How Diamond Tiara Got Her Cutie Mark
Diamond Tiara was eavesdropping on her parents. She’d finished brushing her teeth and was on her way to get a good-night kiss from her father when she heard her own name. Stopping just outside the door to the sitting room she listened to her mother’s voice. It was a tone she knew all too well: the disappointed tone her mother used whenever Diamond Tiara wasn’t good enough to meet her expectations.
“... really getting worried about it now. I mean, Diamond Tiara should have gotten her cutie mark by now. I had mine well before I was at that age.”
Daddy’s voice was calm and gentle as he replied. “My dear, you know as well as I do that these things happen in their own time. Rushing and worrying about it won’t make it come any sooner.”
“But I want to start taking her out. I want to introduce her into the proper social circles so she can start making good connections. I can’t do that if my own daughter hasn’t gotten her mark by now. I mean, what would ponies think?”
“They’d probably think she’s a perfectly lovely filly who just hasn’t gotten her cutie mark just yet.” Daddy’s voice was still calm, but Diamond Tiara thought she detected the slightest bit of impatience in his tone. She knew her father wasn’t nearly so concerned with socializing as her mother was, and he often seemed bored when she went on about so-and-so’s latest scandal or what gossip there was about such-and-such.
“But, Rich darling, it’s more than just that. We’re trying to raise our daughter to be a winner, to be somepony who can accomplish things. You know there’s no starting too early to be a success. If she hasn’t gotten her mark how are we supposed to know the right direction to push her?”
Diamond Tiara grimaced. Her parents did plenty of pushing in whatever direction they chose.
“I want to see her focusing on the important things. I want to see her make something of herself.”
Daddy sighed. “I admit, I would like to see her focus a little more. Her marks at school could be better. And I would like to see her taking more of an interest in the business. She’s going to inherit it someday. I need to know I’m leaving it in the hooves of somepony who can manage it well. Perhaps tomorrow’s trip will engage her.”
Diamond Tiara’s parents tended to split her “preparation for a successful life” between them. Sometimes her mother took her to social gatherings and introduced her to wealthy and influential ponies. Other times her father took her to the store or the office or on business trips. Neither activity interested her very much, but she infinitely preferred the time spent with her father. Her mother’s outings were just dull. Diamond Tiara was expected to stand very still and be very quiet. She was supposed to make charming answers if somepony asked her a direct question. If she spoke without being addressed she was told to “hush and let the grown-ups talk.”
Daddy encouraged her to talk when he took her out. He liked her to ask questions about what he was doing, and sometimes he would quiz her on business practices. He wanted her to watch how he did things. Visiting the office was boring because it was all paper-work, but going on business trips could be fun. She got to see lots of different places, and he would usually take her out for ice cream afterwards.
Tomorrow morning they were taking the train into Canterlot, just her and Daddy. He wanted to make a contract with a jeweler to sell some Canterlot jewelry in Ponyville. Diamond Tiara always liked visiting the capital city, and she was excited for the trip.
Her mother was speaking again. “You’ll be just a couple days this time, right?”
“Yes, I only have the one place to visit. Oval Cut seems interested in expanding his market to Ponyville, so it’s really just a matter of working out the details. I expect I’ll have time to take Diamond Tiara around the city to see the sights.”
Mother made a slight harumph, and they both lapsed into silence. Diamond Tiara thought she knew what that was about. For a long time Mother had wanted to move to Canterlot, or maybe Manehattan, and live in the city. She wanted to be someplace where she could “properly fill out her social calendar” and where Diamond Tiara could attend an exclusive private school. Daddy adamantly refused to move away from Ponyville. His father had been one of the town’s founders and had built the family business up from scratch. His roots were here. Once or twice Diamond Tiara had heard them arguing about it, and now they both seemed to avoid the topic.
Maybe Mother wanted to steer away from an argument, but Diamond Tiara could almost have wished for an argument instead of the talk circling back around to where it had begun. “But that doesn’t address the issue of Diamond Tiara’s cutie mark. I don’t want my own daughter to be an aimless blank-flank. I want her to be somepony.”
