The Night's Little Diamond
A warm aura permeated Cheerilee’s classroom as the foals used various art supplies to make cards for their mothers in celebration of Mother’s Day. Glitter, scissors, construction paper, ribbons, and much more were provided to each student so they could craft cards expressing their thankfulness for having a mother to call their own. Small smiles were plastered across all of their faces as they worked, no doubt in anticipation of seeing their mothers' reactions to receiving their cards.
Cheerilee happily watched her students work furiously on their cards so as to finish them before class ended, and seeing them so determined to craft symbols of appreciation for the mares that brought them into the world brought a sincere smile to Cheerilee’s muzzle. That smile faltered, however, every time her gaze wandered to one pink filly with a plastic tiara upon her purple-maned head.
Diamond Tiara sulked at her desk, a deadpan expression adorning her face while she never even so much as touched the given art supplies sitting in front of her. It was enough to gradually dissipate the happiness Cheerilee felt by seeing all her other students work diligently.
Why must she do this every year? she thought with a sigh. Motherless or not, this is unacceptable.
Taking another look at Diamond, Cheerilee decided she needed to encourage her student at the very least. She got up and made way between the rows of desks to Diamond’s own. While she refused to acknowledge Cheerilee’s sudden presence, all the other foals’ attention was drawn away from their cards and to the student-teacher confrontation happening right then.
Cheerilee, upon noticing the resulting diminished sounds around her, spoke up to the class. “Everything’s fine my little ponies,” she said, authoritatively. “Please, continue working, so you don’t go home with unfinished cards.”
The foals resumed working, though with more apprehension than before. Cheerilee turned back to Diamond and leaned forward so they were looking each other eye to eye.
“Listen, Diamond,” she said, doing her best to mask the disappointment she felt, “you don’t have to make a card specifically for your mother. So long as you make a card, anypony that you’re thankful to have in your life will do nicely.”
Diamond didn’t respond, instead she merely rolled her eyes and rested her head in her hooves on the desk.
Cheerilee’s eye twitched, but she kept her composure and asked, “Would you like some extra construction paper?”
Without moving from her spot on the desk, Diamond let out an annoyed sigh.
“Mother’s Day is supposed to be for mothers only,” she said, and furrowed her gaze at the wall as if it were the source of her problems. ”Since I don’t have one, there’s no point in celebrating it.”
“That isn’t true, Diamond,” Cheerilee stated with conviction. “Both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are about being thankful to have anypony whom you consider to be your mother and father figure in life, respectively.” She softened her gaze a bit and let the corners of her mouth turn up in a half-smile. “Surely you have a mother figure in your life, at the very least?”
Diamond breathed deeply in annoyance. “No,” she huffed.
“. . . Fine then,” Cheerilee said, and began trotting back to her desk. Along the way, she looked over her shoulder and said, “You can take your art supplies home, in case you change your mind.”
Diamond gave no reply, instead continuing to stare at the wall while listening to her classmates continue making their cards around her. After a few minutes, however, she shrugged and opened her saddlebag.
Whatever, she thought, and began shoving in the art supplies.
The Rich household’s interior was every bit as fancy as the exterior would suggest, being a mansion by Ponyville standards.
Aside from the foyer, which was plain in appearance and didn't boast anything in the way of extravagance, the rest of Diamond Tiara’s home looked more appropriate for a Canterlot suburb than a Ponyville abode. Golden chandeliers and china cabinets were placed throughout the rooms, which themselves had intricate patterns carved into the base board trims and door casings. One room even hosted a wall mural depicting Ponyville at night, under the full moon. As it was painted before Nightmare Moon’s return, The Mare in the Moon was featured on the moon’s face.
Each and every hallway was filled with memorabilia, mainly family photos dating back to the time of Stinking Rich. Most of them featured a complete family set: mother, father, and either one or two children. The ones that didn't were those of Filthy and Diamond together alone; Filthy looking exhausted but genuinely happy in them while Diamond always looked bitter or depressed next to him.
