The Proper Etiquette

by PostNinja

Rating: everyone
Tags: Sad, Other, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 1430

Spoiled Rich - why does she act like she does? Maybe there is a reason why she is so harsh about how one should behave.

Spoiled Rich - why does she act like she does? Maybe there is a reason why she is so harsh about how one should behave.

Takes place during the episode "Crusaders of the Lost Mark".

Published 2015-11-18 01:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-11-18 01:10:02 UTC

1: The Proper Etiquette

Spoiled Rich closed the door behind her, still holding between her teeth the paper her daughter had given to her. Her hooves were trembling and she was taking quick breaths. She still wasn’t quite sure how to process that Diamond Tiara had made such a scene in front of all those ponies! Didn’t she remember anything she had taught to her? What would everypony else say when the word would get around?

It was only now when Spoiled Rich was inside her home that it actually occurred her to read the thing she had carried to her home all the way from the schoolyard.

It didn’t take more than a moment to read through the simple note. Her daughter was asking Filthy Rich to donate money for the new playground equipment. She had no doubt that her husband would immediately agree to the request. He loved their daughter just as much as she did, but he could never say no to anything Diamond Tiara asked for. And he never paid enough attention to acting like the rich pony he was.

Why did he even need to do his dealings with those apple farmers in person like some common pony, instead of sending an employee like anypony else would!?

She blinked and snapped her head up from the note when Randolph came to her, but before the old butler could say anything, she shoved the note to him and almost yelled,”Give this to my husband when he comes home, it is from Diamond Tiara!”

It was taking all her self-control to just keep her composure, so she shoved the Rich family servant to the side before he could even nod in response, and made her way to the large spiral staircase and from there to her room.

Once she was safely in her room and had locked the door, Spoiled Rich finally allowed herself to relax, now when there was nopony else to see her.

Or at least she tried to relax. But she just couldn’t. It was all so terrible.

So instead of laying down in an attempt to calm down, after a while she found herself pacing in a circle between her bed and the door to the balcony, trying to make sense of this horrible mess. How could her daughter do something like that? To embarrass their family so openly? What would the rest of the school board think?

Filthy Rich wouldn’t even notice the mocking stares or hear the gossip, he never did. He barely paid any attention to appearances. But she knew that just because he didn’t think that things like that were important, it didn’t change that everypony else did.

But no. No matter how much she thought of it, she couldn’t find any real fault in her daughter. Diamond Tiara was simply confused. Yes, that was it. Those blank flanks were a bad influence, along with the rest of that school filled with peasants.

When she had become the president of the school board, she had hoped she could make the place more refined. Her beautiful, smart daughter deserved only the best education bits could buy.

So why did they have to live in this backwater town where a simple baker could be counted as a noteworthy pony?!

Spoiled Rich sighed, turning to look at the photographs on the wall. It was a question she had asked her husband hundreds of times. But the answer was always the same.

Family business.

His family had created Ponyville, so that is where it would stay. Even though their business had grown out of the small town decades ago and any accountant could have handled the remaining obligations and day-to-day businesses, he insisted on staying here.

Even when they had first met in Canterlot University all those years ago, business of his family had been the only thing in Filthy Rich’s mind! His father had paid a small fortune to have his son be given the best education possible for handling the family business.

Spoiled Rich looked at the photograph of their old class, and despite of everything that had happened today, smiled. Even as an young stallion, Filthy Rich hadn’t acted like an heir to one of the richest families of Equestria that he was.

As embarrassing as it was to admit now, Spoiled Rich’s first words to her future husband had been scolding him about his lack of the proper behaviour for a stallion of his status. Back then she had thought he was just a dense country peasant.

Thinking back, she realized that the reason she hadn’t been able to bear looking at his silly antics any longer was because she knew how challenging it was to act like a high-class pony better than anypony else did.

After all, she hadn’t always been one.

The memory made Spoiled Rich shudder. She didn’t like thinking about those times. Filthy Rich’s family had barely even noticed the entry fees. To them they were trivial sums. Her family had barely been able to afford it.

She never talked about her own background in any social gathering of high-class ponies she and Filthy Rich went to.

It was only through marriage she had the right to be in them in the first place. Her husband had never cared about the fact that he was marrying the daughter of a simple jeweler, but that didn’t mean that she could simply forget it.

She turned away from the old photographs, trying to escape the memories of withering glances and thinly veiled insults. She hadn’t known how to act among all those ponies whose parents made as much bits in a month as hers did in a year. And even when she had already become the laughingstock of her class, she had taught herself how to act in the proper manner and had never allowed herself to slip ever since.

That was why she was trying her best to teach Diamond Tiara how to act in a proper manner! Maybe she had been just a bit too harsh at times, but mingling with common blank flanks was exactly the kind of thing that would make her the laughingstock of other high-class ponies!

Of course, the proper etiquette of Canterlot high society wasn’t exactly the kind of thing ponies of a small backwater town like this would or even could appreciate. But that was just the price to pay. When they would eventually move away from this town to Canterlot and Diamond Tiara would begin her own studies, she would thank her.

Yes, she would double her efforts from now on with her daughter. And the first thing to do would be to make sure that those blank flanks wouldn’t be anywhere close to Diamond Tiara. She was the president of the school board, she would be able to come up with something! Their kind would stay as far away from her daughter as possible until they were...

Suddenly Spoiled Rich rose her head and turned towards the balcony. There was some sort of ruckus going outside. It almost sounded like singing. She frowned at that but then glanced at the decorated and priceless antique clock on the wall and blinked in surprise. She hadn't even noticed how much time had already passed. It was already afternoon.

The sounds of the noisy crowd got closer and Spoiled Rich frowned again, walking to the balcony doors. Was that horrid party planner again up to something completely ridiculous? Honestly, she didn’t understand why Princess Twilight bothered to spend time with ponies who were so much below her station. No one had probably ever taught her proper etiquette either...

Spoiled Rich pushed the doors open and walked to the balcony, looking down at the street. At least thirty ponies were present, celebrating something. Even Diamond Tiara was there! And in middle of all that were...those blank flanks! Why would someone want to…

Her eyes grew wide and her mouth hang open, and for the second time during that day, Spoiled Rich’s expression was that of complete puzzlement and utter disbelief.

Author's Note

Haven't ever really liked somepony being written as a horrible, terrible person just because story needs them to be, so wrote this to justify at least a little bit why Spoiled Rich would act the way she does.

Also, English is not my first language, so pointing out grammar errors that I am sure are there will be appreciated. I just hope that this isn't complete gibberish, so I dare to start writing longer stories. :derpytongue2: