1 - The Life of a Perfect Princess
Three satisfied "Ah's" followed the sounds of empty glasses returning to a table. Rich apple cider tickled the bellies of three young mares. The setting sun sneaked into the clubhouse through an open door and windows to paint the room in a warm orange-red. It was the end of another adventurous day for the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
One of the mares smirked, noticing how the light reflected through the ice cubes in their glasses to make them sparkle as if they were diamonds. Taking in her surroundings and good company, her modest tree house felt more like some exclusive lodge resort. The kind that rich spoiled fillies could only dream of having membership in. It was not something that could be bought, but earned.
Apple Bloom hiccuped through a smug smile that would have made her sister melt with pride.
"That was quite strong," Sweetie Belle said, looking at her.
"It's only five percent, I checked."
"Yeah, that's nothing." Scootaloo rolled over onto the floor as if it was the natural thing to do. "Rainbow Dash let me taste the hard stuff last cider season. Now that was something."
Sweetie Belle looked surprised. "She can't do that! She'll get in trouble!"
"We aint fillies anymore," Apple Bloom's gaze remained on the sparkling diamonds in her glass. "Besides, my sister let me try the hard stuff way before any of y'all."
"Yeah, don't be such a baby, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo said through clenched teeth.
Sweetie Belle tilted her head. Scootaloo was on her back on the floor, hoofs curled into fists, muscles strained. "What are you doing?" She asked.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" She groaned in response.
"Um..." Sweetie Belle moved next to her. She prodded Scootaloo's belly, tickling her.
"Ha-ha, stop that!" Scootaloo laughed, the tension gone from her body. "I'm trying to do wing push ups. Rainbow has me training for the Wonderbolts' entrance exam."
"Oh..." Was all Sweetie Belle could think of to say. She resumed tickling her.
Apple Bloom sighed, nudging her glass to hear the ice cubes clink, ignoring the other sounds bouncing around the room.
"Truce, okay?" Scootaloo panted through a smile. She turned to see a look on Apple Bloom's face that immediately threw her own into one of concern. "The drink was pretty good. I didn't mean anything by what I said." She paused, receiving no response. "Is everything okay, AB?"
"Huh?" Apple Bloom looked up. "Yeah, I guess so."
Her two friends found themselves sitting around the table again. The air was different in the clubhouse. Crickets could be heard waking up to the night, the sun leaving a soft glow in the cloudless sky. The day was over, but the three friends felt as if it were only now starting.
Against serious stares, Apple Bloom closed her eyes in thought. "We sure have come a long way, haven't we?" She opened her eyes to see their nods of agreement. "It's funny how time can heal old wounds--make you look back at the dumb things with a smile."
Scootaloo groaned. "You've got to be kidding me! You're not thinking about her again, are you?"
"She's obviously thinking about our cutie mark adventures," Sweetie Belle beamed, hopefully. "Right?"
"Right." Apple Bloom looked away from her glass, pushing it to the side. "We would think long and hard about what cutie marks we'd get. Now that we have them, it's pretty easy to see what should happen next." She nodded to Sweetie Belle. "You have a star and a music note, so you have the potential to be a music star if you want."
Sweetie Belle's curls bobbed around her horn as she nodded her head. "I've been taking lessons all summer. Rarity says I'm ready to sing for one of her fall fashion shows. I'm really looking forward to it!"
"Mine's obviously the stamp of a Wonderbolt," Scootaloo grinned. "A wing with a lightning bolt. That or something even more awesome."
Everypony nodded to that.
"But what about mine?" Apple Bloom twisted her rump and neck to look at her cutie mark. "All I got is an apple with a heart in it. Don't get me wrong or anything. I love it, but I still don't know what it means."
"Maybe we can go on more adventures to find out?" Sweetie Belle offered.
"Psh," Scootaloo blew through her lips with a grin, "It's obviously something apple related. Your whole family has apple marks--and look at them! They do all kinds of stuff, whatever they want." Scootaloo scrunched her nose and brow in suspicion. "You like apples, don't you?"