“Daddy!” Diamond shouted as she entered through the front door. “I’m home!”
No answer.
"Daddy!?" she called again.
Still nothing.
Better check the kitchen, Diamond thought, and made her way through the entrance hall to the kitchen. A brief search revealed a sticky note stuck to the refrigerator, the mouthwriting on it that of her dad.
Dear Diamond,
I’m in Canterlot on business right now, and I won’t be back until very late tonight. I left a couple brownies in the fridge for you, as well as some juice.
Be sure to go to bed at the proper time, okay, sweetie?
Love, Daddy
Diamond opened the fridge and retrieved both the brownies and juice before throwing the sticky note in the trash. After consuming her snack, she headed for her room, passing by her family’s portraits in the hall along the way and never once sparing any of them so much as a passing glance.
Upon entering her room, Diamond set her saddlebag down onto the floor and quickly collapsed onto her bed, just wanting to fall asleep right then and there, so she could be done with the day that much quicker.
She couldn’t, however, and so Diamond’s attention traveled all over her room from her desk, to her window, to the door, until it eventually focused on her saddlebag and the art supplies contained within it.
She scowled and leveled an icy glare at it before looking up at her ceiling. Ugh, I’m so stupid to bring that stuff home, she thought. I don’t have anypony I can call my mother, so it’s pointless to make a card.
With a sigh, Diamond got out of bed and stretched a bit before pondering what to do until bedtime. She eventually decided to hang out with Silver Spoon and proceeded to leave. As she opened her door, Diamond briefed a glance back to her saddlebag. She scrutinized it for another moment before leaving her bedroom with a sigh.
Diamond Tiara wandered through the hallways of the maze-like parody of her house, checking each turn in search of the exit.
Just like her real house, the hallways were adorned entirely with family memorabilia, with the only difference being they were exclusively portraits of just her and Filthy Rich. The hallways themselves remained the same color scheme and pattern as the real thing, as did the ceiling and floor. Also just like her real house, the occasional golden chandelier hung down from above, as did a few china cabinets pushed up against the walls.
This is bizarre, Diamond mused as she ventured aimlessly through hallways that were both familiar and alien to her, hoping the exit would be just around each turn she made.
At one point, she came upon a four way intersection. Acting on instinct, she turned left and continued onwards, only to recoil in surprise of what she saw at the end. There, standing tall and proud against the wall behind it, was a marble statue of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in a triumphant pose with their eyes closed in excitement.
“Hmpf, wrong turn,” Diamond snorted.
She doubled back to the intersection and tried another turn. This one was more promising as it led to another intersection of hallways. Diamond took a right this time and ventured forth, only to find another marble CMC statue, much to her frustration. It was exactly the same as the first, and the excited expressions chiseled into the stone replicas of her rivals brought a scowl to Diamond’s muzzle as she doubled back and took another turn.
Diamond Tiara continued this process for what seemed like forever, during which time she took more turns than she could recall. More often than not, she was greeted by a dead end topped with a CMC statue, and with each one she encountered, Diamond’s patience grew thinner.
Finally, after searching what she was sure to be the maze in its entirety without finding the exit, Diamond Tiara’s patience ran out.
“Daddy!” she shouted. “I need help!”
Nothing but silence greeted her.
“C’mon daddy!” Diamond shouted again, nervously. “I don’t know where to go!”
More silence.
Diamond Tiara groaned and stomped her hoof. “Fine then! I’ll find my own way out of here!” She took off in a huff, but inwardly a sense of panic began overtaking her.
She rushed through the maze, taking random turns at every intersection, hoping that if she just kept running she’d eventually find the exit. She ran for what felt like hours, double-checking every single hallway she could find, all the while encountering more CMC statues than she could count. Seeing the smiling faces of her archrivals so much made her frustrated at first which was soon replaced with the fear of being trapped indefinitely in the maze. That fear grew to the point where Diamond began crying as she ran, her tears dropping to the floor unceremoniously behind her all the while.
