Pricelessby TheMasterofDespairChaptersPrologueDay 1Day 2Day 3ProloguePriceless By TheMasterofDespair Prologue Cold, distraught, and saddened could seemingly describe the young filly that sat on the deck of the train station, watching the gloomy night sky. The filly’s purple and white mane brushed gently against her pale magenta coat as the wind softly blew by. Perched on top of her head was a small tiara of which was identical to her cutie mark. Beside her was a small bag that held only a hoofful of bits, and at the edge of her teeth she held a small yellow ticket, although half of the ticket was concealed, what could be read was the word, -hattan. Rarely did anypony take the night train in Ponyville, making it quite unnerving to be around this hour. But the eerie atmosphere didn’t seem to bother this filly. Her mind seemed to be locked on the stars above. “Well, what if I do? What are you gonna do about it?” Diamond then moved closer towards Babs, until their noses were practically touching. Their eyes were locked, either of them refusing to back down. Babs’s ire stare however soon began to relax, to which she finally spoke. “Tell your mothers about your bad attitudes!” Diamond shook her head, trying to her best to ignore that particular memory. Ever since she had heard it, it refused to leave her mind. Her eyes now moved away from the sky, and down towards the train tracks. She wished the train would arrive already, but for whatever reason it seemed to be late. With her thoughts still racing within her head, she involuntarily started to count every wooden plank on the railroad. She counted them one by one, from where she sat, until she could not see them anymore. Soaked in mud, and missing her tiara, she marched home. Her once smug smirk now gleamed of both sorrow and fury. Too many thoughts were burning through her skull, she felt as though she couldn’t keep up. All she wished now was to be home, away from the source of her anger. “Diamond, wait up,” called a familiar voice, so familiar she didn’t bother turning around to see who it was. The grey filly that was also soaked in mud, finally caught up to her. In her mouth she was holding Diamond’s tiara, even though it was tarnished by the mud, it still managed to sparkle in the sunlight. “What a jerk. I guess once a blank flank always one, right.” Her comment didn’t seem to faze Diamond. She just ignored her and continuing walking home. “Look Diamond, maybe we should talk about it.” “Talk about what? That Babs is a backstabbing jerk.” “N-no, I mean what she said.” “What does it matter? Its history, just leave me alone.” “Diamond, I just want to help.” “I don’t really care. If you really want to help me, then stay out of my face.” “D-Diam...” “Shut up, just shut up! I don’t want to hear your stupid voice anymore!” Diamond’s shouting seemed to finally get Silver Spoon to back down. She remained almost frozen in position, watching Diamond run home. Diamond let out a soft sigh. She had grown bored of counting the railroad planks over and over again, and was looking for something else to pass the time. She closed her eyes, and envisioned images of whatever her mind could conjure up. She tried to ignore any displeasing thoughts, and just focus on whatever made her happy. But her mind seemed to be clouded by hatred. Her daydreaming however was soon shattered, by a nearby noise. By Instinct, see turned her head to face the train station. She knew it was just her imagination, but she almost wished somepony was there. That somepony had noticed her departure, and was here to bring her back home. She tried her best to hold back her tears, but the more she spoke, the more her crying became evident. “Why did she leave?” As much as he wanted to answer her question, Filthy Rich was at a loss of words. The only thing he could think to say was, “All she told me was that she wasn’t happy. She wanted to start a new life, a new beginning.” “B-but I don’t remember her. I don’t even know what she looks like.” “I understand. You were so young when she left. Blue Amber was a great mare, and I really wish she was still here.” “D-do you know where she went?” “Last I heard she was living in Manehattan, but that was a long time ago." “But she could still be there, right.” “It’s possible, yes.” The silence that filled the night air began to fade, as a loud roar pierced from the distance. The mighty roar was soon joined by a blazing light of which shined ever so brightly. She could hear the screech from the brakes as it was crawling to a stop. Immediately as it arrived the doors swung open, leaving a somewhat welcoming presence. But Diamond remained still, glaring unfeelingly at the open door. Her very fear was now keeping her from moving. She knew the train would only be there for a few minutes, so she had to act quickly. Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax. She never left Ponyville before, at least not on her own. The only time she was ever away from home was the rare occasions that her father brought her along on his business trips. Pushing aside her fear, Diamond grabbed her bag, and leisurely approached the train. She took small steps at first, but as she got closer and closer, her steps got bigger, until she lastly reached the door. Once she was in the train she started to calm down, she knew this was only the beginning of her journey, so she had to be strong. She handed her ticket to the conductor, and made up a lie to disguise the fact that she was running away. Within a couple of minutes the doors began to shut; now sealing her new found destiny. Diamond took a seat on one of the benches, staring out the window as the train moved forward. She watched as Ponyville faded into the distance, and began to plan her new life in the big city. Day 1Day 1 The morning sun had arisen once again, waking Diamond from her slumber. She looked out the window of the train, but the only thing she could see was a crowd of ponies waiting for the train doors to open. Quickly she grabbed her belongings and scurried to the doors. When the doors had finally opened, she felt a little intimidated by all the ponies. There seemed to be more ponies in this train station alone than in all of Ponyville. Keeping her cool she moved ahead, passing the overwhelming crowd until she reached the exit. Once she stepped foot outside of the train station she stopped, took a breath of fresh air, and marveled at the beauty of Manehattan. Since the sun was just rising, it cast a magnificent glow across the entire city. The city was gorgeous. It seemed as though it was something out of a dream. It was truly more amazing than she had imagined it would be. Back in Ponyville, Filthy Rich had just woken up and was now getting ready for one of his usual business trips. He hadn’t yet noticed his daughter’s disappearance. He just assumed she was still fast asleep in her bed. He was gathering up all of his paperwork, taking a sip of coffee every couple of seconds. The mansion seemed surprisingly quiet, aside from the maids who were tidying up the household. At last he finished sorting the paperwork and put the remaining documents away. Slowly he closed the briefcase; it was then that he noticed a small note taped to the side. Curious, he removed the note and read it to himself. He was utterly shocked from what he read so much so that he could barely even finish reading the note. It seemed like some kind of joke. It felt too ridiculous to believe. But the very idea that his precious diamond had run away was too horrifying to disregard. Without hesitation he hurried to Diamond’s room, and to his dismay he found that she was nowhere in sight. He gathered up all of his staff and had them search every square inch of the household, remaining in denial that the letter might actually be true. They searched high and low, but even after half an hour they still could not find her. Filthy Rich was starting to become desperate, he couldn’t fathom the idea that something bad could have happen to her. He needed to know that she was safe, but the note didn’t mention where she was going, most likely because she didn’t want him to find her. Each passing second became more anxious than the last. He just didn’t understand why she would just leave. He always thought that she was happy. What would cause her to just run away all of a sudden? Diamond’s eyes were glowing brighter than the sun as she marched down the sidewalk of the busy city streets. She could barely keep her eyes in front of her. They were too busy gazing in every direction. The building, the birds, the ponies, it was a perfect wonderland of greatness. She was so glad no one she knew was here to see her acting this way, oohing and awing in such an uncharacteristic manner. She moved past pony after pony, not caring who was in her way. In the mix of her travels, she came to a halt. Something had caught her attention, something she just had to see. Racing to the front window of a nearby building, she saw a manikin of pony looking out at her. The manikin was dressed up in a beautiful ruby red gown. It was more gorgeous than anything she saw in Ponyville. Even Rarity would have been envious of it. Softly she placed both of her front hooves on the glass window. She felt hypnotized by its beauty. Breaking away from its spell, she gazed down at the bag she was carrying. She took a second to rekindle her thoughts, giving her a chance to walk away from the building. She knew she only had so many bits on her, and it would be best to use them sparingly. Again she advanced down the crowded sidewalk, trying her best to keep herself from getting distracted. She pressed onward, at least up until she had reached the end of the sidewalk. Wondering where the sidewalk had gone to, she only then noticed that it continued on the other side of the street. Not noticing or even so much as caring about the crosswalk, she just blissfully moved forward. It wasn’t until she was halfway across the street when she a loud rumbling sound advancing in her direction. She looked to her right only to see a horse-drawn carriage blazing right for her. In a feat of panic, she jolted back the way she came. Even after escaping the first carriage, she found herself mere inches from being run over by another carriage on the other side of the street. She remained in the middle of the street frozen in terror as the traffic increased. Too frightened to move, the only thing she thought to do was curl up into a ball and pray for the chaos to stop. Unbeknownst to her, the traffic pony had now switched the traffic signs, which finally brought her nightmare to an end. Seeing that the noise had died down, she lifted one of her hooves off her eyes to see that she was now safe. With no carriages in sight, she got up off the street and immediately dashed towards the sidewalk. Once she was safely on the sidewalk, she quickly took a moment to catch her breath. She could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest. After a couple of minutes she was at last able to relax. She took another look back at the street, and in a graceful manner she proceeded forward, pretending as though nothing had happened. Just a few blocks away, the doors to the Hoof Care Center flung open. Practically being thrown out of the building was a blue Unicorn, who bore the image of a wand surrounded by the glow of sparkling magic on her flank. As soon as the pony was just a couple of feet away from the building, the doors slammed shut. With anger in her voice the Unicorn shouted as loudly as she could, hoping she was loud enough for the ponies inside to hear her. “Trixie is too good for this job anyway! Trixie is not going to waste her time on some meaningless, dead end job like this! Trixie doesn’t need anything from anypony!” “Trixie...” She halted a moment to catch her breath, “Trixie needs a drink.” With nothing more to say Trixie proudly turned her back towards the building, flipped her mane back, and in an elegant fashion trotted away. Too distracted by her anger, Trixie did not notice a large gathering of Pegasi flying right above the city. Strapped to the back of each Pegasus was a saddlebag, each of which seemed to be overflowing with fliers. One by one the Pegasi separated from the group and swooped down into the city. A lone Pegasus hastily came to a stop right beside a utility pole. He took out a poster and stapled it to the pole, after which he quickly flew off. Each Pegasus proceeded as such, placing hundreds of posters all across Manehattan. With the natural speed of the Pegasi, the group had covered most of the city with posters in less than twenty minutes. After the Pegasi had finished with this area they swiftly regrouped and flew off to another location. Only mere seconds after the group had departed, a certain pink filly roamed by. She cheerfully skipped across the sidewalk, without so much as even glancing at the posters they had left. Diamond continued to skip happily, only coming to a halt when she had reached the end of the sidewalk once again. Remembering what had happened the last time she had tried to cross the street, she quickly gazed around for a safe way to cross. Her eyes caught sight of a crowd of ponies, all of which were waiting at the crosswalk. Figuring this was the only safe way across, she walked over towards the gathering crowd. On the opposing side of the street, waiting impatiently among the crowd was Trixie. She wasn’t all that fond of crowds, except when they were fans seeking her autograph, but lately that seemed to be quite a rarity. As soon as the traffic pony allowed them to walk, the two sides moved forward, as though they were armies charging at each other. Diamond felt lost among the crowd. Being a filly in a crowd of adult ponies made it almost impossible to see where she was going. She watched her steps carefully, afraid that somepony may step on her. Distracted by the ponies around her, she failed to notice the ones coming from ahead. Without any warning she collided into a certain blue Unicorn. Although it was Diamond’s fault, she found herself to be the one yelling. “Watch where you’re going, you blind old mule!” “You are the clumsy one who bumped into Trixie. Also, Trixie is no mule! She is a beautiful mare.” “Puh-lease, beauty left you centuries ago.” “Hey, Trixie is not one to take insults from arrogant little foals.” “You’re right. I should really learn to respect my elders.” Without saying another word, Diamond flipped her mane back and proudly walked pass her, feeling she had won their little argument. Just to humiliate Trixie further, Diamond had her tail brush across Trixie’s face as she walked by. Furious, but not wanting to make a bigger scene out of this mess, Trixie walked away. They both then left in opposite directions, each trying to act more boastful than the other. It was in no time the two disappeared among the surrounding crowds. Diamond was overjoyed to be back on the sidewalk once again, away from the mindless crowds and carriages. But even so, she still had no idea where she was going. She began to realize that every corner of this city looked almost identical. It was just an endless stream of buildings. Now that Trixie had finally reached her destination, she was returning home, levitating a strawberry slushy as she proceeded. She took a big slurp from her slushy. The icy goodness of the red slush felt like heaven as it flowed down her throat. She paced by building after building, humming a tune she couldn’t get out of her head. Just as she was passing by another building, in the corner of her eye she saw a bulletin board with a poster that seemed to catch her attention. She immediately stopped dead in her tracks, dropping her slushy to the ground. She sped back to the bulletin board, nearly tripping over herself. Written on the top of the poster recited the words, ‘MISSING FOAL’. Trixie glanced at the picture before skimming down the text written below it. “Lalala...missing filly, lalala...safe return, lalala...will be rewarded,” Trixie zoned out for a moment, taking a step back, “One hundred thousand bits!” She was speechless. She couldn’t take her eyes off the poster. She looked back up at the picture which now seemed to tease her. In the deepest corners of her subconscious all she could think of was that pink filly that she had seen earlier. That pink filly with the purple and white mane and a cutie mark that bore the exact image of the very tiara she wore. She could see her so clearly. It was her; it had to be her. Although Trixie’s mind was all over the place, she found her hooves already running back the way she came. When she was finally able to think, she came to an instant stop at the curve, looking in every which direction for the hundred thousand bit filly. With the day flying by and the sun starting to set, the once bright city was becoming dim. Diamond hadn’t taken into consideration as to where she was planning on staying during her trip, making her more frantic than ever to find shelter. She had no idea where she was going or even how to get back. Every street looked the same, no matter which direction she went. It was a maze with no end. As she ran down yet another identical looking street, she found herself being tripped by a pony she hadn’t noticed. She fell to the ground first face, her forward momentum only adding to her pain. However, before she could get up, she was surrounded by three teenage stallions. The one pony was a Unicorn with a purple coat and a grayish silver mane. The other two were both Pegasi. The one Pegasus had a white coat and a light green mane, while the other had an red coat and a orange mane. “Oh, hello little filly,” said the red Pegasus. “You know it’s quite unsafe to be wandering the streets all by your lonesome.” “I can take care of myself just fine,” she retorted, as she got off the ground. “I wouldn’t be so sure of yourself if I were you,” added the purple Unicorn. “Well you’re not me. Now if you excuse me, I will be on my way.” She tried to run forward, only for the red Pegasus to bite down on her tail and drag her back into the circle. “What’s your rush little filly? We were just starting to have some fun,” said the white Pegasus. “Leave me alone.” “Oh, we’ll leave you alone, but first let’s see what’s in that little bag of yours,” responded the purple Unicorn as he quickly snatched the bag away from her. “Give that back!” “Or what? Are you going to use your incredible Earth Pony powers?” Ignoring her demand, the stallion opened the bag and was pleasantly surprised to find a nice sum of bits. “Well, looky here. That’s quite a lot of money for a little filly.” “It’s my money. Give it back.” “You know I’m starting to get really annoyed by this little brat.” “Brat?” Shouted Diamond. “So what do we do with her?” asked the white Pegasus. “Hmm, let’s see. Oh I got an idea.” The ponies walked over towards an open dumpster by the side of the nearby building, and the Unicorn used his magic to levitate Diamond over it. Unable to escape she closed her eyes, bracing herself to fall into the garbage below. The only noise that could be heard was a soft thump as Diamond hit the bottom of the dumpster. “Enjoy your new home,” said the red Pegasus, as he kicked the front of the dumpster, causing the lid to slam shut. The three ponies then seized Diamond’s bag, laughing as they quickly scurried away. For a few minutes Diamond remained still, lying