It was just another day of fun and classes for the students at Princess Twilight's School of Friendship, certainly not the kind of day any of them would suspect somepony to be sneaking around and trying to find a way in.
Yet that was exactly what Diamond Tiara was doing. Yes, maybe she should be elsewhere, like say for instance the Ponyville schoolhouse or even home. But the pink coated filly just had to see this new school for herself. It was all anyone ever talked about, and it certainly didn't help that three of her best friends/former sworn enemies were now part of it as official friendship tutors (whatever the heck those were supposed to be).
Darting about from bush to tree, the filly with the headgear for which she was so named and depicted in her cutie mark took in whatever sights her cornflower blue eyes could observe in the brief seconds they were given. After all, her goal was to keep a low profile. If any of the students or teachers spotted her through the windows, she'd be in big trouble.
The school was a sight to behold alright, a true feast for the eyes! The lush carpeted floors and the beautiful brick walls neatly complimented each other. Scattered about the hallways were various pillars and busts of famous ponies from long ago, so no two classrooms looked exactly alike. Each one seemed to be custom tailored to whatever lesson was being taught there, be it sharing, sports, history, or others. It easily put anything in that drab old schoolhouse she attended to shame, and the filly hoped her mother never caught her saying that out loud. For surely Spoiled would have a few "choice words" about the money she'd spent on that pricy window, to say nothing of the new playground equipment donated at her personal expense.
"Man, this school's got everything!" Diamond happily exclaimed to herself, confident that no one else was around to hear her. "Now what would it take to convince Mother and Father to let me attend classes here, even if it would only be part-time?"
"Whatcha doing out here, little filly?" An unfamiliar male voice questioned her out of the blue.
"You think maybe she's lost or something? Or maybe it's Ocellus' latest disguise?" An unrecognized female voice that sounded strangely similar to Scootaloo's voice pondered in turn.
With a gulp the filly spun around, finding herself face to face with two creatures she didn't know in the slightest. One was a griffon with light blue feathers except for the chest area (they were an amber in color), moderate cerulean wings, and moderate azure eyes. And the other was a dragon that looked almost like Scootaloo if she were a dragon, even down to the orange scales, light purple spines, and light blue eyes. "W-who are you?" She stuttered and shook. Any sense of composure having long since left her.
"Hey, hey, there's no need to be scared, little pony. We don't bite," The griffon greeted in a warm tone of voice. "Name's Gallus. And this is Smolder." He pointed a talon to the dragon.
"Hello," Smolder waved a claw in greeting. "Who are you? Have we met before?"
Tiara shook her head. "N-no we haven't. My name..." She swallowed a lump in her throat, she hadn't felt this nervous and unsure of herself since her mother had discovered the dire results of her failed election for student pony president. "...Is Diamond Tiara." She finally managed to force out.
"Oh, so you're Diamond Tiara." Smolder commented in a tone that sounded like she'd just taken notice of something.
"The same Diamond Tiara the Cutie Mark Crusaders were talking about the other day?" Gallus deduced too. "They say you're a nice pony now, but you also used to be a bully."
Diamond nodded with slight shame. "Yeah, it's not something I'm exactly proud of," Then she suddenly remembered something. "Say, didn't the Crusaders also mention they made friends with a griffon once? What was her name again, Gabby?"
"Oh, her? The hyper one, yeah," Gallus replied as he put a talon to his chin. "Think I've seen her around Griffonstone once or twice. She's the best mail carrier around. In fact she's the only mail carrier around."
"Seriously, what is with you griffons and names that start with G? Gallus, Gabby, Gruff, Gilda, Gretta?" Smolder quipped.
Gallus quipped as a response. "I could say the same about dragons, with what names like Smolder, Ember, and Torch."
"Very funny, Gallus. That's only like the tenth time you've mentioned that." Smolder complained with a groan and then turned back to Diamond Tiara. "So what's a filly like you doing at Twilight's School of Friendship? Are you a new student here?"
"Well... no," Tiara reluctantly confessed as her heart sank. "I'm actually not supposed to be here at all," Then the filly did something she usually didn't like to do even after her change of heart, she began to beg. "Please, don't tell Headmare Twilight I'm here! I don't wanna get in trouble!"
"Trouble?" Gallus and Smolder both pondered at once. And then Gallus remarked. "Why would you be in trouble just for wanting to see the school? We have tours all the time."
"We do? I thought they stopped after that one time Spike filled in for Professor Pinkie Pie and didn't do the best job of it." Smolder commented in confusion, which caused her to be ribbed slightly by Gallus.
But Tiara shook her head. "You don't understand. If Twilight finds out I'm here, she'll tell my parents and they'll be the ones upset. Or at least Mother will be, I'm not exactly sure what Father will think."
"Now why would your mother be upset with you over something like this?" Smolder pondered. "We've had lots of ponies come here from all over Equestria. And you're not the first one who's tried to sneak in."
"Most ponies don't have a mother like Spoiled Rich," Diamond explained to the two students. "In fact, I use the term 'Mother' very loosely here. I can scarcely remember a time where she ever really cared about me. Seems like from birth she all but expected me to be like her, a 'proper rich pony' as she puts it. Celestia knows it's been a chore to put up with her constant lessons: Piano practice, silverware placement, table manners, heck she gets on my case just for making friends with ponies of a lower social class."
"Whoa! Your mother sounds kinda scary." Gallus exclaimed in shock.
Smolder nodded her head in agreement. "How do you put up with her? If I had a mother like that, I'd have probably struck out for myself as soon as possible."
"You kind of did," Gallus reminded his friend. "Remember what you said about the molt?"
