His Greatest Treasureby RoyalBardofCanterlotChaptersCoal Miner's DaughterThe Busy FatherDecisionsInterludeProblems and SolutionsMommy DearestEpilogue-Breaking the CycleTrouble in ParadiseCoal Miner's DaughterAuthor's Note Very important. This is written from Spoiled's POV. Not my own. Coal Miner's Daughter She stared at herself in the mirror, placing a hoof on the cold glass. She shivered at the sensation. The pink fur beneath her eyes was stained with tear tracks. After Filthy had walked out the door with her-no, their-daughter she had rushed to her bedroom and wept tears of rage, shame and pain. It was not the stinging sensation in her backside that brought her tears, at least not entirely. That pain was beginning to fade after an hour. Her husband was wrong about her being a tribe traitor. She was plenty grateful for the endurance and strength of her Earth Pony ancestors which gave her a very high pain tolerance. Still, that paddling had pushed it to her limit. She was very sure she hadn't spanked Diamond as vigorously as he had spanked her. He had spanked her. Spoiled had not been spanked since she was a very young filly. She had nearly forgotten what it felt like. Red marks across her behind would continue to remind her for a while. He had not struck her in the face as if she were an adult mare or another stallion he was quarreling with down at the tavern in his more vivacious youth. No, he had punished her in the same way an old-fashioned parent might punish a misbehaving child. Spoiled would have been enraged if he had struck her in the face, but at least it would be an acknowledgement that she was an adult. But to be taken across his knee as if she were a toddler that had bitten a playmate? She gritted her teeth. Could he not have left her with some dignity? It had shredded her pride. She glanced over at the black eyeliner on the oak wood dressing table, seated against the far wall of her spacious bedroom. A dark thought crossed her mind. She could use the eyeliner to make it look like a bruise. A cruel grin spread across her lips. Then, she would run crying before Her Majesty Princess Twilight Sparkle, Right Hoof of Celestia herself. What would the princess do? Filthy would be tossed into a dungeon for domestic violence. It was doubtful he'd ever see Diamond again. Her hoof twitched and she reached towards the black eyeliner. No. Her constant concern for reputation stopped her. If this altercation got out it would spread like wildfire. It would destroy Filthy's reputation, of that there could be no doubt. However, the rumor mill would be sure to bring her reputation down with his. The tabloids would get a hold of it and the next thing she knew there would be a colorful tale spun about how Filthy had violently beaten her senseless after catching her in bed with the butler. That and returning rational thought shining through the clouds of anger and humiliation told her that Twilight Sparkle of all ponies would be able to distinguish an actual injury from a fake one. At least one of her numerous degrees was surely in medicine.In that case, she could have one of the servants punch her in the face. They might be willing to do so, but she had not created the sort of loyalty in her servants that would cause them to commit perjury for her. She trotted away from the mirror. For some reason, looking at her face was causing her to feel weary. She laid out upon the canopied bed, curled into the silken, red sheets. They were cool and comfortable, especially against certain tender areas. She looked around the room, at the wooden dressing table. The bookshelf pushed near the door. Atop the bookshelf was a jewelry box. Her engagement hooflace, topped with a diamond ring, took pride of place along with several golden necklaces. Some of the necklaces were simple, golden chains. Real gold, not painted copper. Other necklaces were strings of vibrant, white pearls. Still others strings of rubies or emeralds or diamonds. Some were set with exotic jewels like topaz or were composed of several jewels mixing together, their colors complimenting each other. She had bought only a few of them. Most of them had been bought for her by Filthy. She had taken them as tokens of love. Often, he had bought them for her after dreadful arguments when he desired to make up. She trotted over to the skillfully carved, multi-tiered box, opened it and took out a necklace that was composed of a simple golden chain with a ruby cut into the shape of a heart attached to it. "Here is my heart." That is what he had told her when he had wrapped it around her neck. "Treasure it, break it, here it is, it's yours." They had been dating then. She rarely wore it. It was too precious. Not just for monetary reasons, but for sentimental reasons. She was capable of being sentimental too. He had showered her with gifts back then and in many ways still did. The hickory wood hairbrush had been a gift from him for her birthday. She had been dreadfully depressed that day. She had hit the big 3-0. Thirty. She wasn't sure she could still call herself young nor beautiful. The hairbrush had cheered her up, especially when he used it to run it through her mane and whisper reassurances to her. She was still beautiful. They had a lifetime of love left. A still angry part of her thought of getting a hammer and smashing the heart to one thousand bits. She couldn't do it. It wasn't the ruby's fault. She laid the necklace back on its hook and returned to her bed, fully aware that she was sulking like the filly her husband apparently believed her to be. A low growl escaped her throat. The servants had no doubt seen the altercation. She never reprimanded Diamond in the living room and nor did he. When she was to be chastised for something it was always in her own room. They would not want to hurt her dignity. Apparently, he did not regard her dignity nearly as highly. There had been that one time when she had been made to participate in the Zap Apple Harvest, but since that was part of the event her dressing up like a bunny should not have been as embarrassing as Diamond made it out to be. That, and she'd looked adorable dressed up like that. Spoiled still had the photographs. Part of her didn't understand why he had gotten so angry. Did he really believe those ruffians were suitable companions for their daughter? Even if he wanted to argue that it was good business to keep friendly relations with the Apples, being friends with the Pegasus was unacceptable. Pegasii were violent, impulsive and aggressive. Their aristocracy, if they could be dignified with such a lofty title, were nothing more than the descendants of warlords who had looted and slashed their way to riches. Her favorite aunt had been robbed by a Pegasus once. It had taken her aunt years of therapy to get over the trauma and since then Spoiled had never managed to trust them. Spoiled didn't want Diamond to associate with them. For that matter, she didn't want her to associate with the Apples too much either. Sweet Apple Acres may have been successful, but true aristocracy did not work so they could never claim that title. That was why Rarity Belle would never be true aristocracy as long as she continued her sewing business. It would make more sense if she hired seamstresses to work for her and retired in luxury. But no. She insisted on continuing to work even as her wealth and reputation grew. Spoiled almost pitied Rarity Belle. The Canterlot elite would never accept her no matter how hard she tried. She was from Ponyville and in the eyes of Canterlot she might as well not even have a horn. The Canterlot aristocracy prided themselves on the purity of their bloodline. Rarity's clan's close proximity to an Earth Pony settlement implied the taint of mixed blood. Rarity could marry Prince Blueblood and that taint of a lower background would always be there. After all, they hadn't truly accepted Spoiled either. Spoiled shook away that thought and hopped off the bed. Ladies did not sulk and regardless of her husband's opinion on the matter she was a mare rather than a filly. Her husband was being incredibly foolish to excuse their daughter's behavior. They both agreed that they should keep their daughter from physical danger so why couldn't they agree to keep her from social peril? Spoiled had wanted to send her to a private school in Manehattan, but Filthy had objected. They had roots in Ponyville, he'd said. Deep roots and Diamond was going to grow up here. What he didn't seem to get was that if she continued to mix with those beneath her she would never be accepted among the aristocracy. Spoiled made her way down the winding staircase, looked up at the crystals hanging from the solid gold chandelier. Such wealth, such opulence. The Rich's, true to their name, had built up a vast fortune over Ponyville's century of existence. Even before that they were aristocracy and had links to noble families in more ancient settlements, even as far as Dream Valley. It was something Filthy took pride in and so did she. She couldn't take much pride in her own family. She had clawed her way into this and still felt like a pretender. She strode into the living room. A maid, a green filly with a red mane they'd hired a few weeks ago, was dusting an expensive, blue Chineighs vase with a golden dragon pattern. The maid looked over at her and tried to hide a smirk. She failed miserably. Spoiled glared at her. The maid returned to her task. The mansion was large and, even with servants, felt empty. Empty and still. Silence had descended over it like a shroud. Two hours had passed. The servants had learned to be silent. Not a sound, not Filthy's heavy hoofsteps and low murmurs, not Diamond's giggling while watching cartoons, not any sound at all rang through the house. The silence felt wrong. By now, Filthy and Diamond were already on their way to Manehattan. He would come back. Maybe she would go back to West Virhinnya. Back to the mines to visit her family just as Filthy was visiting his. Her family did not farm. They mined. They were very rich, very successful miners. But they were still miners. She hated the term rock farming. Rock farmers were inefficient miners. She had spent many an evening as a filly dreaming of better things. Dreaming of escape, a better life for herself than digging for jewels or wedding some drunken lout of a miner like her father. That pricked her conscience. Her father was a drunken lout that had had the audacity to die of black lung disease before she was six. But he was a kind, hard-working drunken lout. Too damned lazy to do any real work. The accusation was ludicrous of course and no doubt he had realized that not five seconds after saying it. Still, by the time he had met her family it was true. Her mother had married the owner of the coal mine. After the age of six she had known a comfortable life. But she wanted more, always more. Some indefinable longing. She was not ashamed to admit that Filthy's family wealth was one of the first things that had attracted her to him. Then his rugged strength. Then his romantic nature. They had met because his father had business with her stepfather. After a three month courtship they had eloped. Diamond Tiara had been born the socially correct amount of time later. A bit early, but no cause for any rumors of pre-marital impropriety. A knock on the door interrupted her musings. She hurried to it. No doubt Filthy had crawled back to her on his knees. She would require him to beg before granting him forgiveness. At the door was a familiar, bespectacled grey Earth Pony filly. She was holding a comic book. "Oh, hi, Mrs. Rich." Spoiled's shoulders sagged. "Hello, Silver Spoon. Please come in." She wasn't sure why she'd invited her inside. Silver took the invitation. "Is Diamond here? I wanted to give her this neat comic book and maybe we could read it and...talk about some things." The guilt on the filly's face was obvious. They must have quarreled and now she had come to make amends. "I'm sorry, Silver. Diamond isn't here. Her and her father have gone to Manehattan." Her face fell. "Oh. When will they be back?" Spoiled shrugged. "I don't know." She decided to take pity on the child. "She has gone to visit her cousin." She picked up a piece of paper and wrote down the mailing address. She handed it to Silver who smiled broadly and scampered off after thanking her. Part of Spoiled wished that she'd stayed for tea. After Silver closed the door, Spoiled retired to the couch and turned on the television. She watched the first half-an-hour of a soap opera before realizing that she had no idea what was going on in it. She turned it off. When will they be back? It was a question Spoiled couldn't answer. Surely, Filthy knew that the divorce threat was only a bluff. Even after this she was not going to divorce him. What if he divorces you? Her heart raced. She could barely catch her breath. No. She couldn't lose all this. She stood. They had to find a way to work all of this out. It could be worked out, she was certain of that. They had had fights and obstacles in the way of their relationship before and they had overcome those. They could overcome this too. She very quickly packed and then gave the week's instructions to the servants before heading out the door, towards the train station and Manehattan. The Busy FatherFilthy Rich looked down at his daughter, who was sleeping against his side. The train rode past high, jagged mountains as it made its way towards the bustling, vibrant city of Manehattan. Filthy and his family had been there numerous times. This was the fist time he'd come without his wife. There were a lot of good memories for them in Manehattan. Filthy wondered how much longer there would be a them. The sun was lowering, the Princess preparing to bring the day to an end. Streams of orange and violet fire lit up the mountains bringing the illusion that the mountains were burning. Great, purple shadows spread mist over the valleys. The train took a corner and the mountains receded as the train went through a town. Simple, humble hamlets lined the mostly empty streets. Soon, the train passed from the town and entered a new one. The last beams of the sun died away and the moon rose, casting silvery light over the wide valleys that the train passed through. The great city