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// Chapter 10 Part 1: My Way Or The Highway 
// Story: My Secret Daughter 
// by deadpansnarker 
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Starlight Glimmer, seemingly unaware of the giant-sized stink she'd just caused in the dining room, was now busy rummaging around the kitchen. She tutted in disappointment while removing each product in turn from the packed shelves inside, and it was here that a mildly seething Twilight Sparkle found her: surrounded by numerous tin cans and cardboard boxes as if in the process of constructing a miniature fort.

"I already knew that Trixie ate all the cinnamon nut flakes the last time she popped down for one of her 'surprise' visits..." Starlight remarked with agitation, as if sensing the presence of the alicorn without even turning around. "...But I thought at the very least she'd leave me some small traces of muesli. Honestly Twi, I'll never be able to repay that showmare for being one of my first real friends since moving to Ponyville, but I swear, she can be so selfish and thoughtless sometimes."

"S-She can be, w-what?!" Twilight was somewhat overwhelmed by the apparent hypocritical irony of Starlight's last statement, and she almost choked on her own words. "D-Do you have any idea what you just did in there yourself?!"

"I know, isn't it fabulous?" Starlight spun about with a wide grin on her face, ready now to bathe in the expected aftermath of her unparalleled triumph. "I've finally taken the first steps in casting my filly adrift from the wretchedness that is the Rich family. From what I heard at that mansion, they've never been anything but neglectful and abusive to my daughter. We already know all about Spoiled's disgusting treachery, but for such a highly respected business stallion, I'd have thought Filthy would've had more sense than to leave her in the hooves of that hook-nosed monster! Anyway, as they say, all that's in the past now. Do we have any porridge left over?"     

"Forget the porridge!!" Twilight growled through gritted teeth, and she regarded her student with the most dour of deep-set frowns. "How could you break your word so early and so easily?! Like you said so yourself: Diamond Tiara has just left her family home for the first time to live in a new place with virtual strangers. She's confused, scared, depressed and really needs treating with the utmost care until we can gradually convince her to come out of her shell. So, what do you do? The first time you see her, you grab her by force with magic and put her onto your lap! Then, you take her on a high-speed ride back here which leaves her so nauseous she's nearly sick afterwards! Finally, to top everything off, a few minutes after she's discovered to have wet the bed in front of a Princess she idolises, you come bursting in and announce to the entire room you're changing the name that she's used for years and is comfortable with, without permission! How do you think all that is going to make her feel, in the fragile emotional state she's in? I don't know about you, but in her position, even if it'd been proven beyond any reasonable doubt that you were my birth mother, I may never speak to you again."

Starlight wilted a little under the stern admonishment of her teacher, and even in the midst of her jubilation, looked downcast for a few brief seconds. But unlike in their previous discussions on this subject, when the unicorn had readily accepted Twilight's advice on foal-rearing, now she was in a much more stubborn frame of mind. After all, she'd thought long and hard about this while combing her mane and flossing her teeth upstairs, which had taken a good ten minutes at least.

"Sorry Twi, I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one." Starlight shook her head sadly, as she began putting everything back into the storage cabinets. "I appreciate it might be hard for Sparkling to get used to her new name at first, but it is my firm belief the more time that passes, the more she'll grow to like it. Plus, as I said, my daughter's old and illegitimate title of 'Diamond Tiara' carries far too many unfortunate connotations with it, so I'm really doing this for her. Whenever the locals around here hear that name, I bet they remember nothing but a bullying, stuck-up filly who never thought of anypony but herself. I want to move her past that bad reputation, and now I have the power to do so, I'm going to use it to it's maximum potential. As for the other things you mentioned, well I'm truly sorry that me and Sparkling got off on the wrong hoof and I fully intend to tell her that myself before making it up to her during her time here. If she's as thoughtful and understanding as she seems from our initial contact though, I'm sure she'll accept that my overzealousness was mostly down to my inexperience as a new parent, and the fact that I was so happy seeing her after we spent so long apart. In fact, I'll explain all that to her in a moment, just as soon as I've found those blasted oats."

