Diamond Rose Chapter Expansion · 3:34pm Jul 9th, 2022
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1032950
It begins...
If it seems like it's been a while since the last chapter update, that's because it has been. But that's not to say I haven't been working on the story. You may recall when I posted Sunny Rays' chapter, I also posted an expansion of Honeybuzz's chapter and noted that I would be expanding most of the earlier chapters.
I'm still working on this (as well as the next chapter, Sweetie Swirl), but the good news is I've embiggened five of the earlier chapters of 16. You have the option of going back and rereading each of the chapters individually, but I'm posting the newly added scenes in separate blog posts for each of the characters. There's too much to do a single blog post. Way too much. Diamond Rose, Feathermay, and Flitterheart have all had more than 5,000 words added to their respective chapters.
This is completely optional reading. No major plot points are revealed in any of these scenes. No retcons!
Much like when I was posting the character interviews, I'll space these out every few days so as not to overwhelm everyone at once. If you want to rush out and read them, you can go back and reread these chapters - the additional content is already there. For some of these chapters, it's been there for two months, while the most recent addition was added last night. So if you've recently read through the story, you might be left wondering what's new.
Chapter status:
Cherry Pie: No recent changes; will be expanded
Daisy Dreams: No recent changes; will be expanded
Dewdrop Dazzle: No recent changes; will be expanded
Diamond Rose: You're here
Feathermay: Expanded, blog post coming soon
Flitterheart: Expanded, blog post coming soon
Honeybuzz: Updated in February; more to come
Lily Blossom: Currently in progress
Lulu Luck: No recent changes; will be expanded
Ploomette: No expansions planned
Plumsweet: Expanded, blog post coming soon
Rainbow Flash: Expanded, blog post coming soon
Snowcatcher: No expansions planned
Starbeam Twinkle: No expansions planned
Sunny Rays: No expansions planned
Sweetie Swirl: Still unposted
Source: https://www.deviantart.com/appledrug/art/Diamond-Rose-514839421
Without further ado, the new additions to Diamond Rose's chapter! We get an extra racing scene in Baytona Beach and a greatly expanded scene of Diamond Rose & Lily Blossom traveling to Earth.
Baytona Beach: seven years, ten months, and eight days ago
I’d gone from being a casual fan of the Wonderbolts after my first Baytona 500 to being a rabid one. Two years prior, Surprise had finally crossed the Baytona 500 off her list of races she’d won, finally completing a career grand slam of the four major races: Cloudsdale, Baytona, Indianeighpolis, and Canterlot. In an emotional victory speech, she announced her retirement, effective immediately. As with everything concerning Surprise, it came as a shock to those of us listening. She’d obtained all her goals in racing and wanted to go out on top. She’d since gone on to start a family with her husband.
It had been a momentous occasion, and being there for it had no doubt cemented racing’s place in my life. But as special as the Baytona 500 was, my personal favorite was the up-and-comers race, the Newbie Clash. Most of the racers were friendlier than the veterans, not having had years of interacting with fans dull them to the experience. They still remembered when they were just star struck foals with the hope of joining their idols one day, even now that they were living that dream. Mostly though, I liked the Newbie Clash best because there were fewer demands on the cadets’ time, so it was easier to chat with them at the pre-race meet & greet.
As previously, one of the racers was attracting more attention than the others, so I started on the other end of the table they were all sitting at. A cream mare with a giant red bow in her hair enthusiastically greeted me.
“Hiyas!”
“Hi!”
“I’m Angel Wings. And you are?”
“Diamond Rose.”
“Nice to meet you!” She stamped her hoof on a photo of herself and gave it to me. I stashed it in a scrapbook I’d brought with me for the occasion – this might be the only time any of the cadets I’d meet today would be here. The Wonderbolts were exclusive and there were always more recruits than open positions.
“That bow has to hamper your aerodynamics.”
“About three tenths of a second each lap on the Wonderbolts course. Probably more than that here.” She scraped a hoof on the floor. “I might take it off for the race.”
I almost walked past the next cadet. He was barely tall enough to see over the table. “Oh wow! You must be a really good flyer if you’re trying out for the Wonderbolts at your age.”
“I’m twenty years old, stupid! I’m a fully-grown stallion!” I walked past the foul-tempered ‘adult’ and moved on to the next pony in line. “Hey! Don’t you want my autograph?”
“Maybe when you grow up.”
“I’m an adult!”
“Not what I meant.” I flicked my tail and addressed the next mare, Hyacinth Dawn. “Hi there!”
