Diamond Tiara was pacing nervously back and forth in her bedroom. She'd been sent to bed a short time ago, but she wasn't tired yet, and besides it was a weekend, she always got to stay up later on weekends. The pink coated filly suspected this was a not so subtle way for her mother to get back at her for having slacked off on her piano lessons. So maybe she was a tad bit off key, so what?
"If only Father were home, he'd let me stay up. He always listens to me. Or at least he almost always listens to me," Diamond thought to herself, gazing longingly out her bedroom window. It wasn't even sundown yet, there was still a little bit of sun left in the western hemisphere. But the filly's thoughts soon drifted away from her current unfair predicament, and towards her father. He seemed to have been working extra hard lately, often coming home late and looking tired and dishelved. But every time anypony had asked, he'd just brush it off and say it was no big deal. "Dad, please tell me you're not working late again. You've been doing that every day for the past week, you rarely even have time for me anymore. And Celestia knows Mom can only 'pretend' to tolerate my presence for so long."
Just as the filly was about to give up and reluctantly call it an early night (the last time she'd tried to sneak out of her house, she'd been grounded for almost a month), she heard the sound of hoofsteps approaching the front gate. Could it be?! Well, there was only one way to find out! Quick as a flash, Diamond hopped down from her bed, turned the knob on her bedroom door, and darted downstairs as quickly as her hooves would let her! So what if she'd been told not to run in the house? As long as nopony caught her, she'd be okay.
Tiara reached the front door, just as the knob turned and the door swung open. In trotted the familiar brown coated stallion that was her father, Filthy Rich! The filly immediately rushed up to her male parent, and eagerly hugged him as she happily shouted! "Dad! You're home!"
Filthy just smiled, despite the noticeable bags under his eyes that indicated a significant lack of sleep. No matter how exhausted he felt, he always wanted to take time to be there for his little princess, especially considering how big she was getting. It seemed like only yesterday she'd gotten her cutie mark, and yet it had been at least three, possibly four years since that fateful day. "Hey there, Diamond Tiara. You been a good filly and everythin'?" He asked his daughter, playfully ruffling her mane with a brown hoof. He let out a small yawn trying his best to ignore the the fact he was tired, he had his daughter he needed to give some attention too after all.
Diamond eagerly nodded. "Of course, Dad. In fact, I even got an A on my math test yesterday! I was the highest score in the class! I only got one answer wrong."
"Excellent! That's just the kind of news I like to hear," Filthy smiled, as he then carefully brushed his daughter aside. "Sorry I haven't been around lately, but things have been so busy at Barnyard Bargains. Harvest season's just around the corner, and next weekend is the annual Runnin' of the Leaves, you can be darn sure ponies are already stockin' up for Winter. And everypony who's anypony knows that Barnyard Bargains is the one stop shop for all your winter needs. At this point, I think I'm gonna need to start puttin' up 'Help Wanted' signs."
"Can I help, Father?" Tiara offered. "I missed all those times when I was a little filly, and you'd take me with you when you ran the store. I'm sure I could run the cash register or even help ponies in the aisles. You don't even have to pay me."
But Filthy just chuckled and shook his head, as he did so it was not hard to notice the few traces of mane that were out of place. He'd done his best to look presentable, but it was obvious the long work days were taking their toll on the stallion. "Maybe when you're a little older, Diamond," He lightly replied to her. "It takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to keep Barnyard Bargains runnin' smoothly. It's certainly not the kind of work for a filly like you, especially since you ain't done with school yet."
"Ah, but Dad, I really want to help!" Tiara pleaded. "Pretty please?!"
Filthy tried his hardest, but he just couldn't bring himself to say no to those puppy dog eyes his daughter was shooting at him. Curse his big heart. "Alright, alright, I'll tell ya what," He offered to his daughter. "This Summer, when school lets out, I'll let ya work in the store with me for a couple of weeks and see how ya like it. How's that sound?"
"Oh thank you, Father, thank you so much!" Diamond said happily, bouncing up and down with joy.
But just then, a sharp and strict voice called out. "Diamond Tiara, what is all that racket?! You're supposed to be in bed young mare!" And then who should come trotting into the room but Spoiled Rich? She had changed out of her usual blueish-green dress in favor of a similar colored nightgown and cap. "Honestly, what do you have against the concept of 'beauty sleep'? When I was a filly, I went to bed when I was told, and got up whenever my parents told me to. And I didn't have the luxury of things like an alarm clock."
"Now, now, hun, you know we've talked about this," Filthy lightly replied, he was really in no mood to argue with his wife (especially since he had something of a stubborn headache that had been bugging him for the past day and a half). "It's a weekend, she can stay up a little later if she wants. As long as she's in bed by ten, there's nothin' wrong with her stayin' up for later than usual."
Spoiled just humphed and turned and trotted away. "Whatever, dear. Far as I'm concerned, you're too weak around her, you let her get away with everything. If not for me, our little Diamond would already be behind bars."
