A Mother's 'Love'

by deadpansnarker

Part 5: Goodbye

She didn't want to let go. This was the closest Diamond Tiara had been to her father for as long as she could remember. Away from the pressures of his job, away from the nagging of his wife...

Just her, and the dad she adored, holding onto to each other, finally letting their emotions run free. What a shame it had taken such a tragic turn of events for them to finally connect. Just when it looked like they were making a breakthrough, she'd have to depart soon afterwards for an unfamiliar life with a family who were almost perfect strangers to her.

Cleaning up the tea stain that Spoiled Rich had made after her shock to the system, it was all Randolph could do to avoid shedding a tear himself at such a moving spectacle. Sure, he knew that the mistress could be demanding, and sometimes placed unrealistic expectations on her daughter, but surely, removing Tiara entirely from the mansion was a little extreme?

Still, he was a mere servant, and it wasn't his place to get upset, or even, have an opinion. He could only show his disapproval in a raised eyebrow, a curt remark or a slight increase in physicality during his duties, as demonstrated in the hall just a minute ago. He was there to take orders, obey commands and an occasional bout of acrobatics. If the Master needed any comforting after Diamond had left the premises, he would surely give it, but only if asked.

Tiara and Filthy continued to sob, until their reserves of fluid were all used up, and then they simply clung to each other, trying to savour every second of this reforged relationship. Not a word was exchanged during this period, they were just happy to feel each other's hooves around their necks...

An activity which neither had participated in for far, far too long.

Eventually though, all good things must come to an end, and Diamond felt her father slowly but gradually pull himself away from her. "You better get going, sweetheart..." Filthy Rich informed her. "It's getting late, and you have to walk all the way to Sweet Apple Acres. I don't want you to be tired for school in the morning..." He proffered her a wide smile, even though inside his heart was breaking.

Tiara wanted to object. She wanted to scream the place down, and tell him that no way was she leaving. That she could work things out with her mother and they could be a family again, A proper one this time...

But she knew in her heart of hearts that this wasn't possible. She was only a mere child, a decision had been taken on her behalf by higher powers, and she was just going to have to accept it. She looked up at the melancholic face of her father through wet eyes, before glancing briefly at the still form of her mother on the couch.

"Will you tell M-Mom, that despite everything, I-I still love her..." Diamond had conflicting feelings about how Spoiled had raised her in what she now knew was an erroneous way. On the one hoof, it had made her mentally strong in her destined power of leadership. On the other, because the filly had been encouraged to channel her talents in the wrong way, it had warped her personality into that of a heartless bully.

Hopefully, all that was behind her now, and part of her new outlook was to not let her past weigh her down. True, she didn't feel exactly like she could forgive her mother yet for all the mistreatment she'd had to endure over the years. But the least she could hope for is that if she showed the same faith in Spoiled as the Crusaders had in her, then one day Spoiled might turn into the kind of Mom that Tiara had always dreamed of.

Nothing wrong in that, right?

"Yes, darling I will, but knowing her, she's not going to be very happy when she wakes up..." Filthy's face showed a trace of unease at what was bound to follow. "I'll try to explain things to her, get her to see sense, but if that doesn't work, I..." His voice trailed off, and he slumped back in his chair.

Ten seconds of complete silence passed.

"Just, look after yourself, okay?" Her father resumed speaking. "Applejack is a wonderful mare, and her little sister could be a great friend to you. Be good, and try to listen to them. Life may be hard for you there at first, but when I was a colt, I had to work hard to get where I am today. Maybe this will be a good lesson for you, who knows? Whatever happens, remember, I will always be your father, And I'll always love you, no matter what. If you ever have a problem, you can always come to me..."

He stopped speaking for a minute and frowned. "Well, you can tell me about them twice a week, at least..."

And with this declaration, he gave his daughter one quick, final hug which she gleefully returned, and, unable to say goodbye without completely losing control of his emotions again, he looked away once more.

