> Diamonds in the Apple Tree > by Bionic Star > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1: Relocation > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sweet Home looked through the files and sighed to herself. Work for her was plentiful; and when you're a member of Equestria's Foal Protective Services, that is not a good thing. There was a misconception to beings that lived outside of Equestria's borders that it was a perfect place to live, full of perfect ponies who could do no wrong. This, unfortunately, could be no further from the truth, a truth of which Sweet Home knew first hoof. Too many times did she get cases of an abusive parent or parents who would recklessly endanger their foals. It was her job to deal with these foals and relocate them to places where they would be, at the very least, have a safe life. This wouldn't be as bad by itself if it weren't for the fact that Sweet Home were also tasked with dealing with the foals in which the agency rescued. Foals were brought to her in all sorts of states, ranging for broken bones to scarring to even severe mental trauma as a result of the abuse. It wasn’t that she didn’t have it in her to even deal with foals like this; if that was the case then she wouldn’t even have pursued a career in this field in the first place. It was just that foals in these sorts of conditions were always grim reminders of the lowest points of Equestrian society. Outside, there was another foal that came from yet another one of the broken homes of which seemed to plague the office. She sighed and stood up, ready to talk to the broken foal, not sure of the state that she was currently in yet.. Diamond Tiara was her name, as Home soon found out from reading the documents she was given on the case. She came from a rich father that had been widowed shortly after she was born. Her father, Filthy Rich, unfortunately soon fell victim to the evils of alcohol. As was the case with many of the foals that she handled, Diamond Tiara had apparently been abused, both physically and verbally; the file also mentioned that there was a case of possible neglect abuse as well. It wasn’t until two days prior that a pony, presumably under the employment of the aforementioned father, reported seeing one of these abuse episodes. Now, they had the foal in question outside of her office, awaiting to hear her fate: that was, what was to happen to her now that she has been confiscated from her father. Home looked through the files and documentation for a list of relatives or other contacts in which she could be left with. Most of her relatives were either deceased or lived too far away to be considered to be a first choice of relocation. Like most foals, she preferred to try and keep them in the immediate area. It served them better while they readjusted both physically and mentally to their surroundings. She blinked and was about to start considering sending her to Trottingham when she saw a particular group of local ponies come up. Taking in a deep breath, Sweet Home put on the most comforting and foal-friendly face she could. She opened the door and went out into the lobby of her office. She tried to keep it warm and comfortable considering that this is where the foals brought to her attention would normally be staying. There were humorous posters of kittens and puppies adorning the walls as well as a bowl of candy in the center of the coffee table; though it seemed that Diamond Tiara hadn’t even notice it as she just sat on the couch and looked downwards. Seeing the foal hunched over on the couch made Sweet Home get the familiar tinge of sadness that she got with all foals who came to her. Steeling herself, she took a breath and smiled warmly, walking up to Diamond Tiara and looking down at her calmly. “Are you Diamond Tiara?” Sweet Home asked. Diamond Tiara looked upwards meekly and only softly nodded her head. “Would you please follow me?” Sweet Home continued, smiling. The filly nodded, adjusting her tiara before standing up on shaky hooves. She followed the older mare into the small yet still cozy office, taking a seat in a large, fluffy chair. “Are you thirsty? Hungry?” Sweet Home asked, pulling out a small jar of little sugar candies and pulling a glass of water over. The pink filly only shook her head again in response. “No, I want my daddy.” “No, you can’t have your daddy right now,” Sweet Home said, leaning towards her and giving another inviting smile, “Do you want the chair raised up a bit?” “No, I want my daddy!” The filly repeated, straightening her back a bit. “Are you sure that you’re not thirsty? I have plenty of wa-” “I WANT MY DADDY!” Diamond Tiara stood up and slammed her front hooves down on the table. The glass of water vibrated for a split second. “Where is he? Why haven’t you told me anything? Who are you? What’s even going on here? Why can’t I see daddy?” Taken aback, it took