Broken Tiara

When Diamond Tiara woke up the next day, she immediately turned on her side to cover her face. She immediately regretted as the pain flared up from last night. She whimpered as she forced herself up knowing she had school. She looked at the clock to see it was flashing 7:32 a.m. Diamond knew she wouldn't have enough time to brush her teeth, bathe and eat. So she decided that skipping breakfast would have to do.

Diamond Tiara headed to the bathroom and shivered at the cold feeling of the tiles on her hooves. She fiddled with the shower handle, finally managing to get the shower on. She climbed into the tub allowing the shower to blast her with warm water. Tears leaked from her eyes, rolling down her face as she sobbed silently.

'Why does mother hate me so much?' Diamond questioned herself in her head. She didn't remember ever doing anything to make her mother hate her so much. She had done everything her mother said up until yesterday, yet she was still beaten for it. She sniffled quietly as she stood there under the hot water for awhile until she finally decided to get out.

Diamond shut the shower off and climbed out of the tub. She dried herself off quickly and efficiently. She ran a brush through her mane haphazardly before climbing onto the stool by the mirror and sink. She automatically flinched seeing the damage on her face.

Her eye had swelled up over the night. The cut on her face looked infected to Diamond. She gently touched it with her hoof hissing at the contact it made with the cut on her face. Diamond brushed her mane to cover her black eye. She sighed turning the sink handle and grabbing her toothbrush. She scrubbed her teeth with a contemplating look on her face. 'What... what if I told somepony what Spoiled does to me?' Diamond thought. She hardly ever called her mother by her name but sometimes she did.

The thought passed from Diamond's mind quickly. She knew she would never willingly tell somepony what happened at home. Nopony would care since most ponies thought of her as a spoiled brat with nothing good to say. She finished brushing her teeth and turned the water off, putting her toothbrush back.

Diamond Tiara sighed as she headed downstairs slowly. She peaked around the corner to the living room groaning at the sight. Her father, Filthy Rich, was passed out on the floor with a bottle of hard cider in his hoof. Filthy Rich was a good stallion, he just loved hard cider a bit to much. The stallion was constantly seen with a bottle in hoof at home and sometimes even in public.

Diamond loved her father so much. She really did. It's not like he got drunk and hit her. He'd never layed a hoof on her in fact. She just wished he didn't drink so much. She backed away from the living room peaking into the kitchen. Her stomach rumbled reminding her she hadn't eaten last night. She also knew she wouldn't have a lunch today seeing as her mother would still be angry with her.

Diamond slunk into the kitchen like a guilty thief. She scrambled up onto a chair and grabbed a banana. She held it between her teeth as she climbed back down. She made her way to front door as she peeled the banana. Diamond took a bite from the banana as she opened the front door, stepping out, and closing it behind her. As she walked away from her house she didn't notice the blue eyes staring at her from a curtain in her house.

Diamond kept her head down but she could feel the stares of townsponies as she walked to school. She walked at a slow pace trying not to strain her side. She noticed ponies were staring, probably at the cut on her cheek that had a slight tinge of green around it. She hurried her pace slightly coming to the lane that led to the school.

She cursed lowly under her breath as she saw her new friends hanging out around the school. She barely made it to the schoolyard before the bell was being rung and she had to go inside. She sat at her desk laying her head down as she frowned.

The whole school day Diamond Tiara remained out of it. She didn't react when her name was called and didn't even try to hang out with the CMC. "Diamond Tiara," the soft yet firm voice of Miss Cheerilee said, "I would like to see you after class."

"Yes, Miss Cheerilee" Diamond sighed softly making Miss Cheerilee frown. The mare approached Diamond Tiara as the class talked amongst themselves.

"Diamond," Miss Cheerilee whispered nudging the nearly asleep filly's shoulder making Diamond jump slightly. "Come with me," she said as she headed out of the classroom. Diamond stumbled out of her chair following Cheerilee out of the room.

Miss Cheerilee never normally allowed this, but she would allow students not feeling well or acting strange to come out of the classroom to a little room to the side that had beds in it. "I think a nap would do you well," Miss Cheerilee said guiding Diamond to a bed towards the middle of the room.

Diamond looked like she wanted to object but just nodded as Miss Cheerilee helped her into the bed. She was pleasantly surprised when the older mare tucked the sheets in around her. Diamond closed her eyes falling asleep in a matter of seconds with a soft smile on her face.

Cheerilee brushed her hoof over Diamond's mane making it move slightly. She caught a glimpse of something dark colored so she quickly but gently moved the filly's mane to the side. She let out an involuntary gasp as she saw the dark blue almost black ring circling her students eye. Cheerilee decided that asking Diamond could wait until after school.

A few hours later Diamond woke up to a gentle rub down her back. "Diamond," Cheerilee said softly, " I need you to wake up, sweetheart." The filly whined softly but rubbed her eyes, wincing when her hoof hit her black eye, sitting up in the bed. Cheerilee was polite enough to allow the filly a few minutes to get herself awake.

"What did you wanna talk about Miss Cheerilee?" Diamond Tiara questioned softly as she yawned.

"At first it was because of your lack of attention in class," Cheerilee said, "but then I noticed the black eye you had." Diamond gulped slightly as her black eye was pointed out. "Wanna tell me how that happened?" Cheerilee asked.

"I hit my eye on something last night," Diamond said quietly. It wasn't a lie, she had hit her eye on something, her mother's hoof.

"You also have a pretty nasty looking cut on your face," Cheerilee pointed out.

"That happened when I hit my eye on something," Diamond said softly. She flinched as Cheerilee put a hoof on her shoulder.

"If somethings happening at home, if somepony is hurting you, please tell me," Cheerilee pleaded gently. "Please," the mare asked making Diamond look up at her.

"Nopony's hurting me," Diamond denied a bit to quickly for Cheerilee's liking. "Can I go now?" the filly asked softly.

"Yes," Cheerilee agreed reluctantly as she watched Diamond hop off the bed and hurry out of the room. "I will get to the bottom of who's hurting you," the mare promised quietly as she watched Diamond hurry away from the schoolhouse. "And they will pay," Cheerilee said her voice darkening towards the end of the sentence.