‘A diamond is a piece of charcoal that is formed under stress.’
A phrase drilled into Diamond Tiara’s head since she was a child. In both nature and society, there was a pecking order to adhere to if one was to succeed. Eat or be eaten. The world was an ugly place, and few were as equipped to deal with it as she was.
Even the mighty Sunset Shimmer, scourge of Canterlot High and literal she-demon, was no match for the combined power of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. To think it had been a full year since that strange, purple-skinned girl had appeared, and somehow defied the odds by undoing Shimmer’s reign of terror in one fell swoop…
How short-sighted Sunset must have been, believing that her nudity would shock people into compliance, when all she did was anger every other nudist who couldn’t be as free as herself. As more and more students — and some teachers — happily ditched their clothes, the sight of her proudly bearing it all had lost all shock value. That was why she was defeated. By the time Twilight arrived, just as naked as her, everyone felt inspired to rise up in turn. Sunset’s stranglehold on nudism had loosened, heralding the end of her reign.
That was a mistake Diamond would never make. She had bided her time, forging a temporary alliance with Sunset while retaining no true loyalties to her. Now that a power vacuum had opened up, she would claim it for her own, starting with the title of Prom Queen. Her gem-laden, sapphire-coloured dress would be her status symbol — just as her parents had prepared her for.
In truth, ‘Prom Queen’ was little more than a formality. It wasn’t special as far as school privileges were concerned, but that wasn’t why it mattered. It was a popularity contest, an acknowledgement of the social hierarchy, its prize a recognition that she was the top dog.
She would win, and then no one would dare question the superiority she clearly deserved. Tonight, there was but one challenger stupid enough to face her: Scootaloo.
Typical, Diamond scoffed internally. When will those dorks learn? If you’re not winning, you’re a loser, and I will never be a loser.
She watched Scootaloo like a hawk from one side of the stage. Soon, they would both go up and make their case for Prom Queen. How could she be so confident? Didn’t she know who she was up against? She didn’t even have the decency to dress like royalty. In fact, she hadn’t dressed up at all, presenting herself naked as the day she was born.
“Hey, T!” a familiar voice called from behind her. It was Silver Spoon, the only person to ever reflect Diamond’s social consciousness. She could be trusted to hold herself to a higher standard, made evident by her dress — as silver as her namesake, but not so shiny that it looked like aluminium foil.
“About time you got back,” Diamond snapped. It wasn’t like Silver to be tardy. “I assume you found the dirt?”
Silver cringed, her expression dropping. Was she admitting to failure? For both of their sakes, Diamond hoped not. She and Silver had planned out their victory meticulously. They’d come too far to fail now.
“It’s… something,” Silver began. “It’s not spicy, but don’t worry! We can make it work–”
Diamond strode forwards, leaning in just shy of meeting Silver nose-to-nose. “Enough babbling already. Get to the point! Do you have dirt on Scootaloo or not?”
“Uh…” Silver stuttered, avoiding eye contact. “Scootaloo’s clean. She’s had no detentions, no talks with Principal Celestia, no bad grades. She even stays dressed in a mostly nudist classroom!”
Diamond’s eyes sparked ablaze. “Are you telling me you spent a whole week spying on her, and you dared to come back empty handed?!”
“No, no! I wasn’t finished! What I got was that she has asthma. She wants to be a star soccer player like Rainbow Dash, but she needs an inhaler. It’s not nothing, it’s just not the kind of dirt you expected.”
Brushing her hair back, Diamond spun on her heel and harrumphed. She and Silver had been through thick and thin, always pushing each other to surpass their limits and fight their way to the top. Alas, it seemed that her name had become a self fulfilling prophecy. It was just as Diamond’s mother had said: There is no room for second best. No one remembers the silver medalist.
There was no getting around it; Silver was slacking. So, hardening her heart, Diamond scoffed theatrically.
“I can’t believe you failed such a simple mission. For that, I’m firing you as my campaign manager. Now do me a favour and get out of my sight!”
“No!” Silver gasped, her voice cracking. Scrambling after Diamond, she snatched for her hand, almost tripping over her own dress. “Don’t leave me, please! I did everything you asked – I always have. I can do better, just let me speak for you on stage. I’ll have everyone eating from the palm of your hand! Just give me a chance, give–”
“You have had more than enough chances,” Diamond said through gritted teeth, though the words didn’t come out easily. She refused herself the temptation to glance over her shoulder at Silver. This was exactly what her mother warned her about. She had gotten too close, letting another gorge on her friendship like a parasite. She had to cut her off now, lest her feelings get the better of her. “I will speak for myself, and you will keep your mouth shut. Do I make myself clear?”
“But Diamond, I–”
“Do I make myself clear?”
Collapsing to her knees, Silver bit her lip, tears streaming down her face. “I understand.”
“Attention, everyone!” the voice of Vice Principal Luna echoed out from the loudspeaker. “I hope you’re all enjoying yourselves, because it’s time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for: The final round in the Prom Queen elections!”
A thunderous cheer erupted across the dance floor. My adoring public, Diamond thought. Time to show them what I’m made of.
“Before we get to the voting itself,” Luna continued, “both candidates will make their closing remarks with support from their campaign managers. First up, let’s hear it for Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle, the Canterlot Movie Club!”
Diamond rolled her eyes. Not only were nerds one of, if not the lowest, depths one could sink to in the social hierarchy, but working together in a competition? She could only shake her head. A competition is about becoming the sole victor, not bonding over with fellow weaklings.
“Thank you, everyone!” Sweetie Belle said. “I’d like to extend a special thanks to Twilight Sparkle. She came all the way from Crystal Prep, joining our school to banish the she-demon from Sunset Shimmer. It’s because of her that we still have a Prom Queen contest at all. Can we get a round of applause for our amazing transfer student?”
