As soon as they finished dinner, Mr. Rich and Diamond decided to take a walk. Before leaving, he asked the Crusaders if he could have some one-on-one time with his daughter. The Crusaders agreed and bolted off, going anywhere else they could cause trouble.
Diamond and her father trotted on a shimmery path towards the lone hills east of Ponyville. Although it was getting dark, the path underneath their hooves lit the way. It eventually gave in to lush, soft grass.
“That daisy sandwich hit the spot.” Diamond said. She burped, then her cheeks grew rosy.
Her father craned his neck towards her and nudged her playfully. He let out a belch as well.
“EWWWW! Gross, dad!” She complained while covering her nose and waving a hoof in the air.
“What?” he said innocently. “I didn’t do that.”
Diamond growled at him, then tackled him.She reached out to tickle him, but he batted her hooves away.
“You forget! That doesn’t work on me anymore!” He tackled her back and rubbed her stomach playfully.
Diamond squirmed underneath his ruthless tickling. “Stop! Stop!”
Her father pulled away, then looked up at the sky.
She got up and brushed herself off. Like before, no rubble. town apparently workedApparently, the enchantment on the towned all the way out here. Nothing but the quiet grass rustling underneath her hooves.
“Look up at the sky!” Her father lifted her head with his hoof.
Above them, an expanse of glittering stars danced overhead.
“Wow!” Diamond said.
“I gotta show you something...” he instructed. “Follow me up the hill.”
As they ascended up the incline, Diamond asked “Does it have anything to do with what happened with my cutie mark?”
He stopped dead in his tracks. Diamond bumped against his flank.
She looked at him and he looked at her. “Yes and no.” he said with a smile. Without another word he planted a kiss on her forehead. “Even if it has something to do with cutie marks, that is not the matter here. This has to do with something way more important.”
The sun dipped below the distant mountains, leading to Mane-hattan. She found it odd since the sun set on the opposite horizon.
Finally, when they reached the top, she noticed him spin around, carve a couple inscriptions in the dirt, then face her.
“What are you doing?” She asked with a chuckle. It seemed silly for him to do this, especially since he preferred not to get his hooves dirty. His nature was closer to crunching numbers while leaning back in his comfortable chair.
“I’m going to show you something I should’ve told you years ago.” he replied. His said in a serious and gentle tone. Not the scolding tone she was used to.
“There is a story about the stars. They used to be warriors...” he began, “...they are the very ones without a mark, but know who they are- They are who gave their lives for the cause of freedom. For this, they are given a remembrance.
“The light we’ve been given continues on even after we die.” Her father’s eyes started to glow. He pointed skyward to a belt of stars. “Those are the great ones. The ones who followed the princesses.” He pointed towards another cluster near it “Those are their brave wives and children, who trusted their husbands and their fathers. The ones who lived in the land far after their loved ones gave their all, passed the torch, then died.”
His eyes stopped glowing and he took a deep breath. He stepped to the side of Diamond.
Diamond looked up, finding the glittering stars in the expanse overhead. “Is mother up there?”
He sighed. “Yes.”
“Where is she?” She searched the sky and pointed at a constellation. “Is she anywhere near Ursa Major? Oh, I know! It’s Orion’s belt!”
“I…” He started. “I can’t.”
She turned to him. She saw tears falling down the side of his face.
“The darkness of space swallowed up her light long ago.” He choked.
“Oh,” Diamond said, backing away to give him some room to breathe.
He sniffed some more. “Hey, Diamond?”
“Yes Dad?” she replied.
“I need to show you something.” he stood up and walked away from the trail.
She stretched after she got up. Following him up the hill, they came to a singular tree atop the hill. He turned towards the tree, and gently peeled off a piece of bark. “Look.”
She saw it and marveled. Scrawled underneath the bark, rivers of gold sap glittered and glowed. His eyes, reflecting the glittering light, looked fondly at the trunk. “This is mom.”
She trotted carefully and gingerly reached towards the exposed trunk. “May I?”
“You’re family. I don’t think she’ll mind.” he answered.
She placed a hoof on the glittery surface and felt the warmth radiating on her fur. The glitter reached out and wrapped around her. She closed her eyes and hugged the warmth.
When she opened her eyes, a mare made of golden light stood before her. The mare was transparent, as she could see the prints in the grass underneath the hooves. More notable, however, were her features; kind eyes, complimented by a stout stature.
Diamond felt the warmth of the light caress her fur. Then, she noticed the warmth that wasn’t in the glittering light. The light was getting it’s warmth from her mother.
Diamond leaned in and embraced the mare. “Mom…” The words fluttered away like a gentle breeze.
After forever, she let go and drifted towards her father. Her father gave the figure a hug. After they let go, the glitter morphed into a butterfly and fluttered back into the tree. He picked up the bark and pressed it back in place. He whispered, “sleep well.” The bark glowed and faded and they were left into the night.