"Of course I like apples!" Apple Bloom couldn't help but smile.
"Oh! I know!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "Maybe it's something romantic! Like mine is a star because I could become a star, and yours is an apple cause you're an Apple. My musical note means I have a talent for singing." She leaned back, quite proud of her realization. "The heart means you're good at loving."
"What does that even mean?"
"I don't know. Like kissing?"
Scootaloo burst into laughter, falling onto the floor again.
Apple Bloom rested her head on her hoof in deep thought.
Scootaloo jerked her head up. "You can't be serious. Have you even kissed somepony before?"
"No..." Apple Bloom blinked a few times. "Not that I can recall. Unless family counts."
"Ew, gross!" Scootaloo grinned, receiving a soft jab from Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie Belle leered at Scootaloo. "Real kisses are great. We're both envious of you."
"You are?"
"Yeah! They're very special. Especially your first kiss."
"What's so special about that?"
"You don't know? Everypony knows their first kiss is magical. They remember it for the rest of their lives."
"Is this something you got from Rarity?"
"Whoever gives you that first kiss will always hold a special place in your heart." Sweetie Belle swooned, "Oh, I can't wait for you to find out and tell us all about it!"
Scootaloo sat back, staring at Sweetie Belle in awe. "Yeah. You have to promise to tell us."
"Huh," Apple Bloom tapped her hoofs on the table. She gave one last look at the melting ice cubes and a shiver ran up her pelt. "Makes sense to me. Deal."
---
The warm glow of a gentle fire danced across the cold faces of Diamond Tiara and her mother, Spoiled Rich. They sat across from each other in chairs too large for them, in a room that, while filled with various furniture, paintings, and trinkets, seemed supernatural in how empty it felt. The sounds of a newspaper rustled from another chair as Filthy Rich turned a page.
Spoiled Rich cleared her throat, noisily.
Diamond Tiara crossed her hoofs, taking great interest in the fire.
"I asked you a question, dear."
A few grumbles escaped Diamond's mouth.
"What was that?" Spoiled Rich raised an eyebrow and her nose to look down at her daughter. "I paid good money for your speech lessons and I expect you to show me the results."
"That was years ago. I'm not a filly anymore."
"You will always be my little filly."
"And you will forever be a super bitch," Diamond enunciated each word in her clearest and most elegant voice.
"Diamond..." Filthy Rich peered over his newspaper.
"Sorry, daddy."
Spoiled Rich took a sip of wine, swirling it around in her mouth. "I knew it was a mistake to not send you to a private school."
"There are no private schools in Ponyville, dear." Filthy Rich turned another page.
"Well, there sure are a lot of low class ponies teaching my daughter how to act disrespectful."
"I'm not doing it!" Diamond Tiara yelled.
The words hung in the air, transforming it. The crackling of the fire played through the silence, snapping and humming to itself. Randolf, the family's butler, gave a small shake of his head, unseen in the shadows. He picked up his duster and left to another room, leaving them alone with the dying fire, knowing all too well where this was headed.
Eventually, Spoiled Rich worked past the cold rage that had seized her voice. "I don't ever remember giving you a choice in the matter."
"Celestia, mom, could you be any more stereotypical?" Diamond rolled her eyes.
"Don't you use her name like that, it's disrespectful."
"Like she even cares."
"What did I do to make you into such a hurtful pony?"
"I'm not the one forcing you to do something you don't want to do!" Diamond raised her voice.
"Force you?" Her mother raised her voice as well, "I didn't force you to get your cutie mark. It means the beauty pageants are who you are. You chose it, not me. I am merely supporting you."
"You forced me to go! I wanted to do other things. I only got it because my special talent is being the best at whatever I do."
"You're an ungrateful, spoiled princess." Spoiled Rich sighed. "It's the last pageant before all you'll have left is Miss Equestria." She pouted, a hurt expression forming on her lips, "Don't you want to do this for me?"
