Money can't buy Diamonds

by lilinuyasha

A broken diamond

Applebloom took her spot behind the clubhouse podium.

“Well now that we’ve got our Cutie Marks, we don’t have to spend our days plotting how to get them! So what do we want to do today, girls?”

“I dunno. It’s kind of hard thinking of what to do now that we got our cutie marks.” Sweetie Belle stated, looking up towards the ceiling in a contemplative gesture.

“Yeah. I guess that’s true. Say, Diamond, have you heard back from your father yet?”

“Hm?” Diamond Tiara, who was spaced out, snapped her attention to Applebloom. “Oh. I don’t know. I haven’t talked to the school board since then.”

“Well if they did, shouldn’t the playground be there already?” Scootaloo asked.

“I guess, but...” Applebloom started, “Delivery takes a while. Why not just ask your father if he got the letter?”

“He’s...” Diamond started, carefully phrasing her words. “Out of town. Sending him a letter would accomplish nothing.”

“Well that makes sense.” Said Sweetie Belle. “Do you know when he’ll be coming back?”

Diamond Tiara gave a small wince, large enough, though, to denote her uncomfortability with the subject matter.

“No. It’s a business trip. He could be there for weeks. How about we go swimming?” Diamond deflected the conversation.

“Are you kidding?” Scootaloo exclaimed, “The water’s freezing!”

“Well, it IS that time of year...” Sweetie added.

“Oh. I’m not sure what I was thinking. How about bowling?”

“With hooves?”

“Right. Uh...chess!”

“None of us know how to play that, Tiara. Are you feeling alright?” Applebloom asked, heading away from the podium towards her. Diamond felt little twinges of sadness, as if tears were trying to force their way out.

“No. I mean yes! Perfect!” her voice faltered.

“Are you sure? You seem a little...” Scootaloo started.

“I’M FINE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!” Diamond yelled, clamoring to her hooves, bursting out the clubhouse door, crying. The Cutie Mark Crusaders stood in the doorway, confused, watching her gallop in the distance.

“Was it something I said?” Applebloom asked.

“I don’t think so. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. Should we go check on her?” asked Sweetie Belle.

“I think she needs some time to herself right now. Come on girls, let’s go do something else.” Scootaloo suggested. The crusaders followed suit and headed back inside the clubhouse to figure out what they would do today.

***

“Mom?” Diamond Tiara called out into the darkness of her estate. To her relief, there was no answer. She dragged her hooves upstairs to her room, flopping down on her down, designer pillows. She stared up at the ceiling, feeling some tears still forcing their way down the sides of her face. “Dad?” she said, still staring at the ceiling. “I know you can’t hear me, but...I miss you. Come back soon. I’m not happy anymore...”

Diamond sat up and looked over towards her desk. A piece of parchment sat there next to an inkwell with a single feather in it. She hopped off her bed and sat down in front of it, grasping the feather in her mouth.

“Dear father,” she started. Out of all the letters she sent, not a single one of them had been returned. It had to have been dozens of letters over the last year and a half. Maybe he just didn’t care. Maybe her mother was right...maybe he really did move just to get away from them.

“I know I haven’t written in a few months. I guess I was expecting a reply. I know you’re awfully busy with the new business in Canterlot. When will you be done? I miss you. Please come home soon.

Love,

DT”

Diamond Tiara read over the letter. She felt like she wanted to say more, but really, there wasn’t anything more she COULD say. She put it in an envelope, addressed it, and trotted out in front of the house, dropping it inside the gem-encrusted mailbox. It was barely 11, and Derpy should be there within an hour. She sighed, looking up towards the sky, as if there would be an answer there. Eventually, she turned around and trotted back inside the house. She flopped back down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Though she wasn’t tired, she rolled on her side, closed her eyes, and tried to sleep. All she could do, however, was cry.

“Father!” she exclaimed, seeing his figure approaching the estate. Filthy Rich smiled, trotting a little faster as she galloped towards him. She jumped on him, hugging his leg, giggling. He gave a small chuckle himself and bent down to give her a proper hug. “How was the trip? Is Saddle Arabia going to have a new Rich’s Barnyard Bargains?”

