Chapter 2
The sun had barely crept over the horizon when Diamond Tiara got out of bed.
She had spent the entire night frightened of the spider that had crawled on her. It was the biggest spider she had ever seen, and she still couldn't stop thinking about the way its tiny legs felt on her coat. It gave her chills each time it crossed her mind.
Seeing how she would have to start her day soon, she began to go over how she would prepare for it. Normally, when she woke up, the first thing she would do was take a shower, followed by breakfast. Dreading the cold water she had felt the day before, she quickly dismissed the idea of her usual routine and decided to skip straight to breakfast.
Diamond Tiara got out of her bed quickly and made her way to the kitchen, thankful to be out of her spider-infested room.Immediately she went straight for the cupboard. Back at her old home, the cupboard had held cereal, her preferred breakfast. She was glad to see that her new cupboard was just like her old one in that regard.
And not only was there cereal, but it was her favorite cereal, frosted oats. After silently thanking her father for a small shred of her old life, she pulled the cereal out of the cupboard and set it on the table. Diamond Tiara then looked around for a bowl and a spoon, finding both in the cabinets next to the refrigerator.
The sound of the sweetened oats hitting the bowl was like music to her ears. She never knew that something as simple as a box of cereal could give her so much joy and nostalgia.
Smiling contently, she brought out a carton of milk from the fridge and poured its contents into the bowl.
After giving thanks, she dug wholeheartedly into the bowl, savoring every sweet and crunchy bite. The sound of munching was the only thing heard throughout the entire house.
Soon the sound of somepony knocking on the front door broke Diamond out of her crunching.
"Francois, can you please answer the front door?" Diamond asked.
Not hearing a reply she stopped eating and looked up.
"Francois, I said... Oh right."
Eating cereal had made Diamond forget about her current surroundings. In her mind, she had been back at her manor, getting ready for what the day had in store for her, but the ugly truth tore the illusion apart when she didn't hear a reply from her butler.
With a small sigh, she got up from her seat and headed toward the door. Opening it revealed Applejack, the most hardworking and dependable pony she knew besides herself.
"Howdy, Diamond Tiara. Are you ready to get to work?"
"No, I'm eating a bowl of cereal right now. Is it okay if we start after I've eaten?"
"Sure, you wouldn’t mind if I took a look inside would you."
“No, be my guests,” Diamond said, stepping aside.
Applejack entered and looked around. She grimaced at the state of the inside of the barn.
"Land-sakes, this barn looks like it's been through a tornado. Maybe even two."
Diamond was paying no attention to what Applejack said. She was too busy enjoying the rest of her cereal.
Applejack turned around when she didn’t get a response. She saw that Diamond take a big spoonful of her cereal and just shook her head. She does seem to be taking this well. Not wanting to disturb her, AJ decided to look through the rest of Diamond’s new home. The she saw, the more disgusted she became.
"No pony deserves to live in these conditions," Applejack said out loud.
"Hmm," she said as she tried to think of a way to better the living conditions around her.
Finally an idea came to her. She knew exactly how to make Diamond’s barn better. It would take some time and a little planning, but if it made Diamond feel a bit more at home in her surroundings, it would be worth it.
Back in the kitchen Diamond completed her bowl of cereal. She washed her spoon bowl and placed them back where she had found them.
“Applejack?” Diamond called out, wondering where the farm pony went.
After no response she decided to go look for her. She hadn't heard the door open again so she figured Applejack wasn't too far from where she last saw her. After searching for a couple minutes, she walked by her father’s room and heard muffled voices coming from it. Curious as to what was going on inside she knocked on the door.
“Come in,” she heard her father say.
Once inside she saw that Applejack and her father had been talking about something.
“Diamond did you happen to hear what we were saying?” Her father asked her.
“No, I was just wondering who you were talking to.”
“Applejack it was nice talking to you again, and the idea you came up with is genius,” Mr. Rich said, Smiling and shaking her hoof.
“You to Mr.Rich,” Applejack said as she shook his hoof smiling as well.
Diamond, seeing as how both her father and Applejack were smiling felt happy as well.
“Alright Diamond,” Aj said turning to her, “let’s get going, that field isn’t gonna get itself ready for planting.”
With a nod from Diamond they both went outside and started working.
