Guard Tiara: The Grand Guard Games

Diamond Tiara stood there, legs shaking as she tried to give the tree another kick. Her hoof tapped the bark, just enough that she felt it, if barely. Finally exhausted, panting, and drenched in sweat, she collapsed. Sprawled out, she laid there, let the coolness of the dirt and grass soak into her underside, tension draining from her with it. She was pretty certain she was going to be a little stiff in the morning, but not too badly. The scarred flesh of her flank was burning a little.

"Looks like you finally tuckered yourself out," a familiar feminine voice said. The sound of it brought a little comfort to Diamond Tiara. Not enough for her to smile -- or look up toward the source -- but some comfort all the same.

A bottle of juice appeared in front of Diamond Tiara, a straw sticking out from the top. The sight of it reminded her that she had not really had anything to drink for at least a few hours. Her throat was now feeling extremely dry and she was suddenly parched.

Lifting her head slightly, her tongue and lips stretched out in front of her. Catching the edge of the straw, she pulled it to her mouth and started to drink. The sweet taste spread across her tongue as the coldness slid down her throat, soothing the scratchy dryness. It was a moment of near bliss for the exhausted mare.

"I also got some brownies with cream cheese frosting if you want a snack," Apple Bloom said as she sat beside Diamond Tiara. "Now, do you feel like talkin' about why you showed up at the farm, angrier than a hive of hungover hornets, and tried to buck our trees 'til you're near ready to pass out?"

"Could you pass me one of those brownies first?" Diamond Tiara asked. One of the brownies appeared in front of her as requested. Grabbing it, she took a big bite. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the sweet gooeyness of the freshly made brownie and rich, sweet frosting. Sitting up, she stretched out, grateful she had stripped off her armor at some point during her venting.

Finally, her attention turned to Apple Bloom, who was sitting beside her, looking at her with concern. Taking a deep breath, Diamond Tiara shifted to get comfortable, leaning against Apple Bloom's shoulder.

"It started late this morning," Diamond Tiara started.

*****

After leaving guard headquarters, Diamond Tiara was made her way quickly through the town of Ponyville. A small smile tugged at the edges of her lips as she went. She was looking forward to the afternoon. Soon she would be with her father, and the two of them would go to their weekly lunch together. They would talk, eat, and catch up on things that had happened since the last one.

She was also a little excited to share the news about the first ever International Guard Games with him. While it may not have been as great as being a participant (and a part of her thought that she should have been; she could have dominated some of the other teams) the chance to go to The Crystal Empire and spectate from a VIP booth was exciting.

Although, it would still be pretty crowded since it would be pretty much the entire squadron. There were probably additional booths that could be gotten by the rich, influential, and nobles if they so desired. She could probably get her father to--

Diamond Tiara gave a shake of her head, shoving the thought aside. That was not who she was anymore. That was not who she wanted to be. She was a grown mare now, not some spoiled little filly. She had to stop thinking like that.

Reaching her father's home, Diamond Tiara stepped inside. As soon as she did, the butler approached.

"Good afternoon, young miss," he said with a slight bow.

"Hello, Tray," Diamond said as she shut the door and started through the foyer. "Is my father in his office?"

"Yes ma'am," Tray answered. "However, I feel that I should warn you tha--"

"DIVORCE!" a feminine voice echoed through the halls, reaching Diamond Tiara's ears. Taking off, she ran as fast as she could.

"How could you do this to me?" the voice shouted. "After all we've been through! All our years together!"

"We haven't been together for years!" Diamond Tiara heard her father shout back.

Reaching the door, Diamond Tiara looked inside her father's office. Her father, Filthy Rich, stood upright at his desk with his front hooves resting on the top.

"I had to travel all the way to Manehattan and hire a private investigator just to even find out where you were," he stated, his voice just below yelling.

"And isn't that just a wonderful thing to find!" a pink mare with purple mane shouted back. "I finally hear from my husband after years apart, and it's to serve me divorce papers."

Diamond Tiara let out a gasp, her eyes going wide.

"Mom?" she gasped out, barely a breath. Her mother was here. Her mother was here. Diamond Tiara had not even recognized her. Although to be fair, they had not seen each other since the night that her mother said good-bye and left to pursue a career in fashion.

Moving closer, Diamond Tiara's mother placed a hoof on top of Filthy Rich's.

"Fil," she said gently, "look at me." A small smile spread across her face as Filthy Rich's eyes met hers. "You don't really want to do this, do you?"

"Suri," Filthy said in a calm but firm voice he often used in business negotiations, "it's for the best for both of us. We haven't been together in a very long time. We should have done this before. This way, we can both move on with our lives."

Suri Polomare pulled her hoof away from his. Her jaw clenched and eyes narrowed, ears pulling back as her face turned red.

"Well that's just fine!" she shouted. "If you want a divorce, I'll give you a divorce." She pointed the hoof at him. "But know this, Filthy: I will get the best lawyer in Manehattan, and you will pay for him. I will fight you tooth and hoof for every bit in the bank, every antique in this house, every piece of property, and each and every Barnyard Bargains from Appleloosa to The Crystal Empire. By the time I'm done, half of everything you own will be mine, and the other half will be going toward lawyer fees. You'll be lucky if you'll be able to afford something that's free!"

During her mother's declaration of war, Diamond Tiara stepped forward and walked into the office. As she listened, several things seemed to fall into place for her. It suddenly made sense where she got certain -- less than likable -- aspects of her personality from. The methods of manipulation her mother tried to use, and the speed she got angry when they did not work, seemed all too familiar. It reminded her of herself. More than she would like to admit these days.

As she moved closer, the other two ponies noticed Diamond Tiara's presence. Both of them turned to look at her. A small smile twitched at the edges of Filthy Rich's mouth, conflicting some with the concern about what was happening prior to her appearance. Suri's eyes narrowed, a sneer twitching at her own lips.

