//------------------------------//
// 2: Disappointing 
// Story: White days of Winter 
// by James David Fox 
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2


Disappointing


"Well, that was rather... different."
"Feels funny on the tongue."
"It wasn't bad anyways, though I wouldn't ask for that cake again, classic flavors appeal more to me."
"But seriously, this was totally new, chocolate covered with exploding candy, like, who would have thought?" Afternoons like this one were a great relief for Diamond Tiara, spending the day with her best friend, having something to eat and forget about everything. Even when the cold weather made her wear clothes she didn't like, being outside just had no price for her.
"Pinkie Pie has the most eccentric of ideas." Continued Silver Spoon.
"Tell me about it, anyways, what's next? Wanna come to my house? I've got some new stuff I wanted to show you." Silver Spoon smiled at the offering. Since Diamond Tiara confronted her mother she could feel an entirely new filly in her friend, Diamond Tiara was free, and her ways of speaking were fresh and honest, Silver Spoon couldn't be happier for her. It was shocking for everypony to see Diamond Tiara standing her ground against her mother, but it was in a different moment when Silver Spoon was truly shocked. Her former enemies, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, got their cutie marks right in front of her, and Diamond Tiara was honestly happy for them, admiring the result of their hard work, Diamond has never been bad in her soul, and it warmed Silver Spoon's heart.
"Tempting...yet, I'm afraid I can't Diamond, my family is having some kind of meeting in our house, and they want me to be there."
"Oh..." Diamond Tiara looked down. "Ok then!" She said smiling. "Thanks for trying that cake with me Silver."
"Anytime, but I can walk with you to your house, what do you think?" 
"Thank you Silver."

The walk through Golden Air Hills had quite a view, the path was well paved and adorned carefully with bricks painted in pink on each end of the path, each and one of them had carved in them a "G" in them. You could breathe a distinct air while you walked through the hills, the gardens were well watered during warmer times, and there was a myriad of different scents, the variety of plants gave a unique landscape for the eyes.
But it was not any less amazing in the winter, this time of the year the pines ruled the hills, and the aroma of their leafs was soft and almost addictive. 
Golden Air Hills were the neighborhood of the richest ponies in Ponyville, most of them former citizens of Canterlot in search for quieter environments. Diamond Tiara lived with her parents in a red mansion, built with years and years of her father’s hard work.

Strong and gelid winds took the two fillies by surprise, Diamond Tiara lost her patience as soon as one of these winds blew one of her favorite scarfs away.

“These pegasi must be under the worst administration ever! This stupid blizzard was supposed to start in about three hours!” Silver Spoon sighed, even though her friend had evidently changed, her short temper was a part of her just like the sun is a part of the sky.

“Calm down Diamond, these clouds came from the Everfree Forest, not even the best weather team in Equestria would be able to control them perfectly, the blizzard has not started yet.
“Ugh! Whatever, any chance of finding my scarf?” 
"Finding it, yeah, but recovering it...."
"What are you talking about?" Silver Spoon pointed a hoof at her side, Diamond Tiara could see her scarf, down the little river going away slowly. Diamond Tiara groaned placing a hoof on her face. "Let’s go before I lose anything else to this weather."
"Maybe your offering will calm down the winds.” A giggle escaped from the silver filly's lips.
They finally arrived to Diamond Tiara's house, the pink filly shivered one last time while heading for the door.
“Will you be okay Silver?” Silver Spoon waved a hoof.
“Like always Diamond, don’t forget to do the vacations homework, this time I won’t help you if you accumulate too much of it.” 
“Pssh! I’ll be done in less time than you.”
As soon as Diamond Tiara was about to knock on the door, she heard… noises, unpleasant and annoying noises.
“…how is it possible that you never considered this!?” Diamond Tiara's father sounded stressed and full of anger.
“Well maybe if you…!” A sigh could be heard from Diamond Tiara, her mother was also yelling, the pink filly’s eyes darkened, not really wanting to get in there. These kinds of situations had become all too common in the placed she lived.
“Diamond…?” Silver Spoon asked worried about her friend, there was no answer, just Diamond Tiara standing in silence only offering her back to her friend. “Uhm… you could come over the reunion… I could arrange…”
“Don’t bother.” Silver Spoon was cut by a sharp voice. “Don’t be late, I don’t want you to get sick in this cold.”
“Are you sure you don’t…?”
“Just go home Silver.” Silver Spoon understood that in that moment her friend wanted to be alone.
“Ok… see you later Diamond.” Silver Spoon hesitated for a moment if it was okay to leave her friend alone, after a moment she decided to walk away, not before she could cast a last glance at her friend before crossing the entrance to the Rich's property.
Diamond Tiara gathered courage and knocked on the door using the now freezing golden knocker, the door was opened immediately.
“Good evening miss Tiara.”
“Good evening mister Bright.” The pink filly took off the boots and the topcoat she has been wearing all day and handed it to the butler attending her.
“And the scarf My Lady?” 
“It got lost because of the winds, I would like a cup of hot milk in my room please.”
“As you wish."

