Diamond Tiara stared out of the window. She watched a solitary leaf rustle against the window, somehow clinging onto its tree, even though all its fellows had long since drifted to the ground. A solitary splash of gold amidst the brown. On the street beyond, the breath of ponies could be seen, vapor in the cold air.
She loved this time of year. Not because of cozy evenings by the fire or frolicking in the snow that would be falling just over a week from now, if the weather ponies' schedule was to be believed. Such things were the reasons given by those too old or too young. No, it was the chill in the air she loved. Winter was the one time of the year ponies in Ponyville routinely wore clothes. A chance to dress up everyday: how could any other season beat that?
And clothes meant shopping. Today was the day for her biggest shopping trip of the year, the day she would acquire most of the outfits she would wear for the next few months. She had been looking forward to it all week.
Diamond Tiara dropped the catalog she had been holding down on the table. She had read through it multiple times already and knew exactly what items she wanted. The only reason she had been browsing through it yet again was to kill some time. She wanted to go already, to be in Canterlot, where the shopping district waited, with all of its marvelous stores.
As soon as Ocean Breeze was ready, the two of them could go. She was glad that was who was taking her. Of their servants, she was Diamond Tiara's favorite and had been for the last two years. Though that might change if she was not ready soon. With her hoof idling tapping against the chair she was sitting, Diamond Tiara looked around the room for something to keep herself busy.
On a high shelf along one of the walls, she found what she was looking for. It was up there to keep it out of her reach, but there were ways around that. She slipped out of the chair and scooted it over to the wall. With a grunt, she clambered onto the chair and reached up to the shelf. Carefully, she took down the snow globe. It was not the only snow globe on the shelves that lined the room, but it was her favorite.
She smiled as she gazed upon it, admiring the scene of ponies skating around a lake. The couple in the fancy dress, that she liked to imagine were on a date, the father trying to teach his daughter to skate, and the figure skater, spinning in the center. She knew it all and loved every minute detail, including the inscription on the bottom.
Until you can skate again,
Love, Mom
It was the first snow globe Diamond Tiara's mother had owned. She had broken her leg and was unable to go skating or play outside, so her mother, Diamond Tiara's grandmother, had bought her a snow globe as a gift. It had sparked an obsession that lasted until her death.
Gently, Diamond Tiara shook the globe, watching the snow swirl around the skaters.
"Diamond darling, you know your father doesn't like you playing with those," a voice said, with just a hint of mirth in it.
"I'm always super careful," Diamond Tiara replied, without looking at Ocean Breeze, watching the globe for just a tad longer, before returning it to its place amongst the others. It was not the first time Ocean Breeze had caught her with that particular snow globe, and it would not be the last.
"I know you are, but those were your mother's. If anything were to happen to them, especially that one, it'd break your father's heart," Ocean Breeze said, as Diamond Tiara hopped down to the floor and returned the chair to its proper location. "Now, are you ready for your big shopping trip?" Ocean Breeze asked.
"Of course I'm ready. I've only been ready for, like, ever. So let's— Her speech cut off abruptly as she turned to face the maid, noticing she was still wearing her maid outfit. "Why are you still in uniform? Aren't you taking me?"
Ocean Breeze gave a slight smile, apologetic yet happy. "I'm sorry, dearie, but it seems that I'm not going with you this year."
"But why not?" Diamond Tiara asked, in a tone that was almost whining. Her face shifted, eyebrows scrunched together, head slightly tilted to one side, as she questioned the maid. "Did you get in trouble? Is somepony else taking me? That's it, isn't it?"
She hoped that it would not be Praiseworthy. It was nothing personal, for she quite liked the family butler, but shopping with him was not nearly as much fun as shopping with somepony younger and female. Stallions just did not know how to shop, or at least the ones in her life did not.
Ocean Breeze's laughter floated in the air. "No, I'm not in trouble. There was just somepony else who would really like the opportunity to go shopping with you instead."
"That would be me, if it is alright with you, princess," a voice said from the doorway.
Diamond Tiara's head shot up as she recognized the voice. "Daddy!" she squealed. She bounced over to her father and hit him with a tackle hug, nearly bowling him over.
"Oof!" Filthy Rich exclaimed. "Not so hard, pumpkin, or you'll wear me out before you've had your chance to haul me from one end of the shopping district to the other."
"But what happened to your meeting today? I thought it was important," Diamond Tiara said.
