A Weekend With Diamond Tiara

by Wandering Pony

Chapter Three

Author's Note:

Just letting you know, I didn't come up with most of the quotes during Endgame's conversation with Turn Table.

"Um, Daddy?"

Endgame awoke from his comfortable slumber on the couch and looked into the darkness. He was able to make out the shine of Turn Table's white mane. She looked like she had barely slept, and her blanket was wrapped around her like a cape.

"Come here, honey," he said, holding his blanket out. Turn Table trotted up beside him and lay down beside him, snuggling close to her father. "What's on your mind?"

"Diamond said that you were a really important pony," Turn Table said. "How come you never told me that you were important?"

Endgame sighed. "Well," he said, "she's right. I am a very important pony. I didn't want you to know how important I was because...I thought other ponies might want to be friends with you just because of my position."

"So, you didn't want me to make friends?" she asked innocently.

Endgame couldn't suppress a quiet laugh. "Those ponies wouldn't be real friends," he told her.

"What is a real friend?"

Endgame paused. "Turn Table, have I ever told you the story of Twilight Sparkle? She was a great friend of mine. She and her friends understand friendship better than any other pony ever has or ever will. She could probably offer a better explanation of friendship than I could." Another pause. "But I can try. A true friend is...somepony who will stick with you when they would rather be anywhere else. Friends show their love in times of both trouble and happiness. Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies. The ponies that might befriend you because of my position, that's not friendship. That's parasitism."

"Like Diamond? She was never this nice to me before."

"Exactly. Until she learns to appreciate you for you and not for me, she's not a true friend."

Endgame heard Turn Table sniffle sadly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I...I don't have any real friends," Turn Table said through quiet sobs. "Nopony at school appreciates me for being me."

"Well...:" Endgame said, thinking of a way to console his daughter, "maybe they just haven't had the time to learn how good of a friend the real you is. I know that, if the ponies at school took the time to get to know you, they would see that, in the end, it was worth the effort."

Endgame could feel Turn Table's breathing slowly becoming steadier. He began singing a lullaby that Twilight Sparkle had taught him.

A true, true friend helps a friend in need
A friend will be there to help them see
To see the light
That shines
From a true, true friend

"Attention, everypony! I have an announcement!"

"Dude, you're not the princess. Keep it down."

Endgame looked angrily at Record, momentarily scolding him, then looking back at the others. "Today," he said, "we'll be going to Sugarcube Corner. I'm going to pay Pinkie Pie to throw a party."

"What's the occasion?" Turn Table asked, taking a sip of her milk.

Endgame smiled. "Heck if I know," he said. "I just thought that while we have Diamond over would be a good time to have a party." He turned to look at Diamond, who was still eating her pancakes. "After all, we want you to have fun while you're our guest."

Diamond gave a totally-not-sincere smile to Endgame. "Well, isn't that nice of you?" she said with a touch of steel in her voice.

"Or," Endgame said, "you can stay here and listen to me play Hoof of the North Star." Vinyl and Turn Table let out a collective groan that told Diamond Tiara that the party would be a much better choice.

"I can come, right?" Record asked, taking a sip of milk.

"Of course," Endgame said, though he didn't sound to sure. "We'll leave as soon as you all are done with breakfast." He took a last bite of his apple and trotted to his bedroom. He slipped on his glasses and his bracelets.

When his bracelets were on, the world flash around him for a second and he felt magical energy fill his body. He always loved that feeling.

"Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, the bestest bakery in all of Ponyville! I'm Pinkie Pie, but you probably already knew that. How can I help you?"

Endgame gave a low, slightly formal bow to the pink mare in front of him. "Good morning, Pinkie," he said. "I was wondering if you would throw a party for-"

He didn't get the chance to finish. Pinkie Pie gasped in excitement, then ran to the back room of the bakery. A few seconds later, she came back to where Endgame and company were waiting, wheeling a blue cannon with pink wheels. "Let's get this party started!" she cried.

As if Pinkie had just used a voice command, the cannon fired, spraying confetti and streamers all over the bakery. Against all logic, the streamers were perfectly set up on the rafters, though the confetti rained down on Endgame and Vinyl, getting in their manes.

"So, who's the special guest of honor?" Pinkie asked.

"Diamond Tiara," Endgame said, gesturing to Diamond, who had stared at the whole display with a look of confusion.

"Is it her birthday? Her cutie mark party? Anniversary? Where are all the guests? A party's more fun if there are more ponies!"

"Annivers..?"

"Actually," Vinyl cut in, "this was kind of just a random occasion. We just felt in the partying mood. You understand how that feels, right, Pinkie?"

"'Oh, yeah," Pinkie said. "I'm always in the partying mood."

"Good," Vinyl said, smiling. "Now, let's get this-"

"Party started!" the two mares said in unison. Pinkie ran outside and shouted, "Hey, everypony! Paaaaaaaaaaartyyyy!!"

"Oh, shi-"

Before Endgame could finish his obscenity, he was interrupted by the sound of thunder--I mean, the hoofsteps of dozens of young fillies and colts running into the bakery. It felt like there was a large earthquake that would bring the entire building down.

"Now, now, everypony," Pinkie said, suddenly very serious, "one at a time."

The thundering of hooves slowly died, and a group of fillies and colts entered, looking like they were ready to bolt at any minute. Huge smiles broke across their faces when they saw Record. "Look, everypony!" a small orange and green filly said, pointing a hoof at Record. "It's DJ-COL7!"

Five fillies and two colts ran up to Record, who stepped back, a huge smile spreading across his face. "How's it goin', my little ponies?" he said, using his familiar catchphrase.

One of the fillies fainted on the spot.

"Mister Endgame!" a voice said from the crowd of foals. Endgame turned and saw a light grey unicorn with a blonde mane approaching her.

"Um...who are you?" Endgame asked. Could she be a friend of Turn Table's? No, she said she didn't have any friends...

"It's me, Dinky Doo," the filly said. "You remember me, right? You and my uncle battled in court once."

Endgame chuckled at the filly's word choice. "Now I remember," he said. "You're Willpower's niece, right?"

"Yup!" Dinky Doo said, beaming. "Ever since then, I decided that I want to be a defense attorney just like Uncle Willpower."

Endgame ruffled the filly's mane. "Well, study hard and you'll get there. Who know's? If I'm not retired by the time you become a lawyer, we might even 'battle' each other in court."

"I'd love to face the Chief Prosecutor," Dinky said. She got a mischievous look on her face. The look was almost...evil. "You're on!"

Endgame gulped fearfully. This filly was scary.

Comments

[11111111]

I fear no colt...but zat Dinky...
It scares me...