the mare a solid five seconds to recollect herself before she finally coughed awkwardly and gave a weak smile, “Are you sure you don’t want some candy?” Diamond Tiara narrowed her eyes in a deadly manor, giving the filly equivalent of a death stare. “Oh well, it was worth a shot,” Sweet Home sighed and pushed the files aside, keeping Diamond Tiara’s in front of her. She had to play this carefully. “Did your daddy ever get upset when you were around him?” Diamond Tiara blinked and spat defiantly, “Yeah, but he had a ton of stuff he had to do!” Sweet Home gave an inquisitive look. “Did your daddy ever get… violent when you were at home?” Taken aback, the filly shrank back into the chair, “No....” she mumbled. The mare hid her pity for the filly and asked again. “You don’t need to lie here. You can trust me.” Knowing Sweet Home already knew what the correct answer was, Diamond Tiara gave in. “Sometimes.” She whispered so low it was almost inaudible. “Did he ever start to yell and get hurtful when you were ever around?” Sweet Home pressed, pulling out a sheet of paper. “W-well that was only when he was working really late…” She defended, trying to straighten up. Sweet Home pulled out another sheet of paper, “Well, did your daddy ever talk about your mommy when you were around?” Diamond Tiara shivered hard and squeaked. “I-I was forbidden to talk about her when he was around.” “You seem like a smart filly to me,” A photo of a large stash of alcoholic bottles was laid in front of her. “I think you can figure the rest out.” It took her all of three seconds, “Are you saying that my daddy, the richest pony in Equestria, the best daddy there ever was, was an alcoholic?!” Sadly, Sweet Home gave a small nod, “Yes, we discovered that your father has been drinking extensively since your mother passed. We had reason to believe that your father was abusing you, yet we never had any proof. That is, until two days ago.” The pink filly stood up to object and defend her father, yet Sweet Home continued, “Your daddy was seen hurting you, and one of your servants saw this and reported it to us. We found signs of abuse, Diamond Tiara. You may not get to see your daddy for a long time.” For a second, Diamond Tiara looked destroyed. Her trademark smirk fell into a quivering frown, while her eyes began to moisten around the edges. She trembled in the chair and her tiara fell to the floor. “I’m sorry, but he isn’t fit to raise you anymore.” Sweet Home scooted the chair closer, looking at the poor filly, despite knowing that all she was doing was causing her pain. “But daddy does love me! He can raise me! I know he can! He’s done it for years and years! Ever since I was a little newborn!” She stood up, shaking while tears fell from her eyes, “Daddy loves me!” “He does love you, he loves you very much.” Sweet Home held back a small tear, “Which is why we are going to have to send you away while we help him.” Sweet Home was sugarcoating this as much as she could. In truth, her father was going to be sent to court and most likely jail. Diamond stood up, “That’s not fair! You can’t just take my daddy away from me!” Giving a sigh, Sweet Home looked down slightly, “We have to, for your safety as well as his.” Diamond slowly let the situation sink in. She took several minutes to finally begin to compose a small bit of the dignity that she still possessed. She reached down and gripped the tiara, placing it back on her head with a tiny breath. Then she looked up and asked calmly. “So where am I going to live?” “Well I’ve been looking around through your files of known relatives and it doesn’t seem like you have any that live particularly close to you. Is that correct?” Diamond Tiara looked down and thought rapidly, then she shook her head. “We like to try and place you in the area, as close to home as possible. We’d rather you live here than in the middle of, say, Manehatten.” “But I have a ton of relatives all over!” Diamond Tiara pressed, smiling, “Actually I’m sure that you could send me to live with my aunt!” “You mean your Auntie, Coin Dispenser? The one that lives on the other side of the country?” Sweet Home gave a small smile. “W-well I visit her once a year!” Diamond Tiara argued. “We have found an alternative so that you can stay here with your friends.” The mare pulled out a small, old sheet of crinkled paper. “It says here that in the event that something were to happen to a descendant of your family, that you have a very close godparent that you could move in with.” Diamond Tiara looked at the style of the paper: old, stained and written in very fancy hoof writing. The paper had a distinct vibe to it. She blinked, “No!” “The Apple Family technically has full legal rights to take you in as their adopted foal. Apparently the claim your ancestors staked in their business really helped them out when they were first starting.” Sweet Home read the page