on a couple of garbage bags. The dumpster unsurprisingly was cold, damp, and with the lid shut it was completely pitch black. Diamond felt her eyes begin to water up, but she tried to hold back her tears. She sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes. She got back up on her hooves, and tried to push the lid open. At first she found it almost impossible to lift the lid, but once she put all of her strength into it, she was finally able to free herself. Swiftly she jumped out of the dumpster, just as the lid had slammed shut again. Her jump from the dumpster caused her to fall a few feet to the ground, but she didn’t seem to care. She just got right back up and slowly roamed down the street once more. With word spreading about the missing filly, crowds of ponies had gathered around the many posters all across Equestria. While some ponies were saddened by the news, others were more focused on the reward. It wasn’t long, however, before the ponies began to depart from the area. Soon the entire crowd had left, aside from two ponies who continued to study the picture. The one pony was a female Earth Pony with a beige coat and a brownish red mane. She had a cutie mark of an envelope with a stamp on the top right corner. The envelope wasn’t white, but instead a grayish black. The pony standing beside her was a male Unicorn with a white coat and a dark blue mane. He had a cutie mark that bore the image of a small, gray magnifying loupe that was similar to the one attached to the right side of his glasses. “Isn’t she just adorable?” said the mare. “Quite,” replied the stallion. “It’s so unfortunate.” “Her parents must be so worried about her to make such a generous offer.” “That reward could make for a nice sum of bits, indeed.” “Definitely, but I had another thing in mind.” “Oh, what might that be?” “A hundred thousand bits is nice, but it’s only so much. I think this filly could be worth much more.” “What are you suggesting, Shady?” “I’m thinking we can make two maybe three hundred thousand on this filly. Heck, if we push our luck maybe even five hundred thousand. The only problem is finding her.” “I don’t think it will be too difficult.” “Do you have any suggestions as to where we should start looking?” “Oh, I may have a hunch as to where she might be.” “Well then, maybe we should pay her a little visit.” “I was thinking the same thing.” With the sun finally setting, Diamond was now completely lost in the cold dark city. The very city she thought was beautiful by day brought her nothing but nightmares now. With every sound she heard, she felt as though somepony was watching her. It made her want to run faster, but she couldn’t help but look back every couple of seconds. She had no money, no food, and nowhere to stay. Manehattan wasn’t what she had hoped it would be. With nowhere else to go, she wandered down a back alley. The alley was cluttered with torn-up newspapers, broken bottles, and cardboard boxes. It felt so lifeless here. It almost brought Diamond to tears seeing this place, this dreadful place she never wanted to be in. Diamond continued forward, stepping around the broken glass. She kept moving until she reached an empty cardboard box beside one of the brick walls. She let out a soft sigh and gradually crawled inside it, after which she collapsed to the ground. She always heard stories about poor ponies living in cardboard boxes and probably would have laughed at them in the past. She just never thought she would be this low in her entire life. She grabbed a nearby newspaper and tried to use it as a blanket, hoping to keep warm as best she could. How she missed her nice warm bed back in Ponyville. “So, this is my first day in the big city,” spoke Diamond quietly to herself. Gradually she shut her eyes, trying to escape this nightmare in her dreams, but her head was crowded with the same question that kept repeating over and over: Why did I come here? But no matter how many times she asked herself that question, she always came up with the same result. She lay there for what felt like an eternity. Even trying to sleep seemed too troublesome. But as the minutes ticked away, Diamond finally began to drift away into the only place she felt happy. Day 2Day 2 The trotting of hooves woke Diamond from her slumber. She opened her eyes and saw a group of foals staring at her. She felt a little startled at first, but she still managed to get up to face them. One of the fillies stepped ahead of the rest of the group. She had a light orange coat and an azure mane. She appeared to be a little younger than Diamond, as she had not yet attained her cutie mark. “Aw, you’re awake,” spoke the filly, with a light Brooklyn accent. “When we found you, we figured you were dead.” “Well thanks for your concern, but I’m fine.” “We weren’t really that concerned. We run into newbies all the time.” “Newbie? What makes you think that I’m new here?” “Come on, you were a dead giveaway the first second we saw you, what with your cutesy little crown.” She then proceeded to swipe Diamond’s tiara right off her head. “Only some outside pony would wear something as tacky as this.” “Hey, give that back, right now!” Diamond Tiara shouted. “Why should I?” “Because I said so, you blank flank.” The filly’s playful smirk faded, dropping Diamond’s tiara to the ground. She took a step back trying her best to conceal her lack of a cutie mark. She directed her sights back on Diamond, her eyes now flowing with rage. “Okay you stupid newbie, since you seem to not know your place here, we’ll be more than happy teach you.” The filly took a couple of steps closer to Diamond, as the rest of the group followed shortly behind. With each step they took Diamond took another step back, until she was up against the brick wall behind her. She lay hidden beneath the shadows, as they cornered her like a predator ready to strike upon their prey. Just when Diamond thought she was in a hopeless situation, luck just happened to be on her side. A loud bang of what sounded like a hoof striking the side of a steel dumpster caught their attention. The gang turned around to face a lone filly that was standing just outside of the alley. “Get away from her,” said the filly. Her accent was much thicker than the others. “This is none of your business, so get lost,” remarked the lead filly. “You’re the one that’s going to be leaving.” “And why is that?” “Remember what happened last time you stuck your nose where it didn’t belong? I’m sure your friends do.” The foals behind the leader all took a couple of steps back. “You’re out of your area Tiff, and you know exactly what will happen if you stay.” The lead filly glared around at the rest of her gang and then back to filly in front of her. She let out a soft sigh and said, “Fine, we’ll go.” The gang quickly departed from the alley, forgetting their conflict with Diamond. As the rest of the foals vanished from sight, the lead filly glanced back at the other filly. “You really need to take my advice sometime. One of these days you’re going to get yourself seriously hurt if you keep trying to be the hero.” After she finished speaking, the filly ran off to catch up with her companions. As soon as they had departed, the filly entered the alley. She couldn’t quite see Diamond, just a concealed figure hidden in the shadows. The filly stopped about halfway to her, and looked down at the tiara on the ground. After examining it for a couple of seconds, one name seemed to sparkle in her mind, “Diamond? Diamond Tiara? Is that you?” Confused as to how this filly knew her name, Diamond slowly walked out of the shadows. Once she was in plain sight of the filly she felt a sudden jolt of anger creep down her spine, “B-Babs!” “Diamond, what are you doing here?” Diamond stood her ground, trying to act as commanding as she could. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.” With her head held high, she walked past Babs and out of the alley. Babs followed quickly behind her. “You can drop the act. I’m not buying it.” “What act?” “That you’re trying to look tough, after I obviously saved your flank.” “You save me? Yeah right. I could have handled those foals with ease. That filly was like a year younger than either of us.” “Things work differently here than they do in Ponyville.” “Well, that’s no concern to me.” “So why are you in Manehattan? Are you on a trip with Daddy?” “For your information, I’m here by myself.” “What do you mean by yourself?” “I mean, no one else is with me, duh.” “Wait, do you mean you, ran away?” “That’s right. I don’t need anyone to take care of me.” “But you don’t know anything about the city.” “Either way, I don’t care. Well, it was nice bumping into you again. Actually, no it wasn’t, so see ya.” Babs looked away for a second and then focused back on Diamond. She was certain that Diamond wouldn’t be able to take care of herself, and as much as she didn’t like her, she still didn’t want to see her get hurt. She sighed softly and started walking forward. It wasn’t long before Diamond began to notice Babs trailing just a few feet behind her, but she decided to just ignore her and move on. She started to move at a faster pace, hoping to gain distance from her. But even then Babs kept up. After growing immensely irritated, she came to a quick stop. “Why are you following me?” She didn’t even bother turning around. “Hmm, no reason.” “What, you think I can’t take care of myself?” “Something like that.” “Hey, just because I’m rich doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about the city.” “It’s that boastful attitude of yours, that’s what going to get you hurt.” “Wow, ever since you joined the crusaders, you’ve really become a goody two-shoes.” “Actually, I always found myself helping other foals long before I even went to Ponyville. That’s usually why I ended up getting bullied a lot.” “Well, I don’t need you protecting me. I know everything about being street-smart.” “Sure you do.” “I would do so much better than Apple Bloom, that’s for sure.” “Hey, Apple Bloom would be just fine.” “Come on, she is a country filly. What does she know about the city?” “Okay fine, let’s just say it’s Scootaloo?” “Hmm, okay I’ll give you that one. Scootaloo would be much better off than Apple Bloom. But how about what’s her name---Sweetie Belle?” Right as she made her suggestion, they both found themselves simultaneously snickering. “I don’t know.” Babs was trying her hardest not to laugh, seeing as how Sweetie Belle was a dear friend of hers. Diamond Tiara on the other hand was practically in tears from the mere thought of Sweetie Belle wandering blindly through the city. “Sweetie Belle... Sweetie Belle would follow the first pony to offer her candy.” Babs stopped snickering and glared over at Diamond. “Alright stop. They’re my friends, and I’m not going to let you insult them.” “Whatever.” Diamond then continued down the sidewalk with Babs again following right behind her. Back in Ponyville, at Sugarcube Corner, was a lone gray filly, sitting at the table at the far end of the building. Upon the table in front of her stood two large milkshakes. One was vanilla and the other one on the opposite end of the table was chocolate. She had barely even taken a sip of her own. She was just watching the whipped cream melt away. Impassively she stared at her milkshake, the only time she looked away was when she would glance over at the empty chair in front of her. With her mind filled with worry over her missing friend, she didn’t seem to notice that a trio of fillies was now standing right beside her table. When she did finally look over, she wasn’t too surprised to see that it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Hey Silver, I know you’re upset about Diamond,” said Sweetie Belle in a soft voice. “But I’m sure she’s okay.” Silver Spoon did not care to respond. She just looked away from the trio and stared back at her milkshake. After a couple of seconds, she left her table, walking right past the trio and only stopping when she was halfway to the exit. “I honestly don’t care what you have to say, so how about you just leave me alone, losers.” After finishing her sentence, Silver Spoon left Sugarcube Corner and made her way home. The Cutie Mark Crusaders continued to just stand in their exact position, a little upset that their comforting didn’t go as smoothly as they had hoped. As they proceeded down yet another block, Diamond slowed down when she noticed a stand selling fruit. The fruit stand was stacked from top to bottom with an abundant of delicious and ripe fruit. Diamond eyed the bright, red apples stacked on the stand. She placed her one hoof on her stomach, feeling as though she hadn’t eaten in days. “So Diamond, why did you run away from home?” “Let’s just say I’m looking for somepony and leave it at that.” “Alright, fine.” Diamond glanced at the apples again. “Hey, allow me to show you how much of a street gang hoodster I am.” Hearing Diamond’s statement caused Babs to press her hoof up against her face. Diamond slowly crept up to the fruit stand, and the second the vendor was looking away she swiped an apple. Without hesitation, she devoured the apple down to the core, consuming as though she were a piranha. “Gee Diamond, you really are so bad. I should probably warn the Princesses about you.” “Hey, I can be just as crime-ridden as anyone else in this stupid city.” “Stealing is not going to make you fit in.” “Then what will?” “Nothing! You’re a snobby, rich filly who’s trying to act like you’re from the streets.” “So, what’s your point?” “That is my point!” Diamond, growing bored of her lecture, proceeded back down the sidewalk once more. Babs followed beside her, still trying to get her words to sink into Diamond’s thick skull. They continued for a couple more blocks. After a few minutes, Diamond started to hear what sounded like her name being mentioned among the crowds. It sounded like a whisper, but it was so clear to her. She spun her head around, looking back as though somepony was following them. Curious of what Diamond was looking at, Babs asked, “What’s wrong?” “I-I thought I heard something.” “You’re just being paranoid.” Diamond tried to ignore the voices, believing that they might just be in her mind. But she couldn’t help but to listen. Everypony they passed by sounded like they were talking about her. “Can’t you hear them?” “No, I didn’t hear a thing.” For a moment, Babs remained skeptical, but her denial started to fade as she thought she saw somepony following them. Every time she looked back, the ponies were just going about their business. But once she faced the opposite direction, she could swear that they were right behind them again. Babs moved close to Diamond, whispering in her ear, “Diamond, I think you might be right.” “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting out of here.” Babs examined the area to find safe place to go and in her sights she saw the lush, green park just up ahead. “Just follow me, okay.” Once they reached the end of the block they made a quick cut across the street and ran into the park. They ducked behind the bushes and quietly waited until all the ponies had left. When the coast was clear, they crept from the bushes and ran deeper into the park. “What do you think those ponies wanted with us?” asked Babs. “Us? You’re the troublemaker here.” “It was your name they were saying.” “Oh, right.” “Okay, let’s get out of here.” They spun around to run, only to come face to face with another pony that had snuck up on them. He was a male Earth Pony with a scuffled up mane. He looked as though he hadn’t showered in months. It was hard to tell whether he was homeless or had just escaped from a mental hospital. “Ooh, looks like I got the pink filly,” said the pony as he reached to pick up Diamond. Thinking fast, she jumped back before the pony could grab her. The two then made a run for it as the pony chased after them. “Hey Pinkie, don’t run. I just want to capture you.” Even though they were managing to outrun this pony, the commotion started to attract the attention of many others in the area. “Look, it’s her, it’s the hundred thousand bit filly!” shouted one pony, which caused more ponies to rush to the scene. Terror consumed the two fillies, as they now found themselves being surrounded by what looked to be well over a hundred ponies. With no time to think the two sped off, hoping to escape the galloping swarm behind them. They ran as fast as their little legs could carry them. In the distance they could see the park’s gate, but unfortunately as they got closer they were cut off by another group of ponies. Swiftly they ran in the only direction that they could go, but no matter how fast they ran the ponies still managed to catch up. As they continued forward, they had reached a small hill in the middle of the park. However, before they could proceed down, they were ambushed by another pony who managed to grasp Diamond Tiara’s mane. His victory was short lived, as Babs immediately lunged herself towards them, freeing Diamond and sending them both tumbling down the hillside. The mob of ponies had now reached the top of the hill and saw the two fillies down below. They descended down the hill after them, just as Babs and Diamond got off the ground, and the chase continued. With the hillside giving them a slight lead, it seemed as though they might make some distance between them. But that felt like wishful thinking, as Diamond found herself slowing down until reaching a dead stop. She felt like she had no control over her own body. She continued to run in place as fast as she could, but still wasn’t moving an inch. Her hooves were now drifting from the ground itself, in a matter of seconds she was levitating in the air. The aura of magic that now consumed her slowly began to drag her back towards the mob of ponies. Seeing Diamond’s dilemma, Babs quickly jolted back to try and reach her, unfortunately she was blocked off by the swarm, which was now assembling itself around Diamond. Before she could blink, Diamond had disappeared and what now lay ahead of her was a large gathering of ponies all fighting over her. Trotting, kicking, pushing, shoving, it was a feeding frenzy. Babs took a step back, not sure what to do at this point. Yet in the back of her mind one idea was flickering. She was already regretting having to do this, but she knew she had no other choice. She took a deep breath, and with one mighty leap, she dived into the swarm, as though it were a swimming pool. Staggering through the ponies wasn’t easy, and searching for Diamond made it even more troublesome. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. She could feel ponies shoving her in every direction, to the point that she could hardly breathe. She felt like she was drowning, drowning in a pool of ponies. Moving onwards, she at long last spotted a cutie mark that had the image of a tiara. She watched as Diamond was being fought over by everypony that could reach her. It seemed like she was meat being served to a clan of starving hyenas. Without a second thought, Babs pounced at Diamond’s location, breaking the ponies’ hold, and throwing them both just outside of the mob. Finally free and without a second to waste, they dashed as fast as they could towards the steel fence surrounding the park. They lunged at the fence, hastily climbed to the top, knowing they only had a few seconds before the mob arrived. As the mob finally caught up, they attempted to grab them. Luckily for the duo, they managed to make it to the other side, before they could reach them. The two then jumped off the steel fence and ran back into the city streets. One by one the mob of ponies followed behind them, continuing their chase down the sidewalks. They ran down the first block, keeping a slight distance from the mob. Once they had turned the corner down the next street, they quickly ducked into the nearest alley, and hid on the far side of a dumpster. Just out of sight, they watched as the mob scampered by. Once the mob had vanished into the distance, Babs quietly popped her head out and observed the area until she thought it was safe to leave. “Okay, I think they’re gone,” said Babs. Feeling that they were finally out of harm’s way, the two took a moment to catch their breath. Afterwards they journeyed deeper into the back alley, knowing it was safer here than on the streets. They proceeded down the alleyway, trying to be as quiet as they could be. Babs gazed over at Diamond. She could see that she was still a little shaken up. It wasn’t difficult to tell that this was probably one of the scariest moments in Diamond’s life. They turned corner after corner, only to at last reach a straightaway, which they hoped would lead them out of here. It was only when they had moved a few feet forward that a figure appeared from the shadows, cutting off their path. The figure was that of a mare with a beige coat and a brownish red mane. The mare gave them a playful smile as they stopped dead in their tracks. They slowly backed away from her, only to bump into another pony that was now blocking off the only other exit they had. Diamond and Babs turned around to face a stallion that had a white coat and a dark blue mane. Keeping their distance from the two ponies, they moved to the middle of the alley. Trying to ignoring her fear for a moment, Diamond attempted to speak up, “Who are you?” “Aw yes, I haven’t properly introduced myself. My name is Dr. Clear.” He then pointed his hoof towards the mare behind them. “This is my associate, Shady Deal.” “What do you want with us?” asked Babs. “With you nothing. We only seek the pink one.” “The name’s Diamond,” she snapped. “Oh, I know that, my dear. Now, we hope that you will come with us nice and calmly. It seems you’ve already had a rough day as it is.” Diamond looked over at Babs, than back to Dr. Clear. “I’ll handle this,” she whispered to Babs as she walked up to the stallion in front of her. “Wait, Diamond,” said Babs. Diamond ignored her plea and continued forward, until she was nearly face to face with him. She stood up straight, and with an ominous glare she began to speak. “I’m going to ask you one time and only one time, so listen carefully. Move out of our way right now.” A friendly smirk appeared on his face. “Aw, aren’t you just the cutest thing?” Diamond’s eye started to twitch. If there was one thing she hated, it was being talked down to. “Don’t mock me, you have no idea who I am and what I am truly capable of.” “Yes, I can imagine. You’re such a tough little filly, aren’t you?” He began to tease her even more, as he placed his right hoof on the top of her head, messing up her mane. As he removed his hoof, his expression rapidly changed from a lighthearted smirk to a sadistic grin. Without even a moment to react, Diamond felt his hoof strike her right across the face, bringing her tough attitude to a whimper. The mere sight was enough to cause Babs’ jaw to drop to the ground. Even Shady couldn’t help but flinch from that sudden strike. Diamond’s courage had now completely vanished. She took a step back. But, before she could move back any farther, her mane was yanked up into the air. He held her tightly in his hoof, dangling from the ground. She was now mere inches from his face. At this point she could see her own frightened reflection in the lenses of his glasses. He continued to stare at the terrified filly, gently brushing his right hoof across her face. “You have such beautiful eyes.” Diamond tried to look away, but she couldn’t. She was too afraid to even shut her eyes. Babs couldn’t stand to watch him torment her any longer. She felt as though her head was about to burst. In a blind fury, she pounced at them, biting Dr. Clear’s hoof. Her unexpected attack caused him to released Diamond, dropping her to the ground. Dr. Clear attempted to fling her off, but Babs held on with all her might. Unfortunately, she could only hold out for so long before she lost her grip. Babs was then flung against the brick wall, which knocked her out cold. “Babs!” cried Diamond. She tried to run to her, only to be cut off by Dr. Clear, whose glare now seemed almost demonic. “Where are you going, little filly?” snapped Dr. Clear. With no other option, Diamond raced back down the alleyway with Dr. Clear pursuing her as she ran. Once the two were out of sight, Shady Deal slowly proceeded forward. She looked down at the injured filly, letting out a soft sigh. After which she ran onward, following in the direction Diamond Tiara and Dr. Clear had gone. Babs felt her breath return to her. Leisurely she opened her eyes. She took a breath of air and slowly got up off the ground. She felt a sharp pain in shoulder, but tried her best to ignore it, knowing there wasn’t much time to waste. Hastily she ran off, going in a different direction than the others went. Diamond’s eyes were drenched in tears, as she ran in any direction she could go. At this point it didn’t matter where she went, as long as she got away from the ponies that were chasing her. With a variety of routes all leading in different directions, it allowed Diamond to temporarily escape them. But even out of sight, she could still hear their hooves echoing behind her. Her heart was beating rapidly, but she pressed on. She knew what awaited her if they were to catch up. Frequently, she would look back to see if they were still on her tail. When she didn’t see or hear from them, she thought she may have lost them. With the moment at hand, she decided to stop and catch her breath. Aside from her pounding heartbeat, all was silent. She rested against the brick wall beside her for a brief moment to recover. Her rest, however, was soon interrupted by the sound of hoofsteps in the distance. Diamond slightly poked her head out, looking to see if anyone was coming her way. Feeling nervous, she began to walk backwards, trying to keep an eye out for them. She took several more steps, but as she neared the corner, she felt a hoof wrap around her head, covering her mouth. Her panic was cut short when she heard the voice of a Brooklyn-accented filly telling her to relax. “This way,” Babs whispered. They roamed through the empty alley, making sure to be as quiet as they possible could. It wasn't long before they were at last able to see a light that revealed a way out. Forgetting about being quiet, they dashed towards the exit as fast as they could. Just as Dr. Clear and Shady Deal had turned the corner, they spotted the two fillies running to the exit. “There’s my girl.” said Dr. Clear, racing towards them. “Crap, they found us?” said Diamond Tiara. While Diamond was focus on the ponies behind them, Babs was just glancing over at Diamond. After a couple of seconds she finally spoke, “Okay, let’s split up.” “What? How’s that going to help?” “Trust me. I think I have an idea.” Both Dr. Clear and Shady Deal had reached the end exit just a few seconds after Babs and Diamond left. They stopped and looked around for the fillies. Off to their right they saw what looked like one of fillies running down the sidewalk, but from the distance it was difficult to tell who it was. They were about to chase after her, when they caught a glimpse of Diamond’s tiara moving just ahead of them. The tiara was reflecting off the sunlight, casting a luminously shine. “There she is,” remarked Shady. The two ponies continued their pursuit, refusing to let her escape. They followed the shine of the Diamond’s tiara, which was now heading back into the park. With all attention on the one filly, the other had now made further into the city. She was blazing down the streets, passing anyone that dared to stand in her way. She looked back, seeing if anyone was following her. She wanted to stop, but her legs refused to. When she had faced forward again, she found herself running right into a large bag that had mysteriously appeared. Once she was completely inside, the bag was sealed shut, entrapping her in complete darkness. As much as she struggled to break free, her efforts proved futile. The two ponies were closing in on the radiant tiara, which was now approaching a small stone wall. As the filly neared the stone wall, she jumped over it, only to immediately come to a stop on the other side. The two ponies stopped as well. The stone wall was slightly taller than the filly. The only thing that could be seen was the tiara that ascended just above it. They approached the filly, however, once they were only a couple of feet away, the filly came out from hiding and climbed up on top of the stone wall. To their surprise the filly that now stood before them was not Diamond, but instead Babs Seed wearing her tiara. “Looking for somepony?” asked Babs in a seductive manner. “You’ll be wise to tell us where she is?” said Dr. Clear. “Oh what, am I not good enough for you?” “Where is she?” “I’d say she’s probably on the other side of the city by now. But at least we had fun, right? I know I did. So, see ya.” Babs hastily hopped off the stone wall and ran further into the park. Shady Deal seemed ready to chase her down, but she was stopped by Dr. Clear. “Forget about her. She’s worthless. We need to find the pink filly.” “It may take longer than we had planned,” remarked Shady Deal. “Don’t worry, sooner or later she’s going to slip up, and when she does, we’ll make sure she pays greatly for her disobedience.” Diamond, still trapped in the bag was feeling a little lightheaded. She felt like she was running low on air. She was at the very least grateful that she was no longer moving, giving her a chance to settle down. Her feelings of entrapment were cleansed, however, when she noticed a light appearing in the darkness that surrounded her. She shifted her body towards the light, trying to see what existed on the other side. She placed her hoof against the light, slowly she beginning to tear away at the fabric that imprisoned her until she was able to emerge from the darkness and into the light. Even though she was free from her captivity, she still found herself in a strange building she had never seen before. She studied the building’s surroundings. It seemed like she was in somepony’s home. “H-Hello? Is anyone there?” said Diamond, as she continued to look around. Mere seconds following her response, a pony emerged from the next room. “W-who are you?” The pony leisurely walked up to her, now revealing a female Unicorn with blue coat. “Trixie, the great and powerful.” Diamond stared at her moment before saying, “Who?” “Trixie. You know the famous showmare.” “I don’t..." “The most powerful Unicorn in all of Equestria!” “I always thought that was Rarity.” “Rarity? Don’t you mean Twilight?” “So, Twilight’s the most powerful Unicorn.” “Precisely. No wait, Trixie is the most power... You know what? Just be quiet." “So, what exactly do all you ponies want with me?” “Oh, you haven’t heard.” Trixie quickly grabbed one of the fliers off the table next to them and placed it on the ground in front of Diamond. “Your father offered a huge reward for your return.” “Hmm, a hundred thousand bits, that seems kind of, small.” “Maybe you would think that, but to Trixie it’s a goldmine.” “So, where actually are we?” “You are at Trixie’s apartment.” “Why would a famous showmare live in a dump like this?” “Trixie finds it to be perfectly satisfying.” “Whatever you say, showmare.” Trixie rolled her eyes and glanced over at the clock. “Well I think it’s starting to get late. How about we call it a night? After all, we have a busy day tomorrow.” “I-I...” “Unless you wish to go back out there on your own.” Diamond looked away from Trixie and over at the front door. “Trixie can imagine this city can be quite frightening for a filly all by her lonesome.” Diamond softly sighed and turned back around to face Trixie. “So what do you say, Diamond? Would you like a nice, safe place to stay for the night? Then tomorrow Trixie take you home.” Although Diamond did not say a word, her expression was enough of a response to give Trixie the answer she was hoping for. “Alright then, Trixie invites you to sleep on the couch right here.” Diamond looked at Trixie; the very idea of sleeping on a couch was not to satisfying for Diamond’s liking, but she decided not to argue. “Pleasant dreams, little filly,” said Trixie. Trixie stood there for a moment, waiting for Diamond to shut her eyes. As soon she was certain that Diamond was asleep, she left the area and went to her own bedroom. Diamond lay still on the couch for over an hour pretending to be asleep. She waited patiently until she heard the faint sound of snoring coming from Trixie’s room. With Trixie finally asleep, Diamond silently got to her hooves and crept to the door. She placed her hoof on the doorknob, but she instead stopped herself before she could open the door. The terrors she had encountered along her journey filled her mind. The idea of spending another night out in cold city street was more than she could bear. Having a change of heart, she released the doorknob and crept back towards the couch. She climbed back up and rested her weary head on the arm of the couch once again. It may not have been all that comfortable, but it was at least slightly better than sleeping in a cardboard box. Day 3Day 3 “Wake up,” said Trixie, gently shaking Diamond back and forth. With a tired groan, Diamond opened her eyes to see Trixie standing beside the couch. “Good morning, filly.” Diamond let out another moan as she stared at Trixie’s overzealous smirk. “W-what day is it?” “Today, that’s what day it is.” “Uh-huh.” “Alright, now that you’re awake, you have fifteen minutes to get ready. We have a train to catch. Okay, hop to it.” Trixie then trotted into the other room, leaving a drowsy Diamond to her thoughts. Diamond rested her head back onto the arm of the couch, hoping to catch another wink of sleep. After a couple of minutes, she finally pushed herself off the couch. She let out a deep yawn, as she took a moment stretch out her body. “Ten minutes,” called Trixie from the next room. “Ten minutes,” repeated Diamond, in a sarcastic tone. Diamond began to roam around the living room, only coming to a stop when she noticed the bookshelf on the far end of the room. She walked up to it, and began browsing through all the books. Between the books Magic for Dummies and How to Get a Stallion, was a year old address book of Manehattan. Diamond gently pulled the book of the shelf and opened it up. She wasn’t sure why, but the first name she looked up was the name Orange. “Huh, so that’s where Babs lives.” She continued to browse through the book, now jumping over to the ‘B’ section. She checked everypony named Blue, but she could not find the name she was looking for. “Seven minutes,” said Trixie. Diamond turned to the ‘A’ section of the book, searching high and low for the name Amber. It was only after her 3rd time browsing down the list that she at last saw the name Blue Amber. Diamond took a moment to glance at the address. After letting out a deep sigh, she calmly closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. She walked away from the bookshelf and back over to the couch. For a few minutes she lay down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. “Ahem.” Diamond looked over to now see Trixie standing beside the couch once again. “Alright, come on, we have to move quickly or we are going to miss the train.” “What about breakfast?” “You can get something to eat once we get back to Ponyville.” “But I’m hungry now.” “Fine, just get something to eat and let’s go.” Diamond left the living room and went into the kitchen. To her horror the room was a complete wreck. The food-stained dishes were piling up in the sink. They looked as though they haven’t been washed in days. The table was cover with rubbish from left to right, stacked up upon each other. Beside the counters was a garbage can that was already filled to the brim and seeping onto the floor. She crept through the kitchen, across the tattered tile floors until she reached the fridge. She opened the door to find it practically empty. The only thing that was in there was half a bottle of milk that had already expired, two eggs, one of which was cracked and some fruit, but as expected they were bruised and turning brown. Diamond shut the door, while trying to keep herself from throwing up. She backed away from the fridge and turned towards the exit. As she was about to leave the kitchen, in the corner of her eye she saw a shadow creep across the floor and disappear behind the fridge. She couldn’t tell what it was. It seemed too big to be a rat, but the mere sight of it was enough to get her to run out of the kitchen. “Okay, I’m not hungry anymore.” “Alright then. Let’s go.” The two ponies left the apartment and made their way to the train station. The train station was about two miles away, but knowing that there were still others out there searching for Diamond, Trixie made sure to take the less populated roads. Trixie was leading the way, smiling happily as she hummed to herself. Following shortly behind her was Diamond, who was desolately staring at the ground as she proceeded. So many thoughts were racing though Diamond’s little head. It was only a matter of time before she would be on that train back to Ponyville. After everything that had happened to her, all she wanted now was to be home, away from the terrors she had seen. But no matter how much she craved to be home, that voice kept ringing in her head, “Tell your mother’s about your bad attitudes.” It wouldn’t stop, it wouldn’t go away. She could hear it so clearly, piercing though her skull. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t realized that they had already reached the train station and were now waiting at the deck for the train to arrive. Each passing second felt more and more intense. Her hooves were beating against the wooden deck, as if ready for a race. She knew that she should stay, but her hooves were already running away. She ran, yet stopped, she couldn’t go any farther. She looked back to see Trixie, who had stomped down on her tail. “Where do you think you’re going?” “I’m not going back to Ponyville.” “Yes, you are.” “No, I can’t, I have stuff to do here.” “That’s none of Trixie’s concern. Now come on.” “No!” “Filly, you will do what Trixie tells you do to.” “No I won’t.” Diamond pushed Trixie back, breaking free of her grasp. She tried once more to run, but even then she couldn’t. Trixie had once again seized Diamond’s tail, now with her teeth. Diamond used all her might to try and escape, only to be outmatched. Their struggle brought them closer and closer to the end of the stations deck, until Trixie was right on the edge. Seizing the opportunity, Diamond spun around and leapt at Trixie knocking them both off the deck, causing Diamond to take an all too familiar fall into the mud. Mere seconds following their plunge, Diamond emerged back on the deck, her hooves, coat, and mane drenched in mud. However, the mud didn’t bother her. All that was on her mind was to escape from the train station as fast as she could. Immediately after she departed, one of Trixie’s mud soaked hooves sprung on to the deck. It was then followed by another. Trixie then climbed up to her torso. Her vivid blue mane was completely tarnished by the mud, as was the rest of her body. Trixie’s eyes burned with rage, as she screamed to the heavens, “YOU ARE SO DEAD!” Hastily Diamond ran back into the city streets. Fortunately for her, the mud that coated her was also concealing her as well. However, while the mud may have kept her hidden from the ponies around her, it was also leaving a trail for Trixie to follow. Diamond quickly ducked behind a parked carriage. She looked back to see if Trixie was coming her direction. As Diamond continued to stare down the sidewalk, a poof of magic appeared behind her. Within a sparkle of light, Trixie appeared out of thin air. Trixie quietly approached Diamond, who was unaware of her presence. Trixie leaned as close as she could to Diamond and whispered into her ear, “Razzle. Dazzle.” Diamond’s eyes nearly pop out of her skull when she heard Trixie’s voice. She tried to run once more, but before she could even move, Trixie had teleported in front of her. Diamond ran back in the other direction, only to come face to face with Trixie once more. They continued to repeat this pattern over and over until Trixie finally snapped. “Stop running!” Diamond, who was now panting heavily, finally came to a stop. With nowhere to run, Trixie used her magic to encase Diamond in an aura of purple light. Diamond struggled to escape, but Trixie’s magic was too strong. Diamond was now levitating upside down, several feet off the ground. “Let me go!” “No. Trixie has had enough of your games.” “Please somepony, help!” No matter how much she fought she couldn’t weaken Trixie’s hold. The more she struggled, the more the magic seemed to deplete her strength. Trixie continued to taunt Diamond, but her fun was soon interrupted when she heard a voice from behind her. “Is there a problem here?” Trixie spun around to be confronted by a policemare, who seemed quite ambiguous as to what was going on. “H-hello officer.” Trixie was slightly sweating, as fear consumed her vibrant purple eyes. “This is not what it looks like.” The policemare continued to glare at the nervous mare, who was subconsciously laughing to herself. ** ** ** On the other side of the city, wandering the busy streets was a filly with an orange-brown coat and a light red mane. She steadily made her way pass the many ponies, her eyes constantly glancing towards everypony that came into her sights. “Diamond!” shouted Babs. She had called her name numerous times already and just like all the times before she received no answer. As she continued forward, she spotted a diner that she and her friends would occasionally hang out at. She walked inside and strolled up to the front counter. “Hey Cold Cut, you there?” said Babs. After waiting for a couple of seconds a teenage pony wearing a waiter uniform arrived at the counter. “Yo Babs. Whatcha doing here?” “I’m looking for a filly named Diamond Tiara. I was hoping you may have seen her.” “Diamond Tiara, huh.” “Yeah. She’s pinkish and has this weird purple and white mane." “So, yer hoping to snag the prize as well.” “What are you talking about? What prize?” “You’ve musta heard?” Cold Cut pointed over at the bulletin board just off to the side. “That’s all everypony is talking about now.” Babs walked over to the bulletin board and stared at the picture of Diamond. “Huh, so that’s why everypony was after her.” Babs softly chuckled to herself. “I’m surprised she’s worth so much. I kind of see her more as two maybe three bits.” ** ** ** “I can’t believe you told them you were my mother!” snapped Diamond, as she and Trixie walked out of the police station. “I have a mother and she’s not some talentless showmare like you!” Trixie did not respond she just quietly strolled forward. “You are so lucky I decided to cover for you, otherwise you would be seeing your blue butt in jail. Again Trixie did not say a word. “Not that I’m complaining after you foulnapped me and assaulted me. Having you locked up would be a blessing for Equestria. Either way, I’ve had enough of you. So see ya, loser.” Diamond began walking in the opposite direction, only for Trixie to quickly catch up with her. Finally breaking her silence she said, “Wait right there. Trixie is not leaving here without you.” Diamond spun around. She knew it would be pointless to run. "Look, Trixie tried being nice, and she tried being mean, either way doesn’t seems to work with you." “So.” “So. Trixie has a third option. Maybe we can come up with some kind of an agreement. What do you think?” Diamond thought about it for a moment. “Alright, to begin with, I don’t like anypony telling me what to do, understand.” “Nor does Trixie.” “Also, I want you to show me some respect.” “You’ll get as much respect as you give to Trixie. Anything else?” “Yes, from now on we are going to do what I say, okay?” This thought sunk deep into Trixie’s skull. While she wanted to say no, that one word snuck out of her mouth. “Okay. Trixie will allow you to do whatever it is you need to do for the next twenty four hours. Then tomorrow night you will return to Ponyville without any problems whatsoever.” Trixie stretched her hoof forward. “Do we have a deal?” Diamond stretched her hoof forward, which the two then shook hoofs, “Deal.” “Alright, so what is it that you would like to do?” “We’ll discuss it more later. As of right now, I am hungry so we’re going to get something to eat.” “Alright, we will pick something up on the way home.” “No, no, no, we are going out to eat. In fact, we are going to a nice, expensive restaurant.” Trixie burst into laughter at Diamond's request. "If Trixie could afford something like that, she wouldn't even need to waste her time with you." “Fine, if it will make you happy, I will chip in.” “You'll chip in?” Trixie eyed Diamond. “You have money? How much?” Diamond stuck up her nose and turned away. “I don't see how that's any of your business.” “If Trixie has to lug your snooty, little backside around this town, then you better believe it's Trixie's business. Now give it here.” “I'll tell you what. Take me to that restaurant, and I'll let you have every bit I have, no questions asked. How does that sound?” “Trixie is not wasting money on some stuffy, overpriced lobster trap that substitutes fancy seasonings for portion sizes.” “Oh, I think Trixie is.” “And why is that?” Diamond cleared her throat. She glared around the streets, looking for anypony in sight. Instantly, she started jumping up and down shouting. “Help! This pony is offering me candy if I follow her into this dark alley.” “Shut up, shut up!” Trixie wrapped her hooves around Diamond’s mouth. Diamond’s eyes glanced up at Trixie, as Trixie stared back down at her. “Uhh, where do you want to go?” “Have you ever heard of a place called the Haystack? I’ve always wanted to go there.” ** ** ** At the Haystack restaurant, the two ponies sat at a table right beside a large stained glass window. They had already placed their orders and were now waiting for their food to arrive. Trixie was tapping her right hoof against the table, resting her head on her other hoof. Diamond Tiara sat directly opposite to Trixie, gently kicking her hooves back and forth. Her arms were crossed on the table, with her head relaxing upon them. Hoping to kill the awkward silence that surrounded them, Diamond said. “Ooh, I saw that you’re getting wine. I’ve never had wine before.” “This is not for you, besides you’re underage.” “Can I have a sip?” “No. Trixie needs it to kill this irritating pain.” “What pain?” “Oh nothing, it’ll hopefully be gone by tomorrow. So tell Trixie a little about yourself. For starters, why did you leave home?” “I just wanted to visit Manehattan, you know.” “That’s it? You ran away just to see this ghastly city?” “It’s not that bad. There’s at least more to do here than in Ponyville" “Your parents must be worried sick about you.” “Well, duh. Why else would my father offer such a huge reward?” “Then why did you leave.” “I told you, I came here to see the city.” “That can’t be the only reason. C’mon, tell Trixie the truth.” Diamond’s eyes wondered around the room, looking at everything in sight. She glanced back towards Trixie. With only one thought racing through her head, she replied. “You know you got a big butt.” “S’cuse me.” “I’m just saying, your butt is huge. You really need to go on a diet.” “Trixie’s....Trixie’s butt is fine. “I’m just trying to be honest. You know being a showmare and all, you should really think about losing some extra...” “Trixie’s butt it fine! It’s small, elegant, and perfectly firm! Trixie was nearly growling in anger. However, her rage soon depleted, when she noticed all the ponies staring at her. She slowly sank into her chair, her face as red as a ruby. Diamond placed her hoof on her mouth, trying to keep herself from laughing. Ignoring Diamond’s pity smirks, Trixie arose from her seat. “Trixie will be right back.” “Okay, see you when you get back, dough-mare.” Trixie stopped for a moment, not turning around. Her head was fuming in anger. She let out a groan as she continued forward. She entered the restroom, immediately rinsing her hooves in cold water. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. “Oh, Trixie, what have you gotten yourself into? That filly is going to be the death of you.” She took a deep breath. “You can’t put up with this forever.” “It’s not going to be forever,” Trixie replied to her reflection. Soon she’ll be home, and that hundred thousand bits will belong to Trixie.” “She’s more of a hoofful than you had thought.” “Trixie’s fine. She can deal with her. There’s nothing she can do that can break Trixie.” After rinsing her hooves for the fifth time, she left the restroom. She returned to her table to find that their order had already arrived. “Thank Celestia. Trixie’s starving.” “Trixie! Trixie! Yer back! I thought you went....away.” “Trixie just went to the restroom. Why are you yelling?” “I missed you so much. I thought you were never coming back.” Trixie’s eyes glance over to Diamond. She stared at her for a couple of seconds before returning to her plate. It was at that moment she noticed the opened wine bottle that was more than half empty. Trixie’s eyes widened, as she glanced back over at Diamond’s overzealous smile. “You little...” “Trixie!” “What.” "H-how do you like being a show...thing?” In a sarcastic tone Trixie replied. “Utterly fantastic.” “You dance on a pole?” “Grrr, no.” Too excited to keep still, Diamond kept teetering back and forth in the chair. “Oh, oh, What about...” “No, no, whatever you’re going to say, its no.” “Kay.” For a brief moment silence fell between the two ponies. “Do you wear a saddle?” “Check please!” Trixie prayed for the waiter to arrive as fast as possible. Her plead was answered when she saw the waiter coming to their table. However, her grin quickly faded away when she saw the price for their dinner. “Okay Diamond, how many bits do you have on you?” “I don’t bits, no.” “What? You said you had money.” “Money stolen, bye-bye.” Trixie’s eyes again burned with fury. “Idiot, Trixie doesn’t have enough money to pay for all of this.” “Don’t wohrry. I get idea.” “What?” “Huh?” “What’s your idea?!” “Oookay, her it ish.” Diamond thrust her hoof forward, shouting. “We Rainbow Dash!” She remained locked in that position, as though she were a statue. Trixie stared at her in confusion. “What?” “We Rain—bow Dash!” again she thrust her hoof forward, holding her position once more. “Are you talking about that multicolored Pegasus?” “We Rainbo...” “Shut up!” Just tell Trixie what the hay are you talking about?” Diamond rolled her eyes and proceeded to pick up her fork, pretending to eat her food. “F-first we, om nom nom, then we Rwanbow Dass!” She thrust her hoof forward once more. “Wait a minute. You want us to dine and dash.” Diamond did not say a word. She just raised her hooves and made a ‘squee’ sound. “Are you crazy?” Diamond nodded her head up and down. “Trixie is not a theft.” “Then Trixie wash dish.” Trixie pondered it for a moment. The very thought of getting her beautiful hooves soaked and washing dirty dishes did not sound to appealing to her. “Okay, Trixie will do it.” “Okay......HEY EVERYPONY! We’re going to dine and... “What are you doing!?” “I’m telling everypony our plan.” “Grrrr, just shut up and follow Trixie.” “Kay.” Trixie got up from her seat. Slowly she walked towards the exit, with Diamond following shortly behind. As they were nearing the door, Trixie looked back to see that Diamond was still following her. As soon as she faced forward once more, she was confronted by one of the waiters. “Is there a problem madam?” “Uhh, noooo...yes, my daughter here got really sick. Trixie thinks the food was undercooked.” The waiter looked down at Diamond who appeared as though she was going to throw up. “My apologies Miss, we are terribly sorry for what has happen. Just remain right here, I shall speak with the chef.” “No problem.” Once the waiter had left their view, Trixie quickly scurried out the door. Diamond proceeded closely behind, only stopping when she was partially outside. She turned around and started waving to everypony in sight. “Bye everypony. I had a wonderful time.” “Get over here!” shouted Trixie, as she yanked Diamond out the door by her mane. ** ** ** After a long run across the dark city streets, the two ponies had at last made it to the front door of Trixie’s apartment. From the outside of the building, all that could be heard was the distorted sound of yelling. “Will you be quiet!? I...Tri...Ahh! Trix-Trixie is trying to unlock the door!” As soon as the door swung open, Trixie stormed in, her skull about to burst in anger. Following right behind her was Diamond who was now singing at the top of her lungs. “Jungle love, it's drivin' me mad, it's makin' me crazy! Jungle love, it's drivin' me mad, it's makin' me crazy! Jungle love, it's drivin' me mad, it's makin' me crazy! Jungle love, it's drivin' me mad, it's makin' me...!” “SHUT UP! Dear Celestia, do you ever stop talking!? You are the most irritating pony Trixie has ever met! Look, from now on there will be no talking, no singing, and no breaking of the fourth wall! Does Trixie make herself clear!?” Silence now filled the air, as Diamond looked up at Trixie’s furious grin. She continued to stare at her for a few seconds, only to place her hoof on Trixie’s nose. “Boop,” said Diamond, laughing hysterically. Trixie’s face was turning red. She could barely even think straight. Hoping to brush away the urge to bring a hammer to Diamond’s skull, Trixie hastily turned around and walked into the kitchen. She trotted over to cabinet and using her magic she opened it and took out a small container filled with pills. She removed three pills and swallowed them. Afterwards she summon a bottle of water which she promptly drank. The medication took a couple of seconds to kick in, but once it did, Trixie’s anger was slowly fading away. For a moment, Trixie was at peace. But as she expected, that momentary bliss was soon disturbed by an unsettling noise coming from the other room. She glanced back into the living room to see Diamond rummaging through a trunk that was filled with Trixie’s magic props. She proceeded to throw out anything she could get her hooves on, as if she was looking for something in particular. Trixie walked over to Diamond, carefully dodging anything Diamond happen to throw in her direction. She stopped at the side of the trunk, so that she could avoid getting hit by anything. She continued to silently stare at the filly, debating whether or not to shove her all the way into the trunk and slam it shut. “What are you doing?” “Who?” asked Diamond, as she crawled from the trunk, carrying a deck of cards in her right hoof. “You.” “Meeeee?” “Yes!” “I do mahgic.” “Magic, you can’t do magic. “I mahgic d-do.” “No. You’re an Earth Pony. You don’t do magic. “Yes.” “Grrr, no!” The two ponies locked eyes on each other once more, at least until Diamond threw her hooves into the air, tossing the deck of cards, which promptly rained down around her. “You can call it fake, but this is reah mahgic! Reah mahgic!” Trixie glanced around at the mess that now engulfed her living room. Letting out a groan, she walked over to the couch. She rested her head for a moment, only until she was again bombarded by Diamond’s voice. “So, when do I get to be yer as-sis-ter-ant?” Trixie turned her head to face Diamond. “You want to be Trixie’s assistant, huh?” “Y-yah,” Alright, how about when Trixie rules Equestria as an all-powerful Alicorn. Then you can be my assistant. Also, you will have to be a Unicorn. “W-when that is?” “Hopefully very soon.” “Kay, I go check the cal-en-dar.” “Have fun. Besides you wouldn’t want to be Trixie’s assistant anyway.” “Why? Aren’t you ffffamous?” “Ahh, that was in the past. Trixie’s career has hit rock bottom, ever since that stupid Twilight showed Trixie up. Now, Trixie is forced to do these stupid little gigs at some crappy talent show.” “That’s nothing. When I get me cutie mahrk, I was going to have huge cutie-ce-cea....party. I invited everypony, even those losers that no pony liked. And how do they pay me back. They crash my party, and those flankless, blankless....JERKS! Steal my attention from me.” “Well, that sucks.” “Yah.... Well, nighty-night.” “Wait, where do you think you’re going?” “Bed, sssleep.” “Are you forgetting? You sleep on the couch.” “No. Trix couch, bed me.” “No, no, no. You don’t get the bed.” “Yes.” Trixie got up off the couch. “You don’t understand Trixie, so she’ll make herself clear. Trixie has important rules that you will abide by, and the most important—well maybe not most important—but definitely up there near the top is as following, TRIXIE DOESN’T SLEEP ON THE COUCH! Trixie stood high and mighty as her speech came to a close. She glanced over at Diamond, hoping that her words had finally sunk into her dense skull. To her utter annoyance she found Diamond completely passed out on the floor with a little drool dripping from her mouth. Trixie’s eye began to twitch. Her heart was beating heavily against her chest. She took a couple steps back, until she was up against the wall. Softly she whimpered to herself, as she cowered to the floor. After sitting still for almost ten minutes, her rapidly beating heart began to slow down. She took several deep breaths and once all her of anger had finally left her, she stood back up. She glanced back over at Diamond who was still fast asleep on the floor. Leisurely, she approached the unconscious filly. She let out a soft sigh. Using her magic, Trixie levitated Diamond into the air. She carried her into the bedroom, gently placing her onto the bed. “Good night you little...” mumbling the rest as she left the room. Diamond rested peacefully in Trixie’s bed. In her drunken daze, she unknowingly began to sing to herself. “B-B-B-B-Babs. B-B-B-B-Babs. B-B-B-B-Babs. Babs to the bone.” She soon blacked out completely. The only noise now coming from her was that of a soft moan.
