Chapters "Come back, Diamond Tiara. Don't be a scaredy pony." she called from the bottom the stairs. Diamond Tiara galloped down the second story hallway, her heart pounding violently in her chest and a little stream of blood running down her forehead. She stopped in the center of the hallway, looking around her for a place to hide. The sound of hoof steps coming up the stairs made the scared filly's body go cold.
"You better run. I'm coming to get you."
The pink filly turned around at the stairs and could see the shadow of the pony on the wall. It was like seeing the very figure of death approach you.
"I don't hear hoofsteps, you must want to die."
She turned back around, trying to think which door lead to which room. Yes, she lived here but right now she was two frightened to remember. Diamond Tiara randomly chose a door and galloped into the room, quickly closing the door behind her. The orange glow by the window revealed a queen size bed, posters of Vinyl Scratch and Neon Lights, and a full body mirror that had the word BULLY written in dried blood. Thank Celestia, it was her room.
Tiara ran up to the window, banging her back hoof on a tipped over wooden chair, and looked down. The house was surrounded by a wall of fire and right in front of it was a yellow filly with a red bow, staring back up at her with a hateful frown on her face. Right next to the yellow filly was a body. Whether it was alive or dead she didn't know, but she did know who it was. Her best friend.
The pony outside the house turned to look at the grey mare that laid next to her. She stared at the body for, what felt like, the long period of time. She then spat on her and then muttered something.
"OK, so you wanna play hide and seek? I love this game. Alrighty, ready or not here I come." called a voice from just outside the bedroom.
Diamond Tiara's instincts kicked in and she quickly began looking around her room for a place to hide. There were a few places she could hide in, but they were quite obvious. There was a sound of a door creaking open. Tiara's heart sank. She looked up at her bedroom door and saw that it was still shut.
There was a slight moment of silence that gave the filly some time to think. She picked up the wooden chair that laid on the ground and moved it over against the door.
"Come out, come out, where ever you are!"
In a panic, Diamond Tiara darted under the bed. Her body was covered in sweat and her heart thumped in her chest like a thousand ponies stomping the ground. The blood on her forehead made it's way down from her head to her muzzle, tickling her nose. Tears fell from her eyes and splashed onto the wooden floor as she started to silently cry.
Oh Celestia, they killed her. I just know it. They killed Silver Spoon and it's my fault. I invited her over because I was afraid and now she's dead.
"No! I don't know that." she whispered to herself. "She could just be unconscious or something."
Quit lying to yourself. You know that's bullshit. She's dead down there with spit in her face.
"Please, shut up."
You got her killed.
"Shut up!"
And now you're next.
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Diamond Tiara yelled.
"I hear you." said a filly just outside the room. The door handle jiggled but didn't turn. "I know where you are. I'm coming in."
"Please Celestia! Please Luna! Don't let them hurt me."
BANG!
The whole room seemed to have shook from the bang at the door.
CRACK!
Diamond Tiara looked up from the floor at the door and saw there was a large crack running right down the middle of it.
"Little pig, little pig let me in." There was a short pause.Tiara could hear her heart beat like it was pulsating in her mind. "And then Huff! And Puff! and Buck your door in."
BANG!
The cowering pony shut her eyes tightly and cover her ears with her hooves. "Please go away. Please! Please! Please!" she whispered to herself.
BANG!
Tears ran down Tiara's face like a dozen streams. Her body trembled and shook and for a moment she was sure she was gonna throw up.
CRASH! The wooden chair flew half way across the room and the door broke into a dozen pieces. For a moment it seemed like time was standing still. There was no movement and there was no sound. Just silence. But all that was broken when four white hooves stepped into the room.
"Diamond Tiara...where are you?"
Please Celestia, don't let her check under the bed. For all that is good in equestria don't let her check under the bed.
You know she's going to find you? You chose the worst hiding spot in the entire house.
"I can sense your fear, Tiara." said the white filly. "Maybe a song will cheer you up. Hush now, quiet now. It's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now or else you'll wake up dead.
Tears dropped onto the floor boards as Diamond Tiara continued to silently cry. The white pony walked around the room for a minute, either thinking where to look or to tease the frightened filly.
