It took the combined efforts of all six of the Elements Of Harmony, half of the servants left in the house and a good dose of Spoiled's shrieking for Filthy and Starlight to finally be separated, Mrs Rich's deafening screeches eventually providing ample distraction when the unicorn went to cover her ears for the stallion to snatch 'his' daughter away. Living with a demanding mare who makes the same cacophonous noises for hours on end if she doesn't get her own way, you tend to develop a resistance to it.
Eventually, when the rowdy ruckus had settled down a little and everypony was back in their proper place, the more 'casual' conversation could resume. Seeing a clearly disturbed Diamond Tiara being cradled by an irate Filthy, and Spoiled staring daggers at Starlight (with the bitter gesture more than cheerfully returned) it was up to Princess Twilight once again to be The Voice Of Reason and try to restore some semblance of sanity to the room. Although, considering the complexities of the issues that were about to be conferred, this may be just a forlorn hope.
"S-So, e-er..." The alicorn felt a single drop of sweat fall from her horn at the mammoth task that lay ahead. Funny, she'd no idea you could perspire up there. "As I was trying to ask, before the discussion got a little heated, what do you know of my new student, Mrs Rich? Obviously, from your somewhat 'lively' interaction just now, you've met her before, but what I'm trying to ascertain is, in what circumstances, and where?"
A distinctly cagey Spoiled, still refusing to remove her eyes off the resolute Starlight for one single second, answered without turning her head. "We've had...dealings before, that's all."
Finally, we're getting somewhere. Twilight was just happy to make any progress at this stage, and she quickly moved to capitalise on the breakthrough. "I see. And would these 'dealings' happen to involve a certain pink filly over there..."
"Just what is going on here?!" Filthy bellowed, having heard quite enough back-and-forth and accusation-and-denial for one day. "You ponies turn up here on my doorstep in the middle of the day, make veiled allegations against my family, then nearly start a full-scale riot! Now, you know I have great respect for everything you've done for the community here Twilight, and even more so you Applejack, but don't you think by this point I'm owed a little more than mealy-mouthed questions? Tell us why you came here please, and what this has to do our daughter?"
Spoiled, now sitting next to her husband, let out a pronounced humph at this point, before leaning into purposefully wrap two hooves around her family in a moving display of kinship. Or, far more likely, it was a sneaky attempt to encourage the ready-to-fly-off-the-handle-again Starlight to lose her temper once more, thus making her an even more unreliable witness.
Twilight gently tapped her growling student on the shoulder to try and get her simmer down, before turning to Filthy to address him directly. "I guess this all may seem a little confusing for you Mr Rich, and for that we apologise. We had no intention of intruding on your lovely home today, and we sincerely regret any distress we might have caused you or your family. Circumstances however, dictate that we couldn't leave this matter unattended another day. Please bear in mind that you're not suspected of any wrong-doing, as regards what we came here to discuss..."
"W-What are they talking about, Daddy?" Like any child her age, Diamond Tiara was extremely anxious about hearing such disconcerting dialogue, and went in to cuddle him closer. "A-Are we in any trouble?"
"Nopony here is 'in any trouble', sweetheart..." Filthy Rich addressed his daughter in a reassuring, calm voice, even though his insides might have felt like they were being scooped out. "But it may be better if the grown-ups were left alone for a little while to discuss this situation, whatever it is. I'm sure it wouldn't interest you, anyway. Feather Duster, could you please take my daughter to the kitchen, and give her a cookie from the jar? The luxury ones, please..."
"BBuutt DDaadddd..." Diamond whined, clinging onto his underbelly closely.
"No 'buts', darling. Other than yours in the kitchen, please. Pretend this is one of my essential business meetings, that could be the difference between you getting a sparkly new tiara, or not. You've been very patient with me in the past when I've requested you to stay out of the room while I'm talking to very important ponies, now I'm asking you to wait for me again. I promise not to be too long, and this whole silly thing will soon be straightened out. Do you think you can trust me, on this?" Filthy Rich gazed down with affection at 'his' daughter, while ruffling her mane tenderly.
