dumb rich pony

Diamond Tiara wasn't crying about her mother, she wasn't, and she certainly didn't mean for Apple Bloom to find her adamantly not crying about her.

Even though it had been some time since her mother had written her off as no better than those 'blank flanks' --despite the Cutie Mark Crusaders having received their marks years ago.  It still stung.  Diamond Tiara simply wanted her mother's approval, and for her to see the beauty in all ponies, cutie marks or not.  But as years went on Spoiled Rich steadily stopped listening to her daughters pointless ramblings, and had finally deigned it on herself to cut off connection from the waste of a daughter that would surely only drag down her already delicate reputation amongst the equestrian nobles.

Diamond Tiara, despite the tears running down her face, was not crying about it.  She wouldn't, she couldn't, let her mother's harsh words get to her.  And she was in the midst of rubbing at her puffy eyes and debating throwing away that stupid stupid tiara she's kept for so many years when she heard a familiar voice ask her name.

"Diamond Tiara?"  Apple Bloom asked tentatively, hearing the rushed sniffles and watching as Diamond rubbed at her face with shaky hooves.

"Di, you okay?"  Apple questioned as she neared the crying pony, worry bubbling quick and fast in her chest.  Though they didn't talk much --once or twice a week, tops, friendly but distant--, Apple Bloom still felt a strange sort of protectiveness over the pony ever since that election all that time ago in the school yard.  It was Apple Bloom and her friends who put Diamond Tiara on this path, and it was on her shoulders when strife hit the poor pony.

"Yes," Diamond said fast, but only the 'yeh' made it out, the ending bit lost to a cracked voice and she immediately shushed herself, embarrassment and shame burning tight in her.  She shouldn't be letting this get to her, should've seen it coming, and Apple Bloom already had so much on her plate --running the Crusaders, helping all the other lost mares and stallions out there, she didn't need to be dealing with Diamond's personal life.

Yet Apple Bloom was storming fast towards her, trying to get a good look at Diamond's face but the pony kept hiding beneath curled bangs, mouth pursed and face flushed by her tears and shame.

"Have you been cryin'?"  Apple asked, and Diamond stayed quiet, ready to deny and let Apple Bloom on her way.  Stay out of it, not your business, it's not your problem; all things she wanted to say.  But then;

"Was it your mother?"

And then Diamond Tiara broke down.

"She- She, Apple, she told me-" she couldn't speak for a moment, choking on her breath and words and Apple gave her such a pitying stare that Diamond scrunched her eyes shut, unable to look at the pony.  She should shut up now, just stop the stream before it became a river and overflowed but the words suddenly spilled out.  Her voice was cracked and depressing to her own ears to hear but she couldn't stop; telling of her mother's harsh rejection, of how her dad simply stood by with uncaring eyes, about how useless she was.  She was a failure to her cutie mark and her mother and to everything any pony ever thought of her.

"I'm a failure, I couldn't even ch-change my mother's mind-"

"Will you shut yer' trap?"  Apple said as softly --and as sternly-- as she could, yellow hooves coming up to Diamond's cheeks and forcing the shattered pony to look at her.  Diamond tried to look away but Apple's fierce eye's compelled her, and she stared wide eyed at the pony.

"You're not a failure," Apple shook her head minutely with it, leaning close and Diamond shook with her harsh breath.

"But I-"

"But nothing, you did yer' best and some ponies minds will never change."  Apple Bloom sounded so sure, but Diamond Tiara wasn't.  Apple, as if sensing this, squished their faces close, muzzles only a breaths width apart as if being closer would make her statement any more convincing.

"You're perfect, Di, and if your mom's willing to give ya' up fer' some stupid rank in society, well, then buck her."  

"It's not just some rank, Apple."  Diamond tried miserably.

"In the end, it's just a fancy title."  And that part was true, Diamond just didn't want to see it.

"Look, Diamond, even if at times you're loud and pushy, or sometimes brutally honest."

Diamond Tiara didn't know where Apple was going with this and looked confused, if not slightly hurt.  Apple pushed on.

"But, you're only always trying to help, and you're generous and kind though you try to hide it, and you're so gosh danged pretty it hurts."  Apple admitted, and everything she said was the truth, her voice filled only with conviction and Diamond looked to her hooves with a newfound blush.

"Forgot about yer' mom, she doesn't deserve to break that perfect smile yer' so fond of."  At that Diamond tried to laugh, but it came out kind of sad and choked and Apple gave a gentle smile, pressing their foreheads close and Diamond's breath hitched at that.  She lifted a hoof up to touch at Apple's arm, looking for something else to think on except her mother's rejection and the sudden humming bird thrum of her heart.

"You think I'm pretty?"

"Shut up."

Diamond shut up.

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in which i like to imagine when they become adults spoiled rich decides to ditch her daughter to save her name and apple comforts diamond through the rejection.

more like i was suddenly smashed with feels for the ship and i had to drabble this down with shitty art to compensate