The Diamond Cutter Anthology

by DiamondPrime

Prompt 8: Applesat - Mudpony

"I got it!" the little, blank-flanked, pink filly squealed as she raced to the front door.

Her hooves dug into the imported rug covering the hardwood floor as she turned the corner into the entranceway, the speed of the turn causing a small plastic tiara to fly off her perfectly coiffed mane. Throwing open the door, the filly prepared to launch herself onto her favorite pony in the whole world — other than her father, of course. Her look of sheer joy turned to one of perplexion at the sight of the tan-coated, saddlebag-carrying pony that stood there, blond mane partially hidden underneath an oversized Stetson.

"Howdy!" the young mare, barely more than a filly herself despite the three apple cutie mark adorning her flanks, said. "You must be Diamond. We're gonna have so much fun tonight, I jus' know it. I'm—"

"You're not Miss Swirl," Diamond Tiara .

"Nope. As Ah'd been about to say, Ah'm Applejack, and your pa asked me to be your sitter tonight."

"You are not Miss Swirl," Diamond Tiara repeated more forcefully. "Miss Swirl always babysits me. She's the best babysitter in the whole world." The little pony glared at the mare before her with such ferocity that it caused Applejack to step back.

"Dad!" Diamond yelled. "Daaaad!"

The sound of hooves, heavier ones than earlier, racing upon the hardwood echoed in the entryway, shoving the still yelling filly safely behind him. A loose tie dangled around his neck, somehow clinging on despite its unfastened state and his madcap dash from his dressing room. He scanned the room, but failed to find any sort of threat to his daughter's well being. After a second look just to make sure he wasn't missing something, he breathed a sigh of relief and gave Applejack a smile.

"You found the place okay then?" He shook his head and chuckled. "Well, of course you did. Otherwise you wouldn't be here, would you? Thank you again so much for agreeing to do this. Our usual sitter had to cancel, and, well, she's the only sitter who doesn't seem to always be busy when we ask them to babysit."

"Ain't no problem, Mr. Rich. Always glad to help out a friend of the family. An' besides, Ah could use the money. There's this apple tree at the market Ah've got my eye on. Ah already know what Ah'm gonna name him, and he's going to be the best tree in the whole orchard."

"Even so, we'd probably have had to cancel our trip to the opera if you hadn't agreed," Filthy Rich said. A tug on his leg distracted him, and he turned his attention to his daughter. "Diamond, can't you see I'm talking to Miss Applejack here?"

"That is not Miss Swirl."

Filthy Rich rubbed his daughter's head affectionately. "No, it isn't, pumpkin. I'm afraid Miss Swirl had to cancel at the last second." Holding up his hoof to forestall his daughter's protest, he continued. "Luckily, Miss Applejack here agreed to babysit you tonight, and maybe tomorrow night as well. Good thing, otherwise I don't know what your mother and I would have done. I know I should have told you earlier, but it just slipped my mind. I'm sorry about that."

"But I like Miss Swirl."

"Well, how do you know you won't like Applejack?"

Diamond Tiara peered suspiciously at the interloper standing silently in the doorway.

"She's got a funny looking hat," the filly finally said. "It's too big and doesn't fit right."

Filthy Rich snorted, before fixing a stern glare on his daughter. "Diamond, that is not how we treat our visitors. Say you're sorry."

Diamond frowned and chewed on her lip, looking down. "I'm sorry your hat is funny looking," Diamond offered.

"Diamond Dazzle Tiara!" Filthy Rich scolded at his daughter, who stared back defiantly. "Go to your room. Now!"

Diamond scowled, then turned and headed inside, taking just a second to turn back and give Applejack one last harsh look, before disappearing from sight. Shortly thereafter, her hooves could be heard stomping up the stairs.

"I'm sorry about that, Applejack. I swear she's normally much better behaved."

"It's all right, Mr. Rich. Ah'm sure she don't mean nothing with it. She's just upset that Miss — Swirl, was it? — couldn't make it." She brushed a hoof along the edge of her hat, before taking it off and placing it carefully on the coat rack, before slipping out of her saddlebags.. "Besides, this here hat used to be mah brothers, an' Ah haven't quite grown into it just yet."

