Filthy Rich opened the sturdy lock on the grand, tall door of their home and ambled inside.  Once Diamond Tiara followed he locked up in her wake and continued along upstairs.  Normally by this point they'd have maids bustling about them taking their bags, opening doors for them, preparing their evening needs before bed time, and such.  But all the staff had been dismissed -- the mansion was completely silent save for the dull, distant click of various time pieces around the place or the trickle of running water from the private waterfall pool out in the rear courtyard.  His heavy hoof falls and her small, sharp ones echoed off the halls rather pointedly as they went.

Instead, Filthy accompanied his daughter along and helped her get ready for bed, though to nowhere near the same degree as the servants would have.  In most cases she could have simply sat down and all the maids would have prepared her for bed, brushing her mane (and even teeth were she feeling particularly lazy), dressing her in a night gown, pre-warming her bed sheets, and so forth.  But he trusted his daughter to be able to handle such things herself for the most part.  He wanted to provide her with a comfortable lifestyle that he'd lacked at her age, not to spoil her into uselessness.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:48, Thu 17 May 2012.

Diamond Tiara was good enough to handle such things on her own (though she might have wished for the time to think of things rather than having to prepare herself for bed personally).  Still, she slipped out of her dress (and hung it up, because it was one of her better ones) and let her mane down.  Not bothering to brush it, she went on to brushing her teeth.  She'd have harder brushing to do in the morning, but she was feeling lazy as could be right now.  There were more important things to do than worry about her perfectly clean mane.

It would be perfectly fair to let the servants worry about her mane in the morning, anyway...

When she finally was able to lay down for the night, her only regret was that daddy had given the bed warming servant the night off.  Pre-warmed sheets were the absolute best...

Filthy put his daughter to bed and tucked her in, making sure she was comfy before he turned down the lights.  "Goodnight princess.  Sweet dreams." he said as he gave her another loving nuzzle.  Once she was settled in he turned and left the room, quietly pulling the door shut in his wake.

Once outside in the hall, Filthy Rich drew a long sigh and listened to it echo off the walls of the corridor.  He was glad he could be of help to his daughter but internally wondered if he hadn't been the cause of some of her strife.  Was he doing a good job as a father and making sure she got all the life-lessons she needed to grow?  What if he wasn't giving her the guidance she really needed?  It was difficult doing it all alone.  The maids were one thing, but sometimes he wondered if Diamond Tiara needed a mare in her life.

As the stallion slowly headed down the hallway, only his own hoof beats accompanied him.  A single-sized bed awaited in his room as he turned up a lamp, though he had no desire to settle under the sheets alone.  He had his daughter and his business -- both all-consuming in his life.  But for all the good fortune Filthy Rich had, he felt terribly lonesome as he sat at his desk and stared out at Luna's moon through the window.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:55, Thu 17 May 2012.

Diamond Tiara's sleep didn't come quite as quickly as she had hoped, and her thoughts were still a bit chaotic...

However, sleep came, at long last, and swept her off to a realm where there was nopony who could mess with her place in the world and no need to give up what she wanted for other ponies.

Her sleep, however, became somewhat fitful as the night went on...

Just making a post to cap it off.

Dawn of Day 2: 48 Hours Remain

It was a normal day for Diamond Tiara.  Really, it was a grand old day for Diamond Tiara.  Silver Spoon was by her side, and Ponyville was bending over backwards for her.  She had already gotten some of her favorite tomatoes for 'being the prettiest and kindest filly in Ponyville' and Silver Spoon had revealed some brand new jewelry for them to wear.  They came by the schoolyard and everypony loved them.  Applebloom and Sweetie Belle even held the door for them.

The world was perfect.

Then, she took such a hit to the face from hard red ball that it sent her tumbling out of the schoolhouse and onto the yard outside.  Her dress ripped as she landed hard on her rump, but at least her tiara stayed on her-

Boom!

