Fluttershy had just said her goodbyes to Applejack after disembarking at the train station, and was now on her way home. The glitz and glamour of Las Pegasus may be alright for some ponies, but this particular yellow mare was far more comfortable in a quieter setting, surrounded by the animals she loved and the friends she'd shared so many happy memories with.
En route to her somewhat ramshackle but comfortable cottage at the edge of the Everfree forest, she couldn't help but worry about leaving the party resort in the hooves of those two n'er do wells, Flim and Flam. Sure, they'd cooperated in exposing Gladmane as the manipulative crook he truly was, and allowed the acts he'd keep prisoner with his countless lies to finally shift out of his hotel's theatre to tour worldwide, but even with him gone...
Flim and Flam were hardly the most trustworthy ponies to take over his position, and from what she and Applejack had seen before their departure, the duo looked like carrying on Gladmane's shady regime onward with little change, only perhaps to even greater effect. The yellow mare and her farm-dwelling companion may have solved the Friendship problem the map had set, but she had the distinct feeling the aftermath may create even more disharmony than before. A case of a Pyrrhic victory, perhaps?
If only that pair of con-ponies had seen the light, and rejected their old ways of swindling to earn an honest living, Fluttershy ruefully thought to herself, as she approached her front door, me and my friends have changed the hearts of so many of our former foes of late, that I was so sure we could reform them. I mean, if I can help turn the Lord Of Chaos himself into an ally, why not Flim and Flam? I hope I'm not losing my touch. This matter requires much thought, over a nice, strong pot of chamomile tea...
"Um... Hi there? Can you hear me?"
So entrenched was Fluttershy in her soliloquizing, she didn't notice the little filly by her side until the youngster began to tug on her coat. Upon breaking out of the daydream, the yellow pegasus looked down to see what was pulling her fur... and spotted a small pink pony to her left, staring at her apprehensively.
Seeing as how her new guest was quite stuck for words, Fluttershy decided to take the initiative and speak first. "Hello there, dear. Are you lost? This is rather a long way out for such a little filly to roam so late. Do you know where your parents are?"
Carefully scrutinising the youngster's appearance after their initial contact, Fluttershy instantly made two observations about her unexpected visitor. The first was that she hated being spoken to like a child... just one mention of being 'a little filly' caused her to narrow her eyes and give the yellow pegasus the dirtiest of looks. The second, and what induced the small pony's mood to quickly change from annoyance to sadness in a heartbeat, was the reference to her caregivers.
Upon hearing Fluttershy ask their whereabouts, the filly's demeanor noticably dipped, and her eyes became glued to the ground, while her hoof scratched the dirt in unease. "M-my D-daddy i-is a-away o-on b-business t-today, l-like h-he a-always i-is. I-I n-never g-get t-to s-spend a-any t-time w-with h-him, b-but i-it's o-okay, b-because h-he's m-making E-Equestria a-a b-better p-place b-by w-working h-hard. I-I u-understand, I-I r-really d-do..."
Judging by her uncertain tone and fidgety poise, Fluttershy begged to disagree, but she decided to keep her opinions to herself. "And your mother? Is she around somewhere? Or, is she..." The yellow Pegasus suddenly realised she may have just put her hoof in it. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"No, it's alright. She's fine. Though, sometimes I think it would be better if..." The youngster's rapidly switching mien continued as she stood to attention, her eyes ablaze with a very real anger. "I know that's a terrible thing to say, but I can't help the way I feel."
"Oh." Fluttershy decided there and then not to broach the subject again. It was obviously a very fractious situation, and her interfering could make it even worse. "So, if you know where your parents are, and you know where you are, what brings you all the way out here? Don't tell me you're thinking of exploring the forest alone, because that place can be really dangerous, even for adults. I dread to think what could happen to a sweet little thing like you..."
"Sweet? Ha!" The pink filly let out a derisory snort, before her expression returned into one of melancholy. "I thought it was too good to be true. You can't be her, if you really think that. I already suspected as much, but I had to be sure. Sorry for wasting your time... I'll be on my way now."
With that final sentence, the youngster slowly trotted away from Fluttershy, her head bowed and her ears drooped. The older mare watched her go with confusion, and more than a little worry. She had no idea what this was about, or what had just happened. But, as Applejack would say, she would be darned if she was going to let the filly escape without a proper explanation.
Fluttershy took to the sky and flew in front of her departing companion, cutting off her retreat and causing the younger pony to pause in surprise. "I can't say I know what's going on with you..." the yellow pegasus commented, adopting a caring tone. "But if I can help, I will. I just can't let you leave, looking so miserable. If you want to tell me your problem, I promise that it'll go no further than this corner of Ponyville. What do you say?"