Filthy Rich laughed. "With how much you've grown these last few years, it wouldn't surprise me if it's a perfect fit by the end of next year." Glanced at his watch, he frowned slightly at the time. "Just don't let her push you around tonight, okay?"

Applejack chuckled. "Don't you worry, Mr. Rich. Ah know just how much of a hoofful they can be from sitting for my little sis."

Filthy Rich turned to head back to his dressing room, but stopped with a laugh. "Well, I don't think she'll be half the trouble you and your brother could be."

"Ah don't recall us giving you any trouble."

"That's because I was darn good at babysitting," Filthy Rich said with a laugh. "It is, after all, remarkably similar to employee management. Make sure to keep 'em busy, reward well, and punish if needed."

"And with an example like that, Ah sure I'll have no trouble with little Diamond."

"Just, uh, just give her until we leave to calm down. By then, I'm sure she'll be her usual sweet self." Filthy Rich gave a quick nod. "Yes, I'm sure that'll be the case," he said, as much to himself as to Applejack.

"Ah'll do that, Mr. Rich. Now you'd best finish getting dressed, else Mrs. Rich is going to give you a right serious tongue lashin'."

Filthy Rich guffawed. "Isn't that the truth?" he said. Then, taking another glance at his watch, he swallowed and quickly went upstairs.

---

Applejack waved to the departing carriage, before returning inside and shutting the door. With the elder Riches departed, she was all alone with Diamond Tiara. The filly was still pouting upstairs, refusing to leave her room.

The stubbornness of youth, Applejack thought with a chuckle.

She knew it well enough, for her little sister could be equally determined to be miserable at times. She had no idea where her sister got it from. Probably from her brother or from Granny Smith. Certainly not her though. The stars knew she herself had never been that stubborn when she was that young. If someone brought up an example or two to the contrary, well, she certainly wasn't that stubborn these days. And there was nothing anypony could do to convince her otherwise, she thought with the a chuckle.

Truth be told, she figured a bit of stubbornness was a good thing in a farm pony. Nature wasn't always the most cooperative of things, and sometimes it just came down to keeping one's nose to the grindstone until nature finally wised up and saw things your way. With a little filly though, other methods tended to produce far better results.

Luckily, she had just the right means at her disposal. She reached for the saddlebags she had set down by the door earlier and flipped them onto her back. Whistled a jaunty tune, she made her way to the kitchen. Once there, she set the bags down upon the counter and pulled out the contents, lining them up carefully.

Everything she needed to make apple goulash. The recipe was a family secret, passed down from mother to daughter. It wasn't often that she got a chance to make it. Her brother fiercely guarded the privilege of making the family meals, so if she did get a chance to cook, it was usually a pastry of some sort. Not that there was anything wrong with pastries.

Tonight though, she wasn't at home, he wasn't anywhere near this kitchen, and she intended to take full advantage of the opportunity. She searched through the kitchen until she found the knives, and set to work dicing the apples Once the apples were prepared, she quickly moved on to the next step. It wasn't long before she was salivating at the aroma wafting from the pan.

A soft clop told her she wasn't the only one enjoying the smell. A pink head was peeking around the corner and sniffing the air.

"Smells good, doesn't it?" Applejack asked.

"No."

The words didn't match Diamond Tiara's actions though, for even as she spoke them, she took a step forward though. And as if that wasn't enough, the way she stretched her neck to sniff the air told Applejack all she needed to know..

"Pull up a chair. It's about ready. 'Tis a family recipe, from back when mah family traveled Equestria gatherin' seeds." Applejack lifted the wooden stirring spoon up to her mouth, blew on it to cool it off, and took a taste. "Mmm. Just like Ma used to make."

She lifted the pot off the stove and set it on the table. Then she searched a few cabinets and drawers until she found some bowls, dining-ware, and a serving spoon. While she had been looking, Diamond Tiara had clambered onto a chair, and she set a bowl in front of the filly.