"Jet Set rescheduled at the last minute, something about some big event his wife insisted they had to go to and she absolutely had to get fitted for a new dress before hoof," Filthy Rich said with a shrug. "That's nobles for you, different priorities than sensible folk. So I figured what better way to spend my suddenly open day than with my darling daughter?"
The question was answered with another hug, this one squeezing him even harder than the previous one.
Diamond Tiara sat in the train car, counting trees as they passed by. It was not that she was particularly interested in them, or any of the other things they passed by, for that matter. It was just that every tree that went past was one tree closer to Canterlot and the shopping district. Besides, she had to do something to keep busy, otherwise she would probably be bouncing around the small room in excitement. Her favorite activity with her favorite pony in the whole wide world. It just did not get better than this.
She had spent the first half of the train ride telling her father all about the stores they would be visiting. Which ones were her favorites, what she had gotten at each last year and the year before, the order they would visit them in, she had covered it all. That was part of why she was silently counting trees. She had caught herself starting to repeat herself, and she did not want to bore him. She took a sip of tea, enjoying the soothing feeling on her throat. Another result of all the talking she had been doing.
"You know, I used to go to the district with your mother all the time," Filthy Rich said. He smiled at Diamond Tiara's look of disbelief and continued. "Things weren't as busy then, when we only had the one store. It wasn't that she was a shopaholic or anything. She often would buy only a single item. But she loved to walk around the city and pony watch, as well as just browse the stores."
Diamond Tiara listened with rapt attention. It was not often her father talked about her mother. Her loss weighed on him still. As for herself, well, Diamond Tiara only had a few memories of her mom, nothing clear. If the memories had been pictures, they would have been the ones taken of mythological creatures: fuzzy and out of focus. She yearned to know more, and so did nothing, lest any action of hers disrupt her father.
"There was this one little shop buried away in a corner that she positively adored. Now, personally, I wasn't too fond of the place. It smelled funny, you know, from all sorts of strange herbs and mixtures, and it had all sorts of strange things, things that didn't feel quite right. Just walking into the place was enough to make my hair stand on end. But your mother, she loved it. She could spend hours in there, talking with the owner, examining various objects. But what she liked most of all was the rear wall. That's where the owner kept his inventory of snow globes. An entire wall of snow globes, if you can believe that, from all over the world.
"It's where she got most of hers, you know. Every time we'd go there, she'd insist we check the store, and she'd pick one out. Wouldn't let us leave until she had. Said it was a family tradition and it would be bad luck to break tradition." Filthy Rich chuckled at the memory.
The chuckling did not last though. Diamond Tiara watched as it changed to sadness. Not quickly, but slowly, as if successive waves washed away the happy.
"The last time we went, she found this globe she absolutely adored. She begged me if she could have it, but we had just expanded the business, and money was tight. I told her she could get it the next time we went." He smiled, but then went solemn.
"Of course, there wasn't a next time. The accident..." He sighed. "If I could go back and change that moment..." He lapsed into silence, a silence Diamond Tiara did not break. She just watched her father, as he relived the memories, unsure of what to say.
For the rest of the trip, the two ponies in the cabin sat lost in their own thoughts. Filthy Rich stared across the cabin at the wall, while his daughter returned to counting the trees passing by outside.
Filthy Rich breathed a sigh of relief as he set the bags containing the clothes Diamond Tiara had bought so far down.
As always, in the weeks leading up to the annual winter shopping trip, she had shown him various catalogs with the items she wanted, totaling up the cost. Each year, he gave her enough bits to cover the items he agreed she could have, and yet each year she came home with quite a few additional items. He had always assumed she saved up some bits of her own throughout the year.
It turned out he was wrong. His daughter was quite the fierce negotiator. She managed to get discounts on items he had not even known it was possible to get discounts on. She worked all sorts of angles, varying from store to store, seeming to know exactly what would work best. A clerk in one store had even screamed in panic and ran into the back room the moment they had entered the store. He had never been prouder of her, and yet it worried him as well.
All children tried their hoof at manipulation, that much was a given, if not to try and get something they wanted, then it was to shift the blame onto somepony else. What worried him though was the skill she displayed, and more importantly, that he himself had not been aware of it. It made him wonder what else he had not been aware of. How well did he know his daughter?
Like what was happening in this store. He knew that Diamond Tiara was capable of throwing the occasional tantrum, though usually she would limit herself to pouting. It was actually quite adorable when she did. But to see her behave like this, in public, it was a side of her he had not seen.
"Sold out? What do you mean you are sold out?" Diamond Tiara near-screamed, causing other patrons in the store to look in her direction.