The pink filly's face lit up a little, although she still seemed a bit hesitant. "Well..."
"Oh go on, I'd really appreciate it..." Fluttershy gently chided the youngster. " Also, I have some delicious homemade cranberry cookies I made just the other day. You can be one of the first to sample them, if you like..."
That did it. Unable to hide the line of saliva that abruptly dangled from her mouth, the pink filly seemed very open to the idea of confiding in the yellow pegasus all of a sudden, though she tried her best to hide it. "T-two cookies." She announced, utilising the negotiation tactics she'd learned so well from her father. "Then, you have yourself a deal."
Smiling at the youngster's rather endearing attempt to talk tough, Fluttershy decided to play along. "Hmm... I don't know... two cookies does sound rather a lot. You strike a hard bargain, but you have yourself a deal. I'll even throw in a pitcher of ice-cold lemonade... how does that sound?"
"Excellent..." the filly broadly smiled, while rubbing her front hooves together. Daddy would be so proud of me right now, she thought with satisfaction, I can't wait to tell him later about my brilliant salesponyship...
..................................................................................................
"Wow, you certainly seem to be enjoying that..." Fluttershy watched with amazement as the youngster devoured her first cookie at such a brisk pace it would make a parasprite jealous.
"Well, let's just say..." the pink filly quickly grabbed the second one to guzzle down. "I'm not really allowed sweet things at home , so I try to eat them wherever else I can. I bet I'm the only pony in my class who has to 'watch her figure'. These are delicious, by the way..."
The youngster's rather shocking confession did cause Fluttershy to raise an eyebrow, but once again, the older mare decided it was not really her place to form an opinion. "So, anyway... why did you wander all the way to my little house, so late in the evening? There must be a reason. Do you want to tell me?"
Swallowing her last cookie, before taking a swill of her lemonade and belching, the pink filly grinned at being allowed to demonstrate bad manners without being punished for it, before answering. "First of all, let me ask you a question. Do you know who I am?"
"E-erm..." Now that the youngster had brought it up, there did seem something oddly familiar about her, even though Fluttershy was sure they hadn't been formally introduced. "S-sort of..."
The pink filly rolled her eyes with impatience. "Okay, let's see if we can jog your memory. Remember this?" The younger pony pointed to a group photo which sat pride of place on Fluttershy's mantelpiece. It was taken on a very special day, the occasion when the Cutie Mark Crusaders had earned their cutie marks. Princess Twilight and her friends all had a copy, and the pegasus was sure to put her duplicate where any visitor could see it.
While the two ponies stared at the image, the youngster pointed at one face in particular, standing next to a silver-coloured filly. "See that pony there?" She solemnly stated. "That's me. If you told me this time last year I'd be posing proudly alongside 'blank flanks' for a photograph, I'd have called you completely insane. Yet there I was, smiling along with the rest of my class, without a care in the world. Funny how things turn out, isn't it?"
The mention of 'blank flanks' instantly resonated in Fluttershy's brain. She started getting flashbacks, of the Crusaders complaining about a bully at school referring to them by that highly abrasive term. She'd also heard from Applejack regarding that same pony turning Apple Bloom's own cousin against her. Not to mention, what Rainbow Dash had said in relation to how this filly had treated poor Scootaloo...
Now, what was her name again, Fluttershy mused, as she wracked her brain. Something to do with jewelry... and headgear... ooh, it's on the tip of my tongue...
It was not until she caught a glimpse of the gleaming mini-crown lying atop her guest's head that everything came together. "Y-you're... Diamond Tiara..." She gasped, almost dropping her teacup in amazement. "B-but... you seem so nice..."
"Well, let's just say I've put my past behind me, and am trying to be a better pony..." Diamond sighed, wondering if she'd ever escape the shadow of who she was. "Surely you should know that. Wouldn't you say you've heard less bad reports about me around town, and even some ponies who've seen me try and be helpful?"
Now that Tiara had mentioned it, Fluttershy hadn't heard of a single incident of the cookie-scoffing filly sitting adjacent to her causing mischief since the day of the Crusader's big cenera. She'd even heard from the trio themselves that Diamond had aided them in getting their marks, unbelievable as it was. So, if they could forgive her...
"I-I'm sorry..." Fluttershy stuttered, feeling a bit ashamed of herself. "I was just a little shocked when you announced who you were out of the blue like that. I should have known by now: Everypony deserves a second chance..."