came ever closer as the train passed by towns that grew ever larger and then it passed through settlements that were no longer towns, but had earned the title of cities. Great towers rose up and pierced the heavens. An ocean of lights filled the cities, street lights that mirrored the lights of the stars. For a time the train left the cities behind altogether. Diamond stirred, a happy smile across her lips. That was natural as her tummy was full of ice cream and a proper supper of hayburgers that they had gotten before leaving the town. Rushing waters cascaded over a rugged, ancient mountain's face. It shone like a river of silver in the light of the moon and stars. Filthy shook her awake. She rubbed at her eyes. "Daddy, are we there yet?" He pointed out the window. "Look, it's Neighagra Falls." Her face brightened. "Oh, wow!" No matter how many times she saw it her reaction was always the same. A sense of awe and wonder. When she was younger he and Spoiled had had to explain to an increasingly tearful Diamond that no, she couldn't take a swim in the Falls as the water pressure would rip her to shreds. They had left that part out, but Filthy was sure she'd figured it out as she'd gotten older. Filthy smiled himself as he looked out at the Falls. Soon, the train had moved on. Diamond yawned, leaned back against Filthy and went to sleep. It wouldn't be much longer now until they reached their destination. If Diamond managed to stay awake maybe they'd see a Bridleway show. Something to get their minds off of this day. Filthy shifted. He had been acting as a substitute pillow for Diamond for a while and his body wanted to move, but he didn't want to wake her. The motions of the train always seemed to make her sleepy. Very carefully, he adjusted himself while opening a travel case he had bought at a way station. He slipped a pillow beneath his daughter's head and stood. He stretched out his back legs and then his front. Outside the window, the train was passing through another valley. A lake shimmered in the moonlight. He searched for the name of the lake and realized he couldn't remember it. It had a beautiful sound, he remembered that, and it meant something in an ancient language. A lake where a goddess had wept in the days when his ancestors had grazed in a young world. He turned away from the window. This was not a time for looking at the past. It was not the time for recalling that that lake was important not because of depressed goddesses, but because he and his wife had made love there in a fit of passion during their honeymoon. It was, more importantly, where they had spoken of the future. There had been things she'd wanted to do. Go to college. She'd gone for a semester. Open a jewelry store. That store had never materialized even though he'd promised to help her with it. More than her beautiful fur and alluring mane, what had caused him to love her was the fire of ambition he'd seen blazing in her soul, her eyes, the way she'd carried herself. Pride and ambition. He'd loved her for those very qualities that now disgusted him. Loved her. Was one argument, even an argument that had culminated in him walking out the door, enough to end their love? He looked to Diamond who had begun to wake up. She looked to him with bleary eyes. His wife had hurt his daughter. Not just physically, but also emotionally. She had tried to mold her into a pony who was cruel, who looked down on others. He wondered to himself how he could have been so blind. Was it love that had blinded him? Or was it one too many late nights at the office? Too many nights had passed when he had come home after Spoiled had already tucked Diamond into bed. Or, he assumed she tucked Diamond into bed. For all he knew she had a servant do it. There were several servants Diamond was close too, but that was hardly unusual. Filthy himself had practically been raised by a maid. Is that what you wanted for Diamond? How could you have been so blind to what was going on in your own household? A stallion cared for his household. It was his chief duty. Filthy's shoulder's sagged as he felt an overwhelming and horrific sense of failure. Diamond noticed it. She hopped off her seat and trotted over to him, nuzzling his chest. "Daddy, are you alright?" He patted her head. "I will be, Darling. I will be. Everything's gonna be alright." The train came to a stop. They joined a crowd of passengers as they shuffled into the streets of Manehattan. High skyscrapers rose up for thousands of miles and surrounded them. The streets were lit and still crowded. There were shouts and laughter and upraised voices. The scents of freshly baked bread and other foods wafted through the streets. There was a pulse and energy to the city. It could be felt in the tall buildings and shops all around them. It could be felt in the constantly surging crowds. It could be felt in the thrum of far off music coming off of Bridleway and from street performers. Diamond pranced ahead and then turned back, sheepish. She went back to standing beside him. He, not trusting her not to rush off in her excitement, ushered her on top of his back. She held on as he trotted at a brisk pace around the crowds. He took off down a less crowded, but still lit, side street. His hooves clopped onto the hard stone. It was an older part of the city, the street still cobblestone. A ragged looking brown stallion came up to him, looked at him with hollow eyes. He reached out a hoof. "Spare change?" At first, Filthy recoiled both from a sense of possible danger and the offensive odors emanating from the stallion. Then, he reached into his saddlebag and took out ten bits, handing them to the beggar. He smiled, showing yellowed teeth. "Thank you, Sir. Gods bless you, Sir." He stumbled off. "Daddy?" Diamond asked from atop his back. "Yes?" "Why did you give money to that beggar?" It was a fair question. While he made contributions to charity, handing out change to beggars was not something he normally did. "Diamond, what do you think the most important thing in the world is?" He found a park bench and sat down. Diamond sat down beside him. "I guess, how other ponies think about you. And money." He sighed. "Well, those things are important. Money's important. You don't want to spend your life having to beg or steal. It's good to have money to buy the things you want or need. But it's not the most important thing. Family is." He wrapped a hoof around Diamond, drawing her close. "Family and being a good pony. And that means being kind, helping the less fortunate..."He paused. "Admitting when you've done something wrong and trying to make it right." Her ears folded back, as if she were being scolded. "I am sorry for how I treated the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I plan on apologizing to them." He tousled her mane. Her ears perked back up. "I'm right proud of that, Diamond, but it's not what I was talking about. Diamond, remember that time I missed your fifth birthday party?" She nodded. "Because you were in a meeting, right?" "I was. But I was wrong to miss your birthday. It was an important meeting, but not more important than you. I've spent a lot of time working, but I haven't spent enough time with you." Diamond shifted on the bench. "Mommy says you have to work so you can make money to buy me things." "That's true. But I'm going to spend more time with you. You're more important. And I'm sorry I haven't spent enough time with you." She wrapped her hooves around him. "It's okay, Daddy." He held her. They stayed that way for a few minutes. Finally, she let go when her tummy growled. "Daddy, I'm hungry." He stood up. "I'm right hungry myself. How do you feel about pizza?" She had scampered halfway down the street before he'd caught up with her and lifted her back onto his back again. She giggled and held on. He rolled his eyes and tolerantly smiled, just glad that she was in good spirits. ... There would be no Bridleway show after pizza, though they had spoken of it before Diamond had nearly fallen asleep in her plate. The day had simply tired her out. It was ten in the evening before he found his brother's apartment. He walked up the stairs, his precious burden still atop his back. The stairs leading up to the top floor of the apartment was carved from a shining, well-polished oak wood. The walls were painted a cheerful, creamy white. He stood at the brown door and knocked. It was late, but he hoped that they were still up. A few seconds passed before the door was opened by a light yellow Earth Pony mare with a pink mane. "Filthy?" He smiled. "You know I prefer Rich, Ocher." Ocher ushered him inside. "Gonna get confusing since that's also my husband's name." "Where is Stinking?" The stallion in question rose from the couch he was sitting on and turned off the television. His coat was the same brown as Filthy's, but his mane was blonde, a shocking contrast. He trotted over to Filthy and they nuzzled in greeting. "How have you been Brother? Where is that wife of yours?" Something must have shown on his face because Stinking's eyebrow raised. "She's back in Ponyville." Ocher picked up Diamond from Filthy's back and laid her on the armchair. She was sleeping hard, the pizza and the day's events finally taking her off to dream land for the night. Then Ocher went to make tea for their guests. "So, Amethyst is asleep already?" "She sure is, Bro. Now what happened between you and Spoiled?" He moved over to the couch. "Let's sit down." Stinking sat down. "So, spill." "Apparently, Diamond decided to make friends with some fillies Spoiled didn't approve of. So, she paddled her." Stinking winced. "Rather harsh. Who were these fillies?" Filthy shrugged. "Just ordinary fillies. One of them's the daughter of Apple Blossom." "Of the Apple Family? Your primary business partner?" "Yep." Stinking blinked. "And I'm presuming she's not a bad filly?" "No. Actually, she's rather sweet. Energetic and curious, obsessed with finding her cutie mark, but weren't we all?" "So, Spoiled's objection to Diamond being friends with her is...what exactly?" "Apparently, she thinks these fillies are beneath Diamond. One of them's a Pegasus and, well, she doesn't like Pegasii." Stinking sighed and rested a hoof on his shoulder. "Bro, I told you. I told you she was no good when I met her. She married up and she's acting better than she is. Should have gone with Apple Blossom yourself." "What a difference that would have made. And Blossom was a nice girl too. Too bad Runner got a hold of her." "And he's no good either. Ships passing in the night." Filthy leaned back in the couch. "You been listening to Mareilow again?" Stinking shrugged. "I can't just listen to classical all the time. Well, what are you going to do now?" Ocher came back in with the cups of tea which she laid on the coffee table. She sat down on the armchair, settling Diamond in her lap. The stallions told her what was going on. She stroked Diamond's mane. "You always deserved better, Filthy. And Diamond definitely does." Filthy sipped the chamomile tea. The warm liquid eased him. "I don't know what I'm going to do. Divorce her? It seems so final." "Divorce her." Ocher and Stinking spoke in unison. "We've been together for eleven years. We have so much history together. And it's not like she's always a b...it's getting late. I need to tuck Diamond in. Can I stay here tonight?" Stinking shook his head. "You don't need to ask. Take the guest room." Filthy stood, laid Diamond on his back and walked to the guest room. He laid her down on a guest bed that Ocher had been kind enough to lay out. Her teacup mark was in tea-making, not hospitality but he'd assume that it was. She'd explained once that tea was about more than tea. It was about creating a warm, inviting atmosphere. That was where her skill in hospitality came from. He kissed Diamond's forehead and pulled the blanket around her. Then, he returned to the living room and sat down. "Don't think she's always terrible. She can be kind." "When?" Ocher asked. "Give me an example of her being kind." He searched his memory. "When Diamond used to fall she would always bandage it up and kiss the boo-boo. You know how moms do." "Right. That's called being a good mom. Bare minimum anyway." "And she always supports me. She never makes me feel bad about working late. If I get too tired or my back is hurting she'll massage my shoulders. She's good at massage, a lot of ponies don't know that." Ocher and Stinking exchanged significant glances. Stinking placed down his tea cup. "Yeah. We've heard it when you two argue. She's said some terrible things to you. I recall her telling you that you were a lazy piece of garbage when your company took a hit." That had been a nasty argument. "She said she was sorry." Ocher sipped from her own cup. Then she set it down on a table. "Please listen to yourself. She said she was sorry. She's nice sometimes. I got that bruise when I slipped down the stairs." He narrowed his eyes. "What are you saying? That she's abusing me?" Ocher laid the cup on the table. "Using and abusing." "Stallions do not get abused. That's ridiculous." The couple exchanged another glance. He continued. "Hell, I spanked her because I was so angry about what she did to Diamond. Wouldn't that make me the abusive one?" Ocher looked over to Stinking. Stinking drank deeply from the tea and laid it next to his wife's cup. "She deserved a spanking if you ask me. Yeah, abuse isn't just a physical thing. She's emotionally abusing you and Diamond. She's been doing it for years. I have a pamphlet I picked up-" Filthy rose. "How dare you! I am not being abused! She just...she gets angry sometimes...you don't know what she's really like...oh, oh Celestia..." Stinking walked over, patted his back. "It's going to be alright, Bro." Filthy leaned back into the couch. Stinking sat next to him. Filthy rested his head in his hooves. "How did this happen? Why didn't you two say something sooner?" Ocher walked over to him."Would you have listened?" "No, no. I wouldn't have. I need to go to bed." He stood up and walked away from the living room. He turned back. "Thank you for the tea, Ocher and for the hospitality, both of you. I really need to think right now." After he brushed his teeth he went to the guest room and slipped beneath the covers. Then