"Diamond Dazzle Tiara," Filthy Rich said, stressing each word. His daughter's face reacted in surprise, but she grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry, daddy," she said, much more quietly. Filthy Rich gave her a look to let her know that it was not him to whom she should be apologizing. She caught the unspoken command, her face shifting to a brief scowl, before she turned to the clerk and said, "Sorry."
"I wish there was something more I could do, miss, but I'm afraid we sold the last one earlier this morning," the clerk apologized.
"But I wanted that sweater. Daddy and I came all the way from Ponyville," Diamond Tiara said.
"Well, we should have some back in stock in, uhm..." The clerk rubbed his goatee while he thought. "Two weeks, I think. If you can come back then."
"Can't you check the back again?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"Now, princess," Filthy Rich interjected, "he's already searched the back room twice. I'm sure if there was one back there, he'd have found it." He pointed over to a rack of clothes. "How about one of those? They look nice."
"Nice isn't good enough, daddy! I need to look stunning," Diamond Tiara said, her voice rising in volume again. The clerk gave Filthy Rich a sympathetic look.
"Inside voice, sweetie," he reminded her. "Maybe we should check a different store then?" He eyed the bags and rubbed a sore spot on his back. He was not looking forward to carrying them all again.
"I guess... since this one has nothing good," Diamond Tiara said. With a flick of her mane, she strode out of the store, leaving the clerk shaking his head in disbelief. Filthy Rich glared at the clerk, then picked up the bags and hurried to catch up to his daughter.
When he caught up to her, she turned to him and said, "Sorry for losing my cool in there, daddy. It's just that I totally needed that sweater. Half the stuff we got is, like, practically useless without it."
"Does that mean we can return them?" Filthy Rich asked, looking forward to the prospect of a lighter load.
She laughed as if he had made a funny joke. "Don't be silly. I'll just have to make it work somehow," she said. She grimaced, no doubt trying to figure out a way to accomplish just that.
He felt fondness overwhelm him at the sight. She could be so serious. This side of her he was familiar with, having seen it often enough when she was busy doing homework while chewing on the end of a pencil, or while she and Silver Spoon were discussing something 'serious', like the latest cool thing. The familiarity reminded him of how much about her he did not know.
"So, do you always bargain everything down so much?" he asked.
Her face lit up at the question. "Oh yes, daddy. I do all the stuff I learned from watching you make deals for the company," Diamond Tiara said. "My customers deserve the best deals," she quoted. It was Rich's Barnyard Bargains current advertising slogan. "Especially when the customer is me."
"If I'd known that, I could have spared a few bits on your shopping trips," Filthy Rich said with a chuckle.
She looked at him aghast at his suggestion. "You'd punish me for saving money?"
He laughed out loud. She had a point there, he had to admit. Besides, it was good practice for when she eventually took over the company. "Okay, okay, you got me there. Still, strange that I never heard about your aptitude at it before."
"That's why I always make it a point to buy something nice for whoever is with me with some of the bits I save. Rich's Rule number seven: A small token can buy large amounts of goodwill," Diamond Tiara recited. "As long as you didn't ask, they didn't tell."
"Does that mean you're paying for dinner?" he asked.
She laughed. "Daddy, you're being silly again."
With that, a window display caught her eye and she raced to enter a store. He rushed after her, to find her browsing through a rack.
"Daddy, how about these?" Diamond Tiara asked, as she held up a set of clothes covered in gems. The dress shimmered, casting a multitude of colored reflections every direction, in a multitude of colors, as the light hit the polished stones.
Filthy Rich shook his head. "Absolutely not."
"But, daddy, everypony at school will be wearing things just like that this winter," Diamond Tiara pleaded.
Filthy Rich doubted that. There were not many parents in Ponyville who could afford these clothes, and fewer still who would let their foals dress in such a fashion. Rather than argue from that side of things, he decided to try the old standby his own father had used on him. "And if all of your classmates jumped off a bridge, would you?"
Diamond Tiara thought about it for a little bit. "That'd depend, I guess. If it was them crusaders, then no. But my actual friends aren't stupid, so if they, like, jumped off a bridge, it either must be safe or else they totally have a reason to. So, yes, I guess I probably would, daddy." She nodded to herself, convinced her logic was sound. "Does that mean I can have it?"
Filthy Rich laughed. His girl was smart and determined. "Well, I won't be saying the bridge thing to you again, that's for sure. But the answer is still no. You're still my little girl, and my little girl isn't going out into public dressed like a piece of dragon bait," Diamond Tiara started to protest, but before she could, Filthy Rich had one more thing to say. "And that's final."