The crowd obliged, and then some. Fools, Diamond thought. I don’t need magic or friendship to be the best. I’ll show them what a winner is really like!
“More to the point,” Applebloom continued as the audience calmed down, “We support Scootaloo because she’s the one who brought us three together during those horrible times. Without her, there’d be no Canterlot Movie Club, an’ we would’ve just been a bunch’a lone nobodies; no ambition, no social skills, no nothin’.”
“And that’s why I wanna be Prom Queen,” Scootaloo concluded. “I wanna follow Twilight’s example and spread the magic of friendship! Whether you’re in a clique or not, everyone deserves a friend, and the CMCs extend our hand in friendship to anyone.”
Again, the crowd cheered, louder than before. Diamond tapped her foot. All this talk of ‘friendship’ showed how feeble their ambitions were. Without ambition, the willingness to walk over the weak, they would never find any success in life. That was where Silver Spoon had failed. She’d become too complacent in her friendship with her, and it showed.
Even now, Silver stood at the stage’s foot, staring at her in disbelief with teary eyes and stained makeup. Diamond felt her stomach clench, but she refused to look at her directly. She’d done what she had to, dropping the dead weight that was holding her back. Because of Silver, she was at a disadvantage, having to swallow the thick lump in her throat and fight to keep her composure. She’d show them. She’d show them all what it took to be a winner.
A slow clap directly over her microphone was enough to wrench the audience away from Scootaloo. “Such a touching sentiment from Canterlot High’s biggest losers.”
“Hey, keep it clean, Diamond!” Sweetie Belle warned, but Diamond ignored her.
“Everyone knows that you can’t get ahead in life by playing fair. That’s why my daddy is the top CEO in Canterlot, and why I excelled at being the editor of our newspaper. I know how to be the best, because I can stand on my own feet, and achieve spotless results without anyone’s help. A vote for Diamond Tiara is a vote for leadership by example, a wish to reach the same heights I have reached.”
The crowd murmured uncertainty. The truth stung, but Diamond would be resilient. She had to be. Anysign of weakness, and she would go from predator to prey. Even now, emotions wrestled over her ambition, the last threads of her friendship with Silver Spoon constantly tugging her heartstrings.
If she were to win this, she had to strike now. It was time to show the world why she was the unbreakable Diamond Tiara!
“Dreams are only valuable if you have the skills to back it up, and Scootaloo is a perfect example of this. Why would anyone want to team up with a soccer player who can’t even breathe? It’s time to face the facts; she’s a defective product. Once a loser, always a loser, whereas I, Diamond Tiara, am a winner, through and through!”
The room fell silent. Everyone was looking at Diamond, their jaws slack. Even the DJ, Vinyl Scratch, had lowered her ruby shades to get a better look at her. Then, the booing started. It began with a few stray jeers, but quickly escalated, soon consuming the entire room with a raging chorus.
“How dare you?!”
“Not cool, Diamond!”
“Who do you think you are?”
Diamond steeled herself, weathering the bombardment of insults. Whatever, she thought dismissively. I’ll win in a landslide and show them all why I don’t need friends.
Only when it escalated into thrown objects did Vice Principal Luna intervene. “That’s enough!” she boomed, her voice loud enough to be heard without a mic. “Everyone, settle down, or I’ll personally cancel Prom Night for everyone.”
Empty or not, Luna’s threat dispersed some of the rising heat, dropping the ruckus to a few whispered murmurs.
One voice, however, rose above the others. “Deep breaths, Scoots.” Sweetie Belle squeezed Scootaloo’s hand as she wheezed into her inhaler. Scootaloo looked unsteady on her feet, her skin looking paler. Diamond hadn’t deliberately aimed for Scootaloo’s asthma to flare up, but it served to accentuate her point anyway.
“Do you need any medical assistance, Scootaloo?” Luna asked as she crossed the stage.
Scootaloo shook her head, straightening her stance as she took a few more puffs. “I’ll… be okay. I just need… a minute.”
Diamond opened her mouth to comment, but closed it again once Luna shot her a glare.
“In that case,” Luna announced, picking up the mic again, “Let’s put a close on tonight’s events and start voting. Please line up by the side of the stage and place your ballots in the box provided. Remember, only one vote for one candidate.”
This was it, the moment Diamond had been waiting for. Despite their initial anger, she had complete faith in the people of Canterlot High to recognise the importance of her actions.
So, shuffling backstage, she waited with bated breath. She was not allowed to see who voted for whom, but she didn’t need to. All she had to do was await the inevitable results and bask in her new found glory. Any other outcome was inconceivable.
Or, she would do, if only she could stop her jittering foot, constantly tapping away at the floor beneath her. Try as she might, it would not stop, getting worse as the seconds ticked by. She couldn’t remember the last time she had jitters this bad, the butterflies in her stomach swirling end over end.
On any other day, she’d confide in Silver Spoon—reassuring her that she was indeed the best—but she wasn’t here anymore. Diamond had sent her away, banished to the rabble of the lower classes, from whom she was on par with. What she couldn’t figure out was why her absence made her feel so hollow.
After what felt like hours, Luna finally made the announcement they’d all been waiting for, ushering both Diamond and Scootaloo to return. Diamond didn’t even bother looking at the crowd this time. She just put on her best fake smile and walked to the stage’s centre, acting like nothing untoward had happened.
“The votes are in!” Luna said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Prom Queen turnout as this big before. The vote has been unanimous!”
Clasping her hands behind her back, Diamond grinned wider. Of course everyone made the right choice in the end.
“And the winner is… Scootaloo!”
The name washed over Diamond like a bucket of icy water. This had to be wrong. How could anyone have voted for that breathless dork? “You’re wrong!” she declared, wildly stomping her feet. “I demand a recount!”