he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. DecisionsFilthy tossed and turned in the bed. The bed itself was not the problem. While smaller than his bed back home, it was still large enough for a full grown stallion. The mattress was comfortable, cradling his body in softness. The blankets were warm, shielding him from the Manehattan cold. The pillow was fluffed the exact way he liked it, supporting his back and neck. On the bed next to his, the rhythms of his daughter's breath could be heard. It was the faintest sound, but he could hear it perfectly. Diamond was the main focus of his thoughts. She had been for eleven years. When he was younger, most of his thoughts revolved around money and the continuation of his family's business. He loved money, that was not something he would deny. His ancestors had built up a fortune and he fully intended to expand it. His father had taught him the most basic principles of economics when he just old enough to understand it. His allowance had been tied to how much work he did around the house so he would learn the link between labor and profit. When he got older an allowance wasn't quite enough for him. He'd opened a lemonade stand when he was ten. He'd taken on a paper route at eleven. He'd volunteered to perform odd jobs around Ponyville at twelve. Just as he'd been taught at his father's knee he saved up over half of his earnings. Being a colt, the other half was spent on comic books, sweets and toys. At fifteen his father had volunteered him to work on a farm. Every Earth Pony needed to work on a farm at one point in his life, his father had told him. So, Filthy had strapped a plow to his back and drug it through the rich earth. He had watched as the plants grew and pulled up weeds. At the end of the day his body ached and his forehead would be covered in sweat. Yet, he could not deny the sense of fulfillment he felt as the crops began to grow. The fruit of his labor. No, it wasn't his land, but he had plowed the fields. He had planted the seeds. His sweat had mixed with the soil and he had helped to bring forth the harvest. He had grown used to the rhythm of farm life. Seed time and harvest. Waking at dawn to plant or plow or reap. Still, when that year ended he had set aside the plow. Farm life was never meant for him. It was only a detour to taking on his father's business. The older stallion was getting older and had grown tired of the strain of running a business. More often than not he was starting to prefer grazing to meetings. When Filthy turned twenty-one his father had turned the business over to him. It was the proudest moment of his life. On the first day he'd done a major reorganization of the store. He diversified the product line. He slashed prices. He raised wages to attract workers. Since the slashed prices brought in more customers he could afford to raise wages. That first quarter was the most profitable the business had seen in ten years. That was fortunate too as the Rich family had been about to receive a new member. Spoiled Rich had gone into labor at Four AM. Filthy remembered it vividly. She had kicked him awake, accidentally she later swore, and nearly dragged him out of bed. Their quick thinking butler prepared a chariot and off they went to the hospital. The nurse ushered her to a room and Filthy had followed. He had held her hoof as she screamed in labor pain. After three hours in labor, Diamond Tiara Rich came into the world. She screamed and shouted nearly as loudly as her mother had. Still, Spoiled held her to her teats, licked and nickered over her. Filthy had nuzzled his daughter's mane, familiarizing himself with her scent. She had been a beautiful foal. Her coat was the most perfect shade of pink. Her mane was a gorgeous blue and white. She had been spoiled relentlessly. Every cry brought attention from her mommy and daddy. She was nursed, cuddled, snuggled, nuzzled and slept between them. Even the servants loved her. The first moment he had nuzzled her, the first moment he had held her, he had known that all of his priorities had radically shifted. He no longer went and made money for the sake of making money. He now did it for the sake of his daughter. So that he could put a roof over her head. So that he could put food on her plate. So that he could buy her the toys she wanted. Sure she didn't need that top-of-the-line My Little Puppy doll, but her smile was so cute when he got it for her. There were times when he was so busy working he hardly got to see her, even if he worked in order to provide for her. The paradox made him uneasy. There were things in her life he'd missed. Her fifth birthday party lost to a meeting with the Board of Directors. Her dance recital lost to an emergency meeting with a labor union. So many lost moments. He had soothed his conscience by buying her extravagant toys and other luxuries. It was always for her, he'd told himself. He turned on his side. His relationship with his wife had also fallen by the wayside though they still went on date nights whenever they could. He was beginning to understand why his father had retired early. Abandoning sleep altogether he knocked away the blankets and trotted over to Diamond, nuzzling her mane. She was fast asleep. He walked back over to his bed, threw the covers over his head and tried to sleep. They could stay the weekend. Diamond would need to get back to school (he didn't know what he'd do if this was a weekday). He couldn't afford to keep Barnyard Bargains closed for too long. Business was good, but that relied on the store staying open. He was hooves-on so he didn't have anypony that could run the store in his absence though it was something he should consider. There were also all the employees that were going to show up tomorrow and wonder where he was. He should return to Ponyville. Somehow, he couldn't find it in him to plan a return. Not yet anyway. There were too many things he needed to figure out. Decisions that had to be made. Decisions like if he should continue his relationship with his wife. His brother had brought up some very disturbing points. Spoiled could be mean at times. She had also been cruel to their daughter. Was that something he could forgive? Was that something he should forgive? Ponies made mistakes, right? He had made mistakes. When one made mistakes they should apologize to anyone hurt by those mistakes. That was the philosophy hoofed down to him by his father. Spoiled hadn't apologized. She hadn't even acknowledged having done anything wrong. He closed his eyes and breathed, drawing on a technique from a long ago meditation-for-stress-relief class. It didn't work, but at long last exhaustion lulled him into a mercilessly dreamless sleep. ... The smell of frying eggs awoke him. Sunlight streamed through the windows and bore down on his eye lids. His head was pounding as he knocked away the blankets, slowly stretching his limbs. He took several deep breaths and then rose from the bed, stepping onto the hard wooden floor. He wiped at his eyes several times, yawned and shuffled towards the door. Diamond was not in her bed, which meant she was no doubt playing with Amethyst or making breakfast with her favorite aunt. He pushed open the door, trudging from the guest bedroom into the bathroom. The porcelain sink nearly glowed in the sunlight. He hadn't gotten a shower last night and a cursory sniff of his foreleg revealed that he smelled like it. He pulled aside the blue shower curtain and stepped into the well-polished white bathtub. Turning the nozzle he allowed cool water to rush over him, getting into his fur and washing away the last vestiges of his exhaustion. He picked up a bottle of green apple shampoo, squeezed a dollop of it onto his hoof and worked it into his black mane which was streaked with more grey than he felt comfortable admitting to. Soapy shampoo suds fell down his mane and his back. Once he'd finally washed the shampoo out of his mane, which now hung limply over his back, he picked up the bar of lavender soap. Every part of the bathroom was feminine. It was obvious that Stinking let his wife do most of the shopping. Filthy chuckled to himself as he began to rub the soap into his fur. He turned the nozzle, letting the water warm up. Steam filled the bathroom, curling into fingers of mist that swirled all around him. He stood directly beneath the shower head, the water washing away the soap. He closed his eyes and stood, warm water rushing over his well-toned if aged muscles. Young. He was young. He could find another mare. Somepony better for himself. For Diamond. This could be a rebirth. Stepping out of the tub he felt a sense of newness. He grabbed a blue towel, wrapping it around himself, vigorously scrubbing himself down before stepping out of the bathroom. Diamond pranced up to him as he stepped out along with a little purple filly with a pink mane and tail, the appropriately named Amethyst. Her hair and tail were pinned with blue ribbons. "Good morning, Daddy!" "Good morning, Uncle Rich!" He smiled down at the fillies, greeting them with a nuzzle. "I smell a yummy breakfast." Diamond beamed. "Me and Amethyst helped make it." The two fillies scampered off together, giggling and whispering to each other about whatever it was little fillies giggled and whispered about. Filthy stepped into the kitchen. The table was laden with fried eggs, toast, fresh-cut fruit and pancakes. He sat down next to his brother. Ocher, Diamond and Filly sat down and they piled the food onto their plates. Filthy chomped into the eggs. "Delicious." Ocher smiled. "Thank you. Diamond and Amethyst were very helpful." Stinking raised a piece of pancake on his fork. "Sleep well, Brother?" Filthy shrugged. "Let's just say I did a lot of thought." After the meal, the mare and fillies retreated into the living room leaving the stallions with the dishes. It struck Filthy as a fair enough arrangement. Stinking handed him a plate which he dried off. "So, have you made a decision?" Filthy laid the plate into the cabinet. "I...I don't know." Stinking sighed and began washing the last cup. "Bro, c'mon." "There are many factors to consider. But the more I think about it the more leaving her seems like the right decision." Stinking slapped him on the back. "That's because it is." There was a knock on the door. Ocher stood up from between her two daughter on the couch and walked over to open it. She had gotten her cutie mark in tea-making and that included hospitality. She felt her soul shudder when she pulled open the door. Spoiled Rich stood at the threshold of her home. Hospitality demanded she let her in. The pink mare frowned. "Good morning, Ocher my dear. Might I come in?" Ocher stood there, staring at her. Spoiled Rich did not back down, but nor did she move forward. "Ocher? May I come in?" Ocher gritted her teeth. "No. No, you may not." She slammed the door in her face. Then she turned. Diamond pretended to continue watching the cartoon, but she was frowning the same frown as her mother. The knocking continued. Filthy, trotting from the kitchen, hurried to the door and opened it. Spoiled had her hoof up in mid-knock. She laid it back down. Silence descended like a curtain, an unbridgeable chasm opening between them. Unseen by any of the adults Diamond slipped from the couch. Amethyst followed her. Ocher stood by Filthy's side. Filthy walked into the hall, Spoiled following her. He closed the door. "It will be alright Ocher." Spoiled shuffled a hoof. "Do you really want to have this conversation out in the hall? Not much privacy." "It'll have to do." Spoiled nodded. "Yes, it will." The chasm was back. "How long do you intend on staying here, Filthy?" Spoiled glanced at a vibrant house plant he couldn't identify. It had thick, broad leaves. "Filthy?" "The weekend. Actually, would you mind going back to Ponyville and managing the store in my absence?" Her back straightened. "Of course." They were talking about business, Spoiled thought to herself. Safe, solid territory. "How is that new line of cutlery selling?" The question came out of nowhere. "Quite well." He shook his head. "For Celestia's sake. What are we doing?" She took a step forward. "Good question. What are we doing? We had a fight, we've had them before. We both said and did things we both regretted-" "I don't regret anything." That stopped her cold. She gulped. "Okay, okay. But fights are good for couples. They strengthen the relationship. Let's all go to Bridleway and get some ice cream and maybe plan a romantic dinner. How's that sound?" "Oh, Spoiled. Do you really imagine things can go back to the way they were?" She bit her lip. "Of course. They always have before. Forgive and forget, right?" Filthy sighed. "Alright. Tell me why I got so mad and I forgive you. Also, apologize to Diamond." She took a sharp intake of breath. A threat was hidden in her husband's words. He spoke to his employees in the same tone before firing them. "If I don't?" "The courthouse is open by now. We go there, we get divorce papers." She trembled. "No." "I don't need your permission, my dear." The shaking turned into a violent tremor. "No, no. You can't do this to me. You can't take this away from me!" He raised an eyebrow. "What can't I take away from you? Diamond?" "Diamond. Our marriage. Everything we've built together." She reached out a hoof, laid it on his shoulder. "Why can't things go back to the way they were? We've built a life together." "It's trust, Spoiled. I could never trust you alone with Diamond ever again. Trust is hard to obtain and once lost I don't know if it can ever be given again. Or if it should be." "Alright. I'll never discipline Diamond ever again unless we've both discussed it first." "Hmm, better. Yet, you still haven't told me what you did wrong." Spoiled laid her hoof back on the ground. "It was...it was wrong of me to punish her so harshly." Filthy nodded. "Either that was sincere or those acting classes really paid off." She glared at him. Filthy motioned towards the apartment. "Now go apologize to Diamond." She hesitated. "If we're going to be apologizing, why don't you apologize to me for that humiliating spanking?" Filthy shook his head. "No. I'm not going to do that. I only gave you what you gave Diamond." Spoiled snorted. "She's a filly, I'm an adult!" Filthy