ProloguePriceless By TheMasterofDespair Prologue Cold, distraught, and saddened could seemingly describe the young filly that sat on the deck of the train station, watching the gloomy night sky. The filly’s purple and white mane brushed gently against her pale magenta coat as the wind softly blew by. Perched on top of her head was a small tiara of which was identical to her cutie mark. Beside her was a small bag that held only a hoofful of bits, and at the edge of her teeth she held a small yellow ticket, although half of the ticket was concealed, what could be read was the word, -hattan. Rarely did anypony take the night train in Ponyville, making it quite unnerving to be around this hour. But the eerie atmosphere didn’t seem to bother this filly. Her mind seemed to be locked on the stars above. “Well, what if I do? What are you gonna do about it?” Diamond then moved closer towards Babs, until their noses were practically touching. Their eyes were locked, either of them refusing to back down. Babs’s ire stare however soon began to relax, to which she finally spoke. “Tell your mothers about your bad attitudes!” Diamond shook her head, trying to her best to ignore that particular memory. Ever since she had heard it, it refused to leave her mind. Her eyes now moved away from the sky, and down towards the train tracks. She wished the train would arrive already, but for whatever reason it seemed to be late. With her thoughts still racing within her head, she involuntarily started to count every wooden plank on the railroad. She counted them one by one, from where she sat, until she could not see them anymore. Soaked in mud, and missing her tiara, she marched home. Her once smug smirk now gleamed of both sorrow and fury. Too many thoughts were burning through her skull, she felt as though she couldn’t keep up. All she wished now was to be home, away from the source of her anger. “Diamond, wait up,” called a familiar voice, so familiar she didn’t bother turning around to see who it was. The grey filly that was also soaked in mud, finally caught up to her. In her mouth she was holding Diamond’s tiara, even though it was tarnished by the mud, it still managed to sparkle in the sunlight. “What a jerk. I guess once a blank flank always one, right.” Her comment didn’t seem to faze Diamond. She just ignored her and continuing walking home. “Look Diamond, maybe we should talk about it.” “Talk about what? That Babs is a backstabbing jerk.” “N-no, I mean what she said.” “What does it matter? Its history, just leave me alone.” “Diamond, I just want to help.” “I don’t really care. If you really want to help me, then stay out of my face.” “D-Diam...” “Shut up, just shut up! I don’t want to hear your stupid voice anymore!” Diamond’s shouting seemed to finally get Silver Spoon to back down. She remained almost frozen in position, watching Diamond run home. Diamond let out a soft sigh. She had grown bored of counting the railroad planks over and over again, and was looking for something else to pass the time. She closed her eyes, and envisioned images of whatever her mind could conjure up. She tried to ignore any displeasing thoughts, and just focus on whatever made her happy. But her mind seemed to be clouded by hatred. Her daydreaming however was soon shattered, by a nearby noise. By Instinct, see turned her head to face the train station. She knew it was just her imagination, but she almost wished somepony was there. That somepony had noticed her departure, and was here to bring her back home. She tried her best to hold back her tears, but the more she spoke, the more her crying became evident. “Why did she leave?” As much as he wanted to answer her question, Filthy Rich was at a loss of words. The only thing he could think to say was, “All she told me was that she wasn’t happy. She wanted to start a new life, a new beginning.” “B-but I don’t remember her. I don’t even know what she looks like.” “I understand. You were so young when she left. Blue Amber was a great mare, and I really wish she was still here.” “D-do you know where she went?” “Last I heard she was living in Manehattan, but that was a long time ago." “But she could still be there, right.” “It’s possible, yes.” The silence that filled the night air began to fade, as a loud roar pierced from the distance. The mighty roar was soon joined by a blazing light of which shined ever so brightly. She could hear the screech from the brakes as it was crawling to a stop. Immediately as it arrived the doors swung open, leaving a somewhat welcoming presence. But Diamond remained still, glaring unfeelingly at the open door. Her very fear was now keeping her from moving. She knew the train would only be there for a few minutes, so she had to act quickly. Taking a deep breath, she tried to relax. She never left Ponyville before, at least not on her own. The only time she was ever away from home was the rare occasions that her father brought her along on his business trips. Pushing aside her fear, Diamond grabbed her bag, and leisurely approached the train. She took small steps at first, but as she got closer and closer, her steps got bigger, until she lastly reached the door. Once she was in the train she started to calm down, she knew this was only the beginning of her journey, so she had to be strong. She handed her ticket to the conductor, and made up a lie to disguise the fact that she was running away. Within a couple of minutes the doors began to shut; now sealing her new found destiny. Diamond took a seat on one of the benches, staring out the window as the train moved forward. She watched as Ponyville faded into the distance, and began to plan her new life in the big city.
Day 1Day 1 The morning sun had arisen once again, waking Diamond from her slumber. She looked out the window of the train, but the only thing she could see was a crowd of ponies waiting for the train doors to open. Quickly she grabbed her belongings and scurried to the doors. When the doors had finally opened, she felt a little intimidated by all the ponies. There seemed to be more ponies in this train station alone than in all of Ponyville. Keeping her cool she moved ahead, passing the overwhelming crowd until she reached the exit. Once she stepped foot outside of the train station she stopped, took a breath of fresh air, and marveled at the beauty of Manehattan. Since the sun was just rising, it cast a magnificent glow across the entire city. The city was gorgeous. It seemed as though it was something out of a dream. It was truly more amazing than she had imagined it would be. Back in Ponyville, Filthy Rich had just woken up and was now getting ready for one of his usual business trips. He hadn’t yet noticed his daughter’s disappearance. He just assumed she was still fast asleep in her bed. He was gathering up all of his paperwork, taking a sip of coffee every couple of seconds. The mansion seemed surprisingly quiet, aside from the maids who were tidying up the household. At last he finished sorting the paperwork and put the remaining documents away. Slowly he closed the briefcase; it was then that he noticed a small note taped to the side. Curious, he removed the note and read it to himself. He was utterly shocked from what he read so much so that he could barely even finish reading the note. It seemed like some kind of joke. It felt too ridiculous to believe. But the very idea that his precious diamond had run away was too horrifying to disregard. Without hesitation he hurried to Diamond’s room, and to his dismay he found that she was nowhere in sight. He gathered up all of his staff and had them search every square inch of the household, remaining in denial that the letter might actually be true. They searched high and low, but even after half an hour they still could not find her. Filthy Rich was starting to become desperate, he couldn’t fathom the idea that something bad could have happen to her. He needed to know that she was safe, but the note didn’t mention where she was going, most likely because she didn’t want him to find her. Each passing second became more anxious than the last. He just didn’t understand why she would just leave. He always thought that she was happy. What would cause her to just run away all of a sudden? Diamond’s eyes were glowing brighter than the sun as she marched down the sidewalk of the busy city streets. She could barely keep her eyes in front of her. They were too busy gazing in every direction. The building, the birds, the ponies, it was a perfect wonderland of greatness. She was so glad no one she knew was here to see her acting this way, oohing and awing in such an uncharacteristic manner. She moved past pony after pony, not caring who was in her way. In the mix of her travels, she came to a halt. Something had caught her attention, something she just had to see. Racing to the front window of a nearby building, she saw a manikin of pony looking out at her. The manikin was dressed up in a beautiful ruby red gown. It was more gorgeous than anything she saw in Ponyville. Even Rarity would have been envious of it. Softly she placed both of her front hooves on the glass window. She felt hypnotized by its beauty. Breaking away from its spell, she gazed down at the bag she was carrying. She took a second to rekindle her thoughts, giving her a chance to walk away from the building. She knew she only had so many bits on her, and it would be best to use them sparingly. Again she advanced down the crowded sidewalk, trying her best to keep herself from getting distracted. She pressed onward, at least up until she had reached the end of the sidewalk. Wondering where the sidewalk had gone to, she only then noticed that it continued on the other side of the street. Not noticing or even so much as caring about the crosswalk, she just blissfully moved forward. It wasn’t until she was halfway across the street when she a loud rumbling sound advancing in her direction. She looked to her right only to see a horse-drawn carriage blazing right for her. In a feat of panic, she jolted back the way she came. Even after escaping the first carriage, she found herself mere inches from being run over by another carriage on the other side of the street. She remained in the middle of the street frozen in terror as the traffic increased. Too frightened to move, the only thing she thought to do was curl up into a ball and pray for the chaos to stop. Unbeknownst to her, the traffic pony had now switched the traffic signs, which finally brought her nightmare to an end. Seeing that the noise had died down, she lifted one of her hooves off her eyes to see that she was now safe. With no carriages in sight, she got up off the street and immediately dashed towards the sidewalk. Once she was safely on the sidewalk, she quickly took a moment to catch her breath. She could feel her heart beating rapidly against her chest. After a couple of minutes she was at last able to relax. She took another look back at the street, and in a graceful manner she proceeded forward, pretending as though nothing had happened. Just a few blocks away, the doors to the Hoof Care Center flung open. Practically being thrown out of the building was a blue Unicorn, who bore the image of a wand surrounded by the glow of sparkling magic on her flank. As soon as the pony was just a couple of feet away from the building, the doors slammed shut. With anger in her voice the Unicorn shouted as loudly as she could, hoping she was loud enough for the ponies inside to hear her. “Trixie is too good for this job anyway! Trixie is not going to waste her time on some meaningless, dead end job like this! Trixie doesn’t need anything from anypony!” “Trixie...” She halted a moment to catch her breath, “Trixie needs a drink.” With nothing more to say Trixie proudly turned her back towards the building, flipped her mane back, and in an elegant fashion trotted away. Too distracted by her anger, Trixie did not notice a large gathering of Pegasi flying right above the city. Strapped to the back of each Pegasus was a saddlebag, each of which seemed to be overflowing with fliers. One by one the Pegasi separated from the group and swooped down into the city. A lone Pegasus hastily came to a stop right beside a utility pole. He took out a poster and stapled it to the pole, after which he quickly flew off. Each Pegasus proceeded as such, placing hundreds of posters all across Manehattan. With the natural speed of the Pegasi, the group had covered most of the city with posters in less than twenty minutes. After the Pegasi had finished with this area they swiftly regrouped and flew off to another location. Only mere seconds after the group had departed, a certain pink filly roamed by. She cheerfully skipped across the sidewalk, without so much as even glancing at the posters they had left. Diamond continued to skip happily, only coming to a halt when she had reached the end of the sidewalk once again. Remembering what had happened the last time she had tried to cross the street, she quickly gazed around for a safe way to cross. Her eyes caught sight of a crowd of ponies, all of which were waiting at the crosswalk. Figuring this was the only safe way across, she walked over towards the gathering crowd. On the opposing side of the street, waiting impatiently among the crowd was Trixie. She wasn’t all that fond of crowds, except when they were fans seeking her autograph, but lately that seemed to be quite a rarity. As soon as the traffic pony allowed them to walk, the two sides moved forward, as though they were armies charging at each other. Diamond felt lost among the crowd. Being a filly in a crowd of adult ponies made it almost impossible to see where she was going. She watched her steps carefully, afraid that somepony may step on her. Distracted by the ponies around her, she failed to notice the ones coming from ahead. Without any warning she collided into a certain blue Unicorn. Although it was Diamond’s fault, she found herself to be the one yelling. “Watch where you’re going, you blind old mule!” “You are the clumsy one who bumped into Trixie. Also, Trixie is no mule! She is a beautiful mare.” “Puh-lease, beauty left you centuries ago.” “Hey, Trixie is not one to take insults from arrogant little foals.” “You’re right. I should really learn to respect my elders.” Without saying another word, Diamond flipped her mane back and proudly walked pass her, feeling she had won their little argument. Just to humiliate Trixie further, Diamond had her tail brush across Trixie’s face as she walked by. Furious, but not wanting to make a bigger scene out of this mess, Trixie walked away. They both then left in opposite directions, each trying to act more boastful than the other. It was in no time the two disappeared among the surrounding crowds. Diamond was overjoyed to be back on the sidewalk once again, away from the mindless crowds and carriages. But even so, she still had no idea where she was going. She began to realize that every corner of this city looked almost identical. It was just an endless stream of buildings. Now that Trixie had finally reached her destination, she was returning home, levitating a strawberry slushy as she proceeded. She took a big slurp from her slushy. The icy goodness of the red slush felt like heaven as it flowed down her throat. She paced by building after building, humming a tune she couldn’t get out of her head. Just as she was passing by another building, in the corner of her eye she saw a bulletin board with a poster that seemed to catch her attention. She immediately stopped dead in her tracks, dropping her slushy to the ground. She sped back to the bulletin board, nearly tripping over herself. Written on the top of the poster recited the words, ‘MISSING FOAL’. Trixie glanced at the picture before skimming down the text written below it. “Lalala...missing filly, lalala...safe return, lalala...will be rewarded,” Trixie zoned out for a moment, taking a step back, “One hundred thousand bits!” She was speechless. She couldn’t take her eyes off the poster. She looked back up at the picture which now seemed to tease her. In the deepest corners of her subconscious all she could think of was that pink filly that she had seen earlier. That pink filly with the purple and white mane and a cutie mark that bore the exact image of the very tiara she wore. She could see her so clearly. It was her; it had to be her. Although Trixie’s mind was all over the place, she found her hooves already running back the way she came. When she was finally able to think, she came to an instant stop at the curve, looking in every which direction for the hundred thousand bit filly. With the day flying by and the sun starting to set, the once bright city was becoming dim. Diamond hadn’t taken into consideration as to where she was planning on staying during her trip, making her more frantic than ever to find shelter. She had no idea where she was going or even how to get back. Every street looked the same, no matter which direction she went. It was a maze with no end. As she ran down yet another identical looking street, she found herself being tripped by a pony she hadn’t noticed. She fell to the ground first face, her forward momentum only adding to her pain. However, before she could get up, she was surrounded by three teenage stallions. The one pony was a Unicorn with a purple coat and a grayish silver mane. The other two were both Pegasi. The one Pegasus had a white coat and a light green mane, while the other had an red coat and a orange mane. “Oh, hello little filly,” said the red Pegasus. “You know it’s quite unsafe to be wandering the streets all by your lonesome.” “I can take care of myself just fine,” she retorted, as she got off the ground. “I wouldn’t be so sure of yourself if I were you,” added the purple Unicorn. “Well you’re not me. Now if you excuse me, I will be on my way.” She tried to run forward, only for the red Pegasus to bite down on her tail and drag her back into the circle. “What’s your rush little filly? We were just starting to have some fun,” said the white Pegasus. “Leave me alone.” “Oh, we’ll leave you alone, but first let’s see what’s in that little bag of yours,” responded the purple Unicorn as he quickly snatched the bag away from her. “Give that back!” “Or what? Are you going to use your incredible Earth Pony powers?” Ignoring her demand, the stallion opened the bag and was pleasantly surprised to find a nice sum of bits. “Well, looky here. That’s quite a lot of money for a little filly.” “It’s my money. Give it back.” “You know I’m starting to get really annoyed by this little brat.” “Brat?” Shouted Diamond. “So what do we do with her?” asked the white Pegasus. “Hmm, let’s see. Oh I got an idea.” The ponies walked over towards an open dumpster by the side of the nearby building, and the Unicorn used his magic to levitate Diamond over it. Unable to escape she closed her eyes, bracing herself to fall into the garbage below. The only noise that could be heard was a soft thump as Diamond hit the bottom of the dumpster. “Enjoy your new home,” said the red Pegasus, as he kicked the front of the dumpster, causing the lid to slam shut. The three ponies then seized Diamond’s bag, laughing as they quickly scurried away. For a few minutes Diamond remained still, lying on a couple of garbage bags. The dumpster