She turned another corner, hoping beyond hope that it would lead to the exit. Instead, it led to yet another dead end with yet another CMC statue. Of course, it was likely one she already saw, multiple times possibly, and knowing that caused her anger and frustration to finally reach its breaking point. With a furious cry of anguish, Diamond leapt at the statue and began slamming her forelegs against it repeatedly in a futile attempt to destroy the source of her despair.
She failed to even make a scratch, however, and it wasn't too long before Diamond Tiara tired out and slumped to the floor. Her tears coalesced into a huge puddle as she folded her fore legs together and buried her head in them, sobbing uncontrollably.
“Someone, help me,” she whimpered. “Please . . .”
Diamond felt a warm hoof on her shoulder, accompanied by a majestic voice that said, “Such is my job, Diamond Tiara.”
Diamond instantly shot her gaze upward, only to gasp in shock upon seeing the regal face of Princess Luna, sovereign of the moon, keeper of the night and all its inhabitants, smiling warmly at her.
“Princess Luna!?” Diamond stammered, scrambling to her hooves. “What are you doing here?"
“As princess of the night, I am responsible for watching over ponies’ dreams,” she replied. “Thus why I am here.”
“Oh yeah . . .” Diamond trailed off as she looked confused. “Wait, this is a dream? It feels so real.” She tapped the floor as if to accentuate her point.
“Scootaloo said the exact same thing when I visited her,” Luna remarked, staring thoughtfully into the distance. “Her dream was much more terrifying than this one is.”
Diamond Tiara grumbled at the mention of one of her arch-rivals. She then tried biting her foreleg in an attempt to wake herself up, only to wince painfully and let loose a few more tears which added to the puddle on the ground next to her.
“I would not advise attempting that again, Miss Tiara,” Luna said, drawing her attention. “There’s no use in bringing more pain to yourself when it won't help you wake up.”
“How did you find me here?” Diamond asked, rubbing her fore leg to try and soothe the pain. “In this hallway, I mean.”
“I only had to follow the trail of tears,” Luna said simply. She then stepped aside and gestured to the trail of fresh tears leading around the corner that Diamond left behind. “Definitely not a bread crumb trail, but effective nonetheless.”
Diamond sniffed and rubbed her eyes to wipe away what few tears still remained. “Do you know where the exit is?” she asked. “I’m trying to get out of here, and—”
“I am sorry, Diamond Tiara,” Luna cut her off, “but I am no more knowledgeable of this maze’s layout than you.”
“Oh, come on!” Diamond cried. “What kind of help are you supposed to be!?”
Diamond only realized after the fact that she’d basically just insulted Princess Luna. Most ponies would expect banishment after such an action. The more reasonable ones would expect a stern reprimand for such. Diamond Tiara, being young and naive, naturally assumed she would receive the former. She shrunk back under Luna’s gaze, afraid of being condemned for her outburst. It came as a complete surprise to Diamond when Luna only replied by shaking her head in disappointment.
“Don’t be so quick to assume, Miss Tiara,” she said, almost in a scolding tone of voice. “I wouldn't have offered to help if I had none to give.”
“Well . . . okay,” Diamond replied. “Can you help me look for the exit, at least?”
Luna smiled. “That I can do, Miss Tiara,” she replied.
“Great, thanks,” Diamond replied, a small smile gracing her muzzle as she trotted past Princess Luna to the hallway. Luna followed after her, making sure to commit every last square inch of the maze to memory.
“So, what should we do?” Diamond asked once they reached the hallway.
“Splitting up will allow us to cover more ground,” Luna replied, turning back to her. She momentarily arched a confused brow upon seeing the panicked expression on Diamond’s face before realization hit and she gave her a small smile.
“Do not fret, Miss Tiara,” Luna said, doing her best to be comforting like her sister. Luna charged magic into her horn and a brief glow surrounded Diamond, surprising her. The glow disappeared, and Diamond looked at her body curiously before looking confused to Luna.
“What was that?” she asked.
“A simple tracking spell,” Luna answered stoically. “Now no matter where you go, I can easily locate you.”
Diamond instantly looked relieved. “Oh, good,” she said.
