//------------------------------// // Decisions // Story: His Greatest Treasure // by RoyalBardofCanterlot //------------------------------// Filthy tossed and turned in the bed. The bed itself was not the problem. While smaller than his bed back home, it was still large enough for a full grown stallion. The mattress was comfortable, cradling his body in softness. The blankets were warm, shielding him from the Manehattan cold. The pillow was fluffed the exact way he liked it, supporting his back and neck. On the bed next to his, the rhythms of his daughter's breath could be heard. It was the faintest sound, but he could hear it perfectly. Diamond was the main focus of his thoughts. She had been for eleven years. When he was younger, most of his thoughts revolved around money and the continuation of his family's business. He loved money, that was not something he would deny. His ancestors had built up a fortune and he fully intended to expand it. His father had taught him the most basic principles of economics when he just old enough to understand it. His allowance had been tied to how much work he did around the house so he would learn the link between labor and profit. When he got older an allowance wasn't quite enough for him. He'd opened a lemonade stand when he was ten. He'd taken on a paper route at eleven. He'd volunteered to perform odd jobs around Ponyville at twelve. Just as he'd been taught at his father's knee he saved up over half of his earnings. Being a colt, the other half was spent on comic books, sweets and toys. At fifteen his father had volunteered him to work on a farm. Every Earth Pony needed to work on a farm at one point in his life, his father had told him. So, Filthy had strapped a plow to his back and drug it through the rich earth. He had watched as the plants grew and pulled up weeds. At the end of the day his body ached and his forehead would be covered in sweat. Yet, he could not deny the sense of fulfillment he felt as the crops began to grow. The fruit of his labor. No, it wasn't his land, but he had plowed the fields. He had planted the seeds. His sweat had mixed with the soil and he had helped to bring forth the harvest. He had grown used to the rhythm of farm life. Seed time and harvest. Waking at dawn to plant or plow or reap. Still, when that year ended he had set aside the plow. Farm life was never meant for him. It was only a detour to taking on his father's business. The older stallion was getting older and had grown tired of the strain of running a business. More often than not he was starting to prefer grazing to meetings. When Filthy turned twenty-one his father had turned the business over to him. It was the proudest moment of his life. On the first day he'd done a major reorganization of the store. He diversified the product line. He slashed prices. He raised wages to attract workers. Since the slashed prices brought in more customers he could afford to raise wages. That first quarter was the most profitable the business had seen in ten years. That was fortunate too as the Rich family had been about to receive a new member. Spoiled Rich had gone into labor at Four AM. Filthy remembered it vividly. She had kicked him awake, accidentally she later swore, and nearly dragged him out of bed. Their quick thinking butler prepared a chariot and off they went to the hospital. The nurse ushered her to a room and Filthy had followed. He had held her hoof as she screamed in labor pain. After three hours in labor, Diamond Tiara Rich came into the world. She screamed and shouted nearly as loudly as her mother had. Still, Spoiled held her to her teats, licked and nickered over her. Filthy had nuzzled his daughter's mane, familiarizing himself with her scent. She had been a beautiful foal. Her coat was the most perfect shade of pink. Her mane was a gorgeous blue and white. She had been spoiled relentlessly. Every cry brought attention from her mommy and daddy. She was nursed, cuddled, snuggled, nuzzled and slept between them. Even the servants loved her. The first moment he had nuzzled her, the first moment he had held her, he had known that all of his priorities had radically shifted. He no longer went and made money for the sake of making money. He now did it for the sake of his daughter. So that he could put a roof over her head. So that he could put food on her plate. So that he could buy her the toys she wanted. Sure she didn't need that top-of-the-line My Little Puppy doll, but her smile was so cute when he got it for her. There were times when he was so busy working he hardly got to see her, even if he worked in order to provide for her. The paradox made him uneasy. There were things in her life he'd missed. Her fifth birthday party lost to a meeting with the Board of Directors. Her dance recital lost to an emergency meeting with a labor union. So many lost moments. He had soothed his conscience by buying her extravagant toys and other luxuries. It was always for her, he'd told himself. He turned on his side. His relationship with his wife had also fallen by the wayside though they still went on date nights whenever they could. He was beginning to understand why his father had retired early. Abandoning sleep altogether he knocked away the blankets and trotted over to Diamond, nuzzling her mane. She was fast asleep. He walked back over to his bed, threw the covers over his head and tried to sleep. They could stay the weekend. Diamond would need to get back to school (he didn't know what he'd do if this was a weekday). He couldn't afford to keep Barnyard Bargains closed for too long. Business was good, but that relied on the store staying open. He was hooves-on so he didn't have anypony that could run the store in his absence though it was something he should consider. There were also all the employees that were going to show up tomorrow and wonder where he was. He should return to Ponyville. Somehow, he couldn't find it in him to plan a return. Not yet