It was a crisp Autumn day in Ponyville. Sweetie Belle was in Sugarcube Corner, sharing a round of cupcakes with her mother, Cookie Crumbles.
"Isn't this wonderful, dear?" Cookie Crumbles smiled.
"It sure is." Sweetie Belle nodded, pausing to pick another cupcake.
"Between your Cutie Mark Crusader work and being a friendship tutor at Princess Twilight's school, I can't remember the last time we got to have a mother/daughter day." Cookie Crumbles noted.
"Me neither." Sweetie Belle admitted. "But at least we got one today. And nothing is going to interrupt it."
"That's what I like to hear." Cookie Crumbles beamed.
After finishing their cupcakes, mother and daughter exited the bakery. On the street outside, they noticed Strawberry Sunrise nearby, carrying a stack of fliers under her wing.
"Hello there!" She smiled. "Can I have just a moment of your time, please?"
"I'm afraid we're in the middle of something, Miss Sunrise." Cookie Crumbles declared. "Quality mother/daughter time, you see?"
"Ooh, then you'll want to hear this!" Strawberry smiled. "City hall is putting together a parade for this year's harvest festival. And we're looking for volunteers to build displays for the parade, and stand with those displays as they're rolled through Ponyville Sounds like a perfect mother/daughter activity to me!"
Cookie Crumbles examined one of the fliers.
"This does sound like fun." She mused. "What do you think, Sweetie? Wanna give it a try?"
"I'd love to!" Sweetie Belle nodded.
"Then it's decided." Cookie Crumbles smiled. "Sign us up!"
"Great." Strawberry grinned. "All volunteers will be meeting at town hall in two days time, so they can all officially sign up."
"We'll see you then." Cookie Crumbles nodded, taking a flier for good measure.
"This is going to be so much fun!" Sweetie Belle squealed as they continued onwards.
"And the best part is that we'll be spending all that time together." Cookie Crumbles declared. "The two of us. Mother and daughter."
That evening, they shared what they were going to be doing with Cookie Crumbles' husband (and Sweetie Belle's father) Hondo Flanks over dinner.
"Ooh, sounds like you two are going to be busy." Hondo noted. "My two girls in the Harvest Parade. I'm so proud!"
"Thanks, dad." Sweetie Belle chuckled.
"I'm just glad we'll be doing together." Cookie Crumbles smiled. "In fact, I was thinking that should be exactly what we should be displaying: a sculpture of the two of us, together."
"Aww!" Hondo cooed.
"I'd love that, mom." Sweetie Belle beamed.
"And I'm sure the crowd'll love it, too." Hondo added.
"Thanks, dear." Cookie Crumbles smiled. "But as long as we have fun making it, nothing else matters."
A couple of days later, mother and daughter arrived at town hall. Several other families were also there, ready to get to work on their own presentations. As Sweetie Belle and Cookie Crumbles joined the group, they noticed several familiar faces, but one in particular caught Sweetie Belle's eye.
"Hey, Diamond Tiara!" She called.
The privileged Earth Pony filly turned to meet her.
"Oh, hi." She smiled. "Nice to see you."
"So you're volunteering for the parade too?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"You could say that." Diamond Tiara said awkwardly.
"Diamond Tiara!" A harsh voice filled the air.
Diamond Tiara's face fell as her mother, Spoiled Rich, walked over to her.
"Yes, mother?" Diamond Tiara suppressed a grown.
"Didn't I tell you not to wander off?" Spoiled Rich scowled. "We're here to sign up for our big moment, remember?"
"I remember." Diamond Tiara replied. "I was just talking with a friend, that's all."
"You can talk with your... friends on your own time." Spoiled Rich said bluntly, speaking the word "friends" with distaste. "Right now, we have to prove, once again, why the Riches are the most admirable family in town."
As Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, Cookie Crumbles stepped in.
Hello, Mrs. Rich." She said courteously. "I didn't expect to see you there."
"And why not?" Spoiled Rich sneered. "The citizens of Ponyville deserve the privilege of seeing what the best family in town can present them."
"Well, I'm just planning to have fun with my daughter as we bring our design to life." Cookie Crumbles announced.