“The results were counted independently, Ms Diamond Tiara.” Luna turned her back to the audience, the assembly hall’s lights casting a long shadow over Diamond.
Her knees quivering, Diamond spun on her heel and turned her attention to the crowd. They lifted up Scootaloo, inhaler in hand, cheering her name as she crowd surfed across the room. Even Silver Spoon was applauding her victory.
“Silver?” Diamond croaked. “Why…? How could you vote against me?”
To that, Silver simply turned up her nose and shrugged. “I could tell you… but as it turns out, I’m not allowed to speak.”
Diamond’s legs gave out. She collapsed. A light pitter-patter of water fell on her hands. Was she crying? She never cried. She slammed her fist hard against the floor. She’d cracked, her heart shattered under the weight of her betrayal, her rejection, her scorn. Everything she was, everything she’d ever been, now lay in ruin.
Now she was the one gasping for air, clutching her chest tightly. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t fail, not now, not ever. She was Diamond Tiara. She thrived under pressure. She wasn’t just better, she was the best. It was then she recalled what she’d said about Scootaloo earlier.
It’s time to face the facts: no one wants a defective product. Once a loser, always a loser.
The shrill tune of Diamond Tiara’s alarm clock yanked her back to the waking world. It was 8 A.M on the dot, just as her regimented routines demanded. Groggily, she forced her eyes open, silencing the alarm with one click. Rolling onto her back, she kicked off the heavy duvet from her queen-sized bed. Despite being surrounded by an army’s worth of plushies, she still couldn’t fill the void in her heart.
At least their vacant stares and stitched-up smiles would always remain judgement-free.
Stripping off her hot-pink pyjamas, she headed for the bathroom, showered, brushed her teeth, then dressed. The sooner she got out of the house, the better. She didn’t know where she’d go, she hadn’t made any plans, but anywhere away from her usual haunts would be good enough. After the public shaming she’d received a week prior, attempting to reconnect with Silver Spoon would be a fruitless endeavour. It had been a long drop from the top, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to get anywhere by grovelling like a beggar.
“And where do you think you’re going, Miss Diamond Tiara Rich?” The shrill, scalding voice of her mother, Spoiled Rich, snapped out like a security alarm the second Diamond reached the bottom of the spiral staircase.
“Out,” Diamond replied meekly, head hung low as she ambled toward the patio door.
“What, off to fraternise with the commoners now?” Spoiled stepped in front of Diamond, pushing her chin up to make eye contact. From her garish, overly expensive and ill-fitting dress, to her beehive hairdo and make-up splattered face, Spoiled Rich was the avatar of a posh trophy wife. All that was missing was the glass of fine wine she often cradled in her left hand. “Haven’t you learned your lesson by now?”
“I know, mama. I’m a loser. I let myself down. Is that what you want to hear?”
“I don’t want to hear it, you ungrateful brat. I need you to understand the magnitude of your failure. What does your public rejection say about my social standing?”
She had not been up an hour and already Diamond wanted to cry. Her mother was right, of course. She’d followed her teachings to the letter and had still failed. She deserved nothing but scorn from society itself - especially her parents. How dared she to tarnish their name with her weakness.
“What does it matter? I’m just getting some air–”
A swift slap bit her cheek.
“Don’t you dare talk back to me, little miss! You should consider yourself lucky; your father has yet to catch wind of your failure. You had it easy, and still you lost the title of Prom Queen to a crippled invalid. If it were up to me, I would’ve pulled you from school and thrown you out on the street with the rest of the trash. ”
Holding her hand to her stinging cheek, Diamond pressed her lips together tight, sucking in a long breath. Showing weakness now would just make her mother even madder. She’d already lost so many of her day-to-day privileges, she knew a threat when she heard one. If she didn’t want to end up naked and alone on the streets, she had to get back on her mother’s good side. “I understand, mama. I won’t be seen by anyone important. I promise.”
“See that you’re not” Spoiled turned back to the kitchen. “Now get out of my sight. I have important business connections to make.”
More like important gossiping all day, Diamond wanted to say, but kept her mouth shut, instead pulling on her high-heeled boots and matching yellow jacket. The weather was getting warmer, but unlike nudists, she still felt the last of the winter wind’s chilly bite. In a way, she envied how little they cared about the unforgiving elements.
Failure. The word hung onto her like a ball and chain, dragging behind her with every step. Compared to the long, drunken rambles her mother had yelled at her after prom night, she’d gotten off lightly this morning, but that didn’t make it sting less.
It had been her destiny to become a failure. That’s why she’d lost the prom queen competition. That was why she’d pushed Silver Spoon away. There was only ever room at the top for one, and she’d inadvertently proven she wasn’t nearly good enough to secure it. For all of her hubris, she had never been enough. So, barely half way down down the front garden path, she staggered to a stop. Slumping down behind one of the bushes, she buried her head in her hands and started to cry, fighting to keep her voice down to not alert any of the servants — or worse, her mother.
At this point, pity hollow platitudes were no better than her mother’s sincere anger. Her comfortable delusions had been shattered, and acknowledging it was her penance. Any attempt to restore that image would be pointless.
When at last Diamond had composed herself enough to dry her eyes, she wandered off down the backstreets of her neighbourhood, keeping her route indirect. Though her outfit was still fancy, it was casual enough to be ignored by passersby. Her dress sense was one of few values she hadn’t lost amidst her humiliating collapse. In this part of town, people would be busy socialising amongst themselves, not paying attention to some kid flitting about the place.
Eventually, she made it to the town centre, slipping into the crowd of shoppers as she made her way to the park. Her stomach growled something fierce. She’d skipped breakfast in the hopes she’d escape another verbal assault, but no such luck.