"Oh," Diamond Tiara pouted, stretching the word out, and her head hung low in defeat.
Looking for a way to cheer up his sullen daughter that did not include have her dress like something out of a low budget vampony movie, Filthy Rich pointed out the building just ahead. "Hey, look, there's a Hasbro store. Want to go inside and pick out a toy?" Filthy Rich asked.
"A toy? I'm not a little filly anymore, dad. I'm a big pony now." The bit about how she should be able to wear what she wanted went unsaid, but he heard it regardless.
"Well, those colts over there don't seem to be too old for toys, and some of them are practically full grown stallions," Filthy Rich said, indicating a group of young stallions that had just left the store.
"Oh, please, daddy. I bet those are probably some of those weirdos that buy those toys for little fillies. They're, like, totally obsessed. They even write stories and stuff. So uncool," Diamond Tiara said.
"They actually collect the toys?"
"Yeah, dad. Why do you think they buy so much stuff for it from our store?"
"Well, I figured they had younger sisters or nieces or something," Filthy Rich said.
Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. "Get with the times, daddy."
"Learn something new everyday." He made a mental note to himself to discuss if they could take better advantage of this market segment with his head of marketing. "Okay, no toy then. Can't blame me for wanting to keep you my little girl forever though, no?" Filthy Rich asked.
"I'm practically a full-grown mare, dad," Diamond Tiara stated.
He looked at her, trying to see her with fresh eyes. No, he decided, she was not yet a full grown, but neither was she just his little girl anymore. She was becoming her own pony. Still, within, he could see who she had been, and he figured, who she would always, in part, be.
"Hey, look," Filthy Rich said, point ahead. "A wishing well. You used to love those. Want to make a wish?"
"What's the point, daddy? The wishes never come true when they matter most." The comment hit Filthy Rich hard, for he figured he knew what her wishes must have been. It must have shown on his face, for, Diamond Tiara's face softened. "Ocean Breeze loves them though. Last time we were here, she insisted I make a wish," she said with a giggle.
"Oh, really? What did you wish for?"
"That our maid would quit throwing our money away.".
Filthy Rich harrumphed. "That's my girl," he said with a laugh. "Did that wish come true?" he asked.
"She threw another bit in there and wished I wouldn't be such a grumpy-pants," Diamond Tiara said. "So I guess neither one of us got our wish that day." He laughed, and she joined in his laughter.
The next store they passed grabbed Diamond Tiara's attention. With a hop and a bounce, she stood on her rear hooves; her forehooves pressed against window as she admired a sweater worn by a mannequin on the other side.
"This one will be almost perfect, daddy!" she said, barely able to contain her excitement. "Why, it can go with the fuchsia boots, and it'll totally be awesome with the chartreuse cap."
Before Filthy Rich could translate the words she used into sensible color names like red or green, she was gone. He followed her inside, finding her holding the sweater up to the light, to better examine it.
"Perfect," she said, lightly brushing the fabric. She rummaged through the other sweaters, until she found one in her size. "Yes!" she exclaimed, slipping into it and bouncing over to a mirror. "Isn't it wonderful, daddy?" she asked.
Filthy Rich nodded. It did look good, and if Diamond Tiara said it was perfect, then it probably was. She was far more adept at that sort of thing than him, which is why he tended to rely on her judgment when he needed new suits. Given that he inevitably received compliments on them, he felt safe in trusting his daughter when it came to fashion.
"How much is it?' he asked. If the sweater was perfect, then the sooner it was bought and paid for the better. He was getting hungry.
Diamond Tiara checked the price tag and blanched. "Eighty bits," she said with a frown. She checked her purse and the frown changed to a scowl. With a snap, she closed her purse and put it away. With a determined stride, she went over to a nearby pegasus with a bowler hat cutie mark. "Do you work here?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"Indeed," the pegasus said. "I am Fancy Duds, proprietor of this here store." He seemed quite proud of that fact.
Filthy Rich looked around, examining the store with a professional eye. Displays were well set up to catch the eye, yet not wasteful of space. The staff, though small, was busy, making sure the customers were helped and tidying things up, but did not seem to be overworked. There seemed to be a decent number of customers as well. Fancy Duds was right to be proud, even if his store was a bit on the small side.
"How much for this sweater?" Diamond Tiara asked, even though she knew full well what the price was. The question was merely her opening move.