shrugged. "In the old days they'd even give corporal punishment to criminals. You did something wrong and I think you deserved to be punished." She stepped closer to him, as if trying to be menacing. "So that's how it's going to be from now on? If I do something you don't like your going to haul off and spank me?" He shrugged again. "Why not? It's what you do to Diamond." She bristled. "I do not! Only when she does something wrong." He frowned. "So, you really think what you did to Diamond was okay?" She bit her lip. "You tricked me." He rolled his eyes. "Yes dear. I used my cunning to trick you into telling the truth. You think it's okay to severely punish her in order to control the kind of friends she makes." She grit her teeth. "If it means so much to you, I'm willing to let her...to..." Filthy was becoming concerned about Spoiled's teeth considering how hard she was gritting them. "I'm willing..." He put a hoof to her lips. "Forget it, Spoiled. This isn't working. We're not working." She closed her eyes. "It's been working for eleven years. That's a long time. Let's not throw this away." Tears sparkled in her eyes when she opened them. He turned away, looked down to the ground. "I don't see how we can get past this." Her shoulder's slumped. "That's it then? Your willing to throw away eleven years over this?" "It's not just this. There have been problems for a long time. I just haven't wanted to see them. You've taught Diamond to look down on others and that isn't right. You've put me down. Spoiled, you're an abuser." "That's ridiculous!" She straightened her back, held up her head. "You don't get it, do you Spoiled?" The mood changed so quickly Filthy barely had time to prepare for the tirade that poured out of his wife's lips. "Let me tell you something. Maybe I have been harsh with Diamond. Maybe I have been harsh with you! But you don't understand what it's like to come from where I've come from and then get this far! You don't appreciate your wealth, it was just handed to you-" "Now hold on one minute-" "So, yes, I have put you down when you've been lazy or made idiotic decisions that put that wealth at risk! Yes, I have pushed Diamond to act like a rich pony! To hold her head up high and know she's better!" Tears were streaming down her face. She was shouting, but she didn't care. "Tell me something, Filthy! Have you ever gone to bed hungry? Have you ever not known where your next meal was coming from? Have you ever not been able to sleep because the hunger was so bad so your mama had to go beg off the Guild and you see how Ponies look at you and your mama when you go to the grocery store with food stamps? They look at your mama like she's trash and you are too!" She shoved him. "You know what that's like, rich boy? Huh? Because I do!" He stepped back, then grit his own teeth as he took in what she'd just said. He felt tears spring to his eyes. "Was I your meal ticket, Spoiled? Did you ever love me at all or did you just love the things I could buy you?" She panted, still not recovered from her tantrum. "Of course I love you, Filthy!" "So what if I told you I was going to sell everything I own to buy a small apartment? Live on a lower middle class salary? Would you still want to be with me?" She didn't answer which was all the answer he needed. He opened the door to his brother's apartment. "Filthy, wait!" "We're through." He said it with all the force of a gunshot. "You can contact me to discuss how much alimony you'll get. Goodbye." He slammed the door shut. InterludeAmethyst opened the poster-covered door to her room. Right across from her mahogany wood dresser was a pink bed which was covered in dolls. Diamond was almost obscured from view by the multicolored stuffed animals, puppies predominating. The young filly was clutching a stuffed German Shepherd. Amethyst climbed onto the bed and laid next to her. Diamond held up the Shepherd. "I didn't know you had Ruffy." Amethyst shrugged. "I know she was pretty awful last season, but she grew on me." "She's cute. And I like her being one of the good guys now." Silence settled between the two. Amethyst settled into the pile, knocking a few dolls away in order to rest more comfortably. Diamond continued clutching onto the doll, cuddling it. "So, what's going on between your parents?" Diamond settled deeper into the pile. Amethyst idly stroked the hair of her Princess Woof doll, waiting for the answer Diamond didn't seem very eager to give. The silence dragged on for an uncomfortably long time. A manic grin spread across Diamond's face. Amethyst inched away. "Hey, ya know what! Let's pretend Woof and Ruffy are having a tea party!" "Um...okay. Yeah, that sounds fun." Amethyst smiled. "And it's Princess Woof now." Diamond rolled her eyes. "I don't care if the stupid writers gave her two tails, she is never going to be a princess to me." Amethyst giggled. "So Fluffy and Spot can join?" She picked up the two tailed Poodle, the regular Poodle and the Jack Russel Terrier. Diamond hopped off the bed and fetched a plastic, white tea set decorated with roses that was sitting on Amethyst's dresser. Amethyst pulled up a small desk and two chairs. The two fillies sat across from each other. Diamond pretended to pour tea into the cups and laid Woof and Ruffy on one side. Amethyst took up Fluffy and Spot. Amethyst moved Fluffy, having her "drink" from the tea cup. "So, Ruffy, I'm so glad that we're all friends now." The manic grin returned, crossing Diamond's features. Amethyst bit her lip, wanting to ask if she was okay. Diamond moved Ruffy. "Oh, yes! I promise to never be mean like I used to be! I want to be friends with you forever!" Ruffy nuzzled Fluffy and Spot. Amethyst moved the dolls so that they returned the nuzzle. Amethyst moved Fluffy up and down. "So, I'm having a bake sale! Want to help?" Diamond moved Ruffy. "That sounds wonderful!" She moved Woof. "Yes, I too would like that!" They both moved the dolls so that they appeared to drink from the cups. Amethyst broke character. "No, really, I have the bake set. Want to?" "Sure!" Diamond ran a hoof over Woof. "I have the bake set too. Daddy bought it for me..." She trailed off. The manic grin vanished. "I can't do this." She leaned back in the chair. "I'm sorry, Amethyst. I'm not in the mood for a tea party. Or playing at all. I just...I thought I could...I just..." "You're the one that wanted to." She threw Ruffy. The doll smacked against the mattress. "I thought I wanted to!" Amethyst jumped up from her seat and retrieved the stuffed animal, nuzzling her. She glared at Diamond. "No need to take it out on poor Ruffy." Diamond at least had the decency to look ashamed, a blush creeping across her face. She stared down at the floor. "Sorry." She trudged over and nuzzled Ruffy. "I'm sorry, Ruffy." Amethyst rubbed Ruffy against Diamond's cheek. When she pulled the doll back, she saw that it was wet. She looked at Diamond, who had tears trailing down her face. Laying the doll on the bed, she wrapped both hooves around Diamond. Diamond returned the gesture. For a few moments they held each other before Amethyst pulled away, keeping both hooves on Diamond's shoulders. "Diamond? It'll feel better if you talk about it." Diamond wiped at her eyes. "I don't know. I don't know what's going on with me. Amethyst, what's wrong with me? Why am I crying?" "Is it because of your parents? Are they splitting up?" Diamond's lip trembled. "I...I don't know. Maybe?" Amethyst ushered her over to the bed and they lay next to each other. "What happened between your parents?" "I don't think Mommy loves me anymore. I don't know if she ever did." Amethyst rubbed her withers. "Ah, c'mon. Moms always love their foals. Always." Diamond leaned against her. "Not her. She only loves me when I do what she wants me to do. But, sometimes, she tells me to do things that I...I know is wrong...to look down on others and just...just being mean. Sometimes she's mean to me." "What did she do?" Diamond took a deep breath. "She got mad at me because I wanted to make friends with these fillies she doesn't like because she says they're beneath me. Then Daddy got mad at her for spanking me so he spanked her." Amethyst had a mental image of her aunt across her uncle's knee getting her rump smacked. A giggle escaped her lips. "It's not that funny." "I know. But, it's a little funny." Diamond snorted. "Okay, it's a little funny." Amethyst settled onto the bed, stretching her hooves. "Your mom does sound mean. I always kind of thought she was. I can't believe she doesn't love you at all, though. I mean, my mom has always loved me no matter how much of a brat I can be-" "Well, we're not all lucky enough to have your mom!" Amethyst cringed. "Sorry, sorry. So, what do you think's going to happen now?" Diamond sighed, a tired sound. "I really don't know. If Mom and Dad split up, I want to live with Dad. But Dad is away a lot because of his job, so what if Mommy takes me? I don't want to live with Mommy." "I'm sure you can live with your dad if you want to." Diamond reached over and pulled Spot to her. Then she let go of the doll and stood up. "You were right. Talking about it did make me feel better. I'm going to be okay, Amethyst. I'm a diamond. Diamonds don't break." She smiled at Amethyst. "Especially not when a diamond has friends like you." Amethyst stood and hopped off the bed. "The ice cream store is open. You know, the one that also sells pizza? I got my allowance yesterday, I'll buy." Diamond licked her lips at the thought of fresh, cheese pizza. "Let's do it." The fillies pranced out the room, Diamond following Amethyst. ... Filthy slammed the door and leaned back against it, feeling himself collapse. Suddenly he felt the weight of his years, as if he were a swaybacked stallion several decades older. Stinking trotted over to him, laying a hoof on his shoulder. "I know that was hard." "You don't know, Stinking. You really don't." Stinking shook his head. "I've been in bad relationships before." Filthy glared at his brother. "You ever married one of those mares? Ever had a child with one? Lived your life with them?" Stinking sighed. "Well, no. There was this one mare, thought I loved her and then I found out she was cheating on me. That hurt. You remember that don't you?" Filthy did. "The only time I ever saw you cry." "Yeah. I was going to ask her to marry me." "Spoiled gave me a sob story. Grew up poor. I knew she did, I never cared. I never cared about her background. Now I get the feeling she used me. It's not like I don't feel bad for her. She went through a lot of hardship, but that's no excuse for the way she treats me and Diamond." "No, it isn't. And don't ever think it is." Diamond and Amethyst came into the room. Amethyst hopped over to Stinking. "Daddy, can me and Diamond go over to the pizza place?" "Sure, Sweetie. Just be back in time for supper." Filthy stepped away from the door. "Actually, I think I'll go with you two. I could use some pizza." He could also use something stronger that would make him forget his troubles for a while, but that never solved anything. Saying goodbye to his brother and sister-in-law, he opened the door. Amethyst and Diamond scampered out after him. ... Spoiled ambled along the city streets, walking along a railing. She had been walking for several hours. She knew she should go back to Ponyville, look after her husband's business. She couldn't bring herself to. It felt too much like surrender. The river glowed in the orange light of the setting sun. Sharp, jagged rocks pushed up from beneath the waves. It would be nightfall soon. She stopped and stared at her reflection. She was beautiful. She stopped and wondered if something was deeply wrong with her. Ponies had been telling her something was deeply wrong with her for years now. For the first time, she was toying with the remotest hint of a possibility that those Ponies had a point. It's over. Her husband's last words had been ringing in her ears for the past several hours, ever since he had slammed the door in her face. Since he had raised the hypothetical scenario of giving up his wealth, something they both knew he would never do. Or, she assumed it was something he would never do. There were times when she wasn't sure she still knew him. He had changed so much over the years. Had she changed with him? It's over. She allowed herself to consider that her husband-possibly soon to be ex-husband-had a point. They were no longer working. Arguments and differences in values had torn away what had once been there. What had once been there? Love? Did she love Filthy? Had she ever loved Filthy? She stared into the darkening waters. Did she love Diamond Tiara? Had she ever loved Diamond Tiara? Had she ever loved anypony at all? She conjured up images of her family. Days they'd spent exploring the city she now stood in. Picnics. Bedtimes she'd tucked Diamond in, read to her, kissed her mane. Watching Diamond grow, molding her into a strong pony, a rich pony. She was deeply proud of her family. But that wasn't the question. Did she love her family? She choked at the vast emptiness inside of her, an emptiness that turned everything cold. She stared at the water. How inviting it looked. Without Filthy to desire her, without Diamond to love her, what was she? Alone. She would be alone. The thought was unbearable. A tremble spread through her. She could not be alone. There had to be others to fill up the emptiness deep inside of her, others to praise her, love her, give her the attention she needed and craved. The attention she deserved. Gazing at her reflection in the river she could not help but notice her beauty. She could kiss her reflection, leap into the river, and then she would be part of the endless current. She would no longer feel the terrible emptiness that had haunted her for her entire life. How long would it take? A few minutes? It would be painful. Her body would swell up. Whoever found her would believe she was fat. That would not do. She tore herself away from the river and kept walking aimlessly. She would go back to Ponyville, care for the store in Filthy's absence and prove to him that he needed her. Author's Note Guess which mental illness Spoiled has. Problems and SolutionsThe sun's ray's were only now beginning to rise over the humble, thatched roofs