Sticks and Stones

by CowgirlVK

Rating: teen
Tags: Sad, Other, Tragedy, Diamond Tiara, Slice of Life, Drama, Apple Bloom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 4271

Sticks and Stones will break my bones, but words can never hurt me. Throughout the years this has been the motto of many the play-yard victim. What about the bully? Does the bully ever get hurt? Does the bully ever know the sting they have caused?

We all think that our words and actions will never come back around to hurt us. We assume that we will never be hurt. Life, however does not work like that. When life did finally turn on Diamond Tiara, all she wants is mercy, and comfort. With a reputation like her's, this might be more than can be expected.

I want to thank my team of editors, and proof readers, and my cover artist. Thanks guys.

Published 2016-03-09 03:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-03-09 03:50:01 UTC

Will break my bones

Will break my bones

Diamond Tiara paced up and down the length of her large, luxurious bedroom. She had everything she could ever desire—everything. Money, fame, land, a future business, and every gizmo and gadget. If she wanted it, she had it. Well, almost everything.

The filly paused and looked out over Ponyville. From her perch in her room, very little of it couldn’t be seen from where she stood.

The town was so small, so welcoming, so... friendly. But to her, it was nothing but a bunch of strangers. She sighed as she turned back to and hopped upon her feather mattress with its satin sheets.

For Diamond, it was nothing but the finest. However, sometimes, she wondered if it really was worth it.

Her mother’s stinging words for not getting to represent Ponyville at the games stung. They really stung. Allowing the “blank flanks” to take that position instead of her.

She curled up, her ears still ringing from the tongue lashing her mother had given her. This way wasn’t right. She knew it wasn’t right. She glanced back at her own Cutie Mark. It wasn’t too hard to guess it, and when she thought of it, it wasn’t really all that out of the box. But neither was Twist’s, Snail's, Applejack’s, or most anypony else in Ponyville. It was like your mark adopted whatever your name was.

This wasn’t always true, but it was often enough that nopony questioned it. And as was the case, her Cutie Mark was just a simple, uncreative, purple crown. Well, it had round dots that were supposed to represent diamonds, but come on, she was somepony special! She—no. She wasn’t going there again. Her special talent was getting what she wanted, where she wanted, and when she wanted it. Most ponies would kill for such an ability. Just imagine where they could go with life!

Imagine where she could go—or could she? She glanced back. Was she original? Did she really ever do anything that wasn’t first planted into her fluffy, empty head by her mother?

Well, there was that event with the bunny suit—no. That wasn’t her, that was her father, and she wasn’t about to get in on that again. Jumping around like a furry, overgrown, long-eared mouse? Who did that! Obviously Granny Apple.

Diamond rolled over, staring at the ceiling. “It’s not fair!” she grumbled, “I don’t get it!” She suddenly felt like crying. But that would ruin her sheets and would make her mother yell. “Noble ponies don’t cry, they never need to.” She could hear her mother grinding that fact into her head like wheat into flour.

Wheat into flour! Now she knew she had spent too much time at Sugarcube Corner. Only Pinkie would say something that stupid. Or maybe... Shaking her head, she dismissed that thought.

Jumping up from the bed, she crossed the room to watch out the window once more. She had to laugh as she watched Scootaloo jump off a ramp only to get her head stuck in a cloud. Of course Rainbow was at her side in a moment to help her down.

Diamond snarled, “You think you are so good, Flightless? You can’t fly well enough to save your own skin from a CLOUD.”

Down the road further, she watched Sweetie singing. Suddenly, a crosswind flared up and blew her hair in all kinds of directions, and no matter how much Sweetie tried to keep her carefully styled mane in place, it just became worse.

Apple Bloom was almost just outside of Diamond’s eyesight, but Diamond had a set of binoculars. Apple Bloom zigged about in the middle of her fields with Applejack as the two played in a friendly competition of Apple Knock-out.

At least, that’s what Apple Bloom called it. It was a stupid game if you asked her. Apple Bloom normally went from her sweet yellow color to nearly black from the mud and juice, not to mention her own sweat. Dimond didn’t get it, and she didn’t want to get it. She wanted to blame those blank fanks for making her life so miserable. If they and their sisters weren’t hogging all the attention, then maybe her mom would let her off the hook. Then her life might be more than just a doll to be played with, or a pawn in a chess game.

In this regard, this is one place Silver Spoon understood her. She was from a great and noble family, and like Diamond Tiara, Silver often found herself being used for social status rather than a child to be loved. Not that she fully understood herself what was going on.

