Celestia’s sun shone brightly on Ponyville as ponies began waking up for another day of work, play and friendship.
All around the small town, the bustle of a happy community could be heard beginning to stir: stretching, yawning, brushing teeth, smashing alarm clocks…
In the most prestigious and therefore largest house in town though, things weren’t looking quite as sunny… particularly for the youngest resident there.
…………………...
Diamond Tiara slung the saddlebag over her shoulder, staring at the empty space between her exercise book and pencil case with a long sigh.
They’re fighting again.
This meant no lunch for the day yet again, and she’d have to resort to begging for a few extra scraps from her best friend, Silver Spoon.
It’s a good job her dad’s a chef so she always brings too much food, otherwise…
Diamond’s belly seemed to rumble in response to her statement, and a small blush appeared on her face.
How did things ever get this far? I know Daddy is refusing to hire any servants at the moment, but at least he could’ve kept on dear old R-Randolph…
Diamond swiftly dried away a couple of stray tears that had appeared, and a firm look of resolve replaced the flushed cheeks that’d been there just a moment earlier.
No. I can’t dwell on the past. This is the way things are now. I’m a grown up filly, very nearly ten, and I can look after myself. Now, what can I bring today which could pass as a snack…
Diamond made a quick scout of all the cupboards in her vast kitchen, not entirely surprised to find them completely bare.
After all, when you have no staff to restock them, a father who was always at work or abroad and a mother who didn’t really do anything except attend to her ‘personal needs’, this tends to be the end result.
Oh well. Bruised banana it is again. Diamond grabbed the only vaguely edible thing in the house from the fruit bowl before skulking outside, taking one last look behind her.
At least the house is quieter now. Yesterday was… something else. I hope they don’t notice the dark patches under my eyes at school. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep up with all the questions…
…………………….
“Tough night again, huh Di?”
“Yep, Silv.”
“You know you can talk to me whenever you want…” Silver Spoon purposefully joined her hoof with her friend’s in an act of solidarity.
Sometimes it was useful, having their desks next to each other since First Grade.
“I know. And I appreciate it. But there isn’t much to say. Screaming contest. Ended in a tie. Doors slammed. Walls banged. The earmuffs you loaned me helped some, but not much. I think I might’ve nodded off for an hour, around dawn…”
“Did anypony even come to tuck you in?”
Diamond’s morose shake of the head almost made Silver regret she asked it, but she hated to see her friend suffer like this and was determined not to let the matter drop.
“Di, this… this isn’t right. What’s happening to you, I mean.”
“I know Silv, but what am I supposed to do about it?”
“It’s been going on for over a month now, hasn’t it? I know I promised not to say anything, but if you think I’m going to watch my best friend starve to death while being deprived of sleep…”
“D-Don’t be so dramatic, Silver Spoon.” Diamond rarely called her bestie by her full name, but this was one such occasion where for accentuation it was necessary. “They’ll make up and things will get back to how they used to be, you’ll see! It’s just taking a bit longer for that to happen this time.”
“Yeah, a lot longer.” Silver hissed, narrowing her eyes. “And usually, it’s a lot easier to pick one side over the other. But I can’t believe Filthy sent all your hired help home, just because Spoiled refused to do the dishes one night! Can’t he see that his rash decision has affected you, a lot more than your mum? These stupid, tit-for-tat arguments...”
“It’s strange, the things you miss with nopony around to wait on you hoof and foot. Clean bedding. Regular meals. Halls without spider webs…” Diamond turned her head away momentarily to reminisce on ‘the good old days’. “I must admit, I never thought Daddy would do anything like that.”
“Di, it’s ridiculous that such a wealthy filly should live like a peasant! Haven’t you tried talking to them? Don’t they see how you’re suffering?”
“It’s a bit difficult to know what they’re thinking, when they spend most of their time away or refusing to leave their separate rooms.” Diamond revealed her parents’ status of sleeping apart from a fortnight ago was no passing fad. “...And I’m not stepping outside while they’re fighting, and fragile stuff is flying everywhere! I’d rather trot into a warzone.”