Once outside AJ looked around and saw that their was a bunch of things that didn’t need to be their. The ground was bumpy, rocks were scattered everywhere, vines jutting out at random places, and even a broken wheel.
“This field’s a mess. How about we get rid of all this debris that’s lounging about? After all anything we plant now would need a miracle for it to grow.”
Diamond nodded, and they both headed in the direction of the biggest rock on the field.
“I’m gonna start with this big fella right here,” she said as she put her hooves on it. “ You can start moving the smaller things out of the way.”
Diamond nodded and looked around for anything that she could move. Just a bit of walking distance away, she could see a bit of a broken wooden wheel sticking out of the ground. She made her way over to it, watching her step the entire time. Upon closer inspection she saw that the wheel was covered in what looked like green slime. Hesitantly she tapped it with her hoof and recoiled slightly as a piece of the icky goop stuck onto her fur.
“Ew,” she said as she tried to shake the slime off her hoof. I can't believe I have to do this, she thought as the slime wouldn’t detach itself from her hoof. She took a sniff of it and gagged immediately.
I’ll never be able to get this smell out of my hooves, she thought as she placed her hooves on the wheel and tried to pull it out.
The wheel’s slime was really slippery, making her hooves slip off a couple times. As she lost her grip again she landed on the ground. She stood up and dusted the dirt off of her coat while she stared at the wheel, trying to think of a way to move it. Inevitably she came to the realization that there was only one way she was going to be able to get a good enough grip on it. She was going to have to use her mouth.
Immediately she wanted to toss the idea out of her head. A pony such as her shouldn’t have to use her own mouth for something disgusting like manual labor. Especially when the wheel itself was appalling to even touch with her hooves let alone her mouth. She couldn't do it. She wouldn’t do it. But… her father was counting on her. With all that had gone wrong for him recently, she couldn’t disappoint him, not now. She had no choice.
Scrunching her nose, she looked the wheel over, trying to find the least slime-covered part. Reaching out, she tentatively bite the wheel, stopping to grimace at the first contact with the slick surface. “For Daddy,” she thought to herself, as she committed herself and bit down hard.
The filly underestimated how deep the wheel was and this lead to it slipping out of her mouth. Unfortunately for her the slime that had been on the wheel that she bit on was now in her mouth. She quickly spat as much of it out as she could while detesting the flavor that it left. It tasted like an apple that had been left out to dry and had been rolled in trash for several years.
She spat a couple more times before gritting her teeth and saying “stupid wheel.”
She braced herself once more and tried again. This time she could feel the wheel slowly edge its way out of the ground. Finally, after adding a little bit more force, Diamond was able to free it from the ground. She then carried it to the end of the field in triumph and spat it out with hatred.
“Take that wheel, no one bests Diamond Dazzle Tiara and gets away with it,” to show her dominance over it even more, she stepped on it a couple times before moving on.
She continued to remove debris until the field was clear of any unwanted items. Throughout the time she was cleaning she imagined what she would be doing at this time if she hadn't lost her home. She imagined herself sitting at the front of the TV flipping through the channels. She knew that she never found anything to watch but the simple act of laying down on her couch watching television appealed to her so much at this moment.
She awoke out of her daze to find that Applejack had been trying to get her attention. Looking around she also saw that most of the unwanted debris had been cleared and the sun had risen pretty high in the sky.
"Yes, Applejack?"
"You alright, sugar cube? You were spaced out for a minute there."
"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just day dreaming of better days."
"You know what Diamond we have been working for a long time, maybe you should take a break. I wouldn’t want you over-exerting yourself on the first day. I need to head back to the barn anyway to pick up some equipment, okay?"
"Okay."
Diamond Tiara watched as Applejack walked off, and once she couldn’t see her anymore, she walked to her front door. She stopped a couple times noticing that her hooves ached with pain every time she took a step.
Once inside, she let out a big yawn. She was tired as well as sore, she realized. She let herself collapse onto the couch. it was more comfortable than she had expected, and best of all no spiders. She stretched herself out upon it, sighing contentedly. She’d just wait here until Applejack’s return, she decided.
Filthy Rich was up in his room. He had modeled out to look like his old office. It didn't look exactly like his office, of course, but he made due with a broken desk and squeaky rolling chair. Being a pony from the upper class, he didn't like his living conditions one bit. Still, he knew it was only temporary so he focused his attention back on the papers that lay scattered around his desk.