Diamond stood up, stomping her hooves. "Stop living your life through me! Don't blame me you could never win like I did. Don't ruin my life like you ruined yours! What are you even doing? Is your only accomplishment me? Because congrats mom, you've made me into a monster, just like you." She scanned her mother's face to see she was striking multiple nerves. "What, did you think if you could control me, you'd somehow amount to something? Look at how well you've done--I'm so obedient it hurts!"
Spoiled Rich looked stunned. She made to open her mouth in reply, but no words came out. Quiet tears began to roll down her cheeks as she stood up and left the room.
"Hurts because it's true," Diamond mumbled to herself, sinking back into her plush chair.
She listened to the sounds of the dying fire. Her father moved to his study, startling her. She looked around the back of her chair to notice he was still close, writing a letter. She loved her father. He wouldn't leave her or force her to do anything.
Idly stroking her mane, she thought about each pageant she had won. At first, she had felt nervous and unsure of herself, but after having won a few, she had found more than enough self esteem and confidence. More than her mother ever had in her, she mentally spat.
She recalled the single moment when her cutie mark had hit her and her rump, giving her the perfect match for her winning crown. It was at that moment she knew she was meant to be a princess. Or, was that the thought that came after her victory high, having outdid her competitors and making it past the stress of a difficult contest? No, she corrected herself, she remembered receiving the crown and flowers, waving to the faceless ponies in the crowd. She was meant to be a princess and the other ponies would treat her as such.
She sighed. This was why she had trouble making friends. The life of a perfect princess had a price, like everything in Equestria. She had paid for it. It had recently cost her Silver Spoon's friendship, though she knew it was temporary. Ever since she had stood up to her when the Crusaders finally got their cutie marks, their friendship had been rocky at best. Silver Spoon was exploring other opportunities. It was perfectly understandable in the business of life. Diamond was happy for her, as she was afraid the poor filly would forever be under her shadow and leadership. She didn't miss her at all.
She stared at the amber fire, listening to its sounds as if it were the words of a distant conversation. Throwing her head back into the cushion of the chair, she groaned dramatically. There was no denying how bored she was.
Again, the amber fire pulled her attention into its yellow warmth. Silver Spoon was spending more time with the Cutie Mark Dummies. How she loathed them, and their unofficial redhead leader. Yet, she had to admit how well Apple Bloom made that pink hair ribbon work. She had an eye for these things--it wasn't weird. And, begrudgingly, how after everything she had done to the Crusaders, that miserable filly still pretended to care about her, like she pretended to care about everypony.
She wasn't just another pony. How dare she be treated as such! She watched the fire fade, along with an oppressive internal fury she desperately wanted to be rid of. Where did all this rage come from, she thought. Did it have something to do with how she treated Apple Bloom?
What a foal she had been. It brought a smile to her, thinking about how she picked on Apple Bloom, and her friends, just to get a reaction out of her. She loved to get under her skin, even after realizing how mean she had been. It was like it was a great sport she had been forced to retire from--there was no way for the champ to give it up completely, not when she was so good at it.
That apple bumpkin, she grinned from ear to ear. With her help, she could probably win a pageant or two, maybe a runner-up to Miss Equestria. She definitely had the positive personality and good looks. No matter how hard she had teased her, she had never let it defeat her. It reminded her of herself.
"Diamond, come here."
Her father's words put a stop to her strange thoughts. She shook her head in amused self pity. Trotting over to his desk, she put on her signature, pageant winning smile.
"I am going to the post. Before I return, I want you to pack your bags for one night, maybe two."
Diamond's smile stumbled. "What do you mean, daddy?"
Filthy Rich rubbed the bags under his eyes. "I'm asking Granny Smith if she'll have you at Sweet Apple Acres tomorrow to learn some manners."
Diamond Tiara's mouth moved as if to reply, but she could find no words. The corner of her eyes began to water. Her father was punishing her!
"It's clear to me that we have failed in some way to instill you with proper values, that I know the Apple family can teach you. And if they can't, some time away will help you realize how upset I am." He looked into the dead fireplace. "I've gotten most everything I ever wanted. Except what they have." His tired eyes lingered on the mantle before he turned to face her, the years showing on his face. "And think about what you've said to your mother. I'll help her understand you didn't mean any of it and give you another chance, but it's ultimately up to you to correct this. Understood?"