Once more she looked out over Ponyville, watching ponies go about their day-to-day lives, she herself unable to be a part of it. She was to gain status by not showing cracks, but by stomping down the littler ponies by not losing to blank flanks in sporting events. That should have been her. She should have done what it took to make sure she and Silver got that spot. They had to be known.

Instead, she got no position, no new dress, no dessert, and a tongue lashing from her mom that she wasn’t soon to forget.

Don’t lose, be first, achieve great things. Her eyes wandered back to Rainbow Dash. Why could she not be like her? Strong, athletic, graceful, the best Ponyville had to offer. Despite having two of the worst members on her team, she still was enough to make the mark. Dash had the attitude, but she also could back it up with something.

Could she, Diamond, back-

No. She didn’t care. She really didn’t care. It didn’t matter. She wanted to be first, and she always got what she wanted.

Sticks and stones could break some bones, but her mark could never hurt her. It was, after all, her destiny, and destiny never steered you wrong. Ever.

But in her heart, she didn’t feel it. She jumped back off her window seat and over to her bed. Lying down, she placed her tiara on the table and gazed up at the ceiling some more.

Down below she could hear something break. She sat upright for a moment, muffled voices travelling up the stairs.

“Listen Spoiled, darling, she’s a filly. She’s allowed to make mistakes.” It was her Father.

Diamond’s heart sank as she bit her lip. Not again. Oh, not again.

Something else, expensive no doubt, broke. “NO! She will be famous, she will be respected, and I will be the mother of a legend!”

A pawn, nothing but a pawn. That was all her mother wanted of her. Something she could use as bragging rights. Right now, she was a disgrace.

“Honey!” The sound of shattering glass quickly resounded throughout the house.

“Mom must be drunk again,” Diamond said, her eyes going to her collection of china dolls.

Then it was quiet. Diamond wondered how much damage there was this time. No matter though, Father could afford it.

Moments later, a soft knock sounded on her door. “Diamond?” It was her father. “Precious?”

“Go away. I’m busy.” It was a lie, but she didn’t want to deal with him at the moment.

“I need to talk with you.”

“You can’t get the pink dress? I guess I could go with the purple one,” Diamond redirected.

“Not about that,” Mr. Rich said, sighing deeply.

“Then you can come back later.”

Filthy Rich opened the door. “You heard what happened?”

The filly glared daggers into her father.

“Please don’t be angry with me too, Tiara,” he said, “But I heard what your mother said to you, and I think you need to talk about it.”

“ME!?” she exploded at him. “She’s right you know! I let blank flanks beat me. I should have done better, begged harder, wished for more... then maybe—”

“We will never be able to win every business transaction. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.”

“I don’t lose,” hissed Diamond. “Got that? I. Don’t. Lose.”

He crossed the room and sat down beside his daughter. “Really?” he asked.

“No,” she stated.

He sighed. “Please—”

“Leave me alone or give me some money. I need a shake,” Diamond hissed, “Now, Daddy!”

Filthy turned and left the room, but not before dropping a bit on her desk. “I love you Diamond,” he said.

Diamond Tiara watched as her father left the room. This wasn’t right, none of this felt right, but she was just a filly, and maybe in the real world, her mother was right.

But My Words

Ribbons and diamonds, bows and frills, the very best in the way of cakes and wines; the room to the untrained eye was heaven itself. To Diamond Tiara, it was just another of her mother’s parties.

The young filly found herself pushed to a corner again. Smiling and being proper again. Getting her cheeks pinched and dress scrutinized again.

Before the Cutie Mark Crusaders had gotten their marks, she hadn’t really minded these things; she loved the attention. However, now, since she had gained so much respect among the school children, she saw how empty they really were.

Diamond still wasn’t trusted among them, but she was permitted to play with some. It was her play equipment after all.

She shook herself, cringing. That was her old self. The self nopony wanted to be around. The pony that was voted out of office. The pony her one and only friend, Silver Spoon, voted out of office. That thought crushed the pink filly’s very soul. She glanced back at her Cutie Mark, the namesake tiara that she had always worn emblazed on her flank.

She thought back to all the harsh words she’d ever used, the snide remarks, the outright rudeness she’d shown to—well, everypony. Even Ms. Cheerilee hadn’t been free from her self-righteousness.

Diamond then wrapped herself in a shroud of pride and joined the party, hoping nopony would call attention to her old self. The party was her mother’s—just some simple social event to help bring her family up in the world, finish some deals, and strengthen some relations with other business ponies all across Equestria.