Dipping the serving spoon into the pot, she looked toward Diamond Tiara. "How many scoops you want?"

Diamond Tiara started to respond, but pulled herself back. "What's in it?" she asked.

"Well, that's a bit of a secret. I can tell you there's apples in it, though."

"I don't like apples."

"You'll like these, judgin' on how you were practically droolin' a river at just the smell."

Diamond Tiara wiped her mouth with her leg, looking at it afterward to see just how much she'd slimed it. Frowning, she hid the leg under the table. "Well, I'm not hungry," she declared..

Applejack shrugged and filled her own bowl to the brim. She took another scoop, and offered it to Diamond Tiara. "You sure?"

The filly pushed her empty bowl away and crossed her forelegs, making sure the leg she'd used to wipe her mouth was hidden beneath the other. "Not hungry."

"Okay," Applejack said. "But if you change your mind, there's more goulash in the pot. Wouldn't wait too long, if Ah were you. It's really best when it's warm. Although, even cold, it is hoof lickin' good."

Diamond continued to sit with her forelegs crossed. The table shuddered slightly as she kicked it. Applejack just smiled and settled down to enjoy her own meal, savoring every bite with exaggerated gusto.

"Can I have ice cream?" Diamond Tiara asked as Applejack started to serve herself a second bowl.

Applejack halted mid-scoop, thinking it over. "Maybe for dessert. But first you need to eat some goulash."

"But Miss Swirl—"

"Ain't here. And if she were, I reckon she wouldn't let you have just ice cream for dinner neither."

Diamond Tiara harrumphed and gave the table leg another kick.

The rest of dinner consisted of Diamond silently pouting and Applejack enjoying her meal. When Applejack finished her second bowl, she pushed her chair back and rubbed her stomach contently.

"That sure hit the spot. Are you sure you aren't hungry?"

"No," the little filly replied, determined to stay the course.

"Alright. Suit yourself then. Ah'm just going to clean up, and then we can do something else."

Getting out of her chair, Applejack proceeded to take her tableware to the sink. As she started to wash her bowl, she glanced back just in time to catch Diamond Tiara sneaking a bite out of the pot. With an inaudible chuckle, Applejack returned her attention to the dishes, working at a slower pace than she usually did. When she was about finished, she heard the fridge door open and turned toward it.

Diamond froze in the midst of putting the pot inside. "I'm saving it for later." At Applejack's "uh-huh", Diamond quickly continued. "Not for me! For Randolf."

"Randolf? That an imaginary friend?"

"He's not 'maginary. He's our butler. My mommy says nopony else in town has a bulter because they're too poor."

"Mah aunt and uncle have one, in Manehattan. Ah don't see the point of havin' somepony to do things you can do for yourself, though." Applejack dried off the last of the dishes and turned her full attention to Diamond Tiara. "All done. Now, how about we play a game?"

"Tivial Pursuit?" Diamond Tiara asked as she clambered back up into her chair.

"Tivial, huh? Are you sure you're old enough for that?" Applejack asked. "How about a nice game of Chutes and Ladders instead?"

"That's for little kids," Diamond said, crossing her hooves across her chest. "Mom says it isn't any good because the player makes no difference."

"Okay, we won't play that then. You got any other suggestions?"

Diamond Tiara sat in thought. "Hide and Seek?" Diamond Tiara suggested.

"Isn't that also a— Actually, never mind.. That sounds like a rootin', tootin' idea. You go hide, and Ah'll go find you."

Looking at her sitter with big eyes, Diamond Tiara pleaded, "But what if you can't find me? That'd be scary. Can't you go hide instead?"

"Ah can just call out if Ah cannot—" Remembering the temper tantrum from earlier, Applejack cut herself off. It would probably be easier if she just played along, she decided. "Alright. Ah'll go hide, and you count to forty. You can count to forty, right?"

"I can count all the way to one-hundred," Diamond Tiara declared.

"Really?"