Reaching into her pocket, she counted her loose change. Since her allowance had been cut, she’d tried to squeeze every penny, tactically minimising her spending to the barest essentials. Even so, she knew she’d run out soon. At present, she had maybe two dollars and twenty cents left – not even enough for a hotdog.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, she pressed on. She’d think about food later. Right now, she needed to find somewhere to sit, as her feet were killing her. She wasn’t used to walking so far. Sure, she’d take the occasional stroll around the mall, but only after being driven there; yet another testament to how far she’d fallen.
Soon enough, she arrived at the park, finding an empty bench under the shade of a large oak tree. Though summer vacation had just gotten started, there weren’t many people here yet, and fewer still that she recognised. It was a risk coming here, but given how popular the park had become with the nudist population, it was secluded enough to rest in without causing much of a fuss.
A nudist couple from Canterlot High had already laid down their beach towels a short distance ahead. From the mint-green colour of their skin, she recognised them as Lyra and Bon Bon, both of whom had been among the first students to embrace the naked life alongside Sunset Shimmer after her reformation.
How carefree their life must be, never giving a second thought to how much skin they showed. They never had to worry about the length of their skirts, colour coordination, or the brand labels. They could just exist, no questions asked.
The thought of entertaining nudism entered her mind as quickly as it had left it.Though public nudity had quickly grown in popularity, it was still new enough to regularly turn heads. As someone from a higher class background, she needed to be inconspicuous, not to put a target on her back.
“Diamond Tiara?”
She recoiled. Approaching her was a tall girl sporting long, streaky red hair and with a bright yellow skin complexion. It was Sunset Shimmer, and true to form, she was naked as the day she was born. She didn't bother to cover herself, despite carrying a backpack by the top handle.
“Hi, Sunset,” Diamond said flatly, blushing as she realised her gaze lined up directly with Sunset’s crotch. Nudism or no nudism, it was still rude to stare.
“Thank goodness I found you! You all but vanished after Scootaloo won the prom queen contest. Are you alright?”
“Why do you care?” Diamond grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. “I’m just some pathetic bitch who picks on disabled kids. No point wasting time on me. Go be with your friends.”
“Who do you think sent me looking for you?” Sunset retorted. Since her reformation, Diamond had noticed a stark change in the way she spoke. Far from the sarcastic, domineering force that spoke like royalty, now her tone was more measured, almost melodic in its welcoming softness. Yet she didn’t mince words, either. “Silver Spoon’s been worried sick about you.”
Diamond cocked an eyebrow. “You’re kidding, right? I rejected her. She’s not my friend anymore.”
Dropping her backpack, Sunset pulled out a small, red towel and draped it carefully over the bench next to Diamond. “Mind if I take this seat?”
“Do whatever you want.” Diamond felt her cheeks grow hot. She’d seen Sunset naked plenty of times — which, come to think of it, was all the time — but never so close, physically or emotionally. Still, she pretended not to be bothered by it. It wasn’t like she had any good reason to object.
“So,” Sunset said. “How have you been holding up since the prom?”
“Do you have to ask? How do you think? I’ve lost everything! My social status, the respect of my friend, the respect of my mo–” Diamond cut herself short. Truth be told, her mother was never entirely pleased with her, no matter what she did. Her current treatment of Diamond was but a matter of degrees worse than usual. “It’s all my fault, anyway.”
“Would you believe me if I said it wasn’t?”
Diamond did a double take, looking up at Sunset as if she’d transformed into a unicorn. “Cut the crap, Sunset. I dug my own grave. Let me lie in it.”
“Believe it or not, I’ve learned a lot over the past year.” Sunset leaned back, turning her gaze to clouds floating above. “Both about myself and others. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that there are always second chances, if you’re willing to take them.”
“Speak for yourself. You turned into a raging she-demon and got reformed by magic friendship rainbows. It’s not like I have the same luxury.”
“Those ‘magic friendship rainbows’ didn’t make me a better person, Diamond,” Sunset said plainly, her expression neutral. If nothing else, Diamond could at least credit her for gaining greater control over her own emotions – which was more than she could say for her mother. “Yes, they gave me mental clarity.”
“What, did it realign your chakras or some over lovey-dovey hippy bullshit?”
“No. It gave me the space to think, ‘What am I doing all this for?’”
“Well, I already know that much,” Diamond harrumphed, leaning on her elbow. “Power, control, superiority. All that stuff I’m supposed to strive for.”
“And I did it all because I thought I had to.” Sunset grinned, looking back down at Diamond. “Sound familiar?”
“Don’t act like this is some huge mystery, Sunset.” Diamond glared back up at her. “Everyone knows what I was after. I always said, over and over, that I was the best, that everyone else was beneath me and blah, blah, blah. Well, guess where that got me?”
“Nowhere?”
“Well, duh! I’m all talk, no action. I can’t even win some dumb popularity contest. I’m a huge failure and a disgrace to my whole family! Why can’t you get that through your head?!” It was only now that Diamond realised she was crying again, the fresh cascade of tears stinging her eyes. Burying her face in her hands, she turned her back on Sunset. “I’m nothing.”
“You’re preaching to the choir,” Sunset sighed, reaching over and pulling Diamond into a gentle side hug. “Where I come from… let’s just say I was an exceptional student. I got everywhere through rigorous studies, becoming exceptionally powerful through my magic; but it was more than that. I started to look down on others because they couldn’t achieve what I could. They were wasting their potential, and it was my job to bring them up to my level – whether they liked it or not.”
“So you decided to become the naked ruler of Canterlot,” Diamond replied, sniffling as she dried her eyes on her sleeve.