A ball knocked it clear off of her head.  She scrambled to retrieve it, but tripped over an outstretched leg and landed hard.  She could feel it break as it lightly cut her skin.  A frantic cry rose in her throat as she pushed herself up and saw it was broken cleanly in half...

She turned to Silver Spoon, trying to gather her wits, but she couldn't find her friend, "S-Silver Spoon?"

All she found was Meadow Lark, who rolled the pieces of her tiara around with his wings and kicked them up onto the roof, which seemed miles and miles away.

The little filly looked up in desperation, before turning towards that horrible colt.  He laughed and laughed, and she tried to buck him but he was gone.

"Nopony would want to be friends with a greedy filly like you!" He spoke from behind, and she turned to glare at him but he was gone.

"Especially if they knew the truth!" Silver Spoon hissed in her ear from behind, bringing hot tears to her eyes.  She couldn't bear to swing on her friend, but she wanted to know why her best friend would say something like that.

Before she could turn around, Scootaloo shoved her down, "Nopony likes you now, anyway!  Who cares if they know what you really are?!?"

As she tried to go after this assailant, but the crowd started to close in...that faceless, hateful crowd of other ponies.

As much as she tried to push out, the ponies only shoved her back in and didn't let her move.  The world started to smother her, and it was all she could do to scream.

Diamond Tiara screamed loud enough to wake the dead.  She clutched the sheets and looked around, panting heavily.  If that was a dream, it seemed all too real...

Quite often adults would joke with each other about how, when growing up, their parents always seemed to have superpowers they were hiding from everyone else.  A sort of omniscience that always seemed to let them know what going on in the house, super speed to always be there to catch you when you were up to no good, and the like.  But perhaps there was some merit to such jokes.  Despite being an Earth Pony, Filthy Rich sure did manage a good impression of teleportation sure to make Twilight Sparkle green with envy.

The stallion had been in his bedroom down the hall only a moment prior, fixing his tie with the assistance of a maid while he was readying himself for an early work day.  But when Diamond Tiara's high-pitched scream rang out, the maid was left blinking in the wake of a wind tunnel formed by how fast he'd evacuated the point in space he'd been occupying a second before.  In an instant he burst open the door to her room, looking about wide-eyed for any source of danger that would dare upset his sweet little girl.

"Diamond Tiara!  What is it?  What's wrong?!" he was quickly by her bedside, still on alert.  The doorway to the filly's room was promptly occupied by the face of the Butler and several maid ponies all peering in, wondering what the ruckus was about.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:51, Thu 24 May 2012.

Diamond Tiara looked up at her father, fighting for her breath.  She looked in his eyes, first.  Something about those eyes calmed her, even as terror was still trying to grip her very being.  What she had seen was only slightly less vivid than those concerned eyes staring down at her, speaking volumes about how her father would do anything to keep her from being harmed.  Taking one last long and heavy sigh, she shook her head, "I-I'm all right.  I'm all right, Daddy."

Her blue eyes worriedly glanced out at the others.  Usually, she'd be mad that such a moment was being intruded upon.  For once, though, she didn't have the heart to be harsh with a servant.  She barely had the heart to lie to her father and say it was all all right, especially since her racing heart was just getting the memo about the sprint being over.  The filly had never had to deal with something so horrifying...not since she was very small...

Filthy Rich let his own heart slowly climb down from where it had leaped into his throat.  Diamond's scream, finding her in a fit all tangled up in her sheets... it was obvious then what had happened.  Still, he would never feel foolish for rushing to his daughter's side to fight away nightmares just like he'd done countless times before.  The stallion looked back to the servants and nodded gently, wordlessly sending them away -- they took the hint and backed off, closing the door behind them to give the two some privacy.

"Instead of a penny for your thoughts, how about two Bits this time?" Filthy asked as he settled himself down beside his daughter's bed, bringing his eye level equal with hers.  He offered a limb outstretched to her for a hug he was sure she needed, but unsure of if she wanted just then.

At least last night, her mind hadn't had the time to run rampant and betray her all over the place.  Now, it took all of her restraint to hold it together until she was sure that the only pony listening was Filthy Rich.