"Uh-huh," Diamond Tiara replied, and then she started counting. "One bits… two bits…"

Quickly, Applejack raced off, moving from room to room, looking for a good spot. Closets she rejected as too obvious. Bedrooms were out, as using them would be an invasion of privacy. The suit of armor in the main hall wasn't big enough to hide behind. Not enough room behind the cupboard . And the she spotted it, a perfect spot, a big pile of what she assumed were dress-up clothes. Diving in, she quickly wormed her way underneath, taking care to fully cover herself.

Settling in for the wait, she let her mind drift to the apple tree that would soon be hers. It was the promise of perfection, its branches going off at just the right angles that would lead to an optimal yield in the hands of a skilled caretaker. And she would be that one. Mr. Harvest had no clue of the potential of that tree, but she did. And soon, it would be hers. She couldn't wait to plant the tree and tell it the name she had chose for it, how she would whisper to it as she carefully pruned it, and of the marvelous prize winning apples it would produce.

The apples in her mind crashed to the ground as she realized that, by now, she should have heard her charge searching. Carefully, she worked an ear free so that could hear better, and swiveled it around, searching for the slightest sound that might come from her charge. There were none, however. She decided to give it another five minutes, just in case Diamond Tiara was currently searching in another part of the house. But as the time passed, it slowly dawned on Applejack what had happened.

The little brat had tricked her!

Shedding her cover, Applejack made the switch from hunted to hunter. Walking as quietly as she could, she sneaked around the house, always with her ears perked for the slightest trace of her prey. It was in the kitchen she found her quarry, sitting on a chair, one leg was wrapped around a tub of ice cream. A second tub, now empty, lay on its side next to the first. Not all the ice cream had found its way into the filly's stomach, however. A good portion adorned the table and the pony. Diamond Tiara ignored that though, her other foreleg dragging through the mess as it used a spoon to dig deeper into the non-empty container.

Carefully, Applejack sneaked into the room, placing her hooves with the utmost of care, lest they make enough noise to provide warning of her approach. Step by step, she closed the distance, revealing more of the mess on the table. Her anger faded as she saw that ice cream wasn't the only thing the brown, white, and pink blob had been pigging out on. Plus it was at least partially her own fault. Letting a pony her sister's age trick her like that...

"Ah knew you couldn't resist," Applejack said, grabbing hold of the Diamond Tiara..

The filly might well have reached the ceiling as she shot upwards in surprise had Applejack's hoof not been on her shoulder. As it was, she still cleared a good ten inches, before slamming back down into the chair with an audible thump.

"Was good, wasn't it?" Applejack pointed to the empty pot, which looked to have been licked clean. She was pleased to note that, unlike the ice cream, there didn't seem to be any of the goulash smeared on the table, though some had managed to find its way into Diamond Tiara's mane.

Diamond Tiara shrugged, digging her spoon back into the ice cream, only to be stopped by Applejack. With large, questioning eyes, Diamond Tiara looked back at her sitter.

"Ah think you've had enough to eat for for one night." Applejack picked up the ice cream container, wiped it clean with a dishrag, and put it away in the freezer. With large sweeps, she began to wipe clean the table. "You sure made a right big mess. And not just the table either." Looking at her charge, Applejack pursed her lips in thought. "Ah'm thinking bath time."

"I like baths," Diamond Tiara said, grabbing hold of Applejack's leg. "Come on! I'll show you my collection. It's the biggest in town."

Hobbling on three legs, Applejack let herself be guided up the stairs to the bathroom. She stopped and gawked at the sight of it, her hoof slipping free of Diamond Tiara's grasp as the filly clambered into the bath. A shower occupied one corner, and it didn't have a shower curtain. Instead, it had a glass door, which was slightly ajar. Along another wall ran a counter with not one but two sinks, a mirror spanning the entire length. But it wasn't those things that brought Applejack up short. No, that was the bath.

It was the largest bath she had ever seen. It wasn't a cast iron tub like she was used to, but built into the room, covered with tiles of what appeared to be marble. The fixtures, which glimmered yellow, were no doubt gold-plated. What impressed her most though was its sheer size.