of Ponyville. Spoiled yawned as she stepped out her door. The town was mostly still asleep, only a few Ponies wandering the streets. The market stalls weren't even being set up yet. Morning dew glistened off of flowers growing out of hanging baskets. Spoiled yawned again, stretching her tired back. She normally didn't wake up this early. Almost nopony did, though the Apple family certainly already awake. Last night, Spoiled hadn't been able to sleep. A few shots of vodka had finally knocked her into troubled dreams, but her eyes had opened with the rising of the sun. Looking around at the still sleeping town, she stepped back into her home. There was a chill to the air so she hurried to her bathroom, passing a picture of herself, her husband and her daughter. She paused to glance at it, remembering the day it was taken. Then, she continued on her way. Stepping into the blindingly alabaster room, she turned on the water and waited till steam had filled the room before pulling back the white shower curtain and stepping into the bath. She stood beneath the nozzle, letting the water rush over her perfectly styled mane, letting it pool around her perfectly manicured hooves. If only fixing all my problems were as simple as getting my mane and hooves done. Taking a bar of soap, she lathered her fur, her hooves and her underside. The water was soon full of soapy suds that rose up around her. She reached for a bottle of shampoo, working the red liquid into her mane. The sweet scent of strawberry filled the room. How do I fix this? Why hadn't she swallowed her pride, marched into the apartment and apologized to Diamond Tiara? Why had she struggled her entire life with moral concepts that every other Pony intuitively grasped? Meeting Filthy had been like a breath of fresh air. He might not have understood her (even she didn't understand herself), but he always forgave her. That's how most of their arguments ended. Her committing some offense, he getting angry at her for awhile and then forgiving her. That's the way it worked, that's what their relationship had been built upon. Forgiveness. She forgave him when he did something stupid. I still feel like I was in the right. My own mother...well, she wouldn't have done exactly the same, but she would never have tolerated disrespect. Diamond disrespected me, what was I supposed to? She began to scrub more violently as the thoughts worked their way through her mind. I have nothing to apologize for. Let Diamond spend a week around my mother. She'll be begging to be back with me. The bitch. I wouldn't even think about leaving Diamond around her. She let the heated waters flow around her, washing away the soap. I've always encouraged Diamond. Maybe I've made mistakes, but the world is full of predators. I've raised her to be strong. To survive. Filthy just doesn't get it. The warm current gently flowed around her, working its way into her withers and neck. She sighed in contentment. After a few moments she turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping a blue towel around herself. After she had dried off completely, she trotted to the kitchen. The kitchen staff, attentive to their mistress, had begun to stir. When Spoiled walked into the kitchen she was greeted with the smell of coffee and frying eggs. She detested eggs. They all knew she detested eggs. Luckily, she also detected the scent of pancakes. Tough Love, the nanny, stood flipping the delectable breakfast treats. She glanced around herself as Spoiled walked in. She was a strong, brown Earth Pony whom Spoiled suspected had missed a career in the Guard. "Is the master and the little miss not back yet?" Spoiled sat down. "No." Tough took out two plates, scooped eggs and pancakes on hers and then just pancakes on hers. After pouring two glasses of orange juice she sat down. Spoiled raised an eyebrow. Normally, the servants ate in the servant's quarters. Tough raised a helping of eggs to her muzzle. "When will they be back?" Spoiled sipped her juice. "I don't know. You'll still get your paycheck don't worry about that." "It's not the paycheck I'm worried about, Mistress." She stirred the eggs. "Something happened between you and Filthy. I leave to pick up some fruit, I come back and you're all gone. What's going on?" Spoiled sniffed. "That's none of your concern." "Like hell it isn't. I've been a part of this household for a long time. I understand you and Master Filthy had a fight. A bad one. Things got a bit physical as I understand it." Spoiled frowned. "I just told you, that's not your concern. You're the hired help. That's all. You are not part of this family and don't ever think you are. Is that clear?" Tough gave a vicious slash to her pancakes. "I practically raised your daughter, Spoiled. Excuse me, Mistress." How she managed to make the title of respect sound like an insult Spoiled would never know. "Put your concerns aside, Tough. We're just going through a rough patch. There's nothing more to it than that." "Are you going to get divorced?" Spoiled slammed a hoof on the table, knocking over the orange juice. It tipped over, shattering on the linoleum floor. The juice trickled along the floor. Shards of glass glittered in the morning light. "Are you going to pick that up?" "I would normally, but y'know what? I don't really feel like it. If I clean up the mess you made, you'll never learn, now will you?" "Why the hell are you acting like this?" "I know what you did to Diamond." Spoiled rose. "For the third and final time that is none of your concern!" "She's more of a daughter to me-" "Shut your mouth!" Spoiled swung a hoof. Tough caught it. "You know it's true." "You're fired!" Tough chuckled. "Funny thing about that is you didn't hire me and you're name isn't written on my paychecks." Spoiled felt her chest begin to heave. She wanted to beat the mare before her senseless, but she could feel the raw strength of the hoof holding onto her foreleg. Tough was stronger than her. That was just the way it was. "So what if we do get divorced? How's that affect you?" She let go of Spoiled's hoof. "This is Filthy's ancestral home. You'll be the one that has to leave. However, judges tend to award custody to the mother. Maybe I just want to know what's to become of my little Diamond." Spoiled growled. "She's my little Diamond." "I helped raise her. I helped her with her homework and gave her her baths. I don't want her living with you." Spoiled trembled. "Why is everypony turning against me?" "You really want to know? Because you're a selfish, cruel, cold-hearted bitch." "Get the hell out of this house." Tough slowly, delicately began slicing up the pancakes and then stirred the eggs around her plate. "Once I finish breakfast." The breakfast passed slowly, each second dragging. Spoiled barely tasted the coffee that she had to pour for herself. No matter how much syrup she poured on the pancakes, they seemed to be without any taste at all. Tough didn't say anything else to her, not that Spoiled tried to engage her in conversation. At long last the breakfast came to an end as Tough swallowed one last piece of egg. She stood, turned and walked away. Spoiled ate the last piece of pancake, sipped the last bit of her tasteless coffee. The orange juice had dried and the floor was sticky to her hooves. The maid would clean it up. She quickly trotted to the living room and then out the door. By this point, Ponyville was waking up, A few mares and stallions were strolling to their jobs. Colts and fillies were scampering to towards the park or other foalhood adventures, most of them prancing alongside their parents. Further up ahead, the market stalls were being set up. The merchants set up multicolored tents with bright images of fruit and simple brown boxes overflowing with their wares. Spoiled strolled through it as a group of Pegasii laid out lines of multicolored flags. Many of them had symbols of fruit. For a while she lost herself in the herd of early morning customers, browsing a box of apples and then a box of pears. She bought a bundle of green grapes, found a secluded path of grass beneath an old, gnarled oak and sat. Once she finished her second breakfast, which tasted better without the interference of nosy nannies, she continued her trek down the old dirt road. Barnyard Bargains always opened at around nine. By the position of the sun it was nearly eight fifty. She hurried down the road, breaking into a light canter. ... Filthy Rich stood before the imposing, marble edifice. It glowed orange as the shafts of the sun played across it. Atop one of the towers of the building was the imperial banner of Equestria, two familiar alicorns wrapping around a sun and moon upon a light blue field of white stars. Each star stood for a member of the empire. Filthy, though not more patriotic than any other Pony, had been staring up at it for the past ten minutes. On the tower next to the Equestrian flag was the flag of the City-State of Manehattan. A blue background for the river that had given the city life. A blazing fire for the crucible in which the steel of this city had been forged. A hammer and scythe crossed above the flame symbolizing the hammer of industry combined with the symbol of traditional Earth Pony agriculture. Atop the stairs was a statue of Celestia rearing, her wings spread and a stern expression upon her face. This was not the kind, benevolent mother-goddess of the sun. This was Celestia the Lawgiver. It was no comfort to the offenders brought before the court, but assured victims that this was a place where wrongs were made right, compensation was made and justice was done. Filthy trotted up the steps, the stone warm against his hooves, almost uncomfortably so. He hesitated before the statue of the Princess and looked up at the wooden door. A black coated guard nodded to him. "Can I help you, Sir?" Filthy took a moment before he answered. "I need to see a judge. Are any available at this hour?" "What do you need to see the judge for? Civil matter or criminal complaint?" "Civil complaint-matter.Civil matter. Divorce." The guard frowned. "Your wife isn't present?" "No, she isn't. Does she need to be?" "It is customary, but not required. Things like custody or property division will need to be done with both spouses present. Do you know her whereabouts?" "Not at present. I imagine she's back in Ponyville." "Follow me. We'll go see Judge Fair Heart." Filthy trotted behind the guard as he walked into the halls of the courtroom. A long tapestry depicted events of the chaotic pre-Unification and Discord Eras, then Unification with Celestia descending upon a cloud with a scroll containing Ponykind's first written law code. Following that was the submission of the tribal chieftains and founding of the imperial order. Then Ponies joining together to farm, build cities and settle the wild world. The message was obvious. Law brought harmony and peace. Without that, there was only chaos. It was a message Filthy approved of. The disharmony in his home had gone on long enough. Restoring harmony to his household meant one member would have to be removed. The guard turned a corner and walked into a chamber. An old, light red pony with a graying mane and wearing black judge's robes, was seated at a cherry wood desk. He looked up as the guard walked in. "Good morning, Stout Soul. Who is this gentleman?" Filthy took a step forward. "I'm Filthy Rich and I'm here to get divorce papers." The judge straightened up. "This is a bit irregular. Normally, both spouses are present so that I can counsel them. Alternatives to divorce, such as couple's counseling, are preferred." Filthy shook his head. "No. The relationship is over." It surprised him when he smiled. He felt relieved to say that, like a stone had fallen off his back. "Infidelity?" "Abuse, both emotional and physical." The judge's eyes widened. "Could she be dangerous?" "I honestly don't know. She won't consent to a divorce." "The most dangerous time for an abuse victim is leaving the relationship. Has she ever been physically abusive towards you?" "No, just our daughter. She's been emotionally abusive towards both us." "I understand why you won't the divorce." He reached into a file and pulled out two papers. "Sign this and, if you can, get your wife to sign it. If she doesn't, I can and will dissolve the marriage anyway." "Thank you. Do you have a pen?" The judge handed one to him. Filthy sat down on the leather back chair, setting the papers before him. He thought he might hesitate when he began to write, but he didn't. There was not even a moment's hesitation as he signed his name and began the process of dissolving eleven years of legal union with Spoiled. ... Spoiled strode through the aisles of the store. Everything was in order. A young, brown colt was busy stocking forks on the shelves. It looked right to her. She turned and strode down another aisle, this one filled with faux crystal cups and other dinnerware. One shelf proudly displayed a plate with a rather fetching Hearth's Warming design. Green holly leaves wrapped around its white surface, bright red berries sprouting from it. The artistry was incredible. She reached for it, wondering if she needed to pay for it since she was the boss's wife. She stopped a red-maned, green-coated teenage filly. "You, there. Since I'm the wife of the owner do I need to pay for this?" The filly sputtered, shying away nervously. "Well, ma'am, um, you, um can get a discount, but you need to pay for it." Spoiled debated with herself. She could buy it, but what would she do with it? She couldn't take it home, she needed to manage the store. The filly couldn't be trusted to guard a goldfish from the way she was adamantly refusing to make eye contact and appeared to wish that Spoiled would very quickly go away. She groaned. "I'll check to see if its still available. Why don't you go...continue whatever it is your doing." The store ran like a well-oiled machine. She was surprised Filthy needed to manage it at all. All of the employers knew where their departments were and what their daily tasks were. Why had Filthy asked her to come over anyway? Had he just wanted her gone? Just as that depressing thought threatened to pull her back into the darkness, a shrill voice caught her attention. A yellow-coated teenage filly with a blue mane