“That’s one way of putting it,” Sunset chuckled. “Truth be told, where I come from, we never wore clothes anyway. Clothes were just for fancy events. So when I came to Canterlot High and the teachers started demanding I get dressed, I chose to keep disobeying them, just to wind them up.”
“But… you’re still naked? Why? You were defeated. Your provocation didn’t work, so what’s the point?”
“Like I said, I never wore clothes before,” Sunset shrugged. “To me, it just feels more authentic to who I am. As cliche as it might sound, it shows I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“I could never do that,” Diamond grumbled under her breath. “Not like all my fancy clothes mean anything now.”
“Well, I’m not saying you have to,” Sunset added, clearing her throat. “But that’s something you can explore later, if you want. More to the point, I didn’t believe I was worthy of friends, because that would mean letting poni– I mean, other people fail. In that way, you’re the lucky one.”
Diamond cringed, clutching her chest. The prom night was a deep chasm that took everything she built her life upon into its depths. And as she saw that uprooted, she then stabbed Silver Spoon right in the back - and she had only herself to blame.
“Why?” she croaked. “Why does she still cling to me, after everything I’ve done to her?”
“Friendships aren't always so easy to break,” Sunset replied, her voice soothing. “Whether you want to admit it or not, Silver knows you, understands you. Yeah, you hurt her, but she knows you’re also hurting yourself.”
Diamond clutched the hem of her skirt. Why was she even bothering to put up a calm front, when her mask slipped to the mud long ago? “I didn’t want to reject her. I rejected her because I had to.”
“Because you had to be the absolute best, right?” Sunset prompted. She tried to give her a full hug, but Diamond swatted her away.
“Stop pretending like you know me!” Diamond snapped, loud enough for birds to scatter and turn a few heads toward her. Climbing to her feet, she stood tall on the bench, looking down on Sunset with the ferocity of a cornered animal. “You keep going on and on about how you needed to be the best, but you haven’t lost everything along with your power. Well guess what? I have! I failed. Everybody hates me, and now they smell blood in the water. They want me to come crawling back and beg for forgiveness. But I won’t do it. I won’t let them trample over me just ‘cause I fell behind. If that means I’ll be alone forever, that’s what I’ll be.”
Sunset said nothing. She let Diamond’s words hang in the air as everyone around them backed off. Only when Diamond took a deep, defiant breath did she continue.
“Is that what you want?”
Diamond dropped to her knees, almost falling off the bench. She was lucky Sunset was there to catch her.
“No,” she half-sobbed. “I just don’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice. I chose to be better because my use of force hurt more than it helped.”
“It’s more than that,” Diamond countered. “There’s something my mom always said to me, about why she named me ‘Diamond’ Tiara Rich. She said it was because ‘a diamond is a piece of charcoal formed under stress’. Everything I’ve ever known, everything I’ve ever been, has been about the constant pressure to be the best; because if I ever let up, I’ll just be a lump of coal.”
“That sounds exhausting,” Sunset said, again reaching her arm over Diamond to hug her. This time, she didn’t resist.
“It is. I didn’t want to reject Silver Spoon. She was my friend for so long because she was like me: a girl from a wealthy family who knew her social status. I expected her to be as good as me, and when she wasn’t…
Diamond sniffled, stifling another round of tears. She shivered. She felt as if a sharp-tipped sewing needle was prying her apart, revealing the broken husk of a girl for all to see. Her mother was right. She was more than a loser; she was nothing.
“Do you need a moment?” Sunset asked.
“No, I’ll be… fine, I think.”
“Then I’ll be real with you; what you’re going through with your mom? It’s straight up abuse. There’s no other way to describe it.”
“You don’t know the half of it. Everything she gives me is conditional. Food, shelter, clothes, allowance, all of it as long as I succeed at any cost.” Diamond sighed, burying her face in her hands. “I’m tired, Sunset. I don’t think I’ll ever have a normal life. I thought I could handle the pressure, and look where that got me. I built myself a prison and threw away the key.”
“That’s why Silver Spoon asked me to find you.” Sunset’s voice went up a pitch - an idea sparked up inside her mind, something she was well known for. “I think we both know something has to change. Is it just your mom that’s holding you back?”
Diamond thought about that for a moment. “Well, my dad, too, but he’s not around much. Why?”
Sunset’s grin grew wider, her brow raised. “Remember what I said about my goals? I want to help everyone become the best version of themselves, and if you need help getting away from abuse, then I can offer sanctuary.”
Diamond bit her lip, shuffling uncomfortably in place. “Does that mean I have to be a nudist, too?”
“No,” Sunset said bluntly. “That much is your choice, not mine. You’ve already said you want a way out, so I’m offering you one. My house will be your sanctuary anytime you need to get away from your mom. The rest, we can work out in time.”
Diamond’s eyes went wide. This was far too good to be true; there had to be a catch, there always was. “I… don’t know. I don’t think an apology will cut it with Silver, or Scootaloo. I’ve been the mean girl for so long, it’s not like anyone’s gonna accept me otherwise.”
“You’d be surprised. Sometimes, a simple ‘sorry’ can go a long way. But there’s a bigger question I want you to think about first.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“What kind of person do you wantto be? Forget about what your mom says for a minute and just focus on you.”
“That’s the problem,” Diamond retorted, venom dripping from her words. “I’ve done nothing but focus on myself ever since I started school, and look where that got me.”
“So you’re saying you want to focus on other people?”
Diamond gave Sunset a quizzical look. What kind of manipulation was this? No one ever offered free advice, least of all towards someone like her. Somehow Sunset had dodged revealing the cost at every turn, but Diamond knew she couldn’t hide it forever. There was nothing in the world that didn’t work on a transactional basis of some kind. Everything was tit for tat, quid pro quo, exactly as…
Diamond felt her stomach drop. She was being groomed, not by Sunset, but by her own mother, to become the perfect replica of her father — just as ruthless, cut-throat, and cruel. That was the condition of her mother’s love: become a reflection of someone else.
