My name is Diamond Tiara. If you don’t know who I am just from that, I feel sorry for you, for you were clearly raised in a barn. No, wait, even that chubby Apple Balloon knows who I am. So basically, everypony knows who I am.

For your benefit, though, since you seem kinda slow, I’m an Earth Pony filly who lives in Ponyville. Don’t let my race or my hometown fool you into believing I’m the kind of uncouth country bumpkin that Apple Balloon is, though. I may only be nine years old, but I am as graceful and as dignified as Ms. Fleur de Lis.

I may not have my Cutie Mark yet, but I am sure it’s just around the corner now. After all, this is the age where ponies start to discover their special talents. Silver Spoon discovered her talent in silver crafting recently, and her cute-ceañera was great! Mine will top it, of course. And my special talent is bound to be something amazing. Something distinctive. Something classy, something beautiful, something-

… What is she doing now? That stupid filly, Alula, is she… She is! She’s just staring off into space, again! Ugh! Why does she keep insisting on hanging around us all the time? And why do I even let her? She looks so stupid when she spaces out like that, and that makes us look stupid!

“Alula?”

“Yes?!”

AGH! And that’s another thing! Why does she keep reacting like that whenever I call her name?! Whatever, I got her attention now, at least. “Can you pass me the zigzag scissors?” It’s not like I’m trying to help her focus or anything. I really do need those scissors. These curvy ones simply won’t do!

“Uh, sure…” As she looks around for them, I do the same. Oh. They’re by Silver Spoon… Whatever, Silver Spoon’s busy, so naturally I’m not going to bother her for them.

Alula is such a weird filly. Ever since that day one year ago, I haven’t been able to get her off my back. Sometimes literally. That filly is way too huggy for my liking, but she’s also got a strong grip.

One year ago… One Sunday afternoon, Silver Spoon and I decided to meet up at our usual place, behind the schoolhouse. There’s no special reason for that, it’s just a memorable location that nopony else ever goes to. Or so I thought.

As I got there, I saw a group of fillies crowded around an area. From their looks and their dialect, I could easily deduce that they were from Manehatten. I had no interest in them, so I was about to walk away, until I heard the cries of a filly, begging them to stop. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that they were crowding some unfortunate filly and giving her a rough time.

Naturally, I had no intention of getting dragged into such a thing. I saw an adult on my way there, so I was about to go and get him to help the filly, but then a thought passed through my mind. What if this filly was Silver Spoon? After all, who else would have been behind the schoolhouse, and on the weekend, no less?

There was no way I could leave Silver Spoon all alone with these bullies, so I… did something stupid.

“Hey! Leave her alone, you barbarians!” After that, it all happened so fast. The five fillies surrounded me, and the middle one, their leader, I guess, started to shout words at me that I didn’t understand! I didn’t know what to do at first, I was just so scared, and my vision was becoming blurry from… sweat. I was sweating, that’s all.

The leader got close enough to me that I feared she may slap me across the face at any second… but that also allowed me to identify her. “Wait, I know you,” I said. “Your daddy does business with my daddy.”

“Y-Your dad’s Filthy Rich?!”

Oh, the feeling of joy or relief going through my body then, as I realised I had the upper hoof. It was an experience I’ll never forget. “Y-Yeah!” I shouted, trying to sound more intimidating. I wondered how Apple Balloon would act in this situation… Well, as there were no witnesses, I figured it was fine. “Yeah, that’s right! S-So you best get… yer f-fat flanks outta here, o-or I’ll tell my daddy, and he’ll cut t-ties with your daddy!”

“Y-You can’t!”

“I can, and will!” I had won. I recognised that scared tone in her voice.

“D-Damnit! C’mon, let’s go!”

The five fillies began to walk away. I felt such pride, such elation. But, there was no time to throw myself a party. I had to make sure that Silver Spoon was okay, so I rushed up to her immediately. “Are you okay?!” I asked as I ran up to her, sweat in my eyes. “Please tell me you’re okay! If you’re hurt, I swear I’ll-”
I stopped as I reached her, and took a good look at the filly sitting before me. She was not Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon wasn’t yellow. Silver Spoon didn’t have a purple mane and tail. Silver Spoon wasn’t a Pegasus. The filly’s name escaped me at the time, and I was unable to say anything as I realised I had just freaked out and risked my neck for some random filly I don’t even know that well.

