Sebastian once more sat behind the teacher's desk as the classroom sat empty, the students in the playground for lunch recess the following day. His current job was to be the ultimate butler pretending to be the ultimate teacher, and he was bound and determined to carry that out to the fullest extent of his abilities as per the contract. He'd already finished the backlog of grading papers, and had now gotten to work on the backlog of paperwork Cheerilee had been unable to get to due to there not being enough seconds in a minute, minutes in an hour, and hours in the day. Sebastian getting to it didn't mark him as being more efficient than her though, as she had done an admirable job worthy of the vacation she'd been awarded. It was simply a matter that said limits that had hobbled Cheerilee had never applied to Sebastian.
As he worked, he was rather unsurprised to see the office door open yet again, though this time to admit a brown stallion with a slicked back black mane and tail, blue eyes, and a Cutie Mark of three cartoonish bags of money. He had honestly expected this arrival. "Do come in, Mr. Rich," he said without bothering to look up from his paperwork. "I take it your wife talked at you about me?"
Mr. Rich winced slightly as he stepped in and took a seat. "You are...rather perceptive, Mr. Seba-"
"Just Sebastian," he interrupted diffidently. "Teachers and parents should have a certain familiarity, after all. The only reason I didn't refer to you by your first name to encourage that is because I know you prefer to be addressed by your last name...not that I blame you."
Filthy Rich smiled weakly. "Well, yes there is that," he agreed. He managed to straighten himself. "Now, I admit I've learned to take most of what my wife says with a grain of salt..." In a low mutter he added, "If not a pound..." Shaking his head slightly to dispel those thoughts, he focused on Sebastian. "Still, there's also the matter of my daughter and this...field trip she's been denied..."
"Mr. Rich, who has done your daughter's homework for most of her schooling?" Sebastian asked calmly.
Filthy blinked a few times. "From your tone, I'm guessing I won't like the correct answer..."
"You presume correctly," Sebastian confirmed. "Mr. Rich, how much truth do you want regarding what's been going on with your wife and your daughter when you haven't been looking?"
Filthy clenched his teeth. "All of it," he stated firmly. "If there's a problem here, I need to know all of it before I can properly fix any of it."
"A good attitude," Sebastian confirmed as he took out a copy of Cheerilee's file on Spoiled Rich, as related to Diamond Tiara. "I told your wife that if Diamond didn't meet the same requirements of the other students during my teaching period, I'd be sending a copy of this file to the parents of each and every student in this school. Since you requested, I can give you your copy early." He then turned back to his paperwork as he let Filthy Rich make his way through the file.
It took a surprisingly short amount of time for him to finish. "W...how did this all happen?" he asked, his voice quiet and his eyes lowered, plainly shocked and appalled at the extent of his wife's ruthless duplicity.
Sebastian was quiet for a time. The Rich family were not his charges. He had no reason to interfere with their lives, and it went against his grain to lend aid without getting something in return. Still, he had been instructed to be the best substitute teacher he could be, and his performance that first day had greatly pleased his Mistress. Eventually, however, the scales were tipped with the realization that his interference would likely cause a great deal of frustration and suffering for Spoiled Rich, and that in and of itself was worth it. "I don't mean to put too fine a point of it, but it seems to have started around the time you started taking more and longer business trips away from Ponyville...away from your daughter."
Filthy visibly winced at that. "A...pointed barb," he admitted finally. "Still...what can I do about it? I...I don't want this to be all my daughter ends up!" He smacked the closed file derisively.
"Generally speaking, I should think the solution is obvious," Sebastian pointed out dryly. "The situation arose because you prioritized being Mr. Rich over being Diamond's father. A reversal of said priorities ought to go a long way towards fixing things."
Filthy swallowed. "I...I suppose you're right...but how do I begin?"
"Spend time with her," Sebastian explained. "Make time in your schedule to be with your daughter, take interest in what she does and what she gets up to, and work to correct your wife's influence on her." He put his papers down and interlaced his talons. Oh, he did so love that this form he'd taken had talons instead of fingers. They were surprisingly as flexible and versatile as fingers, but so much more viciously cruel! "That should make a good start. Though if you are interested, I do have a few suggestions regarding long-term repairs..."
Filthy frowned, lifting his head to stare at Sebastian. "Why go this far?" he asked firmly. "I get as a teacher, you want what's best for your students...but this goes above and beyond what's technically your purview. What do you get out of it?"
Sebastian grinned. So he wasn't as much of a fool as he seemed, so much the better. "I admit I have quite a few motives here...though the one you should find readiest to accept...I don't like your wife, and if you actually carry out this plan it will be good for your daughter and bad for your wife, and she won't be able to do anything about it, and I'm looking forward to the face she'll make when she's so thoroughly thwarted and overset."
Filthy Rich struggled to control his expression. "I really shouldn't find that amusing. That's my wife we're talking about, after all..."
"Perhaps it simply means you made the wrong choice of wife, if her frustrations amuse you?" Sebastian suggested mildly.
Mr. Rich made a very rude noise deep in his throat. "Now you sound like my mother," he groused. Getting himself under control, he pasted a polite smile on his face. "Now, about these long-term suggestions..."
Spoiled B**ch gonna be mad
8083929 Soon we are gonna hear her best Lanipator impression.
(if you don't get it, it was him that put the noise to FFFFFUUUUUUUU! meme.)
Ah, finally Spoiled Milk will be getting thrown right where she belongs. (Don't recall if it's canon or fanon that that's her maiden name)
8083961
Canon, revealed in "Where the Apple Lies".
8083963 THAT'S right. I had a feeling it was canon. SO appropriate.
He's having fun at least
8083973
By the way, what do you think of the new cover art?