“I… think I know,” she said at last. “I wanna be me. Not the me my mom thinks I have to be, but the me I want to make myself. Does that make sense?”
“It does,” Sunset answered. “You want independence, right? You want to see how the world is for yourself, instead of relying on your mom to tell you.”
“Something like that. I want to be more like you, Sunset, but I don’t know how. Not yet, anyway.”
“Well the good news is, you have all the time in the world to figure it out, especially now that we’re on summer break. Now that I think about it, I was planning on a trip to the beach this weekend with Twilight and the other girls. Want to come with?”
Diamond blushed. “Um, sure, if they’re okay with me tagging along, I guess.”
“I’ll put in a good word for you,” Sunset chuckled. “Do you feel better now?”
“Yeah, I do.” Looking up at Sunset, Diamond smiled, but not in her usual way. This was not the condescending grin propped up by vicious mockery rolled off of a spicy tongue. No, this was a gentle smile, raised from the warming updraft slowly filling her chest. “Thanks, by the way.”
“You’re welcome!” she said, just as Diamond’s stomach made a loud gurgle. “How about we get some lunch first? My treat.”
The second Diamond got home that evening, she decided to set into motion her plans for rebellion. For too long, she had danced to her mother’s song, never once questioning why her entire life had to be regimented. She wasn’t a person, she was a marionette, eating what her mother said to eat, dressing as her mother told her to dress. She even dictated what friends she could and could not have.
Spoiled Rich wanted her daughter to be a bitter, vengeful young woman, and perhaps, in a way, she had succeeded. As much as she wished to repay that debt of anger in full, she had a much better idea.
Her mother’s strict dress code had been the easiest to work around. Her actions were simple, enough to remain unnoticed, but to her, every act of malicious compliance was a huge middle finger toward Spoiled Rich. The primary colours may have been dictated, but not their shades. Soon, she became the master of leaving the house quickly, before Spoiled ever had a chance to complain. In addition, with the amount of clothes she had, it was easy to claim she had green pants but not leggings, or some other minor variation.
It didn’t take her long to start experimenting with nudity, too. Once her mother had gone to bed, Diamond would strip off, sleeping naked to beat the heat. If she were to be in the bath by a certain time, she would wait for the precise minute, before undressing in her room and walking to the bathroom naked. On a few occasions, she even managed to sneak into the back garden naked, all while Spoiled Rich blathered away on the phone, too lost in her own ego to care.
By the weekend, Diamond had mastered the art of flying under her mother’s radar. After meeting Sunset in the park again, they picked up Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy in her jeep before driving off to the coast with Diamond as the plus one in the middle. Predictably, Fluttershy was already naked, and so upon noticing Diamond’s reddening cheeks, decided to take shotgun and give her some breathing space. Less predictable was Rarity, wearing only an ice-blue sarong around her waist.
Despite Sunset bringing her friends up to speed on Diamond’s decision to change, she remained silent the entire journey. Even when they arrived at the beach, meeting up with Applejack and Pinkie Pie, she insisted on holding back, remaining on a beach towel while the others either sunbathed or swam in the ocean.
Part of her wanted to brag about all the ways she’d undercut her mother’s abuse, but she knew that, without context, she would end up painting herself into a corner. The Diamond Tiara of the prom was supposed to be dead, so resurrecting her through rebellious talks wouldn’t do well.
Besides, if she were honest, the shadow of Spoiled Rich still loomed over her. She’d dressed in the same outfit she had the previous Monday, a costume of basic colours that cost way more than it reasonably should.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Applejack’s voice broke Diamond from her trance, which made her realise that she had a thousand-yard stare focused on Sunset’s friends this whole time. Among them, only Twilight wore a bathing suit.
“Not much to talk about,” Diamond said wistfully. “I’ve… got a lot of thinking to do.”
“Well, if ya can think it, you can say it out loud, can’t ya?” Applejack chuckled, only for her expression to drop as the joke didn’t land. “Err, I mean, if ya want to, of course.”
“I guess I should.” Diamond took a deep breath in. “Can I ask you something about nudism?”
Setting down her beach towel, Applejack sat next to Diamond, removed her stetson hat and gestured over her bare body. “Well, I’m as qualified to talk about it as Sunset is, so my ears are open. Go ham.”
“To be honest, I still don’t understand it. Fancy clothes have been a huge part of my life and my self expression. Being naked outside of intimacy or bath time is the opposite of all that. It’s supposed to be extremely crude—no offence—but the way Sunset does it is just… Well, not. Even when she was on her crusade for world domination, the way she paraded herself without any shame made it look like the most normal thing you could do. How can anyone decide to just never wear clothes?”
“Well, I don’t know if ya noticed, but I don’t exactly do it every day, either,” Applejack remarked, though not sarcastically. From the few times they’d interacted, Diamond wasn’t certain she was capable of condescension. If her little sister was anything to go by, she’d be honest to a fault, too. “Call me an old fashioned nudist or whatnot, but I believe it’s a practical thing. When I’m workin’ on the farm, I wear whatever I need to protect myself, but otherwise, there’d be no point in gettin’ all sweaty and ruining fancy duds. Bathing suits never made sense for me, either. Why d’ya need to wear special wet clothes for swimmin’? It’s places like school where wearin’ clothes becomes appropriate.
“But hey, that’s just me. All y’all got your own opinions on it, and if clothes ain’t for you, they ain’t for you. No point stressin’ over it once a person decides it’s what they want.”