Diamond took a moment to glance at all the other faces in the room, paying special attention to the, from her point of view, deranged mare who'd grabbed her with magic just as she entered. "O-Okay." She stammered, after a lengthy pause. "As long as you promise you won't be too long. I don't know why, but I feel kinda scared..."
"Thattagirl. And, I promise to try and be as brief as possible..." Filthy nodded his agreement, before gesturing to the maid who'd remained by the entrance. "Now, take Feather Duster's hoof there, and she'll look after you. I'll see you very soon, dear. Just be good, and don't go running off, alright? Everything'll be fine, you'll see."
A few months ago, none of the mansion's staff would have agreed to be left alone with the demoness known as Diamond Tiara, even if you offered them triple salary and a month's free vacation. Ever since her 'conversion' over to the side of all things good and pure though, most of the servants found her a true pleasure to be around, so there was no hesitation at all in Feather Duster taking the pink filly's hoof to lead her briskly away. The jovial maid even pledged that her young charge would receive 'the cookie with the most chocolate chips inside', possibly to try and curry favour toward her boss for her own inattention in letting the child slip away in the first place.
As Diamond was corralled outside, a look of desperation clearly painted on her face all the way to the door, Filthy returned to his usual sober self. "Good. Now that we're alone again Twilight, perhaps you can start from the beginning as to why you saw fit to turn up unannounced today, and cause this mini-kerfuffle in the confines of my own mansion... and this time, I would appreciate it if there were no interruptions from anypony."
"Filthy, do we have to go through all of this, now?" Spoiled Rich had spent the last few minutes watching her nervous 'child' leave the room and heard her husband's ultimatum with growing unease. "Obviously, Princess Twilight has been taken in like I was, by a very clever pony with an knack for manipulating others. These mares and their pet lizard are victims of a tragic hoax, and I would advise caution in believing anything they tell you. It's a psychiatrist they should be taking their friend to, not us..."
At this stage, Filthy released the kind of prolonged sigh that could only be expressed by somepony who'd suffered under subjugation for eons. "My love, you know that I adore you, even though other ponies may question my wisdom. So much so perhaps, that I let you get away with many transgressions most sane husbands would never dream of allowing their wives to. But if this is concerning our daughter, then I think we need to know what's going on right now, and I want to hear the whole story without any disruption from those around me, including your good self. Seeing as this is in regards to your filly as much as mine, I'm sure you can appreciate that... can't you?"
Realising that if she said a blunt 'no' all of her credibility would slip away like her good looks over the years, Spoiled wisely decided to just play it safe for now and put on her patented 'nice mare' act. "As usual, you know best, dear..." She spat, in a sugary, syrupy voice while forcing her lips into a truly frightening alligator-like grin.
"Good..." Filthy seemed to revel in his no doubt temporal 'in charge' status. "Now Twilight, if you could do the honours, maybe we can get this whole sorry mess cleared up by this evening, and life can go back to normal. I swear there will be no more unanticipated breaks, so feel free to tell us everything. Come on, let's hear it..."
Twilight gulped a little at the apparent ignorance of Filthy as to the magnitude of the matter which now faced him and his wife, and dreaded to speculate on his response when he found out the truth behind Diamond Tiara's birth. After all, the way he'd just talked down his banshee of a wife when in all other interactions that'd been witnessed she'd had him firmly under her hoof, proved to the alicorn just how much the filly mattered to him. If he could derive that much strength from the devotion to his 'daughter', Celesia knows how heartbroken he would be when he discovered...
Nevertheless, she had a job to do. "Okay, Mr Rich. You'd better get comfortable, because this is going to take a little while. Also, prepare yourself for a bit of a shock. Do you remember a business trip you took to Manehattan about nine years ago? W-Well..."
.................................................................................................................................................
The elegant clock in the lounge continued to tick on as the hands moved, but that's about the only thing that stirred in the room as Twilight told her tale. The Princess tried to be as thorough and descriptive as possible, glancing back to Starlight every so often to clarify if she'd got the details of a crucial event right.
