//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Reflections // Story: Transparent Living // by PinoyPony //------------------------------// “You,” Diamond Tiara laughed mirthlessly “You look miserable.” But the filly didn’t fight back. She stood there, staring at her demon face-to-face. Tears welled up in her eyes as she absorbed ever word. Diamond Tiara sneered again at the filly, staring at her enemy, finally getting what she deserved, imprisoned behind a magic barrier. She deserved it… she deserved all of it. Screams and shouts echoed endlessly throughout the walls of her own home. She wanted to bring peace to the bickering ponies downstairs, but all that she could do was listen. She shuddered as the words resurged again and again in a loop like a record player dashing endlessly on the last notes of the song. “I can’t bear this wretched foal anymore…” She heard her mother say “It’s either me or her. Now, what is it going to be?” The rest was history. Suddenly, she heard a knock. “Come in,” Randolph poked his head through the door. Diamond could hear the gentle trot of the stallion. Cushioning the fall, Randolph tossed a suitcase on her bed. She watched warily as the old little stallion slowly trotted to her side. His eyes met hers as they stared at the filly behind the glass. “You look beautiful, Mistress Tiara.” He smiled warmly. “I wish I could see what you see,” Diamond Tiara glared at the filly. “I don’t see how that filly can be beautiful.” “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, Mistress Tiara.” Randolph waved his hoof towards the glass “You see a filly, I see a beautiful crown jewel.” “That is enough, Randolph,” Diamond Tiara snapped at her butler “Now is not the time.” The butler blanched, backing away from Diamond. His rump backed into the bed. Quickly, he took it as his cue to resume packing. Again, Diamond Tiara marveled at how graceful the butler was while packing her bags. Various items, clothing, and toothbrushes flew in the suitcase with reverent speed. Diamond Tiara turned away from the glass and approached the butler. Randolph eyes wandered away from a stack of clothing. “So… I heard you donated money to the Elementary…” the same kind and gentle smile from before melted into his expression “I think that was very honorable.” Diamond shuddered. It started as a normal day, trying to bring her family honor as she ran for class president. She lost that election because Silver Spoon didn’t vote for her. She was abandoned by her only friend, and was left to tell her family the news. What was she supposed to tell her parents? That she’d failed? That she lost everything? That she brought shame to the Rich family? That she was nothing? Unfortunately, the time came that she had to tell her parents the truth. In the end, her mother was certainly not happy, and her father wouldn’t even speak to her. To make her day worse, the Cutie Mark Crybabies eavesdropped into her personal life. Diamond Tiara sighed, thankful that they only scratched the surface. At least the day got better and she had her time in the sun. She remembered the warm feeling that came over her as she listened to what the crusaders had to say. It was an odd feeling, one that felt so familiar… yet distant. She finally belonged somewhere, surrounded by friends. Then… Cheerilee gave her a hug. She didn’t expect it, but the teacher that glared at her for most of class finally opened up. She could hear the words from her teacher “Diamond, I’m proud of you!” “You’re smiling.” A voice interrupted her train of thought. She opened her eyes. “I never seen you smile like that before…” Randolph added, eyes focused on her “What were you thinking about?” “Oh… nothing.” She tousled the carpet fibers. Randolph shrugged and firmly pressed the shell one more time for good measure. He lifted the bag off her bed “Shall we depart, Mistress Tiara?” She felt the warm feeling pass away as she lifted the saddlebags onto her back. “Pardon, Mistress Tiara,” Randolph politely interrupted, pointing a hoof at a piece of jewelry lying on the nightstand “May I ask, what about your crown?” “Leave it… its just dead weight.” She struggled to keep her gaze fixed on Randolph. “I know it may seem like that, but I must insist that you wear it.” Randolph reasoned “It’ll show your family honor.” She shrugged, trotting over to her nightstand. Placing the gaudy jewelry on her skull, she proceeded towards the bedroom door “Anything else, Randolph?” “Nothing more,” He held the door open for the little filly. As she exited, a wave of shouts penetrated her being, no longer held back by the barrier of the door. “Oh no, she is more than lost… she is irredeemable!” She heard her mother shout “She cost us a fortune spending a month’s earnings on ungrateful swine at the elementary! - I am ashamed to call her my daughter! Our lives would be infinitely better if she wasn’t born!” “YOU!” A low shout competed in stalemate against the other “You have no right to say that! She is our daughter!” The words became louder as Diamond descended the spiral staircase. “Excuse me?!” her shout conquered the other “I helped you when you were in business trouble… and I can take that away, just as easy… Is that what you want?!” Silence hung in the air, dissonant to the previous shouts that occupied the room. “Do… I… Make… Myself… Clear?” Her mother emphasized every syllable An answer came, as the voice became oddly calm, as if it was submitting “Crystal,” “Good.” Silence penetrated the room once more as Diamond Tiara and Randolph trotted across the icy hardwood floor. Diamond kept her eyes fixed on the door. She didn’t need to give a second glance to her mother’s glare. Instead, Diamond Tiara stood stoutly. If she dared to break her focus, her mother would say, “Remember, Chin up, Tut-tut. Don’t cry… only foals cry. You have to be strong like a Diamond, it is in your name.” As they finished their eternal trek across the foyer, Randolph hastily swung the door open. A gust of icy wind greeted them as Diamond exited her home. Randolph followed closely behind, shutting the door behind him. Once he closed it, Randolph started “Terribly sorry Mistress Tiara, but your parent’s decision is final, you are cut off from the Rich household forthwith…” “Terribly sorry, truly I am,” Randolph bowed. He fished through