Epilogue 4: Broken Tiara
Diamond Tiara felt a little bored as she sat there. There was nothing to do so she looked around at her surroundings. The room was pretty bare of anything of interest. There were no windows to see to the outside of the room. The only illumination came from a few lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Where exactly they were she didn’t have a clue. It certainly didn’t look like a room in a house, but beyond that she couldn’t tell anything else.
Waiting was beginning to make her anxious. How long was she going to be in there? Were the kidnappers really going to let her go? Would her dad bankrupt himself for her? She knew she shouldn’t be thinking such bad thoughts but she had never been in a situation like this. Maybe…maybe it was time for a little bit of cunning. The guard was sitting in a chair and reading a magazine, only briefly glancing up from time to time.
She took a deep breath before saying in a commanding voice, “Hey! How about some water? I’m thirsty!”
“Oh, pipe down and deal with it.”
“Oh, is that the way it’s gonna be?” She ran towards one of the walls of the cell and jump tackled it, letting out a grunt of pain.
“H-hey! What are you doing?” He set down his magazine.
“My daddy won’t be happy if he comes to pick me up and I’m injured…will he?” Putting on a sad face she said, “Oh, d-d-daddy! They were so mean to me! And one of them kept hitting me!” She jumped at the cell wall again.
“Rrgh!” The stallion growled, annoyed. “Fine!” He got up and left the room.
Sticking her head out the cell she took a look at the lock on the door. It wasn’t a padlock or even one that required a key. It was a simple slide lock. She tried getting on two hooves and stretching for the lock but she just wasn’t tall enough. It was so frustrating. It was so close! If she was just another inch taller!
Letting out a loud huff she dropped down to the ground and looked around to see if there was anything she could use to extend her reach, but she was disappointed. There was nothing. So much for her escape plan.
She got on her back to look up at the ceiling. When she landed she felt something push against her and dig into her mane with a slight pain. Her eyes lit up as she got back on her hooves, a victory smirk on her face.
Taking off her tiara she used it to create the necessary leverage to push the latch into the unlocked position. She suppressed a laugh as the door to the cell opened slightly. It creaked just a bit but not too loudly.
She was sure the guard would be back soon and there was nowhere to hide in the room. Sure enough, she could hear the sound of grumbling and hoofsteps approaching. She had come too far to get caught now.
With a stroke of inspiration she carefully but speedily walked right next to the doorway. The open door would provide enough cover for the few seconds she would need to go further.
When the guard walked in he said, “Here’s your stupid water, you little…brat…” He gasped as he saw the empty cage and the open door. “No!” he yelled, dropping the glass and running towards it.
It was just as she thought. Taking advantage of the noise of his running she began running too, around the door and out of the room. Now all she had to do was find out where the exit was and she was home free. If she could escape she could get as many ponies as she needed to free her aunt.
She realized she only had a few seconds before the guard raised the alarm. If she couldn’t find a safe place to hide quickly she would just be captured again.
She listened carefully, waiting for the inevitable. She wondered if she actually had more time. The one in charge of her surely wouldn’t want to let anyone else know he had let their target escape. Maybe he would just try to find her on his own.
The place she was in wasn’t like most places she had seen. It looked like it had been abandoned for some time. There was a slight smell of mold in the air, as well as broken boxes and glass everywhere. There were few windows, all of them too high to reach. The rooms she passed by were just as empty as the other ones.
Still, it remained quiet. Had she been right, or did the stallion have another way of communicating with his companions? As she turned around another hallway she saw a big set of double doors that just screamed, “EXIT!”
She couldn’t believe how easy it had been. Thoughts of victory made her careless though. As she ran full-out towards the door she suddenly felt something move underneath her hooves, and the next thing she knew she was flying into the air, a rope tying her back legs up.
She covered her mouth, but it was too late. She was so surprised she had let out a loud yelp when she went flying up.
It only took a minute before four of the kidnappers found her hanging there. She groaned mentally. One of them let her down, and then dragged her back to her cell, locking her in again.
Her legs were untied as she began pacing around the cell. She had been so stupid! She should have known there was a trap there!
She couldn’t tell if there was a different pony guarding her now.
“That was a clever move,” said the voice of a mare. Though it was muffled by the mask it sounded a little familiar. “Truly brilliant, but you got careless at the end. And to think…you did it all by yourself, without any help from anyone.”
The pony lifted her mask off and Diamond Tiara gasped. “Thunder-coh-” She shoved a hoof into her mouth to drown out her words. Lowering her voice to a whisper she said, “You escaped too?”
“I managed to trick one of the guards by pretending I was sick. When I pretended to collapse he opened the cell to check on me. I gave him a nice whack and stole his costume.”
