> A Riff Between the Family > by JusSonic > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Riff Between the Family The scene begins to open up in the home that was Diamond Tiara. However, she & her parents were in the family room with some important business guest having dropped in. Course, the ones that came were none other than…the Tannen Family & they brought along their son, Riff Tannen, the arch-foe to Diamond Tiara in the bully game & the colt that likes to hit on Silver Spoon. Right now, the filly was trying to stomach Riff’s presence as their parents were discussing things about their modern days, pass times, money spending & deals, & other things rich folk like to chat about. “Well Mrs. Tannen, do tell us about you & your husband’s last voyage.” Filthy Rich spoke off in making some little discussion between them. “Oh if was simply marvelous, we managed to cross it to a few lovely islands in the coast.” Mrs. Tannen issued off in discussing how they went on their nice little voyage. “I hired off three naval ships to act as our guard during the whole thing, no pirates even gave us a look in the eye.” Mr. Tannen exclaimed how he had hired up some extra guard so they could enjoy things without running into problems. “My, I bet you were very well protected!” Spoiled Rich spoke off in being intrigue by such things that she has heard. “We were, until some pirates air board us from above on a flying ship!” Riff Tannen remarked off to say this in what the family experienced, they were robbed by pirates in the end who commanded a flying ship; so unfair. “A flying ship, are you crazy?” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes in thinking that was a crazy thing to say. “Now, now, Diamond, it’s not polite to say that.” Filthy Rich spoke forth in wanting his daughter to not be rude to their guest here. “Well it’s understandable, considering it was against some pirates of legends, Sparrow…something I recall.” Mr. Tannen stated off to say the pirates in question were those that somehow managed to even catch them by surprise from their beefy security were pirates of legend. “Indeed, they stole much of our things, but they seem to leave gems behind to compensate our valuables of items & left enough food that we could reach the next port.” Mrs. Tannen nods off to say that the ones that robbed them of their materials gave them gems as compensation for the value of things taken, etc. “Diamond Tiara, why not take Riff with you while we continue to discuss things here?” Spoiled Rich spoke this off towards her daughter in thinking she & Riff can go do something while the adults stay & chat. “Do I have to, this guy was making fun of our family back at school.” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes to remotely tell her mother about what Riff did at her school, especially the first day she met him that Riff Tannen is the new jerk bully than she ever was. " “Maybe, but you must behave when his family has come over here to supposedly talk about any sort of business we can come to a mutual reason agreement.” Spoiled Rich reminds the filly about what they are doing here, & that Diamond Tiara must behave herself for the Rich Family to get something of this business talk with the Tannens. “Your mother’s right Diamond, be on your absolute best behavior.” Filthy Rich issue off to say this in knowing they need to not have any problems what-so-ever. “Hugh, alright….I’ll try, but I won’t like it.” Diamond Tiara sighs in defeat while remotely stating that she will do this, but she will not have a good time, especially with Riff Tannen. “Mother, father, alright if we play in the backyard while you continue to finish up your discussion?” Riff asked off in liking things to be with him &…others in mind. “If you mean Matchstick, Goggles & Baldy, I suppose so." Mrs. Tannen likely agrees to her son's idea. “Hear that boys, we get to play with Diamond Tiara.” Riff smiled off to say this in seeing that he & his boys will be together; which is what he wants. “Yeah!” Goggles, Matchstick & Baldy cheered from nearby in the corner in having liked that idea. “Have fun now, be gentle with her Riff, she is a filly after all.” Mr. Tannen issued off to say this to the boys & girls about to leave. “Yes, do treat her carefully…” Spoiled Rich spoke this off as she leans to say something else to Riff while unknown to him, the mare wore a familiar bracelet as the Dark Stone within became active around the mother of Diamond Tiara. “Of course making much trouble as possible to make Diamond Tiara pay for humiliating you at school, I do hope you will keep such things in mind.” She whispered this