“I don’t want to say the word, but the way things sound right now, there’s only one way this is going to end. It starts with a ‘D’, and rhymes with ‘recourse’.” Silver Spoon didn’t want to upset her friend even more, but she felt cold, hard reality had to set in at some point.
Only Diamond didn’t seem to agree. “Oh, Silv. Believe me when I say, that’s the very last thing that could happen. Do you think Daddy wants to give half of his hard-earned property and wealth to Mummy? And Mummy is far too stubborn to do anything but fight Daddy all the way. With me as a pawn somewhere in-between, of course. I’m actually not sure which is worse: the situation the way it is now, o-or…”
“Good morning, class! I hope your weekends went well.” Miss Cheerilee walked in at that moment to start lessons, and her jolly voice provided a huge contrast to Diamond’s depressive tone. “Now, I hope you all remembered your homework. Snails? I’m talking to you in particular. Please tell me you didn’t forget again.”
“U-uh, sorry Miss. I didn’t do it. But I’m a top athlete now, or something. So I have no time for silly things like addition, subtraction or evolution. Yeah, that’s it!” Snails recited the exact excuse his buddy Snips thought of for him before the pair entered class, being rewarded with a ‘hoofs up’ by the smaller colt seated nearby for his troubles.
“...Be that as it may, even buckball players need an education. Sorry Snails, but I’m afraid you’re still going to have to do the work. In your own time, in detention this afternoon. And seeing as Snips is such an ‘inspiration’ to you, perhaps he’d like to join us?” Cheerilee was clearly not in the mood for tolerating any nonsense, and moved swiftly on whilst an angry Snails stared daggers at a sheepish Snips.
“I’d also like to congratulate the winners of our tinned food drive to help the needy: The Cutie Mark Crusaders for the third year in a row…”
“Aw, it was nothing! We just work together well, that’s all!” Sweetie Belle beamed with pride at their accomplishments.
“Three cheers for us! Hip hip, hurray! Hip hip...” Scootaloo was considerably less modest.
“We would’ve gotten even more, if Scoots hadn’t crashed on the way here, dentin' and smashin’ half of the cans…” Apple Bloom was more prone to honesty, as befit her sister’s Element.
“...Hurray!! Thanks, Apple Bloom. ” Scootaloo finished off her self-congratulatory stanza there with a frown, as she hoped to keep the loose wagon attached to her vehicle and subsequent mess a secret for a bit longer.
“I see. So you’re the ones responsible for all the tomato puree stains I saw on the road this morning. I dare say that calls for a bit of an all town clean-up, an act of kindness I’m sure the three most generous fillies in class would be happy to contribute towards.” Cheerilee smiled as the Crusaders groaned, for she was sure as bad as they felt now, the next piece of big news would make everything better.
“Next on the agenda, we have a special Guest Speaker today. They’re waiting outside right now, to deliver what I’m sure will be a talk all of you will want to hear. I appreciate this is all a bit at short notice, but when you discover who it is…”
“Ooh! Is it Joy Sticks, the greatest gamer ever to have lived?” Button Mash waved his hoof in the air with excitement and expectation.
“Could it be Filly Fonka? Her chocolate-shaped heart candy is just the best!” Twist gazed through her glasses with eagerness at receiving sweet-making tips from a true pro.
“Ooh! Ooh! Miss!!” Class president Pipsqueak was the next to draw the attention of his teacher.
“Let me guess, Pip. You want it to be the prime minister of Trottingham? Well, I’m afraid, as interesting as it would be to hear about your hometown…”
“No, that’s not it Miss. Could I nip to the loo please?!” Pip turned a shade of beetroot as a few assorted snickers arose around him.
“Yes, of course you can Pip. As for the rest of you, pipe down. For as much as you may try, you could never guess who our guest is. She’s come straight down here today from a very big occasion, in fact you might say this is her first engagement since her new prestigious role. Please, all of you welcome…”
“I’m sorry, but can I come in now? Surely you’ve had enough time to introduce me, and… what the…” A somewhat bemused Princess Twilight Sparkle had to jump out of the way as the patched form of Pip galloped past her feet, before observing an entire class of colts and fillies pick their jaws off the floor.