Diamond crossed her arms, gripping tightly at the end of her coat sleeves. “Until recently, I don’t think I’ve ever had my own opinions on anything. What I believed, what I did, it was all for the sake of popularity – exactly as my mom said I should. I thought life was a race where everyone cheated to get ahead, and naked people just weren’t trying. No offence.”
“None taken, Sugarcube.” Applejack leaned back on her arms. “I don’t know ya like Sunset does, but from what she said, you’re wantin’ to finally step out of your mom’s shadow, is that right?”
“Pretty much.” Diamond pulled her knees in tight. “I just don’t know where to start.”
“How about ya think of it this way; you’re at the beach, right?”
“Obviously, yeah.”
“You’re with friends — or at least, with Sunset, who’s your friend.”
“I guess so. What difference does it make?”
“Well, it sounds like the idea of nudism has been gnawin’ at ya. You've got no better opportunity to decide somethin' for yourself than right now. It'd be your choice, not your mother's. You'll know if nudism is for you or not, and you'll know the feeling for later no matter what you decide. We all have our reasons for wearin’ or not wearin’ clothes, and you have all the time in the world to find out yours.”
Diamond puffed out her cheeks. To completely strip off in public ran counter to everything she’d been raised to be. What would people make of her if she did it? Already her mind was bubbling with hypothetical worst-case scenarios, conjured from her anxiety’s depths. She would be judged as just another deviant, mimicking Sunset Shimmer’s ideology after failing to one up those she looked down upon.
She gritted her teeth. Mother’s thinking, again. In the year since Sunset’s reformation, the general view of her had been flipped on its head. She had done so much to turn her life around, becoming part of Twilight’s little clique, and generally becoming a pillar of support for everyone at Canterlot High. If Sunset could change while still being a committed nudist, why couldn’t she?
“I’ll think about it,” Diamond said, her soft voice tinted with optimism. “But I also wanna be alone for a while, if that’s alright.”
“Of course it is, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled back, stretching her arms and replacing her stetson. “I’ll be over with Fluttershy and Sunset if ya need me. Fluttershy said there may be a nest of turtle eggs somewhere here!”
As Applejack left, Diamond reflected on the conversation they’d just had.
‘Being naked is a practical thing. There’s no point in getting all sweaty and ruining fancy duds.’
She had to admit, that much made sense. She may have gotten it from her mother’s constant berating, but Diamond knew now she could think that for herself. The temperature was already soaring toward thirty degrees celsius, and though her coat was light, it was still making her hotter than she needed to be. This, at least, she could take off without issue. Her high heeled boots, too, weren’t suited for walking on sand. If she were to get anywhere beyond her beach towel, then going barefoot was a no-brainer.
That’s better, she thought, finally free from her sweatiest clothing. Closing her eyes for a moment, Diamond focused on the textures of her immediate surroundings. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d been to the beach. Between cramming for future tests and attending high profile society events with her mother – events in which she saw Sunset Shimmer, too, as she recalled – she rarely had time for ‘common’ activities.
Spreading her toes, she wriggled them down into the sand, letting the soft, moist grains seep between them. She pressed down her fingers onto the sand, just hard enough to make handprints. Taking a deep breath through her nose, the cool, salty sea air combined with the soft chirping of coastal birds was just as tranquil as the postcards made them to be.
Opening her eyes again, she found her hands had drifted up to the waistband of her skirt. Was she seriously considering taking it off?
Her thoughts lingered on that. If she was already practising home nudity, then perhaps…
She could imagine what her mother would say to her now. ‘Don’t even think about taking your clothes off in public!’ she would scream. ‘A proper young lady should be presentable at all times. You shouldn’t even consider debasing yourself like some common peasant.’
“Too late for that,” Diamond muttered. She had long passed the point of fraternising with people her mom considered ‘Common Peasants’, and what had that gotten her? An earnest respect for her newfound humility.
As she looked out towards the vast blue expanse beyond the water, the reality of her life became crystal clear. Diamond Tiara had been drafted into a never-ending rat race by her mother, forever chasing an impossible standard. She had done everything—had been everything—her mother had told her to be, and all she’d got out of it was a bitter personality doomed to loneliness.
There was only one way to win this impossible, cruel game; not playing.
Diamond fluttered the collar of her shirt. With the sun’s heat blazing down at full force, her clothes clung to her, damp with sweat, a suffocating, all-encompassing cocoon.
She needed an escape, right now.
Raising her legs, Diamond pulled down her skirt and kicked it off. Piece by piece, she stripped off her shirt, shorts and underwear, throwing them away like yesterday’s trash.
So here she was, uncovered and unashamed at a public beach. As she rose to her feet, she felt like a great weight had been lifted off of her. The time had come to reclaim her life beyond the walls of her fancy home, and she knew exactly how she was going to do it.
Stretching her limbs, she crouched low in front of her beach towel, taking up an olympic runner’s pose. No more stupid races, she thought. No more pointless competitions. I’m running for me and me alone!
Then, she was off, sprinting down the beach. With a hop, skip, and a jump, she landed in the shore’s surf with a splash, not stopping until she was waist deep in seawater. It had been so long since Diamond had last gone swimming, she’d completely forgotten what it was like to feel the ocean’s cool embrace.
“Careful of the tides there, Diamond!” Rainbow Dash called, paddling past on her surfboard. “You don’t want to get swept out.”
“I know, thanks!” Diamond replied. She had expected Sunset and her friends to fawn over her newfound sense of freedom, but their reaction contained very little fanfare – although this was, perhaps, partly because of Pinkie Pie’s fixation over asking ‘What’s that?’ to just about anything that moved. Fluttershy, was, of course, happy to answer.
It didn’t take her long to pluck up the courage and join her. There was something, however, that Diamond needed to do first.
“Um, Rarity? Rainbow? Applejack?”
“Yes, darling?”