“Well howdy, miss. Don’t mind Short Fuse. He’s all bluster, but he’s not a bad colt. I mean stallion. He’s not a bad stallion.” Short Fuse screamed in frustration and Hyacinth winked at me. “It’s so easy to get his goat.”
“Seems like that would be a big disadvantage on race day.”
“I am literally still right here listening to you!”
We continued ignoring him, talking about him in front of his face. “He tried to buck the caterer because his sandwich had tomatoes in it. I think his legs almost made it up to the mare’s hocks.”
Short Fuse stomped off and we giggled at his antics. If I felt my collection absolutely needed his signature, I was confident my father could acquire it at a later date, but honestly I felt he was rather forgettable.
Rolling Thunder was the next mare, and she had the cocky attitude I expected from Wonderbolt hopefuls. She wasn’t shy like Angel Wings or angry like Short Fuse. She exuded confidence as she stamped a hoof onto her photo. “You’re quite the pretty little filly.” She kissed my cheek. “Look me up when you’re older.”
“Why?”
“You’ll figure it out.” She wiggled her eyebrows for some reason.
Eventually I reached the end of the table, where a mare and stallion sat next to each other. Vapor Trail didn’t attract much attention, but the stallion sitting next to her was the talk of the room. Sky Stinger was heavily favored to win, and he was soaking up the attention like the ponies on the nearby beach were soaking up the sun. I found him to be about as abrasive as the sand on that beach. Even Vapor Trail was making googly eyes at him.
I didn’t see what all the fuss was about, and he certainly wasn’t handsome enough to catch my eye. Maybe Vapor just has low standards. I cleared my throat and Vapor finally turned to acknowledge I was waiting for her. “You know, if you want his autograph that bad, we can switch places. You can wait in line and I’ll sign pictures.”
She blushed. “I’m sorry. It’s just Sky Stinger’s really special.”
“If you say so.”
“Just watch him in the race later! He’s going to win going away!”
“I’ve only been coming here for a few years, but shouldn’t you be bragging about how you’re going to win?”
“I, um, that is to say… that would be nice, but I’m a realist. I know when I’m outclassed.”
“Then he’s already beat you. Daddy says racing is almost as much mental as it is physical. If you think he’s better than you, he’s going to be better than you.”
“I’m okay with that.”
I rolled my eyes. I looked at the line for Sky Stinger and decided I’d rather hit the track’s upscale restaurant than wait around. Suffice it to say I wasn’t overly impressed with the year’s crop of rookies. Hyacinth Dawn was my favorite of the bunch. Unlike the rookies, the restaurant didn’t disappoint with their selections. I’d decided to be more adventurous and try something I’d never had before, Quiche au Camelbert.
By the time we were done eating, it was nearly race time. Daddy and I took seats as close to the window as possible, while Mom just relaxed in the opulent luxury of the skybox.
Much to my glee, Hyacinth Dawn had the pole position as they took the green flag, with Hippity Hop alongside, followed by Rolling Thunder, Loosey-Goosey, Sky Stinger, Twirlerina, Angel Wings, Daisy May, Short Fuse, Windy Wisp, Vapor Trail, and Mountain Haze bringing up the rear.
Sky Stinger dropped to the back at the start, allowing Vapor Trail to fall in line behind him. Slipstreaming together, they steadily moved their way forward in the field, taking the lead on lap eight. Rolling Thunder fell into line behind them. Angel Wings and Hyacinth Dawn had managed to catch their draft as they shuffled for position, and the five of them slipstreamed together, extending their advantage over the rest of the field until most of the others gathered in line behind Mountain Haze.
Lap after lap passed, with the ponies staying nose to tail. Watching through binoculars, I could plainly see Vapor Trail shifting her wings to give Sky Stinger periodic boosts. She’s not even trying to win. I groaned in frustration.
“What’s wrong, honey?”
“This is how they’re going to finish the race. Vapor doesn’t want to win.”
“Don’t be silly, sweetie. Everypony wants to win.”
“Dad, did you see her at the meet and greet earlier? She’s in love with Sky Stinger, and he’s too in love with himself to notice. She’s just going to keep following him and blocking the others.”
By lap twenty they’d started lapping the ponies who hadn’t lined up in one of the drafts. As they passed Short Fuse, he washed up the track from the turbulence. True to his nature he flipped out, flying off the course and out of the race, screaming and cussing the whole way.
They continued playing follow the leader for another twenty-nine boring laps. Vapor Trail might’ve been content to finish second, but Rolling Thunder definitely wasn’t. Halfway through the final lap, all Tartarus broke out. Rolling Thunder rolled up on Vapor Trail and goosed her. Vapor Trail lost her concentration and broke formation. Rolling Thunder went low to pass her, but Vapor wasn’t having any of that and deliberately crashed into her. They tumbled to the ground and Angel Wings and Hyacinth Dawn flew over them. Still drafting, the duo ganged up on Sky Stinger, blowing past him like he was standing still.