out in what she was saying for Riff in what was going to happen as long as such things were notice of such doings. “Hmmm?” Riff raised an eyebrow in not getting this. “Hmm-hmmm, hmm…” Spoiled Rich hums happily to mix her tea more. “Teh, weirdo.” Riff huffs off to say this about Diamond’s mother, she seems weird to tell the jerky colt what to do, but the idea has merits. Unknown to everyone, Spoiled Rich comment, "Nopony gets away with humiliating me - not even my own daughter. ESPECIALLY not my own daughter." She is doing this to get back at Diamond Tiara for back mouthing her on the day her new friends got their cutie marks apparently. Now Riff was led by Diamond Tiara along with his boys out of the room as the adults continue to have their discussion. Everything goes dark from what will be happening vaguely soon in a rich pony’s home… ---------------------------------------- Now the scene changes to the backyard of where it seems like some garden that the Rich Family owns. It was here that Diamond Tiara was in charge to make sure Riff & his company were kept happy & distracted. “Pretty garden you have here.” Riff smiled off in seeing where they have landed in. “Well just don’t do anything around here.” Diamond Tiara lectures to remind this guy of no funny business. “What’s this?” Matchstick asked off in about to touch a careful vase. “Careful! That’s fragile!” Diamond Tiara told those that were almost about to break something. “Like this one?” Baldy asked off in about to touch a glass spawn set in place. “Hey, you’re not supposed to touch these!” Diamond Tiara snaps in not wanting these guys to mess with her family’s stuff. “We’re just curious, is all.” Goggles stated off that they are only interested in things. “Well then stop your curiosity!” Diamond Tiara snaps at the stooges of Riff to not be curious no more. “Now, now, you don’t wanna be rude to your guests, do you?” Riff lectures this off to tease the filly of not being rude to her guest. “There’s a different between being rude to your guests & guests being rude to the host!” Diamond Tiara sternly states this off about a difference from two different point of views. Then loud noises as heard of strange smashing sounds that caused Diamond Tiara to turn to notice…what Riff’s boys are doing. They were pretending to act like klutzes to cause misfit & break some vulnerable stuff that her family owns. “Hey! Cut that out!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed off with worry in seeing what was happening here. “Well, you could say I’m giving you payback for the humiliation.” Riff smiled off in stating this to let the filly know this was her payment for what she did to me. “That was at school & you brought that down on yourself!” Diamond Tiara told Riff about what happened was at school, they should not bring such things in their own homes. "Oh, like what happened before the start of the Hearth's Warming break?!" --------------- Flashback It was almost Hearth's Warming breaks and the foals are practically for a song for their pageant. Riff Tannen seems to keep messing up the song "Oh, Holy Night" as if forgetting the lyrics...or in this case, doing so on purpose! Not this time however... "Well, it seems Mister Tannen has a hard time remembering the words to "'Oh, Holy Night'", so we are going to try a little shock therapy." Cheerilee said with a devilish smirk. "Shock - SHOCK therapy?" Riff ask in shock as Cheerilee held up some sort of stick that sparks out electricity on one end. "Every time Mister Tannen gets the lyrics wrong, he is to receive a mild shock." Sweetie Belle giggles as she explains to the horrified Tiff, "Yes. Apple Bloom designed and built the shock stick and Nyx and I charged it with our combined magic." "But - you wouldn't." Riff said in fear, getting back some more. "No. We wouldn't. Not unless you actually forgot the words." Nyx remarks with a devilish smirk on her face. "And Nyx will be the one to handle the shocking if it becomes necessary." Cheerilee said cheerfully as she hands the stick over to Nyx. "I get it. Nyx is the only student with enough self-control to refrain from shocking him on sheer principle even if he DIDN'T forget the words." Diamond Tiara said to herself with a frown. "Well, other than the members of his gang, and then they would refrain from shocking him even if he DID forget the words." End Flashback ----------------- "And even then, when Nyx wasn't looking, you took the shock stick and zapped me like an animal!" Riff exclaims, still upset over the zaps he was given. "Yeah, I had trouble explaining THAT to my parents! Payback time is a dog, lady!" While the