rushed up to her. "Take a breath, Child." Spoiled noted to herself that her husband sure did hire a large number of young, attractive teenagers. The filly, Razzle Dazzle Spoiled recalled her name as being, caught her breath. "I've been dealing with an irate customer." "And?" Razzle stared at her. "I told her I'd get my manager. Mr. Rich isn't here and you are so..." Spoiled shook her head. "Of course, of course. I've never done this before you understand." Spoiled thought Razzle muttered that she could tell, but let that pass as she followed the younger mare to the cash register. "Are you the manager?" "I am." The mare swung her hoof, revealing a coupon. "Your employee says this coupon isn't valid." Razzle spoke up. "It isn't for pots." Spoiled looked at the coupon. "No, it looks valid. What's the problem?" "I want to buy this pot and get half-price." "Oh, I see the problem. Ma'am, that coupon's only for cutlery. We had a surplus and were trying to get rid of it-" "Why's it have a picture of a pot on it?" Spoiled's jaw worked up and down. "That's...that's a very good question. I think somepony messed up, it very clearly says cutlery." You illiterate moron. "I really want a new pot." Spoiled bit down an insult. How does Filthy deal with this? "I'm very sorry, but that's not a coupon for pots." The customer grumbled. "Fine." She stalked away, leaving her cart. Spoiled had no idea how Filthy would have handled the situation, but she didn't know what more she could have done. She hadn't insulted the customer, that was good. "Nothing more I could have done right?" Razzle shrugged. "No, I don't think there was." Spoiled turned to walk away. Razzle stopped her. "Ma'am?" She turned. "Yes?" "What do you want to do about the cart?" "Put it back. Oh, and the merchandise too." Razzle chewed her lip. "I have to work the cash register." It was a small store. There was only one register. Filthy had once gone on and on to her about how annoyed he got when things in his store were arranged out of order. It was irksome, but he liked order and she didn't know what order he wanted that kitchenware put in. A line had started to form now that the other customer was gone. "I'll handle the register, return the merchandise." Razzle hurried to her task. Spoiled stood at the register with the conviction that she had no idea what she was doing. However, it was easier than she thought it would be. After a few minutes, she found herself getting into a steady pattern of ringing up the merchandise. That's how Filthy found her as he walked into the store. He nodded to a stallion stocking pruning shears and sent him to the cash register. Then he motioned for Spoiled who walked over to him. "Good to see you back." She leaned in for a kiss. He stepped back. "Twister, work on the register would you?" Twister, who had been walking around rather aimlessly, went to the register. Filthy returned his attention to his now, legally speaking, ex-wife. "Spoiled, thank you for caring for the store. Did you have any trouble?" "An angry customer, that was all. Rather dull." "Yes, it normally is. Let's go to my office." She walked by his side as they made their way to his office. It only contained an oakwood desk and a chair. Some papers were scattered on the desk. He opened his saddlebag, pushed aside some papers and laid a new paper down. Spoiled's eyes widened. They were unsigned divorce papers. "Don't make this difficult, Spoiled." "I'm not signing them." "Doesn't matter. The judge will still divorce us." She slammed down a hoof. "How could you do this to me? After all I've done for you!" Her eyes narrowed. "You're leaving me for some tight little young whore aren't you?" Filthy raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She advanced on him, so close her breath was on his neck. "Who is it? I'll kill her!" "Spoiled, you're not making any sense!" He stepped back. "You know full well why I'm divorcing you." "You don't think I see all those pretty little fillies working here? One of'em lift her tail for you? Bend right over and lift her flipping tail?" He blushed at the image. "Spoiled, stop it! You know that's not true!" Spoiled looked over to a letter opener on the edge of the desk. Her hoof twitched. Filthy placed his hoof on it. "Spoiled?" The emptiness was returning, swallowing everything up. An image flashed in her mind of Filthy with his throat slashed. She grabbed the blade, shoulder blocking him into the wall. Quickly, she raised it into the air. "Spoiled you crazy bitch, stop!" She plunged the blade into her chest, blood splattering on paper and wood. "Spoiled!" He rushed to her, cradled her in his arms. She was still breathing though she had collapsed immediately after stabbing herself. Brief medical training back in the Colt Scouts instructed him not to remove the blade. It would stop up the wound, though blood was already running down her fur. He pulled her onto his back and rushed out of the office. Mommy DearestFilthy darted from the office, nearly tripping over the stairs. Spoiled's weight was heavy on his back, her blood soaking into his shoulder. There was too much blood, far too much blood. He ran past shelves, he ran past the cash register, ignoring the shouts of justifiably alarmed employees and customers. He rushed from the front door into the dazzling sunlight. Was it afternoon? He didn't really know. He continued running, breaking into a gallop. A cloud of dust rose up in his wake as his hooves thundered on dirt and then on cobblestone. The pounding of stone against his horseshoes hurt, but he ignored it. He thought he heard his left back shoe snap, but he ignored it. That could be replaced later. It was no longer about Spoiled as his ex-wife. It was about Spoiled as a fellow Pony. A Pony did not let another Pony die. Brightly colored stalls overflowing with fruit, grains and vegetables blurred past him. The Ponies of the market place shouted in surprise. He nearly bowled over a familiar looking, purple unicorn who was being trailed by three fillies. He didn't stop to apologize. "Hey, wait! Mr. Rich!" The Princess took off after him, breaking into a gallop. "My apologies, Princess Twilight, but as you can see I don't have time for a conversation!" "Let me see her! I might be able to heal her!" Filthy paused, exhaustion nearly knocking him over. His breaths came in ragged gasps. His lungs were burning, his chest on fire. He took several moments to catch his breath. Twilight grunted, levitating Spoiled to the ground. She walked around her, examining her. "How did this happen?" "She tried to kill herself." Twilight nodded. Her horn glowed and a frown crossed her face. "Right in the chest...left anterior descending coronary artery...her magic is working overtime just to keep her alive...I can speed the process along..." Her horn glowed and a purple aura removed the blood. Blood spurted out before Twilight's aura overtook the wound. It began to close up, skin reforming over the gaping hole, restitching as the new flesh was guided by Twilight's magic. The Cutie Mark Crusaders scampered up. "Miss Twilight what happened?" She ignored them, glancing at the letter opener. The tip had snapped off. "She did it with a lot of force and that's not a very strong blade." "Miss Twilight-" She smiled sweetly at them. "I'm sorry, girls, give us a minute." "But-" She patted Sweetie Belle's head. "I'll explain everything. Just a second, okay?" The fillies pouted, but obeyed their teacher. Twilight returned her attention to Filthy. "Mr. Rich, she's not out of the woods yet. The tip of that blade is in her heart. Jostling her is a bad idea. I've stopped the blood flow for now, but that tip needs to be removed and I'm not a licensed surgeon. Some things not even magic can do. This requires delicacy. If I pull it out the wrong way, she could bleed out." She shuddered. "It's why healing has never been my strong suit. Makes me nervous." Filthy nudged the unconscious mare onto his back. "Regardless, thank you for your help Princess Twilight." "I can at least teleport you. She needs help quick." She glanced at the fillies. "Don't worry you three, the nature trail is still on. Go on ahead. Mr. Rich, I'm going to teleport you and your wife." Filthy gulped. "I ain't never teleported before. Is that safe?" "It's perfectly safe, I've done it countless times." She lit her horn, casting her field over him. He tingled at the sensation of the magic washing over him. Then came a blinding flash of light and he passed through he knew not what. There was no time in this place so he could not say how long the trip had taken. All around him was light, pure light in every color imaginable. There was yellow and blue and purple, red and green and pink. The colors of the rainbow, an eternal vortex of power and life swirled all around them as they traveled through it. He felt the magic within him drawn to this place as a drop of water is drawn to the ocean. This was the source of all magic, the source of his existence. And the being he was travelling with was treating it as if it was a mere road crossing through the woods. Suddenly, the rainbow vanished. He stumbled as his legs felt like jelly. Mystical bands steadied him before he could fall and Spoiled could tumble from his withers. Twilight rubbed his side. "You alright there? Not everypony does well on their first teleportation. My brother threw up the first time. His buddies in the Guard still won't let him forget about that." Filthy breathed deeply. He felt tired, a deep exhaustion that settled into his bones and his soul. The ending of his marriage. Spoiled's suicide attempt. The exposure to the power of teleportation magic for the first time. It was all too much, far too much. He felt Twilight's hoof on his side. They were standing in a hospital waiting room. The hospital walls had been painted white at one point, but they had faded to a dingy grey. The carpet was an industrial shade of blue. "Mr. Rich?" Two doctors rushed up. His wife was taken from his withers in a bizarre parody of how, on their wedding day, he had carried her across the threshold. He hastily explained the knife wound to the doctors, Twilight providing most of the information. Their wedding day had been happy. He thought he could remember what happiness was. It was before having met the mare that they were rolling away in that gurney. He slumped in a hard, plastic blue chair. Twilight sat next to him, rubbing his shoulder. "Mr. Rich? Are you okay?" "Why? Why would she do this?" "It's hard to say with suicide. Has she been depressed lately?" He rested his head in his hooves. "We're divorcing. I brought her the divorce papers to sign. She went insane, began babbling about me having an affair. I've never cheated on her. Not once. How could she even think that? How could she accuse me of that? Then she stabbed herself right in front of me." He bit back tears. He was not going to cry. "She's put me through hell before and she's doing it again. Was she trying to upset me? Was this some kind of attempt to force me to take her back?" Twilight shook her head. "The counselors will have to talk to her. She'll be required to take therapy. Paid for by the Crown, of course. What did you mean that she put you through hell?" He told her. The way she berated, insulted and humiliated him and Diamond. The cruel head games. The harsh punishment doled out to their daughter that finally tore them apart. Twilight's expression changed from concern to shock to anger. She heavily sighed. "Mr. Rich, you realize I'm going to have to press charges against her don't you? Emotional and physical cruelty to a child. She's looking at a fifty-thousand bit fine and ten years community service." Filthy's lips twitched. "Community service?" "In a town like this she's probably going to end up working on a farm." That did it. Spoiled, with a plow strapped to her back, working on a farm. It started with a tremble in his belly and was released in a guffaw that made Twilight look at him like he might have needed some therapy himself. He wiped away tears. "Princess, my wife hates farmers." "Tough luck. I'll make certain she ends up on a farm. Trust me on that one." Filthy leaned back in his chair. Finally, the stress caught up with him. In a few moments he was snoring. ... What surprised Spoiled when she opened her eyes was that she was alive. Either that or the stories of her foalhood were seriously inaccurate on the matter of the afterlife. There was no endless green plain where the Eternal Herd roamed forever. Nor was there the cold and darkness of the Halls of the Damned. She looked around finding herself to be on a hospital bed. Bandages were wrapped around her chest. A glance outside the window showed the sun setting, painting the skies in shades of fiery orange. Puffy pink clouds dotted the darkening, evening sky. A Pony walked into her room. She was older than Spoiled, but could have been her twin with the exception of a graying black, dyed blonde, mane. A lit cigarette dangled from between her cracked lips. She looked at Spoiled as a scientist might look at a failed experiment or one might look at an insect. She removed the cigarette from between her lips. "Why the hell you'd try to kill yourself?" At first Spoiled wondered how she'd found out. Of course. The wonderful system of the Empire of Equestria required the next of kin to be informed when somepony nearly died. Why aren't I dead? She stared at a point on the wall. Am I dead? Is this Hell? My mother is here. This is Hell. "Spoiled. I asked you a question." She didn't feel like answering."Me and Filthy are divorcing." She took another drag on her cigarette. "What happened? Did he finally realize you weren't good enough for him? I tried to warn him." "Yes, Mother. You did. On our wedding day as I recall." "Hey, the priest said to speak if you had an objection. I had an objection." Spoiled grit her teeth, a sharp pain shooting through her jaw. "No one does that. It's a god damned rhetorical question." She jabbed the cigarette towards her daughter. Smoke filled the room. Spoiled coughed. She hated the smell of cigarettes. "Don't you mouth me Filly unless you want a smack across your lips." Spoiled wanted to punch her. "You ruined my wedding. We had a second one, you know. You weren't invited." Her mother's eyes widened. This