"Of course you are." Spoiled Rich smirked. "It's not like anything you and your daughter could produce would be worthy of anything other than a sideways glance."
"Excuse me?" Cookie Crumbles frowned.
"No offense meant." Spoiled Rich smiled condescendingly. "I'm sure you already have a delightfully quaint design in mind, but it will still pale in comparison to our creation."
"Nothing's for certain, you know." Cookie Crumbles retorted, her eyebrow twitching. "We might end up surprising you."
"Oh, I doubt that very much." Spoiled Rich snorted. "It takes an extraordinary pony to create something extraordinary. Ordinary ponies like you can only create something... Standard at best."
"Need I remind you that my oldest daughter is a widely-successful fashion designer?" Cookie Crumbles pointed out. "I wouldn't call that 'standard' or 'ordinary'."
"Unexpected talent can pop up sometimes." Spoiled Rich admitted. "But it's clear that Rarity is the only pony with design talent in your family. She must have developed it in spite of her decidedly low class environment. Good for her."
"How dare you!" Cookie Crumbles snarled.
"I dare nothing." Spoiled Rich sneered. "I'm just stating facts."
"Mom..." Diamond Tiara frowned.
"Not now, honey." Spoiled Rich said dismissively. "The grown-ups are talking."
"You want to talk facts, do you?" Cookie Crumbles glared. "Well, I've got some facts for you..."
"This should be good..." Spoiled Rich smirked.
"Mom, maybe you should just calm do-" Sweetie Belle started.
"Like the fact that Rarity isn't the only pony in our family who gives her all in her work!" Cookie Crumbles snarled. "So don't be surprised if our display catches more than a few eyes!"
"I suppose a pony can dream." Spoiled Rich needed. "But don't hold on to that dream too tightly. It'll only hurt more when your little art project barely gets noticed."
Cookie Crumbles was about to respond when Mayor Mare arrived.
"Good afternoon, everypony." She announced. "First of all, I'd like to thank you all for volunteering to be a part of this year's parade. I'm sure there's going to be some magnificent designs this year."
"And some humdrum ones." Spoiled Rich muttered just loud enough for Cookie Crumbles to hear. Cookie Crumbles could only glare in response.
"Now then, I'd like to ask you all to come up here and write your names on the official sign-up list." Mayor Mare pointed to a sheet of paper attached to a bulletin board. "And please be aware that all your creations must not exeed ten feet in height, or fifteen feet in width. We don't want everypony feeling overshadowed by one oversized work..."
"Of course not." Spoiled Rich chuckled to Diamond Tiara as she wrote their names on the list. "And we can overshadow everypony else by staying within the parameters."
"Real funny, mom..." Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes.
Cookie Crumbles glared at Spoiled Rich.
"We'll see who gets overshadowed..." She muttered.
"The Harvest Parade will be held Friday at 10 o'clock." Mayor Mare continued. "So please have all your designs ready by then. And remember to have fun!"
"Oh, it will be fun," Spoiled Rich declared. Nothing is more gratifying than making sure everypony knows who the greatest family in town is..."
Diamond Tiara suppressed a growl of annoyance, barely able to stand her mother's attitude. At the same time, Cookie Crumbles almost dropped the quill as Spoiled Rich's latest boast got under her skin.
As the volunteers filed out of the room, Sweetie Belle couldn't help but notice that her mother was glaring at Spoiled Rich non-stop.
"So... Ready to have fun?" She asked, intent on diverting her mother's attention away from a certain social-climbing braggart. "That is what this is all about, right?"
"Mmm?" Cookie Crumbles snapped out of her anger. To her embarrassment, she had almost forgotten her daughter was there. "Right, right! You and me, together. Can't wait!"
Sweetie Belle smiled nervously as they departed, hoping that her mother would not dwell on Spoiled Rich's arrogance.
The next day, Cookie Crumbles took Sweetie Belle over to Rich's Barnyard Bargains, seeking supplies with which to create their masterpiece.
"I hate to go into enemy territtory, but it's a necessary sacrifice." Cookie Crumbles muttered, as they approached the store entrance.
"'Enemy territory'?" Sweetie Belle gaped.