two children are having their argument, Riff’s boys were approaching what looks like a tennis court. “Cool, a Tennis Court!” Baldy smiled off in seeing what they can do here. “Wanna play some before getting the filly in trouble?” Matchstick asked off in thinking that would please Riff if they did. “Let’s make it so, then…” Goggles nodded off in thinking that be a swell thing to do. As Riff’s boys move off towards their next thing to partake in, they never saw a chain moving on its own like it was alive to stand its place. Everything begins to shift at this time of not knowing what is going on unnoticed to others… -------------------- Scene changes back to where the adults were continuing their chat from before. Right now, the business discussions were already over & now most of them were talking about things that have happened to them in the past. “So then Irvin, how does it feel to finally be doing something while not behind something that isn’t a desk?” Filthy Rich asked this off in starting a little discussion. “You mean when I was in jail?” Mr. Tannen raised an eyebrow in knowing what the guy was saying from that statement. “Come now, my husband didn’t mean to say that!” Spoiled Rich spoke in trying to lighten the situation here. "Even if I'm not a criminal anymore, I'm still a rather savvy business-pony with the good fortune to have loyal friends who are very good at what they do." Irvin exclaimed off to comment about things that he did in the past before finally landing himself in a new position that he is comfortable in. “Here we go again, next I suppose you’ll say how you fell in love with this mare before me.” Mrs. Tannen rolled her eyes at what her husband was saying before looking at Spoiled Rich’s direction. “Well I won’t deny it, I use to have a crush on Spoiled Rich. Back when her surname was…Rot…” Irvin stated off to say this before he was cut off… “Don’t….say it!” Spoiled Rich gritted her teeth in wanting the stallion near to not usher that name before her. “Ten…” Irvin finished his sentence in trying to say ‘rotten’ which use to be Spoiled Rich’s surname in the past. “Ahem, continue, please?” Filthy Rich clears his throat to speak off a bit here. “Well, this all happened before I got arrested couple a years ago.” Irvin sighs off to say this in how things became afterwards. “Those were the years before I met Filthy Rich.” Spoiled Rich stated off to note of who she met after Irvin Tannen. “And even more years before Diamond Tiara was born.” Filthy Rich pointed out how long he knew Spoiled Rich before they even had a child. “Speaking of which, how has your daughter progress?” Mrs. Tannen asked off this question about the children they have. “Well, she is doing well in school, & at recent events, we heard she’s doing better.” Filthy Rich stated off to say this in what his daughter is doing. “Better, does that mean she wasn’t before?” Irvin asked off in being curious about what he has heard. “Partly, there were…small matters to contend with.” Filthy Rich slightly stated off in what happened to Diamond Tiara before. “But that’s all in the past, just like your old days of being a former criminal are over.” Spoiled Rich stated off to say this in making the subject change a bit. “Well, I just hope that things are going well, our son seem to have hit a snag in school.” Mrs. Tannen stated off to mention this from what seem to have occurred that involved Riff. “Yes, and came back smelling like manure. Just what was it that happened & that your daughter might know of it?” Irvin questions off in what happened to his son that Diamond Tiara played a part in it. “Well, it’s not like Diamond Tiara causes trouble everywhere she goes.” Spoiled Rich stated off to say this in trying to make it sound like their daughter doesn’t get in much trouble. Then without warning, something smashed through the glass windows outside to inside as it was Matchstick, Baldy & Goggles. They crashed onto the table, scattered the silverware & meals & drinks, causing those that saw this to respond in outrage. “What in Equestria are you three doing?” Filthy Rich snapped off in seeing those here. “Uh…” Baldy yelps in seeing where they are. “Oh…” Matchstick finished off to say in seeing they are in trouble. “You dolts, how did you end up like this?” Riff snapped off as he & Diamond Tiara arrived from the hole. “We were heading for the tennis court, but someone left chains on the ground & we tripped & fell in the net that slingshot us!” Goggles stated off in what happened to them that they trip over something & got shot here. “Well you three & Riff were messing up our garden while you wanted me to not