before laying it casually on the table in front of her. Diamond’s mind was moving at a million miles a minute. Live with that blank flank and her disgusting family? There was no way that she was going to ever- “Or, if you choose not to live with the Apples, we could send you to one of our regional facilities where you could be adopted.” Sweet Home suggested with a coy smirk. The fillies eyes widened and she asked, “W-would I get to choose who adopted me at least?” “We’d weigh the strengths and weaknesses of each family wanting to adopt you,” Sweet Home shrugged, “You’d end up with whoever we deemed most fit to take care of you.” There was no way this was happening! Diamond Tiara looked around frantically before she finally saw Sweet Home’s expression: sympathy. Diamond Tiara opened her mouth to protest, but it came out as, “A-are you sure that I can’t just live with my auntie?” Sweet Home gave a tiny chuckle, “Nope, it’s either the Apples or an adoption center.” Sighing defeatedly, Diamond Tiara fell back in the chair and looked down at the floor. She started to think of what to do and finally she gave up. “Fine,” She spat. “I’ll go live with the Apples.” > Chapter 2: In Which a Single Filly Creates a Mountain of Chaos > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You really couldn't find a good pony to carry your luggage in Ponyville, Diamond Tiara soon found out. The filly turned to look at the stallion who was attempting to carry all seventeen suitcases, the majority of which were filled to their capacity. They all were stacked haphazardly on the poor pony’s back. “Hurry up!” She called, turning around with a harsh glare, “We got places to be and I don’t want to be late cause you were taking a break!” The stallion, who was obviously a servant of her father’s, nodded. Taking a deep breath, he heaved his back upwards and began to slowly trot alongside the pink filly, sweating profusely. The two were on their way towards the large estate that was known in the area as Sweet Apple Acres. The pair walked along the dirt path and made their way past the hoof painted fences, the soft flowing grass, and the seemingly endless amount of apple trees which gave off a sweet smell of apple crisp that seemed to permeate the air like a fragrance. The whole orchard held a distinctly country style that gave it a unique vibe against the almost medieval style thatched roofs of Ponyville. Diamond Tiara, in her arrogance, stuck her nose up in order to drown all the sights and smells out. She instead walked her way up stubbornly to the gate and opened it. The stallion behind her gave a sigh of relief when he saw they were nearing their destination. They walked past the large red barn and further towards the house that lay beyond it. They passed various animal coops, small crops and a variety of tools and other paraphernalia that Diamond didn’t care to bother make out. The pink filly gave one last glance around the farm before scoffing and trotting straight up to the door, waving her helper up with an impatient snort. “Come on, we don’t want to be late!” The stallion sighed and looked down at the ground, stumbling up the hill with the heavy suitcases in tow. Without waiting to see if he was alright, Diamond Tiara turned and knocked on the door. The sound of scuffling was heard as an orange mare opened up the door. She had a seston hat over her head and patches of white freckles on each cheek. Upon looking down at the filly, she blinked rapidly and asked, “Uh… hey there Diamond Tiara, what bring ya out here?” The filly turned her nose up at the distinct southern accent and pushed past Applejack, stepping into the room and announcing, “I have arrived Apples! I trust you’re going to make my stay as comfortable as possible.” Apple Bloom, who was sitting on the couch staring at a book titled Fifty Shades of Hay that she had found at school in Cheerilies’s backroom. It was a rather intriguing read, although she didn’t understand half of what they were really doing. She perked her head up and cocked her head, “Wait wha’?” Diamond Tiara turned to Applejack with an uptight look. “So where will I be staying?” “Hold it!” Apple Bloom gasped, tossing the book aside and leaping from the couch, turning to face Diamond, “Who said you’d be stayin’ here?” Applejack had a bead of sweat on her forehead now. “Uhm, Diamond Tiara, not be rude or anythin’, but uh what do ya mean-” “She’s finally arrived!” An older green mare walked down the stairs, hobbling on her shaky front hooves. “What’s going on here?” Apple Bloom whipped around, facing Granny Smith with a rather ferocious stare. “Oh I thought it’d be best to keep it a surprise!” Granny chuckled and walked over into the foyer, sitting down on her customary rocking chair. “You decided to keep my arrival a surprise? You didn’t even prepare for me? Hmphp!” Diamond huffed a little ludicrously. “O’course I did! It