Diamond lowered her head in defeat. "Yes, father."
"Diamond Dazzle Tiara, do you truly understand? You're not a little filly anymore. Please, just give me this one thing."
She stared into her father's eyes, searching for what he meant, desperately trying to understand. She couldn't, beyond admitting she was being overly prissy, again.
Her father let out a long breath, put a hoof on her shoulder, and left without a word.
Shortly thereafter, Diamond found herself in her room, the door locked, fiercely hugging a pillow in controlled anger. She would get back at her mom for this. She didn't know how or when, but she knew she'd figure something out to set her off. Something that would show her she's her own pony.
She squeezed the pillow tighter, using it to muffle the sounds of her crying.
---
Apple Bloom breathed in the night air. Her first kiss! What would it be like? Who would it be with? She felt a new purpose to her steps as she returned to her home, having said her goodbyes to her fellow Crusaders.
A gray mailmare waved at her, flying away from the porch. She quickly waved back, startled. Curiosity seizing her, she galloped the rest of the way to find Applejack looking up from a letter. A dark feeling took hold of her heart, from where she could only guess at the possibility of it being bad news. Who sends letters this late? Did somepony die? Such feelings were quickly dismissed with a brave face and seeing Applejack look up to smile at her.
"Hey-yah, Bloom! Looks like one of your friends will be spending the night tomorrow."
She stopped at the steps in surprise. It couldn't be one of her best friends, or else they would have told her. Maybe Babs?
Applejack said the last name she would have ever guessed, added a couple of polite comments about Filthy Rich and his family, and casually trotted inside, not noticing she had left Apple Bloom paralyzed at the steps.
The young mare swallowed, suddenly finding her throat very dry, licking her lips in a nervous gesture. She had a bad feeling about this.
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nice entry to the story got my attention
At first I was thinking "I'm liking this!" but Diamond Tiara's dialogue/thoughts are making me neeeervoooous.
"Nice first kiss you've got set up here. Would be a shame if something happened to it."
I'm sorry, no matter how hard you try, Spoiled Rich can't be a sympathetic character. She's an emotionally abusive mega-cunt. I understand you had to set this up somehow, but there are plenty of ways other than making it out like Diamond Tiara hating her mother's guts isn't totally reasonable.
"It's clear to me that we have failed in some way to instill you with proper values, that I know the Apple family can teach you. And if they can't, some time away will help you realize how upset I am." He looked into the dead fireplace. "I've gotten most everything I ever wanted. Except what they have." His tired eyes lingered on the mantle before he turned to face her, the years showing on his face. "And think about what you've said to your mother. I'll help her understand you didn't mean any of it and give you another chance, but it's ultimately up to you to correct this. Understood?"
It's clear to me that you let your bitch wife emotionally abuse your daughter, forcing her to prance around like a piece of meat (Gods, beauty pageants are CREEPY), and you should be severely beaten while your wife needs a trip to the glue factory.
Also, good beginning. Can't wait to see where it goes.
Ahem...
FUCK YOU SPOILED RICH!
That is all.
Uhhhhh.........
....
UHHHHHHH....
All in all, I would say the story is very well-written, and the plot advances nicely...though if you don't mind a spot of criticism, it seems a little...off. How old exactly are these fillies? This might just be me, but I don't think Diamond would call her mother a (blitch) and directly insult her to her face? While hanging out with the crusaders, sure, but like? Especially growing up in a rich family, I feel like that's the moment Filthy Rich shatters his wine glass in his hoof, letting the maroon fluid spread across the table slowly, then looks up at Diamond Tiara with this cold look in his eyes, and is all like, "WHAT exactly did you say to your mother? Care to repeat that?"
Depends on the liquor laws of EQ
The USA, legally you've got to be 21
(When I was young, it was 18 for 3.2 beer in some states)
Other countries, it varies. For instance
France, in practice, no minimum age for wine consumption if you're with your parents
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they are horses
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By god you're right