In the infield, Vapor and Rolling Thunder were rolling around on the ground beating the living daylights out of one another. Defeated, Sky Stinger banked and flew back to the fight while Angel Wings crossed the finish line first, ridiculously oversized bow and all, virtually ignored by the audience. Sky tried to break up the fight, pulling Vapor off Rolling Thunder, but then Rolling Thunder kicked him, and suddenly it was two on one.
By the time Mountain Haze’s group caught up to them, it was full pandemonium, and they scattered as they tried to avoid getting drawn into the fight, which had spilled out of the infield and back onto the track. Short Fuse had materialized from somewhere and had joined the fracas, teaming up with Rolling Thunder to make it two on two.
“Wow. That was unexpected.”
“It’s never over until the checkered flag, sweetie. Anything can happen on the last lap.”
“I didn’t think goosing was a legal move.”
“It isn’t. Neither is fighting. It remains to be seen, but I can almost guarantee they’re going to kick Rolling Thunder out of the Wonderbolts, they’ll probably get rid of Short Fuse, and there’s a chance they might get rid of Vapor Trail and Sky Stinger for fighting. It’ll probably depend on if the ‘Bolts consider it justified or not. I’d argue it was, personally. Rolling Thunder cost them a one-two finish.”
I shrugged. “I hate to say it, but Sky Stinger wouldn’t have done well in the 500 without Vapor Trail pushing him. I don’t know how good Angel’s going to do in the big race, but at least she’ll be more entertaining to watch.”
Ponyville: today
“Isn’t this exciting, Lily?” We were sitting at Sugarcube Corner, waiting for our chance to cross the portal to Earth.
“Not really.” Lily stifled a yawn.
“But we’re going to be some of the first ponies on Earth! And we’re eating breakfast at Sugarcube Corner! The heroes of Equestria have eaten here.”
“One of them even worked here.” The waitress had materialized out of nowhere. “Pinkie Pie was my babysitter. You know, when she wasn’t saving the world time after time with her friends. I’m Pumpkin Cake, what can I do you for?”
“A cup of tea and scones, please.”
“She likes her tea equal parts tea, milk, and sugar,” Lily helpfully added.
“And for you, miss?” Pumpkin turned to Lily.
“You’re way too chipper for this hour. I guess I’ll have a coffee.”
“Milk, sugar, or as black as your shriveled-up heart?” the unicorn asked with a wink.
“I’m not a morning pony,” Lily growled. “I don’t care what it is, just bring me something with lots of caffeine in it.”
“You got it, hon.” Pumpkin Cake roller skated back toward the kitchen to place our orders.
Once she was out of earshot I scolded Lily. “Take it easy on her, she’s just a filly.”
“She’s a teenager, only a few years younger than us. Stars, I hope I wasn’t that annoying when I was her age.”
“Trust me, you were.” I wasn’t though, I was a good filly.
She banged her head on the table. “It’s too early to be dealing with you or her, and I’m stuck with you. She’s optional. It was your idea to get breakfast. What’s with you? I’m not used to you getting up before noon. When we went to bed last night I thought I was going to have to drag you out of bed this morning to get to the portal on time. Instead you get me up two hours early.”
“I couldn’t sleep. I was too excited! And a little nervous.”
“If you’re that nervous, it’s not too late to turn back. All we have to do is return the stipends and we can go home.”
“Nope. My mind’s made up on this, Lily. I’m going to Earth. I’m not twisting your leg. You can go home if you want to. I’ll survive without you.”
Lily laughed so hard I thought she was going to choke.
“Oh! Somepony’s mood has improved!” Pumpkin Cake placed our orders in front of us. She’d also added a doughnut to Lily’s order, and she squirted whipped cream on it in the shape of a smiley face. “Now your doughnut is happy as you are!”
“I didn’t order this.”
“You ordered caffeine, and this is a triple chocolate doughnut. The whipped cream is just because you’re a grumpy meanie-pants and I can’t take you seriously if you’re licking whipped cream off your muzzle.”
Lily was blushing bright red. “I’m not really a meanie grumpy-pants, am I?”
Pumpkin shook her head. “No, you’re a grumpy meanie-pants, that’s totally different.”
Lily’s head hit the table again. “I’m going to need more caffeine.”
“Okie dokie lokie!” Pumpkin sashayed back to the kitchen.