Luna nodded. “Now then, let us be off.” She turned down one hallway, to which Diamond turned down the opposite side, and the two began searching for the maze’s exit.
Both searched every last hallway they could find, making absolute sure they didn't accidentally check the same hallway twice. But while both ponies searched to their heart’s content without pause, their methods were exact opposites from each other. Diamond was content to simply run up and down each and every hallway again, not bothering to take in the details of each one and instead checking to see whether or not they led to a dead end. She did feel better now that Princess Luna was there to help her, however, and so could keep calm whenever she came across a CMC statue at a dead end, though she still scowled in disgust upon seeing them.
In contrast, Luna actually took the time to observe the environment of every part of the maze she searched. It was a slow, arduous process, but Luna knew that any hidden details of the maze could be of vital importance to both the nature of the dream as well as where the exit may lie. Seeing all the memorabilia and CMC statues throughout the maze was especially telling, as such things seemed too specific to be of no significance.
I wonder what relation Scootaloo and her friends have with Diamond Tiara, anyway? Luna mused as she made way toward Diamond’s location in the maze.
When the two met up again they were near the maze’s center.
“Well, I didn't find anything,” Diamond Tiara told Luna, depression clear in her tone as she hung her head. “What about you, Princess?”
Though Diamond couldn't see it, Luna gave her a small smile. “I may have found something regarding the exit,” she replied.
Diamond Tiara immediately brightened and looked up at her with a beaming grin. “Really!?” she said excitedly. “Where is it!?”
Luna gestured back the way she’d come with a hoof. “Follow me,” she replied.
The two proceeded down the hallway at a casual trot, though Diamond wished they could move faster so as to leave the maze quicker. She didn't complain to Luna, however, as she didn't want to risk invoking her wrath again.
At one point, the duo turned down a hallway along which hung a plethora of family portraits of Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich.
“These portraits particularly confused me as I searched this corridor,” Luna remarked as they walked past, keeping her gaze upon them all the while.
Diamond snorted in response. “What’s not to get?’ she asked half-sarcastically. “They’re just dream replicas of the ones in my real house.”
“Are they now?” Luna inquired, not taking her eyes off the portraits. “Well, my confusion was based on the fact that only you and your father are featured in these portraits.”
She stopped near one in particular, to which Diamond did as well, visibly annoyed.
“Tell me, Miss Tiara,” Luna continued, looking at the portrait, “when and where was this picture taken?”
Diamond rolled her eyes and looked up to the portrait. In it, she and her father were on a ship’s deck with various skyscrapers in the background. Her father was smiling at the camera with a tired look in his eyes while she herself looked downwards with a bored expression on her face.
“I remember this,” Diamond replied with indifference in her tone. “It was on one of my daddy’s business trips in Manehattan when I was younger; I remember not wanting to go because of how boring I was sure it’d be.” She sighed with annoyance. “And I was right, cause it was boring.”
“Is that so?” Luna inquired again. She stared at the portrait for a few moments longer before turning to look at Diamond. “Pray tell, why didn’t your mother offer to look after you while your father was away?”
Diamond scowled briefly before turning away from Luna with a huff. “That’s because I don’t have a mother to begin with.”
Luna was taken aback by such an admission. “Truly, you don’t?” she asked. She heard a soft growling sound coming from Diamond, which she took to mean that the subject of mothers was a sensitive one for her.
“I see,” Luna answered herself. She looked up wistfully as she continued. “Now your dream makes perfect sense.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Diamond asked with full-on sarcasm.
“I shall explain as we continue onwards,” Luna replied, unperturbed by Diamond’s response.
She resumed walking down the hallway, to which Diamond followed once again, happy to get going.
“Dreams often manifest as a metaphor for one’s inner turmoil,” Luna explained. “Based both on what I've seen and what you've told me, I’m convinced that all of this—” she gestured her hoof to everything around them, "—symbolizes how lost you are without a maternal presence in your life.”
Diamond arched a confused brow. “How’s a twisted version of my house supposed to represent that?” she asked.
