A Diamond in Need of Polishing
Diamond Tiara took a deep breath and stared at the obstacle before her, the door to Fluttershy's cottage. It had been a few weeks since the little filly had had a change of heart, choosing the path of 'niceness' over that of 'domineering bully'.
Sadly, however, the transition hadn't been as easy as she'd initially thought it would be. Old habits die hard, and every now and then her old ways would resurface, causing her even more shame and regret. She needed to be kinder. But how?
Taking a cue from her beloved father, Filthy Rich, she decided to go to somepony who was the best in their field. And nopony was as renowned for their kindness as Fluttershy was! It had all made so much sense! But now that she was actually here...
The little filly sighed heavily in defeat. This had been a foalish idea. What would she even say to the mare? 'Hi, I'm Diamond Tiara! You may have heard about me from one of the foals I tormented in the past. But I've decided to be nice now! I'm here to ask about kindness! Apart from NOT threatening and openly demeaning my classmates, what more should I be doing?'
She facehoofed and turned to leave, but she'd only managed to take a few steps before the door abruptly creaked slightly open. Diamond Tiara looked back over her shoulder to see what she assumed was the pony she had come to see, though it was a little hard to tell from the little splashes of color seeping out at the edge of the door.
Fluttershy slowly pushed the door aside, cautiously glancing about as if she were searching for something. Upon seeing the little filly, however, the Pegasus quietly gasped.
"Oh... Hello." She smiled warmly. "I'm terribly sorry, I didn't think anypony knocked. I just heard something outside and came to find out what it was."
"I didn't. And that was me," the filly said, her head lowered.
"Hmm?"
Diamond Tiara sighed. "Never mind. I just wanted to ask you something, but once I got here, I realized it all sounded better in my head."
"Oh." The yellow pegasus blinked. "Well, I was just about to make myself some tea. Everything sounds better over afternoon tea. Maybe if we had some together... you could maybe... tell me about it?"
The little pink pony raised an eyebrow at that, then lifted her head and smiled.
---*---
Diamond Tiara waited sat upon the couch in Fluttershy's living room, her curious eyes scanning the new environment with a sense of wonder. The colors were quiet and inviting, the decor felt homey, and the furniture all seemed to have rounded edges. Little bird houses hung from the ceiling, and comfy cushions sat on the floor in little basket beds - one of which was currently occupied by a slumbering white rabbit. Diamond Tiara's mother would certainly have never permitted pets in the house, so it was interesting to her to see a home so purposefully accommodating to them.
She also noticed that Fluttershy had quite a few books too. Narrowing her eyes she could just make out some of the titles on a nearby shelf from where she sat; 'Tortoises and Turtles', 'Equestrian Birds', 'Herbs and Their Uses', 'Rabbits', 'When to Be Assertive and When to Forbear', and 'Pride and Pegasus: A Romance'.
Suddenly, Fluttershy flew in carrying a tray and set it on the table in front of her guest. The yellow pegasus lifted the teapot and poured the hot chamomile into the two teacups, both with the same decorative floral pattern on them.
"Cream? Sugar?"
"A little cream. Two lumps," the little filly directed. She was carefully hoofed the drink after a quick stir with a spoon. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Fluttershy replied softly. The pegasus sat down with her own cup of tea on the armchair adjacent to the couch occupied by her guest. "Would you like a cookie?" she added, gesturing to the plate of oatmeal raisin creations she'd brought on her tray.
"Not at the moment," Diamond Tiara said with a smile.
For a while there was simply quiet, save for the delightful tinkling of Fluttershy's spoon as she stirred her tea, the quiet breathing of a sleeping rabbit, and the almost inaudible sipping of chamomile. Abruptly, however, a little red bird flew in through the open window and landed atop the back of the couch, just a few feet from Diamond Tiara's head. The little filly gasped faintly - a sight which made Fluttershy smile. The bird twittered pleasantly, its little head jerking quickly this way and that, before it set its sights on one of the birdhouses. The bird gave Fluttershy a nervous, but meaningful look and cocked its head with a chirp.
Fluttershy nodded.
The bird turned its attention back to the selected birdhouse and fanned out its tail feathers with a few quick flickering movements, then it spread its wings and pushed off. The two ponies eyes' followed the little red blur as it shot noiselessly through the air before coming to a stop to hang in the tiny doorway, then the little creature disappeared from their sight, climbing into the wood structure. Diamond Tiara continued to stare up at the birdhouse, unknowingly still holding her breath, her mouth agape.
The mare smiled. "Scarlet is a wonderful flyer, isn't she?"
Diamond Tiara's attention snapped back to her host and her mouth belatedly closed.
Fluttershy giggled softly. "I've been trying to convince her to take up residence in that birdhouse for weeks. It's much safer than a nest outside, but she absolutely refused to set foot in it for the longest time. She was terribly stubborn about it."
An irritated series of tweets erupted from within the birdhouse in question.
"Oh." Fluttershy put a hoof to her lips. "Scarlet says: She was most certainly NOT stubborn about it. She only needed time to think."
More tweets.
"And yes... she is a good flyer."
Diamond Tiara chuckled. "Is your life like this all the time?"
"Hmm?" The pegasus thought for a moment. "Well, actually today it's pretty quiet."
The little pink filly shook her head with a bemused smile and took another of sip of her tea. The mare had a wonderful talent, and she was so gentle in the way she used it. Unlike the way I used mine, she thought. I discovered that I had this wonderful talent for leadership, and I just used it to get my way and push other ponies around. Her shoulders slumped slightly.
"Is everything alright, Diamond Tiara?" Fluttershy had apparently noticed her guest's suddenly dispirited demeanor.
"Oh! Um... yeah... I suppose." That hadn't sounded very convincing. The young filly sighed. "...No. It's... It's actually not alright. I came here for a reason. I wanted to talk to you about... kindness." She took in a deep breath. "I know this may come as a shock to you, but... I used to be a terrible bully - I mean, just awful! I was mean to everypony, and all I cared about was getting what I wanted, no matter who it hurt. But now, I've decided I want to be different. I want to treat ponies better."
Fluttershy smiled a little. "I know."
Diamond Tiara's eyes widened. "You... know?"
"Mhmm. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo told me all about it. Deciding to change can't have been an easy decision for you to make, but you chose to anyway. And if there's anything you'd like to know about kindness, then I'd be happy to help you with that."
"Really? I mean... are you sure? 'Cause I have a LOT of questions."
"And I'll do my best to answer them all as best I know how," Fluttershy replied warmly, "even if you have to come back many more times for that to happen."
"Wow." Diamond Tiara was amazed. "You really are the best in your field!"
Fluttershy looked to the little filly with a confused expression. "Um... I'm sorry, what did you just say?"
The pink pony chuckled. "I meant you're very kind."
"Oh." Fluttershy blushed embarrasedly and averted her gaze. "Ponies seem to say that about me a lot." She took another sip of her tea.
---*---
The End
*
Author's Note
December 2nd, 2018: Henceforth, please direct your grammar and spelling corrections to PM. Thank you. 