Maybe she already knows where you are. Maybe she's messing with you mind.
The pony walked over to the wardrobe and opened it. Inside she found a large variety of fancy dresses that looked as though they each had only been worn once.
"These dresses are definitely not as good as my sister's dresses, but these are descent." the white pony said. Diamond Tiara quietly watched the ponies white hooves move around her bedroom, hoping...no, praying, she didn't know where she was.But her prayers were merely just thoughts and nothing more.
The white filly's hooves stopped right in front of Diamond Tiara's face. She could have sworn her heart skipped three beats at that moment. The filly got down onto the floor and stared at Tiara with her large green eyes. "Hello, Diamond Tiara. You missed me?"
The pink filly let out an ear piercing scream of terror.
“Chicken!”
“Stop calling me that!”
“Bauwk Bauwk Bauwk!”
“I’m serious Diamond Tiara, you better stop or I’ll…”
“Or you’ll what? Fly away?” Diamond Tiara gave Scootaloo a nasty grin. Some of the ponies, gathered around the five fillies, laughed. Others just gasped.
Next to Diamond Tiara was her best friend Silver Spoon and next to Scootaloo was Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, who both had a hoof on the pegasus’s back. Tears were starting to build up in the pegasus’s eyes, but she quickly wiped them away with her right hoof, hoping no one saw.
“Ah look, now she’s crying.” Diamond Tiara said. “Does the little foal want her mama? Oh that’s right your mama’s dead.” She and Silver Spoon started to laugh.
“That’s enough, Diamond Tiara!” yelled Applebloom.
“Ooh, lookie here, the talentless blank flank is trying to stand for her friend. You know what your special talent could be? Being a failure.”
The earth pony’s eyes were getting teary as she felt her heart shatter into a million little pieces.
“Applebloom don’t listen to her. You and Scootaloo are the most talented ponies I know.” Sweetie Belle said.
“What a load of shit.” Silver Spoon spoke. “A dead cow has more talent than you three.”
“You…you shut up you…you…you bully.”
“Oh so now we have take orders from the most magicless pony in Equestria?” Tiara said. “We can say whatever the hell we want. You three are nothing. That’s all you ever will be. Nothing.”
The three fillies’ hearts couldn’t take it. Their legs were shaky and eventually gave out.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring!
“All right my little ponies, time to come in.” Ms. Cheerilee called from inside the schoolhouse. All the other ponies in the yard made their way inside.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stared at the three crying friends, grinning.
“Come on Diamond Tiara let’s go inside before Cheerilee gets pissy.”
“See you inside blank flanks.”
The two friends turned around and began making their way back to the school. As they did so Scootaloo stood up from off the ground and yelled with a trembling voice. “We’ll get you! You’ll be sorry you ever messed with us.”
The two just laughed as the entered the building. They took their seats next to one another and waited for the teacher’s lesson.
“Diamond Tiara, where are Applebloom and her friends?” Cheerilee asked.
“They’re still outside.” She answered truthfully. Cheerilee stepped back outside, leaving the class inside alone. Everypony began to whisper to one another about what happened out in the schoolyard.
“That was just…horrible.” whispered featherweight.
“I know. What a bunch of bitches.”
“Hey!” Diamond Tiara snapped, turning around in her desk. “Unless you want me to put a hoof up your flank you’ll shut the buck up!”
The door closed and the room fell silent. The light purple filly turned back around and stared at Ms. Cheerilee.
“Well I didn’t see them out there. That’s strange; it’s not like them to skip class like this. I’ll talk to them about it on Monday. Now, let’s continue on our discussion on what gives a unicorn his or her magic abilities.”
The school bell rang. The time was three thirty and all the fillies and cults were let out of the school house. Applebloom, Scootaloo, nor Sweetie Belle were seen at school since recess, but most of the ponies didn’t pay any attention to that.
“Alright everypony, have a fantastic Spring Break.” Cheerilee called out. “See you all next Monday.”
“So, like, my dad is going to be gone all week for some business meeting or something.” Diamond Tiara said. She and Silver Spoon were walking down the road, heading back to their homes to get their, usually, boring Spring Break over with.
“That’s cool, I guess.” Silver Spoon responded. “Where are you going to be staying over break?”