Diamond Tiara had had enough. She didn’t want to hear any more of this. She crept back to the end of the hallway, then made a loud clamor of her hooves on the steps. She trotted down the hall making sure they could hear her coming.
“I’m ready for bed now,” she announced, “and I have everything packed for the morning.”
Daddy smiled and reached out to her. “That’s my good girl. Come give me a kiss.” Daddy hugged and kissed her, and then he tickled her stomach. She giggled in spite of her foul mood. When she sat back up Mother planted a light kiss on her cheek. “Make sure you brush your mane again before you get into bed, dear. You left some tangles in the back here.”
“Yes, Mother.” She got out of her father’s embrace and walked quickly out of the room.
***
Diamond Tiara and her father sat on the train watching the countryside rush past the window. She was thinking about what her mother had said the night before.
“I don’t want my own daughter to be an aimless blank-flank.”
Most of the ponies in her class did already have theirs. Her best friend, Silver Spoon, had gotten her mark months ago. She already felt self-conscious about it, though she made it a point to never let anyone know that. Mother always said to have the attitude of a winner. She also said the best defense was a good offense, so instead of getting defensive you should get offensive. Getting defensive was a sign of weakness.
She always tried to do what she could to make her parents proud of her. She didn’t associate with the “common” fillies that her mother didn’t like. She spent her time with Silver Spoon, whose family was very well-off, or with the daughters of her mother’s society friends. She tried to have a winner’s attitude and never apologize for anything. She did her best to follow her father’s boring lessons in commerce.
She had won class president this year, just as her mother wanted her to. It hadn’t been that important to Diamond Tiara herself, but when her mother heard that the election was coming up she decided that her daughter had to win it. She said it was one of the few achievements that would be worthwhile in a public school. Diamond Tiara had had to bully and blackmail a few of her classmates in order to get the necessary votes, but she had gotten there in the end.
Yes, Diamond Tiara did always try her hardest to please her parents. Sometimes though, she felt that no matter what she did she wasn’t ever good enough.
***
The train got in to Canterlot, and the two ponies took a cab to their hotel. Daddy said they had some time to kill before his appointment with Oval Cut, so they took a walk through a public garden. Nestled in one corner of the garden was a little café where they got a bite to eat.
After dessert they headed into the center of the city and took a side street into a bustling shopping district. The place they wanted was a few blocks down. They stopped outside a small jewelry shop with a sign showing a brilliant jeweled brooch.
A jingling bell announced their presence as they entered, and a middle-aged stallion emerged from a back room to greet them in a very friendly manner. His cutie mark was the same brooch as they had seen on the sign.
“Ah, Rich! Right on time, I see. And who do you have with you?”
“It’s good to see you, Oval Cut. This is my daughter, Diamond Tiara. I thought I’d bring her along to see the city while I’m here.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, young lady. Are you here to help your dad with his business?”
Diamond Tiara wasn’t interested in the old stallion, but her parents had impressed on her the importance of formal introductions.
“It’s nice to meet you, sir. My father likes me to come along on his business trips so I can learn how to manage things.” She rattled off the words almost mechanically, but she kept her face carefully polite and neutral.
Daddy smiled and patted her head. Then the two stallions began making small talk. Diamond Tiara knew that her father never went straight to the business. He said the entire negotiating process went more smoothly if you took the time to “establish a friendly connection” before coming to the point.
At first, Diamond Tiara tried to look attentive while her mind wandered. Then, as the talk went on, she started browsing around the jewelry shelves. The big display case right near them was full of brooches. They must be Mr. Oval Cut’s specialty. She wandered along the counter and saw a nice display of necklaces. Further on were earrings.
Past the counter were small display cases containing matching jewelry sets or large single items. She walked from case to case, past a set of jeweled hoof boots and a gold statuette. Then she saw it.