"Exactly! That's the point I've been trying to make!!" Twilight thought that her student didn't quite grasped yet what was at stake here, and was determined to get her to realise it until she was blue in the face from trying. Or maybe, a slightly deeper shade of lavender. "You just said yourself, that whatever the old Diamond Tiara was like, she's changed now beyond all recognition! Nopony in Ponyville hears that name now and remembers the spoiled brat she used to be, instead they see a smart and kind filly who donates plenty of bits to charity and is unfailingly polite to everypony she meets! Those that live here aren't so stupid that they'll judge a pony purely based on what their name is, or I'd maybe have suggested to a certain unicorn that she switch her's to something like 'Moonlight Ray', so that the inhabitants at her old village wouldn't be reminded of her less-than-savoury past every time she sets hoof in their neighbourhood! It's completely irresponsible and impulsive behaviour like you just displayed in the dining room which is only going to antagonise your daughter even more, and make it so even if you are genuinely remorseful for the rest of your parental missteps, she doesn't forgive you so easily in the long run."

Starlight dropped the bag of porridge she'd finally managed to locate amongst all the miscellaneous food from the cupboard, and huffed with annoyance at hearing her mentor's uncompromising opinion. "Okay Twilight, now that's going too far. I don't need to be reminded of my history wherever I go, you know I feel the biggest sense of regret for what I put you, my friends and everypony else through every single day of my life. Even after I defeated Queen Chrysalis and helped save the world from the Pony Of Shadows, I still feel the guilt eating away at me from the inside. But this isn't just me changing my filly's name on a sudden whim: this is about me deciding, as a concerned parent, what's best for her future."

"Best for her, or best for you?" Twilight didn't quite mean to sound so cold with her icy retort, but her frustration at not being able to convince Starlight of the wrongness of her actions was beginning to spill over.

"I-I won't even dignify that with a response, and simply put it down to harsh words said in the heat of the moment. " Starlight sniffed dismissively, as she made her way out of the kitchen towards the dining room once more. "You know, I thought you of all ponies would be pleased at my decision. I actually renamed her partially in honour of a great friend of mine, who helped me see the light one day and turned my entire life around to something meaningful, which is exactly what I intend to do with Sparkling. Gee, I wonder who I could be talking about?!"

"W-Wait a sec. Y-You're talking about... me?!" Twilight gasped in shock, only realising for the first time the similarities between her surname and her student's daughter's newly proposed first name. "Oh Starlight, you didn't have to do that. As much as I appreciate the gesture, I can't help but feel that you're being entirely too hasty in..."

"Whatever, the name stays!" Starlight had quite enough of being lectured to for one morning, and threw a hunk of papers on the floor in front of Twilight while fully departing the cooking area. "I may not be as good or as voracious a reader as you, but I've looked over this contract over and over again since it was signed. It clearly states that, as Sparkling's newly registered birth mother, it gives me complete freedom to rename her as I see fit! So, I would like it if you were to respect my wishes and refer to her by her new name from now on, please. As a law-abiding princess yourself, I'm sure you'll adhere to my humble request, thank you very much. Now, I must go and see how my daughter is doing. I of course, would welcome your input in assisting me with the tasks ahead in the coming days, provided that you're not going to start arguing in front of her with me. As you so rightly said, she's been through enough already, wouldn't you agree?"

A clearly aggravated Starlight then stormed out with her packet of oats and bowl, leaving Twilight all alone to gather up the scattered paperwork from the floor to read it again in earnest, wishing with all her heart that she'd studied them with the same dedicated attention to detail earlier that Starlight obviously had. 

Levitating her patented horn-rimmed spectacles a few inches from her eyes, she carefully looked over the documents, especially focusing on that tricky small print Spoiled had made great play of emphasising the previous day, a section which'd made Starlight squeal with joy when she'd read it at the mansion, and only now Twilight had managed to find the time to scrutinise in any great depth.

During such time that the filly known as 'Diamond Tiara' will be staying at her new address, the mare called 'Starlight Glimmer' will possess all the rights and privileges a mother would have at birth regarding her daughter's requirements, bar none. This extends to minor punishments and dietary needs, but also includes schooling, socialising and...

Uh oh. Twilight audibly gulped as the full scale of what she'd just read began to register in her overworked brain. Well Spike, my old friend, it looks like you and me are going to have a lot on our plate the next few weeks. Buckle up.