//------------------------------//
// Reunion 
// Story: Money can't buy Diamonds 
// by lilinuyasha 
//------------------------------//

	“Sir, you have a letter here.” Sundown peeked into the doorway.
“From whom? Come in, come in.” Filthy motioned his hoof at her. She carefully trotted inside, as if she was breaking some sort of cardinal rule by entering his office.
“It looks like a foal’s hoofwriting. Some Diamond Tiara?”
“Oh, that’s my daughter!” he exclaimed, snatching the letter from her. He quickly read it over, feeling that small twinge of homesickness work its way to his throat.

‘Father,
It’s me, Diamond Tiara. I just felt like I should write because I miss you already. I know it’s only been a week, but the house feels so empty without you. Mother’s always going to balls, and though I sometimes hang out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, I spend most of my evenings after school just reading or something. I miss spending time with you. I hope your store opens soon. I’d like to see you again.

With love,

Diamond Tiara’

Filthy smiled a bit to himself and wiped a tear off his cheek. He carefully folded the letter and put it in one of his drawers.
“Sir? Are you alright?”
“Oh! I’m sorry, I forgot you were here.” Filthy felt his cheeks flare up. He hated when ponies saw him shed tears. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“Oh, it’s no problem, Sir. I completely understand. Is it alright if i take my lunch break now, sir?”
“Yes, yes, that’s fine. Take your time. And Sundown?”
“Yes, sir?”
“You can call me Rich.”
Sundown gave a small smile of appreciation. “Yes, sir. Er...Rich. I’ll see you after lunch.”
“Sir?”
“Sir?”
“Sir?” Filthy Rich snapped awake, rubbing his eyes.
“Hm?” he asked, checking his surroundings.
“We’re about 5 miles outside of Ponyville. I figured you should know.”
“Oh. Thank you, Cart.” he said, yawning. “What time is it, perchance?”
“I believe it’s 15 till 10, sir.”
“Late night," Filthy thought to himself. What he once thought to be a long trip barely seemed like an hour after falling asleep. That was natural for sleep, he supposed. "Thank you, Cart.”
“It’s no problem, sir.”
Filthy stuck his head out the window, seeing the small lights of Ponyville in the distance. He gave a small sigh of content, happy to finally be home.
***
“Thanks again, Cart. I appreciate it.” Filthy tossed him his fare, plus a 100 bit coin as tip.
“Oh, wow. Thank you, sir!”
“Don’t mention it. Tell the wife and kid hello for me.”
“Will do, sir. Have a nice night.”
“You, too.”
Filthy heard Cart’s cart rumble off over the horizon. Filthy hoisted his saddlebag, filled with all the necessary supplies for a weekend trip, upon his back, and took a deep breath, letting the cool Ponyville air fill his lungs. He sighed and took a good look at his estate. Something wasn’t right. 
All the lights were off, save for one where Diamond Tiara’s room should be. Not even the porch lights were on to welcome him home. Granted, he was planning a surprise visit, but the lights only turned off when nobody was home. He trotted up to the door, finding the spare key he left for the housekeepers. He carefully opened the door to a dark entryway, the only light being that from a small crack in Diamond Tiara’s door.
“Huh. Odd.” he muttered, trotting off to his bedroom to set his bags down before he would see Diamond Tiara. He flipped the lights to his bedroom, seeing that his wife had changed the style of the room a bit. He gave a small groan. She knew that orange was his least favorite color. Oh well. He was only here for a weekend. He’d have her change it later. He set his bags on the bed, trotted out the door, and up the stairs towards his daughter’s room. He playfully pushed the door open, shouting, “How’s my little-” he stopped. Diamond Tiara was nowhere to be seen. He quickly silenced himself, a little dismayed that nopony was home to greet. He sighed to himself and hung his head, trotting back down the stairs to the kitchen. Having neglected to eat before his trip, he was absolutely ravenous. He opened his refrigerator, spying some fresh vegetables from the local harvester. He licked his lips in anticipation and grabbed some necessities for a sandwich. He took a look at the trashcan next to the island, seeing that it was overflowing. There wasn’t a way he could possibly put anything else in there. He sighed, moderately annoyed that he wouldn’t get to make his sandwich for a bit, and tied up the trashbag, slinging it over his shoulder to take it out to the receptacle. Halfway between the front door and the bin, the weight of the trash made the bag rip, sending moldy bits of food, discarded mail, and Celestia knew what else on the walkway. 