the front pocket of the suitcase and pulled out an envelope, a couple bits, and a train ticket. Diamond Tiara read over it, finding the train ticket to be one-way to Mane-hattan. The name “Coco Pommel” was scribbled in cursive on the envelope. “Go to her, I trust that Madam Pommel will help you.” He instructed, choking on his own words “Those bits should be enough for a meal or two from the train’s services.” “You… You aren’t going with me?” Her voice quivered in terror. “I-I wish it could be some other way, but M-Madam Rich insisted that I organize her jewelry again…” Randolph stuttered through the sentence like a worn horse-drawn carriage bumping across the rocks. Her eyes filled with tears. She wanted to collapse and die on the doorstep. But, if she did, she would frighten the poor stallion further. He had a hard enough time keeping his proper tone while controlling his emotions. Without a word, Diamond Tiara leaned in and embraced the butler. Randolph blanched. He smiled and accepted the kind gesture from the magenta filly. Diamond Tiara sobbed “Thank you, you’ve been the only pony who has been kind to me, even when I’ve been unkind to you.” “It is my duty to serve the Rich household.” She reached atop her head and took off her crown. She held it out to Randolph “I want you to have this.” “Mistress Tiara, this is your crown.” Randolph wrapped his hooves around the tiara, pushing it back to the filly. “As Mr. Rich said, “A tiara to top the finest masterpiece”.” “I don’t think I deserve it… that is why I want you to have it.” She held it out further. “Please, I beg of you, take it and accept this as my apology.” Randolph gingerly set the tiny crown on the porch. He patted her on the back “Diamond Dazzle Tiara, you are already forgiven.” He lifted her head with his forehoof, “Let your kind and generous gesture for the school be a testament of that.” She hugged him tighter “Thank you Randolph, for everything,” Randolph patted her on the back. “It’ll be okay, Miss Tiara,” The filly and the butler stood there on the porch, in each other’s embrace. Diamond Tiara backed away, letting go of her caretaker’s embrace. She started down the street, looking back periodically as Randolph waved back from his perch on the porch. “Goodbye, Mistress Tiara.” Diamond waved back and trotted down the road. She shivered as the cold wind blew. The sky made its final streaks in alpenglow sun. Diamond Tiara was reminded by the wind that winter was coming… and there was no stopping Cloudsdale from bringing the first wave of snow… no matter how hard anypony tried. As she progressed through the cold night, she could hear a faint whisper, being carried on through the wind- “Good luck, Diamond Tiara. May Celestia have a watchful eye over you.” The train’s meal wasn’t so bad… frankly, it was oddly traditional. Nothing could beat a warm bowl of soup on a cold autumn night, as the frost settles in the windows. While she was enjoying her meal, she looked to the things that Randolph packed in the saddlebags. Of course there was the basic comb and toothbrush, along with a couple hoof-towels and a small tube of toothpaste. Diamond Tiara watched as the world passed by around her, Celestia lowering the sun so the world could sleep. While many could rest, the little filly stayed up, hoping with all of her might that Coco would accept her. But what if she didn’t? She quickly banished the thought. She couldn’t let those thoughts occupy her mind- she had to keep looking to the future, being given only one last chance to prove herself. If only Randolph had a home of his own, that way, he could take her under his wing while her parents were sorting out this mess. She looked back to the items Randolph packed. It was meager, but enough to get her through one full day. She smiled, noting that the Doolittle stallion packed three items she particularly loved. The first one was a picture. A family picture. As she gazed into it, she rubbed her hoof over the glossy surface. She whispered, ever so quietly “Don’t you ever forget about me, guys.” The more she stared at the picture, the more she understood her parents. Her father, who had a meeting a couple minutes later could only spare a minute or two. Her mother, who was also busy organizing the company, was also busy. It was funny to look at, since the only pony smiling… was her. She tucked the picture back into the saddlebags, and pulled out the second item. At a glance, it was nothing more than a book with sparse entries. But, it meant so much more to her than a couple of scribbles. Earlier, she had borrowed a pen from the conductor. However, it was tough to get the day’s adventures onto paper. Every time, it sounded whiny, saying something like “Dear Diary, my parents sent me away today” She looked to past entries for inspiration, but the previous entry was from very long ago. She never wrote in it for a while, since her only entries were how she earned her cutie mark, her cute ceanera, and the best times of her playing with Silver Spoon. With distaste, she slapped the book shut, placed it in her saddlebags and headed over to get ready for bed. As she brushed to get ready, she avoided eye contact with the demon in the glass. It took a while to finish, but she eventually emerged from the bathroom. An impatient filly rushed in quickly as soon as she exited. She spotted the line that formed behind her, counting her lucky stars that she didn’t have to wait in a line. Heading to bed, she pulled out the final item that Randolph packed especially for her. She hopped into bed and hugged this plush tightly, since it would be her only companion. She looked up to this brave little pony ever since she could remember. This pony had precedence in reality, yet this fictional Alicorn haunted her dreams often, bringing light and life with them like a guardian angel. But, right now, this Alicorn had been going through tough times. She hoped that this beloved figure would recognize their influence in all of Equestria, especially to her. Who knew a pony full of kindness and empathy would be struggling with their own self-worth? We all have our weaknesses. She hugged the plush tight, curling up in her blankets as the cool night sapped her heat. She yawned and closed her beautiful blue eyes. She took one last breath, and settled in for the long nap.