“My dad wants me to stay at my Aunt’s place, but come on. I’m seven years old; I think I can care for myself. I’m still trying to convince him to let me just stay home.”
“Well, good luck with that.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Hey, where do you think those whinny little blank flanks ran off to?”
“Who cares? They’re probably going to be in trouble next Monday when school starts again.”
“Yeah. They’re probably going to get suspended for ditching school or something.” Silver Spoon giggled.
“Maybe, if we’re lucky, they’ll get expelled and we won’t have to put up with all their Cutie Mark Crusaders shit anymore.”
“Trust me, Diamond Tiara, we’re not that lucky.”
The two earth fillies came up to a very large, mansion looking, house. The walls were made from bricks and stood two stories tall. Right off to the side of the road was a mailbox that read Filthy Rich.
“Alright, see you later.” Diamond Tiara said and began making her way up the path to her multimillion bit home. Silver Spoon continued down the road to her house, which was only another mile north.
The filly opened her large double door and was greeted with sound of her father talking to the maid. “Hopefully you’re not forgetting anything important.”
“Knowing me, I probably am,” the maid said and they both shared a quick laugh.
“Hello, Dad.” Tiara said. The two other ponies looked down at her with small grins on their faces.
“Ah, welcome home Ms. Diamond Tiara.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Maiden.”
“Diamond Tiara, just to let you know your Aunt Opulenta will be here at around seven tonight. So you should probably get all your things packed up.” Filthy Rich informed his daughter.
“Ugh, Dad, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Honey, you’re seven years old.”
“A lot of kids at school get to stay home by themselves. There’s even a blank flank at school who’s home alone all the time.”
“Diamond Tiara, I’d like it if you didn’t refer to your classmates as ‘blank flanks’.”
“Sorry, Dad.”
There was a short pause as Mr. Rich thought to himself and then he finally spoke “Even if I let you stay home on your own, Aunt Opulenta still thinks she’s suppose to pick you up and she lives in Canterlot. That’s about two hours trot away. We can’t just send her back empty hoof after she’s traveled for such a long time.”
“You know, my train stops by Canterlot on the way to Silver Wing Beach. I could stop by her place and let her know that she doesn’t need to pick up Diamond Tiara.”
“You’d do that?” asked Filthy Rich.
“Of course I would. I’ve worked for this family for over ten years and not to mention it’s on the way.”
“That is mighty kind of you, Maiden. Tiara, don’t you have something to say to her?”
“Thank you, Mrs. Maiden.” Diamond Tiara said in an unenthusiastic tone. She was actually very grateful that Mrs. Maiden was willing to help her out, but if there was anything she hated more than annoying blank flanks, it was being polite.
“You’re quite welcome, Ms. Tiara. Well, I better get going if I want to make my train.”
“Alright then.” Diamond Tiara’s father said. “You have a safe trip up to Silver Wing and have a good time.”
“Thank you. See you next week.” And at that Maiden left the mansion sized home and made her way down the dirt road towards the train station.
“Ok, Diamond Tiara, if you’re going to be staying home alone I’m going to have to lay down some rules.” The young filly rolled her eyes at her father. “Rule number one: always lock the door at night before you go to bed.”
“Dad, we know everyone here in Ponyville and I don’t think anypony around this boring town is a thief.”
“I can catch up to Mrs. Maiden and tell her not to tell Aunt Opulenta that you’re staying home this break.” threatened Filthy.
“Fine, fine.”
“Also, no throwing wild parties.”
“I’m seven, Dad.”
“You want to be treated like an adult I’m giving you the rules of an adult. I also want you to try and keep the house clean. Maiden is out on vacation and I don’t think she deserves to return to clean a house that looks like a tornado destroyed the place. Let’s see, what else.”
Diamond Tiara was starting to become annoyed with her father’s talking and began to think to herself about what she was going to do home alone.
I could probably have Silver Spoon stay a few nights. Maybe we can go egg that flightless bird’s house or teepee Applebloom’s house. Haha that’ll show those blank flanks.
“Do you think you can handle all that?”
“Huh, what? Oh, yes Dad.” Diamond Tiara said, snapping out of her mental thoughts.
“Are you sure you can handle being on your own for a week?”