Diamond Tiara laughed slightly, trying to keep her voice down. “Nice! At least you had better sense than I did. Although I guess I wouldn’t have fit into one of their costumes anyway. Good job!” She put her hoof through the bars. She waited, but her aunt didn’t meet it. “Well? Aren’t you gonna let me out?”
“Why would I do that?”
“W-why?”
“You’re still such a child! If I let you go now how am I ever going to get the ransom?”
A chill went through Diamond Tiara. “W-w-what are you talking about?” Her hoof went back to the floor.
“Business has been way too slow, and I can’t keep up with the lifestyle I’m used to. I’m trying some new things but I need a large amount of bits to start my new investiture. Why not bankrupt your dad in the process for his slights against me? I’ll have revenge and he’ll never even know. It’s such a laugh!”
Rage made Diamond Tiara see red. How could she dare…! Suddenly her anger went away as she began laughing. A big belly laugh that rang through her entire body.
“Oh? What’ so funny?”
When she got her laughing under control Diamond Tiara said, “You got too confident. You think anyone is gonna believe you when you came up to me and flat out told me you masterminded this whole thing? Unless you’re actually gonna kill me I’m gonna tell my dad as soon as I get freed.”
Her smirk only became wider. “Stupid, stupid girl. Did becoming 'good' really drain your wits so much? Go ahead. Tell your dad. And your mom and your new friends and whoever else you wish. It makes no difference to me.”
Diamond Tiara felt confused. Why was she still smiling? “Do you really think anyone is gonna want to start a business with you when you’re known as a kidnapper?”
“Tell everyone you want. NO ONE is going to believe you.”
“You last left Ponyville after a huge fight with my dad. He’d believe me!”
An extremely self-satisfied smile came to her lips. It suddenly faded as a look of despair and horror came to her face. “W-w-what?” she said, disbelief coloring her voice. “How could you say that? I did my best to rescue her! I managed to trick the guard into coming into the cell and I stole his costume. I was trying to rescue her! W-w-why would…would…she say such a thing? L-l-like I would EVER participate in such a horrible act? I love my darling little niece. I came to town to make peace, and now she wants to tear the family apart again?”
Diamond Tiara watched in horrified amazement as her aunt burst into tears and weeping. Her cadence, the rise and fall of her voice, the fear and sadness, even the tears…all of it was so spot on that she believed her aunt. It was so convincing that even though she knew it was all a lie she still believed it. And if she did than there was no way anyone else would doubt that it was real. Ponies would think she was just confused from the stress of being kidnapped, and her aunt would look like the good girl.
With her act over she resumed her usual condescending demeanor. “Good enough for you? I can tell by your face that you see how hopeless it is. I’ve always been a good actor. You’re truly pathetic. You cling on to your dad’s prestige and act like that makes YOU special when you never did anything to earn it.
“The world is a dark place, sweetheart, and the only way to make it is to throw others under the train to save yourself. That was a lesson you had firmly ingrained the last time I saw you, but now you’ve deteriorated to a lovesick puppy starving for 'fwiend-ship.'
“Do you REALLY think anyone cares about you? Tell me, what was it that prompted your parents to start paying more attention to you?”
“It…it was…because I talked to them about it…”
“Exactly! How many years had they been neglecting you for their careers, and then all of a sudden they’re super caring…because you ASKED for it. More like parents who were forced to change their behavior because they didn’t want to lose their reputations. No one would believe a caring nurse could be such a neglectful mother. No one wants to purchase things from a stallion with a reputation as an indifferent family man. For being so 'loving' they sure didn’t make any effort to show you they loved you…up until-” she snorted “-you ASKED for it.”
“Uh, um…” Diamond Tiara was feeling cold again, despite the sweat starting to come down her face. Her breathing starting to speed up. She couldn’t respond to that.
“Oh, yeah. And what was it you told me before about the flightless pegasus? Didn’t she say that if you made fun of her wings even once she’d disown you as a friend and make the other two choose who they wanted to be friends with more? And do you really think that, if you get into a big argument that that won’t be the first area of attack you’ll choose? It’s not a matter of IF, but WHEN you’re gonna say it.”
“U-um…well…” Her voice came out small, barely audible.
“And then what’s next? The big division between you two is gonna force the other two to choose sides. Do you TRULY believe that they’re gonna choose the spoiled brat that’s just been made part of the group over a friend who’s been loyal and steadfast?
“And as for the earth pony brat… what was her reason for befriending you again? 'To make her parents proud of her,' right? So, in other words, it was only for herself... to make herself feel better.”
“So with all that do you REALLY want to tell me you think ANY of them actually care about you?”
Diamond Tiara tried to swallow, but her throat felt too dry. She was having trouble breathing and the room felt like it was spinning. A few tears went swimming down her face until they hit the ground.
She backed up a few steps, her mind going a mile a minute. ‘No… no! It’s… it’s not true! My dad… my mom… Apple Bloom. They-they-they… they DO care about me! D-don’t they?’