Her student nodded occasionally to let her teacher know that her facts were all in order, being far more interested in continuing to stare her hook-nosed nemesis down than actually contributing towards the retelling of distant history. Spoiled, for her part, was very amenable in obliging her unwitting surrogate parent in a contest to see which one could produce the most hostile glare, and a real battle of the scowls began to emerge. Not quite as enthralling as the earlier tug-of-war, but still an intriguing spectacle nonetheless.
As for Filthy Rich himself, he was surprisingly restrained, considering the revelations currently being imparted must be turning his very world upside down. At first he sat back emotionlessly, then as the story moved onto developments behind the covert 'adoption' of Diamond Tiara he leaned forward in his chair, as if analysing every single word carefully. Finally, when he was informed about the early life and nefarious deeds of Starlight Glimmer in 'Our Town', he slumped back in his seat, while the ceiling began to hold a certain fascination for him.
Twilight was also sure to disclose the later, more laudable, accomplishments of her pupil too, just to put into perspective how far she'd come from being a brainwashing cult leader. The Princess understood, with everything the stallion had to mull over concerning his 'daughter', he might not be too engrossed in Starlight's backstory. She wanted to be fair to the unicorn however, and show she was a completely different pony these days from the horror that Spoiled would no doubt describe her as, when the retelling was concluded.
Sure enough, as soon as the final words left Twilight's lips, Filthy's wife opened hers. She didn't even afford anypony there the courtesy of taking a breath, she just let loose with wild abandon. "That's the biggest heap of Diamond Dog droppings I've ever heard! Darling, you don't honestly believe all that, do you?! Remember all those months I was pregnant, with morning sickness, which meant I had to spend time off work? Why would I make any of this up? Are you really going to take the word of this... this... freak, over mine, your loyal and faithful wife? This 'Starlight' simply wanted to exhort money from me back in the city, and when I refused to comply, vowed to get revenge one day. She's already got a member of the royal family and all of her minions eating out of her hoof, don't you be taken in too..."
"Oh, shut up! I don't want to hear anymore of your lies!!" Filthy's sudden verbal blast raged through the room like a sonic pulse, almost turning Spoiled a nice shade of white in the process and causing an already agitated Fluttershy to fly under the sofa in panic.
Maintaining a perfectly straight face, but with visible tears gathering at the edge of his eyes, Filthy Rich strolled through a speechless room towards Starlight, whereon he did something quite amazing. He took ahold of both of her fore-hooves and cradled them in his own, while studying her carefully, as if properly seeing her for the first time.
"Even though every fibre in my body is telling me 'no'... everything adds up, and... I-I b-believe y-you..." He announced with grief, and that's when this big, strong, stoic stallion finally broke down completely, with a bewildered Starlight reduced to hugging him while patting his back tentatively, and even a quietly observing Spoiled felt a little twinge in her blackened heart at all the anguish she'd unleashed that day.
Not that she'd ever admit to it, of course.
Spoiled is such a nasty brat.
There are so many emotions in this chapter. But I have to say that one mare spoiled some of this story for me.
8036444 Hence the name 'Spoiled'. It's not just for show, ya know.
About bloody time Spoiled got called on her nonsense.
Now looking forward to seeing what comes from here. Thing is, Spoiled plainly has no business being a mother, and Filthy simply hasn't been around enough to be a good father. On the other hand, Double Diamond might not even know about Diamond Tiara, while Starlight gave her up.
Looked at from the other perspective, Double Diamond again seems to have no knowledge of Diamond Tiara, while Starlight gave her up for her own sake. On the other hoof, while Filthy plainly adores his (adopted) daughter, Spoiled shows no sign of the capacity for that sort of genteel emotion.
From a legal perspective, Filthy doesn't have to do anything here. Starlight has no parental rights in this situation. But at the same time, the fact that he's accepting Starlight's explanation and seeking comfort from her says to me he wants to do what's right regardless of the rights of the situation. At the same time, Starlight - now that she is at a more stable and healthy place in her life - wants to be a part of her daughter's life.
