Diamond In The Rough
Written By: Thunderchaser23 & Midnight Shadows
“But Moooooooooom” Diamond Tiara groaned as she watched her mother pace back and forth.
“Your father told you not to go into my jewelry box, and for good reason, that necklace belonged to my grandmother and now its broken.” The elder mare said sternly to her daughter.
“It’s just a stupid necklace!” The filly replied stomping her front left hoof on the floor.
“It’s not just a ‘stupid necklace’ it’s a memory of a pony I can’t get back, and you took it without permission, losing the pendant on the necklace in celestia knows where in ponyville…” She paused looking down at Diamond with an aggravated expression on her face. “What’s gotten into you lately? Disobeying rules, sneaking out, stealing, I’ve even heard rumors that you’re bullying other fillies and colts your age. Is this true?”
The pink coated filly didn’t respond, simply looking down to the ground.
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?” The mare asked.
Again, Diamond Tiara did not respond, the only things coming out of her mouth were upset mumbles about a ‘stupid necklace’ and ‘stupid ponies.’
Shaking her head the mare sighed, “That’s not anyway to talk to your mother is it? One day that necklace would have been yours, and now that you’ve lost it no pony will ever get to wear it again.” The mare frowned when her daughter didn’t answer once more, she eyed the filly with a mixture of anger and concern. “I’m worried about you Diamond, do I have to get your Father?” She took a deep breath and began to count to five out loud. “One. . .” She said sighing in disappointment. “I’m not going to stop at one Diamond! Two. . .”
Diamond continued to mumble “Not apologizing, stupid necklace, stupid counting.”
With an exasperated sigh the mare brought her muzzle inches from Diamond’s, “You will apologize, or you will be grounded. We both know you wanted Silver Spoon to sleep over tomorrow night, don’t make me call her parents and cancel.” She threatened the filly angrily.
“Being grounded never stopped me before I don’t know why you think it will this time.” The filly again said under her breath. She took in a breath and sarcastically and quietly said. “Sorry for the stupid necklace.”
The mare’s cheeks were rosy red when her daughter insulted the necklace, “Well we’ll just see if it’s a ‘stupid necklace’ when you have to find the pendant. You listen to your Father but not me, that’s going to change.” She said in a huff, stomping a hoof on the polished floor of the mansion.
Diamond Tiara glared at her mother. “You don’t know me! I won’t look for it! It’s a stupid necklace and you came from the poor ponies! You can’t ever understand me!” She shouted, stomping past her mother. “And don’t talk to me again!” Was shouted before a door slam echoed through the house.
Her daughter’s words echoed in her mind, over and over again. She opened her mouth and closed it again several times, until she felt hot tears on her cheeks. “That filly, needs to be taught a lesson in manners.” She paced the room for several minutes, before picking up the receiver of the home’s telephone. With the tip of her wing, she spun the dial until she had dialed her husband’s work number, a few buzzing noises and clicks later a gruff voice answered on the other end.
“Filthy Rich’s Barnyard Bargains…Filthy Rich speaking.”
“Honey it’s me, Spring Mist. Our daughter is being… Difficult.” Spring Mist sighed, as she explained the fight that happened a few minutes a go. After several minutes she took a deep breath and spoke, “I don’t know what to do with her, she yells at me whenever I punish her. I even threatened to cancel her sleep over! And that only made her more angry.”
“Spring, sweetie you know she didn’t mean the things she said to you. Diamond’s at that age where she’s starting to notice all the colts, she’s probably just having boy troubles or something. The Jewelry on the other hoof, she’s been taught not go into our bedroom without permission first. I have to go, but punish her as you see fit. I’ll see you on Monday.” Filthy said putting the receiver of his phone back into the base.
Spring Mist hung up the phone and paced the room for a few more minutes. She left the home office where she had lectured Diamond Tiara. The mare glided with ease to the kitchen and stepped in through the doorway. “Paprika Sprinkle? Could I ask you something?”
