"Mon-day, Tues-day, Wednes-day, Thursday Friday Saturday, Sun-day, Mon-day, lets just skip to Friday~"
A lyrical voice shimmered out of a filly, my best friend. We trotted together happily, through fields and through town. She was a better singer, by far prettier than any pony I had ever met.
Suddenly, she stopped.
"Diamond Tiara," She looked at me, a light smile tinged her lips as I nodded for her to go on, "You know, Ponyville is a dangerous town filled with mane splitting ends, twists, and turns!" She gasped, rearing up playfully. I joined in in her little game of Adventure, a game we played often.
"Yeah! And you know Shining Star, it's also filled with coat dirtying fiends who want to splatter the muddy goop on our coats, make us less pretty!"
We laughed, and I paused for a moment, to take it all in. Here was this beautiful dark mare, a purplish colored coat with a light blonde mane, nearly white with shimmering white flecks in her mane and tail. So beautiful she made any stallion turn their head, while I was just ordinary. She looked back at me, our gaze meeting. We spoke to one another without actually speaking. It was like we were sisters, a bond so special nothing could break it.
'I'll bet there really *are** some dangers,'* Shining Stars' gaze seemed to say. 'Dangers that can hurt us far beyond are imagination, even if our imaginations are lengthy.'
'There can't be,' I responded, my eyes showing confusion at the way things were taking. She normally was the upbeat pony. the one who had more love and good advice to give than the young mare up at the Acres, Apple Jack I think was her name. Can't be positive, all the Apple family names have to do with apples.
She chuckled lightly and nuzzled me, "Yeah, maybe you're right. Dangers are hard to find here, the only real danger we're in is the danger of tripping and ruining our perfect manes, huh Diamond?"
I smiled up at the slightly taller mare with admiration, "Yeah!" And poofed my mane up, showing off to the gray pony across the street, the one wearing glasses and envious eyes. The mood didn't have more envy against the sun than that mare had against me and Shining. She often looked at us both as if she wished something were to happen to one of us.
Nudging me softly, Shining Star looked at me in that way again. The communication look, the thousands of words with silence. Without opening our minds, we had a small communication about that gray mare, walking and talking to one another without a movement, disappearing into that world of ours that was never really there, but seemed to follow us everywhere.
'Diamond, that mare, maybe we could welcome her into our games?'
'What!? No way! She's weird!'
'Everypony is weird, in their own way. Everypony is a friend of everypony, or, that's how it should be.'
'How about later, then we can add her into our games? Please? I want some more time with you, alone. I like it that way.'
'Sure kiddo, whatever you want.'
I nodded, a smile tainted my lips. There would be no later, Shining Star had a horrible memory, she would forget and I wouldn't mention that topic again. She would mention it again, and I would make the same empty promise. I would let her join Shining and my group, the Diamond Stars, but I don't even know her name!
Suddenly, as if sensing my thoughts, Shining Star raced over to the mare in a way that showed off her beauty in a fast way, a glimpse of the stars, of the night sky. She left a cool memory of where she was standing a few moments before, but it was destroyed by the hustle and bustle of the town life.
"Hi! I'm Shining Star, but you can call me Shining. What's your name?" She boasted her name, it was given to her by Celestia herself after her parents stressed over what to call the beautiful filly when she was born, a Pegasus with beautiful wings that seemed to be starlit, a mane that seemed to light up the second she moved, a coat that was dark as night, and equally beautiful, with a hint of mystery in her amber eyes as she blinked them open. The mare seemed to not notice, or ignore the brag as she startled out of her daydream lightly, still half way there.
"Huh? Oh, I'm Silver Spoon. I'm sorry," She shook her mane, causing the braid to smack the air with a crack. "What's your name?"
Ever understanding, Shining smiled and held out her hoof, in which the mare shook shyly. "Shining, call me Shining." I frowned before smiling, if Shining could be nice to a strange pony whose gaze was ridden with envy and jealousy, I could to. Trotting up behind Shining, I smiled even brighter,
"Hi Silver Spoon! I'm Diamond Tiara." She looked at me for a minute, surveying me before coming to a conclusion.
"You don't have a diamond tiara. You don't even have a tiara."
My spirits melted, in my mind I was frowning sadly, but on the outside, I showed no sign of the sadness. My father was rich, but he told me once I got my Cutie Mark, I could make my name worth value. But until then, I was Mark-less, and Tiara-less. Shining chimed in,
"Yeah, we plan to wait until we get our Cutie Marks. Then we'll make our names mean something." She swished her tail away from her flank, showing the only part of her that showed imperfection. The blank flank. We were still young, well, I was. She started school a few months ago. I have to wait a little while. The other mare, Silver Spoon, did the same movements with her tail and showed us she too was a blank flank.
The word echoed in my head several times.
Blank Flank
Blank Flank
Blank Flank
My father had sneered the words at me, chuckling softly as he did so. I met a lot of new ponies, being nice and friendly to all of them, but still hadn't made my mark, even after meeting everypony in town. It was terrible to go home to those words every night, but the night help a new promise each day. The day too. Everything held a promise.