Filthy Rich watched with interest as his daughter did her best to talk the pegasus into lowering the price, without even the slightest success. She tried flattering him about his store. When that failed, she tried pointing out flaws in the sweater. When he dismissed those, she went for a sob story. Even saying that she had seen the identical sweater for half the price in another store got no result. Fancy Duds had suggested, quite courteously, she walk back there and buy that one instead.
"But I've only got, like, fifty bits left," Diamond Tiara said. She held open her purse and showed the proprietor. "See?"
"Then you have got a problem, young lady," Fancy Duds said. "I carry the finest quality items and charge a fair price for them. I do not negotiate. If you cannot afford them, then might I suggest you try a store more in your price range?"
Crestfallen, Diamond Tiara looked at the sweater, the longing easy to see in her eyes. She looked at Fancy Duds, but it was obvious he would not budge. With only recourse left, she turned to her father with large, pleading eyes. "Daddy, please?"
"You know, I think we have an almost identical sweater at the store, and for a lot cheaper," Filthy Rich suggested.
"But, daddy, this one is the real deal. Hoofmade, from the finest materials," she said, reciting things off the tag. "And what if the one at the store isn't quite right? Then it won't go with everything like this one." She gazed up at him with big imploring eyes. "Please?"
"Couldn't you just return some of the other items you've bought so you have enough bits for this one?"
She looked at him like he had just said the dumbest thing ever. "Daddy, if I return the things I want to use with this sweater, then I wouldn't need the sweater anymore, would I?"
He should not cave to her demands, he knew, but it was either that or have her be moody the rest of the day. Besides, it was not that much over budget. It would be a small price to pay.
"Fine," he said, giving in. "You can have it."
"Really?" She looked at him with large, hopeful eyes.
"Yes, really." He pulled his coin purse out of his pack and fished out the necessary bits, counting them out as he dropped them into Diamond Tiara's eager hooves. With a rattle of metal, she poured them into her own purse and followed Fancy Duds to the cash register. There, she emptied out her purse.
Filthy Rich looked at the pile of coins and frowned. There was no reason anypony should pay so much for everyday clothes, by his figuring. For fancy things to wear to special occasions, that was one thing, but this would be worn to school and played in at recess. He almost changed his mind about giving his daughter the bits she needed, but then he saw the smile on her face, the excitement in voice, as she refused a bag for her purchase, insisting on keeping it on. He smiled as she gleefully twirled around in her new sweater..
"Now, what do you say we get some dinner?" he suggested, as Diamond Tiara admired herself in a nearby mirror.
"That sounds awesome, dad," Diamond Tiara said, as she spun around in circles, first one way and then the other, trying to view herself from every possible angle. At last satisfied, she said, "I know a great place near here. It's where Ocean Breeze and I went last year."
Near apparently had a different definition for Diamond Tiara than for himself, Filthy Rich discovered, as his daughter led him toward the destination, winding through the streets. He was a bit winded by the time she announced they had arrived at his destination. Sure, he was carrying a few items, but that was no excuse, he thought, nothing that his belly had more of a paunch that he would have liked. Maybe the doctor had a point and it was time to start a diet.
He dropped the bags to the ground in a pile next to a table and sat down, while Diamond Tiara sat opposite. With a blissful sigh at being off his feet, he scooped up a menu and perused it. The diet could wait one more day, he decided. When the waiter came over, he let his daughter order before pointing out the items he wanted.
Diamond Tiara looked at him suspiciously as the waiter left. "You do remember what the doctor said about eating more healthy, right?" she asked.
"Of course, dear," he replied. He most definitely remembered, but one little meal for a special occasion would not be anything the doctor would complain about. Well, actually, knowing doctors, they probably would, but that is okay. Doctors did not feel like they were doing their job unless they could offer you some helpful advice, even when you were perfectly healthy.
While waiting for dinner to arrive, Filthy Rich started up a game with Diamond Tiara, wherein one would indicate an individual or group, and the other would make up a story for them. The unicorn with the eye patch was a pirate here to sell off some jewelry she had plundered. The sheep in the fancy suits were bankers from the Baahamas. The griffon was an assassin, on a covert mission to track down the pirate unicorn. The time passed quickly as they made up tall tales, giggled, and laughed, until the waiter returned, setting their meals before them.
"Daddy! You promised you'd watch what you eat," Diamond Tiara squealed in protest when she saw what was placed before him.
"And I will," Filthy Rich said. With a hoof, he picked up an onion ring, waving it in front of him. Wherever it went, his eyes tracked it, right up until the moment he shoved it into his mouth. "Delithuth," he mumbled. With a gulp, he swallowed. "And you'll notice I watched it the whole way."