The pink filly tried to ignore her parents arguing and after cleaning her hooves she rushed to her bedroom. She jumped to her bed and buried her head in one of her pillows.
'Just stop it' she thought to herself, It has been weeks since she could just come home and be greeted by her father, have some dinner and listen to her bedtime stories. Those moments seemed to be deep in the past, since her father grew stressed and just didn’t have more time. 
Nor her father nor her mother would tell her what was wrong, in fact Diamond Tiara was being ignored by them while they fought. The filly was not clueless though, she knew what was driving her parents into arguing every single day, they were losing money.

She noticed it when the caviar was changed by common canned tuna, when her favorite brand of fine milk was replaced by local milk, when the number of housemaids in charge of the cleaning of the house reduced from eight to only two. 

Diamond Tiara thought that it was just a phase, that it was going to be better all over again, but the fights, the tension in her family showed the contrary, it was getting worse. Diamond Tiara took a look at her bedroom, there were many things she would hate to lose. The toys that her father brought her from his many business trips, her perfume LaHeuf that was sold only in Canterlot's finest of stores. She sighed and knowing that she would probably have to give up on all those things, but there was something that, in the worst of cases, would be especially painful to lose, the pink filly took the tiara off her mane and laid her eyes on it, zoning out on it. This piece of jewelry was a part of her just as her mane or eyes, she has been wearing it since she had any memories at all, her father always told her it would fit her perfectly one day, but Diamond Tiara wasn't really sure if it fitted her right now, she never understood her father's expectations about her, she could be studying in a particular school in Manehattan or even Canterlot, yet her father decided for a public school in a humble town, instead of organizing a huge event with only aristocracy  celebrating her daughter's cutie mark, he decided for a small party. Diamond Tiara never questioned him, and didn't feel any resentment for that, he always seemed to mean well.

Her mother was, on the contrary, a pony with the highest of expectations, and superficial to the point of caring more about the garden they showed to the neighbors than knowing if her family ate well. Since the beginning Diamond always searched her approval, her mother would be cold when she didn't have her cutie mark, and when she finally got hers, the affection received made her happy, her mother congratulated her for obtaining a cutie mark that fitted perfectly the Rich's family. But then, her mother's cold attitude began to be common again. Diamond Tiara fought against it, and she tried to follow her mother's ways, and with this, her despise for "blank-flanks" started. Her desperation to gain her mother's affection led her to cause pain to other ponies, and she was not happy about that. Diamond decided that this chase for her mother's attention was not worth it, the only thing she regretted now was that she realized too late about it.

Something woke Diamond Tiara from her thoughts, her home fell into a sepulchral silence. After a minute of trying to catch the slightest of sounds and failing to do it she got up and walked outside of her bedroom. The hallways were illuminated but not a single soul was noticeable, feeling even more drowned by the silence Diamond Tiara decided to go to the place where she heard her parents last, the living room.