“My my!” Fancy Pants, a large white unicorn with a monocle squinted in place in his right eye, said, “Your daughter is looking lovelier every year.”

Spoiled Rich, Diamond’s mother smiled smugly. “Thank you,” she said in a sickly sweet tone.

Diamond Tiara shivered as she made her way to another corner of the room.

“Diamond dear!”

It was a couple, one of the family's acquaintances, but at that moment, she’d forgotten their names. Diamond Tiara took a deep breath, hoping they’d not pick up on her lapse of memory, “Good evening! I’m glad you could make it!”

“Glad we could make it!” the wife, a yellow mare, giggled, “Isn’t she such a doll!”

“Indeed, dear, indeed! A doll of the highest price,” the husband, a blue stallion stated.

They moved on into the crowd, now ignoring the small, pink filly. Diamond let out the breath she’d been holding. “Thank goodness!” she sighed.

Her eyes glazed through the crowd. Was there any pony her mother hadn’t invited? Then, her breath caught. Prince Blueblood! Of all the ponies in Equestria to show up.

It wasn’t as if she didn’t like him, he just—well, he was... odd. Diamond meant that in a loose sense. He wasn’t normal. He screamed at dirt. He hid behind mares. And when called upon to escort a lady, somehow the event turned upside down and backwards.

Princess Cadance had once come to one of the Rich family’s parties, and for some reason or another, Prince Blueblood had been the one to escort her. Diamond hadn’t even been five at the time, so the details of the event were fuzzy in her mind, but somehow by the end of the evening, Cadance was covered in frosting, a drink, and streamers- while Prince Blueblood was as clean, and proper as ever. However, their behavior had been the exact opposite that entire evening.

Hastily, Diamond looked for a place where she could get above the rest of the crowd. She needed to see how her mother would react to his presence in their home. Glancing around, she remembered the wide stairs. She quickly ascended to the upper floor and looked out over the sea of ponies.

Suddenly she found she had to sit down quickly—Prince Blueblood was making a beeline for her mother. Spoiled had not seen him yet, but it was a matter of—now she had. Diamond Tiara held her breath, leaning farther over the edge to listen.

“You! You! You sniveling coward!” Diamond was blown backwards by the force of her mother’s words.

The hum of the room immediately stopped. “Prince, or no prince, you are not, will not, and never will be welcome at one of my par—get your hooves off me!”

The prince looked down at her with disdain. “I’m the prince of Equestria. I’ve every right to attend any function I wish.”

She gulped. He had more gumption than Diamond had previously given him credit for. “You don’t think—” she whispered to herself.

“Get. Out. Of. Myyyyy—” The mare suddenly fainted.

Trembling, Diamond Tiara thundered down the steps. “MOM!” she cried.

Somehow, the sea of ponies parted to allow the pink filly through. Spoiled was clammy and pale as a sheet.

“Don’t just stand there!” Fancy Pants cried, “Somepony get a doctor!”

The world around her churned, but to Diamond Tiara, nothing moved.

Will never Hurt Me

Beep! Whoosh! Beep! Whoosh!

Diamond Tiara sat holding her mother’s hoof. No longer was her mother’s face artistically painted. Her mouth wasn’t scowling, her fur was tight against her bones, wrinkled and clammy. Her cheeks were pale, and her body was nearly unresponsive.

Diamond could hear her father outside talking loudly with the doctor. She’d had a stroke. A stroke that had nearly shut down her entire body.

Beep! Whoosh!

Her mother’s chest rose and fell as the respirator forced the dying mare to breathe. It was just her. Just Diamond Tiara. Nopony else had dropped in for a visit. Nopony else had sent flowers. There wasn’t even a balloon tied to the headboard likeshe had seen in many of the other rooms. Not even a card sat propped up on any of the tables. Never, never in her life had she felt so alone as she did at that moment.

Her head snapped upright as the door opened. Filthy Rich sighed and walked over to his daughter sadly. “How is she?” he asked.

Diamond Tiara wiped away a tear from her swollen eyes. “She’s—” A sob choked her. Taking a deep breath, she continued. “Nopony cares about her, do they? Nopony cares about us! Not even the Spoons!”

Filthy Rich only sighed. “There there,” he soothed, “I don’t think the Spoons know yet. I’ve sent a note, but it isn’t likely they’ll get it anytime soon.” He had no other words to comfort the filly. Spoiled Rich was a bully, one that even surpassed his daughter in her cruelty. Nopony ever wanted to spend time with her. Her only “friends” were as stuck up as she was, and to take time out of their day to visit a smelly, cold hospital... nope, not them. There were other places they needed to be.