"That's so not what I meant, and you know it, daddy. The doctor said you need to watch your cholesterol."
"Easy for him to say. He's not the one who has to eat the things he recommends. Besides, what's the point in living longer if you can't enjoy it?" he asked. "Answer me that."
"Because I need you, daddy. I don't know what I'd do without you." She gasped, then covered her mouth with her hooves, as if surprised at what she had just said. Her chair slid backwards as she leaped to her feet. "Excuse me. Restroom," she said, as she raced off.
At the table, Filthy Rich watched his departing daughter. Whenever he thought he had her figured out, she always managed to do something to surprise him. He glanced down at his food. It did not look as tasty as it had just a minute ago. He got up, dumped it in the nearest garbage can, and after flagging down a passing waiter, ordered a salad.
To blurt out her feelings like that was not like her. Oh, she was fine with telling ponies she did not care about just how worthless they were. Or to say something simple like "I love you" or give a present to show she cared, that she could do as well. To express vulnerability though, that she did not do. Weaknesses could be used to hurt. She should know: she was a master at doing just that.
She just needed a little time to think, to get her head on straight. The bathroom would provide just the place to do that, and besides, after walking all afternoon, she did need to go. She pulled open the door and walked in, only to stop, gawking at what she saw.
The odds of there being another pony from Ponyville in the restroom were rather slim. That said pony would be a member of Diamond Tiara's class, and a friend no less, slimmer still. But that the pony would be wearing a sweater very similar to her own, well, that was about as likely as an ancient kingdom miraculously appearing after a thousand year absence. Since that had recently happened, the gambler's fallacy would have dictated that there be no such sweater-wearing filly in the restroom. Unfortunately for Diamond Tiara, it was a fallacy for a reason.
"Diamond!" the pale yellow coated, purple maned pegasus exclaimed at a volume far too loud for the relatively small room they were in. The overly enthusiastic vocal greeting was followed by an equally energetic physical one. Before Diamond Tiara could get in a greeting of her own, Alula continued. "Are you shopping here too? Of course you are. I mean, why else would you be here? Ooh, I love your sweater. Did you get it from your father's store? I got the same one see?" She drew back and gestured toward her own sweater with a hoof. Her brow furrowed momentarily. "Well, not exactly the same. Mine is the pegasus version, of course." She flared her wings to demonstrate the difference. "But we'll practically be twins. It'll be so adorbs!"
"What? No. This is a CK original, the genuine article," Diamond Tiara insisted. Surely everypony could see that. She was not a pony who wore bargains. Nothing against her dad's store, it just had a... target market, that was the term her father used, that did not include her. She was a pony of style, elegance, and importance. What she wore was clearly better.
Alula seemed momentarily disappointed, but only momentarily. She piped right back up. "That's okay though, I mean, nopony will know the difference. They'll totally think they're the same. We should so both wear it to school on Monday!"
"Actually, I'm thinking about returning it," Diamond Tiara said. Alula was right. The sweaters were too similar. Knowing that took all the joy out of it. The best things were not the best if just any ole pony could have it. "It, um, doesn't fit quite right," she said, attempting to hide her reason for no longer wanting the sweater. "And it was the last one."
"Bummer. It'd have been so fun," Alula said, pouting slightly. The pout did not last long though, as she bounced up and down, aided by quick flaps of her wings. "Oh, I know. You should get one of these from your dad's store. This one fits great. I can let you try it on if you like."
Trying on Alula's sweater was not what Diamond Tiara wanted to do at all. She wanted to be unique and special, not wearing something anypony could afford. It was a shame too. It had been perfect. The fact that she had found something that would perfectly replace the sold out sweater had been lucky enough. The odds of finding another that would go so well with everything? As likely as Ponyville hosting the Equestrian Games.
Still, Alula was a friend, so she did her best to be gentle. "No need. I mean, it wouldn't fit right because of, you know..." Diamond Tiara pointed toward Alula's wings.
"Oh, duh. Silly me, what was I thinking? Pegasus, duh! I swear sometimes I'd forget my wings if they weren't attached to my sides." Alula winked at Diamond Tiara, before laughing at the joke. "Well, just in case you change your mind about returning it or you decide to get one of these from your dad's store, I'll be sure to wear mine on Monday."
"Sounds like a plan," Diamond Tiara said. She had a plan alright. No way was she going to wear this sweater or like one like it on Monday or any other school day, but Alula did not need to know that.