“Wasn’t she wearing roller skates earlier?”
I nodded.
“She’s giving me a headache.”
I chuckled. “Logically, that’s probably from all the caffeine…”
“What in the wide world of Equestria…” Lily stared at her breakfast in shock. “The whipped cream eye just winked at me.”
“Don’t be silly, Lily. You’re just imagining things because you’re tired.” She pouted while I ate the last of my scones. She still hadn’t touched her doughnut, and she pushed it across the table to me. “I thought you said this had a smiley face on it?”
“It does.”
I looked at the dessert. It was definitely frowning. I shook my head. “Lily, a smile is when your lips curl up, like this.” I smiled at her to demonstrate the correct facial expression. “This doughnut is a frown. Sorta like your default expression.” Lily’s face twisted in response. “Hmn, no, that’s more of a scowl… Has anypony ever told you that you’re really bad at smiling?”
Lily got up and stomped outside. Poor Lily. She’s always unhappy. I should do something nice for her. I know!
I flagged down Pumpkin and ordered three of Lily’s favorite sandwich – that way she’d have something to eat on the other side, since I’d eaten her breakfast. While I waited for the sandwiches, I looked around the dining area. How many of these ponies are locals, and how many of them are on their way to Earth like me and Lily?
Lily returned, looking calmer than she had when she left. “Aren’t you done yet?”
I shook my head. “You were only gone for a few minutes. Sit down and finish your coffee. You’ll feel better once you wake up.”
She grumbled, but the cool morning air had robbed her eyes of the fire that had been burning inside them. She was no longer on edge, and that in turn made me relax. I know she doesn’t want to do this. Her nerves are shot. Even more than normal.
Pumpkin Cake materialized out of thin air, placing a rose in front of me. “My brother said to deliver this to the cute mare at this table.”
“Your brother thinks I’m cute?” My heartrate increased.
Pumpkin Cake shrugged. “He didn’t specify which one of you, so I’m guessing. Seems like a safe bet.” She stuck her tongue out at Lily.
“Easy there, Diamond, you don’t know what he looks like. For all you know, he may be her younger brother.”
“He is, by about twelve minutes. We’re twins.”
“Sweet Celestia, there’s two of them.” Lily’s head hit the table again.
“Literally.” Pumpkin giggled and pranced off to the next table.
“Diamond, promise me that when we come back from Earth, we’re not eating here.”
“But I like this place. Pumpkin’s got a great sense of humor.”
“Ah, yes, your favorite kind of jokes. She’s making fun of me.”
“To be fair you really are a grumpy meanie-pants, Lily.”
“I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?”
“Nope!”
“Nope!” chorused Pumpkin from the kitchen.
“Let’s get out of here.” Lily’s eyes were on the door.
“I’m just waiting on one thing yet.”
“Not anymore!” Pumpkin once more appeared next to me with my to-go order. “Oh! And take this too.” She grabbed a portrait of a pegasus colt off the wall. “That’s my brother. You should totally take him with you to wherever it is you girls are going.”
He’s adorable. “We’re going to Earth, and they’re not currently letting colts or stallions through the portal.”
“Phooey.”
“Forgive my sister. I’m Pound Cake.” The colt from the photo had joined us – the photo was a few years out of date, and it was obvious the teenager’s voice was in the process of changing. He chuckled nervously. “Pumpkin and I had a fight last week and she’s been trying to get rid of me ever since. Yesterday she tried to get an elderly couple to adopt me. Last Friday, when she was still really angry, she tried convincing a griffin to eat me.”
“I was doing a pretty good job of it, too. I think if we’d had enough barbecue sauce on hoof you’d be nothing but a bad memory right now, bro.”
“You wish, sis.”
“You two should kiss and make up.”
The twins stopped fighting and turned to look at me, absolutely horrified by my suggestion. “Ewwww,” they said in unison.
“Look! You finally agreed on something. Now bump hooves and agree to disagree.”
“Fine.” Pumpkin held a hoof up to her brother.
He bumped the offered hoof. “Friends?”
Pumpkin rolled her eyes. “Don’t push your luck, bro. I’m still mad at you.”
“For how much longer?”
Pumpkin shrugged. “Dunno.” Her tail lashed. “But I promise to stop trying to give you away.”
“It’s a start.” I draped a foreleg over each of them, pulling them into a group hug.
Pumpkin shrugged my leg off and returned to the kitchen. I looked to Pound for an explanation.
The shy colt shuffled in place. “I suggested she tone down her interactions with the customers a teensy bit. She’s trying to be Pinkie Pie, but she isn’t Pinkie Pie.” He ran a hoof through his mane. “She’s costing us business. There are locals who won’t come in anymore.”