made it all the more interestin’ when you did finally get here!” Granny smiled before leaning back in the chair. “Fetch me a glass of water, will ya’ Apple Bloom?” Applejack shook her head and put a hoof on her forehead. “I can’t handle this right now. I’ll just go make the guest room.” “You mean you really didn’t have the room prepared for me yet?!” Diamond suddenly shot up, bumping into the stallion behind her. The stallion gave a small cry as he toppled backwards, spilling the multiple suitcases behind him. They rolled down the hill and ran right into the chicken coop, which busted a hole in the side. The chickens ran around, scaring the pigs in the other pens. As the pigs began their crying and thrashing in the mud, Winona turned and began to chase after the foul while barking, adding to the cacophony of sounds. Finally, the chickens ran into the apple trees, sending a flurry of feathers into the skies. Apple Bloom let out a squeal. “Mah chickens!” She sprang towards the doorway and pushed Diamond out of the way, running over to the shed and grabbing a bucket. “Hey!” Diamond protested, falling down onto her rear end, “Someone shut all those animals up! They’re way too loud!” Granny gave a chuckle in the rocking chair, watching Apple Bloom chase the chickens around in a futile race alongside Winona to get them back into the coop. Applejack, who had just returned to the scene, turned to look at Granny with a look of half confusion and half disappointment. The elder burst into full on laughter, “What? That’s funny!” It was then they heard the sound of the entire chicken coop collapsing under the pressure of the suitcases. When they fell to the ground each container burst open do to their nearly overloaded capacity. They sent their contents spilling all over the farm. The remaining animals let out their cries as one chicken ran towards the house. The chicken knocked into the stallion’s head, sending him face first into a mud puddle. The hose nearby burst and showered him in water just to emphasize the point. It was at that moment that Big Mac decided to walk into the room. He stared at Diamond Tiara, then to the chickens, to the laughing Granny Smith, then looked at the commotion outside. “Eeyup.” He sighed, slowly backing up the stairs without even being noticed. ~ “There’s yer bed, yer dresser, and pretty much everythin’ else you’re gonna need!” Granny smiled cheerfully, sitting outside the room that Diamond Tiara now stood in. With a critical eye, the filly looked over the walls. The green painting was tacky, and that bed had to be dangerous to sleep on by this point. The entire place smelled like a mixture of apple fragrance and farm smell, which she was sure by this point she despised. “Well, I suppose it’ll do.” She looked at the massive pile of stained suitcases that she’d managed to recover from the fiasco. “Ya’ sure you got… everythin’ ya need?” Applejack poked her head in, raising an eyebrow at the outrageous amount of suitcases. She muttered, “You and Rarity should go on a trip together.” “Other than the suitcase that contained my most valuable dress!” Diamond Tiara whipped around, frowning. “That stallion couldn’t at least get that one out of the mud?!” Grannie looked to her granddaughter and she gave a low chuckle. Applejack did likewise, smiling a bit. “What’s so funny?!” She made a mixture between a pout and frown. The two began to laugh harder, which annoyed Diamond. She growled. “What’s so funny?!” “Fer starters, yer face!” Grannie giggled, “It looks like ya just ate a lemon!” Diamond turned around to stare at the mirror, blushing instantly. She rolled her eyes to try and pass it off as a joke, then corrected it into a scowl. “Plus, that suitcase wasn’t in the mud at all,” Applejack pointed a hoof at the window, “Take a gander.” The window gave her a full view of the front of the Apple Farm, facing roughly eastward. She poked her head out and looked over towards the chicken coop, now complete reduced to little more than a few makeshift boards slapped haphazardly to make walls. Just outside the ruins of the chicken coop, she saw that her suitcase was opened up. A lone chicken has curled it into a ball and was sitting inside on top of the dress. She watched in horror as suddenly the chicken gave a squawk and laid an egg right on top of the priceless fabric. “MY DRESS!!” She yelled, loud enough that Applejack had to cover her ears. The pink filly whipped around and she spat, “Why is there a chicken laying eggs in my dress?!” “Cause you left it out there.” Apple Bloom suddenly trotted in, a small smile on her face. She chuckled. “You learn pretty quickly that if you leave anything by the chickens, they’ll nest in it.” Diamond’s face went completely red. She looked around in anger, trying to place the source of her frustration. She gave up with a huff and flopped on top of the bed, groaning. Granny turned to Applejack