“What’s up?”
“What can I do ya for?”
“I’m sorry about bullying Sweetie Belle. And Applebloom. Well, pretty much everybody at some point. I won’t ask you to forgive me, not after everything I’ve said and done, but I plan on apologising to the girls directly next time I see them. Being a bully made me sick inside, and I’m, well, sick of being sick.”
Applejack took a step back, joining Rainbow in the surf. Diamond braced herself for scolding as Rarity took a deep, slow breath. “I won’t lie to you, Miss Tiara. It’s an older sister’s job to be watchful of her sibling’s wellbeing, and you made Sweetie Belle’s life quite difficult. You’ll understand why I cannot let that go at the drop of a hat.”
“You’re right, I shouldn’t–”
“However! What kind of lady would I be if I didn’t extend my generosity toward someone who desires change? Applejack has already forgiven you, and in time, so shall I. For today, I would prefer to focus on the here and now. So let’s leave the past in the past and return our attention to the drama-free present, shall we?”
“That, and Sunset’s already given us the four-one-one,” Dash added, standing up her board in the wet sand. “We know you’ve got a lot going on. Just don’t forget to apologise to Scoots directly, ‘k? I’m following her lead, not the other way around.”
Yet again, Sunset’s friends had defied all expectations. Placing her hands over her chest, Diamond felt as light as a feather. She knew it, deep down inside her; being at the beach today, her home nudity practice a few days back.
She didn’t know if this was the fully correct choice she was making, but it was so much better than what she had been before.
No longer would she be a dress up doll for her mother, or Sunset Shimmer 2.0.
She was the new, changed Diamond Tiara, on a path for herself.
“Thank you,” she said. “I promise — no, I swear I’ll make the most of it.”
“I know ya will.” Applejack flashed her a thumbs up.
“Are you guys done talking?” Pinkie Pie chirped, somehow appearing behind Diamond in the blink of an eye. “Fluttershy says the eggs will be hatching real soon!”
“Um, Pinkie, that won’t be for several hours now,” Fluttershy corrected her with a wispy, hushed tone. “It’s safer for the eggs to hatch at night, so please don’t disturb them.”
“What species of turtle are the eggs from?” Diamond asked.
Inevitably, Twilight took this as her cue to jump in. “Good question! While I didn’t see the parent, I suspect given our current latitude…”
Something shifted inside Diamond - something she never experienced before. The kind of warm, fuzzy feeling one has when they see their friends happy and loved.
As Twilight rattled off facts about leatherback sea turtles, everything clicked. The support Sunset Shimmer gave her, the understanding, and acceptance, of Diamond’s hardships and willingness to become better by Shimmer’s friends; even the sense of freedom and companionship Lyra and Bon Bon had that she saw back at the park.
This is what she always wanted. To be loved, and just be, amongst friends who see her for who she is. And all this freedom, all this confidence, was expressed through their nudity.
She knew what she had to do now.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, running to where she’d left her clothes. Dropping to her knees, Diamond drove her fingers into the wet sand, scraping out large clumps and tossing them behind her with emboldened vigour.
“Whatcha doin’ there, Diamond?” Applejack asked.
“Burying my clothes,” Diamond replied, pushing everything she’d taken off into the hole with one sweep. “Like a baby turtle, I’ve come out of my shell. From now on, I control who I want to be, and that means being one-hundred percent honest with everyone, nothing to hide. No matter how cold it gets in winter, I’m never wearing clothes again!”
“I’m sorry, darling, but I simply cannot approve!” Rarity grimaced, her shoulders tense as she shuddered with revulsion. “To discard such expensive fabrics is simply a crime against fashion.”
To that, everyone laughed. Diamond, of course, didn’t care. She was buzzing in the shared magic that was her new friends. Though it was hard to fully let go of her anxieties, she wanted to believe that with enough humility and dedication to improve as a person, she would rekindle her friendship with Silver Spoon and, hopefully, form a clique of her own.
One hundred days. It had been more than one hundred days since the fall of Diamond Tiara, shattering the bully on impact. It had taken a great deal of personal resilience and self-reflection to put herself back together, identifying and shedding the toxic shards that made up her old personality.
The journey had not been easy. Her own mother had kicked her out for becoming a nudist, following up on her threats to cut off all remaining familial and financial support – yet Diamond refused to waver. It was just like her mother had once said: ‘A Diamond is a piece of charcoal formed under pressure’.”
For anyone else, this pressure would’ve been too much. But she was not just anyone. She was Diamond Tiara, and she knew now that she didn’t have to face life’s realities alone. She had her new sister to share the load: Sunset Shimmer. She had taken her under her wing, giving her the space and support to grow, like a real sister should.
Now, with the start of a new school term, she was ready to reveal the new and improved Diamond Tiara. Her heart was galloping in her chest.
“Are you sure you’re ready, Diamond?” Sunset asked. “We can always try this another time.”
“No,” Diamond replied. “I need to do this. I need everyone to see me as I really am; no tricks, no filter. Just the raw, earnest Diamond Tiara.”
Sunset smiled warmly. “You’re a brave girl, Diamond. I don’t want you to push yourself for my sake.”
“I’ll be okay, Sunset. That’s why I’m doing this with you. So, what do you say? Shall we head in on the count of three?”
“Absolutely! One… two… three!”
Together, Diamond Tiara and Sunset Shimmer pushed open the double doors, marching into the halls of Canterlot High as the new naked sisters.
Author's Note
Thanks everyone for reading! Nudist stories may not appeal to everyone, but there's a lot of personal heart and soul put into this particular story, expressed through naturist values.
If you haven't already, go and read Weird Kev and Tygepc's Webcomic for the full context of how Sunset sought to become Canterlot High's nudist ruler!