“Maybe you should try serving, and let her work in the kitchen,” Lily suggested.
He shook his head. “Pumpkin’s really good at what she does, and she’s way better than I am at waiting. She’s got that part of the job down pat. It’s her customer interactions that need some work.”
“I thought she was really funny.”
“I didn’t.”
Pound looked to both of us in turn. “She’s rather hit or miss. You either really like her, or really loathe her. There’s not much in between.”
We thanked him, and I paid for our meals. We still had plenty of time before the portal was set to open, and I really wanted to explore Ponyville, but Lily was in one of her moods, so instead we trotted into the Everfree Forest to take our place in line.
I had hoped my parents would have been able to see us off, but they had other obligations. Instead it was just Lily and I, and unlike others who were trying to be at the end of the line so they could spend a few last moments with loved ones, we had no qualms about walking right up to where the line was starting to form.
“Diamond Rose?”
I turned at the sound of my name. “Yes?” I asked the yellowish orange mare with a newspaper cutie mark.
“First Scoop with the Equestrian Press. Today’s a very important day in the history of two worlds, as I’m sure you well know. I’m covering the momentous occasion, and my employers have paid a large sum to ensure that the first pony trotting through the portal has a good story. Imagine my surprise seeing Shiny Diamond’s daughter in line. A multi-billionaire heiress going through is bound to make a splash in the headlines. The papers in Canterlot and Manehattan would eat it up, as would the tabloids. Of course, there’s a way to make that even better. How’d you like to go first, Diamond?”
“Sure! As long as Lily here can be the second pony through since we’re traveling together.”
“Oh, does the heiress have a secret lover? This story is getting juicier already!”
“Oh no, no, no, no. Lily Blossom is staff.” It wasn’t a lie, even though it had taken me way too long to realize she was more than just that. She’s my best friend. But the paper doesn’t need to know that. ‘Hoofmaiden’ has such negative connotations associated with it. “She’s my mare-in-waiting.” Much better. “I’m going to see the sights and she’s going to assist me along the way.”
“Beautiful, beautiful.” First Scoop ushered us into a prefab building. “I’m going to ask you some questions while security speaks with your traveling companion. Then you’ll switch places.”
Lily followed a Royal Guard into another room while First Scoop started her interview. She asked many of the same questions the guards had asked me when I’d applied to go to Earth. Then she asked more personal questions – if I had a coltfriend, if I’d been having any problems with my family, etc. I probably bored her with my responses, but there was no way I was revealing my ulterior motives to her so she could blab them to the world. Secrets like the precious gem in my saddlebags. No way was I leaving the Rose of Cimarron behind for five years.
The door to the other room opened, and Lily returned, meaning it was my turn to get hassled by the portal’s security.
“Do you have anything to declare?”
“Yes.” I started stacking gold bits on the table. “It seems I forgot to take all these solid gold bits out of my saddlebags before leaving home. Since I can’t take them through the portal with me, I’d be ever so grateful if you could find it in your heart to give them a good home. From one forgetful pony to another, if you just happen to forget to check my saddlebags I’m sure we could call it even.”
“I’ve got to at least look, miss. You know the humans will also be checking you on the other side, right?”
Horseapples. “No sir, I didn’t realize that.”
“Let me see just what you have in here…” He trailed off, whistling. “It’s not hazardous, so I’ll look the other way on this, but I can’t guarantee the humans will.”
“I’ll, uh, I guess I’ll take my chances.” I gulped. “Too late to do anything about it now.”
“If were you, I’d make up a story right quick. It matches your cutie mark, so roll with it. Say that without it, you’d lose your purpose in life, or something.”
“That’ll work?” I asked, incredulous.
“Probably not, but at least it gets your foot in the door so you can try bribing your way out of the situation.”
Lily looked uncomfortable when I returned, and it wasn’t hard to guess why from the snippet of conversation I heard before First Scoop clammed up. The reporter was pressing her for household gossip – anything that might make a good story.
“I didn’t miss anything important, did I?”
First Scoop cleared her throat. “I must commend you on your choice of staff, Miss Rose. I couldn’t get anything useful out of Miss Blossom.” She stood up. “The guards will escort you to the front of the line, and our staff photographer will be on hoof to take pictures of the event. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go get ready to interview the first human through the portal.”
The guards immediately marched us to the front of the line, and the pony who was standing there complained. She shut up when the guard reminded her that she’d declined to speak to the press, forfeiting her right to go first. I took note of her cherry pie cutie mark. Probably sour cherries.