The mare nodded, still looking at my tiara-less head. I was tempted to scream and shout,
"You* don't have a silver spoon!"*
But I held my tongue. Nudging me softly, Shining smiled at the both of us.
"It's getting late, I have to head home. I hope to see you tomorrow, Silver Spoon. Diamond, I'll write you tonight, expect a small cloud with a letter outside your window, okay?"
I nodded and smiled, watching as she turned the corner. She preferred to walk until she was right below her home, on the other side of Ponyville. As she trotted off, she sang lightly,
"Mon-day, Tues-day, Wednes-day, Thursday Friday Saturday, Sun-day, Mon-day, lets just skip to Friday~"
I looked at the strange pony, and smiled at her cheerfully,
"I have to go too, see you tomorrow?"
She nodded and muttered, "See ya."
I started to trot off when she called out, "Get home safe!" I turned and yelled,
"I will, you too! Be careful!" And galloped off, eager to finish up the Afternoon Meal to wait for the letter on the cloud. It was so exciting, having a Pegasus for a friend. They weren't common, after all, there's mainly Unicorns and Earth Ponies. But ever since that Rainbow Maned pony came, more Weather Pegasi have come to live in the clouds above.
Quickly trotting to my home, I looked behind me, my hooves were spitting up dust and dirt. But it was okay, none of it was getting on my coat or in my mane. If that happened, I'd scream and run faster. Shining Star had always said beauty was important.
A few hours later, the meal was over. I hated it even more than last nights. My mother and fathers words still rang in my head like a bell that wouldn't be silent.
"Why were we cursed with such a wretched child!?"
"Filthy, stop! She's out baby girl, we should cherish her."
"Cherish? CHERISH!? I will cherish her when she proves useful, before then, she's just some rag that takes up too much space and needs to be kicked aside."
I heard my mother gasp from downstairs, it was loud and barely meaningful. Although she loved me, she loved dad more. Much more, dad and I would never be equal in her heart.
I looked outside to the stars, shining beautifully. They were different in their own way, glamorous in every way. The phone rang from downstairs, and my mother picked it up before my father could be heard snatching it out of her hooves.
"Hello. Yes, this is the Rich family. Tiara? No, there's no diamond here." He was making fun of me on the phone, I knew instantly as I trotted downstairs quickly. "Yeah, I got a daughter."
My father looked at me with more disgust than I looked at dirt. I was dirt to my own father.
"Yeah, I'll send her over." He hung up the phone before whispering to my mother and walking off, grunting once. There seemed like a touch of sadness in his grunts. My mother went onto one of her two front hooves, kneeling lightly in front of me in a way only a pony could.
"Honey, there's been an accident." I leaned forward. What did an accident matter to me? "Shining Star, she's been hit. A train derailed and she was...In the way." I only heard the train part as she trailed off. In my mind, she was that train, her news coming forward and striking me with a bigger force than I could take.
As I was halfway down our large front yard, I heard her call out,
"She's at the hospital!"
Good, I nearly went to the Trains. Quickly leaping over the fence, I caught my tail on the fence as I jumped, and kept running, leaving my blue bow hanging on the fence, torn.
The cold air sliced through my coat, chilling me in a way that felt like I was close to death. Tears stung at my eyes before falling out, shining into the air. I wasn't sure if it was from the news of Shining, or the frigid cold. I'm not sure if I want to know. No, I didn't.
Slamming my way into the hospital, I whinnied angrily,
"Where is she?! Tell me where she is!" A nurse looked up and smiled, slightly scared by me as I stood there, panting, a crazed look in my eye.
"Who honey?"
The way she talked made me angry, it was like the way my father talked. A hint of cruelty in her voice, a tinge of hate.
"Shining Star!" I growled, and she pointed up.
"Room F13."
F13. Sounded like Friday the 13th. Unlucky.
I trotted to the elevator and hit the button for floor F, waiting impatiently before screaming,
"Move! Come on! MOVE!" Reluctantly I hopped off the elevator and ran out, deciding to take the stairs instead, my lungs screaming in response as I rushed up the stairs to the F floor, equivalent to the fourth floor, just for ponies who can't count. Running around and swiveling my head around to find the right number. As I found it, I remembered my elegance and trotted inside, pretending I hadn't just ran four sets of stairs to see my friend.
She lied there, her chest rising slowly, and unevenly. She told me that the word was disheveled, Untidy; disordered. it wasn't like her, but then again, it wasn't like a train to derail and nearly kill a pony.
Her parents were right next to one another, by her side, sobbing uncontrollably. Silver Mane, her father, held her mother, Sunny Rays, to his chest. Shining Star looked up, angling her head with pain in her eyes, just to look at me. Her course voice rang out,
"Diamond, come here."
I trotted to her side sadly, wiping the tears in my eyes with shame. She looked me in the eye and whispered,
"I have a present for you, but you have to promise me something."