He had contacted many of his old business partners already, but they've all turned him away. Most had laughed in his face when he said that he was bankrupt, thinking it was a joke. When they realized that he was telling the truth, they canceled any agreement they had with him, even going so far as to rip up their contracts for good measure.
The only thing that had lifted him from his despair was the kindness of Applejack and her family. When he told them that he had gone bankrupt and might not be able to uphold their deal, they had been supportive. Granny Smith had helped him find a new home that was cheap (and for good reason). With all that had gone wrong, it was comforting to know that he at least still had a roof over his head.
After staring at the remains of his business deals one last time, he got up and headed out of his room. He wanted some fresh air, hoping it would clear his mind.
As he made his way down the stairs, he noticed the slumbering form of his little princess on the couch. She looked so peaceful in her sleep that he couldn't help but go over to her. Once he was near enough he rubbed his hoof in her mane affectionately and kissed her on the forehead. His smile brightened when he saw her smile in her sleep.
After looking at her for just a little longer, he made his way outside. He was surprised to see how much cleaner the field looked. It made him happy that his little girl still followed directions and gave her all into anything that she set her mind on. He had been worried for the longest time that he had spoiled his little girl too much but seeing the field changed his mind.
He decided that if his little Diamond was working this hard then he would work hard as well, if not for his sake, then for hers. With that in mind, he returned to his office and began to work again.
Diamond awakened when she felt a hoof shaking her gently. Opening her eyes she realized that the hoof rubbing her was Applejack’s.
"Hey there, sleepy head. It's time to get back to work," Applejack said in a low voice.
"Just five more minutes," Diamond said as she tried to make herself comfortable on the couch again.
"I can't let you do that, sugar cube. You need to get your farm up and running, and I can only help you with that. I'm not going to do all the work for you."
With a sigh Diamond got off the couch and rubbed her eyes. Once she was ready, Applejack and Diamond made their way outside.
The tiara-less filly was confused by what she saw. The field before her was now flat and tilled.
"What happened? I thought the land was all bumpy?"
"I decided that having you till the soil would be too much work for one filly alone so I did it for you."
“Thank you, Applejack. You really didn’t have to. I could’ve done it.”
AJ chuckled and placed her hoof over Diamond and said “I’m sure you could’ve, but I think you’d like to do something else even more.”
Diamond smiled and said, “What would that be?”
Applejack smiled and said, "This here’s the easy part. All you have to do is take some seeds and plant them. If I remember correctly, your father mentioned he had some you should go ask him for some."
Diamond Tiara nodded and said, "Can do."
She quickly made her way into her home and up the staircase to her father’s room. Before entering, she knocked, making sure that she knocked loud enough to be heard but soft enough so as not to be annoying.
"Come in," she heard her father say.
Once in his room, she noticed that he was writing frivolously on a piece of parchment. When he stopped to look at her she said, "Daddy I need some seeds to plant in the field."
"Yes, of course. Check the drawer over there and choose any seeds you like. No matter which you choose each has been magically enhanced to grow completely in about a month."
Making her way to her father’s cabinets, she found a plethora of seeds. She looked at each seed package carefully. There were water melon seeds, apple seeds, lemon, seeds mango seeds, and peach seeds. She decided that she wanted to plant peach trees because the fruit matched the color of her coat.
"Thank you, Daddy," she said as she exited the room.
"Anything for my little princess," he replied back.
With the packets of peach seeds on her back, she returned to Applejack.
"So which seeds are we planting?" Applejack asked excitedly.
"Peach seeds."
“Those some of yer father’s magic seeds?”
“Uh-huh.”
"That's a good fruit to start out with. Now I need you to come over here," she said as she motioned for her to come near the start of the tilled soil.
"The secret to planting seeds is to put more than one seed inside the hole. This betters your chances of a tree to grow."
Diamond nodded in understanding. She then opened one packet of seeds and put five of them within the first hole. She used her hoof to cover the seeds in dirt and then continued to the next hole.
Diamond spent about an hour planting seeds and after about fifteen minutes she enjoyed it. Never before had she spent time on gardening. she thought it was useless to plant anything, but now she felt a connection with the earth around her in ways that she couldn't describe. It was as if she had found something that she had lost a long time ago.