The portal glowed in front of me, only a few yards away. I wouldn’t get the honor of truly going first – ponies and humans alike had been crossing from one side to the other for years. But those who’d gone to Earth before me had been instrumental in setting things up – politicians, diplomats, guards, architects, construction crews. A good mix of Equestria’s movers and shakers, and the ponies who actually got stuff done. I was in the former category, while Lily was definitely in the latter. Instead, I’d be the first pony to ‘officially’ cross the opened portal. But the first human would get to go first.
The first human to cross was female, tall like most members of her species – I’d say she was easily over five feet high. Unlike those in line behind me, I had no time to gawk at her. Instead it was my turn to be stared at on the other side of the portal. I took a step, dramatically pausing for the photographers, then crossed through. The disorientation lasted for a moment, and I found a Royal Guard on the other side helping me up and moving out of the way so the second human could go through.
I didn’t even get to wait for Lily Blossom before I was led to a wooden structure that looked like a military barracks. With as many soldiers as there are here, it probably is.
“Do you have anything to declare?”
I hoofed over my saddlebags. There was no sense forcing the issue. He was going to find the Rose of Cimarron one way or another, and doing things the easy way would put me in a better bargaining position. And to think, Dad doesn’t believe I pay attention to his business advice.
“That is one big hunk of diamond.”
“It’s really pretty, isn’t it?” I feigned ignorance, turning my flank toward him to present my cutie mark. “It’s the Rose of Cimarron. It means the world to me. It’s my most precious possession.”
“You can’t bring this to Earth.”
“I can’t leave it behind in Equestria. This is my source of identity.”
“Let’s say I believe that you don’t intend to sell this on the black market. I don’t by the way, but let’s pretend for a minute that I do. That doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be stolen and sold off to the highest bidder. If enough rocks like this come through the portal, it could cause the world’s diamond markets to collapse.”
“I only have the one. I don’t really care about other gems as much, but I’m Diamond Rose.” I held up my passport. “This is Equestria’s largest pink diamond. It’s as much a part of me as my mane or tail. I’m not leaving here without it.” Time to put the ball in his court. Offering a bribe is a crime. Asking for one is also a crime. Smuggling is a crime, one I’m already guilty of. He knows I’m not going to rat him out. “What do I need to do to walk out of here with my diamond?”
“How did you get it past the Equestrian side?”
“I had a large pile of Equestrian bits with me. Which, apparently, also aren’t allowed on this side of the portal. The guard on my side was happy to, uh, watch them for me while I’m here on Earth. And if they should happen to get spent sometime during the next five years, I’m not going to be upset.”
“So you bribed him.”
“I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that I have a rather tidy sum of your currency in my saddlebags. I don’t need all of it. If some of it should be left here, say as a deposit to prove that I’ll be bringing the Rose of Cimarron home with me, I’m sure that could be arranged. And if it just so happens that you’re not here when I come back through the portal in five years, well, we ponies are firm believers that sharing is caring.”
He put his hand out.
Here goes nothing. This either ends with me trotting out of here with my favorite possession, or me in hoofcuffs and shipped back to Equestria in shame. I started giving him pieces of silly-looking green paper.
“Come on, a mare with a big gem like that can surely afford to pay a hardworking man such as myself a little more than that to ensure that your precious cargo gets labeled as ‘baggage’ and not ‘contraband’.
“I can’t give you all of it. I need to keep some of it for myself. It’s not like I can just get more money while I’m here.”
“You can when you sell that.”
“I’m not selling it.”
He shrugged, a gesture that looked odd on a human. “I don’t really care what you do with it, but if you want to leave here with it I need more than this. I’m sticking my neck out here for you, and I don’t have to. Make it worth my time.”
We agreed on him taking a quarter of my cash, leaving me with just $15,000 left of my stipend.
“Welcome to New Jersey. You already speak the interdimensional language, so I’m sure you’ll get further ahead than your little pony compatriots.”
“English?”
He laughed and pointed to the pile of cash. “Money.”
“They say it makes Equestria go ‘round.”
“Earth too.”
I trotted outside the barracks poorer, but still in possession of the Rose of Cimarron and my freedom.
“What kept you?” Lily Blossom was waiting under a tree.
“Just had to do a little negotiating.”
“What did you do, Rose?”
I opened my saddlebags. “I wasn’t leaving home without it.”
“I really don’t know if you’re crazy, stupid, or both. Let’s just get on the bus.”
We stepped aboard the bus. Even with my delay in security, being the first ponies through the portal meant there were still plenty of choices on where to sit. “I want a window seat!”
“No problem.”