“Um… hi?”
…………………………..
Whoever told Twilight that visiting the Ponyville Schoolhouse in her debut appearance as ruler of Equestria was a nice, easy job…
Well, let’s just say their tenure in court probably wouldn’t last very long.
They wanted to tug her mane. Grab onto her fetlocks. Hang precariously from her horn. Try on her crown.
And there were questions. Oh, so many questions.
“How many bits do you have now?”
“Can you make school illegal?”
“Who made your dress for the coronation? It was beautiful!”
“What’s this strange white stuff coming out of my left ear whenever I burp?”
“As much as I had before. No. Rarity, and… t-that’s not exactly my area of expertise. Apologies.” Twilight sweat more during this job than during most of her world-saving missions, and as she slowly became overwhelmed with tiny bodies reached one inescapable conclusion.
The real hero here is Miss Cheerilee. First item on the agenda when I get back to Canterlot: give all good teachers a raise. By Celestia, they’ve earned it.
There was one notable exception to all the throngs of kids amassed around the alicorn shouting random stuff at her, though.
Well, not if you counted the greyish filly parked by her side.
Twilight was more distracted by her seated pink friend, though. There was something not quite right about this forlorn child’s lost expression, and the way she nervously glanced to the side whenever the alicorn shot a look in her direction…
My instinct tells me something is seriously troubling her, Twilight concluded, as she removed a dangling Featherweight from her tail by way of magical levitation. And I would be no Princess Of Friendship worth the name if I didn’t look into the situation straight away.
She finally managed to free herself from her vast fanclub, before trotting over to offer a friendly smile at the cagey pink filly and her protective friend.
“Hi there. I couldn’t help but notice, something appears to be weighing heavily on your mind. I don’t want you to feel obligated to tell me anything, but you know how the saying goes: ‘a problem shared is a problem’...”
“Di doesn’t want to talk to you.” Silver Spoon put it bluntly, coming between Diamond and the alicorn in a surprise act of defiance. “If she did, she would’ve come over and said something when you’d arrived. So why don’t you go back over there, and…”
“Silv, it’s okay.” A downbeat Diamond Tiara lifted her head slowly to address both her concerned companions. “ Hello, Princess Twilight. Sorry about my friend, but she’s only looking out for me. Also, please don’t worry about me: I’ll be fine. After all, what are the problems of a small filly compared to running an entire kingdom? Thanks for your concern, but it’s not necessary. Please return to the others. I’m sure they have lots more to ask you about.”
Twilight could have done that with ease… walk away, and not given the crestfallen pink filly another thought.
Anyone who knew Twilight at all though could tell you: that was never going to happen.
“Now, you listen to me… Di-Diamond Tiara, is it?” Twilight spotted the filly’s cutie mark and put two and two together. “You are just as important to me as any other creature in this land, and just because I’m the Princess Of Equestria now it doesn’t change my priorities one bit. If anything, my new position enables me to help even more ponies, so if you think I’m leaving here today without finding out why one of my youngest subjects is looking so bedraggled, tired and hungry, you’ve got another thing coming. Didn’t Miss Cheerilee ask you about this...?”
Taken aback by Twilight’s genuine concern for her well-being (quite rare these days), Diamond couldn’t help but blurt out the truth. “S-She did, but I lied and said it was because I was working on my science project late. D-Don’t blame her for what’s happening Princess Twilight, the rest of the class keep her busy and I’m only one filly…”
“It’s alright. I understand.” Twilight now remembered the child from a run-in they’d had when she was a humble librarian, and though it was a while ago she was amazed at how selfless and mature the filly seemed now compared to before. “I do need to know ‘what’s happening’ though, as like it or not, your safety is now the main focus of my visit. Do you suppose we can have a little chat outside, if you feel up to it and your friend is willing to let you go?”
Diamond immediately glanced over to an eavesdropping Silver, who silently nodded her approval of Diamond’s planned next move after everything she’d heard. If anyone can help out my best friend, it’s the Princess. Good look, Di. And thank you, Twilight.