She let out a slow whistle. "Ah bet that could even hold Big Mac."

Diamond Tiara wasn't interested in that though, instead directing Applejack's attention to what covered most of where the bath met three of the room's four walls, other than a small portion that held various grooming products.

"This is my rubber ducky collection. They've all got a name and story." She paused to glare at Applejack. "Don't try to steal any, 'cause they're mine."

"Ah won't," Applejack swore, twisting the two handles that controlled the flow of hot and cold water.

"Good," Diamond Tiara said, picking up one rubber duck and holding it out for Applejack to see. "This one's my favorite. Her name's Bob, and she runs a huge store, the biggest in all Equestria."

"Is that why she wears a suit and tie?"

"Uh-huh. My dad named her. I named all the others though. They all work for her, and they have to do whatever she says." Diamond held the duck in front of one of another ducky, this one adorned with a sombrero. "Clean up in aisle three, Miamigo" Turning back to Applejack, she said, "And now he has to go clean, 'cause Bob said so."

"I reckon I'd better help Miamigo with that cleanup," Applejack said, as she reached for the soap. She lathered Diamond Tiara up while the filly continued to play with her rubber ducks, mentioning each one's name and history in turn, before having Bob give them some task to do..

"When I grow up, I'm going to be like Bob."

"You want to run a store?" Applejack asked, turning on the faucet.

"I'm going to tell people what to do," Diamond Tiara said with a nod, "and then they'll do it."

Applejack laughed and started to rinse off the soap. "Up until last month, Ah thought Ah knew what Ah wanted to be, too. Ah was going to live in Manehattan and be an important pony. But you know, sometimes life'll surprise you. Ah had to go all the way to Manehattan to learn that what Ah really wanted was here, working the farm with mah family. Maybe you'll find out you want to do something completely different than you ever expected as well."

Diamond Tiara frowned. "Not gonna happen."

"I'm just saying, life could surprise you. Now, for the conditioner," Applejack said. "And then we'll get you ready for bed."

"But I'm not tired," Diamond protested. "And Miss Swirl always tells me stories until Mommy and Daddy come home." After glancing around the room to see if anyone else was listening, which of course no pony was, as they were the only two ponies in the house, Diamond Tiara leaned close. "And then I pretend to be asleep so mommy and daddy don't know, 'cause Miss Swirl said she probably shouldn't let me stay up that late."

"You really like her, huh?"

"She's the best. Did you know she studies dolphins, otters, and stuff?"

"Ah did not," Applejack admitted.

"She does. That's so cool. So can I stay up, pleeeeease?"

"Your dad said Ah was to make sure you were in bed on time."

"But…"

"If you don't get enough sleep, you'll be grumpy all day tomorrow," Applejack replied, reaching for a bottle of conditioner.

"Not that one!" Pointing to a purple bottle with pink hearts on the shelf, Diamond Tiara said, "Use the special one."

Applejack turned and reached up for the bottle, only to hear a splash behind her. Spinning back, she was just too late to catch Diamond Tiara as she jerked the bathroom door open and fled into the hallway.

"Get back here!" Applejack shouted, as she followed into the hall.

"Not going to bed! You can't make me!" Diamond Tiara yelled back, as she continued to race down the hallway, ducking into a doorway at the end.

Applejack followed, to be rewarded by the sight of Diamond Tiara sending water flying as she shook herself. Applejack dove, stretching out in an attempt to grab the filly, but her hooves slipped off the wet coat as Diamond Tiara raced toward another door.

"Come back here, you little varmint!" Applejack yelled, as the pink rump disappeared around the corner.

"Never!" came the reply.

Grinding her teeth, Applejack got to her feet, rubbing her shoulder where it had collided with the ground.

"Fine. If that's how you want to play it," she said to herself as she headed toward the entryway. "You might know the house, but I got just the thing to even the odds."

Reaching her destination, she opened her saddlebags and pulled out her lasso. Careful to not hit anything, she gave it a few practice twirls. This would work, she decided, glad that she had brought the rope along. Admittedly, not for this purpose. She'd planned to potentially entertain Diamond Tiara with some simple rope tricks she'd been practicing for the rodeo. Fancy twirls and such. But roping would do.