Applejack took notice of the change in Diamond’s demeanor. It reminded her of when she first began farming. Big Mac had helped her plant her first Apple tree, and she had spent countless days and nights wondering when it would grow. It was a passion that she found in Applebloom from time to time and one she found gave her a lot of joy when she saw it in others. The farm pony smiled as she continued to guide Diamond by planting her own row of seeds parallel to hers.
Once the last seed was planted, Applejack went over to a nearby cart where her supplies were and pulled out a watering can.
"Here, Diamond. The last thing you have to do is water the land."
“The last thing?” Diamond asked pouting her lips. She was getting to like the idea of farming a lot more than she thought she would have, and though she would was tired, she didn’t want it to end just yet.
“Yup, but dont’cha worry, sugar cube. There’s plenty more farming to do in the days ahead,” Applejack said.
“Plus Ah reckon you’ll be plumb tuckered out by the time the watering’s done.”
Taking the can from Applejack, Diamond Tiara pouted, as she poured water onto the soil for her row. Applejack grabbed a bucket from her cart and filled it with water from a nearby stream. Everytime Diamond ran out of water, Applejack had her bucket filled for her to replenish. By the time she had emptied the watering can for the fifth time, Diamond was glad for Applejack’s help. Water was surprisingly heavy when in a container considerably larger than a drinking glass. She doubted she would have had the strength to water all the seeds if she had had to bring the water all the way to the field herself.
Never the less, Diamond still grew tired from carrying her can. Her mouth started to ache, and she paused to take a short break to massage her mouth. Looking around she groaned as she saw that she was only halfway done with the first row. Picking up the can, she continued, stopping more and more frequently to take a quick break. The sun began to set as Diamond placed the watering can on the cart.
"Nice job today, Diamond Tiara. You did well for your first time."
"Thank you, Applejack. Will you be here tomorrow?"
"I’d like to, but I have to make sure Big Mac isn’t shirking his work. All the seeds have been planted, so you should take tomorrow off."
"Alright. Thanks for helping me," Diamond said as she reflected on the day’s events. She was glad that she was given a break after all the watering she had done.
"No problem."
With that ending the conversation, Diamond helped hitch Applejack to the wagon and headed into her home as AJ walked to her own. Diamond couldn’t wait to tell her father about her day. She even barged into his office just to do it.
Filthy smiled at how animated Diamond was when speaking of her work today. He had always known that his daughter would do great things and seeing as how she was getting used to one of the worst things to happen her, he was glad. They spoke more as dinner was ready to eat.
“You know Diamond, earth ponies do have a natural affinity with the earth. Maybe that’s what you're feeling?”
“Really?” Diamond asked. “Have you ever felt something like that?”
“Yes, I have. One time, my dad thought I was being too self-centered, so he made me stay with my aunt and uncle. During my time with them, I learned how to farm as well as keep the habit of going early to bed and waking up early.”
Mr. Rich smiled as the memory of that time came flooding back to him.
“It was one of the best months of my life, now that I think about it.”
“Is that why you're such good friends with the Apple family?”
Filthy nodded, “That's partly why. They're also very nice ponies. I knew Applejack’s father back when we were kids. He always stood up for me when I was getting picked on. I never understood why. I was always mean to him. He paused, a slight frown forming on his lips. “One of my biggest regrets in life is that i never got to tell him how thankful I was that he was there, before… before his untimely demise.”
Diamond then hugged her father, “I’m sorry to hear that Dad.”
Filthy hugged his daughter back. “It’s okay. You live and learn I guess. I made some bad decisions. All I can do now is live with them and try not to repeat them.”
After their hug, they finished what was left of their dinner. Diamond headed straight for her room, and as she was about to go on her bed, she remembered the spider.
She looked around for it but couldn't see it anywhere. The pink filly didn't want to take any chances so she made her way to her father’s room.
"Dad, can I sleep with you?"
"Of course you can, but why?"
"I saw a spider in my room, and I'm kind of scared."
With that said she snuggled into her dad's arms and said, "Good night, Dad."
"Good night, my little princess," he replied as he kissed her forehead, holding her gently until she went to sleep. Once she did he slowly drifted into dream land as well.