8083979
Since you asked people about the cover art, I'll tell you: The beak is too much really. It's too... big! It's way off!
Cover art is nearly as good as the last few chapters
8083982
...it's a crow beak. It's supposed to be that shape.
8083946 new info then
But we'll be laughing like mad when we see/hear her reaction
I expect we will soon get the pleasure of hearing Spoiled's reaction, with the extra benefit of not putting our ears in the line of fire. If only we could see her expression as well, then everything would be, well, not perfect, but great.
Then again, is seeing her expression worth seeing her face....
8083979 I like it! Very well done!
8083973
Before that episode, my mind said her maiden name was Brat
It's funny, I just started watching Black Butler! This is my favorite head canon for Scoots. Secretly rich... I love you man. This is going to be a giggle fest... But damn that surprisingly accurate timing.
The cover art make Sebastian look so cute! If Ceil know about it, he will definitely use it as a good blackmail material.
Seems that Spoiled is gonna be coming to term real soon.
8083990 I would say the eyes make him much, much less devious.
*WolfishLOL* Oh, PLEASE tell me we are going to get to see a few of those plans put into motion!!!
8083979 I think the art looks good it's kind of cool to see Scootaloo and fancy looking dress ( so out of character for Canon but in character for the story it is in)
Wow I wonder how much aloe Filthy with bring his wife when they talk next? She is going to need it for all of her burns.
Liked and faved I'm gonna have to make a library just for yours stories
Should have listened to your mother Mr. Rich.
8084362
By his behavior and characterization, why is it I suddenly hear a slight Jewish accent when thinking about Filthy Rich's mother and how she'd sound/act?
No offense meant by hearkening to a stereotype, mind you. I come from the Tri-State area, and have had PLENTY of contact with those of Jewish descent ... and some stereotypes and tropes that apply to them apply for a reason, y'know?
8084372 There are some from all groups and descents
8084417
There is a reason for stereotypes enduring about ethnic groups and cultures - because as much as some members might counter the stereotype or trope, there are at least two others that EMBODY it, even in part.
That does not make stereotyping any less offensive, but it does not help that some people go out of their way to try and not be the stereotype, only to fit it perfectly.
Filthy Rich has a very strange taste in women. Then again, Diamond Tiara wouldn't be born if he didn't marry Spoiled Bitch.
8084372
Being Jewish myself, I can tell you there's no such thing as a Jewish accent.
Accents derive from regional dialect shifts and from First Language habits. Not religions.
I don't know I have the feeling Spoiled Rich is still going to try what has worked before. She strikes me as the type that has to hit the totally unmovable wall before she stops. Sebastian is still only a teacher in her mind regardless of his threats and she is the President of the School Board
8083979 Sebastian is cuter than Scootaloo. I feel like I should have a problem with that considering who/what he is, but I don't.
You know that begs the question: Why in the hell did he marry her in the first place if he knew how much of a bitch she was?
8085698
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8084301 that's a solid idea... 99.99% of his work is pure gold
8084725
Indeed, plenty of people use what many stereotype as the "Jewish" accent and speech patterns, when some of those are common to people from the northern Tri-State area.
American English being a "melting pot" language (like American culture, HEY!), with more multilingual "loan-words" than most of the rest of the world's language systems makes it even more amusing.
8083982 I would love to agree with you. Especially since I DO agree with you that it seems too big. However 8083990 is right because every canon male griffon has a HUGE beak in one way or another. That being said this is SEBASTIAN. So 8084138 is correct. His eyes do not have enough of that "I am a CLEARLY EVIL, SUPER SMUG BASTARD and there is NOTHING you can do about it."
ROTFLMAO!!!!! I can't wait to see what Sebastian suggests, plus if Diamond Tiara improves while Spoiled Rich suffers I will be even happier. I can't help but imagine Diamond coming in and thanking Sebastian if his advice leads to Filthy Rich spending more time with her.
8087431
I agree. The eyes have too much of a kindness look to them and not enough of that "I will enjoy torturing you at my master's order," look.
8085698 If I didn't know any better, I'd go with one of my head cannons: Alcohol was involved and she found out she was pregnant, and Filthy Rich married her; or, alternatively, she was a whore who wound up pregnant, and Filthy was one of the stallions who was a customer when she possibly conceived, and got him to marry her by lying that the child was his.
8088468 Going with the headcannon of Starlight being Diamond's real mother?
8088469 No. Both of my head-canons are that Spoiled Bitch is Diamond's birth mother. The first it that Diamond's conception was the result of a drunken romp. The second is that Spoiled was a prostitute. She wound up pregnant, didn't know who the father was, found out Filthy Rich was a client near when conception happened.
Filthy married her in both situations because, I'm guessing, he was brought up that way, and did what he thought was the right thing to do. In the second head-cannon, he isn't Diamond's father, but he IS the only Dad she's ever known.
I get the feeling that Scootaloo is going to do some magic bs mixed with the wording in the contract so that Sebastian takes the souls of the people who offed her parents as well as the souls of creatures she can't handle instead of her own soul. Scootaloo has already been shown to use the exact wording in her contract to get the best case scenario.
8451834
I know the fic's done at this point in time but right now I'm guessing she's gonna pull the "The best revenge is living well" card.
I have only just started reading this fic for the first time, and just for Sebastian's interactions with the Riches and Diamond Tiara to this point, as well as the depth of mystery for me as someone who has never partaken of this "Black Butler" business and the mystery of exactly what Scootaloo has to deal with now as Head of her family business, this fic has gotten an instant like and Favorite. It's going into my PWNY folder even though it's technically not a PWNYverse fic, simply because it's that awesome and by the same author.