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// Diamond The Orphan 
// Story: A Shattered Diamond 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
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Diamond could hardly believe it, how could this be happening? In the span of a few hours she had gone from being the happiest filly in all of Equestria, loved and adored by her father and slowly but surely standing up against her rotten mother. And now here she was, at the orphanage in Ponyville, without a single bit to her name. Nothing but her prized tiara, one of many she'd worn since that day she'd gotten her cutie mark, and the few belongings she'd been allowed to bring with her. It just wasn't fair.

Kind Heart, for her part, did her best to try and console the heartbroken little filly so recently placed into her legal custody. "I am so sorry about all of this, Diamond Tiara," She spoke in a soft, almost motherly sounding tone (far better than anything Diamond's now ex-mother had used). "Know that I'll be with you for as long as you remain here. If there's anything you need, just ask me and I'll do my best to honor your wishes. And if you need to cry, do so, I won't stop you."

Diamond wanted nothing more than to cry at that moment, she was at the absolute lowest of low points in her life, not even be yelled at by her mother for not winning re-election as student pony president and losing her only friend could compare to this. But she wouldn't do so, even though it didn't seem likely anypony but Kind Heart would see. "I'm a diamond, and a diamond never breaks! I have to be strong, it's what Dad would want!" She mentally told herself, and she shook her head in protest. "I'm fine! I don't need to cry, Ms. Heart." She tried her best to project a commanding voice like she was used to wielding during her reign as the schoolyard bully, but it was not hard to notice the undertones of sadness slipping out.

Kind Heart didn't press her new charge. She knew that it was unwise to pressure a filly into opening up wounds when they would rather not think about them. Better that Tiara did it on her own terms when she was ready to let it all out, rather than risk emotional damage. "Fair enough. Now then, shall we set up your bedroom and introduce you to the colts and fillies you'll be living with for the time being? Perhaps you might even make a friend or two?" Caring suggested, lightly nuzzling the pink coated filly.

"I... guess so. It's not like I have anything better to do with my time," Diamond commented. She hesitated, and her lips quivered a bit, before she softly added. "And thank you." 

"How in the world am I going to tell my friends like the Crusaders, and my best friend, Silver Spoon, I’m an orphan?
Nopony would ever want to be friends with me after this." Diamond Tiara thought in complete sadness, a bit of depression taking over. 

Kind just smiled, unaware of these thoughts. "You're quite welcome, I know this can't be easy for you. You're a brave little filly for trying to be so strong. Now come along, I have a bed that was just opened up that I think you'll like."





Kind Heart led Tiara by the hoof to a rather large room near the back of the orphanage, and pushed open the door. "Ah, here we are. It's probably nowhere close to the luxury you enjoyed at home, but I hope it will suffice." The mare spoke, as Diamond's cornflower blue eyes beheld two long rows of beds in two straight lines. At the end of the room there was a small window to let in the sunshine, with pink curtains that matched fairly nicely with the soft blue colors of the walls and ceiling. The beds looked incredibly small though, definitely NOT princess sized (though Tiara sort of figured an orphanage would have little room for such fancy beds, let alone the budget for them).

A whole bunch of colts and fillies of various sizes, colors, and species, blank flank and cutie marked alike, couldn't help but be drawn to the new filly in their midst. Diamond didn't particularly take notice, she had nothing against any of them but she was in no mood to get to know ponies. The last thing she wanted was other ponies taking pity on her. If she was going to be an orphan, she was going to be an orphan with class and determination. Not some sad, weak, and pathetic little filly, that would have her face featured in flyers to bring in money. "Mother thinks she can break my spirit by dumping me here as if I'm yesterday's trash. Well I'm not going to give her what she wants! I'll grin and bear this as best as I can until I either get adopted, or until Mother wisens up and takes me back!" She thought to herself. 

Diamond Tiara desperately hoped that she never bullied any of these orphans in the past. If she did there would be no doubt that some of the ponies living here would want some form of revenge against her, but she didn't recall ever bullying them when she was a bully. 

"And this is where you'll sleep while you're living here," Kind spoke up, snapping Tiara out of her internal monologue. She directed the filly's attention to a bed resting at the end of the left row, right near the window. "You are to be in bed at your designated time, and when the lights are turned out you are to go to bed without a fuss," She added, explaining the rules of the orphanage. "That means no pillow fights, or jumping on the bed, or any nonsense like that. Break those rules, and you shall go to bed without dinner the next night. Speaking of which, meals are served at the designated meal time and may not be skipped without prior permission. No fridge or pantry raiding is allowed, and neither is stealing from the cookie jar."

"I'm not some cookie stealing little filly!" Diamond protested, embarrassed at the very notion of being treated as such.