Paprika let her magical gasp of the wooden spoon free, watching it bob up and down in a pot of boiling stew. “Of course Spring, what can I do for you today dearie?”
The pegasus mare blushed and spoke softly, “Well it’s about Diamond. I caught her wearing my Grandmother’s necklace, and she lost the pendant! When I went to punish her she stormed off saying that I didn’t know anything about her, because I was raised poor. I don’t know what to do Paprika, she’s my daughter and I feel like I’m losing her. I don’t want to lose my little foal.”
The unicorn mare turned to face Spring. “You two used to be close when she was a foal, maybe you could try to recapture that, you’ve both gotten older, Diamond wants to be independent and fly, but she’s not ready to leave the nest yet. Use your maternal instincts, spend some time with her. While the necklace is your grandmothers and a priceless heirloom, material things are not what matters, it’s the physical connection you feel with somepony, the connection you can only feel in here.” She said putting her forehoof onto Spring’s chest over her heart. “Go spend some time with your little foal dearie, she needs it more than you think.”
Spring smiled and left the kitchen, she took the stairs up to her daughter’s bedroom and rapped on the door with a hoof calling to Diamond Tiara. “Diamond? Could you please open your door for Mom.”
After a few moments of silence, Diamond Tiara replied. “Why? So you can yell at me some more?”
“If I was going to yell at you, I would already be inside your room sweetie. Are you going to let me in now?” Spring retorted sounding a little bitter as she heard the locks on the door click into the unlocked position.
Diamond Tiara quickly made her way over to her bed before the door opened, pulling her blankets up over herself and rolling onto her side so her face was away from the door, forgetting about the tissues strewn across her bed.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you Diamond, but you have to understand that was my Grandma’s favorite necklace. That doesn’t make it any better that I yelled at you though.” Spring said softly walking to the bed where Diamond lay facing away from her. She sat down on the edge of the bed noticing the tissues strewn about. “Have you been crying?”
“No!” The filly quickly replied keeping her face away from her mother, wiping off her eyes with the edges of her blanket.
“It’s okay to cry sweetie. Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” The mare asked running her hoof through Diamond’s mane.
“I’m not crying! Nothing is wrong!” She protested again, pulling her blanket up over her head to try and stop her mothers hoof from touching her.
Spring was beginning to grow irritated with the filly’s behaviour, she grabbed the edge of the blanket in her mouth and pulled it off the filly. “Diamond, would you please stop being so difficult for five minutes? All I want to do is talk about our relationship.” She said with anger at the edge of her voice.
“Why do you even care? I’m not good enough for you anyway…” Diamond said pulling back on the blanket.
“That’s not true and you know it!” The mare said hovering above the filly’s bed.
“Really? It’s not true? From the one who stopped spending time with me!”
“You told me you were ready to be a big filly, and that you didn’t need me to hold your hoof anymore!” Spring Mist shouted back.
“That didn’t mean I wanted you to stop altogether!” Diamond replied. “I… I missed being y-your foal!” The filly said as her eyes watered up. “B-but you didn’t have time for me!”
The filly’s words struck Spring like a knife, Diamond was right, she had stopped spending time with her after she had been told Diamond was a big filly. She pushed her out of the nest before she was ready to leave. “I… I didn’t know you still needed me.” The mare said with a sad expression.
“Well it’s not like it matters a-anymore anyway…” The filly said in a quiet, upset voice.
Spring Mist frowned, “W-Well what if I told you, that I know of a way to make you feel loved again?”
Diamond took a few minutes to work up a reply, with a sniffle she asked, “How?”
“It uh… Involves you being a little foal again. And everything that involves, hoof fed by me, bedtime stories, uhm d-diaper changes things of that nature.” Spring said uneasily shifting her weight from hoof to hoof. She glanced around at the filly’s room, noting the foalish wallpaper and foal toys in the corner.
After a long, awkward pause, Diamond finally replied. “I… I d-don’t know how I feel about that… Wh-what if somepony saw...”