and she spoke slowly, “I think we should leave her alone for right now…” Diamond only gave a small muttered curse into the pillows. Despite the profanity, Granny slowly inched both Apple Bloom and Applejack away from the room. She whispered quietly as they were about to shut the door, “Welcome to the family Tiara.” Diamond only gave a tiny groan and flopped so she lay on her back, looking up at the ceiling. The sound of the door closing resonated in her mind. How’d she end up out here? Why was she laying in a bed that obviously wasn’t even velvet? Why were there chickens nesting in her dresses? Why did her daddy do this to her? “Daddy… please come back soon…” Diamond looked at the pillows and sighed, laying her head against them. “Don’t leave me here daddy… I miss you…” > Chapter 3: The First Morning > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diamond Tiara didn’t leave the room that entire night; or even the bed for that matter. She just laid down, face planted firmly into the pillow and lost in her own self pity. Once or twice, Applejack tried to get the filly to talk but she was just met with a grunt. Eventually, Diamond ended up falling asleep in the bed. In her sleep, Diamond had a dream of what her life used to be: easy and luxurious. She was at a party similar to the ones her father would often host for his clients. She was dressed in an elegantly complex dress and had her mane done up in an almost impractical manor in order to make herself stand out. She stood at the height of wealthy frilly filly fashion. All around her, rich and important looking adults stood idly conversing with one another. Some told jokes and laughed while others snacked on small expensive treats. Diamond went largely unnoticed at the event like usual, save for a couple ponies stopping to complement her on how beautiful she looked this evening. Though. this didn’t bother her too much, as most of the conversations that these ponies were having were about subjects she was largely unfamiliar with and she didn’t want to risk embarrassing herself. Feeling thirsty, Diamond weaved her way through the crowd of ponies and towards the refreshment table so she could fix herself a glass of punch. The refreshment table stood more or less in the center of the room. Atop the table sat plates of mini sandwiches with toothpicks through the center, a plate that contained a bowl of imported salad dressing surrounded by a plethora of vegetables, an already cut cake, several bottles of alcoholic beverages, and the fancy bowl that contained the fruit punch. A long, red table cloth separated all of these foods and beverages from the table beneath as to prevent anything spilt from possibly staining it. Diamond approached the edge of the table, grabbed herself a glass, and went to fill it with punch. Unfortunately for the small filly, the table was so tall that the bowl stood just out of her reach. To combat this problem, she brought a chair over to the table and stood atop it. What she didn’t know however was that she had chosen to stand atop a chair that had a leg slightly shorter than the other three, due to a factory error. So, as she leaned forward to grab the ladle, the chair leaned forwards a bit as well, causing Diamond to lose her balance and fall forward. She let out a small yelp as she grabbed the front of the table in order to stop her fall. This only resulted in her bringing the table down with her. All of the foods on the table flew forwards and onto the heads of the numerous party guests. The bowl of punch that Diamond had been trying to get a drink from fell directly onto her, drenching both her hair and the expensive dress she wore in the red liquid. Everything went silent for a second. Every single pony in the room turned their eyes towards Diamond with disappointed and disgusted looks on their faces. They moved aside, forming a clear path that lead towards one pony: Diamond’s father, Filthy Rich. Only his face wasn’t disappointed like the other party guests’, his was angry. Filthy stomped through the isle of ponies, growling louder and louder with each step. It felt as though his hooves were shaking the very foundation of the house. Diamond tried to get up and run away, but the table was overturned behind her and ponies blocked her on all sides. She could only sit where she was and timidly look up to her father, who had finished his trek towards her at this point. With an expression that seemed like it was made of pure anger, Filthy Rich raised his hoof in a manor that Diamond was all too familiar with… Diamond jolted upwards in her bed with a start, panting just as heavily as she was sweating. Instinctively, she clapped her hooves together in order to turn on the lights. But when she was met with no light she remember the reality of the situation that she was currently in. She sighed and huffed, sitting herself up in the bed and pushing the