“O-Okay, let’s go.” Diamond simply stated, and together she and Twilight navigated crowds of protesting fillies and colts on their way out. “It’s not fair!” “Why does she get to have a private audience, and we don’t?” “Hang on… we’re some of Twilight’s best friends! We can see her whenever we like! What are we gettin’ so upset about?!”
(No prizes for guessing that last speaker was Apple Bloom regaling the other Crusaders with simple facts they’d apparently forgotten.)
Meanwhile, Diamond and Twilight had found a convenient separate classroom close by, and now they sat next to each other as the alicorn waited patiently for her younger companion to begin talking.
“In your own time, dear.”
“W-Well, let’s see. It probably all started the day Mother came home late, having spent all the money Daddy kept for a rainy day on a new wig. Put it this way: he wasn’t very happy. But what was different this time, he started shouting at me too...”
…………………………
A little later on, the mare in question was busy just a few doors away making some very tough decisions.
As the head of the school board, such epic responsibilities fell to her on a regular basis.
And how she loved dealing with them in her own inimitable style.
“...Cancel lunchtimes on alternate days to make up the difference then, if the school needs to save money! When I was a filly I had plenty of reheated leftovers from the day before! What’s wrong with a bit of cold slop now and then? It’ll remind them what’ll happen in the future if they don’t work hard enough…!”
None of Spoiled Rich’s craven underlings in the meeting had the heart or courage to tell her she didn’t exactly get to where she was today by ‘working hard’, and agreed with her as a single unit before rapidly scribbling down her suggestion on their jotter pads.
“...And bring me a better office chair! This so-called luxury leather feels like sandpaper! Finally, who brings me my glass of water every morning? Yes, you! Didn’t I tell you I wanted ice cubes with it?”
“B-But I thought that I…”
“Cubes? These were more like circles, with all the edges chopped off! You’re fired! Does anypony here disagree with my decision? Because if you do… you’re fired also! No room in this operation for slackers or idiots. Now get out, the lot of you! And don’t let me see any of your useless faces for the rest of the day!”
You could’ve heard a pin drop in there as every slouched head made their way outside, while an irate Spoiled slammed the door behind them before reclining in her ‘uncomfortable’ chair.
But later, out of earshot of ‘The Abominable One’, they’d swap observations that ever since the trouble with her husband she’d been even worse than before…
A state of affairs the underpaid interns thought was nigh-on impossible. But, there they were.
“You just can’t get the help, these days.” Spoiled bemoaned, whilst providing herself momentary amusement by swiveling around. “Still, at least it gives me the chance to work off some of the aggression I get from having to share a house with him. Talk about unreasonable! All I want is to be provided for while he’s away, and he can’t even do that?! Oh, where did it all go wrong for us…”
An exceedingly rare look of regret crossed Spoiled lips, and after double-checking to make sure nopony else was present, she flipped the blinds on her window and reached into her hidden drawer to retrieve something very special.
“Gold nugget… no. Wind-up teeth… must have confiscated them from one of Cheerilee’s lot. Nose-hair trimmers… not what I’m looking for, but they may come in handy later. Ah. Here it is!”
It was a framed picture of Spoiled and Filthy’s wedding day, taken a long time ago when she was known as Spoiled Milk. Smiling with a bottle of bubbly in one hoof, her loving hubby in the other and completely surgery-free, she almost didn’t recognise herself in the cherished image.
After staring wistfully at the picture for a good few seconds, she finally snapped to her senses. Oh, fiddlesticks! This is no time to be a sentimental old sap! You have papers to grade, unruly pupils to suspend, a new piece of furniture to order. Better put this back now, and... “What?!”
“T-There’s somepony here to see you, M-Miss.” Spoiled Rich’s careful plans had been interrupted by her shaking secretary Ink Blot, who always seemed on the verge of bolting in the presence of her brusque employer.
Most right-minded ponies wouldn’t blame her, however.
“What did I tell you and the rest of those fools? I said I didn’t want to be disturbed under any circumstances!!” roared Spoiled, as she swiftly crossed the room to confront her employee almost muzzle-to-muzzle.