“Oh, I’m sure they will. We’ve only just started working on the foundations, Diamond! But yes, in due time, they will.”

“That’s great!”

“Yes. Yes it is. And after them, Canterlot!”

“Yay!” Diamond exclaimed. Filthy Rich looked towards the front of the estate, seeing his wife, spoiled, staring at them front the front door. Maybe it was his poor eyesight in his old age, but he could have sworn he saw her turn up her nose as the trotted back inside, closing the door behind her. He sighed, exasperated. “What’s wrong, Father?”

“Hm?” He snapped his attention back to her. “Oh, nothing.” He said, ruffling her hair. “I’m just exhausted, that’s all. It’s good to see you again, Di.”

Diamond Tiara looked up at him and beamed.

***

“Filthy?”

“Rich. Call me Rich.”

“Right, sorry. Rich, we have some more business reports for you.”

“Put them on my desk.” said an exasperated, exhausted Filthy Rich. The business reports never stopped coming. At this rate, he’d never get to go home. It’d been nearly a year and a half, and the recent expansion of his Barnyard franchise was moving slower than a snail. The little light he had to look forward to was the infrequent letters from his daughter. He looked over at a picture of her he kept on his desk and smiled, putting his hoof on the picture. “Miss you, honey.”

“Rich?”

“Hm?” He snapped his attention back to his secretary.

“This letter just arrived for you.” she said, stepping into the office to bring it to him. The hoofwriting was very familiar. He beamed.

“Thank you!” he said, tearing open the letter.

“I know I haven’t written in a few months. I guess I was expecting a reply.”

“Expecting a reply? I’ve written back every single time! Has she not been getting them? Preposterous! I know I’ve written!”

Rich took out his parchment and quill, writing his own letter back. He carefully wrote down his address, just in case he had somehow managed to put the wrong one down all these letters. Derpy wasn’t known for being able to figure it out. That being said, one particular thing bothered him: if she wasn’t getting the letters, why wasn’t he getting his letters back? Surely a “Return to sender” letter would have come back to him. He licked the envelope.

“Oh, Sundown?” His assistant showed her head in the doorway.

“Yes, sir?”

“Can you mail this letter off for me?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure, sir.” She gave him a gentle smile, trotting out of the room. He turned his chair around, looking at the great Canterlot sunset from his office window. A small twinge of nostalgia hit him.

“Father, it’s so pretty!” Diamond Tiara gasped at seeing her first sunset.

“Almost as pretty as my wonderful daughter.” he chuckled. She gave him a gentle hug as they sat silently under an old oak tree on a hill on their estate.

“Why didn’t Mother join us?”

“I don’t know, honey. I guess she had other things to do.”

“Oh.” she said, staring at the sunset in silence. “Hey Father?”

“Yes, honey?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Di. More than you’ll ever know.” They pulled each other into an even tighter hug.

“Can we see the stars tonight, Father?”

“That would be past your bedtime.”

“Please?”

“Oh, alright, I suppose.” He gave her a little wink as she smiled. She leaned against him, giving a small sigh of content.

Filthy Rich snapped back to reality, seeing that it was dark outside. Few stars shone in the night sky, most drowned out by the light pollution of the big city. He sighed heavily. What he wouldn’t give to get one weekend off to see his daughter again.

***

Spoiled Rich trotted outside to collect the mail. She sifted through them systematically. Bills, bills, a letter from Canterlot friends, an invitation to a ball...and a letter addressed to Diamond Tiara from Filthy Rich.

“Hmph!” she stared with contempt at it. She turned around to take all the letters back inside. Diamond Tiara was still at school for now, so she would never know. She threw the letter away in the trash can without a second thought, and trotted off elsewhere, preparing to socialize with only the upper class.

Author's Note:

Feedback is always appreciated. yes, this will be somewhat of a sad story, but I';d like to think I'm making it interesting enough to continue reading. Thanks for reading!

Comments

[The Axe]

Good fic. Hope there is a sequel

[lilinuyasha]

6538169 it's incomplete, bro. there will be more chapters.