After Spoiled went away, Filthy wanted nothing more than to retreat to his study, sink into his favorite armchair, and just relax. In fact, his entire body was telling him that he needed to rest. But part of him felt guilty for not having spent any time at all with his daughter the past few days. "A little bit of playtime won't hurt," The stallion thought to himself. "I can always take the day off work tomorrow and close up shop to get some rest. If I still ain't feeling one hundred percent after that, I'll go see the doctor."
And so it was that Filthy spent his time playing with his daughter, their giggles and shouts of joy filling up the Rich family household. And for a couple of moments, Filthy forgot all about his woes, they always did say laughter was the best medicine.
All good things must come to an end eventually though. As the clock struck ten, Filthy was escorting his daughter up to her bedroom and tucking her in for the night. "Sweet dreams, my little princess. I'll see you in the morning." He said to his pride and joy, as he gingerly kissed her on the forehead. He then turned off the light and exited the bedroom, pausing just outside the door until he heard the familiar sound of his filly snoring away so peacefully.
Yawning, Filthy made his way down the hall to the master bedroom. He had hoped his wife would still be awake for him to say goodnight to, but alas Spoiled was already sound asleep, even having slipped on her pink sleeping mask. "Probably best not to disturb her. Besides, Spoiled's a pretty deep sleeper, unlike Diamond Tiara. Probably gets it from me, Celestia knows it doesn't take much for me to wake up." The stallion thought to himself, as he carefully climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to his neck.
Next morning, Spoiled was more than a little surprised when she was the first one to wake up. Normally she would only be woken from slumberland by her husband, or on rare occasions her daughter. But the mare didn't think anything of it, she just assumed her husband had decided to let her sleep in for a change. "He's probably already gone to work, leaving me to tend to our rather ungrateful daughter, again," She thought with a groan, as she removed her sleeping mask. "Would it kill him to let me run the store for a change?"
But once Spoiled had removed her mask and opened her eyes, she saw that her husband was still in bed. Great, leave it to him to be in one of his lazy moods again. But of course whenever Spoiled did it, he would tell her to get up and stop sleeping around all day. Forcing a smile onto her face, Spoiled put on the sweetest tone she could possibly manage, as she nuzzled her husband on the side. "Okay, dear, you've slept for long enough. It's time to wake up."
There was no reply. Spoiled began to grow impatient. "Filthy, darling, I'm in no mood for one of your games. Wake up!" She remarked quite loudly, but there was still no reply. And when Spoiled pressed a hoof up to her husband's chest, she was surprised at how cold it felt. That was odd, her husband always loved to snuggle up with the blankets (not that Spoiled blamed him, it was always drafty in the house for some reason), there was no way he'd intentionally let himself get this cold.
"He better not be sick, for his sake! I can't run the store and take care of Diamond all weekend! Far as I'm concerned, if he's come down with something, I'm sending Diamond to stay with my parents! They should be able to straighten her out for me." Spoiled mentally vowed, as she tried again to nudge her husband. "Okay, Mr. Sleepyhead, this has gone far enough! No more games! Wake up, now!" She demanded, but there was still no reply.
And now that Spoiled thought about it, she couldn't hear any sounds of snoring or snoozing. But that could mean anything, right?! Reluctantly, Spoiled pressed a hoof to her husband's chest. Nothing! That did it, Spoiled screamed at the top of her lungs and immediately rushed out of the house! "No, Celestia please, NO!" She could be heard shouting!
Spoiled's scream was enough to wake up Diamond, but she had no idea what was going on. "Wonder what's frightened Mother? Maybe she had a bad dream or something?" The filly innocently thought, blissfully unaware. She got out of bed, changed out of her pajamas, made her bed, and completed her morning hygiene rituals like she always did.
Upon stepping out of the shower and drying off, Tiara exited the bathroom in time to see her mother rushing past with Doctor Stable. Something was definitely up, Doctor Stable seldom made house calls. Was somepony sick? Suddenly, realization struck the pink coated filly and she gasped! "Oh no! Father's sick!" She thought out loud, and dashed down the hall to her parents' bedroom!
Spoiled was just standing at the foot of the bed, sobbing hysterically and pleading over and over again! "Please, Doctor, tell me my husband is okay! Tell me he's okay!" While Doctor Stable was examining Filthy Rich carefully, jotting down notes on a clipboard and alternatively examining parts of Filthy's body with his magic.
"What's going on?! Is Dad alright?!" Diamond frantically asked, panting heavily as she entered the bedroom! But then her eyes fell upon the still form of her father, and the filly almost fainted in shock! "No! Dad, please, wake up! Please!" She pleaded in desperation, rushing to the bed and trying to climb up and touch her father!
Doctor Stable wouldn't let her, he carefully used his magic to set the troubled filly down and then he turned to her and to Spoiled Rich and hung his head as he somberly said to them. "Mrs. Rich, Diamond Tiara, I'm afraid Filthy Rich suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at some point last night. I'm sorry, he's dead."