"It was another dream, daddy." Diamond Tiara sobbed, trying to be strong by staying apart from the hug.

To her credit, she managed only grew slightly more frantic as she continued recalling the dream, "It was so nice, but then everything went wrong...everypony treated me badly and everypony knew!  They all knew and they all hated me for it, da-!"

A sob choked that word into oblivion, and she rubbed her face to keep those tears away.  She didn't want to look like this.

Filthy Rich drew his daughter against his chest once more, offering himself as a stable presence until she got it out of her system.  Last night must have really stuck with her... for her sake, he hoped she didn't linger too long on such troublesome thoughts.

"Shh, shh... it's okay sweetie." he rumbled softly against her mane.  "I know you don't want anypony to know, but we've talked about this before.  There's nothing to be ashamed of.  Nopony would think any less of you.  And there's no way anyone could ever hate you."

Diamond Tiara did calm down over time, though that thought always remained dreadfully at the back of her mind.  It was the one thing that threatened the whole pillar that held her world up.  Her father could say those things all day, and they would be true all day and everyday, but it never made her mind any less worrisome when her thoughts got on this.

A filly could never stop being worried, "Right, you said that before, Daddy...but, I'm not telling anypony.  I...don't want to take the chance, okay?"

It was times like this that made Filthy Rich wonder if he was doing the right thing.  He made a lot of exceptions for his daughter and never wanted to put her in a position of weakness, especially when it would hurt her so much.  The nature of what she was worried about held no shame for him as an adult, but for her sake...

"It's alright.  I haven't told anypony either... nopony knows who didn't already.  I trust you to let the world know when you're ready for it." he assured the poor filly with a sigh.  He didn't think it was something that had to be kept a secret, but until she was prepared to face it herself, he didn't feel right trying to force the issue.

The stallion gave Diamond a soft kiss on the top of her head and eased back, rising to his hooves once more.  He worried that she wasn't going to be able to focus or perhaps even cope with the school day as normal... if she was having nightmares because of her fears, then how could he expect her to face her schoolmates?  He mulled for a moment and rubbed at his chin in thought.  "Diamond; I'm going to be in Manehatten today for work.  I need to visit some distributors there and make sure everything is going as scheduled for a new supply route.  How would you like to join me in the big city?  I have to catch an early train leaving soon, but you could take a train later today and meet me once I'm all finished with work."

Diamond Tiara really just listened attentively throughout the talk, her own worries lording over her.  She put on a brave face, though, and it didn't really break until he offered to let her go to the city with him, "Ooh!  Manehatten's great this time of year!  Can I really go?  Can we stop by the shops like we did the last time we were there?"

The plan in place here was above her, but she could certainly enjoy it without understanding his real reasons.  As far as she was concerned, Daddy was just doing something nice for her.  He'd probably want her to work on that stupid paper Cheerilee wanted her to write, too, but she could deal with that then.  A great day spent in Manehatten away from all of this trouble?  It was enough to take her mind right off of her dark and wrorying thoughts.

And he'd be done with work, so she wouldn't have to wait to really enjoy things.  Plus, there'd be no eighty bit limit!  They'd be able to stop by the shops and pick up some nice things for Silver Spoon and her.

The relief and excitement from Diamond Tiara was palpable and it soothed Filthy Rich's own worries.  Running away from a problem wasn't the way to go about doing things, but there was nothing wrong with taking time to regroup and breathe a little.  Who could fault him for wanting to make sure his beloved little filly was happy?

"Yes, yes, we can.  Once I finish with work, we'll make a day of it.  I'll take you wherever you want to go, okay princess?" he assured her with a smile.  "I need to get going now, but I'll send word to Miss Cheerilee that you won't be in today.  Take your time this morning and relax, then go to the train station with Peppermint around... oh, mid-morning should do it.  The travel time should put you at Manehatten right around when I finish my meetings."