"Did I say that?" Cookie Crumbles cringed. "I meant... something else."
"Of course you did." Sweetie Belle shook her head.
"Let's see..." Cookie Crumbles perused a list she'd written up the previous night, containing all the resources they needed for their presentation. "We'll need some paint, some bowls for making paper mache, some wire frames..."
As they neared the entrance, they found Spoiled Rich and Diamond Tiara already there, along with their butler Randolph, and several other servants.
"Oh, no..." Sweetie Belle cringed.
"Well, fancy meeting you here." Spoiled Rich grinned wickedly at Cookie Crumbles.
"We're just here to pick up a few supplies." Cookie Crumbles tried her best to remain civil.
"So are we." Spoiled Rich declared. "Being the wife of the store's owner gives me a nice little discount, you know."
"Must be nice." Cookie Crumbles growled.
"Yes, privelige is nice." Spoiled Rich gloated. "Not that you'd know any about that, of course. Sometimes I wonder how you poor lower-class ponies get by."
"We get by just fine, thank you." Cookie Crumbles said through gritted teeth.
"Good for you." Spoiled Rich said, in the most condescending tone possible. "One must put on a brave face during hard times."
Diamond Tiara gave Sweetie Belle an apologetic look.
"Well, we have our work to do, and you have yours." Cookie Crumbles hissed. "So let's get to it."
"Of course." Spoiled Rich turned her servants. "Alright Randolph, you collect the glass." She instructed. "You two grab the wood." She pointed to two others. "And you retrieve some good, strong adhesive. Then you will bring them all back here, and I'll tell you if it's suitable for you to build the presentation with."
"Yes, ma'am!" The servants chorused.
"Wait, you're not even building the display yourself?" Cookie Crumbles gaped, as the servants headed into the store. "That's against the rules!"
"Actually, it's not." Sweetie Belle declared. "There's nothing in the rules that say you have to make the display yourself. As long as you're the one presenting it, it's perfectly okay."
"Still doesn't seem all that fair, though." Cookie Crumbles scowled.
"Some ponies just have better resources than others." Spoiled Rich gloated. "I know it's difficult, but do try not to be jealous."
"I am not jealous!" Cookie Crumbles yelled. "And do you know why? Because it's not the resources that matter. It's the heart that goes into the work that counts. And work that's been ordered will no have no heart at all."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night." Spoiled Rich sneered.
"Come on, Sweetie Belle." Cookie Crumbles led her daughter into the store, glancing at her list as she did so. "We're going to have to step up our game..."
"What's wrong with our 'game'?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Nothing, of course." Cookie Crumbles said unconvincingly. "But it won't hurt to give our creation everything we've got. And then some..."
Their trip ended up taking much longer than expected, due to Cookie Crumbles second-guessing her every choice. By the time they departed, Spoiled Rich and the others were long gone (to Sweetie Belle's relief)
Once they were back home, they began work on their own display. The first step was preparing the paper mache, and the second was shaping the wire frames into the desired shape: a heart. Once they were done, the paper mache was ready, and they went to work adding the mushy strips to the frame until it was completely covered. Sweetie Belle couldn't help but enjoy herself, in spite of her mother's vitriol regarding Spoiled Rich.
"Okay, this should do for now." Cookie Crumbles smiled. "We leave this to dry until morning, and then we can start painting it."
"Can't wait." Sweetie Belle grinned. "It's been really great doing this with you, mom."
"I feel the same way, sweetheart.." Cookie Crumbles smiled.
That night, Sweetie Belle slept contentedly, glad that things seemed to be calming down. If only she knew how wrong she was...
The next morning, right after breakfast, they went to work on painting the now-solidified heart. Together, they colored it in multiple shades of pink, with a portrait of the two of them hugging in the center.
"We did it." Sweetie Belle grinned, hours later. "It looks amazing, doesn't it?"
"It does." Cookie Crumbles nodded... Before frowning, unsure. "But it could be better."
"Better?" Sweetie Belle's face fell. "But it's exactly what we wanted to make."
"I know, I know." Cookie Crumbles declared. "But there's always room for improvement."