I looked up at her with shining eyes, glistening with tears.
"You have to promise me that when I go, you'll move on. Become good friends with that pony, Silver Spoon, you got that Diamond? Ignore the Diamond Stars, become the Diamond Spoons. Because every diamond has a stain to it."
I looked her in the eye, my lip quivering as I nodded, "Yeah, I promise. I promise because you wont go, I wont let you. Not ever." Her mother heard my words and looked up for a moment before sobbing louder, burying her face in her husbands chest once more.
Shining laughed and smiled before pointing to a box by the curtains. "Get that for me, will you Diamond?" I nodded and gave her the wrapped package, which she tore open. She got a present. For me. Even wrapped it for me. Her lips moved, but no sound came out for a few moments.
"I was planning to give this to you later, but...I guess it can't wait, huh?" She reached her hooves into the box and pulled out a beautiful diamond encrusted tiara. Silver Mane gasped before crying louder, nearly falling over as he did so, his tears increasing in speed and meaning. Shining Star placed it on my head and smiled weakly before laying her head down,
"It suits you beautifully." Her eyes closed as she murmured, "Beautifully."
The health bar thing beeped, beeped, and beeped for a long time. It didn't beep randomly again. A nurse trotted in and whispered to Shinings' despairing parents,
"The heart monitor went off....I'm so sorry." As she hugged Silver Mane and Sunny Rays, I took it all in.
My best friend was dead.
Never coming back.
Couldn't come back.
Wasn't coming back.
A flash came from her sheets, and I nosed them aside, her parents did the same on the other side of her. Right there on her flank was a star, falling. Because she had fell. She was now The Fallen Star. Her Cutie Mark was a Pity Mark, a mark made right before, or after death.
All because the health bar thing beeped loudly.
No, not the health bar thingy.
The heart monitor
I cried softly, my tears making a small pool around my hooves as my own flank flashed vibrantly. I didn't want to see my Cutie Mark, not yet. Not if it reminds me of this day.
One of the nurses, Nurse Redheart, escorted me out of the building and trotted me home. As I lay in my bed, I think of the day. Yesterday. The day before that. The days that would never be the same, could never be the same. Then I thought of that pony, Silver Spoon. Shining Star had wanted me to be nice to her, embrace her friendship.
"No." I spoke to myself in the dark. "I'll be mean, bossy. Show her a side of me no ponies ever seen before, but soon they'll all see it. *All** of them."*
Turning and resting my head on my pillow, I looked at the tiara shining at me on my vanity. So glorious, go beautiful, I'll be nice to that and that only. I'll love that and whisper to it fondly.
The next day, I spent it bossing that pony around. She nodded at every request, every demand. She marveled and admired my Cutie Mark, which had been my name. Diamond Tiara, Cutie Mark and name. Silver Spoon was great at polishing things, but I put those dreams down easily.
By the end of the day, she had her Cutie Mark. An ugly little spoon with a ribbon or something. So stupid.
Shining Star would have thought it to be beautiful, why don't you?
The thought washed over me before I could stop it, along with others.
Why won't you live through your promise?
It's not that bad.
**She's* not that bad.*
Shining Star would be disappointed
You were so nice a day ago, what happened?
Horrid wench
Bully
Mean mare
Nothing but a name
Thoughts raged on throughout the day with Silver Spoon. She knew what happened last night, knew better than to ask about it. The weather had grown chilly, along with my heart.
By the end of the day, my father had grown proud of me. Thought of be as a daughter instead of a rag. Silver Spoon thought of me as her 'master' of sorts. I liked it. Master. Yes Master. Of course Master. No doubt, Master. Such a brilliant word. Other than that, ponies became afraid of me as I stomped mud puddles, showering them without getting dirty. I was a beautiful display of hate, but that was okay. Ponies thought I was just despairing.
Just despairing.
My mother became a coward as I ordered her around, much to my fathers delight. She muttered under her breath,
"Well I guess every diamond gets stained."
With those words, I threw a crystal glass at her, watching in fake humor as it shattered against her back and she yelped with pain. I just couldn't bear those words, not ever again.
"Oh Daddy," My eyes fluttered as I spoke. My father told me I would become spoiled, and that's how spoiled fillies acted. "May I be excused?"
He bellowed loudly, "Of course, my daughter." He said the last words proudly, and for once, I walked to my room from the Afternoon Meal with my head held high.
By the time I had reached my room, I decided what to wear for tomorrows party. I would be throwing one, in honor of my Cutie Mark. It would be divine. My silk pink dressed, outlined in the finest gold-yellow threads money could buy. A soft chill entered the room, and I looked at the opened window. Looking out the window, I gazed at the night, mysterious. It leaves a cool memory before the hustle and bustle of Morning destroyed it.
I sighed and rolled my eyes before reluctantly shutting the window. As I did, a song seemed to whisper on the wind,
"Mon-day, Tues-day, Wednes-day, Thursday Friday Saturday, Sun-day, Mon-day, lets just skip to Friday~"