Peppermint, of course, was one of the more reliable maids on staff often charged with foalsitting Diamond Tiara when he had to work late.  All of the servants had their fair share of raising the girl at some point or another, but that pink-and-white maned Pegasus had more experience than the rest and would be the best pony to accompany Diamond Tiara later that day.  Once Filthy Rich was sure his daughter would be alright and had no more concerns to voice, he gave her another kiss and trotted out to tend to the rest of his morning.

Diamond Tiara nodded, "See you later, daddy.  I love you."

She didn't particularly dislike any of the servants, but Peppermint was one of her favorites.  After all, Peppermint had been there the longest time...

She shook her head to try to get away from those thoughts, getting up to get ready.  Sure, she'd be sitting around for a while before getting the train, but she wanted to be clean, have her mane brushed, and be perfect.  The servants normally got to handle everything, but she was practically a little whirlwind today!  Her mane hadn't been brushed well the night before, so that'd be a little extra work, but that'd keep her occupied a while longer so there'd be less time to wait before the scheduled departure time!

"As I love you, princess." the stallion smiled back at his daughter as he left the room, quickly being replaced by a pair of maids who were on task to help Diamond Tiara with her morning routine.

In the meantime, Filthy Rich took care of affairs as he had become quite skilled at doing over the years.  Business was his nature and being able to manage, micro-manage, and multitask came as easily to him as breathing.  Before he'd left the house he had everything set in motion to make sure things would go smoothly for his daughter while he was away.  Now he could only hope that things at work didn't hit any major snags that would delay him unexpectedly.

As the morning progressed onward, Diamond Tiara would have all the time to herself that she liked.  Naturally the servants were all there for her though.  They kept to the background, assisting her where she would allow -- they drew her bath, prepared various outfits to be taken or refused at her whims, and the kitchen was busy with making a healthy, flavorful breakfast for her whenever she deemed to come downstairs and indulge.  The lifestyle of the idle wealthy was certainly a pleasant one and just being able to take her own pace amid such leisure was sure to improve the filly's mood, particularly since she had a long train ride and day of fun in the city ahead of her.

--> Filthy Rich exits
This message was last edited by the player at 19:25, Thu 24 May 2012.

Diamond Tiara, thankfully, was absolutely at comfort in the routine.  She was eager, though.  Unlike a usual school day, she had something really wonderful to look forward to.  She would have to get Silver Spoon a gift to make up for going to Manehatten without her, though.  Something like that brooch she wanted might be good enough to smooth over vanishing for a day without any explanation or warning.

Properly dressed and prepared, Diamond Tiara practically skipped all the way to the train station with Peppermint happily (if a little hurriedly) in tow.  It'd be a long ride to Manehatten (compared to the short walk to the train station), but her spirits couldn't have been higher!

Exit to the Train Station

Day 8

Diamond Tiara woke up extraordinarily well rested on this fine day.  She didn't look forward to going to school, but at least that report she had to write after the Meadow Lark incident was done.  She sighed as she headed into the other room, starting to get herself ready.  It was a little odd to see the daughter of Filthy Rich preparing herself in the morning, especially for the maids.  It gave her less time to think, and she wanted to get off to school in a hurry.  That didn't mean her 'process' of getting ready in the morning wasn't really extensive, though.  And she'd still say goodbye to her Daddy on the way out...

Begin Day 8

As always, Filthy Rich woke up early.  He was one of the first to rise in the household, often even waking earlier than most of the serving staff.  Except the Butler... he never could manage to wake up before that Pony despite several efforts in the past.  He was too good at his job, it seemed.  But Filthy enjoyed the gradually diminishing quiet of his mansion waking up and slowly coming to life around him in the morning hours.  He was gradually attended to by the maids helping him prepare for his busy day, though he perked to hear some of the idle chatter going amid the mares over how Diamond Tiara was tending to her own needs more frequently.