"That's different, that's a natural thing all dragons go through," Smolder protested as she shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't exactly have a choice. The moment the molt hits, it's out of the nest no ifs, ands, or buts. I'm simply saying that, if I had a mother anywhere near as bad as this Spoiled Rich character sounds, I'd probably leave long before I had to be kicked out."
Tiara tried her hardest not to giggle. "The thought of running away has crossed my mind more than once, but there's really no place I could run to where I'd be safe. Besides, Father wouldn't appreciate it," She then confessed. "If I'm being completely honest, he's a big part of why I stay. That and Randolph, that old butler isn't paid enough for all he's had to put up with taking care of me and putting up with my nonsense."
"If your mother is Spoiled Rich, would your father happen to be Filthy Rich?" Gallus questioned the filly. "You know, the same Filthy Rich who runs Barnyard Bargains."
The pink coated filly eagerly nodded, glad to change the subject to something more positive. "Oh yes! He's only the best dad in the history of dads!" A broad smile formed on her face as she proceeded to brag. "Don't let the rumors fool you, he's super sweet! He works hard to make sure Barnyard Bargains stays number one, but he always believe in an honest day's work for an honest day's pay. And he makes sure to reflect that in his store, he's kind to everyone who comes in. But he still takes time for me every now and then, even if that usually means going on business trips with him."
"And Randolph?" Gallus inquired, curious to know more details about the butler his guest seemed to have a strong attachment to.
"Well he's not the only butler at my family mansion, but he's the one who gets assigned to take care of me whenever Mother and Father are busy. Which is usually all the time," Diamond sheepishly blushed. "I really feel bad about all the things I used to make him do for me. He's incredibly fit for somepony so old, I'll give him that. Ever since I turned over a new leaf he's even been kind of like an adoptive uncle to me. He'll help me with my homework, take me to the park, and he's even promised to come in for Family Appreciation Day the next time it's my turn to bring somepony in. I honestly don't know why he's paid so poorly. Probably Mother's doing, I'd guess."
Smolder (who had remained quiet during the conversation) spoke up. "You know, you're quite lucky to have a family. Even if your mother is... well, not very nice. There's probably a better term for her, but I get the feeling ponies don't wanna say it."
"At least you have a family," Gallus suddenly remarked as a noticeable hint of jealousy seeped into his tone of voice. "For as long as I can remember Grandpa Gruff's been the one looking out for me. I don't know where my folks are or what happened to them, and Grandpa Gruff never tells me. Seems like all he cares about are 'The Good Old Days' as he puts it, when Griffonstone used to be a shimmering city on the mountain top. And far as I know, he's the only griffon who's even remotely fixated on that. The rest of the griffons just wanna focus on moving forward and bringing in new things."
"I did have a family, but you remember what I told you about the molt," Smolder corrected Gallus. "Since I left the nest I haven't seen or heard from my family, that's how it is with us dragons. At least Ember's been willing to step in and fill that role to an extent. It's actually kind of embarrassing how she's always not so subtly hovering over me, trying to teach me right from wrong. I'm glad that since coming to Ponyville, she's stopped being so clingy and lets me mind my own business."
"So you see, Diamond Tiara? Your family situation could be a lot worse than just having one parent who doesn't really care about you," Gallus commented to the filly. "In fact, something I've come to learn since coming here is that good friends can in a way, be like a second family."
Smolder raised an eyebrow. "You totally got that idea from Professor Applejack."
"Well she's not wrong," Gallus retorted. "You and Ocellus and Silverstream and even Yona and Sandbar have become like an extende family to me. In fact, Smolder, you're like the sister I always wanted."
"Sure is weird to be a dragon with a griffon for a sibling," Smolder teased. "Although, didn't Silverstream mention something about her family being half hippogriff/half seapony?"
"Glad to see you have friends that you're so close to," Diamond commented. "Even nowadays a lot of ponies are still weary of being around me, and I don't blame them. I was a horrible pony."
But Gallus and Smolder looked up confused at the filly, and Gallus told her. "So, you're not that pony anymore, are you?"
"Well, no... but-" Tiara began only to be cut off.
"-But nothing!" Smolder firmly protested in return. "And if you need more friends, Gallus and I would be glad to fill that role."
Tiara's cornflower blue eyes lit up! "Really?! You'd be my friends?!"
Gallus and Smolder nodded, and Smolder encouraged. "And if your mother ever gives you any trouble, just give us a shout. I might just overlook Ember's 'no torching ponies' rule if it means teaching Spoiled Rich a lesson."
The filly couldn't help but giggle at the mental image of her mother running in fright, as Smolder breathed fire and set Spoiled's tail alight. "I should probably go before I'm spotted and my parents find out," She said to her newfound friends. "Please promise you won't tell Headmare Twilight I was here."
Gallus gave a conspiratorial wink. "Don't worry, it'll be like this meeting never even happened now."
"Excellent!" Diamond happily exclaimed. "Oh, and if you happen to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders around, please tell them I said hi." And with that, the pink coated filly rushed to leave the school grounds as quickly as she could. With any luck she could make it home before either of her parents were any the wiser.
"Since when did we get so soft?" Gallus teased to Smolder.
"Since we came to this school of course," Smolder teased back. "After all, we came here to learn about friendship. And I'd say we just completed another lesson."
Author's Note
Probably jumping the gun a bit on this one since "The Hearth's Warming Club" is likely to reveal more information about the student six's families (or at least their home lives), but this was an idea that popped up and wouldn't leave. Plus, this way I've done something for each of the student six in fanfiction.
Besides, considering Diamond Tiara has been all but forgotten in the show, I think she deserves a little something like this.