anyway. There were too many things he needed to figure out. Decisions that had to be made. Decisions like if he should continue his relationship with his wife. His brother had brought up some very disturbing points. Spoiled could be mean at times. She had also been cruel to their daughter. Was that something he could forgive? Was that something he should forgive? Ponies made mistakes, right? He had made mistakes. When one made mistakes they should apologize to anyone hurt by those mistakes. That was the philosophy hoofed down to him by his father. Spoiled hadn't apologized. She hadn't even acknowledged having done anything wrong. He closed his eyes and breathed, drawing on a technique from a long ago meditation-for-stress-relief class. It didn't work, but at long last exhaustion lulled him into a mercilessly dreamless sleep. ... The smell of frying eggs awoke him. Sunlight streamed through the windows and bore down on his eye lids. His head was pounding as he knocked away the blankets, slowly stretching his limbs. He took several deep breaths and then rose from the bed, stepping onto the hard wooden floor. He wiped at his eyes several times, yawned and shuffled towards the door. Diamond was not in her bed, which meant she was no doubt playing with Amethyst or making breakfast with her favorite aunt. He pushed open the door, trudging from the guest bedroom into the bathroom. The porcelain sink nearly glowed in the sunlight. He hadn't gotten a shower last night and a cursory sniff of his foreleg revealed that he smelled like it. He pulled aside the blue shower curtain and stepped into the well-polished white bathtub. Turning the nozzle he allowed cool water to rush over him, getting into his fur and washing away the last vestiges of his exhaustion. He picked up a bottle of green apple shampoo, squeezed a dollop of it onto his hoof and worked it into his black mane which was streaked with more grey than he felt comfortable admitting to. Soapy shampoo suds fell down his mane and his back. Once he'd finally washed the shampoo out of his mane, which now hung limply over his back, he picked up the bar of lavender soap. Every part of the bathroom was feminine. It was obvious that Stinking let his wife do most of the shopping. Filthy chuckled to himself as he began to rub the soap into his fur. He turned the nozzle, letting the water warm up. Steam filled the bathroom, curling into fingers of mist that swirled all around him. He stood directly beneath the shower head, the water washing away the soap. He closed his eyes and stood, warm water rushing over his well-toned if aged muscles. Young. He was young. He could find another mare. Somepony better for himself. For Diamond. This could be a rebirth. Stepping out of the tub he felt a sense of newness. He grabbed a blue towel, wrapping it around himself, vigorously scrubbing himself down before stepping out of the bathroom. Diamond pranced up to him as he stepped out along with a little purple filly with a pink mane and tail, the appropriately named Amethyst. Her hair and tail were pinned with blue ribbons. "Good morning, Daddy!" "Good morning, Uncle Rich!" He smiled down at the fillies, greeting them with a nuzzle. "I smell a yummy breakfast." Diamond beamed. "Me and Amethyst helped make it." The two fillies scampered off together, giggling and whispering to each other about whatever it was little fillies giggled and whispered about. Filthy stepped into the kitchen. The table was laden with fried eggs, toast, fresh-cut fruit and pancakes. He sat down next to his brother. Ocher, Diamond and Filly sat down and they piled the food onto their plates. Filthy chomped into the eggs. "Delicious." Ocher smiled. "Thank you. Diamond and Amethyst were very helpful." Stinking raised a piece of pancake on his fork. "Sleep well, Brother?" Filthy shrugged. "Let's just say I did a lot of thought." After the meal, the mare and fillies retreated into the living room leaving the stallions with the dishes. It struck Filthy as a fair enough arrangement. Stinking handed him a plate which he dried off. "So, have you made a decision?" Filthy laid the plate into the cabinet. "I...I don't know." Stinking sighed and began washing the last cup. "Bro, c'mon." "There are many factors to consider. But the more I think about it the more leaving her seems like the right decision." Stinking slapped him on the back. "That's because it is." There was a knock on the door. Ocher stood up from between her two daughter on the couch and walked over to open it. She had gotten her cutie mark in tea-making and that included hospitality. She felt her soul shudder when she pulled open the door. Spoiled Rich stood at the threshold of her home. Hospitality demanded she let her in. The pink mare frowned. "Good morning, Ocher my dear. Might I come in?" Ocher stood there, staring at her. Spoiled Rich did not back down, but nor did she move forward. "Ocher? May I come in?" Ocher gritted her teeth. "No. No, you may not." She slammed the door in her face. Then she turned. Diamond pretended to continue watching the cartoon, but she was frowning the same frown as her mother. The knocking continued. Filthy, trotting from the kitchen, hurried to the door and opened it. Spoiled had her hoof up in mid-knock. She laid it back down. Silence descended like a curtain, an unbridgeable chasm opening between them. Unseen by any of the adults Diamond slipped from the couch. Amethyst followed her. Ocher stood by Filthy's side. Filthy walked into the hall, Spoiled following her. He closed the door. "It will be alright Ocher." Spoiled shuffled a hoof. "Do you really want to have this conversation out in the hall? Not much privacy." "It'll have to do." Spoiled nodded. "Yes, it will." The chasm was back. "How long do you intend on staying here, Filthy?" Spoiled glanced at a vibrant house plant he couldn't identify. It had thick, broad leaves. "Filthy?" "The weekend. Actually, would you mind going back to Ponyville and