"No! He can't be dead! He just can't!" Diamond loudly sobbed, while Spoiled seemed to just freeze and adopt the most horror stricken face imaginable.
"I wish it wasn't so, but it is," Doctor Stable informed the grieving family. "I checked and re-checked him thoroughly. There's no pulse, no breathing, and no heartbeat. He was already dead by the time you discovered him like this, there's nothing I can do."
"But, but... you're a doctor! A unicorn doctor at that!" Tiara frantically pleaded, shaking Doctor Stable's leg! "Can't you use your magic to bring him back to life or something?!"
"Even if such magic existed, it would go against my sworn oath as a medical professional," Doctor Stable replied with a shake of his head. "I know this will be hard for you to understand, but your father is dead and he's not coming back to life. You have my deepest condolences. My advice to the both of you, I'd recommend seeking therapy. A loss like this is never easy to cope with." And with that, Doctor Stable departed.
Just the fact that her father was dead would've been hard enough for poor Diamond Tiara to take in. But just three hours after the news had been broken, she was already being led along through the streets of Ponyville by her mother with several suitcases worth of belongings in tow. The pink coated filly couldn't believe this was happening, this all had to be a bad dream and any moment now she was going to wake up in her bed in a cold sweat. But a nagging part of her brain told her that this was as real as real could be.
At last, the two ponies reached their destination, a relatively modest but welcoming brick building with two stories and a small area out back that housed a garden and a playground consisting solely of a swing set and a slide that had seen better days (though they looked polished compared to the old playground equipment at school that been replaced).
"Ah, here we are," Spoiled Rich declared, her voice still sounding a bit scratchy from all the crying she'd done earlier (though she'd at least bothered to wipe away the tear stains). "'Ponyville Orphanage'. I'm sure Kind Heart will be willing to take you in, Diamond."
"I can't believe you're actually doing this," Diamond said in reply. "This is all just your idea of revenge for me standing up to you, isn't it?"
"Whatever do you mean?" Spoiled responded in a sickeningly sweet tone of voice, as she led Diamond inside. "I would think you'd appreciate this far more than having to live under my roof and by my rules. After all, your father isn't around to stick up for you anymore." Tiara reluctantly clammed up, as she and Spoiled approached the front desk and Spoiled rang the bell.
"Be with you in just a minute," A sweet sounding female voice called. And exactly a moment later, trotting up to the desk was an earth pony mare with a brown coat, a red mane and tail trimmed short, eyes the same shade of blue as Diamond's, and a cutie mark depicting a pink heart. "Hello there, my name's Caring Heart. What can I do for you?" She asked her guests.
Spoiled cleared her throat and said to Caring Heart. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but my husband sadly passed away last night, leaving me as the sole legal guardian of my daughter, Diamond Tiara."
"Oh, I am so sorry to hear that," Caring Heart replied in a sympathetic tone. "Your husband was such a nice stallion too, always donating his time and money to those in need. Why, without his help, we wouldn't have been able to afford playground equipment for the little ones to play on."
"Yes, of that I am well aware, thank you," Spoiled remarked as she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, since my daughter and I have had a falling out in recent years, I have decided that I no longer wish to care for her now that my husband is deceased."
"So, you wish to give up your daughter to the orphanage?" Caring Heart asked Spoiled. "Well, I'm afraid I can't just do that. Since Diamond is still in your legal custody, I can't take her in until you relinquish custody of her."
Spoiled winked and pulled out a piece of parchment from her saddle bag, presenting it to Caring Heart. "Thought you might say that, Kind Heart, which is why I already took the liberty of consulting with my lawyer and having him pen this document. I even signed it myself, knowing full well what that means."
Diamond Tiara, though still crying silently after the news of her father, listened to the conversation between the adults. She knew It wasn't her place to butt in, but this was totally unfair, how could her mother be so cruel? She thought her mother would have at least been a little nicer and supportive of her after the unfortunate incident with Filthy.
"You'll forgive me if I decide to check it myself to be sure it's legit and legally binding," Caring Heart firmly replied, as she took the parchment (once Spoiled offered it to her of course) and put on her ruby red reading glasses. "Alright, let's see here," She said and began to read over the provided document very carefully. Every last detail seemed to be as real as real could be, there were no signs of forgery as far as the eye could see. Even the signature appeared to be valid. After re-reading and then re re-reading it, Kind Heart looked up and offered the document back to Spoiled. "Seems to be in order. Now, if you'll just sign this here document stating you agreed to give up custody of your daughter, and that she may legally be adopted by whoever chooses to do so, we'll be all set."
Spoiled signed that document the second it was within her grasp. She barely even bothered to say "Goodbye." to Diamond Tiara afterwards. "Free at last." She thought to herself, not daring to say it out loud. She looked back at Diamond and rudely said to her crying daughter. "Enjoy your new life, peasant.” And soon she was out of sight.