“I-I k-know, b-but…” Ink Blot might have changed her name to Nervous Wreck, with the amount of stammering and trembling she displayed right now.
Just before Spoiled could utter her favourite two words in the local language to the soon-to-be-jobless secretary though…
“That’s enough, Mrs Rich! I can see your daughter wasn't overexaggerating about your conduct towards others after all…”
An obviously irritated Twilight made her way inside Spoiled’s office uninvited and sat down by her desk, whilst the usually abrasive Earth pony was for once completely lost for words.
“You’re… you’re…”
“Yes, I am Twilight Sparkle. But more importantly, an advocate for your daughter. Please call your husband, and tell him the three of us need to have an urgent heart-to-heart regarding her welfare. I have a feeling the situation may be even worse than I first feared…”
I seldom find stories about Diamond Tiara that I like, I have run into too many people like her Jr high , high school etc. this one looks interesting I'm in.
Oh, I can't wait to see where this goes.
A repost? I wasn't able to see the first iteration as I didn't have time so I'm just like -eyes- now
10923536
Good stuff.
10923550
Neither can I.
10923596
Better late than never, I say...
Imagine my shock.
You did it again you absolute madman
10923673
Oh come on, at least Spoiled has a bit more depth in this one. More than she ever had in the show anyway…
Welp new take on a diamond tiara story.... im in for the long haul.
Oh man it's been that long this is very unhealthy especially for a child how to deal with it
Once again silver spoon I know you're protecting your friend and that's cool don't get me wrong but Twilight is here to help her
?? I don't know what happened with this one, but here it is with hopefully a non-copyrighted
There's a copyright strikes here as well
10923770
That’s what I like to hear. I am especially interested in what happened to her after the show ended, seeing as they didn’t give us much to go on after she reformed…
10923788
Indeed.
10923793
Silver’s a good friend, but maybe a bit overprotective in this incidence. At least, once she’s heard Twilight out, she’s understands.
Okay as I said this before it's really cool to see Diamond Tiara has she been doing and from the looks of it it's not doing too well at least with her parents apparently both spoiled rich and Filthy Rich have been arguing with each other for quite some time and it's affecting Diamond Tiara really badly but after that the school invited Twilight Sparkle to talk with the student and in Twilight's goodness in her heart notice diamonds troubles and talk with her about what's going on and she told her everything what's going on throughout her months meanwhile spoiled rich was at work as always being mean and cruel to her employees but one of her secretary told her that does somebody coming to visit her what's spoiled Rich did not know it was Twilight who needed to talk with her and filthy about the safety of their daughter I wonder how this will work out guess we'll find out next time
Edit: I feel like this is the most disliked I ever gotten did I really say something wrong
10923796 There are many stories with pics from the show here, so I guess this one is okay.
10923806
I guess so but it's just super annoying
10923805
That’s the summation of the chapter, yes. Tune in next time for more…
10923807
Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy the story.
10923809
Sweet and I put a spoiled alert on my comments so they don't have to see it I just only do that because that's how I make my comments like that even back in fanfiction.net that's just my thing
10923811
It's always polite not to spoil the fic for others if they read the comments first.
10923887
Hopefully, middle and finish too.
And I kinda figured I will get a dislike for it
Yeah!! CAN you?? Especially online school!
Edit after reading whole chapter: MORE!!
10924096
Sorry, that's not within my power either.
EDIT: And of course.
This, this is gonna be a start of an incredible story
10924136
Love the optimism. Thanks for reading!
And we're off to a good start already. Spoiled Rich brushing up against Equestrian royalty. This oughta be something.
10924266
Hi there. Good to see you again. Plenty of updates planned for the future, for this and other stories. Strap yourself in...
They gonna get it!!!
Nice story! Waiting continue)
10924637
Don't worry. You won't have to wait until November for an update...
Im already feeling a little bad for filthy rich he was never a bad guy just super busy
10924772
Yes, but sometimes the pressures of work, home life, being a father and having a demanding wife can tax the patience of even the most mild-mannered of stallions...