"Anyway, I so got to get going. My mother is probably wondering what's keeping me. But it was nice to see you and I'll see at school, okay?"
Diamond Tiara nodded, answered Alula's wave with a wave of her own, and then was alone. She glared at her reflection in the bathroom's mirror. "Stupid sweater!" she exclaimed as she tore it off and flung it on the counter top. She started to count backwards from five to try and calm herself, before changing her mind. Five was not going to cut it. She started again, from twenty.
Done with her counting, she let out an angry sigh. After another angry glare at the sweater that had betrayed her, she did her business, then returned to stare at the sweater some more. She contemplated leaving it there, for somepony to find and take. Her dad though would ask her where it was, and well, she wanted her bits back. Grumbling, she picked it up and exited the bathroom, returning to the table, dropping sweater on it.
At her father's questioning glance, she said, "I don't want it anymore." She sat down, crossing her forelegs across her chest.
"What's the matter, hon?" her father asked.
"I don't wanna talk about it," she replied.
He did not ask again, nor did he ask about what she had said earlier. He just looked at her, before nodding and resuming eating his food. She sat across from him for several minutes, barely moving a muscle, before hunger led her to take a few bites of her own food. Even then, she spent more time pushing it around the table than eating.
"It's just that the sweater was perfect, but then I ran into a girl from school who got one just like it from our store. And now she wants us to both wear them on Monday and be like sisters or something." She glared at him like it was his fault.
"Really? That doesn't sound that bad," her father replied.
"It's horrible, daddy! This sweater was the best, but now it isn't. It can't be the best if everypony else can have it. Don't you understand?"
"You know I think you're the best no matter what you wear, right?" he said. She glared at him. He obviously did not understand. He opened his mouth, looking like he was about to say something, but whatever it was, he must have changed his mind. Instead, he sat silently, then shrugged. "Well, you know me," her father said, with a self deprecating smile. "I leave the fashion stuff to the professionals. So if you are sure it needs to be returned, then that's what we'll do, okay?"
Diamond Tiara nodded. It did need to be returned. She needed to be special, to stand out, and she could not do that if she had to share the attention with somepony else.
Still in a bad mood, she finished half of the food on her plate, before deciding she was full. By that point, her father had been finished with his own meal for a while, and the way he had been looking at her had been making her a bit uncomfortable.
She got to her feet, throwing the sweater onto her back, and waited for her dad to pick up all the bags. Then, she returned to Fancy Duds's store. She had barely been able to restrain her rage when he had told her there would be a twenty-five percent restocking fee because she had removed the tags. The day just kept getting worse.
She stormed outside. "I want to go home," she informed her father. "This whole day has been a disaster. Barely found anything useful at all!"
Filthy Rich looked at his daughter, then turned his head at the pile of bags he was carrying, before shaking his head. Maybe he had been right to worry about her. He cast an appraising eye on her. Had he not given her enough love? No, he knew that was not the problem. He loved her deeply, and she him. Both those things he knew for sure.
"Dad?" she asked. "Can we go already?"
He nodded and started to walk, and while he did so, his mind wandered as well. There were times when Diamond Tiara reminded him of her mother. The twinkle in her eye, the little smirk, and how determined she got when something upset her... all things his daughter had gotten from his wife. He missed his wife. There was an ache within him, an ache that hurt still after all this time.
He knew that ache was part of why he threw himself into his work. He liked to tell himself he did it for his daughter, so that she would be set for life, but that was only a partial truth. He did it because it kept his mind busy, stopped him from dwelling on the past. But it came at a cost. Perhaps he should cut his work hours some. Yes, that is what he would do, he decided. He would set aside more time for his daughter.
"Dad!"
"Huh?" he asked, coming to a stop.
"Where are you going?" Diamond Tiara said, trying to catch her breath from the rapid pace he had inadvertently set.
He looked around, taking in the buildings, the shops, and streets. It came to him where he was. This was not the way to the train station. This was the way to... He started to walk again, ignoring his daughter's protests. If he was right, it should be just around the corner. And it was, hidden away on a little used street.
"It's still here," Filthy Rich said. The same worn shopfront. The sign had not been repainted in the years since he had last been, so was more faded than ever. Yet other than the age, it was well maintained. The sidewalk, in particular, was cleaner here than it was in front of the stores on either side.
"What, daddy?" Diamond Tiara asked, near growling.
"This store. This is the one I was telling you about. The one she loved so much." He took a step towards it, then another.
"But I want to go home," Diamond Tiara pleaded.
Her words did not register. Without thinking, he slipped the bags to the ground. "I'll be right back," he said.