"Did you have the butler call the guards on me?" she asked. "I hardly think this is a matter we need to get the law involved in like this."

"No," Filthy replied. "She not here as a guard, Suri. This is--"

"OH!" Suri cut off. "I get it now!" Turning back toward Filthy Rich, she pointed a hoof at Diamond Tiara. "She's the reason you want a divorce, isn't she? You want to end our marriage so you can marry this homewrecker. Did you get her pregnant or something? For Celestia's sake, Fil, she's young enough to be our daughter!"

"She is our daughter!" Filthy shouted, slamming a hoof against his desk again. Closing his eyes, he took a slow, deep breath, running a hoof through his mane to make sure it was properly in place.

"Suri, that is Diamond Tiara."

With a gasp and smile, the older mare ran up and wrapped her front hooves around the younger one, pulling her into a hug.

"Oh, my little girl," Suri called out. "You've grown up so much." Breaking the hug, she placed a hoof on her daughter's chin. "Look at you. You're the very image of my mother when she was your age."

*****

"You would think that if I looked just like grandma as she claimed, mom would have recognized me instead of thinking I was some young mare dad was dating," Diamond huffed out. "Although I guess I shouldn't be that surprised since I haven't seen in her in like... a decade."

Some time during the story, the two of them had ended up laying on the ground, with Diamond Tiara's head resting on Apple Bloom's flank while one of Bloom's front legs rested on Diamond's back, making small rubbing motions between the shoulder blades. Now Diamond Tiara sighed, flopping down to feel the toned muscle. She took a deep breath through her nose, taking in the familiar and comforting scent. It helped her relax a little more.

"Anyway," Diamond Tiara continued, "at that point... everything kind of went red and blurry." Closing her eyes, she rubbed at her forehead. "Next thing I know, my dad is holding me back and my mother is on the floor staring at me with wide eyes and a bloody nose."

"You punched your mom?" Apple Bloom asked, sitting up in surprise.

"At least once for sure," Diamond answered. "I don't know how many times, and who knows what would have happened if dad hadn't been there to stop me."

Although she had thought about it on the way to Sweet Apple Acres, as well as now. She really could imagine herself doing so much worse.

"After that... I left. Didn't even say anything to her. Just told dad that we'll have lunch another time and stormed off. But I was still so mad. I was mad at her for leaving us -- leaving me -- for years without a word. Mad at her for coming back now, when I don't need her anymore and dad is finally able to move on. For coming back" -- her voice cracked -- "not because she loves us, but because she's mad for dad divorcing her. For coming back, and not even recognizing me." Tears started to flow from her eyes, running down her cheeks.

"I was mad at myself," she choked out, "for being so stupid as to... to be happy to see her." She sobbed out. "I... I was so hurt... She didn't even recognize me Bloom. What kind of... what kind of... wha..."

The rest of what Diamond Tiara was trying to say was lost as she broke down completely. Everything turned blurry as she cried, her body wracked with sobs.

Shifting, Apple Bloom took a hold of Diamond Tiara and pulled her tight. Bringing the crying mare to her chest, Bloom held Diamond firmly against her, rocking gently. One hoof ran through the short purple and white mane, as Bloom tried to be comforting to the upset mare. She chewed her lip, small tears of sympathy leaking from the edges of her own eyes.

After several minutes had passed, Diamond Tiara's crying slowed down and stopped. Pulling away, she wiped at her face. She must have looked horrible. She certainly felt that way. Her head hurt, especially around her eyes which she could guess were extremely red. It felt like her throat was swollen and raw, and she could feel the snot on her upper lip. Even her chest ached.

Taking a hold of her drink, Diamond Tiara pulled the straw out and tossed it aside. She then brought the bottle to her mouth and upended it, chugging down all of the remaining content. The coolness of the drink soothed her throat again, helping her feel like she was able to keep going. Wiping her nose and lip with her foreleg, she took a deep breath.

"So," she croaked out, voice raspy, "like I was trying to say: I was mad. At her and at myself some as well. I... I just wanted to hit something so badly." One of her hooves shook as she thought about it. "Some part of me -- that old part of me -- didn't care what... or who... I just needed an excuse. That was the part that scared me."

With a sigh, she leaned against Apple Bloom once again.

"That was why I came here," Diamond Tiara continued. "I figured none of your family would mind if I kicked some of the apple trees for a while. They things are pretty used to it anyways, and I doubt I'm anywhere near as strong as your brother and sister."

"It's a good way to try and deal with your anger," Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah..."

The two of them sat there for a moment, pressed close together. They looked up at the late afternoon sky, their gazes occasionally shifting to look at each other.

"Feeling better?" Apple Bloom finally asked.

"Sort of," Diamond Tiara answered. "It's more like I'm just too tired to feel anything very much. Pretty much want to take a nap more than anything. Although I should probably wash up first. I would like some company."

"Oh?" Apple Bloom said, raising an eyebrow. "Feel like having a little fun getting clean in the tub?"

"Not quite. I mean it might happen, but right now... I just don't want to be alone."

"Alright," Apple Bloom said, shifting to get up. "I could use a washing up myself."

Standing, Diamond Tiara stretched out, her back popping with the effort. Already some of her muscles were feeling the stiffness ease out of them. While it may not have been a trip to the spa (when was the last time she had done that?), a nice hot soak in a tub with Bloom sounded wonderful.

After picking up her armor for the ground, she followed after the other mare. Despite herself, Diamond Tiara could not help but let her gaze drift to Apple Bloom's backside, watching it sway back and forth. She still did not feel entirely up to doing anything with it, but it was still a nice thing for her to watch.