“Yes, Dad.” The filly was getting really tired of being asked this question. “Like I said, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“Well alright then.” Filthy Rich said. “I better go finish packing. My train leaves at eight tonight and I don’t want to be packing at the very last minute.” He started making his way towards the stairs and then stopped. “By the way we’re having Salads and zap apple toast for dinner.”
“OK Dad.” Diamond Tiara said and then also made her way to the stairs.
"DIAMOND TIARA!"
"WHAT?!" Diamond Tiara yelled from her bedroom.
"DINNER!"
"GIVE ME A SECOND!" Diamond Tiara laid in the center of her bed. In front of her was an open book and a pencil. She picked up the pencil with her mouth and began to write.
Dear Diary,
Today I was able to convince my Dad that I was old enough to take care of myself. About time too, I was really getting sick of being treated like child. I'm Seven and a half and I should be treated like an adult. Well thanks to Maiden, I am able to stay home by myself while my Dad goes on his little business trip. Maybe she's not so bad after all.
"TIARA!"
"HOLD ON!"
Also today those Cutie Mark Crusaders ditched school after recess. Cheerilee is going to give them a flank whooping when we return from spring break.
Diamond Tiara started giggling to herself at the very idea. She could imagine Cheerilee yelling at the Blank Flanks and expelling them from school. "To bad I'm not that lucky." she said.
"TIARA!"
"I'M COMMING! sheesh." Diamond Tiara closed her diary and jumped off the bed. She made her way downstairs and into the dining room where her father was waiting for her.
After their semi-short meal, Filthy Rich had his daughter help him carry his luggage to the carriage. Setup to the carriage was a grey pony with a white combed mane. Filty's bags and suitcases were extremely heavy, at least Diamond Tiara thought so.
"I don't understand why I have to help you carry your things to the carriage. They're your things." the filly complaned.
"If you want to be treated like an adult you'll have to work like an adult."
Diamond Tiara groaned. "You're taking advantage of this whole thing, aren't you?"
"Is it that obvious?" A smile found its way onto Filthy Rich's face. Tiara didn't smile. She just rolled her eyes and carried on carrying her father's things to the carriage. Once the two were done Diamond Tiara's father gave her a hug and a kiss on the head. "Now, I know I've said this about a million times already, but please behave."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"And don't forget to have fun. It's Spring break. Stop being so grumpy all the time and make something out of your childhood. You look so forward to be an adult when you forget to be a child."
"Dad,"
"Shoot!" Filthy Rich said loudly. He looked at his silver watch on his front right hoof. "My train leaves in ten minutes. Sorry Honey, I got to go." The stallion galloped out of the house and hopped into the carriage. He stuck the upped half of his body out the window and began waving to Diamond Tiara. "Bye! I love you! See you in a week!" The stallion hooked up to the wagon began to pull the vehicle down the road, leaving Diamond Tiara in her home alone.
The filly let out a sigh of relief. "About time. I thought he'd never leave." she said to herself. Diamond Tiara walked out the house, closing the door behind her. The air had gotten a little cooler since recess earlier. The sky was a light orange as the sun made its decent under the horizon.
She walked down the path to the road and began making her way up to Silver Spoon's house.
Knock! Knock!
Diamond Tiara waited outside the door patiently. With in a few moment the door open and standing inside in front of her was Silver Spoon.
"Hey, I see you got your dad to let you stay home." the silver earth pony said.
"Yeah, but I'm bored. I came over to see if you wanted to mess with those little blank flanks."
"I don't know, it's getting late and I don't think my mom would want me going out at dark."
"Silver Spoon, I thought you were tougher than that. Now all of a sudden you wanna be a goodie-two-horseshoes?"
"Alright, alright," Silver Spoon said, giving in to Tiara's tempatation.
"Good, now let's go."
Silver Spoon stepped outside and closed the door behind her. The two friends began walking down the road, walking by the many shops and houses in ponyville. The sun had completely gone down and the street lanterns have been magically lit.
"I have to stop by my house to get some eggs." Diamond Tiara mentioned. "I was thinking we could throw eggs at Applebloom's farmhouse."