"Go now. The princess will be waiting. I'll see you again, as soon as I can, okay?" He went back to attending to his wife, as Diamond realised her time was up, and with great reluctance, made her way to the lounge door. She paused briefly to scan the room and it's contents one final time, as if to ingrain the image into her head.

Randolph was waiting for her there, and although it was strictly against protocol, he couldn't resist whispering "Good luck, miss" to her, as she opened the double doors.

Still stunned by everything, she only responded with an appreciative nod, before exiting.

The butler watched her leave, before peeking at the Master, and breathing a sigh of relief when he realised Filthy was too preoccupied to bother chastising him over his break with tradition.

If Spoiled had still been awake, there was no way the elderly servant would have even dreamed doing something so outrageous.

OUTSIDE THE LOUNGE...

At the sound of the door creaking, the four mares looked up to spot a very red-faced Diamond sluggishly make her way over to them.

Rainbow Dash was tempted to ask why she'd kept them waiting so long in that stuffy old room, but one look at the filly's gaunt expression and slumped posture told her that this wasn't the time. The Pegasus had had to say goodbye to her pet turtle for the Winter, something which she'd been devastated about when it'd occurred.

Tiara was bidding her folks farewell for possibly even longer, and as much as she loved her companion animal, Dash knew there was no contest in terms of emotional impact. So, she wisely kept her mouth shut.

The other Elements Of Harmony's reactions ranged from wanting to ask her if everything was okay, or wrap her up in another long, comforting embrace.

But eventually, they decided the best thing to do was to keep quiet, and let Tiara's mind digest all that had happened before attempting to intervene. If she really needed anything, she'd come to them, trying to force the issue, no matter how well intended, might end up alienating her from them, and at this fragile stage of her departure, that was the last thing they wanted to happen.

So, they made their way out to the front door together. Twilight leading the way (as before), Rarity and Dash taking up the middle, and Applejack, with Tiara's possessions in tow, trotting adjacent to the filly in question at the back.

Two of the Rich's other servants had obviously been briefed on the situation, for as soon as the five ponies approached, the hired help was on hand to open the door for them, before shutting them out and locking up when the cold night air made itself known.

Shivering a little, Diamond looked over her shoulder at the mansion. This was it. There was no going back now, who knew what challenges lay in wait for her ahead?

One thing was for sure, she was soon going to find out.

Author's Note:

Just a quick chapter before the main thrust of the story starts, Expect the next installment Sunday!

Comments

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

6649865 Thank you.

[deadpansnarker]

6649900 Nah, don't worry about this fic being too far removed from the show... Hence the E rating.

You're right in that some of the worse abuse can be emotional... You should try going to some of the schools I went to for a perfect instance. Children naturally imitate what's going on around them, so if their parents are playing up... Well, let's just say the results aren't usually pretty.

Thanks for reading the first chapter... Hope the rest is to your satisfaction.

[The Great Derpsby]

Quick tip: Don't add so many ellipses. They're meant to denote a pause, if you add too many it slows down your readers to a possible uncomfortable degree. And in dialogue, it can make your characters... sound like... William... Shatner. There were several times a simple full stop would've been sufficient!

[deadpansnarker]

6652203 I was wondering when someone would notice that... And you even know the right word for it. Bravo! I'll try my best... But I've been writing like that for years... It might just be a harder habit than crack to break.

Incidentally, the only Star Trek worth your time is DS9. Just thought you should know that.

[BenRG]

Diamond... *sigh* Filly, don't hold up your hopes about your mother changing her nature. She's... She's got her own baggage and I'm not sure that she has it in her to be a better pony, no matter how hard she tries. Worse? I'm not sure that she'll want to try.

[Dustchu]

Glorious work well done, well done.

Poor kid... even after everything she endured, and she still loves her mom...

[Gizmo Gear]

6968269 EEYUP!!

[justanotheranon]

that despite everything, I-I still love her...

I see what you did there...

Also btw Tank is a tortoise, not a turtle