I can't break...

I can't break... Stars flashed in Diamond's view as a force knocked her down. I won't break... Tears swam in Diamond's eyes as she was pressed to the ground. A cracking sound ripped through Diamond's mind as she felt the searing pain. Mentally, I won't break... Another crack as glass shattered and fell around her form. I'm sorry I lost... I deserve this... A hot burn as her back legs were stepped on and snapped forcefully. I'm sorry mom..!

A scream ripped from Diamond's throat as she was picked up and thrown against the wall. "I'm sorry, mom..! Please don't! I'm so sorry..!" Her mother came toward her with hatred in her eyes. "You aren't breaking, are you sweetheart?" The older mare growled. "You know how I hate that! First your father, then you. But I can fix your attitude..." Spoiled Rich picked up the whip that Diamond knew all too well. "N-no mom, please! It wasn't my fault! It was the crusaders that..!" A whistling sound snapped through the air, followed by a sharp smacking sound and a sting. A trickle of blood ran down Diamond's flank. "Your father is a lazy good for nothing who loses half of my money to help other ponies! It's the stupidest thing I've ever seen! You better not end up like him, do you hear me? You will NOT break!" Spoiled's eyes narrowed as she swiped the whip at her weeping daughter again. "Mom... Please... I love you..." Diamond was replied to with a whip handle hitting her right eye.

She tried to crawl away, to get away from this harrowing punishment, but her broken legs shot searing pain through her body. Not for the first time, Diamond was afraid of the person she loved the most. "Mommy, please... I'll try to get better... I promise..." Multiple crystalline drops were falling from the filly's lashes, as she feebly squirmed. Every detail of this was etching into her mind, a hard reminder that she should've been tougher, unbreakable even. She should've been a Diamond, but she acted like a shatterable piece of glass.

She felt her mother's affection with every whistling whip that was laid upon her... That's how Spoiled showed affection, right? She showed ice cold, burning affection that Diamond couldn't forget because Spoiled wants her to have a good life, to be above everyone else. Her mom deserved nothing less. But why couldn't Diamond hold back her whimpers as the whip cracked again and again? She was being selfish. Her mom deserved this, and Diamond needed to not break. It was better for everyone if she loved her mother back just as much. She could get through this for her mom, who loved her like no other.

Warmth from understanding her mother's love spread throughout Diamond's body, just as the bruises were spread over her skin. The pierce of a piece of glass under her chin brought her attention to the crimson color of her blood that was spread around her in splatters spread from the whip. Red was the color of love too right? Mom loves me so much that she can't stand to see me ruin my life... Diamond zoned out as her vision got darker. Roses are red too, and the love was shown through them between every pair of special someponies... The sharp cracks of the whip got duller, and the pierce of the sting got less pronounced.

Diamond studied the splatters on the floor until the cracking whip ceased. Diamond faintly heard her mother trotting away, probably to get ready for another social event. She heard her door lock from the outside, and whimpered because of the cold seeping into her bones from the gashes all along her body, and from the tiled floor beneath her withered form. She moved her head slightly to make it more comfortable, but gasped as a sharp pain shot through her neck. "Mommy," she whispered, "thank you, but I wish I was on my bed..." She knew better than to complain to her mother though. She had just tried so hard to instill good sense into her daughter, that maybe this was another reminder to be cold as ice... And as strong as a diamond...

Two hours passed, and Diamond's gashes were scabbed over enough for her to feel better about not losing blood. The red love blood... She's just making me strong. I need to be strong so that I could become great one day... She's polishing me and chipping away at the rough bits so that I'll shine! Diamond pulled herself to the bed, and pulled with her front legs to get up. She saw colors flash painfully as she popped some of the scabs loose and pushed her broken back leg bones around. Blood trickled in a stream down her back and onto her bed-sheets as another scab popped open. I hope mom isn't too mad about the blood on my bed... I'll have to apologize...

Four more hours passed, and Diamond got no sleep as she felt the small trickle of blood finally ebb away. She shivered, missing the comforting warmth of the stream, and stretched her back to painfully pop another scab loose so that she could be warm again and have something to focus on as time slowly ticked by. Tears filled her eyes. She knew her mother wouldn't approve. She was showing her weakness by needing comfort from the warmth from the blood. She wasn't being like a Diamond. But Diamond needed something in the lack of presence of her loving mother. I hope she comes home soon... She could see how strong I am! But she knew she wasn't being strong. She was focusing on the love blood rather than feeling hatred for the ponies who brought it upon her, as her mother wanted. She was feeling hatred toward herself for not being a good girl and hating them.

Seven hours later, Diamond heard hoofsteps down the hall. She pulled a cover over her scabs just as Silver Spoon walked in. "Diamond, are you okay? Your mom told everypony that you were sick, and that's why you wouldn't be at school for a while!" Diamond smiled to herself. Her mom really was taking care of her and covering for her, so nopony would know how terrible of a daughter she was. "I'm okay, Silver. I'm just feeling a bit sick, you know? Probably caught something from one of those blank flanks at the school." Diamond sniffed arrogantly. "Blank flanks are the carriers of diseases of the mind anyway. That's what my mom says." Silver Spoon blinked, knowing that something was up, but she shrugged instead of pushing it. "Alright, but if something's wrong, you can come to me, okay Diamond?" Diamond's face hardened. "I'm fine! Nothing can break a Diamond after all."

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