She thanked me silently, and then tried to rise to her hooves. I wasn’t thinking clearly, and just acted on what I thought I should do. That is, I tried to help her keep her balance as she stood up, but ended up losing my own. I fell forward, and ended up pushing her down onto the ground. I think I must have freaked her out, because she ended up running away without a word after that.

I would have gone after her, but I suddenly remembered who she was. Alula, one of the most athletic fillies in our class. There was no way I could have caught up to her, and after giving it some thought, I realised that there was really no reason. I found it strange that an athlete was getting bullied in the first place. Athletic ponies were popular by default, in my experience.

After that, Silver Spoon showed up, and I decided to just put that day’s incident to the back of my mind. The following day, though, Alula approached me whilst I was trying to convince Miss Cheerilee to give me some more time on my homework.

“Um, D-Diamond Tiara?” I turned to her, and I immediately remembered yesterday. I was afraid she was going to tell Miss Cheerilee that I pushed her over, and I started to panic. “Um, th-th-th-thank you for helping me y-yesterday.”

It seemed she realised I hadn’t pushed her down intentionally yesterday, which was good.

“Oh?” Miss Cheerilee asked. “What’s this about?”

It then hit me. This was my chance to get some good points with Miss Cheerilee, and maybe an excuse on why I hadn’t done my homework! At the very least, she might feel sympathy for me, and give me a few more days. I grabbed Alula’s hoof. I had to make it convincing. “Alula here was being bullied yesterday, and I helped her out!”

“You did?” Miss Cheerilee asked. “Well, that was certainly very nice of you, Diamond Tiara, but, I hope you didn’t do anything rash.”

“Of course not! Just let them know that nopony picks on my friend!”

And then Alula passed out. Since I was her ‘friend’, Miss Cheerilee asked me to wait in the nurse’s office with her until she woke up. So basically, I got an extension on my homework, and I got to take the first two lessons off. All-in-all, a good day!

When Alula woke up, she mumbled some incoherent stuff for a bit. I just nodded and pretended that I was listening. The only thing I was able to make out was ‘so happy’. She was happy? What, about me calling her my friend? Did she really not have any others, despite being such a good athlete? What a strange pony, I thought… and I would realise later, that she was more than strange.

She’s always spacing out. She’s always tripping over her words. She’s always grabbing onto me. She’s always backing me up when I don’t ask her to. She’s always offering to let me copy her notes. And she’s always trying to hang out with me and Silver Spoon!

At first, I thought it was amusing. But it quickly just became annoying, and I was about to tell her as much, until she started to bring cupcakes into school every Wednesday, and shared them with me and Silver Spoon.

Obviously, that wasn’t why we kept her around. We could get cupcakes whenever we wanted to. But… she had other uses, I guess. Like, reaching high places. Even if she couldn’t fly yet, she could jump pretty high and gain some lift with her wings, and she could hover in place for a bit. She was also good for running errands for us, like passing notes back-and-forth. And her house was a good place to hang out sometimes, too. I have to admit, her mum makes the best baked goods in the whole town.

“Uh, Di?” One thing I wish would stop, though, is that stupid nickname she’s given me. But, no matter how many times I glare at her, she just doesn’t seem to get the message. “I-I was wondering, d’you wanna, maybe come round mine after school today? M-My mum baked a cake yesterday, and you’re welcome to have some…”

Well, speak of the devil! I have nothing else planned today, so I guess I can visit her house for a bit… providing Silver Spoon does. I’m not going there alone. “Sure. Silver, you up for it?” I ask her as she tries to get a piece of paper she glued to her hoof off of her. She stops for a moment to nod. “So, we’ll meet at the usual place?”

“Yep!” She seems so happy… I guess she really doesn’t have any other friends. But, that still doesn’t mean she should be hanging off of me every other second. Even Silver Spoon isn’t that clingy! She starts to look around for something. Should I ask her what she’s looking for?

My name is Alula. I’m nine years old, a Pegasus, and I live in Ponyville. My Cutie Mark is a single white feather. It represents my special talent of high jumping (mommy told me it’s a roc’s feather, whatever that means), although I’m actually quite good at acrobatics in general. The high jump is just my speciality. I’ve even attended sport events outside of Ponyville, entered into the high jump competitions, and have ranked third, second, and even first one time, a few months ago.

At that time, I was asked by a teacher from the Cloudsdale Flight Academy if I wanted to change schools, and hone my acrobatic skills up in Cloudsdale. One year ago, this would have been a dream come true for me, and I would have said ‘yes’ without a second thought. That was then, though. Now, however, I have a reason to stay in Ponyville. Despite all the things that Cloudsdale can offer me, there’s one thing that it cannot.