In a small display case in the corner of the shop was a tiara. It was made of slender silver wires forming a lacy pattern, and it was topped with five small, round diamonds. It was so pretty. It was the prettiest thing she had ever seen.
A real diamond tiara, just like my name.
“Daddy, come look at this!”
The stallions broke off from their conversation. If it had been Mother she would have scolded Diamond Tiara for interrupting the grown-ups, but Daddy and the shop owner came over to see what she was looking at.
“Look, Daddy, isn’t it pretty?”
Oval Cut smiled kindly down at her. “You have a good eye, young lady. Would you like a closer look?”
Diamond Tiara nodded, and he opened the case. Carefully, he removed the velvet pillow on which sat the tiara and held it out for her to look. It was even prettier as he showed it off. Every little movement caused the diamonds to wink and sparkle in the light.
Diamond Tiara turned to her father, her eyes as bright as the jewels. “Daddy, would you buy that for me? Please? It’s a real diamond tiara. It matches my name. It’s so pretty!”
“Now my dear, that’s made for grown-up ponies. What would you do with a fancy piece like that?”
“I’d wear it! I’d wear it every day! Oh, please, Daddy, please? I’ve never wanted anything more than that!”
“It’s very expensive for a filly-”
“Buying it would be a good investment!”
She didn’t know what had made her blurt the words out. Daddy had been talking business, and it was the first argument that had come to her mind. But Daddy looked interested and a little amused.
“Oh really? And why would it be a good investment?”
She thought about what he’d said as he had discussed jewelry sales. “Because diamonds are unlikely to de-... deep-… depreciate in value.” She sounded the word out carefully and hoped she’d gotten it right.
Daddy looked less amused and more interested now. “And why does that make them a good investment?”
Daddy had just been talking last night about how he wanted her to be better at business! Maybe… maybe if she showed him what he wanted then he would do what she wanted.
“When things depreciate they get worth less than you paid for them. If you buy something expensive and it depreciates you lose your money. Diamonds will stay valuable, so you won’t ever lose the money you paid for them!”
“Anything else?”
“Um… if you keep good quality jewelry for a long time it can become heirloom, so then it gets a lot more valuable than when you bought it.”
Daddy looked like he was considering it. Diamond Tiara thought furiously, trying to remember things he’d told her about making purchases. She wasn’t interested in business, but she had tried to pay attention to please him. She really wanted her father to be proud of her. She made one more bid.
“And you want to make a contract with Mr. Oval Cut to sell his jewelry at our store in Ponyville! Making a purchase today would be a good gesture for friendly business relations. It would help your negotiations!”
Maybe it wasn’t the soundest business practice to blurt that out in front of the pony her father wanted to negotiate with, but they both laughed happily at her reasoning.
“I tell you Rich, that filly of yours has a good head for business. I bet your store will be in very good hooves when you pass it on to her.”
“You’re right, Oval Cut. All right, dear, I’ll buy you the tiara.”
“Oh thank you, Daddy!”
Oval Cut carried the tiara over to the cash register, and Diamond Tiara and her father followed after him. As he rang up the sale, Daddy leaned down and whispered to Diamond Tiara, “I’m very proud of you. You did a fine job remembering the things I taught you.”
Diamond Tiara glowed inside as Oval Cut passed the tiara across the counter. Her father picked it up and set it gently on her head.
There was a small flash of light from behind her, and she turned to look. She had gotten her cutie mark! Her new tiara, her beautiful new tiara, was her cutie mark! She heard her father gasp, and then he swept her up in a giant hug.
“When we get home I’m throwing you the biggest cutceañera ever!”
Author's Note
For a long time I think many of us wondered about Diamond Tiara's cutie mark. Then the episode "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" revealed that her special talent is getting others to do what she wants. I had mixed feelings about the episode as whole, but that struck me as a very interesting idea for a talent. It has a lot of potential for both good and bad, but it also seems to demand a level of insight that she hasn't developed yet.