And so the small family was alone, alone with the beeps and the whooshes of the machines that kept her spoiled heart beating.

“She’s gonna die! My momma is going to die!” Diamond Tiara said to herself.

“There there, she might pull through,” Filthy said absently.

“Did the doctor say so? Come on Daddy! I’m a big filly, you can’t fool me!”

The stallion winced. “No,” he said truthfully, “No.”

The young, almost mare’s namesake tiara fell of her head, clattering to the floor as Diamond fell to the ground in a mess of sobs. “No!” she wailed, “No!”

“Oh that poor filly!”

Apple Bloom sat just out of eyesight around the kitchen corner listening in on her big sister’s conversation with Muffins.

“Yep, so that’s why Filthy wasn’t able to come by today to discuss jam sales,” Muffins said in her high-pitched sort of way.

“Thank ya’ for tellin’ me,” Applejack said.

No sooner had Applejack closed the door than Apple Bloom had rounded the corner. “What happened?” she asked.

The orange mare sighed. Removing her stetson, she guided her younger sister to the couch. “Ya know Diamond Tiara?”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Of course!” she stated.

“Do ya know her ma?” Applejack asked again.

Apple Bloom glanced back at her marked flank. “Ah’ve seen her.”

Applejack sighed, “Ya see, last night during one of their parties, somepony... angered Mrs. Rich. She ended up giving herself a major stroke. Not that ah’m surprised, the mare—” She stopped herself. “Was a tad upclass.”

The smaller yellow filly nodded, “So, Mr. Rich won’t be coming by ta pick up our batch of jams taday afterall.”

Despite the fact Mrs. Rich got on Apple Bloom’s nerves, she couldn’t help but be slightly concerned. “Will she be alright?”

Applejack shook her head. “She’s not expected ta last the night.”

The sisters sat in silence for several moments, Apple Bloom hugging her sister’s forehoof like a lifeline. “Ah don’t suppose Diamond will have many visitors. She ain’t exactly liked,” she noted.

“Ah don’t suppose there will be,” Applejack affirmed.

Apple Bloom sighed, then lept to her hooves and dashed for the kitchen.

“AB?” Applejack asked, startled by her younger sister.

But she was on a mission. Apple Bloom found her saddle bag, a jar of jam, and three leftover fritters from lunch. After dropping them in her bag, she galloped up the stairs to her room, blowing past a very confused Applejack.

Once up in her room, the filly found a piece of paper and a crayon and drew a simple “Thinking of You” sympathy card. After signing her name, she dropped it in an envelope and dashed back down the stairs, once more blowing past her sister who was on her way up the steps.

Back in the kitchen, Apple Bloom collected her bags and dropped the note in with her other items. She was just about to go out the door when Applejack caught up with her. “Whoa there Nelly!” the elder mare said, catching her sister around the torso.

“Come on sis! Ya said yerself she probably didn’t have many friends ta make her feel better,” Apple Bloom complained.

Applejack nodded, “That ah did. But ya ain’t goin’ without a pie.”

Apple Bloom smiled, then nodded. As she and her sister worked, her mind raced back to the earliest she could remember. If it hadn’t been for the Rich family, they’d have lost their farm a hundred times over. Filthy Rich had always been there to buy a bag of apples or to loan them the money they’d need to repair this, that, or the other.

Apple Bloom nearly giggled when she thought of the time Filthy Rich made Diamond bounce around in that bunny costume. Though she’d felt so silly, she knew that Diamond felt completely humiliated. It’d given her so much satisfaction at the time, but now—Apple Bloom’s stomach churned. “Are ya sure one pie will be enough, Applejack?” Apple Bloom asked.

“If they need more, we can bring it,” Applejack pointed out.

“Big Mac can polish off a pie all by ‘imself!” the younger sister stated.

“There’s fritters in that bag, right?”

Apple Bloom nodded.

“Well AB, then all they need is shoulder ta’ cry on, just like Mr. Rich was there for us when Ma and Pa died. Ya’ go on ahead, I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Alright Sis,” Apple Bloom said, “See ya’ then.”

Tightening her pack to her back, she galloped down the road to pick up her friends before the three of them stopped in to be there for their newfound friend in her time of grief.

Nothing had changed over the past three hours. Her mother still looked drawn, her father looked absent, and Diamond Tiara felt sick. The food was horrible, and the smell wasn’t much better. Not that she was exactly hungry.

She held her mother’s non-tethered hoof, rubbing it back and forth on her own cheek. “Come on, Mother!”