"What kind of improvement?" Sweetie Belle asked skeptically.
"Nothing too major." Cookie Crumbles tried to assure her. "Just a few small additions. Pass me that gold paint, would you?"
The "small additions" turned out to be anything but. Cookie Crumbles just kept insisting that they add "improvements" to the model. It started with some gold trim, then continued with ribbons, glitter, and many other things. By the time Cookie Crumbles was satisfied, it looked like the gaudiest thing Sweetie Belle had ever seen.
"There we go." Cookie Crumbles smiled. "Now it's perfect."
"Yeah... Perfect." Sweetie Belle put on a false smile.
"I can't wait until the big parade." Cookie Crumbles smirked. "Everypony is going to be wowed. And Spoiled Rich is going to eat her words..."
"Sure she is." Sweetie Belle sighed, inwardly dreading what other ponies would think of the disaster they had made.
The day of the parade arrived. Cookie Crumbles and Sweetie Belle returned to the town hall, along with all the other volunteers. There were many varied designs on display, but one in particular had drawn the most attention: a sparkling glass model of a flawless diamond, set on a pedestal. Spoiled Rich and Diamond Tiara stood beside it, one of whom was glorying in all the attention.
"This is amazing, Mrs. Rich!" Strawberry Sunrise declared.
"Oh, this old thing?" Spoiled Rich feigned humility. "It was nothing, really."
"Yeah, really." Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes.
Cookie Crumbles stated at the masterpiece before her, then back at her and Sweetie Belle's own work.
"Mom?" Sweetie Belle asked worriedly.
"It's not good enough." Cookie Crumbles said nervously. "Not nearly good enough." Her face suddenly set in determination. "But there's still time to fix that."
"There's really nothing to fix..." Sweetie Belle tried to tell her.
"We'll make a run to the supply store." Cookie Crumbles declared.
"Mom..." Sweetie Belle groaned.
"We'll get more paint, maybe some rhinestones and beads..." Cookie Crumbles continued.
"Mom, we don't have to-" Sweetie Belle spoke again.
"Then we'll make a few more improvements, run back here, and show everypony who's got the best-" Cookie Crumbles began.
"Mom, that's enough!" Sweetie Belle yelled, drawing the attention of everypony in the room. "We're not going to make any more 'improvements'!"
"B-but honey, we still have a chance to-" Cookie Crumbles stuttered.
"To what?" Sweetie Belle scowled. "To compete with Diamond Tiara's mom? Because that's all you seem to care about now!"
"Well, I..." Cookie Crumbles gaped.
"You wanted us to sign up for the parade so we could have some mother/daughter time, remember?" Sweetie Belle pointed out. "Well, this isn't it!"
"Sweetheart, I... I didn't..." Cookie Crumbles spluttered.
"Forget it." Sweetie Belle said coldly. "If that's all you care about, then you can just do this by yourself."
Cookie Crumbles opened and closed her mouth, unable to say anything as her daughter stormed out.
"Oh, hi." Sweetie Belle noted.
"I, er...overheard what happened between you and your mom." Diamond Tiara admitted. "I think everypony in the room did, actually..."
"I wish we'd never heard of this dumb parade." Sweetie Belle pouted. "It was fun at first, but then mom got obsessed with making the best display, and all the fun got sucked right out of it."
"At least your mom started out wanting to have fun." Diamond Tiara sighed. "My mother only wanted us to be part of the parade so she could show off how 'great' our family supposedly is. It's always about appearances with her..."
"I think I can guess how that feels." Sweetie Belle sighed.
"Your mom looked really hurt when you ran out." Diamond Tiara stated. "Maybe you should give her another chance. You gave me one, and look how that turned out."
"You have a point there." Sweetie Belle admitted. "I just hope she's willing to listen..."
Sweetie Belle went back inside. She found her mother in a corner, staring despondently at the picture of the two of them together.
"Mom?" She asked.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Cookie Crumbles sniffed. "You were right about me. I lost sight of the whole reason we were doing this. Can you ever forgive me?"
"I already have." Sweetie Belle hugged her.
"Thank you." Cookie Crumbles returned the hug. "Now that I think about it, this thing really is a mess. It looked better the way it was to begin with."