She tried to picture her trip to the amusement park… sleeping with her mom… Apple Bloom and the others allowing her to join their group. She tried, but every time she did doubt and misgivings came up.
Had she been wrong to begin trusting again? Was her aunt right? Were all of them just trying to selfishly look out for their own best interests? She didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t want to! But… but…
Buuuut no matter how much Diamond Tiara wanted to deny her aunt’s words she had a point. Her words had some stinging facts in them.
More tears began joining the first two, and then her emotions overflowed in anger and despair. She threw herself on the ground and began furiously pounding the ground with all four hooves, screaming in frustration and pain.
“Oh, look.” Thunder Claw laughed. “Her royal highness is throwing a royal tantrum.” With great amusement she watched Diamond Tiara acting like a toddler who didn’t get something at the toy store.
Patiently waiting until Diamond Tiara finished her rampage and had been reduced to simply panting on the floor she said, “I guess you finally see the truth again. It only hurts because you were foolish enough to start giving away your heart to those who don’t deserve it. If you had been the way you were before none of what I said would have affected you in this way. Surely you can understand that trusting others in friendship is the most foolish thing you can do.”
Diamond Tiara didn’t respond. There was a dead look on her face now. Except for an occasional tear or a blink there was no more movement from her.
“How about this? Be smart and trust in me. I’ll help you find your true self again. The ways of the liar and the trickster and the manipulator. Face it. If things go through as they’re supposed to it will only end badly for you. I’m going to come out a hero for this for 'trying to rescue you.' And if you don’t respond in that manner or try to accuse me of foul play you’ve already seen how convincing I can be on the subject. All that you’ll get in return for that accusation is disbelief and a scolding. Even if you don’t accuse me you’ll be seen as an ungrateful brat if you don’t sing my praises for it.
“You like your high end lifestyle. I can reduce the amount your father will have to pay if you join in with my act. If you work along with me we’ll patch up the problems between me and your father by talking about the depths I went through for you. Rescuing you and getting you to safety would definitely restore his trust in me, and he’ll be so thankful he’ll no doubt lend me the money I need to get my next franchise up and running.
“All you have to do is find your true self. Throw away the bags of bondage that you call 'love' and embrace the reality, and I’ll guide you into the transition. The only one you can really trust is someone who also knows you can’t trust anyone. We’ll always know to be on guard for each other’s betrayal. The only thing you’re missing is experience and good acting skills.”
Putting her hoof through the bar door she said, “So how about it? Do we have a deal? Throw away your notions of friendship and love and you’ll find the truest strength and pleasure of all, and you’ll never have to hurt like you’re hurting now ever again.”
Diamond Tiara stared blankly at her aunt. The pain… the fear… the unknown… the future. Was it worth it? Was friendship really worth all this work? All this frustration? Wouldn’t it be better to just…always be in control? Her aunt portrayed a convincing picture. Her words were so soft and smooth. The hoof was right in front of her. It would be so simple to lift her own hoof to meet it, to agree to the plan. Would it really be a betrayal if no one else ever really cared in the first place?
What was the right thing to do? She felt so empty inside at the moment, the conflict so strong in her mind despite the blankness of her emotions. Was the chance of future pain really worth the risk of choosing to open her heart to love?
Her left leg twitched a bit, rising a little off the ground, time seeming to stop for her as she struggled to make the biggest decision of her life.
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Diamond Tiara, you should know better tha to trust a villain.
4692436 She's good at what she does, offering hope to someone who feels hopeless. Since her aunt just royally tore her down she's not in the right mental state at the moment to make a smart decision.
.
4689896 okay, good
4692450 Its like those douchy step mothers who act nice for a lil bit but once they get wronged by something bam, they well screw you over big time cause your father is too stupid to realize he just married a money grubbing horse, ps. you all know what I meant to put there. Also, this isn't a reference, this literally is what a friend of mine has to deal with.
See, told you she was behind the kidnapping plot and it was an attempt to get back at Filthy Rich!!!
I really hope Diamond tells her evil aunt to wash her mouth out because all Diamond hears is Bull S***.
Now would be a great time for the Foal Stampede to break down the doors with the CMC and Silver Spoon in the lead.
4694469 You feel so smug for figuring out the obvious?
JK, but the setup was pretty transparent. Aunt shows up and then she's kidnapped right after. Wasn't too hard to figure out. However, I did manage to stump you with the whole "grab a bunch of kids to fight kinappers" thing.
I agree with her aunt. Friendship is useless. fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/191/8/c/nightmare_moon_as_herself_by_90sigma-d4vkzd3.png
Nothing ever comes from friendship.
i.ytimg.com/vi/aZ8WtyJ-If4/0.jpg
ponies have no business in friends
img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140705063307/villains/images/a/a0/The_Mane_6_shooting_rainbow_beam_at_Tirek_S4E26.png