"Ooh, that's brilliant. But what if we...hey, what is she doing?" Silver Spoon pointed a hoof to Diamond Tiara's left. The pink filly turned at saw Twist standing in a dark ally, talking to...someone. Whoever she was talking to was cloaked in the shadows, if there was anypony there at all.
"Hey, Lisp!" Diamond Tiara called. Twist turned her attention to Tiara and Silver Spoon and gave them an odd expression of guilt. "Who the buck are you talking to?"
Twist didn't respond. She just looked at the two fillies, then at the shadowed pony, and back at the fillies.
"I said, who the buck are you talking to?"
Twist galloped out of the ally as fast as she could. Silver Spoon was about to chase after her until Tiara held her hoof out in front of the grey pony. "Just let her go. We can egg her house instead." Diamond Tiara said.
"Man, what a freak." Silver Spoon said. "I'm going to enjoy egging her house."
They continued walking. After a few more minutes they arrived at the pink filly's home.
"Stay here! I'm going to go get the eggs." Diamond Tiara walked up the path towards her house. Silver Spoon stayed behind in the dark, quiet street. It was a new moon tonight, so the only light was given to her were the street lamps and the stars uphigh.
Suddenly there was rustling in the bushes. Silver Spoon's heart started beating faster and heavier. She turned towards the direction where the noise came from and spoke, "Who's there?" There was no responce. The filly gulped as she felt eyes of someone or something upon her. "You better leave me alone or I'll fucking kill you."
"She won't do it." whispered a voice from with in the bushes. It was too low to make out, but the voice was defenately that of a filly. "She's too much of a whimp to even dare touch us."
"Yeah and look at those glasses. Bitch looks like a nerd." said another voice. There was more than one pony in the bushes. Silver Spoon wanted to go over there and find out who they were, but...but she was too affraid. Her heart ached from the insults. Tears began building in her eyes but she wiped them away with her hoof.
"Sh...shut up!" Silver Spoon said.
"Look at 'er, she thinks she's ta boss of us." said a third voice.
"Why don't you just go home and cry to your mama?"
"She's crying. What a baby."
The voices began to giggle.
"You shut up, right now!" Silver Spoon was now in tears.
"Cry baby! Cry baby!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Somepony touched Silver Spoon's shoulder. She let out a horrified shriek and jumped forward. The filly looked up and standing in front of her was Diamond Tiara carrying a pink sequenced saddle bag on her back.
"Jeez, what's wrong with you?" the pink filly asked. Silver Spoon breathed heavily and looked like she was close to having a heart attack. "And who were you talking too?"
"There's ponies in that bush over there."
"Are you losing you mind, Silver Spoon?"
"No, I'm serious. They were hidden in the bushes and just suddenly began making fun of me."
Diamond Tiara walked towards to the bush that Silver Spoon mentioned. She searched the entire area and then looked up at her friend.
"Who was it?" Silver Spoon asked.
"Silver Spoon, there's no pony in the bushes. You were just hallucinating. Your mind was just playing tricks on you because it's dark."
"No, I swear I head three ponies in the bushes."
"Are you sure you're up to egging Twist's house?" Tiara asked.
"Yeah, of course I am." Silver Spoon responded. "Now let's go. Did you get the eggs?"
The pink filly nodded and then they began to walk up the road.
Diamond Tiara threw the first egg. It soared through the air and hit one of the second story windows, cracking open and leaving a huge mess of yoke and eggshells on the glass.
"Nice throw." Silver Spoon commented.
"Thanks."
Silver Spoon picked up an egg from the egg carton and tossed it up at the house. The egg splattered on the wall about five feet from where Diamond Tiara's last egg remains were.
At that moment the window covered in egg remains opened and a filly with large glasses and a candy cane mane popped her head out the window.
"Whath are you thwo doing?" Twist asked.
"Hey, try and hit her, Tiara." Silver Spoon suggested. Diamond Tiara picked up an egg and threw it at the candy cane mane filly. She was just able to dodge the egg but it flew inside her room and splattered on her wooden floor. The two friends burst out in hysterical laughter.
"Pleasth thtop."
"You try." Tiara said. Silver Spoon grabbed another egg and threw it. This time the egg hit Twist right in the face covering her with the insides of the egg.
"Ow!" she cried.