My fillyfriend. The most amazing fillyfriend in the entire world. Her name is Diamond Tiara. Heh, even just thinking her name makes me sigh and feel all spacey. She’s one of the two rich fillies at our school, and no, that’s not why I like her! It happened a year ago…

I received a letter that told me to wait behind the schoolhouse on a Sunday afternoon. A very strange time to be at the schoolhouse to be sure, but I realised from the language used on the letter, with words such as ‘dis’ instead of ‘this’, and ‘yo’ instead of ‘you’, that it was probably sent by those Manehatten fillies that were in town for an athletic event. Naturally, I was in the high jump, so I guessed that these fillies just wanted to make friends with me, and they used an easy-to-find location such as the schoolhouse.

I was wrong. When I got there, I was alone for a bit. Then, before I knew what was happening, I was surrounded all sides by five bigger, mean-looking fillies. They were all the same age, but they looked much older, and they were so intimidating. They started to use words I didn’t understand, and told me to back out of the high jump event. I didn’t know what to say or do, so I didn’t respond, and then one of them pushed me.

That was when I got really scared. This never happens in Ponyville. Sure, there are mean ponies. Diamond Tiara is one of them. And her friend Silver Spoon. But, meanness in Ponyville never goes beyond simple name-calling and maybe an over-the-top prank. It certainly doesn’t ever get physical.

The others started to join in, and I was soon down in the mud, crying and begging them to stop. They told me to back out of the high jump, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t have my Cutie Mark for it yet, but I enjoyed it! I didn’t want to back out of it. Mommy said not to let other ponies scare you into doing something you don’t want to do, but, at that point, I was so scared, I just wanted it all to end.

“Hey!” came a voice that sounded like an angel’s. “Stop that! Get your filthy city hooves off of her, you delinquents!”

I looked up to see the five Manehatten fillies now crowding a pink filly. I recognised her as that rich filly from my class, who liked to pick on that yellow farm filly. She was a bit of a pain the first few days I knew her, but after a while, you just get used to it. In fact, the arguments she and that other filly get into were kinda funny… I think, at the time, I already had a little crush on her, but I’m not quite sure.

The five ponies backed off from Diamond Tiara, looking terrified, and then ran for their lives. I don’t understand how, but she… she saved me.

“Are you okay?” she asked as she rushed up to me. There were tears in her eyes, and deep concern in her voice. “Please tell me you’re okay! If you’re hurt, I swear I’ll-” She stopped as she reached me, and stared at me. And I stared right back at her. That was the moment it happened. We got lost in each other’s gazes, and neither of us could say a word. She blushed, and I suddenly realised how cute she was. I never noticed such a thing before, or even considered it.

I decided that I should thank her, and maybe ask why she had helped me. “Um, th-thank you,” I said weakly, climbing up to my hooves. Then, she did something else I never could have seen coming. She leaned in close to me, and planted a gentle kiss on my cheek. At first, I was so freaked out that I ran away.

When I got home, I told my mum that I had simply tripped and fell in the mud. She believed me, considering it was a common occurrence for me. I took a quick shower, and went straight to my room to sleep the day away. As I lay there on my bed, I thought about Diamond Tiara. How she had rescued me, and how concerned she was for my safety, and how she had k… kissed me…

Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep that night. I was kept wide awake by thoughts of her. The more I thought about her, the more I realised how pretty she was when you stopped to take a good look at her. And how cool she was whenever she talked to her friends. And how witty she was in her arguments with Apple Bloom. And… how caring she was, that she would help a filly she didn’t even know that well, and then be in tears as she checked to see if they were hurt.

My thoughts lingered back to that kiss, and before I knew it, I started to wonder what would have happened if I had stayed. Is this what my sister warned me about? About ponies suddenly confessing their love for me? Was Diamond Tiara… confessing to me? She must have been. Why else would she suddenly kiss me like that?

I imagined myself in a romantic situation with her. The kind I’d seen on my mum’s sappy love-drama. It was nice.

Any uncertainties were erased the following day, when I approached Diamond Tiara in class to properly thank her for yesterday, and to apologise for suddenly running off.