“AGH!” Filthy exclaimed, frustrated. He stomped his hoof on the ground, shook his head, and trotted back inside to get another bag. As he trotted back outside, a shadowy figure approached the house. He squinted his eyes to get a better view.
“Father?” it called. Filthy smiled uncontrollably, hustling out to it. Diamond Tiara bumped into her father, nearly knocking him over in possibly the tightest embrace she’d ever given him.
“Hello, Sweetie.” he said, hugging her just as tight. 
“Hello, Father. Are you done? Are you home now?”
“No, Honey, I’m afraid not. I got my secretary to handle things for the weekend so I could come see you and Mother!”
“Oh. Well, I’m glad you’re home, even if just for a little bit.”
“I’m glad to be home. I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, Father.” she said, burying her face into his leg. He chuckled a bit.
“Say, where’s your mother?”
“Oh, she’s at some social with all the other nobles. That’s all she does anymore.” She stated, releasing her grip on his leg.
“Oh. Well, can I ask a favor?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Can you go make me a sandwich with the stuff on the island? I ripped a trashbag and need to clean it up.”
“Why not just wait for the help to do it? That’s their job.”
“Yes, but who wants the trash to sit out there? Besides, it could blow all over the yard.”
“Oh. Ok. I’ll see you inside.”
“Thanks, honey. This shouldn’t take too long.”
Diamond Tiara trotted back inside the estate with a small pep in her step, happy for her father to be home. They could catch up, play around, watch movies after school or something. She hummed to herself a little as she started making her father’s favorite sandwich.
Filthy Rich, on the other hoof, toiled outside, stuffing disgusting bits of food and trash back into the bag. How long had it gone without being taken out? This was inexcusable. He angrily muttered to himself as he shoved discarded mail back into the bag. As he sifted through them, however, one of them caught his eye. Mustard stained, it was an unopened letter addressed to the house. Something about the hoofwriting looked familiar. He set it aside and finished scooping up the rest of the trash. He trotted up to the porch, snatching the letter on the way, looking at it in the light from the porch.
“Son of a...” he started. He recognized this envelope. He tore it open, hurriedly reading the letter. It was the letter he most recently sent Diamond Tiara. He felt his legs shake in anger. Why was this in the trash? Was she throwing them away? No, couldn’t be. She thought he hadn’t written. Which means...either the help...or his wife. It didn’t sound like her to throw away letters from him...so what was happening?
“Father?” Diamond Tiara called to him, snapping him back to reality.
“Hm?”
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, nothing sweetie. Just enjoying the view.”
“What’s that letter?”
“Just a business report. Nothing to worry about!”
“Oh. Well, I finished your sandwich!” she stated, holding up a plate. Mayonnaise dripped off the side of the bread, the  vegetables weren't center, and the cheese had ripped off. She had also managed to squish it putting the top piece back on.
“Thank you, sweetie.” he said, taking it from her, taking a bite. It may not have been the prettiest thing in the world, but it sure was tasty. “Say, why don’t we look up at the stars? Like we used to do?”
“I have school tomorrow. It’s already past my bedtime.”
“It’s the weekend, honey. There’s no school tomorrow.”
“No, but I’m meeting there for a school project.”
“Well, I won’t tell anypony.”
Diamond Tiara gave a small giggle. “Alright.”
She and Filthy sat down on the porch, looking towards the stars on the horizon. Filthy set the letter to his side, away from her, finishing his sandwich as the two caught up.
***
Diamond Tiara Slumped against her father, having fallen asleep whilst stargazing. Filthy silently chuckled to himself, and gently picked her and the letter up, taking them both inside the house. Filthy set the letter on a nightstand inside the front door, and carefully trotted his daughter up the stairs to her room. He gently placed her on her bed, never seeing her stir awake, giving those slow, shallow breaths. He smiled to himself and pulled some covers over her, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.