To that, Filthy Rich couldn't help but smile.  Things had been a little different around home ever since she got back from that accidental trip to Appleloosa.  Filthy Rich was an understanding Pony and hadn't gone too ballistic at the fretting Miss Peppermint... admittedly he had flared his temper just a bit at the thought of his little girl being in such a situation, but the remarkable tale of everything she'd been up to in that border town assuaged his feelings.  In all honesty he couldn't have been more proud of his princess.  He could already see her starting to grow up before his eyes and, while the thought did fill him with a sort of sadness, it had just as much joy to it.

In time the snappily dressed Earth Pony was at the head of the dining table with a simple breakfast laid out before him -- toast and jam, a boiled egg, a salad, and water.  He'd refused having any coffee and the maids just giggled knowingly to each other until he cast them a side-long glance that got them to quiet down.  He read the morning paper as he ate, catching up on local news and enjoying a brief amount of quiet before his day would really begin.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:07, Thu 30 Aug 2012.

Diamond Tiara snuck up to the table and nuzzled her father quickly, saddlebags already sorted for school but not on her just yet.  She could look for a few excuses to delay (and on Mondays she often did), but she decided to settle for getting her morning hug and a quick breakfast before her departure.  It wasn't like she'd be all that early anyway.

"Good morning, daddy, she said as she stepped up to the table.

Filthy had been preoccupied with an article about extending the local railway with a second line, so he was taken by surprise when his daughter moved in to stealth-snuggle him.  It earned the filly a chuckle, a fond hug, and a kiss on her tiara-wearing brow.

"Good morning, Diamond.  Looking forward to your classes today?" he asked at seeing her bags already packed and ready to go.  While she got seated the maids were quick to buzz around her, swiftly setting the place around her and serving up a fresh breakfast for her, though it notably had more fruit and a glass of milk as well.  She was a growing filly, after all.

Diamond Tiara considered the lie that rested on the tip of her tongue.  To be truthful, she was usually bored in class.  She decided to be as honest as could be.  Family Appreciation Day was probably one of the few times when she sat up straight and listened.

"I'm looking forward to seeing my friend-" She stopped a moment, looking off to the side in thought before resuming. "Friends again.  And Miss Cheerilee."

It was truly odd to be able to say that and mean it, really.  Usually, it was just Silver Spoon and her.  Now, well, she could really count more, even if they were just tenuous bonds.  Meadow Lark, after all, would give her the time of day, even if she wasn't sure where exactly they stood.  She could mark him down as a definite maybe friend, for now.  Maybe today she could gather a few more, she thought as she took a sip from her glass of milk.  Breakfast was a good time to gather her thoughts before the day.  If she was going to start making things right, she'd have to have a good plan...

With a knowing smile of his own that all parents seemed to be able to pull of infuriatingly well, Filthy Rich just nodded in reply and made no comment over his daughter's slip of the tongue.  Much like Diamond Tiara he took breakfast as a time to gather himself for the day, though after some time of silence and eating he spoke up again.

"Oh, before I forget; my trip to Canterlot today has been canceled.  Apparently there was a cave-in at one of the mountain tunnels, so there's no hoof or train travel there right now.  I should be home this evening." he mentioned with some degree of satisfaction at the notion.  He loved Canterlot, but the long train ride up and down the mountain was always such a bore.  "I still have another trip to Manehatten soon though."

Diamond Tiara laughed softly, remembering how a trip to Manehatten had gotten her sent to a place that was almost as good, if for different reasons.  She was glad that she might be able to get up to Manehatten, though.  Going to the shops was definitely worthwhile.  This time, though, she'd make sure to read the train schedule and to check that the train was facing the right way!

As she finished her breakfast, she caught sight of the clock. "Whoops, it's almost time for school!"

The little pink earth pony gathered her saddlebags, gave her daddy one last hug, and hurried off toward school.  Hopefully, her idea would hold water once she got to school...unlike the plan she had at the festival to 'get revenge' on Meadow Lark.  A couple more plans like that and she'd be a friendless laughingstock!

[Exit to Ponyville Schoolhouse]