“This is something that ponies typically realize at an older age,” Luna said, “but with stringent observation, one can uncover lots of things that would otherwise fail to attract their attention.”
She pointed to the portraits lining the wall they were passing. “For example, these portraits represent both your father’s happiness of having you for a daughter and stress from having to raise you all on his own, and how miserable you are as a result.”
Diamond stared at her blankly before looking downcast. “I never thought about it like that,” she admitted.
“There’s more,” Luna said, drawing Diamond’s attention once again. “Your cries for help went unanswered until I came because your father cannot always be there for you if he’s a hard working stallion.” She looked to Diamond thoughtfully. “I take it he’s very busy?”
“Yeah, he is,” Diamond answered. “But at least I have a pool because of that, so it isn’t all bad.”
“Perhaps,” Luna answered as she looked forward, noticing they were soon to approach their destination. “But what is bad is that you have no one to guide you through life as a result, leaving you confused about which decisions you make are acceptable and which ones are poor.”
“And how’s that represented here?” Diamond asked. She’d started taking an interest in what Luna was saying, though her eagerness to find the exit still dominated her mind.
“Your confusion is represented here in the form of the dead ends,” Luna answered. When she continued her tone was surprisingly dark, which surprised Diamond as Luna had been rather kindred so far, even when she'd lashed out at her. “And your inability to find the correct path yourself makes you frustrated, to which you strike at the first readily available target.”
Diamond stared blankly at her, unsure as to what she was implying with her last statement. It took a few moments for her to realize Luna was referring to how she struck at the CMC statue earlier, to which Diamond sheepishly rubbed the back of her head as Luna spoke again.
“I will admit ignorance as to the exact details of your relationship with Scootaloo and her friends, but to act openly hostile to not just them, but anypony, without just cause is unacceptable.” Luna softened her gaze a bit as she continued. “I won’t claim innocence in that regard myself, but I’m very disappointed in you for venting your frustrations on innocent ponies, especially ones as nice as the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
Diamond offered no protest in response to Luna and instead merely hung her head in shame. Luna knelt down and used a hoof to lift her chin up, so they were looking straight into each others’ eyes. “While I am not your mother,” she said, “I will tell you here and now that acting like so toward anypony is wrong, and that you are to treat the Cutie Mark Crusaders with respect from now on.” She furrowed her brows. “Am I clear, Diamond Tiara?”
Diamond shrunk a bit under Luna’s gaze, but nodded her head in agreement all the same.
Luna smiled. “Good.” She then stood up, and the two resumed their trek down the hallway.
They walked in silence afterward, during which time Diamond was lost in thought about everything that Luna told her: what the dream meant, how it affected her relationship with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and how her dad was hard-pressed to properly raise her by himself. Before she fell asleep that night, Diamond never would’ve given an inkling of thought toward any of these things. After being told the effect of not having a mother had on her life, Diamond found herself wanting one all the more, and all the more frustrated that she couldn’t.
Tomorrow I’m gonna ask daddy to marry again, Diamond promised herself. Then she scowled. And whoever he chooses had better not walk out on us again.
After spending a few minutes wandering through the maze Diamond asked, “So, Princess Luna, are you sure you found the exit?”
“I never said I found the exit,” Luna replied without turning to face her, “only that I found something unusual.”
Diamond tilted her head. “Unusual how?”
“You will see soon enough.”
Soon after that the two rounded a corner, and Luna led Diamond to a china cabinet propped against the wall a little ways further down.
“We have arrived at our destination,” Luna announced as she stopped in front of it.
Diamond stared first at her, then at the china cabinet, then back to her with a scowl. “Are you toying with me!?”
“Not in the slightest,” Luna replied calmly.
“What’s so special about that china cabinet compared to all the others in this maze?”
“Do you remember what I said earlier about how the power of observation can reveal things otherwise unnoticeable?”
Diamond nodded. “Yeah, I do.”
Luna pointed to the china cabinet. “Try that power on the cabinet.” She smiled slyly. “You may just find something peculiar about it.”
