Granny Smith, your daddy wouldn't have Barnyard Bargains."

After she said that, I felt every single eye from that classroom staring into my soul, and I could feel like my role as queen of the school was in some serious jeopardy.

I had to think of an insult, quick, but the only thing that came out of my mouth was, "But she's just a kooky old lady!"

Sure enough, it did nothing to impact the opinion of Granny Smith to the class.

After the bell rang, I just sat there for about two minutes trying to ponder what happened. I didn't even hear Cheerilee say that she would call my dad. When I finally got up, the first pony who was going to get a piece of my mind was Silver Spoon.

Once I saw Silver Spoon, I yelled, "You traitor! How could you do this to me?"

"What did I do, Diamond Tiara?"

"You just couldn't believe if was false! You just couldn't back me up! Our families have been enemies for centuries! We should be the richest family in Equestria due to our superior business skills! You have no idea how big of a slap to the face you gave my family when you clopped! I hate you!"

"No! I'm sorry Diamond! I really didn't think you would mind!"

"Shut up! I don't want to talk to you anymore! Our friendship? Forget about it! Goodbye, traitor!" I screamed, running away from school as fast as I could.

I knew I had been cruel to my best friend, but I really felt like she needed to see what she had helped do to me. And if it took ending our friendship, at least for a little while, then so be it. Sure, I was exceptionally mad right now, but I still feel like I had to do it.

When I got home, I found my dad. "Diamond, why did you insult Granny Smith in class?" he asked me.

"Did Cheerilee call you?"

"Yes. Now, could you answer my question?"

"You never told me that Granny Smith did all of that. I was in complete shock and felt obligated to downgrade the notion that the Apple family is better than our family, because I know it isn't!"

"I sincerely apologize for all that you have been through, but I feel like you need to take the time to know the process of making these Zap Apples is."

After he said that, he pulled out yellow bunny ears, and I knew exactly what he wanted me to do.

"No! Dad, please! You can ground me for a year, but I'm done with the humiliation! Please, I beg of you! I'd rather die than get humiliated by our enemies again! Please!"

"Diamond, listen. I'm not doing this as a punishment. I just want you to understand the process used in making these Zap Apples because eventually, we should establish control of them. I know how much pain you have been through, so I think grounding you or punishing you would be pointless. And, I promise that there will be absolutely no blackmail or anything that comes from this experience. Now, will you please go with me?"

"I guess so."

"Good girl."

With that statement in mind, as we were walking to the Apple Farm, I began finding it very tough to breathe and I felt like puking. I told my dad, but he didn't think it was a huge deal, so we kept walking. As we approached the farm, I began stiffening up, so dad had to push me to get me to move. As we arrived, my breathing rate slowed, and I realized this was the last thing I wanted to do, especially because all three of the blank flanks along with Granny Smith were there hopping over water cans.

My dad gave me one final push, and as I tensed up, he said, "Diamond Tiara!"

"But, dad!" I said before he gave me one final push. I did see and hear him talking with Granny Smith about not having this mentioned ever again, but after about a little bit, I began to convulse like crazy, and my breathing rate continued to slow down.

The next thing I know, I passed out due to a severe panic attack.

(Back to Diamond Tiara's 'present day' room; Diamond's POV)

With a cough, I reached into the box for my fourth diary. I was about to continue, when I realized that the drama in my life wasn't nearly as high later on in my life, or at the very least, not as consistent. So, knowing that the public would prefer to hear the dramatic details, I decided to suddenly close the diary.

"Mrs. Tiara? Why did you do that?"

"Hmm? Oh, I just realized that my life from that point wasn't as...dramatic, y'know? I've seen reality TV; viewers only eat up drama. I think it's best if I just stop here, if you don't mind. I'll give ya the rest of the diaries in case you actually find some dramatic details in there, but I just don't want to bore the viewers, is all."

He nodded. "That's perfectly understandable, Mrs. Tiara. Well, if you're willing to give me the box, then I'd be most grateful."

I returned his nod. "Of course. Just give me a sec."

I went to my computer, and quickly began to put together a document, which I made and printed out in about a minute or so.

When I concluded, the reporter looked quite bewildered. "Umm...not to be rude, but what exactly is that, Mrs. Tiara?"

I smiled. "A simple contract. Nothing fancy; I just like to make things official, given my profession."

He narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure there aren't any loopholes in here, Mrs. Tiara?"

I couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Ah, I'm sorry, but that was funny. What would putting a loophole in here gain me? You're making me more popular in Equestria; you're helping me a lot! There's no way I'd deceive you, especially given the time I spent on this document. You can take a careful look if you'd like, though."

Subsequently, he nodded, spent about two minutes reading the contract, and then signed it using a pen on my table.

"Well, I suppose that's it. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Tiara."

"And thank you for making me more popular...what was your name again?"

"Photo Bucket. I'm sorry, I didn't realize I forgot to introduce myself."

"Ah, well, thank you for everything, Mr. Bucket. I look forward to that autobiography, to be sure!"

With a smile, he picked up the box and carefully shut the door behind him. When I heard the door close, I went to the window and looked over all of Ponyville. I smiled, because I knew that soon enough, all of them would know how special I truly was. It was early on in my business career, but I knew it would go along well for me and for many others. Equestria is a great place, and I'm sure it will appreciate what I'll bring to the table.

Because, after all, I am a diamond in the rough, no matter what anypony says.