Author's Note

Diamond Tiara's POV

Family Matters: 10

I had stayed over at Raritys Boutique over the day. Then I had sobbed myself to sleep. Guess sleep finally did catch me, somewhere in the smallest of hours.

Filthy could survive on his own, unless he chose not to. At least for these few hours, it isn't as if he was to starve to death. If he just lay still, which I was pretty sure he would, dehydration wasn't that bad, from just these few hours.

In the end, I still had to go home. Not so much that I did care about school, right now, it is about as far from my mind as it could get.

I had managed to feed my diminutive sister, or half sister. I have no idea and it isn't as if I really did care. She is family, which is about as far as my cares would reach, right now.

Rarity had promised I could use up the last of the formula. She would even help me buy some more. I guess it is her generosity speaking. For once, I wouldn't have a care in the world.

Sweetie Belle had even promised to tell Cherilie that I would be absent for a few days. That left me with the one all encompassing care and worry. First for my sister and secondly for my father. I couldn't just leave him to die, now could I?

With my father in his present state, I seem to be the only Pony left to care for the diminutive infant. The exact state of her position in my direct family could be left on the sidelines for now. She is apparently all I have, as it stands.

Since the infant had been fed, I could afford myself the luxury of a few more hours of sleep, for what little good it could do for me at this present time. Even if I was oblivious of the world, while I sleep. I chose the option and slipped into my bed. Thankfully, what I am to refer to as my sister for now chose to take my example and soon fell asleep beside me. With that, I guess I could at least sleep.

Once I actually did manage to sleep, my dreams are scary; the sun is crimson, the water is in pink hues, right along with the clouds. To my surprise, I was granted a rare honour, Luna showed up. She stayed with me the entire time.

As I finally did wake up, the sky from my dreams are out the window. At least to me, it does look pink to crimson, even if any other Pony would vehemently deny it if they were asked. Another part of the sky had apparently chosen to manifest on my pillow as I slept, since it is clearly soaking wet from the tears I had been shedding, weeping for hours. My cheeks still wet and red. Little to no point in drying them, now is there.

I feel an imaginary black thunder cloud over my head, as if it constantly had been raining on me, leaving the trails of tears on my cheeks.

I had little to no appetite. Only then I realised I had to eat something, while thinking of the large stash of candy I had from the party Pinkie Pie threw me on my birthday, was that yesterday, or an eternity back in time, guess that was little to no difference.

I picked up some of the candy from the other day, more or less randomly. Once I had removed the thrice damned wrappings, I chewed them down, a few at the time, before I moved out into the kitchen. Once there I managed to catch a pot and filled it with water I soon managed to heat up.

I mixed a portion of the remainder of the formula for my sister, before I heated it to a comforting temperature for her to eat. From there I carried the bottle into my room, where she still lay where I had left her. Apparently, a foal her age doesn't really move around all that much. I guess it is convenient, even if it made me worry, from time to time. She is after all awfully young and small, what if she didn't make it? What if I found her dead, next moment I was looking at her?

Not that the problem of preparing a portion of formula too much bothered me, it was to see my sister dead that terrified me. Just another corps of a deceased member of my family would still pain me, but to see my sister dead? Could I take it, or would I simply die right then and there? My thoughts shied away from the mere thought in terrors.

I pushed the past and what I had seen out of my mind the best I could. Trying to focus on the one thing before me. I have a sister who needs my care. She couldn't make it on her own. That much was only too obvious to me. If it gave me an excuse to skip out of school wasn't all that enticing a thought, right now.

Then I could see she was actually moving, she is clearly awake. She made tentative baby noises, quiet, as if she tried to be considerate of my still pained, but alive father, currently out of reach to me. As if seeing him right now wouldn't just pain me even more. I pulled the one important burden out of his sight, more for my own sanity than the care for him.

He knew as well as I, just how much I used to care for him, but now wasn't the time to dwell or dawdle upon the matter. He is an adult, he could survive on his own. If he couldn't, what could I have done for him? If he felt the need, he could ask me for it.

I helped my sister up into a sitting position and slipped the intended bottle into her grasp for her to suck as best she could. I had seen her eating the other day, was it. Faint noises was heard from her, as she slowly got the liquid food into her mouth and swallowed greedily, like an infant should. I guess seeing her was indeed the best thing I could do, right now.

I am content in just seeing her eat, or play in her foalish ways, if content is the right word in this situation of pain and grief, in my lonely state.

There is little to nothing I could do at anything or for any Pony. The one thing I could do right now, is to feed and in general care for and look over my sister, ignoring any and every thing else, including myself to a great part.

She did not know or understand what was going on around her. The details surrounding her birth are out there, she had no knowledge, care or understanding of these things. They are merely the pain or poison to me and my father. The mistress on my father's side, or if she was indeed my mother is no more. She had been forced to give up, not merely her position in my father's heart and life, but her very own life and daughter in the process. There was nothing to be done for her. I could but feel the sting, merely thinking of how it had affected my father.

Most of the time, I lay on top of my bed, just laying there, looking at and after my sister, what else could I do.

Then I was leaving the bed in order to prepare the one thing I could do, before coming back to my room and feed her. What ever was her name, some Pony had to think of it. Just that I am not in the mood right now, even if it was my place.

From time to time, I had chewed on candy from the other day, stashed away in the heat of the joy from the party. Would I ever feel the joy again, would I be strong enough to even treasure the one last chance on happiness I was ever to have?

Then I simply fell asleep as my eyes had grown too heavy and my sight too blurry. I had simply slipped off into the realm of dreams. Luna's domains. Maybe, could I take some comfort in her graceful presence? Only the cares are for another day, if I ever managed to raise to my hooves and walk out into the light of day, ever again.

Luna was apparently still with me, she had not given up on me. At least not yet. I guess I had that to be thankful of? She was there with me the entire night, but busy chasing off the beasts bent on having me for a meal, by the looks of it.

Then I woke up, eventually. That is something else I guess I had to have been expecting. Looking up, my sister is still where I had left her the other night. I hear her breath, as weak as her breath is, but I guess that is to be expected for a foal her age and size.