I see the simple, straightforward solution to this whole kerfuffle, based on the Solomon approach. Filthy and Starlight are both of the mindset of 'give up Diamond if it's what's best for her', Double Diamond isn't even part of the equation, and Spoiled only cares about herself and her image. Spoiled Rich must be removed from the situation (hopefully through divorce) while Filthy gets sole custody of Diamond Tiara...and he asks Starlight if she would be willing to watch over Diamond on those times he's simply unable to be in town to do it himself. All child rights remain with Filthy while Starlight gets to be a proper mother to Diamond (giving both of them what they want), and Diamond gets to get to know her 'real parents'.
Every story i read with spoiled in it she always reminds me of Cersei from game of thrones.
8036469 Hey, who's writing this story... me or you...
Seriously though, that would probably be a great compromise for all parties involved, but obviously I'm not going to follow things in exactly that way, gotta keep a few surprises for the readers.
It's great that you've put so much thought and effort into devising such a plan though, shows I must be doing something right to get you so involved in my story. Hopefully, the next few chapters will provoke the same level of interest in your brain... thanks for the comment!
8036496 Well, it could be worse... she could remind you of Joffrey.
Now was Spoiled faking or did she suffer a miscarriage?
8036505 That's bluebloods job.
8036519 Rarity fan, eh?
8036520 No.
8036523 Well, what else has he done wrong then, apart from make a complete a** out of himself at the Gala?
8036527 Nothing really but there aren't any other ponies who compare well to Joffery
8036534 Well, if there were, it certainly wouldn't be a show for kids...
Dawwww. That ending was just adorable! Okay! Time to analyse! Uh, in my own way of course. Let's go!
Filthy Rich and Diamond were again really on point here. Maybe a little too much sweet talking from Filthy but I bought it. He just hasn't really done anything like that in the show but I can imagine him doing it so it isn't without the realms of possibility. Plus it just felt, nice. Sometimes a little exaggeration helps get the point across. Even if stress, Filthy still loves his daughter more than anything... then he finds out she isn't even his. That's gotta hurt. Which makes his whole scene with Starlight at the end even better.
I liked that Diamond was persuaded out of the room before the big reveal. That gives Starlight, Filthy and Spoiled the duty of explaining the situation to her. That's good, and it's the plot taking a step back and slowing down a bit. Your first two chapters were on full throttle and I raised some issue with that. Here everything felt nicely paced, allowing enough time for the scene to develop. Now we just gotta see here it goes from here.
Spoiled has really stuck her hoof in it now. Her defamation of Starlight was outright vile. She lashed out at every single pony in the room just to make herself look good. That's a certain kind of despicable. I would say maybe it was completely stupid of her, but she never struck me as all that bright. Manipulative and cunning, but not all that subtle. She and Starlight are probably going to clash again, and unless she bucks up her act she has absolutely no chance for several reasons.
You've turned the blow up in the last chapter into something that worked. Filthy Rich finally putting his hoof down and telling everyone to shut up was commendable. Maybe he believed Starlight a little too early but he knows his wife better than everyone. He knows her faults even if he can look past them. One thing that I maybe would have suggested doing differently is have Starlight actually tell the story. That would have went a lot more to convincing Filthy of the whole thing. Twilight would believably do it and all but coming from Starlight's mouth would make it much more convincing to Filthy. I mean. The staring contest with Spoiled was amusing but didn't really add much. We know they can't stand each other. Though that is a pretty small thing and isn't all that game breaking. Though she definitely needs to both apologise for her outburst and explain why she just burst in now. That she was only curious, then flipped out unreasonably upon seeing what Spoiled was doing.
We're seeing maybe a twinge of regret in Spoiled too. I'm interested to see how that'll play. A lot of things are being set up and I eagerly await the next chapter. This one was worth the wait and solved some of my grievances over the other chapters so yay. As a side note I like the detail you give to even the background characters. It's quick but it's there and it's appreciated. Good luck on the next chapter and once again, sorry for the essay!
