Story Notes: 16 (Diamond Rose) · 1:23am Mar 7th, 2020
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/371945
First things, first. I want to apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. It's been over a month since the last update, and I really don't want to drag out updates like that. Unfortunately, things came up this month, one of which was my trip to Daytona Beach (and then dedicating some of my writing time to the fic based on that experience). I also spent part of the month sick (my trip was up in the air until the morning I left - I felt lousy in the days leading up to that long drive). The best news, however, is I was promoted, so I started a new position right at the beginning of February. It's been a busy month for me (but at least it was a good kind of busy), but that's no excuse. There was also a little bit of trouble with inspiration, but I'll get to that later on in this post. Thank you for sticking with me, and while I can't promise life won't interfere, I'd really like it if this was the single longest break between chapters. Feathermay's next, and I don't have a whole lot planned for her just yet. Much like Diamond, I have her cutie mark scene in mind, and a vague idea of where I want her to end up. Thanks to Admiral Biscuit, I've learned that this style of writing is called discovery writing.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/422624
Scootaloo and '80s NASCAR Ford Thunderbird. I wish I could go back in time and attend some NASCAR races from the '80s. It was better back then. The Baytona 500 Wonderbolts race (and convoluted qualifying format) is 100% a ponification of the Daytona 500.
Source: http://zeal-hime.deviantart.com/art/Diamond-Rose-295773061
#1stWorldProblems
Diamond Rose is better than you and she knows it. And she also wants you to know it, too. And everyone else, really.
She's an awful pony. But at least she knows it and she's trying to change.
Try harder, Diamond.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/180709
We've seen Diamond twice before, once in each of the previous stories in the series. Both were short cameos, the only one of note being in Business Trip she's the mare behind the front desk, and utters a grand total of four words to Mr. Jones. Then she returns her attention to her tablet.
Diamond's the pony most likely to embrace modern technology. It's convenient, and she loves convenience.
I, however, do not. A little bit of trivia about me: Technology really isn't my thing. I don't have a cell phone and my daily driver (the wagon seen in my Daytona 500 blog) is old enough to be considered an antique in my state (my blue Mustang is a garage queen that only comes out to play on nice days). And yes, I drove to Daytona in nearly thirty-year-old car without a cell phone. *Gasps* You know, just like people used to do thirty years ago before they were ubiquitous.
Much like Snowcatcher's toy came with a cat, Diamond Rose's brushable came with a swan.
As with Snowcatcher & Dewdrop Dazzle, Diamond Rose & Lily Blossom find their stories intertwined. It's easier to make a life-altering decision with a friend an acquaintance by your side. Though by the end of the chapter, I think it's safe to say they consider one another friends. Though we left off on a bit of a cliffhanger. It’s going to be a few chapters before we see Lily Blossom’s reaction.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/2201215
Diamond's actually appeared in the comics, as a friend of Princess Cadence's in her teen years. As you can see, she actually graced the cover of the issue (the second part of a 2-parter, though she was in the first part as well) she appeared in:
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/539453
But she wasn't given much in the way of personality. She was just another shallow mare in love with Buck Withers, and happy to agree Cadence would go to the dance with him on her behalf. It can be inferred she's upper class from both her cutie mark and the fact she's hanging out with Princess Cadence.
That said, I'm not taking the events of the comics as canon (the same issue implies Twilight Velvet is the author of Daring Do, so make of that what you will). Accepting this as canon would mean Diamond and Lily are significantly older than the rest of the characters featured here, and they're not. Most of the ponies who've ventured to Earth have a few things in common: they're young adults, they're intelligent, and they're almost exclusively mares.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1961593
And apparently she's in the Gameloft game. She also costs real money.
And as always, we take a peek at the brief bio she got on the back of her packaging:
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1384695
Well, she only has one friend right now (Lily Blossom), and she just got her a job while traveling on entirely different world. Does that count?
You know, for a character who's been in the official comics and had more merchandise than most of the ponies featured in this story, there's surprisingly little art of Diamond Rose. Less than 100 hits, total, on Derpibooru, and a number of those are pages or crops from the comic.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/239944
Look, Diamond Rose and Lily Blossom in the same image! And Dewdrop Dazzle & Cherry Pie, who've already had their first chapters posted, and Honeybuzz, who's upcoming after Feathermay and Flitterheart.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/176076
That pony sure does love diamonds. She's even become one! Or perhaps she’s just a crystal pony. Also, rolling around on a pile of gems? Who does she think she is, Scrooge McDuck?