'Oh yes, it will do,' she thought, as she set off to find Diamond Tiara.

That part turned out to be surprisingly easy, for Diamond Tiara was in the living room, the first room Applejack checked. She began to twirl the rope, and let a slight smile cross her face as Diamond Tiara's eyes and mouth both shot open. After one last twirl, Applejack sent the rope flying toward her target. Judging the distance, Applejack tugged back on the rope. Diamond Tiara could only stand unmoving, still frozen in shock, and watch as the rope sailed toward her, over her, wrapped itself around one of her mom's favorite vases, and then pulled said vase off the top of the rather tall cabinet it normally sat on.

The shattering of the vase freed Diamond Tiara from her statue-like state, and she sprung into action, launching a pillow from a nearby seat at Applejack. Diamond's aim was no better than Applejack's though, and the pillow crashed through the glass door of another cabinet.

"Now look at what you did!" Diamond Tiara accused, pointing at the smashed chinaware inside the cabinet.

Applejack growled, narrowed her eyes in determination, and began to ready her rope for another attempt. Again, the rope flew toward the filly.

Diamond ducked to the side. With a laugh, she cried, "Missed me!"

Applejack smiled, and gave the rope a firm tug.

"Oomph!" Diamond Tiara exclaimed as a chair fell on her.

"Got you!" Applejack exclaimed, taking a step forward.

"Nu-uh!" Diamond Tiara twisted around, snagged a hold of the lace covering of a corner table, and pulled hard. The covering slid toward her, and so did what sat upon it. Catching the potted plant as it fell, Diamond threw it in Applejack's general direction. "Get this!"

Applejack released the rope, determined to catch the pot before it hit something and broke. In a lunge that would have a hoofball keeper proud, she dove into the air, reaching out with the hoof and coming in contact with the pot, sending it upwards. She shot out her other hoof, and again managed to stop momentum from leading the pot to its end. Flailing wildly, Applejack continued to juggle the pot. For an instant, she almost thought she had it, but alas, it slipped from her grasp. With a crash, it hit the ground, scattering dirt all around.

Applejack looked at the scattered fragments of dirt and pot before grabbing her lasso. She began to twirl it even before she was fully on her feet, let alone knew where Diamond Tiara was or what she was up to. A mistake, it turned out, for what Diamond Tiara, who had used the time to free herself of the chair, was up to was flinging a barrage of pillows at Applejack. The first of those pillows caught Applejack on the side of her head, and down she went again.

Applejack attempted to leap to her feet, but failed as something impeded her ability to move her neck. She jerked her head hard in attempt to break free, but only succeeded in making it even harder to move. In panic, she thrashed, kicked, and rolled. None of it helped, and she only found herself ever more confined. It was only once she stopped moving that she realized what had happened. She'd finally caught something with her lasso. Unfortunately, it was herself she'd caught, and now she was trussed up like a really trussed-up thing.

Worse still, she could hear the laughter, no, the snickering, for that was a far more accurate word to describe the sound, of the pony she had been trying to capture. Applejack tried to move her head so she could see the filly, but found she couldn't. Instead, she had to resort to flopping around like a fish out of water to be able to see Diamond Tiara.

Diamond Tiara was sitting on her haunches, apparently waiting patiently while Applejack did her flopping turn. She lifted a hoof, gave a little wave, and said, "I'm gonna go play now. Bye!"

"Ah've got to get better with a lasso," Applejack swore, watching as the filly nonchalantly disappeared around the corner. She struggled futilely against the rope. "Great! Just great. The Riches are going to return home and find me like this, and Ah won't get a single bit. Ah guess Ah won't be able to buy that apple tree after all." She sighed loudly. "How'd Filthy Rich make it all look so easy when he babysat Mac and me?"

"Daddy used to babysit you?"

The voice caught her by surprise. Not just that Diamond had returned, but the longing in it.