“This is what happens to us when we die.” he said. “The Body changes shape, gives life to other living things. The Soul, or as we call it, Existence- continues on- as long as we stay true to who we are.”
He took his daughter by the hoof and continued “The soul is a precious thing. It is not meant to be hidden or forgotten. So, to reflect the light that continues on after we are long gone, we erect out of glass and crystal to bask in the light of those who gave their all so we can live.”
That explained why there were so many trees surrounding the town, and the shops and houses were made out of glass.
He took to Diamond’s side and instructed, “walk with me back to the house, I have a story to tell you.”
Diamond found out what he meant. Even in the dark night, the light from the stars illuminated the inside of their mansion. The walls inside the foyer gleamed with a warm light, like a fire.
“Take a seat with me on the couch.” He motioned over.
She hesitated. Usually her parents frowned upon her whenever she sat on the couch. Whenever her mother caught her resting on it, she would shoo her off.
“C’mon!” Her father motioned.
When Diamond took a seat, her father motioned for her to come closer. “Come, rest by my side.”
Suddenly, the lights from the glass dimmed. She looked up at him, noticing his horn gleaming in an icy blue light.
The mansion grew darker. Soon the warm light of the hearth remained the sole source of light. Also crystal. Somepony had obviously put some time in carving to the shape of an open flame. Like a fire, the light flickered. She smiled, admiring the handiwork of very ingenious magic.
“Let me tell you a story, a story that happened when you were young.” her father said.
“Is it the one about the watch?” she asked curiously.
He chuckled. “No, but that is a good one also. I might tell that one later. For now, I’m finally going to tell you about your mother.”
“You were the age of eighteen months when it happened,” he started, “just a toddler, without a care in the world…
“I was working under the Princess’s rule. Your mother was working on a spell that would change the world forever as we know it.
“One quiet blue day- and by blue, the sky a strong blue, the crystals walls of this mansion reflecting the Aether’s great expanse… Your mother discovered the mystery out of the blue- the Aether’s blue. She learned that our marks allowed us to ascend marvelous heights and to access a plane of existence far beyond her own.”
His eyes grew darker. “But with unprecedented power came serious consequences to those who didn’t know how to use it… to control it. As she delved deeper into the secrets, the power of this unseen dimension of existence took over her and used her as its instrument of destruction.”
Diamond shivered.
“War broke out. And with that, the battle between the marked and the markless started. Like a disease, the power took over the minds closer to her. Including me.” he sighed. “Fortunately, Princess Sparkle was able to perform a highly dangerous spell to free me of the enchantment. I realized what I had done and did my best to set things right.”
His eyes grew more sorrowful as the flicker of the flame glowed in his eyes. “The battle was won by the markless. There were many who died to protect the cause of our freedoms. The rest of us were never the same. Many had to say goodbye to close friends and family. Princess Sparkle had to say goodbye to her brother, Applebloom had to say goodbye to Big Mac. But, the most painful thing of all- It forced me to go through something I’ll never forget...”
Diamond leaned in closer. “What?” she asked intently.
“I had to watch your mother die.” he croaked. “Her strong, tenacious spirit, like the one in the tree, fought her way out. At the very end, she broke free of the living nightmare she caused. But, with her strength gone, she collapsed, and faded into the stars with the great ones. I have searched the stars to call her back, so we can be reunited, but with billions of stars in the night sky, I will be spending most of my immortality searching endlessly.”
Tears fell down his eyes. “That’s why earning your mark before it’s time is dangerous. It causes a great abyssal darkness to stir, arousing it from its long slumber. I fear you’ll follow the same path.”
Her father tucked her in “You good?”
“Yes.” She curled up in her blankets. “Thank you.”
He smiled and trotted out the door. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
“Goodnight, daddy.” She yawned.
“Goodnight, my little gemstone.” He shut the door.
Immediately, Diamond turned over to the side of the bed where the moon cast its silver projection on her bedroom floor. With her window ajar, the crisp breeze ran through her room.
She wanted to try something. Closing her eyes, she concentrated. Suddenly, she saw the lights grow from behind her eyelids.
She opened them and looked around her room.
It worked. The cold light of the stars shimmered through the crystal walls like a billion grains of sand on a sunny shore.
She galloped to her window and looked outside. She discovered the windowsill to be a surprisingly comfortable place to rest her head while she gazed into the night sky.
As she stared into the expanse, tears rolled down her face. It was odd, because she only cried when she was feeling lonely or forgotten. But, this was the first time in all of her life, she felt the warmth of her heart and the cold of her tears at the same time. This new feeling, a feeling she had never felt before, she savored every moment it stayed by her side, inside her heart.
She looked out, searching each star. Her father’s story remained fresh in her mind. Being this happy, only one thing could make it even better…
“Mom? Are you out there?”