stop you!” Diamond Tiara protest forth in stating what these guys were doing the whole time. “Well it’s not like your parents get use to you being trouble. Maybe one of them would like you to humiliate here & now.” Riff remarks off to state this in getting annoyed by the filly. “Like who, not my father and at least not my mother.” Diamond Tiara stated off to sternly say this. “Wanna bet!” Riff made a sly smile towards the filly’s mother, causes Diamond Tiara to be stump; Spoiled Rich told Riff to humiliate her; that doesn’t make any sense. “Spoiled Rich?” Filthy Rich spoke off to carefully help his wife out of this mess. “Are you alright?” He asked if the mare was alright from what made her fall on the ground, messing up her nice dress of cake splatter. “Ugh, no pony humiliates me like that, just what happened?” Spoiled Rich groans off to say this while demanding to know who was responsible for this. “It was his/her fail!” Diamond Tiara & Riff pointed to the other in putting the blame on the other. “Riff!” Irvin spoke off to his son in thinking this was his doing. “Yes, dad?” Riff replied off in having heard his name call, but it did not sound good. “Honestly, I spent years after getting out of prison trying to make up for my past crimes and you go and pull this sort of stuff?” Irvin sighs to shake his head in seeing that his son is doing the same bad acts that got the stallion once thrown in prison for being so terrible. “What do you mean, Dad?” Riff asked off puzzled by the statement he’s hearing while pretending he doesn’t understand. “Oh, please. I might not be a Doctor Whooves, but I'm not THAT stupid. I used to be a criminal myself, after all.” Irvin rolled his eyes in not buying this act Riff is pulling to show that he’s innocent. “Hey, it’s not my fault. Besides, if I let that Tiara brat get away with disrespecting me, EVERY kid in the school will think they can. So, you know, I thought I could do some business AND get back at that brat at the same time. You know, killing two birds with one match.” Riff was stating off this statement between father & son of what he was scheming to do. “Oh brother.” Irvin expressed to sigh in remorse in hearing the 'kill two birds with one STONE' quote his son exclaimed. “I guess it's obvious why your grandmother was so desperate to unload you on me after I got out of prison. I don't blame mom for not wanting to put up with you any longer than necessary.” the guy can see why it was hard for his mother, Riff’s grandmother to tolerate this colt & his attitude. “Oh, shut up. Ever since you fell in love with that self-righteous female arsonist back when you went to prison, you…” Riff rudely was saying this to his own father & the results did not come out nicely. “Don’t you bad mouth your stepmother like that, young colt,” Irvin lectures his son sternly about what he said. “Ah….Yes sir.” Riff moans to sigh in defeat in knowing he’s in trouble here. “I think our visit is done now, apparently, we need to get home to discuss our son & his friends’ behavior.” Mrs. Tannen stated this off to the others i seeing what was developing now. Now later on, we soon see that the Tannen Family was getting into their own personal carriage ride, with Mrs. Tannen there with Riff pouting & his boys aching all sour. As the Rich Family watches this, Irvin Tannen passes by while looking down at the filly, having understood what really happened when Riff got in trouble in school because of the good act Diamond Tiara did. “You know, Diamond Tiara. I have to admit, as a former criminal myself, I admit that I respect how you turned things around A LOT faster than I did. I didn't realize the error of my ways until I was well into adulthood. I can only hope my son learns this someday.” Irvin stated off to say this to the filly about the case & matter here. “Well, I won’t hold my breath.” Diamond Tara huffs a bit in not about to hold her breath to the very thought of Riff being nicer in the future. “Well then, farewell Mr. & Mrs. Rich, let’s do business…but without the chaotic surprises.” Irvin stated this off to the adult ponies in wishing to discuss things, but without any problems like what happen today. “Like wise.” Filthy Rich nods off to rhetorically state this in agreement. “Mother, did what Riff say was true?” Diamond Tiara asked her mother something while watching the Tannen Family now leave. “Diamond Tiara, I told that colt of what he should keep in mind…by NOT doing. He clearly got it misunderstood.” Spoiled Rich exclaimed off in a stern tone that she was trying to tell that colt to behave, but got the opposite. “Really?” Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow in not knowing if what Riff Tannen said was even the truth or a convincing lie. “Now, now Diamond, I believe your mother has a point, what sort of parent wants to humiliate their child?” Filthy Rich cuts in to tell his daughter that no parent in their right mind would consider such an action. “I…guess you’re right.” Diamond Tiara lightly responded in giving in; no point in arguing if there was no clear evidence, etc. “By the way, who brought a chain in the backyard?” Filthy Rich asked off in thinking something was a bother, who left a chain in their garden, he was not aware they had a need for such a thing. Far from view, we see Pinkamena hidden in the bushes to pull a familiar Chain Blade as the mystery of what happened was revolved around her action. “Well, that’s one little deed done by me today, have a nice time Diamond Tiara.” Pinkamena whispered this out in helping the former bully have a much easier time today. With her final words spoken, Pinkamena soon took her moment to leave the scene while the Rich Family go back inside. The scene begins to go dark around now after this strangely & exhausting day has finally come to an end of such. ---------------------------------------------------- Diamond Tiara was now alone in her room after the Tannen Family had lone left her house. But of course, the filly had a lot of things on her mind about what had even happened. There were a lot of puzzling matters of what occurred that seem to make less sense the more the filly tried. “What was all that about?” Diamond Tiara asked this off to herself about what happened this very day. “Something wrong, miss?” Randolph spoke from coming into the room at this time; he was the Rich Family’s well-known butler, etc. “No Randolph, I was puzzled about something.” Diamond Taira shook her head off in stating what was distracting her. “What is it miss?” Randolph asked off in peeking into the subject here while delivering some snacks for the miss. “My mother, she seem to act as if…she was wanting Riff to humiliate me, her own daughter.” Diamond Tiara stated in concern over her mother's behavior today. “But why, she has always wanted your best in society.” Randolph stated off in recalling what Spoiled Rich usually has gone through to raise Diamond. “That’s the part I don’t get.” Diamond Tiara shook her head in still not knowing anything. “Ohhh….maybe your stress from Riff Tannen that you think your mother did such things.” Randolph pointed out in having a thought about what was going on today that the filly was just stressed out. “Maybe…being nice to that jerk does take a toll.” Diamond Tiara lightly nods in thinking that could be the case in point. “Well then miss, if you will excuse me.” Randolph bows his head in about to take his leave now. “Your excuse, I’ll be fine.” Diamond Tisra stated this off to her butter that he is excuse from his duty now. Now Randolph takes his leave after having brought something for Diamond Tiara to eat as he takes off now. Diamond Tiara sighs in wondering many mysterious that revolve around what it is that is going on? “Hey Diamond Tiara!” Then a voice was heard by the window as Diamond Tiara peeks out it to see…a familiar & friendly face. “Silver Spoon.” Diamond Tiara replied off in seeing it was her best friend. “I’m going to meet up with Nyx & the others, wanna join.” Silver Spoon called out to invite Diamond Tiara to join her in what she was gonna be doing. “Sure, be right down!” Diamond Tiara called out to say while getting herself ready to go out her door. “Oh well, maybe I am overreacting a bit. There’s no way my mother is ‘that’ mean to me. That’s like saying she’s under a spell, yeah right!” The filly exclaimed off to say this in thinking that maybe she was thinking a little far ahead about certain things, Spoiled Rich maybe an overbearing mother, but she would not go that far to harm her child, right? Now Diamond Tiara was seen moving out of her room in preparing to join her best friend to join up with the CMC to hopefully forget all about this terrible day. As filly pass by her parents to see Filthy Rich reading the newspaper, Spoiled Rich was seen napping from the exhausting day, while a familiar bracelet on the mare shimmer some light secretly from the Dark Stone’s activeness, still unknown to all that it has a hold in manipulating the rich mare, etc. No one still knows what is truly going on with Mrs. Rich’s behavior, but it looks like no one will find out for some time as everything goes dark. For now, at least Diamond Tiara can focus on other things that make her happy than spending another second with riff Tannen… The End