FIrst off, I like this idea, and everything I am saying is my opinion alone and if you feel like it's not helping feel free to ask me to delete the comment or take it to DMs as I do quite understand how hard it is to maintain an author's ego, but there's a few things that I feel you can improve to polish this first chapter even further and thus hook more readers.
SO I don't like to critique grammar but this sentence was... very noticeable and rather important to establishing Silver and Tiara's relationship so um, yeah.
Also, so I am intrigued, but while I like Diamond and Silver's characterization, and Twilight's... this particular exchange...
I just feel it needs to be looked at as the text blob of dialogue felt incredibly forced. The actual lines were good, but they felt somewhat out of character due to how they were arranged. Furthermore, there's a lot of telly bits in the exposition that just aren't needed and Twilight's lines, in particular, don't reflect her dialogue patterns. Again my opinion, but well, here's how I'd have written it.
Again, this is just a suggestion. This is a really good idea and has a lot of promise, and oh boy do I know that first chapters are rough. So I swear I"m giving this in the spirit of trying to help you, but again, if you don't want this comment on your page, feel free to delete/ask me to remove it.
10924816
First of all, I never delete comments and always try and respond to as many as I can. As it stands, I am still reasonably happy with the chapter as is, but I will definitely look at your suggestions later. Thanks for reading and adding it to your favourites! Feel free to DM me too if you like.
It's not bad. Perhaps the pacing could be slowed down a bit, but not by much.
10924915
A Scoots fan? Saying something is going too fast? Hmm...
Anyway, thanks for favouriting & hope the rest of the fic is to your liking as well.
10924774
Yeah, i hope filthy gets a silver lining in this story i can already tell he'll deserve something in his favor
10924925
Ponies/ people don’t always get what they deserve, but then again sometimes they do. Keep reading…
10924943
I plan to
You got me hooked here, lovely opener. Don't see many stories about Diamond Tiara that catch my eye like this one so lets see where it goes.
10925009
Good to hear.
10924774
What pressures of work? Filthy didn't build his business, he inherited it - he's not Sam Walton, he's Sam Jr., or Jim. (And also Sam didn't build his business either, it was built on the backs and with the bones of his workers, etc.etc. obligatory communist liturgy.) Anyway, after a certain point, a large enterprise becomes self-sustaining, dependent more on its executives, managers, and certainly its line workers than on the guy at the top whose money - not his labor - are what makes him more money.
10924917
Gotta go fast!
Nah, I'm just pointing out that often with stories like this, the author just rushes to the "good parts". Without controlling the emotions of the characters or taking the time to set up important aspects. I feel you're striking a good balance, I hope.
10925354
I was thinking about traveling, doing deals, running the stores, the paperwork etc. I didn't look that deeply into it, but his job must require some level of stress. Most do, even for those in charge.
10925355
That's one of the aims of writing a good story, finding that perfect balance. The trick is to carry it forward to the end. Usually my chapters tend to be quite short, but in this case they may have to be longer so I can fit in all the plot developments and character moments. It might take longer, but if I want the fic to live up to its potential... consider it done.
Now I interrupt this fan fiction to bring you a special message from the Princess of Friendship's voice actress herself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzqmvInMsVU
Small thing at beginning, I think you meant 'It's a good thing her dad's a chef....
If this is right after Twi's coronation, its actually before "Crusaders of the Lost Mark." I wonder if Twilight taking care of Diamond would actually have the CMC and her being closer sooner...? Hope to see more soon. :)
10925864
No, it’s definitely a good ‘job’. It’s an expression. And the fic is definitely set after the last episode and Twilight’s coronation, or it would defeat the whole object of the concept. Not sure why you’d think it was set before Crusaders Of The Lost Mark.
Hope to add some more soon too!
10925876
I understand 'Twilight's Coronation' as in Celestia and Luna retire... Thought you meant after becoming an alicorn. Anyway, good luck with it, still be waiting on more.
10925899
Yep, that's what I meant. The references to her ruling all of Equestria in the fic itself should have made that pretty clear. Anyway, thanks for reading, and more will arrive soon.
10925354
Surprisingly, even rich people have jobs.