Diamond stared at her in confusion for a moment before walking up to the china cabinet. She began examining every single part of it on both the inside and outside, checking for anything that didn’t feel quite right to her. Her examination turned up nothing peculiar at first to which she seriously considered giving up at a few points, but ultimately her trust in Luna prevailed and she continued on.
It wasn’t until Diamond began inspecting the sides that she finally noticed something out of place. Behind the cabinet itself she noticed a sliver of blackness, in sharp contrast to the blank white wall that surrounded it. Tilting her head curiously, Diamond gave the oddity a closer look, only to gasp in shock upon realizing what it was.
“Princess Luna!” she cried, a wide grin spread across her muzzle. “There’s a secret passageway back here!”
“Indeed there is,” Luna replied. She used her magic to move aside the cabinet to reveal the hidden hallway in its entirety. A quick glance down the hallway revealed a door identical to the front entrance of Diamond Tiara’s house a little ways down.
“Finally!” the pink filly exclaimed, and rushed down the corridor at a frantic gallop. “I’m so outta here!”
“Take care, Diamond Tiara!” Luna called after her with a smile. She then proceeded to leave the dream, eager to resume her nightly duty of vanquishing nightmares.
Diamond Tiara sat up with a start in bed, covered a little bit in sweat as she panted in exhaustion. She took a moment to adjust to the darkness before realizing the dream was over and that she was awake.
Glad that’s over, Diamond thought with relief as she settled down and took stock of the environment.
It was easy to deduce that it was still nighttime from listening to the prominent sounds of various insects emanating from outside, but a quick glance at the alarm clock on her nightstand confirmed that daytime was but a few hours away.
Diamond Tiara got out of bed and trotted over to her bedroom window, opening it to reveal the sight of Luna’s moon descending toward the horizon. Its reflected light shined through the window, bathing Diamond’s room in a brilliant luminescence that highlighted the soft smile adorning her face as she watched it.
Thanks for all the help, Princess Luna, she thought.
Diamond spent the next several minutes staring thoughtfully up at the moon before deciding to return to bed. Turning around, she caught sight of her saddlebag lying on her bedroom’s floor right where she’d left it the previous day, visible only due to the moon’s glow emanating through her window.
Diamond stared thoughtfully at it as well for several minutes before giving a determined smile. She went to turn on her room’s light before bringing her saddlebag over to her desk and dumping out all of the art supplies it contained.
The twilight hour brought with it a brilliant lavender hue to the horizon as the sun and moon waited to be raised and lowered across the horizon, respectively. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood upon the night princess’ balcony, taking a moment to admire the mixing of their domains before bringing forth the day.
“The sky truly is beautiful at this time,” Celestia said, looking across the Equestrian landscape to the horizon. “More so than the complete daytime sky, in fact.”
Luna smiled cheekily. “I wonder how much of that is because it bears the same colors of your former student, Princess Twilight Sparkle?” she mused.
Celestia could only laugh at that. “I suppose there’s some truth to that.” She turned her attention toward Ponyville with a thoughtful expression. “After all, she is the closest I have to a daughter.”
“That is true,” Luna replied. She spared Ponyville a glance herself before returning attention to the moon. “Well, we mustn’t keep Equestria waiting.”
Celestia nodded and turned her attention to the sun. Both alicorns were about to begin charging magic into their horns when they were interrupted by a scroll with an envelope attached to it materializing in a burst of green flame in front of Celestia.
Both curious, Luna watched as Celestia unfurled the scroll and read its contents.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I’m so sorry to bother you at a time like this; no doubt you and Luna are soon to bring forth the day. However, there’s only so much banging and shouting Spike or I can take before we’re fed up, so please excuse us if we’re interrupting you two.
Enclosed is a letter for Princess Luna from one of Ponyville’s more bratty residents. She said it was important, though, and couldn’t wait until later. Trust me when I say living down here is more of a pain than you may think.
Your fellow (cranky) princess,
Twilight Sparkle
When she was done reading Celestia looked at the envelope with a mixture of both surprise and curiosity.