Beep! Whoosh! Beep!

No change. The pink filly brushed a stray piece of mane from her face. Her tiara no longer lay where it had fallen. The nice nurse, Redheart, she believed, had managed to scoop it up and put it on the table where it wouldn’t get damaged, not that Diamond really cared at that moment.

Knock! Knock!

“Enter!” her father said listlessly.

Diamond assumed it was just another nurse or doctor swinging by to check on her mother.

“Diamond?”

The pink filly didn’t move, her head stayed down, her eyes closed.

Something hard but warm settled on her shoulder. “Diamond?”

It didn’t matter. It really didn’t matter. All that mattered was her mother, and she was leaving her.

“Diamond.” This time it was firmer, and it was pulling Diamond’s listless self towards it. Now it was important. She looked up into the face of her former victim, Apple Bloom.

“Shh,” the youngest Apple sibling soothed, rubbing her hoof up and down on Diamond’s back.

Diamond Tiara looked up as she felt herself encompassed in warm hugs. Not only was there Apple Bloom, but Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were there as well. None of them spoke, allowing Diamond to take it in.

“We are so sorry!” Sweetie finally said, breaking the silence.

“Why?” the spoiled filly asked, “Why do you even care?”

They all pulled back somewhat shocked. “Diamond, we can never forget everything you ever said to us,” Scootaloo said.

“You really hurt us,” Sweetie added.

“But, if we left ya alone right now, we would be hurting you worse than how you hurt us,” Apple Bloom finished.

Now it was Diamond’s turn to be stunned again. “Wha-What?” she stuttered.

Apple Bloom stood and walked to the door. Retrieving her saddle bag, she pulled out a neatly tied up cloth bundle from out of it. “Just a bit of somethin’.”

Diamond hesitated, blinked, then tentatively removed the wrapping paper.

With a gasp, Diamond Tiara put a hoof to her mouth, new tears springing to her eyes. “A pie!” she exclaimed.

“That’s not all!” Sweetie then disappeared and came back with a bunch of balloons, which she tied to the vacant rocking chair in the other corner.

Scootaloo then disappeared and came back with a big card. “It isn’t much, but nopony deserves to be alone.”

BEEEEEEEEP!

All five of them looked up as the machine flatlined.

“NO!” Diamond screamed.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both had to hold her back as the nurses and doctors swarmed the room. But they could do nothing. Spoiled Rich was gone.

It wasn’t a large funeral. Nopony wanted to attend. Pinkie had been there, Mayor Mare had done the ceremony, and a few other ponies around town were sprinkled through the oversized room.

Silver Spoon sat beside her, holding her best friend close as Diamond Tiara sobbed.

Now it was over. The town shrew was gone, and the now motherless filly sat in her room, watching the town move and bustle around.

The way home had been horrible! She figured most of them had meant well, but the few of her mother’s “friends” who had shown up had such heartless words to share that Diamond wished they had stayed home. Nothing but sneers and jests met her from those ponies.

Her mother’s ways were wrong. Stepping on other ponies was no way to get to the top. If she wanted to lead, being a bully was not the way to go.

Nopony cared for Spoiled Rich. Tolerated, maybe, but love? The whole town had known she was dying. They all knew she had passed, and yet, so few came, so few cared.

Her mind trailed back, way back. Sticks and stones will break my bones—the old schoolyard chant. She paused there, grimacing as she thought of a way to change the end. “But my words… can both help and hurt me,” she said aloud. “They can hurt everypony!”

Author's Note

Diamond’s home story has been reacted to in many different ways. Some shrug, others don’t care, still others love it.

There are many types of bullies in this world. Trolls, Gang Leader, Snake, Victim Card Bullies who pretend to be the victim so they can hurt you worse, and the Pay it Forward Bully, which is what Diamond Tiara has been shown to be. Spoiled Rich is hard to tell, we have only had one appearance. But it is evident her motive is wealth and popularity, and she doesn’t care how she gets it. There might be some pain in her past, but as far as we can tell, she just loves to hurt people.

In my heart of hearts, I’ve wondered how losing her mother would affect Diamond, and how the town would respond to it. It’s obvious her only ‘friends’ are those who are just as cold as she is. So it’s not any doubt that with the exception of maybe Pinkie Pie (Who BTW; provided those balloons), they probably wouldn’t care that Spoiled was gone. Gossip and heartless comments would have been the only words out of their mouths.

So, I hope you enjoyed this story. If you did, please check out my other works.

Cowgirl Out.