sheets off of her. Her neck felt sore from not having her form-fitting pillow behind it. She didn’t feel the slightest bit rested; if anything, she was more tired now than when she had gone to bed. Holding in a curse, she grumbled as she turned to the small bedstand, picking up her tiara and trying to place it on her head. Normally, a servant did so for her. However, without the help, she fumbled trying to place it on her head with just her teeth. When that failed, she tried to grip it with her hoof. Despite that, after dropping it several times, she stomped her hoof and looked in the mirror, sighing. Her mane was matted from sweat and presumably tossing in the bed all night. She gave a low moan and walked up to the glass, rubbing her eyes and staring at the filly in the mirror. There was a reason she wore the tiara every single day, and now it was clear. There was a circular shaped scar on the top of her head, stark red against her pale skin. That night was permanently engraved into her memory: her father had come home, drunk from what she guessed was some sort of fancy party. He’d taken a glass and slammed it on the floor, breaking it. He picked up the largest shard and proceeded to… She shook her head, not wanting to relive the memory. She whimpered and brushed her mane over the mark. It wasn’t completely covered up, but one would have to look close to actually see it. Sighing, the filly gently picked up the tiara and put it back on the nightstand. She trotted over to the closet and looked through it, only to see that her suitcases were still packed and stacked up in the corner of the room. She muttered. “Couldn’t have even unpacked my things...?” She trotted over to them and found the light green suitcase, slowly laying it on the bed. Hitting the button, the suitcase sprung open to reveal one single item: a green scarf. The scarf was hoof-stitched, all the fabrics personally woven into it. Upon the end was a small note, which had also been sown into it: For My Filly, Diamond Tiara The scarf was all she had left of her mother. Apparently her mother had made this for her a few months before she was born. When she’d passed on, her father had given it to her as a sole airlom of her lost parent. Bending down, she gave a small sniffle and pressed her nose to it. If she concentrated hard enough, she could smell a hint of lilac and vanila. Her mother had always loved the keep the house smelling perfect from she was told. Diamond let out a tiny whimper and then gently folded it up, laying it inside the drawer of the nightstand. She took the padlock she’d packed with it and locked the drawer shut, hiding the key within the suitcase so that nopony would wash it. She couldn’t risk losing her mother’s scent. Sad thoughts and self pity were cut short by the loud sound of Diamond’s stomach rumbling. Quickly, she was reminded of one very important fact: she hadn’t eaten in at least two days. She gave a sigh and quickly pulled on a small dress which she usually wore for breakfast. She didn’t want to appear helpless at breakfast time after all. She trotted up wordlessly to the door and hesitantly knocked on it. When she heard no pony, she opened it up and slowly walked out into the long hall. Instantly, the smell of pancakes and soy bacon hit her nostrils. Even a high class filly such as herself couldn’t resist the sweet aroma of those delicious breakfast treats. Slowly, Diamond made her way down the stairs and into the main living room. While she found no one, the sounds coming from the kitchen were definitely signs of their location. She steeled herself and quickly trotted into the kitchen. Inside, Apple Bloom, Big Mac and Granny were sitting at the table, laughing about farm jokes. Applejack was flipping pancakes over the stove, frying the batter with impeccable skill. As she watched, Applejack flipped them into the air, spinning them around and catching them perfectly right back on the center of the pan. “Mornin’!” Granny called. “You sure slept late today!” Diamond looked around, confused, “What… time is it?” “Almost eleven.” Apple Bloom said, a little forced, “We waited until you would get up.” Diamond gave a harsh glare at her, yet Granny simply chuckled, “It ain’t you little filly. Apple Bloom here just gets a little angsty when she don’t get her breakfast on time!” “Do not!” She turned even as Big Mac started to crack a smile. Diamond saw two empty chairs, one next to Big Mac and the other next to Apple Bloom. She quickly sat in the one next to Big Mac, casting a quick glare at the yellow filly. Apple Bloom let out a little growl. “Why, when she was little, Apple Bloom would always bang her little stool whenever she was hungry!” Granny began to chortle, “I remember this one time she got so upset she hit a plate with hashbrowns on it! It went soarin’ through and air and landed right on Big Mac’s face! And she said ‘I want mah food