When I started writing, I had no intention of her cutie mark acquisition scene running for half the chapter. But the struggles of a child trying to hide her misdeed took on a life of their own, even if the resolution was ridiculously simple. And then the rest of her scenes started dragging out. She's an overdramatic ham like Rarity, and if you've delved through some of my previous work, you know how much I enjoy writing Rarity. The key difference is Diamond has far fewer redeeming qualities than the Element of Generosity.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1000713
Diamond Rose's cereal of choice is a simple combination of oats and marshmallows (without the oats). Marshmallows originated in ancient Egypt, 4,000 years ago. Derived from the mallow plant (which grows in marshes), the first marshmallows were made by boiling the mallow's root pulp with honey. These are the kind of marshmallows I envision to be commonplace in Equestria.
These days, however, Earth's marshmallows are usually made with gelatin, which itself is normally made from animal byproducts. I'm sure Diamond Rose will eventually be horrified by what's in her newfound favorite cereal, Lucky Charms.
Would I be that cruel and sadistic?
...Maybe. Probably. Definitely. It'll actually be relevant to the story, believe it or not!
Speaking of things we'll explore in a later chapter, Diamond Rose & Lily Blossom lived in Canterlot during the events of Season 9, episodes 24/25: The Ending of the End). We'll find out what happened to them during the Legion of Doom's rampage in Lily Blossom's chapter. Diamond's was already running long. If Lily's runs long, well, it'll just run longer.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1217269
Plumsweet having a little fun at Diamond's expense. We'll see Plumsweet later on. We just have six chapters between now and then...
Ever have misguided inspiration? Inspiration struck for Diamond Rose as I wrote the chapter... but not for the chapter I was actually working on at the time. The irony of this is that while this chapter was a struggle to write, it's resulted in me having more notes for Diamond Rose (and Lily Blossom) in the upcoming chapters than I do for any of the other characters. So in that regard, it was a roaring success.
Source: https://derpibooru.org/images/1032950
'Rose of Cimmaron' is the nickname given to Old West 'outlaw' Rose Dunn. The reference here is a nod to the Poco song of the same name, which is a tribute to her.
Ah, congratulations on the promotion!
And thanks, as usual, for the additional information and commentary!
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Thank you!
I bet she quickly gets on Ploomette and Daisy Dreams' bad sides.
Well, maybe Daisy might respect her wanting to make her own path without Daddy's money, much as she is making her own way without her shallow modeling, even if Diamond Rose is a stereotypical rich bitch who gives the aristocracy a bad name. But Ploomette won't take kindly to her bribery, or her being a bitchy, stereotypical aristocrat. I predict Lily will be standing up for her and/or covering for her on Earth for a while as her personality slowly improves.
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There will be hiccups, for sure. Diamond made this bad of an impression when we were seeing things from her point of view. Imagine if we'd seen Lily's chapter first. Prom night changed things, but Diamond just inadvertently threw a monkey wrench into Lily's plans. Even when she's trying to turn over a new leaf, she still messes things up for others. Until now, Diamond's usual solution to problems is to throw money at them. She no longer has that option on the table, so it'll be interesting to see how she handles dealing with things from here on out.
But there's a friendship blossoming there, and Diamond's not beyond all hope. A lesser mare would've given up on Diamond, but Lily's spent so many years around her she considers even slight forward progress to be leaps and bounds.
Diamond's going to get away with the bribery, though. She's not going to admit it, and neither are the ponies she paid off. And she's officially turned in the rest of her funds to join the Mareiott, so she won't be able to bribe anyone moving forward. So Ploomette will have no way of knowing what transpired unless she just happens to search Diamond's bag (which she won't, since she trusts the border guards to have done their duty correctly).
Of course, that all goes out the window the second somepony sees the Rose of Cimarron...
Your Gameloft image if your own tells us where you're from.
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Nope, that one's been cribbed from Derpibooru (link under image). I think that game's a phone app only, and I don't have a cell phone. It looks like fun though! Something tells me if I had it, I'd be bankrupt within a week from trying to buy all the ponies.
Usually, the toy pics are mine, but I don't have any photos of Diamond Rose on file, so none of the images this time around are mine. 