was the first she'd heard of it. "I don't believe you." "I have the pictures. I'll prove it to you." An ugly snarl crossed her features. She advanced on Spoiled who suddenly felt like a frightened six year old again. She drew back. Her mother leered over her, her breath smelling of the whiskey and tobacco that had dominated her foalhood. "You know what you are, Spoiled?" She drew herself up. "Yes. I do. More than what you said I was. I made more of myself than you thought I ever would." "Shit. You're nothing but shit. I told you when you were a filly playin' with those fancy dolls, sayin' you wanted to be rich one day. I told you you were never going to accomplish a damned thing." Spoiled had thought her mother had been drunk at the time. If she remembered it, then that meant she had been sober. That made it worse. "Always tryin' to make yourself look pretty. Looked like a whore. Whored yourself out to the first rich pony that showed up." Spoiled looked away. There was some truth to her mother's words. "I told you when you were a teenager tryin' to act all pretty. You're just coal mine trash. Put you in a big, pretty mansion you're still coal mine trash." "Shut up." It came out as a tearful whisper. Tears were already stinging her eyes. Some were trailing down her eyes. She desperately wanted to stop the flow. There was plenty of medicines around here. She could pop some pills and then the bliss of eternal rest. Her mother sneered down at her. "Trash. So damned cowardly you tried to throw it all away when things got tough. Cowardly trash." She laughed. A hard, bitter, empty sound. A sound that had driven away her stepfather. I...have I ever made Diamond feel like this? So worthless and small? "Ah, Miss Obsidian Heart." Filthy strode into the room. "Sunset and you're still sober? What's the occasion?" Obsidian Heart turned to face her former son-in-law. "Finally gettin' rid of her, huh? I told you." "Get out. You call your daughter trash? At least Spoiled can go more than a day sober you old drunk. And put out that cigarette. The rules actually do apply to you and you can't smoke in a hospital." She threw the cigarette on the floor, stomping it out. Then she trotted out the door. Ex-husband and ex-wife stared at each other. He trotted over. She hurriedly wiped away her tears. "What are you doing here? Why did you save me?" "Regardless of my feelings for you, I'm not going to let another Pony die." He paused. "You're going to be facing legal trouble." She glanced up at him. "What?" "Twilight is the one who took the knife out of your chest. I explained everything. You're being charged with child cruelty." "How...how could you do this to me?" "Isn't that the problem, Spoiled? Your inability to accept the consequences of your actions or to take responsibility for anything. I don't intend to sound cruel, but you brought this upon yourself. You'll be escorted to jail when you recover." Spoiled leaned back on the pillow. "I'll post bail and hire a good lawyer." He shrugged. "Do as you wish. You know, I never intended for this to happen. I wanted forever, but we couldn't work." "Please go." He nodded and then turned, leaving the room. ... Filthy trudged into his brother's apartment. He was greeted by a blur of pink attaching itself to his leg and revealing itself to be his daughter. He patted her head. She looked up at him. "So, are you and Mommy divorced?" "Yes, Sweetie. Yes, we are." Custody and alimony could be worked out later. He wrapped a hoof around her. "Are you alright?" She nodded and smiled. "Can I...I'm going to stay with you, right?" "Of course." He held her close. His daughter. His greatest treasure. Epilogue-Breaking the CycleDiamond wandered happily through the rows of apple trees. The air was sweet with the scent of the succulent fruit. All around her leafy, green branches swayed. Juicy, red apples hung from the trees, tempting her with the promise of their delightful taste dancing on her tongue. She licked her lips, which tasted like apples due to the lunch she had shared with her very special friend. Sunlight shimmered on the rough bark of the trees which enveloped her like the embrace of her lover. It was beautiful, all so beautiful. A poet she had once read wrote that love made all things beautiful. Diamond agreed. She whistled as she continued to slowly trot, the tall grass tickling her bare hooves. The high branches shaded her from the fierce heat of the summer sun. She paused and sat down near the gnarled roots of a particularly ancient tree. Silvery lichen and emerald moss ran up the tree's trunk. Patches of moss held the soil together. Apple Bloom had explained to her how everything in nature served a purpose. Moss held the soil together. Fungi broke down dying plants. Lichen helped prevent erosion. Nature was a cycle, an endless circle of death and renewal. A tree fell in the forest and became a nursery for new seeds. The seasons followed one another. New plants grew from rot and decay. One generation followed another. Foals became mares. At her age she could be called a mare. The pink-coated mare rose up and stretched. A yellow-coated, red-maned mare trotted into the grove, smiling at Diamond and giving her a nuzzle. Diamond returned it, brushing her lips over the other mare's lips. She tasted like sweat, having just completed her daily task. The taste was intoxicating. Bloom gave her another kiss and drew apart. "You ready Diamond?" Diamond sighed. "Do I have to?" Bloom chuckled. "You don't have to do a darned thing you silly filly. We can go down to the swimmin' hole and spend the rest of the day there. But I got a feelin' you and her got some unresolved business." "Yeah, we do." "So, what's it going to be? Swimmin' hole or talkin' things through with your mama? Her shifts ending soon and she'll be out of here. She's only got one more month of community service. Time sure does fly doesn't it?" Diamond nodded. "Yeah. It sure does." Bloom leaned into her. "I'll be right here. Whatever you decide." "Where will she be?" "West orchard." "Lead the way." She followed her marefriend. She would follow her anywhere. They wandered through the seemingly endless rows of trees until they reached a clearing. In the distance a pink mare could be seen. Her mane and tail were still a vibrant shade of purple. If one liked older mares, she could be seen as attractive. Her muscles had become toned, particularly her back and legs. She wore an expression of great concentration on her face as she turned and slammed her back legs into the tree. A rain of red apples fell into the waiting basket. She moved onto another tree, bucking it as well. Bloom rubbed Diamond's withers. "Go on. Your choice." "I know you want me to do it." Bloom shook her head. "It ain't about what I want, Diamond. It's about you always cryin' about her when you've had too much cider. It's gettin' on my nerves." Diamond chuckled at the obvious good natured teasing. Spoiled noticed the two, but said nothing. "It's been five years since we last spoke. She had supervised visitation rights. Our relationship sort of went from freezing, Northern wasteland to just cool then back to freezing wasteland when I started dating you." Bloom frowned. Diamond tickled her side, eliciting a squeal. "Don't you dare feel guilty about that." Spoiled trotted over to them. Diamond felt her back stiffen. Spoiled addressed Apple Bloom. "Applebloom, I am done for the day. Good afternoon and I'll see you tomorrow." "See ya tomorrow." She began to walk away. "Wait." Spoiled stopped. "Yes, Diamond?" "Mom, can we talk?" Spoiled walked back and stood to face her daughter. "I was under the impression you didn't want to speak to me." "Yeah, you probably got that from how I haven't said one word to you in five years." "That is how I arrived at the conclusion, yes." That condescending tone grated on her. Spoiled looked away. "What is it you wanted to say?" "You know me and Bloom have been dating for a long time. I've discussed things with Dad. He approves and Granny Smith approves. We're getting married-" "I know, Diamond. Your father still talks to me on occasion. It is a rather momentous event and he felt I should know." Her eyes moved from Bloom to Diamond. "If you're debating about inviting me to the ceremony, I assure you I will not act as my own mother did." "Would you want to come?" Diamond asked. "Of course. I wouldn't miss my daughter's wedding. Do you want my blessing?" Diamond sighed. "It'd mean a lot to Bloom. She's a stickler for tradition." "Blame my upbringing though we're gettin' married with or without it." Spoiled nodded. "I can see how happy she makes you. You positively glow with the radiance of being in love. You might not believe me, but I do wish for your happiness. So yes, I give my blessing." "Mom..." "There's a condition." Diamond's shoulder sagged. "Of course there is." "Are you marrying Apple Bloom just to anger me?" "No, of course I'm not!" She spat, placing her foreleg around Bloom and drawing her close. "I love Apple Bloom more than I've ever loved another Pony!" "Good. I'm glad." "There's more. Me and Apple Bloom plan on having foals. With Unicorn magic we can merge our DNA. One of us will bear the foal, we haven't decided who yet. Soon, I'm going to be a parent." She paused, drawing strength from her lover's presence and her own supply of confidence. "Look, Mom, you might not realize this. I don't think you can, but you were an awful mom." "I know." Diamond gaped. "You do?" Spoiled looked her straight in the eye. "Yes, Diamond. I do know. My therapist helped me to realize just how many things were wrong with my way of thinking. I'm a narcissist. I can't help being that. Much of it is because of my own mother. You...you wouldn't believe how I was treated by her." "No, I would." "I was never that bad to you." "No, you were." "She was worse." "I don't know if that's possible." "It is, I assure you." Diamond breathed. "We'll be arguing all day if we keep going. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm going to be a better mom than you were. I'm going to be a better mom than Grandma was." Spoiled snorted. "You already are better than her." "I know your mom abused you and you abused me. That ends here. It ends with me." She stomped her hoof. "This cycle has to end and I'll be the one to end it." Spoiled closed her eyes. She smiled when she opened them. "I know you'll be the one. I want you to." She gulped. "You have to." It surprised Diamond when she embraced Spoiled. It surprised her more when Spoiled returned the embrace. Apple Bloom trotted a respectful distance away. Mother and daughter only left the embrace after several minutes had passed. Spoiled wiped away Diamond's tears before wiping away her own. "Good luck, Diamond." "Thank you. I have to go now. I have a wedding to plan." "Of course, my dear." Together, leaning into each other, Diamond and Apple Bloom walked off into town. Trouble in ParadiseFilthy knew something was wrong the minute he stepped onto the plush, red carpet of his living room. There was an energy of wrongness, a tension that hung over the mansion. He looked to the blue couch where his daughter usually rested and watched TV after school. She wasn't there which normally meant she was in her room serving a time-out. She could be out with her only friend, but Silver knew better than to disturb her when My Little Puppy was on. He looked around for his wife, walking into the kitchen in case she had decided to order the servants to make her a snack. She was not sitting at the long table. A green checkered tablecloth was spread over the table. It was immaculately clean. Two crystal candle holders were set in the center of the table and so was a bowl of fresh cut carnations. The servants had been busy. He made a mental note to give them their pay the next day. Leaving the kitchen, he passed the living room which was filled with colorful paintings and wall-hangings. Gifts and purchases he had accumulated in his occasional travels. A bookshelf was filled not only with books, but also knick-knacks and family photographs. He smiled at one in particular. It showed him, Spoiled and Diamond. She was smiling widely, holding both her parents' hooves. In the background was that great city built by the strong hooves of Earth Ponies, Manehattan. Filthy smiled himself at his daughter's smile. For the life of him he couldn't understand why his daughter didn't have more friends. She was such a happy child. The smile vanished from his face as he recalled what Cheerilee had told him about her bullying behavior. He had scolded her and wanted to punish her for it, but Spoiled had talked him out of it. Just a phase, she had said. That had been an odd discussion. Normally, Spoiled was the stricter parent. Sometimes, she was too strict for Filthy's liking. That time, she had almost insisted that their daughter's behavior was an excusable phase. Filthy secretly wondered if she hadn't been a bully herself at one point. He continued his trek down the long hallway and heard the rush of waters. Ah, so she was in the shower. It was something she did after her obligatory thirty minute attempt at housework which consisted of yelling at the servants to do things she could easily do herself. Filthy, as a young and virile stallion, would surprise her by slipping into the shower with her. She would always welcome him and, well, they had a good time all in all. He was not old and could feel masculine virility yet flowing through him. He did not slip into the shower with her today and had not in many years. Trying to remember the last time he had done so caused him to draw a blank. He walked away from the bathroom door and up the stairs. At the top step he heard the faintest sniffle. His ears perked up. Unless the maid had broken up with the cook (again), that sniffle could only belong to one filly. He hurried his pace. His daughter's cry always pierced his heart. He opened up the door. Diamond laid on her tummy, her face buried in a pillow. Her backside was a pinker shade than usual, hinting that she'd gotten a taste of old fashioned discipline. Spanking was an exceedingly rare occurrence in their household, but their had been times Diamond had crossed the line and ended up taken over her mom or even her dad's knee. (A certain zap apple harvest had ended that