now!’” Apple Bloom’s cheeks burned as the table erupted in laughter. Diamond cracked a smile at her, her eyes narrowing as she stored that story for later. Applejack was still flipping the pancakes and finally moved over to the soy bacon, which she repeated the same process of flipping. The tantalizing aroma hit her nostrils and the filly let out a slightly impatient snort, “When is she going to be done?” “In a minute or two!” Applejack said, muffled slightly by the pot in her mouth. She laid the pot down and wiped the sweat off her brow before turning to Granny, “Got the syrup?” “You bet!” She smirked. “Butter?” “‘Yep!” “Orange juice? Milk?” “Eeyup.” Big Mac said pointedly. Applejack took the hint and quickly set her sights back on the food before it burned. Apple Bloom looked at Diamond and leaned back, “Ya want milk or OJ?” “Hmm… I guess milk will do.” She wanted to see how many buttons she could push on Apple Bloom before she snapped. “Milk it is then.” She reached over and gripped the handle with her hoof, holding it over the glass. However, one of her hooves was on the tablecloth, which slipped when she put her weight on it. She fell forward, giving a little cry before she spilled the milk over the cloth. “Hey!” Diamond hissed, jumping back from the splash, “Watch what you’re doing, blank-flank!” The entire room went silent as Granny turned to look at her. Applejack turned and gave her a disapproving look, whilst Big Mac said very slowly, “Nope.” “Young filly,” Granny looked right into her eyes, “I may not be your mother, and I won’t be. Yet in this house, you won’t be insulting anypony! If you insult her again then we’re gonna have some serious issues!” Diamond turned to look at Granny, and then she froze. The look she received reminded her of another look. A look she never wanted to see again. “I-I’m sorry daddy!” She pushed the chair out of the way and ran into the living room, diving behind the couch and curling up behind it. She trembled softly and covered her head with her hooves. The family was stunned, Granny the most so. Applejack put the pot down, yet Granny stopped her, “Make her a plate, yungin. I’ll handle this one.” “Granny I may know a little about what she’s going through….” Applejack countered, only for Granny to turn and give her a similar stare. Even the hardened cowpony had to shiver and move aside to let her pass. Granny left the room, trotting over to the couch and knocking on the wooden part on the back. “Knock, knock!” “What’s my punishment?” The petrified filly choked out, shivering harder. “Please just… just don’t use the pot please!” “Yungin!” Granny walked behind the couch and sat down, gently stroking the filly’s mane, “I wouldn’t dream of hurtin’ you in this house.” “Don’t lie to me!” She cried out, pulling far away from the old mare’s hoof. Granny sighed and she looked down at her form. A stab of pity went through her as she realized that this filly had more scars than the one she’d spotted on her forehead. She thought carefully and then slowly spoke. “Imma makin’ you an apple family promise that I won’t ever hurt ya. It’s like a pinkie promise, though we won’t go chasin’ you on a cart in the middle of the desert.” She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. Diamond lifted her head up and she rubbed her eyes, “Are you… are you lying to me?” Granny chuckled, “If I was, I’d already have broken it.” She gently reached out her scrawny hoof, “Let’s get some food in us, okay?” Diamond looked at the hoof and slowly took it, almost letting out a tiny cry before she let herself get hauled to her hooves. “That’s it youngin’!” Granny smiled and helped Diamond back into the room. The filly sat in her chair, head downcast and not sure what to say to the ponies that were around her. Surprisingly, she didn’t have to. Applejack and Big Mac were talking about something having to do with Twilight mixing up a spell about bats, while Apple Bloom had her nose in a book that she was conveniently hiding under the table. Everything seemed to peaceful. Granny happily began to cut up her soy bacon and eat it piece by piece. Applejack would nudge Big Mac just to mess with him, who would retaliate by pushing her back. Even Apple Bloom, who she expected to look up and make a chastising remark, only looked at her before going back to munching on a pancake and reading the book. To Diamond, this was something completely new. Something that she’d never seen, much less dreamed of. To her, breakfast was always taken up to her room and she ate it there, afraid to face her father in the mornings. There was no nudging, no laughing, nor talking. There was only her and her food, which, even though it was imported from wherever, looked bland compared to this simple feast. Yet her pride shone through as she realized that, if she acted like she was enjoying this, she would give them more reason to think she was weak. She