"We still have time to fix that." Sweetie Belle smiled. "Let's grab us some paint."
Mother and daughter made a quick trip to the supply store, getting some paint to cover up most of the "improvements" (and simply removing the others) so the heart resembled it's original design.
"There we go." Cookie Crumbles smiled, admiring their work. "Now this is perfection."
"A real masterpiece." Sweetie Belle agreed.
As they returned to the town hall, Diamond Tiara was the first to take note of the final product.
"Wow, that looks great!" She declared.
"It sure does." Sweetie Belle declared.
"Not that looks are everything, though." Cookie Crumbles smiled. "It's having fun making it that really counts."
"What are you doing here, Diamond Tiara?" Spoiled Rich barged in. "We have no time to waste on these commoners and their third-rate creation. We have to chose the best spot in the parade to show off our vision."
"You mean your vision, mother?" Diamond Tiara shot back. "We're only here because you wanted us to be. You just want to show off like always. Personally, I couldn't care less about that."
"You used to." Spoiled Rich frowned. "Before you started acting like those blue-collar bumpkins. Before you lost your pride, and stopped valuing our family's social standing. What a disgrace."
Diamond Tiara faltered slightly before her mother's words. While she no longer sought Spoiled Rich's approval like she once did, hearing words like that would hurt any foal.
"Now wait just a minute!" Cookie Crumbles stepped. "What kind of mother scolds her daughter just for being herself? Diamond Tiara is a wonderful young filly, and you should be proud of her. I know I would be if she were my daughter!"
Diamond Tiara smiled, elated at the sudden show of support.
"This is none of your concern." Spoiled Rich rebuked her.
"Like fun it's not!" Cookie Crumbles retaliated. "A mother shouldn't be forcing her daughter to do things she doesn't want to do!" She glanced at Sweetie Belle. "I learned that lesson the hard way."
"A mother always knows what's best for her daughter." Spoiled Rich declared.
"Not always." Cookie Crumbles scowled. "You're letting your need to be on top of the world blind you to what's best for your daughter. She shouldn't be made to take part in your ego trip if she doesn't want to." She gave Diamond Tiara a warm smile. "But she's free to join us on our float if she'd like to."
"Really?" Diamond Tiara gasped.
"The more, the merrier." Sweetie Belle nodded.
"I've had enough of this nonsense." Spoiled Rich growled. "Diamond Tiara, you are getting on that float with me, or-"
"Or what?" Diamond Tiara said defiantly. "You'll ground me? Cut off my allowance? Go ahead. Do your worst. But I won't be getting on that float. And when everypony sees that I'm not up there, they might just get to thinking that maybe our family isn't so perfect after all. They may even start asking questions about your skills as a mother..."
Spoiled Rich fumed silently.
"On the other hoof, if we were to share a float with Sweetie Belle and her mother, it would show all of Ponyville that we consider ourselves equal to the hardworking everyday pony." Diamond Tiara continued. "That can only make us look good, right?"
Spoiled Rich scowled as she silently attempted to find a hole in her daughter's logic, and failed to do so.
"Very well." She grumbled. "As long as we're in the parade, nothing else matters..."
"That's the spirit, Mrs. Rich." Cookie Crumbles smirked, knowing full well how much her one-time rival was hating how things had turned out. "What really matters is sharing the experience with our daughters."
Soon after, the parade was underway. Ponies lined up on either side of the streets to watch as the floats rolled by, each one sporting one of the displays created by the volunteers. Each one except for the float sharing the diamond created by the Rich family servants and paper mache model of Sweetie Belle and Cookie Crumbles. The two mother/daughter pairs waved and smiled from the float. Spoiled Rich's wave was easily the most wooden, and she wore a false smile so wide, it was painful.
"Isn't this great, sweetheart?" Cookie Crumbles asked.
"It really is." Sweetie Belle hugged her mother. "Thanks for this, mom. You're the best."
"So are you." Cookie Crumbles returned the hug.
Diamond Tiara smiled even widely at the heartwarming sight before her.
'Mrs. Crumbles could teach my mother a thing or two.' She thought. 'If only she were willing to listen...'