“What did Princess Twilight send to you, sister?” Luna asked, eyeing the envelope.
“Apparently, it’s for you,” Celestia replied, levitating the envelope over to her, “and it’s not from Princess Twilight.”
Intrigued, Luna took the envelope and opened it with her magic. Inside was a card made out of brown construction paper with "For Princess Luna" written in black crayon on the front. Opening the card itself revealed a crude picture of two ponies standing together on one side. She could tell one was of her as it had a dark blue coat, was taller than the average pony, and wore silver regalia. The other pony was unmistakably Diamond Tiara due to its pink coat, purple mane, and her namesake tiara which she wore upon her head.
Delighted, and slightly confused, Luna read the accompanying message on the opposite side of the card’s interior.
Dear Princess Luna,
I’m sorry if you’re receiving this while you and Princess Celestia are making it daytime, but I couldn’t wait any longer to send this to you. Thanks for helping me last night in my dream; I never would’ve been able to find my way otherwise.
You know, now that I think about it, you’d make a great mother to me. Maybe you could marry my daddy and we could live in the castle with you and your sister? Just a thought. I mean, having a princess for a mother could be the absolute coolest thing ever!
But if not, then could you at least visit me in my dreams every now and then? I mean, if you want, that is? Surely it wouldn’t be too hard to come by every couple of nights for a visit? Maybe we could talk or play or something? Really, I just want to see you more often.
One last thing; Happy late Mother’s Day. Though, I guess it’d be called Mother’s Night in your case, wouldn’t it?
Love, Diamond Tiara
Luna stared blankly for a moment at the message. Then she clutched the card to her chest with a soft smile.
I suppose I could schedule a few visits in her dreams every other night, she thought.
“So, who was that card from?” Celestia asked her.
Luna looked up to her sister, her smile now cheeky. “From the closest I have to a daughter."
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Kori Kitsune · 2.9k words · 44 2 · 1.6k views
- TheMasterofDespair · 14k words · 33 0 · 1.2k views
- The Believer · 3.4k words · 54 0 · 1.3k views
- Your Antagonist · 1.3k words · 57 2 · 978 views
- Cora Zone Unicorn · 1.2k words · 63 4 · 1.8k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.157 seconds
Total duration
1,048 users online
2,113,107 hits today, 2,921,617 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
different from you lizard. but enjoyable.
I must say this was enjoyable. Thanks, Raz. It fits close with my own headcanon as well. At least regarding Diamond Tiara's missing mother.
Now why won't the writers give us a Diamond Tiara we can actually pity? This was good.
I'd like to add a bit about the characterization as well. I really liked that you portrayed her as a more sullen version of Diamond Tiara than a straight up brat. Sure, she's bratty, but I suppose some of that can be explained away as a result of her upbringing and her lack of a mother, and what might be seen as a betrayal by her mother.
As to Luna, I thought she was fairly portrayed, though I think that Luna would more likely view all of the dreaming children she watches over as her children instead of just one. They are all her daughters in the night. At least, that's how I see her.
A truly original concept (at least to me) and I truly liked it.
Have a fav and a like.
Right until the end I was sure she was going to realize Cheerilee is the closest thing she has to a mother figure in her life.
Nicely done
This was beautiful.
Diamond Tiara as Luna's Personal Student? Well, stranger things have happened!
This was a nice story that explores one possible cause for the persona we see of Diamond Tiara. What inner demons drive her to be so mean to everypony? Why is she so determined to be successful and socially on the top? In the words of the song from the 1960s, where does she go to when there is no-pony there but herself? We'd like to go inside her head!
This was a nice bit of work with a good bit of imagery for Diamond Tiara's dream sequence. I also like how Luna helped out in a way very reminiscent of Season 4's "For Whom Sweetie Bell Toils".
Very awesome. I really think you should make this into a full length story where DT is like Twilight and all that. I know it might seem like it has been done before, but DT and Luna!? Never, ever, ever been done, one hundred tootin percent.