managing the store in my absence?" Her back straightened. "Of course." They were talking about business, Spoiled thought to herself. Safe, solid territory. "How is that new line of cutlery selling?" The question came out of nowhere. "Quite well." He shook his head. "For Celestia's sake. What are we doing?" She took a step forward. "Good question. What are we doing? We had a fight, we've had them before. We both said and did things we both regretted-" "I don't regret anything." That stopped her cold. She gulped. "Okay, okay. But fights are good for couples. They strengthen the relationship. Let's all go to Bridleway and get some ice cream and maybe plan a romantic dinner. How's that sound?" "Oh, Spoiled. Do you really imagine things can go back to the way they were?" She bit her lip. "Of course. They always have before. Forgive and forget, right?" Filthy sighed. "Alright. Tell me why I got so mad and I forgive you. Also, apologize to Diamond." She took a sharp intake of breath. A threat was hidden in her husband's words. He spoke to his employees in the same tone before firing them. "If I don't?" "The courthouse is open by now. We go there, we get divorce papers." She trembled. "No." "I don't need your permission, my dear." The shaking turned into a violent tremor. "No, no. You can't do this to me. You can't take this away from me!" He raised an eyebrow. "What can't I take away from you? Diamond?" "Diamond. Our marriage. Everything we've built together." She reached out a hoof, laid it on his shoulder. "Why can't things go back to the way they were? We've built a life together." "It's trust, Spoiled. I could never trust you alone with Diamond ever again. Trust is hard to obtain and once lost I don't know if it can ever be given again. Or if it should be." "Alright. I'll never discipline Diamond ever again unless we've both discussed it first." "Hmm, better. Yet, you still haven't told me what you did wrong." Spoiled laid her hoof back on the ground. "It was...it was wrong of me to punish her so harshly." Filthy nodded. "Either that was sincere or those acting classes really paid off." She glared at him. Filthy motioned towards the apartment. "Now go apologize to Diamond." She hesitated. "If we're going to be apologizing, why don't you apologize to me for that humiliating spanking?" Filthy shook his head. "No. I'm not going to do that. I only gave you what you gave Diamond." Spoiled snorted. "She's a filly, I'm an adult!" Filthy shrugged. "In the old days they'd even give corporal punishment to criminals. You did something wrong and I think you deserved to be punished." She stepped closer to him, as if trying to be menacing. "So that's how it's going to be from now on? If I do something you don't like your going to haul off and spank me?" He shrugged again. "Why not? It's what you do to Diamond." She bristled. "I do not! Only when she does something wrong." He frowned. "So, you really think what you did to Diamond was okay?" She bit her lip. "You tricked me." He rolled his eyes. "Yes dear. I used my cunning to trick you into telling the truth. You think it's okay to severely punish her in order to control the kind of friends she makes." She grit her teeth. "If it means so much to you, I'm willing to let her...to..." Filthy was becoming concerned about Spoiled's teeth considering how hard she was gritting them. "I'm willing..." He put a hoof to her lips. "Forget it, Spoiled. This isn't working. We're not working." She closed her eyes. "It's been working for eleven years. That's a long time. Let's not throw this away." Tears sparkled in her eyes when she opened them. He turned away, looked down to the ground. "I don't see how we can get past this." Her shoulder's slumped. "That's it then? Your willing to throw away eleven years over this?" "It's not just this. There have been problems for a long time. I just haven't wanted to see them. You've taught Diamond to look down on others and that isn't right. You've put me down. Spoiled, you're an abuser." "That's ridiculous!" She straightened her back, held up her head. "You don't get it, do you Spoiled?" The mood changed so quickly Filthy barely had time to prepare for the tirade that poured out of his wife's lips. "Let me tell you something. Maybe I have been harsh with Diamond. Maybe I have been harsh with you! But you don't understand what it's like to come from where I've come from and then get this far! You don't appreciate your wealth, it was just handed to you-" "Now hold on one minute-" "So, yes, I have put you down when you've been lazy or made idiotic decisions that put that wealth at risk! Yes, I have pushed Diamond to act like a rich pony! To hold her head up high and know she's better!" Tears were streaming down her face. She was shouting, but she didn't care. "Tell me something, Filthy! Have you ever gone to bed hungry? Have you ever not known where your next meal was coming from? Have you ever not been able to sleep because the hunger was so bad so your mama had to go beg off the Guild and you see how Ponies look at you and your mama when you go to the grocery store with food stamps? They look at your mama like she's trash and you are too!" She shoved him. "You know what that's like, rich boy? Huh? Because I do!" He stepped back, then grit his own teeth as he took in what she'd just said. He felt tears spring to his eyes. "Was I your meal ticket, Spoiled? Did you ever love me at all or did you just love the things I could buy you?" She panted, still not recovered from her tantrum. "Of course I love you, Filthy!" "So what if I told you I was going to sell everything I own to buy a small apartment? Live on a lower middle class salary? Would you still want to be with me?" She didn't answer which was all the answer he needed. He opened the door to his brother's apartment. "Filthy, wait!" "We're through." He said it with all the force of a gunshot. "You can contact me to discuss how much alimony you'll get. Goodbye." He slammed the door shut.