“Well why don’t we go on ‘vacation’ and try it? We could go to our house in Mane? We haven’t been there since you were still in diapers.” The pegasus mare thought out loud, she knew they never took down the nursery so it should still be up.
“I…” The filly paused uncertainly, thinking over all of the things she just heard. “O-okay…”
Spring smiled warmly and held her hooves out to Diamond, “How about a hug to start this?” She said uneasily to the little filly on the bed, they hadn’t really shared any intimate gestures in several years.
Diamond Tiara rolled over so she was now facing her mother, moving up she uneasily entered the embrace that Spring was offering, quickly warming up to the hug and eventually snuggling into it.
“I missed you sweetie. ” Spring said hugging the pink coated filly tightly.
“I missed you too Mommy…”
“Would you like Mommy’s help packing your things?” The mare asked picking up a few stuffed animals from the bed.
“Y-yes… please Mommy…” The pink filly said quietly.
With Diamond Tiara’s help, Spring packed their suitcases and let the maids know that she and Diamond were going to be away for a week or two. After dismissing the maids for the evening her and Diamond walked to the train station, the filly riding on her mother’s back for the first time in many years. “Comfy up there Diamond?” She asked as they trotted into the train station.
The filly nodded. “Yes, I forgot how comfy your back was… a-and soft.”
Spring laughed while she paid for their train tickets. “I’m glad you are enjoying yourself.” She said craning her neck to nuzzle the filly’s neck lovingly. “Oh look aren’t those your little friends there?” Spring asked gesturing at a group of three fillies that were arguing about something, she couldn’t quite hear what.
Diamond’s face turned several shades of red. “No, dear Celestia mom no don’t go over to-” The filly was mortified as her mother ended up standing right next to the fillies. “-them…”
There were several small giggles before any of the three fillies spoke a word, when they did it was the white unicorn filly who spoke first. “I thought you were too mature for a piggyback ride.” Sweetie said struggling to conceal her giggles.
“Uh… I… uh…” Diamond stuttered her words, tugging on her mothers mane trying to get her to keep moving, futile in her attempts to get her mother to move, the filly pulled her mothers wing up in an attempt to cover her face.
“Well Diamond can be very mature for her age, but she still likes to do things with Mommy from time to time. Maybe I can set up a playdate for you three when we get home from vacation, you could have a tea party in the backyard!” The mare said absentmindedly, not realizing her daughter was embarrassed by the whole situation.
“Mom!” Diamond shouted. “W-we have to go c-catch our train!” She said, her face as red as it could possibly get. “Like… now!”
Spring nodded in acknowledgement, waving at the trio of fillies before galloping to the train. She walked through the train until they arrived at the compartment they were going to be sitting in for the trip, Spring lifted Diamond Tiara off her back and onto the seat beside her before sitting down. “Are those three fillies bullying you?” She asked her tone serious.
Again the filly blushed beet red. “W-w-well… n-not e-exactly… hey you know I’m pretty tired…” Diamond said trying to change the subject.
The pegasus mare frowned slightly before speaking, “Diamond… You’re not bullying them are you? We’ve talked about this before, you can’t say mean things to other ponies your age.”
“N-no! I m-mean… n-not exactly… I… I w-was afraid everypony… everypony would leave me… like you did…” The pink filly paused for a few moments. “I… I thought… if I was mean… I c-could make them too scared of me to just leave…”
“Well you shouldn’t have bullied them at all, Diamond but we’ll work on that another time. For now have a nap, I’ll wake you when we’re in Mane.” Spring said wrapping a comforting wing around the pink filly, she pulled her daugher close for warmth and snuggled with her.
Diamond closed her eyes as Spring pulled her close. “Goodnight… Mommy…” She said softly as she let her eyes close, drifting off to sleep.
Author's Note
While this is the main story, there is more to it that I might upload as 'bonus chapters' it just depends on how well this story is received.