Keep writing awesomely!
P.s.: I recommended this story to be reviewed by Seattle's Angels group!
Heh, that was kinda cute.
5079258 I'll put it on my list of fic ideas.
And thank you so much! I've been dying to have one of my stories recommended to them.
A heartfelt story between Luna and Diamond?...YES!
It was so adorable.
This is adorable.
Maybe Diamond isn't completely irredeemable...
Very, very nice. This was definitely a joy to read, but I would work on showing more instead of telling. This doesn't apply specifically to showing surroundings but more to showing emotions. This story was great based on premise and execution, the bare minimum for a good story. For a great story, you need that extra emotional umph to power through the message. This is simply a cut-and-dry story. So I'd suggest working on that a bit. Of course, chances are that you already has improved, but just in case, you know? Just trying to help out a bit.
5398956
. . .
There's a difference between 'To show or to tell?' and 'Show, don't tell.' with the former being the right philosophy to follow. That said, whether the emotion gets across depends on the person reading. If you really want to help, however, I'd love to hear how you'd improve the story. Like, give me a few specific examples of how you'd do more to show emotions.
5399013
Shush, you. Doing this on mobile ain't like having a physical keyboard.
Well, how about this? In my opinion, I think that showing more of Diamond Tiara's emotions would have helped give a little more life to the story. And also, as a little addition:
While that philosophy is good to follow, there is a point in which a question must be answered. Is believing in this philosophy a hinderance or helpful to the writer in the end? The more one says, "Well, it was on purpose that I didn't show/add detail to this or that/allow the character to do this or that," the more one makes excuses for bad writing. Mark me, I didn't call you a bad writer. I'm just saying that it's easier to just stick to showing than figuring out when it is appropriate to do either or. It emplaces a good writing ethic, in the defense of my opinion.
But blah. That's, like, your opinion, man, and all that fun stuff. Good story, I said my piece, and I offered a small rebuttal.
5399047 Oh, like you're one to start talking about making excuses.
But seriously, that philosophy is always best to follow. Showing is good, true, but there are times when telling is required in order to get information across in a way that doesn't leave readers lost and confused while keeping them invested (I can give you one example if you wish), be it due to the story's structure, plot, or some other miscellaneous reason.
I won't deny that I probably could've done more to show emotions here, but as it stands the story isn't telly in inappropriate places (unless you'd care to share any objections to that claim) so it's, as you said, a good story that keeps readers invested.
Case in point, thanks for reading!
5399149
I'm one that likes to use examples, but being on a phone due to my pride and joy of a laptop being incapacitated after fighting the immortal force called time makes it a ridiculous process of copying and quoting. If you haven't ever used mobile, then you don't know the pain. It's horrifying.
Buy anyway, I suppose I view showing in a different light than you. To me, showing makes it not bland. I am usually able to figure out the main point anyway, and while I read the story to figure that out, it's way more enjoyable with some finesse. It doesn't distract me in the least; it keeps me interested. But I suppose you did your job right since I ended up reading this story anyway, huh?
The foundation of a story is just as important as the model around it, right?
5399175 True to both questions.
At the end of the day, my only wish is that people gain something from reading my stories, whether it be inspiration, feels, satisfaction, or something else that's positive in nature.
5399204
I'll have to quote you sometime.
I very much like how you made Diamond Tiara likable, despite her personality.
I believe this belongs to you:
i.imgur.com/EWZgp90.png
5406202 i.neoseeker.com/mgv/60953/953/87/7762_animated_fluttershy_yay_display.gif
This story was so great! I liked the plot and the DT and Luna thing a cute story to say the least
Diamond Tiara desperately wanted a maternal figure in her life. Ironically this makes sense, since Apple Bloom's lack of parents is the one thing Diamond Tiara has NEVER teased her about.
6168361 and yet what she got in the show is a stuck up bitch.
6572337
I imagine someone going from timeline to timeline... hmmm, do you think it would be WISE to tell Diamond that if her mother had lived in those timelines, her mother would have been a monster?