"Ayup, he was our parents go-to sitter," the dejected Applejack said. Diamond Tiara's ears twitched in interest, and an idea occurred to Applejack. "Ah'll could tell you all about it if you untie me."

The filly took a step forward, paused, and then stepped back. "You're trying to trick me."

"No trick. We'll curl up on that couch there and Ah'll tell you all about it. Filly scout's honor." Applejack tried to raise her hoof, but the ropes interfered, and she wound smacking her head on the floor. "You know no scout can break that."

Diamond Tiara stood frozen, and Applejack could almost see the gears spinning in her mind. At last, the filly reached a decision. "Okay."

Together, the two ponies were able to untangle Applejack in under a minute, though that particular partial minute occurred after thirteen other full ones. Free at last, Applejack rose, stretched, and looked around the room.

"Maybe we should clean up a little first?"

"Story!" Diamond Tiara demanded.

"Story," Applejack agreed. She moved to the couch, motioning for Diamond Tiara to sit next to her. As the filly settling against Applejack's side, Applejack began her first story. "This happened before Ah went to Manehattan. My parents were going to a farming convention, and your pa was..."

---

Applejack heard the door unlock and open, but she resisted the urge to get up and greet the returning Rich's by the door, lest she wake up the filly whose head lay upon one of her forelegs. A slight trickle of drool coming out of one corner of her mouth, and Applejack carefully wiped it away with her free hoof.

When the Rich's entered the room, she waved with her hoof. Noticing their eyes turn toward their daughter, Applejack softly said, "She wanted to stay up until when you returned, and well, once she fell asleep, Ah reckoned it was best to let her sleep."

"That's fine, dear," Spoiled Rich said. "Probably the smart thing to do. She might not look it, but she can be a bit of a hoofful to get to bed."

"I trust she didn't give you too much trouble?" Filthy Rich added.

"No, sir. A perfect little angel, this one," Applejack said, with only the lightest slathering of sarcasm applied to her voice. "No trouble at all."

The Riches looked around at a room that would have looked almost at home during the age of chaos, then returned their gaze to Applejack, who gave a one-shouldered shrug.

"Once we found some common ground, we got along like peas in a pod. Ah'd have cleaned it up, but well, Ah didn't want to wake her."

Applejack carefully extracted her leg. As Applejack rose to her feet, Diamond Tiara opened her eyes. In an instant, she was on her feet bounding toward her father.

"Daddy!"

"Diamond Dazzle Tiara, did you make this mess?"

His daughter screeched to a halt, looking around the room. With a slight tilt to her head, she said, "It was an accident?"

"Was it?" Filthy Rich asked, taking in the busted vase, glass, dinnerware, pot, and the toppled chair.

"Uh-huh," Diamond Tiara said, nodding her head rapidly.

"Oh, well, in that case, give me a hug," Filthy Rich said, rearing up and spreading his forelegs in the air.

Diamond Tiara bounced once, twice, and then leaped toward her father. Catching her in mid-air, Filthy Rich embraced his daughter, twirling her in a circle.

"So, did you have fun with Applejack, Diamond? Would you be fine with her babysitting again tomorrow night?"

"Sure, Daddy. AJ, she tol' me to call her that, she tol' me all sorts of stories about when you were not so old. Like that time when you were babysitting her and brought along Rose, Lily, and mmhmmhmm—"

Under the weight of his wife's stare, Filthy Rich withdrew his hoof from his daughter's mouth and grinned sheepishly. "I'll, um, just go put Diamond to bed while you pay young Applejack here. You should probably give her a bit of a bonus."

With that, he tossed his wallet to his wife, lifted his daughter onto his back, and headed toward her room.

The last thing he heard, just before he was out of earshot, was "Make it twenty."

Comments

[Yukito]

A soft clop told her she wasn't the only one enjoying the smell.

I've been there

[ServingSpoon]

"This is my rubber ducky collection. They've all got a name and story." She paused to glare at Applejack. "Don't try to steal any, 'cause their mine."

Diamond Tiara is just the most adorable little blank flank!