Spoiled milk brought this upon herself. Notice i called her spoiled milk. Not rich. I hope filthy cuts her off
Least they don't know about Spike and Diamond Tiara's secret relationship.
8036555 Talking about detail... I don't think I've ever seen anybody put as much effort into their reviews as you clearly do. I may not agree with all your point, but your analysis always feels thorough and not academic in the slightest. So, thank you for taking such an interest in my story you decided to write a mini essay about it yourself. It's kind of inspiring, in a way.
I decided to have Twilight deliver the story because, when talking about Starlight's redemption and consequent 'saving of Equestria at the claws(?) of Chrysalis, I thought it would sound better coming from a authoritative third party as opposed to the actual pony involved. Plus, if a strange mare came in suddenly, started arguing randomly with your wife before snatching your daughter away from you, would you be so eager to trust them straightaway? I would suggest not.
Thanks for noticing about the thing with the 'background characters'... I always try to give each one a fair crack of the whip each chapter, after all, in the conversation was just between two ponies in a room full of equines, it would be rather unrealistic, not to mention boring, dontcha think? I was going to put some random Pinkie comedy in this chapter, alongside a bit of pithy Applejack, but I eventually decided it didn't go with the mood I was trying to establish, so it was dumped. Maybe next chapter... we'll see.
8036564 Hmm. Maybe. Maybe not. His reaction to the devastating news will be continued in the next chapter though, of course...
8036574 Well, that's the big twist ruined. Might as well cancel the fic right now. Sorry, everyone.
*looks around cautiously* I ship Filthy Rich and Starlight Glimmer!!!
Filthy's weird taste in mares aside, this reminds me of a chapter in the Bible where two women fight over custody of the baby (and the other woman's baby is dead) and King Solomon has to solve it. I think I know where this is going.
8036604 Uh-huh.
8036605 Well, relations between Filthy and Starlight seem amiable enough for now, at least. Starlight and Spoiled though, on the other hoof...
8036587 I like to give people my all when they give me their all. It's only fair. Not sure what you mean by not academic but at least it's thorough. :P That's what I'm aiming for. As long as you keep pumping out chapters I'll keep giving my thoughts in as much detail as I can muster. Particularly about a certain lilac unicorn. *sheepish grin*
Don't think Chrysalis has claws. She has Swiss cheese hooves... So Starlight saved Equestria from under the Swiss cheeses of Chrysalis. I'm not sure what to make of that to be honest. Kahahahaha. Yes I do get that point. Strange mares bursting into your home telling stories might be a little weird. I'd probably think I was going crazy...er. Filthy and Starlight still have a lot to talk about, so I can wait for that next chapter. Or the one after that.
Uh huh. I understand what you mean. It keeps each scene feeling more organic, rather than just a load of talking. Detail certainly is an admirable trait you bring to your stories. Though like you said, sometimes too much can break the flow. Adding in too much Pinkie Pie in this situation would have butchered the tone. Applejack maybe could have offered some family insight but I'm not sure how appropriate it would have been. Not in tone just in context. Eh, you're story and leaving it out gave us that scene so it worked. Next chapter is another beast so its whatever you think is best.
NEED MORE ASAP!!
8036503
My brain's always been overactive, especially in the logic and imagination department.
Besides...the biggest monkey wrench in anything that might happen is how Diamond Tiara feels about the situation.
8036595 Kidding!!!!
8036652 Certainly, but you wouldn't want me to rush it and do a hatchet job, would you? Personally, I'd rather take a while to write something that meets with my standards, than rush out a sub-par installment. I'm sure you agree...
8036653 I find copious amounts of energy drink helps me with that, especially this late at night...
...And it's safe to say Diamond's 'monkey wrench' will be surely bought up in the near future (though in my country, we'd call it a 'spanner')
8036666 Funnily enough, same here.
8036672 yes...BUT ITS SO GOOD!!