adjusted her rump so she sat up straight and gripped the fork in her hoof, awkwardly cutting the pancakes. “So, Diamond?” Applejack spoke up, smiling a little to her, “What’cha think of the farm so far?” The filly muttered, “It’s stinky, gross and too big… but I guess it’s alright.” Granny chuckled, “That’s the spirit! We’ll have ya’ farming apples in no time!” This earned Granny a scowl from Diamond, whose face looked adorable as she tried to pull off a death stare. Granny was sent, once more, into hysterics, laughing at her failed attempt to impose fear upon the Apples. “Ya’ really should work on that face Diamond,” Apple Bloom muttered, “Ya’ look like a pig that accidently drank some old cider.” The pink filly whipped around to face Apple Bloom, opening her mouth to fire back a witty retort. Before she could, Big Mac’s deep voice again rumbled, “Eenope.” “Why don’t you two go on and help get Diamond’s things unpacked?” Applejack suggested, “That way ya’ can get settled in a bit better.” Diamond’s face turned into a frown. Apple Bloom sighed and put a small bookmark in her book, holding it to her side and muttering, “Fine.” The two began to walk out of the kitchen together. As they did so, Diamond couldn't resist the opportunity and bumped Apple Bloom, causing her to hit the wall. The yellow filly only grunted, but dropped her book so it laid cover up. As the two disappeared, Big Mac stood up to go and do his chores. He adjusted the harness around his neck and walked over to the very same exit that the two fillies had. As he did so, his eyes landed on the cover of the book. His eyes widened and he looked around, a small bead of sweat forming. He quickly kicked it so it slid underneath the couch, He hastily began to trot away, wondering how it was that his little sister had managed to get her hooves on such a book. ~ The two made their way up the stairs, Apple Bloom careful to stay one step behind Diamond to avoid her tricks. Diamond walked up to the door to her room and opened it up, holding it open in mock respect for her new ‘sister’, “After you, Apple Lame.” Apple Bloom muttered something about the weather and walked inside. Diamond stepped in after her and closed the door so that it hit Apple Bloom and sent her into the center of the room. The yellow filly pulled herself up and whipped around, “Hey!” Diamond shrugged and walked over to her suitcases, “Come on, we have some things to unpack. And don’t even think about trying any of them on, they’re probably more expensive than all your dresses combined.” “Shut up.” Apple Bloom pulled a suitcase down and opened it, pulling out a white frilly dress. She pulled a hanger down and slid it into the sleeves, hanging it up like she would her bows. “No no, you’re not doing it right!” Diamond pushed her aside and adjusted the dress, “You’re going to leave a crease in it if you hang it like that!” The patience of the blank-flanked filly was beginning to deteriorate. She growled through clenched teeth, “Well then why don’t ya’ show me how ta’ hang them?” Diamond looked up and she nodded, “I guess you would need to know, having never handled anything this expensive before.” “I said shut up.” Apple Bloom muttered a little louder, pulling out yet another dress from the suitcase. “If I do, then you’ll ruin everything that I took so many hours to-” “SHUT UP!” Apple Bloom flung the dress at Diamond, causing the pink filly to trip when it landed on her face. When she removed it, she saw a very angry and very different Apple Bloom than the one she would tease of the playground. “Listen here Tiara!” Apple Bloom fumed, “If we gotta live in the same house, then ya’ outta’ treat me like I’m a pony! Ah don’t care that yer an abused filly, but ya’ outta’ show some respect to us fer agreeing to take ya’ in! If it weren’t for us, you’d be in the middle of an orphanage right now! So show some respect!” With that, the yellow filly trotted over to the door, left and slammed it. Diamond was left, stunned, in the middle of the room. Her mouth was agape for several seconds before reality kicked in. She shook herself and muttered, “Gah, nevermind her.” She picked up the dress and dusted it off, laying it on the bed. If it weren’t for us, you’d be in the middle of an orphanage right now! The once rich filly began to think, realizing now that she was lucky to even be here. She could be in the middle of some relocation center and get sent off to Equestria knows where. As she realized how much Apple Bloom was right, the more angry she became for her situation. As she stared out the window, she saw that the sun had just started to peak. She sighed and rested her head on her hooves, looking out the expanse of the apple trees and wondering where the future might take her. “Wonder why I didn’t have to go to sch-” Her eye widened as a terrible realization sunk in. How was she supposed to go to school tomorrow?