The living room was at the end of the stairs, the entrance was guarded by two golden statues, both of them symbolizing the major princesses of the day and night and after crossing this door an enormous and magnificent room appeared, it was a delight for the eyes to see the carefully placed ornaments, five chandeliers hanging from a golden painted ceiling, the walls were covered by six paintings of landscapes, each one of them representing the seasons, and in the middle of it a table well adorned with six candles that were changed every day after every dinner. It seemed that today she was not getting any dinner, the light was dim, and Diamond Tiara's eyes met her parents both in their seats, her mother looking blankly at the roof and her father had his face buried in his hooves and a bunch of papers  spread all over the place they were sitting in.

"Dad?" Both adult ponies looked at her direction, she hasn't looked at her father like this before, the eye bags were very notorious, his mane was a disaster, and his always impeccable knot of the tie was undone today, just hanging from his neck. He immediately picked up the glass of whiskey that was by his side and tried to hide it from her daughter under the table. His eyes looked at her in absolute sorrow, he let a deep sigh escape his lips.

"It was your greed what led us to this." He spoke darkly looking at his wife. "The company is not viable anymore, your bet made us lose most of the investors."
"At least I tried something, you've always been an underachiever."
"We didn't even need any more Spoiled!"
"We don't have to start these stupid discussions again Filthy, we have already decided, let our lawyers take this from now on." Diamond Tiara's eyes widened at the unpleasant surprise.
"Lawyers!?" She looked in terror at her parents. "You are getting a divorce?!" The pink filly almost yelled.
"Now honey, please we'll talk about this later."
"Why am I not allowed to talk in what clearly is a problem of family."
"What could you know about this Diamond Tiara?" The mother finally spoke. "Go to sleep and your father will have a word with you later." Filthy Rich got up from the seat and walked next to his daughter.
"Come dear, don't ruin your night anymore because of us." The pink filly looked at his father, anger and fear filling her eyes. "I don't want to spend the rest of our bits in lawyers, keep everything Spoiled, the house, the cart, our vacation house in Manehattan, I don't care, we will have only one battle." Spoiled Rich raised an eyebrow. "And it will be for our daughter's custody, I won't give her to you."
"Giving everything to me and taking her to a miserable life?" Diamond Tiara glared at her mother, she would rather be with her father that this excuse of a mother, no matter what life she might get. "Hmph! Doesn't matter though." Spoiled Rich walked slowly until she was just in front of her daughter. "Seems we won't have any problem then." Her eyes were directed right to Diamond Tiara's. "You can keep her, she's always been... disappointing anyways." Diamond Tiara could keep a cold look at her mother, but those words stabbed her heart deeply, making her feel a familiar pressure on it. 

The mother of the family walked out of the room leaving father and daughter alone. The pink filly could not assimilate the news yet; her fears became true in a matter of minutes. A hoof gently moved her head, Diamond Tiara’s eyes met her father’s.
“Honey, I’m sorry for this, I truly am…” The smell of the recently drank whiskey filled the little filly’s nostrils. “Right now, I need your help, I depend on you now.” Filthy Rich’s eyes showed confusion, he really had no idea what he would do next. A hug took the Stallion by surprise, his daughter was right there, with him, the first smile in days came to his lips, he wouldn’t abandon her, the powerful Filthy Rich still had someone to fight for. “Everything is going to be fine, I promise.”
“I know dad…” Diamond Tiara was now trying to hide her broken voice a little too much.
“Now dear, go to sleep, I’ll arrange everything, go with your friends, forget about everything you’re coming with me, and as Celestia as my witness, I won’t leave you ever.”
He walked the little filly to her bedroom, not before receiving a goodnight kiss on her cheek, it was another night with no bedtime story, and probably one of the last nights she would spend in this house. Diamond Tiara hugged one of her pillows, the pressure on her chest started once more remembering her mother’s cold words. ‘Worst part is that the rumor will spread out there fast.’ The pink filly thought to herself, she hated when ponies felt bad for her, she had no use for the pity of others.

With closed eyes, Diamond Tiara was slowly engulfed by a better world, the sun would rise again, for now, it was better to get some sleep.