“Um, D-Diamond Tiara?” she turned to face me, and she was blushing once again. SO. CUTE! “Um, th-th-th-thank you for helping me y-yesterday…”

“Oh?” Miss Cheerilee asked. I didn’t even notice her standing there. “What’s this about?”

We were all silent for a bit, before Diamond Tiara stood up, and grabbed my hoof. She smiled as she faced me, and then Miss Cheerilee. “Alula here was being bullied yesterday, and I helped her out!”

“You did?” Miss Cheerilee asked. She looked to me for confirmation, and I simply nodded my head. “Well, that was certainly very nice of you, Diamond Tiara, but, I hope you didn’t do anything rash.”

“Of course not! Just let them know that nopony picks on my fillyfriend!”

I think it was at that point that I fainted. It could have been from the shock of hearing what I had just heard, or maybe it was from the lack of sleep last night, but either way… I had the best dream I had had in a long time.

Back in the present, though! So, right now, I’m working with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon on creating decorations for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration. The Princess herself will be visiting Ponyville, so they have to be perfect! Silver Spoon also has her Cutie Mark now, but Diamond Tiara doesn’t yet… Ah! Not that that makes her any less special, though!

On the contrary! Even without her Cutie Mark, she’s the most special pony in this room, and her flank is still the best- … Wow, that did not come out right! Ugh! Stupid, embarrassing thoughts!

“Alula?” Diamond Tiara asks.

“Yes?!” AGH! Why do I keep reacting like that! Play it cool, Alula! You’re looking like an idiot in front of your fillyfriend… and her tagalong.

“Can you pass me the zigzag scissors?”

“Uh, sure…” Wait, the zigzag scissors? But, they’re by Silver Spoon, aren’t they? Oh, I see. She wants me to get them… I’m so happy! I grab the scissors, and pass them to her. She thanks me silently, almost looking uninterested. Aah, she’s so cool when she acts like that! She sends my heart aflutter, she really does.

“Can you pass me the glue, please?” Silver Spoon asks.

“Here.” I pass her what I believe is the glue. I’m not really paying attention; I’m too busy watching Diamond Tiara cut that paper into… hearts? No, gemstones? Whatever they are, they’re the best them in the class, that’s for sure. “Uh, Di?” She gives me a glare. Or, what looks like a glare. What ponies don’t realise, though, is that that’s just her way of showing me affection, whilst keeping up her cool personage. She’s just adorable like that. “I-I was wondering, d’you wanna, maybe come round mine after school today? M-My mum baked a cake yesterday, and you’re welcome to have some…”

She smiles and nods her head. “Sure. Silver, you up for it?” Aw, dang it! She’s inviting Silver Spoon along, too! Don’t get me wrong, she’s a nice filly and all. But, lately, it feels like I can never get any alone time with Diamond! … No, don’t be selfish, Alula. Those two have been best friends since way back when. If I start to hog Diamond Tiara all to myself, then Silver Spoon will start to get all jealous. Diamond Tiara’s just being a good, considerate friend, that’s all.

And, I can hardly fault Silver Spoon for being like that. Some fillies just need to cling to their friends, that’s all. Poor Silver Spoon… I’ll make sure to give her a generous portion of cake later today. Hopefully, she’ll see that I’m not trying to steal Diamond away from her.

“So, we’ll meet at the usual place?” Diamond Tiara asks. The ‘usual place’ of course being behind the schoolhouse… the place where it all began. That place holds a special place in both of our hearts.

“Yep!” I answer. Miss Cheerilee comes by to inspect our work, so I decide I’d better get back to gluing… Hey! Where’d the glue go?!

“Oh! I just remembered!” Alula suddenly shouts, causing me to almost drop the scissors and paper that I was holding.

“What?” She turns around, and reaches for her saddlebag behind her. She pulls something out of it, and then turns back to me, and offers a small piece of plastic to me. There’s some writing engraved on it. “… What is it?”

“It’s a good luck charm!” she says in that same, cheerful tone she always uses. “My mum gave it to me, to help me get my Cutie Mark. But, since I already have it, I wanted to give it to you.” She blushes, again. She’s so shy, for such a loud filly. “I know your Cutie Mark is gonna be something amazing… and, I want to help you find it soon, but my mum said that Cutie Marks are something you earn yourself. So, I thought, at the very least…”

She starts to trail off, as usual. Still, this is… I take the ‘good luck charm’, I guess it is, and look at it for a bit. “… Thanks.” Well, I guess she isn’t so bad.

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Blue_Paladin42 for pre-reading and helping me out