Unpolished Diamond

by pokerninja2

Return of Spoiled

"So ya'll are goin' all the way up to TROTTINGHAM?" Apple Bloom asked, stunned at what she just heard.

"That's what Father said," Diamond sighed.

"OK I'll be real," Scootaloo said. "Waiting until a few hours before you leave to announce you're being taken to the other side of Equestria is kind of bad parenting."

Diamond wasn't going to deny that statement. Waking up to her father just nonchalantly saying that she and Spoiled would be going to Trottingham and be out of Ponyville for close to a month and a half took some time to process. She knew her mother was in Manehattan all this time, but how was she supposed to know the classes Spoiled Rich had planned for her were supposed to be on the other side of the planet? These new developments had to be shared with the rest of the Crusaders, and with Filthy's pardon, she ran straight for the clubhouse. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Zipporwhill were all there, and were listening in on what the pink filly needed to say.

"Wait, what about school?" Sweetie Belle said. "You're gonna miss so many lessons!"

"Father said that Mother already let the school know I would be away," Diamond said. "Ms. Cheerilee is giving me a couple papers I need to find time to do before I come back. Not nearly as much as the amount of homework I would have to do if I stayed, so that's something I suppose."

"Lucky," Scootaloo muttered, crossing her hooves.

"Why are you even GOING to Trottingham?" Zipporwhill asked, hovering around the room. "I've been there before and I didn't see anything you would like. Well that's not true, I've never been to Trottingham before but Pipsqueak is from Trottingham and he's been telling me ALL about it! My favorite part is-"

"Maybe if you stopped talking for two seconds she could tell you," Scootaloo interrupted.

"Sorry," the white filly said as she immediately sat down.

"Anyway," Diamond said. "My parents are getting pretty old and it's family tradition that the firstborn pony of the Rich family, in this case me, to inherit the family fortune and carry our legacy. Mother has enrolled me in special classes to help me learn how to do so, which is apparently up in Trottingham."

"So you're going to COLLEGE!?" Zipporwhill cheered as she buzzed around the clubhouse. "Who knew somepony as young as you would be smart enough!"

"Zip, nopony's goin' to college," Apple Bloom said.

"I swear you're almost as weird as Pinkie Pie," Scootaloo commented. "Almost."

"Well, we're going to miss you," Sweetie said, hugging Diamond.

"I'll be fine, Sweetie," Diamond said. "I'll be back in no time. Also, you mind telling Sil and Twist what's going on? I would myself, but Father wants me back at the mansion before noon."

"Course we will!" Apple Bloom said. "Be safe, ya hear?"

"And don't forget to write!" Zipporwhill added.

"Don't worry, I won't," Diamond waved goodbye as she ran out of the clubhouse.

---

The wait for her mother's return wasn't anything too exciting. Once she came back from the clubhouse, she was ordered to wait in the foyer to welcome Spoiled Rich, who would be arriving any minute now. She simply sat on one of the couches and stared off into space, deep in thought. Yes, some of her anxiety was lifted now that the Crusaders were in the know of what was going on, but that didn't really help her get used to the fact she would be going to the other side of Equestria. Diamond and her family traveled a lot, of course, but nowhere near as far as Trottingham. How long would it take? How would they even get there? And what about the classes? What was she supposed to be taught, and how would it all play into her being heir of the Rich family fortune?

And then there was the matter of her mother. Having to make the trip was bad enough on its own, but the idea of her mother being around every step of the way made it sound all the more miserable. It was going to be difficult having Spoiled Rich in her day-to-day life again, especially after having the days of freedom with the Crusaders she was graced with. Of course Diamond loved Spoiled, as any daughter would love a mother, but both of them having to travel together wasn't doing anything to make her more excited. And that wasn't even mentioning the possibility of her finding out she had been with the Crusaders. What would she think of her daughter going behind her back while she was away to mingle with the "riff-raff" as she'd call them?