“Goodnight, Honey. I love you.” he said, turning her lights off on his way out. He trotted back down the stairs, picking the letter back up on his way to his room. He had a bit of a tough decision. Should he ask his wife about this? Or just let it go? He closed his bedroom door behind him, sighed, and put the letter away in a nightstand. Maybe another day. He was far too tired to deal with it at the current moment. He looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. His wife must have bought a new one. An orange one. Egh. He hated Orange. He set his alarm to wake him up before Diamond Tiara would leave, then layed down on the bed, resting his eyes, awaiting the smiling face of his wife any minute.
***
A harsh, unfamiliar buzz jolted Filthy awake. He had a small panic attack, clutching his chest as he came to realize that the sound was the new alarm he hadn’t grown accustomed to yet.  He hit the power button, noticing that the bed next to him was empty. Odd, he thought. Surely Spoiled would have come home by now. He rolled his eyes, got dressed, and trotted off to the kitchen, preparing to cook some hay bacon to send Tiara off.
“Good morning, Sunshine!” he said as she groggily trotted in.
“Hey. What’s for breakfast?”
“Hay Bacon.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Mother doesn’t let me have it anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s ‘not the kind of food the rich should be eating.’” she mocked her mother’s voice. Filthy paused for a second, slightly offended at that statement.
“Your mother said that?”
“Yeah. There’s a lot of things I haven’t been able to do anymore.”
“Like what?”
“Well...” She started.
“What is that AWFUL smell?” a voice said, as the sound of the front door closing followed. A soft clopping on the hardwood floor drew closer to the kitchen. “I swear, Diamond Tiara, if you’re frying up that Bacon again...” she started, showing her face in the door. “Oh. You’re home.” She looked over at Filthy.
“Yes, I am. I was just cooking breakfast for Tiara before her school project.”
“Oh. Well, I’m happy for you.”
“And I’m happy to see you!” he said, trotting over to her, aiming for a kiss on the lips. She moved her face sideways, however, only letting him kiss her cheek. “It’s uh...” he started, flustered by her obvious affection deflection. “...been a while. How have things been at home?”
“Oh, the usual. How’s the business coming along?”
“Oh, it’s coming along fine. I’m only here for the weekend, but we’ll make the most of our time, right?”
“Sure,” she said, emotionless and unenthused. “That’s fine.”
Filthy felt a small pain in his heart at the lack of emotion in her voice. Was he not good enough? Something wasn’t right. Something felt off about her.
“Well, I’m heading off to brunch.” she huffed. “I’ll see you later.” She turned her nose up and trotted off to the bedroom to get dressed. Filthy stood there in awe of what just happened. It was like all the love that she once had for him had disappeared.
“Father, the bacon’s burning.”
“OH!” He snapped out of it, rushing over to the fryer, hurriedly taking the bacon out and putting it on Tiara’s plate.
“Father, are you ok?” she asked, legitimately concerned.
“Yes, Honey, I’m fine. Just upset about the bacon, is all.”
“Are you sure?”
“What time are you supposed to be up at the school?”
“Um...” she started, checking the clock on the wall. “In 10 minutes. I gotta go!” She snarfed down the rest of her bacon and dashed out the door with a small “Love you!” to her dad before she disappeared in the distance, a small dust cloud behind her. Filthy watched from the doorway, his mind still racing. 
“Rich, dear, you’re in my way.” Spoiled said from behind him. Filthy turned to see her dressed in some more regal regalia. He sighed and stepped aside, letting her out the front door. “I’ll be back later,” she stated, once again without emotion.
“Ok.” Filthy said, feeling somewhat defeated. He was looking forward to this weekend, but so far, only his daughter could be counted as positive. He sighed heavily. Maybe he needed to take a walk around town to clear his mind. Yeah, that’s what he’d do. Stop by the Sweet Apple Acres for that zap apple jam he’d wanted yesterday. He smiled a little to himself just thinking about it. He went to his bedroom, donned his casual attire, and trotted out the door, eager to revisit with his old friends.