I charged down the aisle and picked a seat at the very back of the bus. “What do you think? It’s pretty neat, right?”
“It’s just a transport. Like a pegasus chariot. But enclosed.” She shuddered at that.
I had to agree with her on that. Pegasi and confined spaces really didn’t mix well. To be fair, the bus was noisy, smelly, and cramped. Still, there was nothing like it in Equestria. We’re among the first ponies to ever ride a bus, and that’s exciting.
I felt my saddlebags to make sure my most prized possession was still safely inside. The Rose of Cimarron was still there. Thank goodness humans are just as easy to bribe as ponies. Who cares if I bring it with me, it’s not like I’d ever sell it.
“What do we do first?” Lily asked.
“I was thinking we’d get jobs.”
Lily blinked at me. “Come again?”
“We need to find employment. We can’t live off the paltry sum we got as a stipend to come here. Especially not with how much I already spent.” I'd only anticipated needing to bribe the Equestrian guards, so having to bribe both the ponies at the Equus checkpoint and the humans at the Earth checkpoint had cost a lot more than I’d planned.
“What about all that money your dad specifically had converted to dollars for you?”
“I may have intentionally left it sitting on my bed at home. I’m sure the bank will convert it back to bits for him.”
Lily looked panicked. “What? What?”
“I want to make my own way, Lily. Everypony has done everything for me my whole life. And don’t get me wrong, that’s awesome, but there’s more to life than that. I’m my own mare, and I want to do things my way for once.”
I don’t think Lily’s jaw could drop any lower than that. “What happened to seeing the sights for the next five years? You know, living like the heiress you are?”
“I lied. That was never my plan, but there’s no way my parents would’ve let me come here if they’d known I was planning on doing something crazy like earning a living. If I’d tried this back in Canterlot, you know they’d have been checking up on me constantly. Besides, if I get desperate, I can always write home and I know he’ll send me the money if I ask him to. But the whole point of coming here was to do something with my life. Succeed or fail, I want to control my own destiny for once. Why’d you come with me anyway? You were dead set against the idea right from the start.” Lily choked on her reply. “Just wanted to see the sights? Live it up for five years on my Dad’s bits?”
Lily couldn’t meet my eyes and I chuckled. “Lily, it’s okay. Dad offered to pay your way because he wanted somepony here to watch out for me. He figured that the two of us together would be safer than me out on my own. And what could be safer than working some mundane nine-to-five?”
“You’re crazy. I mean, my respect for you just shot up a bunch of points, but Diamond, this is my life too. You’ve had your whole life to live it up and travel exotic places. This is the first vacation I’ve ever had. And now it turns out it’s not going to be a vacation at all.”
“It means a lot that you came with me. I promise we’ll take a vacation while we’re here. A different one every year! And I’ll even let you pick the first one! We just need to earn a little money first.”
“This is a lot to take in. I need a few minutes to think.” She got up from her seat and trotted toward the restroom at the back of the bus.
While she was gone, I occupied myself with taking in the sights of my new home. ‘New Jersey’, as the natives called it, seemed like an endless expanse of highway. Trees lined both sides of the road, but I could see buildings poking out from behind many of them. There were entire towns hiding back there, and I spied occasional glimpses of them through gaps in the foliage. According to the green signs, we were getting closer to one of the major urban areas. Lily plopped down on the seat next to me, and I turned to talk to her, only to discover a completely different pony. She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t the place the face. There was no mistaking the Canterlot accent, though.
“Hi! I’m Snowcatcher. Some of the other mares and I are starting up an Equestrian style hotel here on Earth, and I was wondering if you’d be interested in joining us?”
I was an expert on hotels – I’d stayed at enough of them over the years. It would be a lot of hard work, but it would have its perks too. We’d be living there, so all the amenities, like the hot tub, would be available in our downtime. Sounds pretty good to me! “You’ve got my attention. I was planning on looking for a job anyway. What’s the catch?”
“We’d all be pooling our resources, so you’d have to give up your stipend in exchange for an ownership share in the newly formed hotel.”
“That’s a bit of a problem. I already spent some of mine. But I could convince my friend Lily to go in, too.”
“That would be great. I guess we could just dock your earnings for a while until you’ve bought your way into a full share.”
“That’s fair. I wouldn’t want any special treatment.” I smiled. For once, I’m going to be just one of the mares. So exciting! She smiled back and moved on to the next potential recruit. “I can’t wait to tell Lily! She’s going to be thrilled!”
Can't wait until somehuman teaches Lily the Aristocrats Joke.
*currently jobless editor horse noises*
Oh, this was great. The cafe scene was hilarious, I loved your depiction of Pumpkin Cake.