"Awesome!" both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon said.
The impact from the egg cracked both the lenses on Twist's glasses. A tear fell from the egg covered filly's eye.
"You guyth are jerkth!" Twist said and then closed her window shut. The two fillies just outside the house fell onto the ground laughing their flanks off.
"Did...did...did you hear her?" Silver Spoon said. "Pleasthhhhh thhhhhhtop!"
"I...I can't...breath." Diamond Tiara said laughing hysterically on her back.
After laughing like wild hyenas the two fillies continued to throw eggs at Twist's house. They hit the front door twice, Twist's window another three times, two other windows (one egg each), and three at the walls.
Once they ran out of eggs the two friends departed and walked back to their homes.
The entire house was silent. Even the chirping of the crickets were able to penetrate the house's walls. It was perfect.
Diamond Tiara lay asleep in her comfortable queen sized bed, dreaming about her mother. This was the fifth time in a row she's dreamed about her, but she wasn't complaining. She missed her mother and being able to see her face, even in a dream, made her happy.
The sound of a door closing woke Diamond Tiara. She sat up and quietly listened. There was a faint sound of hoofsteps walking downstairs. Someone was in the house. Maybe it was her dad. Maybe he forgot something and had to make a trip back to get it.
The filly got up out of her bed and walked over to the window and looked down at the road outside he house. There was no carriage parked outside or anything.
Maybe he walked here.
Yeah, right. The train station is two miles away and her father never trotted more than two blocks to get anywhere. And not to mention it's two in the morning. Tiara looked up at the moon and just stared.
CLASH!
The sound of shattering class echoed through out the house.
Diamond Tiara nearly jumped out of her skin. Someone was in the house and it wasn't her dad. She walked over to the door and slowly opened it. There were no more noises, but she knew the intruders were still here.
The pink filly quietly made her way down the hall and down the stairs, taking each step with caution.
Somepony downstairs giggled, causing Diamond Tiara to freeze in fright. Her heart race and sweat moistened her forehead. After about a minute the laughing silenced and Tiara was able to regain control. She finally reached the first floor of her house. The journey down the stairs had felt like a long one, but she finally made it.
She stood by the front door, listening.
Nothing. There was no noise other than her own breathing. Tiara moved into the kitched, stepping on a shard of glass.
"AH, SHIT!" she cried out. She looked down at her hoof and saw blood beginning to drip from her hoof to the floor. A shard of glass was stuck deep inside her hoof, blood gushing out from around the shard. Diamond Tiara sat down on a clear spot on the ground. She breathed heavily as she prepared to enter a world of pain.
The filly bend down, her hoof in her face, and bit down on the shard that stuck out of her hoof. She took in a deep breath and yanked the shard out of her hoof. The pain was intense. Diamond Tiara let out an ear piercing scream which would have awoken her dad and Maiden if they were still here.
Tears ran down the filly's face as pain grew in her body and blood flowed out of it. She quickly reached for a rag, which hung just off the counter, and tied it around her bleeding hoof.
Tiara took a moment for the pain to settle down before getting back up. But the moment she did someone or something began talking from with in the darkness.
"Haha, what a klutz."
"Yeah, dumb bitch can' even watch where she's goin'."
These voices sounded familiar. Very familiar. Diamond Tiara tried to think who the voices belonged to, but it was very hard to think from the large amount of blood loss. She felt weak and fell down back to the floor.
"Show yourselves, you bastards!" Diamond Tiara shouted.
"Ooh, I'm so scared. Please don't hurt me." one of the voices said sarcastically and then all three voices burst out in laughter.
"Like she can even fight."
"She'd probably jus' bleed on you."
Diamond Tiara started crying again, except this time it was from heartache.
"Why don't you go cry to your mommy? Oh wait, that's right. Your mother's dead."
"Your mother's dead! Your mother's dead!" the three mysterious voices chanted. Diamond Tiara struggled back up onto her hooves and made her way upstairs as fast as she could, but the farther away she got from the kitchen the louder the chanting got.
The pink filly ran into her room and slammed the door behind her. She locked the door and jumped onto her bed, weeping. The voices echoing in her head like a broken record.
Your mother's dead! Your mother's dead!