unsurprisingly was cold, damp, and with the lid shut it was completely pitch black. Diamond felt her eyes begin to water up, but she tried to hold back her tears. She sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes. She got back up on her hooves, and tried to push the lid open. At first she found it almost impossible to lift the lid, but once she put all of her strength into it, she was finally able to free herself. Swiftly she jumped out of the dumpster, just as the lid had slammed shut again. Her jump from the dumpster caused her to fall a few feet to the ground, but she didn’t seem to care. She just got right back up and slowly roamed down the street once more. With word spreading about the missing filly, crowds of ponies had gathered around the many posters all across Equestria. While some ponies were saddened by the news, others were more focused on the reward. It wasn’t long, however, before the ponies began to depart from the area. Soon the entire crowd had left, aside from two ponies who continued to study the picture. The one pony was a female Earth Pony with a beige coat and a brownish red mane. She had a cutie mark of an envelope with a stamp on the top right corner. The envelope wasn’t white, but instead a grayish black. The pony standing beside her was a male Unicorn with a white coat and a dark blue mane. He had a cutie mark that bore the image of a small, gray magnifying loupe that was similar to the one attached to the right side of his glasses. “Isn’t she just adorable?” said the mare. “Quite,” replied the stallion. “It’s so unfortunate.” “Her parents must be so worried about her to make such a generous offer.” “That reward could make for a nice sum of bits, indeed.” “Definitely, but I had another thing in mind.” “Oh, what might that be?” “A hundred thousand bits is nice, but it’s only so much. I think this filly could be worth much more.” “What are you suggesting, Shady?” “I’m thinking we can make two maybe three hundred thousand on this filly. Heck, if we push our luck maybe even five hundred thousand. The only problem is finding her.” “I don’t think it will be too difficult.” “Do you have any suggestions as to where we should start looking?” “Oh, I may have a hunch as to where she might be.” “Well then, maybe we should pay her a little visit.” “I was thinking the same thing.” With the sun finally setting, Diamond was now completely lost in the cold dark city. The very city she thought was beautiful by day brought her nothing but nightmares now. With every sound she heard, she felt as though somepony was watching her. It made her want to run faster, but she couldn’t help but look back every couple of seconds. She had no money, no food, and nowhere to stay. Manehattan wasn’t what she had hoped it would be. With nowhere else to go, she wandered down a back alley. The alley was cluttered with torn-up newspapers, broken bottles, and cardboard boxes. It felt so lifeless here. It almost brought Diamond to tears seeing this place, this dreadful place she never wanted to be in. Diamond continued forward, stepping around the broken glass. She kept moving until she reached an empty cardboard box beside one of the brick walls. She let out a soft sigh and gradually crawled inside it, after which she collapsed to the ground. She always heard stories about poor ponies living in cardboard boxes and probably would have laughed at them in the past. She just never thought she would be this low in her entire life. She grabbed a nearby newspaper and tried to use it as a blanket, hoping to keep warm as best she could. How she missed her nice warm bed back in Ponyville. “So, this is my first day in the big city,” spoke Diamond quietly to herself. Gradually she shut her eyes, trying to escape this nightmare in her dreams, but her head was crowded with the same question that kept repeating over and over: Why did I come here? But no matter how many times she asked herself that question, she always came up with the same result. She lay there for what felt like an eternity. Even trying to sleep seemed too troublesome. But as the minutes ticked away, Diamond finally began to drift away into the only place she felt happy.
Day 2Day 2 The trotting of hooves woke Diamond from her slumber. She opened her eyes and saw a group of foals staring at her. She felt a little startled at first, but she still managed to get up to face them. One of the fillies stepped ahead of the rest of the group. She had a light orange coat and an azure mane. She appeared to be a little younger than Diamond, as she had not yet attained her cutie mark. “Aw, you’re awake,” spoke the filly, with a light Brooklyn accent. “When we found you, we figured you were dead.” “Well thanks for your concern, but I’m fine.” “We weren’t really that concerned. We run into newbies all the time.” “Newbie? What makes you think that I’m new here?” “Come on, you were a dead giveaway the first second we saw you, what with your cutesy little crown.” She then proceeded to swipe Diamond’s tiara right off her head. “Only some outside pony would wear something as tacky as this.” “Hey, give that back, right now!” Diamond Tiara shouted. “Why should I?” “Because I said so, you blank flank.” The filly’s playful smirk faded, dropping Diamond’s tiara to the ground. She took a step back trying her best to conceal her lack of a cutie mark. She directed her sights back on Diamond, her eyes now flowing with rage. “Okay you stupid newbie, since you seem to not know your place here, we’ll be more than happy teach you.” The filly took a couple of steps closer to Diamond, as the rest of the group followed shortly behind. With each step they took Diamond took another step back, until she was up against the brick wall behind her. She lay hidden beneath the shadows, as they cornered her like a predator ready to strike upon their prey. Just when Diamond thought she was in a hopeless situation, luck just happened to be on her side. A loud bang of what sounded like a hoof striking the side of a steel dumpster caught their attention. The gang turned around to face a lone filly that was standing just outside of the alley. “Get away from her,” said the filly. Her accent was much thicker than the others. “This is none of your business, so get lost,” remarked the lead filly. “You’re the one that’s going to be leaving.” “And why is that?” “Remember what happened last time you stuck your nose where it didn’t belong? I’m sure your friends do.” The foals behind the leader all took a couple of steps back. “You’re out of your area Tiff, and you know exactly what will happen if you stay.” The lead filly glared around at the rest of her gang and then back to filly in front of her. She let out a soft sigh and said, “Fine, we’ll go.” The gang quickly departed from the alley, forgetting their conflict with Diamond. As the rest of the foals vanished from sight, the lead filly glanced back at the other filly. “You really need to take my advice sometime. One of these days you’re going to get yourself seriously hurt if you keep trying to be the hero.” After she finished speaking, the filly ran off to catch up with her companions. As soon as they had departed, the filly entered the alley. She couldn’t quite see Diamond, just a concealed figure hidden in the shadows. The filly stopped about halfway to her, and looked down at the tiara on the ground. After examining it for a couple of seconds, one name seemed to sparkle in her mind, “Diamond? Diamond Tiara? Is that you?” Confused as to how this filly knew her name, Diamond slowly walked out of the shadows. Once she was in plain sight of the filly she felt a sudden jolt of anger creep down her spine, “B-Babs!” “Diamond, what are you doing here?” Diamond stood her ground, trying to act as commanding as she could. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.” With her head held high, she walked past Babs and out of the alley. Babs followed quickly behind her. “You can drop the act. I’m not buying it.” “What act?” “That you’re trying to look tough, after I obviously saved your flank.” “You save me? Yeah right. I could have handled those foals with ease. That filly was like a year younger than either of us.” “Things work differently here than they do in Ponyville.” “Well, that’s no concern to me.” “So why are you in Manehattan? Are you on a trip with Daddy?” “For your information, I’m here by myself.” “What do you mean by yourself?” “I mean, no one else is with me, duh.” “Wait, do you mean you, ran away?” “That’s right. I don’t need anyone to take care of me.” “But you don’t know anything about the city.” “Either way, I don’t care. Well, it was nice bumping into you again. Actually, no it wasn’t, so see ya.” Babs looked away for a second and then focused back on Diamond. She was certain that Diamond wouldn’t be able to take care of herself, and as much as she didn’t like her, she still didn’t want to see her get hurt. She sighed softly and started walking forward. It wasn’t long before Diamond began to notice Babs trailing just a few feet behind her, but she decided to just ignore her and move on. She started to move at a faster pace, hoping to gain distance from her. But even then Babs kept up. After growing immensely irritated, she came to a quick stop. “Why are you following me?” She didn’t even bother turning around. “Hmm, no reason.” “What, you think I can’t take care of myself?” “Something like that.” “Hey, just because I’m rich doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about the city.” “It’s that boastful attitude of yours, that’s what going to get you hurt.” “Wow, ever since you joined the crusaders, you’ve really become a goody two-shoes.” “Actually, I always found myself helping other foals long before I even went to Ponyville. That’s usually why I ended up getting bullied a lot.” “Well, I don’t need you protecting me. I know everything about being street-smart.” “Sure you do.” “I would do so much better than Apple Bloom, that’s for sure.” “Hey, Apple Bloom would be just fine.” “Come on, she is a country filly. What does she know about the city?” “Okay fine, let’s just say it’s Scootaloo?” “Hmm, okay I’ll give you that one. Scootaloo would be much better off than Apple Bloom. But how about what’s her name---Sweetie Belle?” Right as she made her suggestion, they both found themselves simultaneously snickering. “I don’t know.” Babs was trying her hardest not to laugh, seeing as how Sweetie Belle was a dear friend of hers. Diamond Tiara on the other hand was practically in tears from the mere thought of Sweetie Belle wandering blindly through the city. “Sweetie Belle... Sweetie Belle would follow the first pony to offer her candy.” Babs stopped snickering and glared over at Diamond. “Alright stop. They’re my friends, and I’m not going to let you insult them.” “Whatever.” Diamond then continued down the sidewalk with Babs again following right behind her. Back in Ponyville, at Sugarcube Corner, was a lone gray filly, sitting at the table at the far end of the building. Upon the table in front of her stood two large milkshakes. One was vanilla and the other one on the opposite end of the table was chocolate. She had barely even taken a sip of her own. She was just watching the whipped cream melt away. Impassively she stared at her milkshake, the only time she looked away was when she would glance over at the empty chair in front of her. With her mind filled with worry over her missing friend, she didn’t seem to notice that a trio of fillies was now standing right beside her table. When she did finally look over, she wasn’t too surprised to see that it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Hey Silver, I know you’re upset about Diamond,” said Sweetie Belle in a soft voice. “But I’m sure she’s okay.” Silver Spoon did not care to respond. She just looked away from the trio and stared back at her milkshake. After a couple of seconds, she left her table, walking right past the trio and only stopping when she was halfway to the exit. “I honestly don’t care what you have to say, so how about you just leave me alone, losers.” After finishing her sentence, Silver Spoon left Sugarcube Corner and made her way home. The Cutie Mark Crusaders continued to just stand in their exact position, a little upset that their comforting didn’t go as smoothly as they had hoped. As they proceeded down yet another block, Diamond slowed down when she noticed a stand selling fruit. The fruit stand was stacked from top to bottom with an abundant of delicious and ripe fruit. Diamond eyed the bright, red apples stacked on the stand. She placed her one hoof on her stomach, feeling as though she hadn’t eaten in days. “So Diamond, why did you run away from home?” “Let’s just say I’m looking for somepony and leave it at that.” “Alright, fine.” Diamond glanced at the apples again. “Hey, allow me to show you how much of a street gang hoodster I am.” Hearing Diamond’s statement caused Babs to press her hoof up against her face. Diamond slowly crept up to the fruit stand, and the second the vendor was looking away she swiped an apple. Without hesitation, she devoured the apple down to the core, consuming as though she were a piranha. “Gee Diamond, you really are so bad. I should probably warn the Princesses about you.” “Hey, I can be just as crime-ridden as anyone else in this stupid city.” “Stealing is not going to make you fit in.” “Then what will?” “Nothing! You’re a snobby, rich filly who’s trying to act like you’re from the streets.” “So, what’s your point?” “That is my point!” Diamond, growing bored of her lecture, proceeded back down the sidewalk once more. Babs followed beside her, still trying to get her words to sink into Diamond’s thick skull. They continued for a couple more blocks. After a few minutes, Diamond started to hear what sounded like her name being mentioned among the crowds. It sounded like a whisper, but it was so clear to her. She spun her head around, looking back as though somepony was following them. Curious of what Diamond was looking at, Babs asked, “What’s wrong?” “I-I thought I heard something.” “You’re just being paranoid.” Diamond tried to ignore the voices, believing that they might just be in her mind. But she couldn’t help but to listen. Everypony they passed by sounded like they were talking about her. “Can’t you hear them?” “No, I didn’t hear a thing.” For a moment, Babs remained skeptical, but her denial started to fade as she thought she saw somepony following them. Every time she looked back, the ponies were just going about their business. But once she faced the opposite direction, she could swear that they were right behind them again. Babs moved close to Diamond, whispering in her ear, “Diamond, I think you might be right.” “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting out of here.” Babs examined the area to find safe place to go and in her sights she saw the lush, green park just up ahead. “Just follow me, okay.” Once they reached the end of the block they made a quick cut across the street and ran into the park. They ducked behind the bushes and quietly waited until all the ponies had left. When the coast was clear, they crept from the bushes and ran deeper into the park. “What do you think those ponies wanted with us?” asked Babs. “Us? You’re the troublemaker here.” “It was your name they were saying.” “Oh, right.” “Okay, let’s get out of here.” They spun around to run, only to come face to face with another pony that had snuck up on them. He was a male Earth Pony with a scuffled up mane. He looked as though he hadn’t showered in months. It was hard to tell whether he was homeless or had just escaped from a mental hospital. “Ooh, looks like I got the pink filly,” said the pony as he reached to pick up Diamond. Thinking fast, she jumped back before the pony could grab her. The two then made a run for it as the pony chased after them. “Hey Pinkie, don’t run. I just want to capture you.” Even though they were managing to outrun this pony, the commotion started to attract the attention of many others in the area. “Look, it’s her, it’s the hundred thousand bit filly!” shouted one pony, which caused more ponies to rush to the scene. Terror consumed the two fillies, as they now found themselves being surrounded by what looked to be well over a hundred ponies. With no time to think the two sped off, hoping to escape the galloping swarm behind them. They ran as fast as their little legs could carry them. In the distance they could see the park’s gate, but unfortunately as they got closer they were cut off by another group of ponies. Swiftly they ran in the only direction that they could go, but no matter how fast they ran the ponies still managed to catch up. As they continued forward, they had reached a small hill in the middle of the park. However, before they could proceed down, they were ambushed by another pony who managed to grasp Diamond Tiara’s mane. His victory was short lived, as Babs immediately lunged herself towards them, freeing Diamond and sending them both tumbling down the hillside. The mob of ponies had now reached the top of the hill and saw the two fillies down below. They descended down the hill after them, just as Babs and Diamond got off the ground, and the chase continued. With the hillside giving them a slight lead, it seemed as though they might make some distance between them. But that felt like wishful thinking, as Diamond found herself slowing down until reaching a dead stop. She felt like she had no control over her own body. She continued to run in place as fast as she could, but still wasn’t moving an inch. Her hooves were now drifting from the ground itself, in a matter of seconds she was levitating in the air. The aura of magic that now consumed her slowly began to drag her back towards the mob of ponies. Seeing Diamond’s dilemma, Babs quickly jolted back to try and reach her, unfortunately she was blocked off by the swarm, which was now assembling itself around Diamond. Before she could blink, Diamond had disappeared and what now lay ahead of her was a large gathering of ponies all fighting over her. Trotting, kicking, pushing, shoving, it was a feeding frenzy. Babs took a step back, not sure what to do at this point. Yet in the back of her mind one idea was flickering. She was already regretting having to do this, but she knew she had no other choice. She took a deep breath, and with one mighty leap, she dived into the swarm, as though it were a swimming pool. Staggering through the ponies wasn’t easy, and searching for Diamond made it even more troublesome. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. She could feel ponies shoving her in every direction, to the point that she could hardly breathe. She felt like she was drowning, drowning in a pool of ponies. Moving onwards, she at long last spotted a cutie mark that had the image of a tiara. She watched as Diamond was being fought over by everypony that could reach her. It seemed like she was meat being served to a clan of starving hyenas. Without a second thought, Babs pounced at Diamond’s location, breaking the ponies’ hold, and throwing them both just outside of the mob. Finally free and without a second to waste, they dashed as fast as they could towards the steel fence surrounding the park. They lunged at the fence, hastily climbed to the top, knowing they only had a few seconds before the mob arrived. As the mob finally caught up, they attempted to grab them. Luckily for the duo, they managed to make it to the other side, before they could reach them. The two then jumped off the steel fence and ran back into the city streets. One by one the mob of ponies followed behind them, continuing their chase down the sidewalks. They ran down the first block, keeping a slight distance from the mob. Once they had turned the corner down the next street, they quickly ducked into the nearest alley, and hid on the far side of a dumpster. Just out of sight, they watched as the mob scampered by. Once the mob had vanished into the distance, Babs quietly popped her head out and observed the area until she thought it was safe to leave. “Okay, I think they’re gone,” said Babs. Feeling that they were finally out of harm’s way, the two took a moment to catch their breath. Afterwards they journeyed deeper into the back alley, knowing it was safer here than on the streets. They proceeded down the alleyway, trying to be as quiet as they could be. Babs gazed over at Diamond. She could see that she was still a little shaken up. It wasn’t difficult to tell that this was probably one of the scariest moments in Diamond’s life. They turned corner after corner, only to at last reach a straightaway, which they hoped would lead them out of here. It was only when they had moved a few feet forward that a figure appeared from the shadows, cutting off their path. The figure was that of a mare with a beige coat and a brownish red mane. The mare gave them a playful smile as they stopped dead in their tracks. They slowly backed away from her, only to bump into another pony that was now blocking off the only other exit they had. Diamond and Babs turned around to face a stallion that had a white coat and a dark blue mane. Keeping their distance from the two ponies, they moved to the middle of the alley. Trying to ignoring her fear for a moment, Diamond attempted to speak up, “Who are you?” “Aw yes, I haven’t properly introduced myself. My name is Dr. Clear.” He then pointed his hoof towards the mare behind them. “This is my associate, Shady Deal.” “What do you want with us?” asked Babs. “With you nothing. We only seek the pink one.” “The name’s Diamond,” she snapped. “Oh, I know that, my dear. Now, we hope that you will come with us nice and calmly. It seems you’ve already had a rough day as it is.” Diamond looked over at Babs, than back to Dr. Clear. “I’ll handle this,” she whispered to Babs as she walked up to the stallion in front of her. “Wait, Diamond,” said Babs. Diamond ignored her plea and continued forward, until she was nearly face to face with him. She stood up straight, and with an ominous glare she began to speak. “I’m going to ask you one time and only one time, so listen carefully. Move out of our way right now.” A friendly smirk appeared on his face. “Aw, aren’t you just the cutest thing?” Diamond’s eye started to twitch. If there was one thing she hated, it was being talked down to. “Don’t mock me, you have no idea who I am and what I am truly capable of.” “Yes, I can imagine. You’re such a tough little filly, aren’t you?” He began to tease her even more, as he placed his right hoof on the top of her head, messing up her mane. As he removed his hoof, his expression rapidly changed from a lighthearted smirk to a sadistic grin. Without even a moment to react, Diamond felt his hoof strike her right across the face, bringing her tough attitude to a whimper. The mere sight was enough to cause Babs’ jaw to drop to the ground. Even Shady couldn’t help but flinch from that sudden strike. Diamond’s courage had now completely vanished. She took a step back. But, before she could move back any farther, her mane was yanked up into the air. He held her tightly in his hoof, dangling from the ground. She was now mere inches from his face. At this point she could see her own frightened reflection in the lenses of his glasses. He continued to stare at the terrified filly, gently brushing his right hoof across her face. “You have such beautiful eyes.” Diamond tried to look away, but she couldn’t. She was too afraid to even shut her eyes. Babs couldn’t stand to watch him torment her any longer. She felt as though her head was about to burst. In a blind fury, she pounced at them, biting Dr. Clear’s hoof. Her unexpected attack caused him to released Diamond, dropping her to the ground. Dr. Clear attempted to fling her off, but Babs held on with all her might. Unfortunately, she could only hold out for so long before she lost her grip. Babs was then flung against the brick wall, which knocked her out cold. “Babs!” cried Diamond. She tried to run to her, only to be cut off by Dr. Clear, whose glare now seemed almost demonic. “Where are you going, little filly?” snapped Dr. Clear. With no other option, Diamond raced back down the alleyway with Dr. Clear pursuing her as she ran. Once the two were out of sight, Shady Deal slowly proceeded forward. She looked down at the injured filly, letting out a soft sigh. After which she ran onward, following in the direction Diamond Tiara and Dr. Clear had gone. Babs felt her breath return to her. Leisurely she opened her eyes. She took a breath of air and slowly got up off the ground. She felt a sharp pain in shoulder, but tried her best to ignore it, knowing there wasn’t much time to waste. Hastily she ran off, going in a different direction than the others went. Diamond’s eyes were drenched in tears, as she ran in any direction she could go. At this point it didn’t matter where she went, as long as she got away from the ponies that were chasing her. With a variety of routes all leading in different directions, it allowed Diamond to temporarily escape them. But even out of sight, she could still hear their hooves echoing behind her. Her heart was beating rapidly, but she pressed on. She knew what awaited her if they were to catch up. Frequently, she would look back to see if they were still on her tail. When she didn’t see or hear from them, she thought she may have lost them. With the moment at hand, she decided to stop and catch her breath. Aside from her pounding heartbeat, all was silent. She rested against the brick wall beside her for a brief moment to recover. Her rest, however, was soon interrupted by the sound of hoofsteps in the distance. Diamond slightly poked her head out, looking to see if anyone was coming her way. Feeling nervous, she began to walk backwards, trying to keep an eye out for them. She took several more steps, but as she neared the corner, she felt a hoof wrap around her head, covering her mouth. Her panic was cut short when she heard the voice of a Brooklyn-accented filly telling her to relax. “This way,” Babs whispered. They roamed through the empty alley, making sure to be as quiet as they possible could. It wasn't long before they were at last able to see a light that revealed a way out. Forgetting about being quiet, they dashed towards the exit as fast as they could. Just as Dr. Clear and Shady Deal had turned the corner, they spotted the two fillies running to the exit. “There’s my girl.” said Dr. Clear, racing towards them. “Crap, they found us?” said Diamond Tiara. While Diamond was focus on the ponies behind them, Babs was just glancing over at Diamond. After a couple of seconds she finally spoke, “Okay, let’s split up.” “What? How’s that going to help?” “Trust me. I think I have an idea.” Both Dr. Clear and Shady Deal had reached the end exit just a few seconds after Babs and Diamond left. They stopped and looked around for the fillies. Off to their right they saw what looked like one of fillies running down the sidewalk, but from the distance it was difficult to tell who it was. They were about to chase after her, when they caught a glimpse of Diamond’s tiara moving just ahead of them. The tiara was reflecting off the sunlight, casting a luminously shine. “There she is,” remarked Shady. The two ponies continued their pursuit, refusing to let her escape. They followed the shine of the Diamond’s tiara, which was now heading back into the park. With all attention on the one filly, the other had now made further into the city. She was blazing down the streets, passing anyone that dared to stand in her way. She looked back, seeing if anyone was following her. She wanted to stop, but her legs refused to. When she had faced forward again, she found herself running right into a large bag that had mysteriously appeared. Once she was completely inside, the bag was sealed shut, entrapping her in complete darkness. As much as she struggled to break free, her efforts proved futile. The two ponies were closing in on the radiant tiara, which was now approaching a small stone wall. As the filly neared the stone wall, she jumped over it, only to immediately come to a stop on the other side. The two ponies stopped as well. The stone wall was slightly taller than the filly. The only thing that could be seen was the tiara that ascended just above it. They approached the filly, however, once they were only a couple of feet away, the filly came out from hiding and climbed up on top of the stone wall. To their surprise the filly that now stood before them was not Diamond, but instead Babs Seed wearing her tiara. “Looking for somepony?” asked Babs in a seductive manner. “You’ll be wise to tell us where she is?” said Dr. Clear. “Oh what, am I not good enough for you?” “Where is she?” “I’d say she’s probably on the other side of the city by now. But at least we had fun, right? I know I did. So, see ya.” Babs hastily hopped off the stone wall and ran further into the park. Shady Deal seemed ready to chase her down, but she was stopped by Dr. Clear. “Forget about her. She’s worthless. We need to find the pink filly.” “It may take longer than we had planned,” remarked Shady Deal. “Don’t worry, sooner or later she’s going to slip up, and when she does, we’ll make sure she pays greatly for her disobedience.” Diamond, still trapped in the bag was feeling a little lightheaded. She felt like she was running low on air. She was at the very least grateful that she was no longer moving, giving her a chance to settle down. Her feelings of entrapment were cleansed, however, when she noticed a light appearing in the darkness that surrounded her. She shifted her body towards the light, trying to see what existed on the other side. She placed her hoof against the light, slowly she beginning to tear away at the fabric that imprisoned her until she was able to emerge from the darkness and into the light. Even though she was free from her captivity, she still found herself in a strange building she had never seen before. She studied the building’s surroundings. It seemed like she was in somepony’s home. “H-Hello? Is anyone there?” said Diamond, as she continued to look around. Mere seconds following her response, a pony emerged from the next room. “W-who are you?” The pony leisurely walked up to her, now revealing a female Unicorn with blue coat. “Trixie, the great and powerful.” Diamond stared at her moment before saying, “Who?” “Trixie. You know the famous showmare.” “I don’t..." “The most powerful Unicorn in all of Equestria!” “I always thought that was Rarity.” “Rarity? Don’t you mean Twilight?” “So, Twilight’s the most powerful Unicorn.” “Precisely. No wait, Trixie is the most power... You know what? Just be quiet." “So, what exactly do all you ponies want with me?” “Oh, you haven’t heard.” Trixie quickly grabbed one of the fliers off the table next to them and placed it on the ground in front of Diamond. “Your father offered a huge reward for your return.” “Hmm, a hundred thousand bits, that seems kind of, small.” “Maybe you would think that, but to Trixie it’s a goldmine.” “So, where actually are we?” “You are at Trixie’s apartment.” “Why would a famous showmare live in a dump like this?” “Trixie finds it to be perfectly satisfying.” “Whatever you say, showmare.” Trixie rolled her eyes and glanced over at the clock. “Well I think it’s starting to get late. How about we call it a night? After all, we have a busy day tomorrow.” “I-I...” “Unless you wish to go back out there on your own.” Diamond looked away from Trixie and over at the front door. “Trixie can imagine this city can be quite frightening for a filly all by her lonesome.” Diamond softly sighed and turned back around to face Trixie. “So what do you say, Diamond? Would you like a nice, safe place to stay for the night? Then tomorrow Trixie take you home.” Although Diamond did not say a word, her expression was enough of a response to give Trixie the answer she was hoping for. “Alright then, Trixie invites you to sleep on the couch right here.” Diamond looked at Trixie; the very idea of sleeping on a couch was not to satisfying for Diamond’s liking, but she decided not to argue. “Pleasant dreams, little filly,” said Trixie. Trixie stood there for a moment, waiting for Diamond to shut her eyes. As soon she was certain that Diamond was asleep, she left the area and went to her own bedroom. Diamond lay still on the couch for over an hour pretending to be asleep. She waited patiently until she heard the faint sound of snoring coming from Trixie’s room. With Trixie finally asleep, Diamond silently got to her hooves and crept to the door. She placed her hoof on the doorknob, but she instead stopped herself before she could open the door. The terrors she had encountered along her journey filled her mind. The idea of spending another night out in cold city street was more than she could bear. Having a change of heart, she released the doorknob and crept back towards the couch. She climbed back up and rested her weary head on the arm of the couch once again. It may not have been all that comfortable, but it was at least slightly better than sleeping in a cardboard box.
Day 3Day 3 “Wake up,” said Trixie, gently shaking Diamond back and forth. With a tired groan, Diamond opened her eyes to see Trixie standing beside the couch. “Good morning, filly.” Diamond let out another moan as she stared at Trixie’s overzealous smirk. “W-what day is it?” “Today, that’s what day it is.” “Uh-huh.” “Alright, now that you’re awake, you have fifteen minutes to get ready. We have a train to catch. Okay, hop to it.” Trixie then trotted into the other room, leaving a drowsy Diamond to her thoughts. Diamond rested her head back onto the arm of the couch, hoping to catch another wink of sleep. After a couple of minutes, she finally pushed herself off the couch. She let out a deep yawn, as she took a moment stretch out her body. “Ten minutes,” called Trixie from the next room. “Ten minutes,” repeated Diamond, in a sarcastic tone. Diamond began to roam around the living room, only coming to a stop when she noticed the bookshelf on the far end of the room. She walked up to it, and began browsing through all the books. Between the books Magic for Dummies and How to Get a Stallion, was a year old address book of Manehattan. Diamond gently pulled the book of the shelf and opened it up. She wasn’t sure why, but the first name she looked up was the name Orange. “Huh, so that’s where Babs lives.” She continued to browse through the book, now jumping over to the ‘B’ section. She checked everypony named Blue, but she could not find the name she was looking for. “Seven minutes,” said Trixie. Diamond turned to the ‘A’ section of the book, searching high and low for the name Amber. It was only after her 3rd time browsing down the list that she at last saw the name Blue Amber. Diamond took a moment to glance at the address. After letting out a deep sigh, she calmly closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. She walked away from the bookshelf and back over to the couch. For a few minutes she lay down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. “Ahem.” Diamond looked over to now see Trixie standing beside the couch once again. “Alright, come on, we have to move quickly or we are going to miss the train.” “What about breakfast?” “You can get something to eat once we get back to Ponyville.” “But I’m hungry now.” “Fine, just get something to eat and let’s go.” Diamond left the living room and went into the kitchen. To her horror the room was a complete wreck. The food-stained dishes were piling up in the sink. They looked as though they haven’t been washed in days. The table was cover with rubbish from left to right, stacked up upon each other. Beside the counters was a garbage can that was already filled to the brim and seeping onto the floor. She crept through the kitchen, across the tattered tile floors until she reached the fridge. She opened the door to find it practically empty. The only thing that was in there was half a bottle of milk that had already expired, two eggs, one of which was cracked and some fruit, but as expected they were bruised and turning brown. Diamond shut the door, while trying to keep herself from throwing up. She backed away from the fridge and turned towards the exit. As she was about to leave the kitchen, in the corner of her eye she saw a shadow creep across the floor and disappear behind the fridge. She couldn’t tell what it was. It seemed too big to be a rat, but the mere sight of it was enough to get her to run out of the kitchen. “Okay, I’m not hungry anymore.” “Alright then. Let’s go.” The two ponies left the apartment and made their way to the train station. The train station was about two miles away, but knowing that there were still others out there searching for Diamond, Trixie made sure to take the less populated roads. Trixie was leading the way, smiling happily as she hummed to herself. Following shortly behind her was Diamond, who was desolately staring at the ground as she proceeded. So many thoughts were racing though Diamond’s little head. It was only a matter of time before she would be on that train back to Ponyville. After everything that had happened to her, all she wanted now was to be home, away from the terrors she had seen. But no matter how much she craved to be home, that voice kept ringing in her head, “Tell your mother’s about your bad attitudes.” It wouldn’t stop, it wouldn’t go away. She could hear it so clearly, piercing though her skull. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t realized that they had already reached the train station and were now waiting at the deck for the train to arrive. Each passing second felt more and more intense. Her hooves were beating against the wooden deck, as if ready for a race. She knew that she should stay, but her hooves were already running away. She ran, yet stopped, she couldn’t go any farther. She looked back to see Trixie, who had stomped down on her tail. “Where do you think you’re going?” “I’m not going back to Ponyville.” “Yes, you are.” “No, I can’t, I have stuff to do here.” “That’s none of Trixie’s concern. Now come on.” “No!” “Filly, you will do what Trixie tells you do to.” “No I won’t.” Diamond pushed Trixie back, breaking free of her grasp. She tried once more to run, but even then she couldn’t. Trixie had once again seized Diamond’s tail, now with her teeth. Diamond used all her might to try and escape, only to be outmatched. Their struggle brought them closer and closer to the end of the stations deck, until Trixie was right on the edge. Seizing the opportunity, Diamond spun around and leapt at Trixie knocking them both off the deck, causing Diamond to take an all too familiar fall into the mud. Mere seconds following their plunge, Diamond emerged back on the deck, her hooves, coat, and mane drenched in mud. However, the mud didn’t bother her. All that was on her mind was to escape from the train station as fast as she could. Immediately after she departed, one of Trixie’s mud soaked hooves sprung on to the deck. It was then followed by another. Trixie then climbed up to her torso. Her vivid blue mane was completely tarnished by the mud, as was the rest of her body. Trixie’s eyes burned with rage, as she screamed to the heavens, “YOU ARE SO DEAD!” Hastily Diamond ran back into the city streets. Fortunately for her, the mud that coated her was also concealing her as well. However, while the mud may have kept her hidden from the ponies around her, it was also leaving a trail for Trixie to follow. Diamond quickly ducked behind a parked carriage. She looked back to see if Trixie was coming her direction. As Diamond continued to stare down the sidewalk, a poof of magic appeared behind her. Within a sparkle of light, Trixie appeared out of thin air. Trixie quietly approached Diamond, who was unaware of her presence. Trixie leaned as close as she could to Diamond and whispered into her ear, “Razzle. Dazzle.” Diamond’s eyes nearly pop out of her skull when she heard Trixie’s voice. She tried to run once more, but before she could even move, Trixie had teleported in front of her. Diamond ran back in the other direction, only to come face to face with Trixie once more. They continued to repeat this pattern over and over until Trixie finally snapped. “Stop running!” Diamond, who was now panting heavily, finally came to a stop. With nowhere to run, Trixie used her magic to encase Diamond in an aura of purple light. Diamond struggled to escape, but Trixie’s magic was too strong. Diamond was now levitating upside down, several feet off the ground. “Let me go!” “No. Trixie has had enough of your games.” “Please somepony, help!” No matter how much she fought she couldn’t weaken Trixie’s hold. The more she struggled, the more the magic seemed to deplete her strength. Trixie continued to taunt Diamond, but her fun was soon interrupted when she heard a voice from behind her. “Is there a problem here?” Trixie spun around to be confronted by a policemare, who seemed quite ambiguous as to what was going on. “H-hello officer.” Trixie was slightly sweating, as fear consumed her vibrant purple eyes. “This is not what it looks like.” The policemare continued to glare at the nervous mare, who was subconsciously laughing to herself. ** ** ** On the other side of the city, wandering the busy streets was a filly with an orange-brown coat and a light red mane. She steadily made her way pass the many ponies, her eyes constantly glancing towards everypony that came into her sights. “Diamond!” shouted Babs. She had called her name numerous times already and just like all the times before she received no answer. As she continued forward, she spotted a diner that she and her friends would occasionally hang out at. She walked inside and strolled up to the front counter. “Hey Cold Cut, you there?” said Babs. After waiting for a couple of seconds a teenage pony wearing a waiter uniform arrived at the counter. “Yo Babs. Whatcha doing here?” “I’m looking for a filly named Diamond Tiara. I was hoping you may have seen her.” “Diamond Tiara, huh.” “Yeah. She’s pinkish and has this weird purple and white mane." “So, yer hoping to snag the prize as well.” “What are you talking about? What prize?” “You’ve musta heard?” Cold Cut pointed over at the bulletin board just off to the side. “That’s all everypony is talking about now.” Babs walked over to the bulletin board and stared at the picture of Diamond. “Huh, so that’s why everypony was after her.” Babs softly chuckled to herself. “I’m surprised she’s worth so much. I kind of see her more as two maybe three bits.” ** ** ** “I can’t believe you told them you were my mother!” snapped Diamond, as she and Trixie walked out of the police station. “I have a mother and she’s not some talentless showmare like you!” Trixie did not respond she just quietly strolled forward. “You are so lucky I decided to cover for you, otherwise you would be seeing your blue butt in jail. Again Trixie did not say a word. “Not that I’m complaining after you foulnapped me and assaulted me. Having you locked up would be a blessing for Equestria. Either way, I’ve had enough of you. So see ya, loser.” Diamond began walking in the opposite direction, only for Trixie to quickly catch up with her. Finally breaking her silence she said, “Wait right there. Trixie is not leaving here without you.” Diamond spun around. She knew it would be pointless to run. "Look, Trixie tried being nice, and she tried being mean, either way doesn’t seems to work with you." “So.” “So. Trixie has a third option. Maybe we can come up with some kind of an agreement. What do you think?” Diamond thought about it for a moment. “Alright, to begin with, I don’t like anypony telling me what to do, understand.” “Nor does Trixie.” “Also, I want you to show me some respect.” “You’ll get as much respect as you give to Trixie. Anything else?” “Yes, from now on we are going to do what I say, okay?” This thought sunk deep into Trixie’s skull. While she wanted to say no, that one word snuck out of her mouth. “Okay. Trixie will allow you to do whatever it is you need to do for the next twenty four hours. Then tomorrow night you will return to Ponyville without any problems whatsoever.” Trixie stretched her hoof forward. “Do we have a deal?” Diamond stretched her hoof forward, which the two then shook hoofs, “Deal.” “Alright, so what is it that you would like to do?” “We’ll discuss it more later. As of right now, I am hungry so we’re going to get something to eat.” “Alright, we will pick something up on the way home.” “No, no, no, we are going out to eat. In fact, we are going to a nice, expensive restaurant.” Trixie burst into laughter at Diamond's request. "If Trixie could afford something like that, she wouldn't even need to waste her time with you." “Fine, if it will make you happy, I will chip in.” “You'll chip in?” Trixie eyed Diamond. “You have money? How much?” Diamond stuck up her nose and turned away. “I don't see how that's any of your business.” “If Trixie has to lug your snooty, little backside around this town, then you better believe it's Trixie's business. Now give it here.” “I'll tell you what. Take me to that restaurant, and I'll let you have every bit I have, no questions asked. How does that sound?” “Trixie is not wasting money on some stuffy, overpriced lobster trap that substitutes fancy seasonings for portion sizes.” “Oh, I think Trixie is.” “And why is that?” Diamond cleared her throat. She glared around the streets, looking for anypony in sight. Instantly, she started jumping up and down shouting. “Help! This pony is offering me candy if I follow her into this dark alley.” “Shut up, shut up!” Trixie wrapped her hooves around Diamond’s mouth. Diamond’s eyes glanced up at Trixie, as Trixie stared back down at her. “Uhh, where do you want to go?” “Have you ever heard of a place called the Haystack? I’ve always wanted to go there.” ** ** ** At the Haystack restaurant, the two ponies sat at a table right beside a large stained glass window. They had already placed their orders and were now waiting for their food to arrive. Trixie was tapping her right hoof against the table, resting her head on her other hoof. Diamond Tiara sat directly opposite to Trixie, gently kicking her hooves back and forth. Her arms were crossed on the table, with her head relaxing upon them. Hoping to kill the awkward silence that surrounded them, Diamond said. “Ooh, I saw that you’re getting wine. I’ve never had wine before.” “This is not for you, besides you’re underage.” “Can I have a sip?” “No. Trixie needs it to kill this irritating pain.” “What pain?” “Oh nothing, it’ll hopefully be gone by tomorrow. So tell Trixie a little about yourself. For starters, why did you leave home?” “I just wanted to visit Manehattan, you know.” “That’s it? You ran away just to see this ghastly city?” “It’s not that bad. There’s at least more to do here than in Ponyville" “Your parents must be worried sick about you.” “Well, duh. Why else would my father offer such a huge reward?” “Then why did you leave.” “I told you, I came here to see the city.” “That can’t be the only reason. C’mon, tell Trixie the truth.” Diamond’s eyes wondered around the room, looking at everything in sight. She glanced back towards Trixie. With only one thought racing through her head, she replied. “You know you got a big butt.” “S’cuse me.” “I’m just saying, your butt is huge. You really need to go on a diet.” “Trixie’s....Trixie’s butt is fine. “I’m just trying to be honest. You know being a showmare and all, you should really think about losing some extra...” “Trixie’s butt it fine! It’s small, elegant, and perfectly firm! Trixie was nearly growling in anger. However, her rage soon depleted, when she noticed all the ponies staring at her. She slowly sank into her chair, her face as red as a ruby. Diamond placed her hoof on her mouth, trying to keep herself from laughing. Ignoring Diamond’s pity smirks, Trixie arose from her seat. “Trixie will be right back.” “Okay, see you when you get back, dough-mare.” Trixie stopped for a moment, not turning around. Her head was fuming in anger. She let out a groan as she continued forward. She entered the restroom, immediately rinsing her hooves in cold water. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. “Oh, Trixie, what have you gotten yourself into? That filly is going to be the death of you.” She took a deep breath. “You can’t put up with this forever.” “It’s not going to be forever,” Trixie replied to her reflection. Soon she’ll be home, and that hundred thousand bits will belong to Trixie.” “She’s more of a hoofful than you had thought.” “Trixie’s fine. She can deal with her. There’s nothing she can do that can break Trixie.” After rinsing her hooves for the fifth time, she left the restroom. She returned to her table to find that their order had already arrived. “Thank Celestia. Trixie’s starving.” “Trixie! Trixie! Yer back! I thought you went....away.” “Trixie just went to the restroom. Why are you yelling?” “I missed you so much. I thought you were never coming back.” Trixie’s eyes glance over to Diamond. She stared at her for a couple of seconds before returning to her plate. It was at that moment she noticed the opened wine bottle that was more than half empty. Trixie’s eyes widened, as she glanced back over at Diamond’s overzealous smile. “You little...” “Trixie!” “What.” "H-how do you like being a show...thing?” In a sarcastic tone Trixie replied. “Utterly fantastic.” “You dance on a pole?” “Grrr, no.” Too excited to keep still, Diamond kept teetering back and forth in the chair. “Oh, oh, What about...” “No, no, whatever you’re going to say, its no.” “Kay.” For a brief moment silence fell between the two ponies. “Do you wear a saddle?” “Check please!” Trixie prayed for the waiter to arrive as fast as possible. Her plead was answered when she saw the waiter coming to their table. However, her grin quickly faded away when she saw the price for their dinner. “Okay Diamond, how many bits do you have on you?” “I don’t bits, no.” “What? You said you had money.” “Money stolen, bye-bye.” Trixie’s eyes again burned with fury. “Idiot, Trixie doesn’t have enough money to pay for all of this.” “Don’t wohrry. I get idea.” “What?” “Huh?” “What’s your idea?!” “Oookay, her it ish.” Diamond thrust her hoof forward, shouting. “We Rainbow Dash!” She remained locked in that position, as though she were a statue. Trixie stared at her in confusion. “What?” “We Rain—bow Dash!” again she thrust her hoof forward, holding her position once more. “Are you talking about that multicolored Pegasus?” “We Rainbo...” “Shut up!” Just tell Trixie what the hay are you talking about?” Diamond rolled her eyes and proceeded to pick up her fork, pretending to eat her food. “F-first we, om nom nom, then we Rwanbow Dass!” She thrust her hoof forward once more. “Wait a minute. You want us to dine and dash.” Diamond did not say a word. She just raised her hooves and made a ‘squee’ sound. “Are you crazy?” Diamond nodded her head up and down. “Trixie is not a theft.” “Then Trixie wash dish.” Trixie pondered it for a moment. The very thought of getting her beautiful hooves soaked and washing dirty dishes did not sound to appealing to her. “Okay, Trixie will do it.” “Okay......HEY EVERYPONY! We’re going to dine and... “What are you doing!?” “I’m telling everypony our plan.” “Grrrr, just shut up and follow Trixie.” “Kay.” Trixie got up from her seat. Slowly she walked towards the exit, with Diamond following shortly behind. As they were nearing the door, Trixie looked back to see that Diamond was still following her. As soon as she faced forward once more, she was confronted by one of the waiters. “Is there a problem madam?” “Uhh, noooo...yes, my daughter here got really sick. Trixie thinks the food was undercooked.” The waiter looked down at Diamond who appeared as though she was going to throw up. “My apologies Miss, we are terribly sorry for what has happen. Just remain right here, I shall speak with the chef.” “No problem.” Once the waiter had left their view, Trixie quickly scurried out the door. Diamond proceeded closely behind, only stopping when she was partially outside. She turned around and started waving to everypony in sight. “Bye everypony. I had a wonderful time.” “Get over here!” shouted Trixie, as she yanked Diamond out the door by her mane. ** ** ** After a long run across the dark city streets, the two ponies had at last made it to the front door of Trixie’s apartment. From the outside of the building, all that could be heard was the distorted sound of yelling. “Will you be quiet!? I...Tri...Ahh! Trix-Trixie is trying to unlock the door!” As soon as the door swung open, Trixie stormed in, her skull about to burst in anger. Following right behind her was Diamond who was now singing at the top of her lungs. “Jungle love, it's drivin' me mad, it's makin' me crazy! Jungle love, it's drivin' me mad, it's makin' me crazy! Jungle love, it's drivin' me mad, it's makin' me crazy! Jungle love, it's drivin' me mad, it's makin' me...!” “SHUT UP! Dear Celestia, do you ever stop talking!? You are the most irritating pony Trixie has ever met! Look, from now on there will be no talking, no singing, and no breaking of the fourth wall! Does Trixie make herself clear!?” Silence now filled the air, as Diamond looked up at Trixie’s furious grin. She continued to stare at her for a few seconds, only to place her hoof on Trixie’s nose. “Boop,” said Diamond, laughing hysterically. Trixie’s face was turning red. She could barely even think straight. Hoping to brush away the urge to bring a hammer to Diamond’s skull, Trixie hastily turned around and walked into the kitchen. She trotted over to cabinet and using her magic she opened it and took out a small container filled with pills. She removed three pills and swallowed them. Afterwards she summon a bottle of water which she promptly drank. The medication took a couple of seconds to kick in, but once it did, Trixie’s anger was slowly fading away. For a moment, Trixie was at peace. But as she expected, that momentary bliss was soon disturbed by an unsettling noise coming from the other room. She glanced back into the living room to see Diamond rummaging through a trunk that was filled with Trixie’s magic props. She proceeded to throw out anything she could get her hooves on, as if she was looking for something in particular. Trixie walked over to Diamond, carefully dodging anything Diamond happen to throw in her direction. She stopped at the side of the trunk, so that she could avoid getting hit by anything. She continued to silently stare at the filly, debating whether or not to shove her all the way into the trunk and slam it shut. “What are you doing?” “Who?” asked Diamond, as she crawled from the trunk, carrying a deck of cards in her right hoof. “You.” “Meeeee?” “Yes!” “I do mahgic.” “Magic, you can’t do magic. “I mahgic d-do.” “No. You’re an Earth Pony. You don’t do magic. “Yes.” “Grrr, no!” The two ponies locked eyes on each other once more, at least until Diamond threw her hooves into the air, tossing the deck of cards, which promptly rained down around her. “You can call it fake, but this is reah mahgic! Reah mahgic!” Trixie glanced around at the mess that now engulfed her living room. Letting out a groan, she walked over to the couch. She rested her head for a moment, only until she was again bombarded by Diamond’s voice. “So, when do I get to be yer as-sis-ter-ant?” Trixie turned her head to face Diamond. “You want to be Trixie’s assistant, huh?” “Y-yah,” Alright, how about when Trixie rules Equestria as an all-powerful Alicorn. Then you can be my assistant. Also, you will have to be a Unicorn. “W-when that is?” “Hopefully very soon.” “Kay, I go check the cal-en-dar.” “Have fun. Besides you wouldn’t want to be Trixie’s assistant anyway.” “Why? Aren’t you ffffamous?” “Ahh, that was in the past. Trixie’s career has hit rock bottom, ever since that stupid Twilight showed Trixie up. Now, Trixie is forced to do these stupid little gigs at some crappy talent show.” “That’s nothing. When I get me cutie mahrk, I was going to have huge cutie-ce-cea....party. I invited everypony, even those losers that no pony liked. And how do they pay me back. They crash my party, and those flankless, blankless....JERKS! Steal my attention from me.” “Well, that sucks.” “Yah.... Well, nighty-night.” “Wait, where do you think you’re going?” “Bed, sssleep.” “Are you forgetting? You sleep on the couch.” “No. Trix couch, bed me.” “No, no, no. You don’t get the bed.” “Yes.” Trixie got up off the couch. “You don’t understand Trixie, so she’ll make herself clear. Trixie has important rules that you will abide by, and the most important—well maybe not most important—but definitely up there near the top is as following, TRIXIE DOESN’T SLEEP ON THE COUCH! Trixie stood high and mighty as her speech came to a close. She glanced over at Diamond, hoping that her words had finally sunk into her dense skull. To her utter annoyance she found Diamond completely passed out on the floor with a little drool dripping from her mouth. Trixie’s eye began to twitch. Her heart was beating heavily against her chest. She took a couple steps back, until she was up against the wall. Softly she whimpered to herself, as she cowered to the floor. After sitting still for almost ten minutes, her rapidly beating heart began to slow down. She took several deep breaths and once all her of anger had finally left her, she stood back up. She glanced back over at Diamond who was still fast asleep on the floor. Leisurely, she approached the unconscious filly. She let out a soft sigh. Using her magic, Trixie levitated Diamond into the air. She carried her into the bedroom, gently placing her onto the bed. “Good night you little...” mumbling the rest as she left the room. Diamond rested peacefully in Trixie’s bed. In her drunken daze, she unknowingly began to sing to herself. “B-B-B-B-Babs. B-B-B-B-Babs. B-B-B-B-Babs. Babs to the bone.” She soon blacked out completely. The only noise now coming from her was that of a soft moan.