A ring from the door had Diamond put aside her thoughts. Randolf came to the front door, Filthy Rich close behind, and opened it, Spoiled Rich standing on the other side.

"Welcome back, Mistress Spoiled," Randolph greeted with a bow.

"Oh how I've missed you so," Filthy sighed. "How was your trip to Manehattan?"

"I wish I had time to tell you all about it, but we're on a tighter schedule than I thought," Spoiled said. "Now, where's Diamond?"

"Over here, Mother," Diamond called from her couch, waving a hoof.

"Diamond, I need you to run upstairs and get all of your belongings you need to bring along," Spoiled ordered. "And make time, the carriage taking me to and from here is waiting."

"Got it," Diamond said. Before she could run upstairs, her mother stopped her in her tracks.

"Nuh uh uh," Spoiled chided. "What do you say to your mother?"

"Yes ma'am," Diamond sighed.

"That's my sweet little gem," Spoiled nodded. "Now run along."

Diamond rolled her eyes as she made her way upstairs. She was going to need to get used to that. She took her saddlebag and scavenged the room for any items she would need. Diamond eventually decided on her mane brush, a spare tiara, her alarm clock, and her Foal for Hire book. After double- and triple-checking to make sure she had everything she needed (or rather everything she could fit in her saddlebag), the pink filly ran back downstairs.

"Stay safe, Diamond," Randolph said.

"We'll miss you a lot," Filthy said. He spread his hooves out for a hug, and Diamond was just about to embrace him before-

"There will be plenty of time for hugs when we get back," Spoiled said. "Now let's go Diamond, the carriage is waiting."

Filthy simply settled for stroking her mane, and after waving her hoof farewell, Diamond followed Spoiled to the carriage outside the backyard. A deep-red stallion was waiting for them, and Spoiled fished for a bag of bits in her luggage to show him.

"Back to the Ponyville train station, please," Spoiled said.

"Sure thing," the stallion said. "Leave it in the carriage."

Spoiled and Diamond quickly climbed inside the carriage, and the stallion made his way back to the station. "So how long will this trip take, Mother?" Diamond asked.

"We'll be taking a train to Manehattan," Spoiled answered. "Where we will stay at for two days before going to Trottingham by airship. It should take a week to get there, a week for the classes, and a week to come back."

"So close to a month," Diamond deadpanned.

"Both you and I know this is important for your future," Spoiled said. "They will be teaching you the ins and outs of finance and how to continue the family legacy when your father and I... err..."

"I know," Diamond interrupted. She was already feeling uneasy, she didn't need a reminder that her parents were a hoof in the grave to make things worse.

The two remained silent for the rest of the trip. A couple minutes passed before the Ponyville train station came into view. Spoiled and Diamond disembarked the carriage, bid the stallion farewell, and headed inside. Spoiled went to the registration table while Diamond sat in one of the waiting seats.

"Reservation to Manehattan for 'Rich'," Spoiled said, handing the mare behind the desk two tickets.

"Of course," the receptionist said, reaching below to grab a room key from a drawer. "Your cabin is Room B3, the train will be departing soon."

"Thank you," Spoiled said as she took the room key. She sat in the seat next to her daughter, waiting for everypony on the train to disembark so they could get back on. Diamond looked around and noticed that the train they were going on looked a lot different than the regular trains that came from here. It was bigger and fancier... probably more expensive too.

"The train looks different than the ones we normally go on," Diamond commented.

"That's because this is the Running Ruby, one of the best trains in Equestria," Spoiled said, taking a magazine from the counter and reading it. "I found out about it in Manehattan, and it's a lot better than the normal trains the common ponies use. It's also expensive, so less chance of us being mixed in with the riff-raff."

Spoiled looking down on other ponies was also something Diamond would have to get used to. Her being apart of the Crusaders really opened her eyes about how wrong she was to think of everypony else as lesser than her, and seeing her mother doing just that wasn't easy. Diamond had to wonder if she would become just like her if the Crusaders never became her friends... a thought she immediately brushed off for it being too horrifying.