No longer taking halting steps, he crossed the threshold of the store and disappeared inside. The smells hit him first, so long since last experienced, yet familiar none the same. The smell of foreign herbs, of incense, and of antiquity. The shop had changed some since he had been here that last time with his wife, he saw. The back wall no longer had its section of snow globes.
"Hello," the shopkeeper greeted him.
He was older now, but Filthy Rich recognized him. "Hello, Mr. City. I don't know if you remember me..."
The shopkeeper squinted at him, a puzzled look upon his face. With a gasp, he rushed forward and shook Filthy Rich's hoof. "Mr. Rich! For you, please just Curio. Mr. City was my father. I have not seen you in years," he said, before growing more somber as he continued. "I was so sorry to hear about your wife."
"Thank you," Filthy Rich said. "No more snow globes, huh?" He gestured toward the wall where they used to be.
Curio shook his head, sadly. "Not enough money in them, I'm afraid." He stopped, a shocked look on his face. "Wait just a minute; I will be right back!" he said, rushing off into the back.
Diamond Tiara sat wondering what was taking her father so long. She contemplated going in after him, but she did not want to leave all her purchases lying in the street. She supposed she could take it in with her, but by the time she picked it all up and got it situated, her father would no doubt have come out of the shop already. How could anything of interest be inside such a decrepit looking shop anyway? The inside probably smelled worse than Ponyville's retirement home.
A couple stopped, looking as if they were about to ask her if she needed help. She grimaced at them, and they continued on their way, leaving her to sit alone amidst her purchases. She did not want their attention anyway. She wanted her father to get out here and take her home. The day was a disaster and it needed to end.
She turned her attention to her left foreleg, which was tapping out an angry beat on the cobblestones. With a thought, she put a stop to that. What was taking so long?
At last, the door to the store opened and her father walked out. She gave him a look that would have made one of the princesses flinch. On him though, it had no effect. Not even a facial muscle twitched. He just walked up to her and set a small box wrapped in brown paper in front of her.
Diamond Tiara glared at her father, for thinking he could buy her off with a simple present. Especially a present from such a store. There was no way it could be anything good. But just to be sure, she decided to open it anyway. She ripped into the paper, sending bits of it flying, and opened the box to look within.
A glass globe, water filled, with a wooden base, was inside. Inside the globe was a statue, a statue of two ponies, clad for winter, walking, with a foal dashing merrily between them.
"A stupid snow globe? That was mom's thing, not mine," Diamond Tiara said, setting the box down rather roughly.
"It's engraved," he said. "Look at the bottom."
Something about the tone of his voice led to her curiosity overcoming her grumpiness. Carefully, she took the globe out of its box and turned it over. As the words on the bottom became clear, she would have dropped it, had not her father quickly extended a hoof to steady it.
For my little girl,
- Love, mom
"She had it engraved, when she asked him to hold it for her. All those years and he still had it." He shook his head, almost in disbelief, before looking lost in thought. "She had this way about her. She could spend five minutes with a pony, and they would remember her years later, and she them. I knew the moment I met her that she was the one..."
Tears in her eyes, Diamond Tiara set the globe down and threw her hooves around her father. "I miss her too, daddy."
Filthy Rich stared out the window as the train sped through the night. Occasionally, specks of light could be seen as they passed a farmhouse. Mostly though, the night was dark, lit only by the faint light coming off a sliver of moon. It did not matter much to him though, for he was not paying attention to the scenery. His thoughts were on his daughter and on whether or not he was doing right by her. He had already resolved to spend more time with her, but would that be enough? Would the two of them be alright?
He felt Diamond Tiara move on his other side. She had fallen asleep shortly after the train had departed the station, and at some point, had shifted in her sleep so that she snuggled up against him. He looked over and saw that she was looking back at him.
She yawned, then said, "Can we stop by the store tomorrow and get one of those sweaters?"
He thought over his schedule, what he all had to do tomorrow. Enough to keep him occupied from sunup to sundown. And then he nodded. He would make the time.
His daughter was not done yet though. "And next year, daddy..." she said, with another yawn.
"Yes?"
"Will you take me shopping me again?"
"Of course, sweetie," Filthy Rich replied. "And we'll get you another snow globe. After all, it's a family tradition."
"I'd like that," she said, her voice barely audible over the sound of the train.
He smiled at she snuggled up against him, drooling slightly on his foreleg as she slept . He knew now that, no matter what happened, somehow, someway, the two of them would be alright. They had each other, and that was enough.
