//------------------------------//
// Part 6: Arrival 
// Story: A Mother's 'Love' 
// by deadpansnarker 
//------------------------------//

Ponyville looked weird at night. All the familiar sights, like Sugarcube Corner, the Carousal Boutique, even the schoolhouse Diamond went to every weekday seemed to take on a mysterious aura.

Unused to seeing these landmarks unlit and bustling with other ponies, it was all the filly could do to avoid stopping to stare at them as she trudged through the empty roads.

Only the Crystal Castle shone with the meager amount of moonlight on offer, the turrets reflected in the glow from the star perched on top. Ever since it had been erected magically that day, Tiara had always looked at it in envy, wishing she could be the one living there, instead of that 'bookworm' Princess who probably didn't even appreciate what she had.

Now, things were different. Where she was going to be staying during her enforced absence from Rich Mansion seemed of lesser importance to when she was able to go back. Would her parents ever be able to convince the authorities of their competency? Would her father lose his motivation for work without having his 'precious Diamond' around? What would her mother say when she woke from her extended nap?

'Scream blue murder', the filly thought with a shudder. Half of her was glad she wasn't around to witness such a terrifying ordeal, the other part felt sorry for the wealthy stallion who inevitably would be on the receiving end of her tantrum. Objects would be thrown, expletives would be yelled, and the property might just look as though an earthquake had hit it come this time tomorrow.

Diamond knew that she was wrong for thinking this whole mess was her fault, but the pervading sense of guilt was still tangible in her brain. Maybe some of the feelings of responsibility she possessed at this time were the remnants of countless other misdeeds she'd perpetuated over the years, perhaps a part of her felt like she deserved to be unhappy, as recompense for her unsavoury past.

Whatever the reason for her malaise, all she knew is she'd miss her father like crazy, and not having Randolph around as a crutch to lean on in times of trouble would be almost unbearable. At least she'd still have Silver Spoon to confide in at school...

Silver Spoon. When Tiara had almost lost her as a friend on that fateful day at the beginning of her own personal transformation, it had almost destroyed her. She'd been forced to take a long, hard look at the way she'd treated her so-called 'bestie', from attempting to steal her milkshake during an outing, to shutting her up during the election campaign when she was only trying to help.

In retrospect, it had been amazing that Silv had stayed around as long as she did, and even more unbelievable that all it took for the pair to reconnect was the mutual reparation of a fence. If the horseshoe had been on the other foot, Diamond knew that she'd never be anything like as forgiving. Just dwelling on it now humbled the formerly stuck-up filly immensely and strengthened her resolve to be a better friend, as well a better pony overall, of course.

Her thoughts briefly returned to her mother, who would no doubt be back at school in the morning presiding over her esteemed position as head of the board. Thanks to the injunction, there was little chance the two would cross paths, but Tiara still felt uneasy about being stared at by Spoiled all day, particularly if she decided to hang out with the 'three little runts' who'd changed her life for the better.

It was during her soliloquy that Diamond felt a gentle tap on her head, and it was Applejack, smiling down at her. "You okay, sugarcube? You looked like you were away with the Breezies there for a minute..."

The pink filly blushed slightly at being caught in such a distracted state. "S-sorry. I was just thinking about stuff."

Applejack nodded in an understanding way "You don't have to apologise. I know you're going through a pretty tough time right now, and you must have a lot of things on your mind. If you ever want to share any of them, you can come straight to me. I might not be your mother, but now that you're living under my roof, your problems are my problems. We can deal with them together. Does that sound good to you?"

Remembering her father had made a similar offer made Diamond momentarily choke up, but she tried to be as polite as she could. "Yes, M-Miss Applejack. Thank you."

The orange mare beamed at this over-officious moniker. "Jus' plain ol' Applejack is fine, 'Madame' Tiara. Not all of us are hung up on those fancy titles. Even 'Princess' Twilight prefers to be known as Twilight. Speaking of her, she's leaving now to return to her castle, and my other friends are returning to their homes for the night. I think they want to say goodbye, if that's alright with you."

Diamond considered her request. Despite the fact they'd taken her out of her comfortable life on that evening full of surprises, and placed her in a new residence where she was sure to feel like a fish out of water, she bore them no ill will. They were just doing their jobs, after all, and besides, that hug they'd all given her had been the first time she'd truly felt cared for for eons.

So, she felt she had no option but to say "Yes, of course." She approached the three mares who were waiting to issue their farewells.

Rainbow Dash was the most impatient. "Glad you're looking better, kid. Say hi to Scoots for me in the morning, okay?" Was all she could muster, before flying off at high speed towards her home in the clouds. 

Rarity rolled her eyes slightly at Dash's abruptness "Don't worry about her, darling. Rainbow does care, she just tries to avoid mushiness whenever she can..." 

At this point, the unicorn put both her front legs on Diamond's shoulders, and stared into her eyes. " I just want to let you know I'll be thinking of you. I'll tell Sweetie to keep an eye on you at school tomorrow, and don't worry, you have a lot of ponies who care about your well-being, now more than ever. So, try to keep smiling, okay?"