8036676 Which is why it's better to wait...
8036677 party pooper
8036679 Uh Oh. I think Pinkie heard you say that...
8036399 To quote Brawny Buck...
"Spoiled Rich, right? Wife of Filthy Rich? I wonder what her maiden name was before, because i'm guessing it RHYMED with rich."
8036684 PINKIE HEARD NOTHING! WHERES THE SHOVEL?!
8036686 That's jokes been done before, mostly by me. But it's still a good 'un.
Also... I saw talk of FilthyxStarlight. I...don't know whether to be intrigued, or hug my stuffed crocodile and rock back and forth. Kinda teetering on the edge of both right now. Hehehe.
8036689 Well, things just took a distinctly darker turn. Personally, I wouldn't mess with the mare that invented the whole Cupcakes phenomenon, especially after watching the alternate Smile Song video (no, I'm not posting it, though I'm sure someone else will)
8036694 Hmm... crackship, bordering on plausible. Velly interesting...
8036711 I've probably done weirder, but that is still a very very weird ship. Also I have a question I can't believe I haven't asked yet because I had to consider it myself. Is Starlight older than the Mane 6? I'm assuming so given the circumstances. Also... I noticed you use purplish to describe Starlight. YAY! I've been calling her purple for ages, but the wiki calls her pink as do a lot of other stories. Nice to see another purple Starlight person. Purple Pony Posse is a go!
8036618 I dunno... Filthy seems to be at least fifteen years older than Starlight.
8036721 Hmm... you seem to be confusing me with someone who ships them. For more vocal advocates of that partnership, please see below.
8036720 YAY!! Hopefully, our membership badges and certificates are in the post. And, get this, I reckon we're the first two members. Hard to believe, I know.
8027013 I wait with bated breath... Hurry up I'm suffocating...
8036734 I wouldn't bet on it! The mail is a little unreliable if you know what I mean :P I got an exploding muffin when I asked for a cookie... Can you believe it? I was wiping muffin off my walls for a month. As the founding members I decree that we paint ourselves purple... except I ran out of paint and they delivered me pink paint instead. The nerve!
I'll just give it to Filthy and Diamond so they can do facepainting... It's about the only way I can see them getting more adorable in this fic. Just gotta stress again how wonderful the interaction between those two is. So fluffy, yet Diamond clearly knows something is going on. Which is in keeping with her rather shrewd nature. *thumbs up*
Nature vs. Nurture. Or in this case both of them ganged up to run rampart through the neighborhood, getting as much blow and hookers as they could steal. Thus, Diamond Tiara.
8036765 I'm sure there's an MLP crossover with GTA V that matches that description...
8036767 Somewhere. I've yet to see one featuring DT, though.
If in being honest, I do want Starlight to be a good responsibile mother to Diamond and do still want filthy to be the father just like he always as, but I don't ship filthy and Starlight, simply because I'm thinking rational. I understand this is a big shipping community, but guys and gals, come on. Just because they are responsible parents (hopefully in starlight's case) doesn't automatically mean they should get together. I understand the hardships of going through your parents divorce, and I know that even though this is fan fiction, this story is still trying to be close with reality in terms of relationships. And romance just doesn't suddenly happen, however, I can admit for diamonds own safety, I think it is best of spoiled and Filthy divorce. I know it will be hard on diamond, if there is one thing I've learned. Even if you hated one of your parents and they really were bastards, there will always be that one tiny spark that people hope they aren't as evil as they think they ar and unfortunately, there is no hope for spoiled. She's rotten to the core, and diamond might not fully realize it now, but this is what's best for her. I know she will be mostly happy for probably never seeing spoiled again, but that doesn't mean divorce won't hurt her since it still hurts her daddy in the heart.
I'm just saying that filthy should look for another wife soon, it's just not starlight.
8036798 Well, that is being highly specific. I'm sure someone'll be up to the challenge, though... (Not me)
8036800 The amount of people who link a moment of commiseration between Filthy 'n' Spoiled with a potential ship won't be too much, I hope.
Wow...Spoiled really is horrible. I'm just surprised that they were able to get Filthy to understand in one chapter though. Guess we're moving along quite fast right now.