Kind laughed ever so slightly. "I sincerely hope so, because I've had a lot of 'unexplained' cookie absences over the years," She then cleared her throat to regain her composure. "Anyway, feel free to spend your free time between meals on the playground, playing with toys, reading books and comics, or arts and crafts. No picking on your fellow orphanage ponies, and it goes without saying but we have a zero tolerance policy for fighting. If I have to, you will be supervised during your free time until I feel like you can be trusted. You're free to walk to and from school, but you must get permission from me or another orphanage worker before you go anywhere else. Lastly and most importantly, if you have any questions or need anything, please don't hesitate to get me. If I'm not at the front desk, I'm usually in my office down the hall and to your left, just across from the dining room. Have I made myself crystal clear?"

Tiara nodded, as she set her suitcases down on her bed and began to unpack. She started with her tiaras and her pajamas, plus the few fancy dresses she'd been able to pack without her mother (ex-mother she had to remember) finding out, and of course her teddy bear. The filly was embarrassed to admit it, but she still had trouble falling asleep without it. She didn't know why, she'd long since outgrown having to sleep with a nightlight on, and hadn't slept with her parents once since turning five (a fact she somewhat regretted. If only she'd known, she would've used the opportunities her father gave her through the years to sleep with her that she'd turn down under the guise of wanting to be a "big filly"). Yet without her teddy bear by her side, sleep wouldn't come easily to her.

Just then, in the distance, Kind Heart's trained ears picked up the tell-tale sound of the bell at the front desk. "I'll be right back," She declared to all the colts and fillies, including Diamond. "I have to see what this is about. In the meantime, stay out of trouble."

Meanwhile, as she dug through her saddlebag, Diamond found two photos. One of her father, one she'd swore to never let go of. It was her only reminder of the good thing she'd had in life. But then she saw a picture of her mother, she felt a bit of sadness and rage just looking at it! She walked over to the window, opened it, and shredded the picture of her mother into tiny pieces, and watched as it flew across Ponyville. 





When Kind Heart reached the front desk, she found that the one ringing the bell was a familiar amber coated pegasus mare with rose colored eyes. She had a mane styled into a set of curls that was a beautiful pink in color, along with a mane and tail styled similarly, that was pink with pale raspberry highlights, and a cutie mark depicting three tornadoes. "Oh, hello Mrs. Twister. So lovely of you to stop by," Kind Heart greeted in a warm tone. "Here to donate more of your daughter's old, unused toys?"

"Kind Heart, how many times do I have to tell you? You can just call me 'Dizzy', we've known each other personally for years," Dizzy spoke up, as she gestured a wing towards a big box full of toys that seemed to be in surprisingly good condition for not having been used. "My daughter outgrew these toys about a year ago, and since today was 'clean out the closets day', these toys that Scootaloo never played with had to go. And you know me, I just hate to throw perfectly good toys away."

"Bless you and your big heart, Dizzy," Kind Heart smiled, trotting over to shake the pegasus mare's hoof. "Seriously, you have no idea how much the little ones adore your donations. You're almost like an aunt to them."

Dizzy just blushed. "It's the least I can do with my free time, what little I have these days. With my husband often away for hockey games, and Scootaloo busy with her Crusaders activities, it seems like I'm kept busy just keeping the house in one piece. I adore my family, but sometimes it can get kind of lonely around the house when it's just me," Then she added. "But my husband and I just don't have the time to have another foal, I don't even think we've sat Scootaloo down for 'the talk' yet."

"Well, have you considered opening up your heart and your home to one of the many unfortunate little ones with no family of their own?" Kind suggested. "It seems like we're getting new foals all the time these days. I'm not naming names, but we did get an unfortunate young filly whose mother decided to dump her off and be rid of her."

"Why do I get the feeling the mare responsible for such a cruel act has a name that rhymes with a certain word I dare not repeat in polite company?" Dizzy asked, raising an eyebrow. "I would think even Spoiled would have lines she wouldn't cross."

"Like I said, I'm not naming names," Kind Heart replied in a neutral tone. "If you'd like, I'd be happy to call up all the colts and fillies currently with us, and let you have a look. Do you have any preferences: Age? Gender? Species? Cutie mark or no cutie mark?"

Dizzy shook her head. "I wasn't really looking to adopt at the moment, Kind. I just wanted to look at the foals and get an idea of what ones I might like. I'd have to consult my husband, and have a talk with my daughter before I could think of adopting. Still, I could at least spend some time with the little ones. I still have to donate my toys after all." She trotted over to the box filled to the brim with toys, and bent down and carefully picked it up.

Kind picked up a clipboard, pencil, and papers, and followed Dizzy towards a modest play area near her office. She then rang a bell and called out. "All colts and fillies, report to the playroom at once. I repeat: All colts and fillies, report to the playroom at once!"