I really liked the race, too, that was awesome. I like reading about races more than I like watching them, is that weird?
I'd recommend Hover Car Racer by Matthew Reilly for anyone who wants more of that sort of thing.
5671313
Thank you!
There's nothing weird about enjoying reading about racing action more than watching it. Spectators are often unaware of many of the story lines in a given race, and limited to whatever the broadcasters share. After the fact (or in a fictional race), these stories become known and can be weaved together by an author and shared with the world.
"I'm posting the newly added scenes in separate blog posts for each of the characters."
Thanks!
"There's too much to do a single blog post. Way too much."
And given how behind I am, thanks. So many blog posts to get through tonight, aaaargh.
"This is completely optional reading. No major plot points are revealed in any of these scenes. No retcons!"
Oh, and thank you also for that information! Given said pile of posts to get through, I might consider skimming or skipping here. Not sure, and I'd prefer not to... but time is limited, the pile's high, and at least I now have the author-sanctioned option. :)
Aaaand I did indeed listen to it. I'm hoping I don't end up in a time crunch later as a result, but, on the other hand, I did, as expected, enjoy it, so eh. :)
Thank you for writing!
5673366
You're welcome! This was primarily per our discussion a while back. I think it makes the most sense to do it this way, so thank you for the suggestion!
You're welcome as always! I hope it didn't put you too far behind!
5673479
"You're welcome! This was primarily per our discussion a while back. I think it makes the most sense to do it this way, so thank you for the suggestion!"
Oh! Well, I don't remember that, sorry, but thanks, I suppose; I'll accept that on Past Me's behalf. :D
"You're welcome as always! I hope it didn't put you too far behind!"
Thanks, and hopefully not!
Unfortunately, I'm just coming off the much less fun delay of dealing with or refrigerator breaking down, so... very, very behind. But honestly if I come across another of these in a another blog post in the queue, I'm probably still going to just push going to bed back further and go through it too, because see above about this being fun and dealing with a broken major appliance not.
(We eventually settled on "We have a probable diagnosis, or at least a significant narrowing-down, which we can't fix. Try and get a repair person here ASAP, and in the meantime Reese can go buy some bags of ice to maybe still save some of the food in there". This didn't happen in winter, of course, the kind of weather where I wear two layers if I'm expecting to spend much time in the kitchen, oh, no, it happens round about the height of summer. And when my landlord and housemate was already very busy at work, and just the other day had another pile of important work fall into his metaphorical in tray, so while he's... well, not happy, neither of us are about this, but quite willing to pay for getting this fixed or replaced or whatever, he doesn't have time to actually arrange that, and doesn't expect to until at least next week. Which, to be fair, I'm not complaining about, because the work he needs to get done is important -- I'm just highlighting how very poor the timing of this seems to be.
Oh, right, and it also came up in the middle of me trying to get through my FIMFiction blog backlog. That too.
[shrugs] Though, on the bright side, while I was out with a handtruck getting bags of ice at a 7-11 at around one in the morning, I was able to buy some food and a train ticket for some down-on-their-luck people, so someone's benefitted. I suppose the appliance repair people will too, hopefully, so, hey, there's also that.)
...Er. Sorry for the rant. I seem to have been feeling like venting a bit, for some reason.
5673523
Vent away, my friend!
Glad I could give you a distraction from the fridge issues. Good luck getting it fixed or replaced! And kudos for helping folks in need!
Four others are done, and Lily Blossom's is almost ready too. So there will be more, though I can hold off on posting the next (Feathermay) until you get caught up. That gives me a chance to get more done!
5674264
Thanks. :)
And thanks. :)
And we have a replacement ordered -- but unfortunately, scheduled to arrive next Friday. In the meantime, we went out and bought a chest freezer (which, unlike the full-size refrigerator, just barely fit in my housemate's car and could be carried in and into place by just the two of us, thus obviating the need to wait for delivery and installation people to be free at what is apparently a quite busy time), so we do at least have some food cooling capability beyond the limits of and not dependent on hauling in bags of ice (and the chest freezer should, in the future, provide some redundancy).
Oh, I'd feel guilty if you waited just on my account, but thank you for the offer, I suppose. But if waiting also works for you, well, I suppose a benefit to me would be a nice side benefit. :)
(I did clear that blog post backlog, though, so my current one is only showing as five long. Which I hope to get done later today. It would be nice if FIMFiction let one mark blog posts unread, though, I think; then I wouldn't have to not just clear feed backlogs in one sitting but not even look at the feed until I'm ready for such clearing, or else do something like save the links to all the posts yet to get to in an external document or something.)