More negative thoughts soon followed. Diamond and Spoiled rarely spoke to each other at home, and being stuck on a train with her mother still didn't sound like a fun experience. She then thought about the Trottingham class she was being taken to, and a few concerns rose. Would she even like the class? Would the teacher be super-strict? What would she and Spoiled be doing when she wasn't in class? So many questions with no answers.

"Anything wrong, Diamond?" Spoiled asked.

Diamond had to do a double-take. Did she really ask that?

"Is there anything wrong, Diamond?" Spoiled repeated, putting down her magazine to turn her full attention to her.

She did. The filly was shocked, she couldn't remember the last time her mother asked something like that to her. But not wanting to keep her waiting and possibly irritate her, she gave an answer.

"I'm just... nervous," she began. "Like... will this class be long and boring? Will I even like it?"

"I understand," Spoiled nodded. "Those are often concerns of foals who enter this class. But reviews from parents do say that their little ponies passed the class with flying colors and became experts on financial management, so it should benefit you very much i the end."

Spoiled went back to reading her magazine, but Diamond just sat there in astonishment. What... just happened? Did Spoiled actually show concern for her? All this time, ever since Diamond stood up to her that fateful day, she was wondering what her mother thought of her. She was starting to think she was caring less and less for her, but those words immediately put those thoughts to rest. Those words she spoke proved that she cared, even if she didn't always show it. Diamond always thought there was a kind heart buried deep below her mother, and now it was starting to show.

"Maybe staying with Mother on a train isn't going to be so bad after all..." she thought.

BING! BONG! BING! BONG!

"ATTENTION EVERYPONY!" the conductor's voice boomed. "WE WILL BE LEAVING FOR MANEHATTAN IN 10 MINUTES! PLEASE GRAB YOUR LUGGAGE AND BOARD THE TRAIN. THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING THE RUNNING RUBY!"

"Come along, Diamond," Spoiled said. The two got up from their seats and were ushered into the train. They eventually found their room, and to say Diamond liked what she saw would have been an understatement. The room was larger than two regular train cabins combined, covered in beautiful purple wallpaper, a large rug, two beds, a TV, and even a mini-fridge with snacks and drinks. The filly almost couldn't move.

"Now, there are menus by the TV," Spoiled said. "So find out what you want to eat for lunch when we order room service."

Room service too!? Since when were train rides as good as staying in hotel suites? Diamond quickly snapped out of her trance, grabbed a menu, and plopped on the bed, looking through it.

"It's like we're in a hotel," Diamond commented.

"Indeed," Spoiled said. "I can see why the Running Ruby is considered the most prestigious train in all of Equestria. One of the best train rides of my life when I was going back to Ponyville from Manehattan. I had a feeling you would like it."

Diamond wasn't going to argue with that. In just a few minutes, the idea with staying on a train with her mother went from being miserable to one of the best train rides of her life. She kept sifting through the menu, finding so many good food items that she was going to have trouble picking one.

BING! BONG! BING! BONG!

"ATTENTION EVERYPONY! EVERYPONY HAS BOARDED THE TRAIN AND WE WILL BE DEPARTING TO MANEHATTAN RIGHT NOW! ALL ABOARD!"

Diamond suddenly felt like this month was going to go by really quick. As the train started moving, she smiled, finally deciding on the Mega Hayburger Deluxe.

Author's Note:

POKER-CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN!

OK so I'm two days late for that joke. Cut me some slack.

But we're back. This new Chromebook I got for the holidays is great, and much faster than the old one. Expect me to churn out these chapters on a regular basis from here on out!

I also wanted to show a more... sane side of Spoiled Rich, one that's motherly but still serves as an obstacle between Diamond and her new outlook on life. Noooooooot too big on the interpretation of her being a drunk abusive parent.