Diamond had just finished unpacking the last of her suitcases, and had been content to just lay on her much smaller orphanage bed, forlorn. "Guess I'll have to make the most of my new life here. Funny, I've met so few of my friends' parents and yet I'm the one who's an orphan now." She thought unhappily to herself.

But the filly's thoughts were interrupted, when she heard the ringing of a bell, and Kind Heart clearly calling for all colts and fillies to adjourn to the playroom. Whatever the reason might be, Tiara was not going to disobey. Caring Heart was nice enough to not force her to be open with her emotions, so it was only proper that she be rewarded with an obedient filly.

The playroom was a simple four walled room with two doors, and soft, carpeted floors so the little little ones didn't hurt themselves if they fell. The walls were a soft brown in color, which matched the ceiling. A bunch of toys and art supplies for foals of various ages lay scattered across the floor and on several of the tables. And in the center of the room stood CKind Heart herself, with an amber coated pegasus mare standing next to her, said mare having set a box of toys down on the ground next to her.

Kind Heart counted each colt and filly, calling them by name one at a time. All were present and accounted for, including her newest addition, Diamond Tiara. "Everypony, this is Dizzy Twister. Say 'Hello Mrs. Twister.'"

"Hello Mrs. Twister." All the colts and fillies who could speak said at once (those who couldn't just babbled and gurgled but it was obvious what they were trying to say).

Dizzy could feel her heart melting, they were all so adorable. If only she could adopt them all, alas she knew that was impossible. "I'm just looking over them so I can consider some for possible adoption later," She mentally reminded herself. "Remember, Dizzy, you already have one filly who still needs your attention. It's important you ask her and your husband before you do anything."

Diamond didn't know what to think of Dizzy. She'd heard stories about the mare from Scootaloo, but as far she could remember the pink coated filly had never met the amber coated mare, not even once. Odd how that worked out.

As luck would have it, Dizzy soon spotted Tiara amidst the crowd of orphans, and when she did she couldn't keep her eyes off the filly. "She must be the one Kind Heart was talking about earlier. I can't believe Spoiled could be so heartless!" She thought to herself. "Her husband keels over unexpectedly from a cerebral hemorrhage, and she has the stones to dump her daughter at this orphanage as if she were nothing more than a dress or a piece of jewelry?!" And with that anger welling up inside her, Dizzy did something she hadn't expected to do. She immediately pointed a hoof to Diamond Tiara and said firmly!" That's the filly I want to adopt!"

"WHAT?!" Both Kind Heart and Diamond Tiara gasped at once!

"You heard me!" Dizzy said quite seriously. "A filly like her deserves a proper mother, one who doesn't treat her like horse apples, excuse my language!"

"Really?! You actually wanna adopt me?! Right here?! Right now?"! Diamond hopefully asked, while she was mentally thinking. "Please don't let this be some sick joke, please!"





Indeed, Dizzy was as serious as ever. All that was ringing in her mind, was that she couldn't bare to let an innocent filly suffer, just because her mother (or ex-mother as the term now applied) didn't have a heart. She carefully filled out all the paperwork in Kind Heart's office, with Diamond Tiara present.

"Okay, Mrs. Twister, we're just about done here," Kind Heart instructed, pointing a hoof to the bottom of a scroll that rested on her desk. "If you'll just sign here on the dotted line, you'll be giving your consent to take up the responsibility of raising Diamond Tiara as your own daughter. That means you'll be legally responsible for her well being and everything that it involves. You're absolutely sure you're prepared to deal with all of that?"

"Absolutely. I don't expect it to be a total cakewalk, but I've dealt with a pretty feisty filly already, one more shouldn't be too much of a hassle," Dizzy vowed, signing her signature in the designated spot. When that was done, she turned to her soon to be adopted daughter, and smiled brightly at her. "I don't know what was going through your biological mother's mind when she dumped you here earlier. But I can assure you that I will be a better mother for you than she ever was, I'll give you the support you need and deserve."

"Congratulations, Dizzy," Kind Heart spoke up, attracting Dizzy and Diamond's attention. "You are now officially Diamond Tiara's adopted mother. Diamond, why don't you go pack your things to take with you to your new home?"

Dizzy was at her adopted daughter's side in an instant. "How 'bout I help you? A filly like you shouldn't have to pack all that stuff all by yourself." She offered.

"Thanks Mrs. Twister, but I think I can manage on my own. I didn't pack that much stuff thanks to mo... er, the mare who shall not be named." Tiara replied, lightly brushing away her now adopted mother's hoof (boy did it feel to weird to consider Scootaloo's mother that), and trotting away quickly to start packing. It helped that turning down such an offer meant nopony would be around to see her shed liquid pride. "I wonder If this means that me and Scootaloo get to become sisters? Oh this is so weird, but I just hope Dizzy won't treat me like… my ex-mother treated me. I  hope she's better." She thought to herself.