"No need to apologise..." Tiara put a hoof gently on Fluttershy's own. "I've still a long way to go before I make up for what I did, so the least I deserve is a bit of skepticism. I like to think I'm making a little more progress with every passing day, until the time I truly become the pony I want to be..."
"Oh Diamond, that's lovely! I'm so proud of you for saying that!" Fluttershy was always a sucker for a good redemption story, and swiftly moved to wrap the surprised filly in a warm hug. "You're very mature for your age, you know? Not many other ponies would be able to make such a life-changing decision so early on, but you managed it! I bet your family are really happy for you..."
Feeling flustered in the yellow pegasus's tender embrace, it was all Tiara could do to avoid turning a darker shade of pink. "E-er, well thanks..." she said, momentarily pondering why she never got this kind of affection at home. "Well, some of them are, but there are always exceptions. In fact, that's really why I came down to talk to you, at least the pony I thought was you..."
Realising Diamond was ready to go into more detail about her dilemma, Fluttershy wordlessly removed her hooves and wings from around Tiara's neck, listening to her as she contined. "I heard a rumour that my Great-Grandma that I've never met called Impossibly Rich had been sighted in Las Pegasus, and was headed down to Ponyville for a brief visit. My Daddy told me once she's one of the nicest members of our family, so I wanted to meet her for myself, hoping to spend some time with her, and maybe get a few tips on how to prevent me falling back into my old ways. Somepony told me the one claiming to be her was headed this direction, so I waited here all day, only to discover..."
Tiara looked crestfallen, and Fluttershy's large heart really felt for the filly. "U-um, about that, dear... I-It's rather a long story. Would you like to hear it?"
"No need." Diamond got off her chair, and begun to walk to the exit. "Now that I've told you, I don't want to take up any more of your valuable time . Besides, it looks to me like your animals need feeding. That bunny of yours hasn't stopped glaring at me while tapping his food bowl since I arrived. I don't want them to starve on my account. Thank you for your hospitality, but I must be going now. Farewell..."
Oh Angel, why must you make all of my visitors feel so unwelcome... Fluttershy shot an irritated look at her petulant rabbit, before her gaze returned to Tiara, who was now well on her way out of the front door. She may say she wants to go, but I can tell by looking in her eyes she feels differently. Also, she really needs cheering up. What can I do to convince her to...
In a flash, an idea popped into the pegasus's head. It was so simple, she didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before.
"Oh, Diamond dear..." Fluttershy asked, just as the pink filly's flank began to disappear from view. "Have you ever tried feeding the birds before?"
"Huh?" Tiara was so startled by this question she turned around fully to answer it. "Yes... when I was very, very small. What about it?"
"I mean..." Fluttershy smiled, eager to explain things further. "Have you ever fed them when they're perched all over you, singing their songs in your ear and gently stroking your fur?"
"N-no..." What had began as a relatively common activity was beginning to sound... rather cool. "What, they do that here?"
"I can talk to many animals, not just birds..." Fluttershy said, without the hint of a boast. "I'm friends with all of them, and I'm sure they'll want to be your friends, too. Would you like to meet them?"
Tiara pondered this offer very seriously. On the one hoof, her mother would go absolutely ballistic if her daughter was one millisecond late for tea, possibly even having another hernia. On the other hoof, she'd get to hang out with cute critters and this cool new mare she'd just met.
She didn't take too long to decide. Both options are reasons why I have to stay, Diamond grinned to herself.
"Okay, you're on..." Fluttershy was slightly surprised to see Tiara so keen, as the younger pony galloped ahead of her, but the pegasus quickly smiled at the filly's boundless enthusiasm.
"Alright, great!" The yellow pegasus went to get out some bird seed. "After we've done this, we'll give Angel his salad if he's been a good boy, then you can meet Harry..."
"Harry? Who's that?"
"Only the friendliest bear you'll ever see."
"B-bear?! A-are you sure it's safe?!"
"You'll be fine, dear. You can even help me give him a massage..."
"Massage?! Now I know you're joking."
"Not at all. But if you want to hear a really unbelievable tale, let me tell you about a phony pony by the name of Gladmane, and how he was outsmarted by an animal lover in disguise, an honest farmer and a pair of rascals called Flim and Flam..."
Author's Note
Just something I thought up after the latest episode aired. Diamond Tiara appearances are so infrequent these days, I even get excited when a hitherto unmentioned member of her family is referenced. Sad, I know... 
I'm also a HUGE fan of Flutters (see avatar for details), so this worked out well on both fronts! 
Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed... 