Tiara felt her spirits lift. Like her mother did once, she idolised Rarity, but unlike her mother, the pink filly had lost none of her respect or appreciation for the dressmaker. In fact, at this moment in time, the unicorn was Diamond's role model for the kind of mare she wanted to be. Graceful, elegant, but also generous and kind to go with that. 

She waved to the boutique owner as she trotted away, and her action was replicated in turn by the white mare.

Finally, it was time for Twilight to bid the pink filly goodnight. Unsure whether to adopt a formal or friendly tone, the princess decided on a mixture of the two.

" I hope you find your new accommodation to your liking, Diamond Tiara." The alicorn addressed the filly. "Applejack is now your foster carer, and is responsible for feeding, sheltering and looking after you. I'm sure she'll do a wonderful job, but if for any reason you have any complaints, my door is always open. I trust you found our conduct this evening to be satisfactory, under the difficult circumstances. Perhaps you could put in a good word for me with Celestia, if you agree..."

If the last sentence was meant as a joke, it went down like a lead balloon. Applejack and Diamond both looked at each other in confusion, as Twilight let out a nervous laugh, before deciding to move swiftly on.

"Anyway, I'll be monitoring your case closely, and if there are any changes in the situation, you'll be one of the first to know. I know how hard this transition is going to be for you, but I also hope you understand that we did this for your benefit. We truly feel, with a change of scenery for a while, you could really blossom. And my intuition is rarely wrong. Applejack, look after her like she was your own, and I'll see you both again as soon as I can. I have to get back now, Spike will be forming a search party if I'm not. Take care..." At this point, the alicorn took off in a vertical swoop to the omnipotent castle.

Tiara was a little skeptical that Twilight knew exactly what she was going through, after all, the pink filly had read an unauthorised biography of the princess soon after her coronation, and by the sound of it the alicorn's loving childhood was in direct contrast to her own turbulent one.

But Diamond appreciated the kind words anyway, and resolved to do her best no matter how hard things got. And, she had a feeling they were going to get pretty rough indeed.

Now left all alone with her new primary caregiver, Tiara suddenly felt a hoof around her back. The pink filly turned to see Applejack gently guiding her on the path towards Sweet Apple Acres.

"Come on now." The orange mare told her. "We've got a lot to talk about, but we're not going to get anything done out here. Let's go to the farmhouse, and I'll sort-of introduce you to everypony."

Diamond decided that sounded fair enough, and she started walking again alongside Applejack... But then, a sudden thought popped into her head that made her screech to a halt.

"Wait a second..." She inquired to the farm pony. "You mean to tell me... They don't know I'm coming?!"

"No, of course not, silly!!" said Applejack with merriment. "It was sort of a spur-of-the-moment decision you'd be living with us, after all. You've got nothing to fret about, sugarcube, the Apples always help those in need. Especially the daughter of one of our best customers! I'm sure it'll be a wonderful surprise for everypony. Now, quick march!!" 

The orange mare, with Tiara's bag hanging from her mouth, increased her speed to a half-gallop, looking behind her to make sure Diamond was keeping up. 

Struggling to keep up with her new caregiver even at this reduced running pace, the pink filly felt a fresh sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. If the rest of the Apple clan didn't know about their unexpected house-guest, what would their reaction be when she walked through that old wooden door?

Would Apple Bloom, her old nemesis, still be as friendly if she had to live with her former bully?

Would Big Mac, the giant stallion who loved his littlest sister so much he dressed in drag for her to compete at the Sisterhooves Social, accept the filly who used to pick mercilessly on the apple(!) of his eye?

Would Granny Smith, the 'crazy old kook' Diamond had publicly derided in front of the entire class on Family Appreciation day, want to have anything to do with the mean-spirited youngster Tiara had used to be?

She would soon find out,

After a brief journey, that is.

TEN MINUTES LATER...

And, there it was. The ramshackle farmhouse in the centre of Sweet Apple Acres, it's tall spire just visible in the night sky.

Diamond had been too exhausted, and too nervous to say anything to Applejack in the time it took them to get there, whereas the orange mare seemed too focused on getting the pair to their destination to bother with small-talk.

All that was left to do was stand side by side with Applejack, as she knocked on the front porch. Loud and quick footsteps could be heard, approaching the door.

It was Apple Bloom, standing on her hind legs who answered. She was excited to see her big sister, and looked like she was about to ask her something.

But, the words seemed to get caught in her throat when Bloom noticed who was with her. The farm filly noticed the posh bag in Applejack's mouth.

Her eyes flashed from the sad looking Tiara, to the bag, several times. Then, it all clicked. Apple Bloom had it all figured out.

Without a single sentence being exchanged, she'd already got it all worked out.

Diamond closed her eyes, and braced herself for impact. "I'm not staying with her!!" Or "She's not coming in!!"

At least, that's what Tiara expected to hear from the farm filly.

For the second time that day, she was about to be surprised.

Not a word was spoken, As the reformed bully felt the hooves of her old victim firmly grip her in her third tight hug of the day.

And, overwhelmed by the emotion and exhausion of the day, it was all Diamond could do to mumble "Thank you..."

Before, like her mother previously, she fainted dead away.