As for my location, I'm somewhere in the Northeastern USA (there are a couple of clues to narrow that down in Car Wash, which is a self-insert
). If you really want to know, send me a PM. I admit, it would be nice to know if anyone else is located nearby. The Fimfic groups for my state and surrounding states have all been dead for quite some time. 
Has anyone ever tried making marshmallow gumbo?
Okra is a close relative.
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*coughs* I spent over 1600 euros on it. >.>
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It's times like these I'm glad I don't have a cell phone, otherwise I'd probably have a very similar total... How many ponies do you have, and how many are there in the game, total?
For that matter, what's the gameplay like?
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I have 600ish ponies, most of the buildings and the gameplay is really a click buildings to collect things and a few minigames or temporary quests now and then.
Of all the characters in this story thus far, Diamond has been my least favorite. This has nothing on you as an author or the world you've developed, but as you said in the blog post, at least Rarity can put her money where her mouth is so to speak. I'm definitely not as patient as Lilly was, I probably would have metaphorically kicked Diamond to the curb a long time ago, I was actually expecting Lily to slap or buck her into next week when she destroyed her relationship with her boyfriend, there was not enough info to know if Diamond's assertions regarding the future held any water.
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I don't take it as an insult to my writing, or to the setting. If anything, it's the opposite. You're (hopefully!) willing to keep reading despite this abrasive addition to the cast.
At this point in the story, Diamond's not very likeable. Whether that changes or not going forward, we'll have to wait and see. But, much like real life, not everypony's going to be a happy ray of sunshine. Diamond's a happy ray of sunshine... for herself. And a storm cloud for everypony else, especially Lily.
That second slap was most definitely intended for Diamond. But Lily's in a tough situation since Diamond's parents directly employ her mother, and striking Diamond would probably end up with both of them tossed out on the street. She wanted to yell at Diamond. She wanted to slap her. But she couldn't. It's a good thing she's used to turning the other cheek as far as Diamond's concerned (and conveniently also had a handy target to vent on), or she probably would've done things she'd have regretted.
Lily's not a perfect little angel either. She gets major sympathy points in this chapter, but at the same time, she's the one who bought Diamond the lingerie, which was intended as a malicious gag gift, which we'll see when we get to her chapter. Her digs at Diamond are necessarily subtle, and this is the closest she's come to losing her temper with Diamond. Lily considers it a good day if she can insult Diamond in a way that makes Diamond thank her for the compliment.
Lily's also had the benefit of knowing Diamond a long time, while this is more-or-less our introduction to her. At the point of the breakup, all Lily had was Diamond's word that her coltfriend didn't truly love her. Another key difference between Diamond and Rarity is the Element of Generosity is a master manipulator, while Diamond Rose is usually bluntly honest (you can see how poor of a schemer she is when trying to hide her cutie mark - she hasn't gotten better at that with age). It's another reason nopony really likes her - she sugarcoats nothing but expects everypony else to love her regardless.
Diamond is genuinely trying to be a better pony, and failing miserably at it because she honestly has no clue how to act in any social situations because of having overprotective parents (well, father anyway; her mother thinks of her as more of an annoyance). She's used to getting her way all the time, and she has no social skills whatsoever because she's rarely allowed to be in a situation where she'd have to talk to somepony. It's going to take time to convince Lily (and the readers) of that, and actions speak louder than words. At the end of this chapter, Diamond inadvertently puts Lily into a really bad spot completely obliviously. There's more to their dynamic than what's already been shown, and we'll see what convinced Lily to tag along when we get to her chapter.
Diamond's hard to like, but in the end, I pity her more than hate her. She doesn't know true friendship. She has no useful skills whatsoever, and she's so unprepared for adult life it's not even funny. If she continues down this path she'll never have real friends, nor will she ever love anypony (except herself). Her wake-up call was at her birthday party, seeing her peers' awful behavior. She realizes she needs to be a better pony, but she hasn't fully grasped just how bad of a pony she's been over the years.
We'll see if she can turn things around and be a well-liked pony by the end of this story, or if she remains a hate sink to the bitter end.
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Don't worry, I definitely plan to keep reading, by your lengthy response I can tell you've put a lot of thought into this. I may never come to like Diamond or Lilly entirely, but it goes to show how good you are to make me feel such mixed feelings towards these characters on a page.
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Thank you!