way). Still, she had only been spanked twice last year. Lately, Diamond's behavior had been very good. He sat down and ran a hoof through her mane. She hurled herself into his chest, wrapping both her forelegs around his barrel. He hugged her back, caressing her withers. After a few moments she calmed down, though she kept herself nestled into his chest. Being forced to miss My Little Puppy and a spanking was a harsh punishment indeed. What had she done? "Sweetie, why did Mommy spank you?" She wiped away her last few tears. "B-because I decided to be friends with the C-cutie Mark Crusaders a-and sh-she doesn't want me to." Filthy blinked. There had to have been some mistake. "Diamond? Is that all you did?" Perhaps, she had gotten into trouble with the Crusaders. They were trouble prone after all. Diamond nodded. "Y-yeah." He breathed again. He was going to get to the bottom of this. There had to be a miscommunication somewhere. There was no way Diamond was telling the truth. She was leaving something out. There was no other explanation. No, that wasn't true. There was another explanation. He just didn't want to think about that one. He gave her a consoling pat on the shoulder. "Daddy needs to go talk to Mommy. Please, wait right here." She nodded and curled back up on the pillow. He rose and left the bedroom. Spoiled Rich was just leaving the shower when he passed the bathroom. She had a white towel wrapped around herself which she casually threw into the dirty clothes basket. He laid an arm around her withers and, before she could protest, herded her down the hallway. "You, me, living room. Now." His tone tolerated no argument. She squirmed beneath his hold, but her years of sloth had left her weak while his habit of loading heavy crates full of merchandise had added to his natural, Earth Pony strength. They made it to the living room and he let her go. She pranced away from him, facing him. "How dare you handle me like that!" "Not in the mood, Spoiled. Diamond is crying in her room and she claims you spanked her because she made friends. I don't want to believe her. Please tell me she's lying. Please." Spoiled's eyes darted to the left. "She left out a few things." Filthy suppressed a flicker of anger. "Give me the bottom line, Spoiled." She snarled. "I'm not your employee, don't talk to me like one." He stepped closer to her. "No. You're my wife. And I expect honesty from you." She stepped back. "Yes. I paddled her behind. She wanted to make friends with that filthy farmer's sister and her featherbrain friend! It wouldn't be so bad if she made friends with the unicorn, she could be useful since her sister's got connections, but a filthy farmer? Or a featherbrain?" Filthy shook. He had fired employees on the spot for using those kinds of tribalist slurs. For a few moments he stood there, shaking and in shock. "Filthy farmer? My family are farmers or have you forgotten? I don't see a horn coming out of your head or wings sprouting from your back! We're Earth Ponies, we're all farmers! Maybe I haven't in a long time, but I can plow a field or buck a tree with the best of them!" Spoiled rolled her eyes. "Yes, your father made you work on a farm. I'd never make Diamond do something like-" "Shut up." Spoiled's jaw dropped. Filthy continued. "What the hell is wrong with you? That filthy farmer is my best customer! Our families have been partners for generations!" Once, he had even gone so far as to consider Big Mac a friend but that relationship had cooled at some point. Spoiled lifted one perfectly manicured hoof. "Partners?" She snorted. "They practically work for you! They'd be nothing without you to sell their products-" He stomped his hoof and snorted. "You are a moron who knows nothing about business!" "How dare you-" "Just shut up!" He roared. He stalked so close to her their noses were touching. Fear flashed in her eyes as she became aware of how large and imposing her husband actually was. She nearly tripped over the couch as she was pushed back. "Business is about relationships! Do you know I know which one of my employees are married and I ask after their families every time I see them! At the very least I try to let them know I care about them! The Apple Clan is the reason my clan is so rich! We work together! Together, Spoiled! Together! It's a partnership! If Diamond decides Applebloom is her one true love and elopes with her I'll foot the wedding bill because I couldn't imagine anything better for my business!" Spoiled sniffed. "You'd marry our daughter off to a farmer!" "We're Earth Ponies you tribe traitor!" She moved farther away from him. His lips were curled up in an expression of utter disgust. He stalked towards her. "I can bet your clan were farmers at some point!" "No, we never were-" "Then maybe they were all just too damned lazy to do an honest day's work!" She jabbed her hoof into his muscular chest. "Don't you talk about my clan that way! And I am not a tribe traitor!" "Could've fooled me! You practically get on your knees and inhale every time a unicorn farts! You don't have the slightest shred of pride, racial or otherwise!" He jabbed his hoof into her chest, pushing her back. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be content to just sponge off of me! I thought you were doing your duty, being a good mother to Diamond and now I see how wrong I was!" "I am a good mother to her! I'm looking after her prospects." "You're delusional! And I can't believe you would punish her just for making friends!" "I punished her for associating with lowlifes!" He stopped. "What did you spank her with?" For a moment she was caught off guard by the change in subject matter. "My hairbrush." He nodded and saw the implement laying on the stand next to the couch. He picked it up. It was hickory wood, fine craftsponyship. It had been a birthday gift for Spoiled. Suddenly, he felt a wave of self-hatred that his gift to her would be used to unjustly punish their daughter. Spoiled's eyes widened. "Filthy, y-you wouldn't dare! I'll divorce you!" "That's supposed to discourage me?" He turned to glare at her. "Diamond didn't deserve her punishment. But you do deserve a sore backside and so much worse." She tried to run, but Filthy was quicker and stronger. He grabbed her by her hoof. "Did she try to run?" He dragged her over to the couch and sat down, bending her across his knees. He had given her playful spanks once, long ago. Harmless love play. This wasn't play. Her kicking only served to put her rump in a good position. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You deserve this, Spoiled. Deep in your heart, if you still have one of those, you know you do." "S-stop!" "I bet Diamond begged! Did you listen to her?" He brought the hairbrush down across her backside. The resounding crack of wood across her behind filled the room. He landed a second, equally firm smack in the same place. He lifted his brush and landed a third smack, leaving a dark pink mark. He moved lower, getting into a good rhythm as he brought the hairbrush down against her behind again and again. She kicked her legs and squirmed as the hairbrush continued to relentlessly fall against her rump. He tightened his grip over her and concentrated on the right side of her rump. He lifted the hairbrush and brought it down again and again, the sting of the brush causing her to yelp and shout. "Please stop!" She was helpless as the hairbrush continued smacking her backside. Filthy brought down several more smacks across the right side of her rump, then he turned his attentions to the left side of her rump. He unleashed a barrage of firm swats to the left side of her rump and then went back to smacking the right side. He peppered her pink posterior with the stinging spanks. She stopped squirming as the spanking continued. The spanks moved to her sit spot. He swung the brush against her reddened rear, smacking the exact center of her rump. She yelped, but he continued spanking. He fell into a steady cadence of spanks, the hairbrush raining down hard slaps that alternated from the left side of her rump to the right and then to the sit spot again. Three hard smacks fell in rapid succession to her sit spot then the hair brush began to fall across the right side of her behind. He lifted the hairbrush once more, preparing to land more spanks when a voice rang out. "Daddy? What are you doing?" He was too late to stop the trajectory of the hairbrush which landed across his wife's backside. He looked up. Diamond was at the end of the hallway. She stepped into the living room. "Are you spanking Mommy because she spanked me? But I deserved it." He set down the hairbrush and nearly threw Spoiled from his lap as he walked towards Diamond. He walked over and embraced his daughter. She embraced back. Filthy realized that she was convinced that whatever her mommy said or did was the right thing. How much damage had Spoiled done while he tried not to see it? He felt tears welling up in his eyes. "No, Diamond. Your mommy did a very terrible thing and she deserved to be punished for it. You did nothing wrong. You can make friends with anypony you want." He stroked her mane. "How would you like to go get some ice cream and then we can take a little trip to Manehattan. We'll visit your cousin, Amethyst. You like her don't you?" Diamond's face brightened into a smile. "That sounds fun!" She turned to look at Spoiled who had an expression that was a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Does Mommy have to stay here and think about what she did?" Filthy stared at Spoiled. "I'd highly suggest that she do that. And think about what she wants to do in our future-if we have a future." Diamond took his hoof. He squeezed it as they walked out the door. Author's Note This story demanded to be written. Anytime I write a spanking fic I like it to be in the context of love play or loving parental discipline. This is different, but Spoiled needs her @$$ beat.
Coal Miner's DaughterAuthor's Note Very important. This is written from Spoiled's POV. Not my own. Coal Miner's Daughter She stared at herself in the mirror, placing a hoof on the cold glass. She shivered at the sensation. The pink fur beneath her eyes was stained with tear tracks. After Filthy had walked out the door with her-no, their-daughter she had rushed to her bedroom and wept tears of rage, shame and pain. It was not the stinging sensation in her backside that brought her tears, at least not entirely. That pain was beginning to fade after an hour. Her husband was wrong about her being a tribe traitor. She was plenty grateful for the endurance and strength of her Earth Pony ancestors which gave her a very high pain tolerance. Still, that paddling had pushed it to her limit. She was very sure she hadn't spanked Diamond as vigorously as he had spanked her. He had spanked her. Spoiled had not been spanked since she was a very young filly. She had nearly forgotten what it felt like. Red marks across her behind would continue to remind her for a while. He had not struck her in the face as if she were an adult mare or another stallion he was quarreling with down at the tavern in his more vivacious youth. No, he had punished her in the same way an old-fashioned parent might punish a misbehaving child. Spoiled would have been enraged if he had struck her in the face, but at least it would be an acknowledgement that she was an adult. But to be taken across his knee as if she were a toddler that had bitten a playmate? She gritted her teeth. Could he not have left her with some dignity? It had shredded her pride. She glanced over at the black eyeliner on the oak wood dressing table, seated against the far wall of her spacious bedroom. A dark thought crossed her mind. She could use the eyeliner to make it look like a bruise. A cruel grin spread across her lips. Then, she would run crying before Her Majesty Princess Twilight Sparkle, Right Hoof of Celestia herself. What would the princess do? Filthy would be tossed into a dungeon for domestic violence. It was doubtful he'd ever see Diamond again. Her hoof twitched and she reached towards the black eyeliner. No. Her constant concern for reputation stopped her. If this altercation got out it would spread like wildfire. It would destroy Filthy's reputation, of that there could be no doubt. However, the rumor mill would be sure to bring her reputation down with his. The tabloids would get a hold of it and the next thing she knew there would be a colorful tale spun about how Filthy had violently beaten her senseless after catching her in bed with the butler. That and returning rational thought shining through the clouds of anger and humiliation told her that Twilight Sparkle of all ponies would be able to distinguish an actual injury from a fake one. At least one of her numerous degrees was surely in medicine.In that case, she could have one of the servants punch her in the face. They might be willing to do so, but she had not created the sort of loyalty in her servants that would cause them to commit perjury for her. She trotted away from the mirror. For some reason, looking at her face was causing her to feel weary. She laid out upon the canopied bed, curled into the silken, red sheets. They were cool and comfortable, especially against certain tender areas. She looked around the room, at the wooden dressing table. The bookshelf pushed near the door. Atop the bookshelf was a jewelry box. Her engagement hooflace, topped with a diamond ring, took pride of place along with several golden necklaces. Some of the necklaces were simple, golden chains. Real gold, not painted copper. Other necklaces were strings of vibrant, white pearls. Still others strings of rubies or emeralds or diamonds. Some were set with exotic jewels like topaz or were composed of several jewels mixing together, their colors complimenting each other. She had bought only a few of them. Most of them had been bought for her by Filthy. She had taken them as tokens of love. Often, he had bought them for her after dreadful arguments when he desired to make up. She trotted over to the skillfully carved, multi-tiered box, opened it and took out a necklace that was composed of a simple golden chain with a ruby cut into the shape of a heart attached to it. "Here is my heart." That is what he had told her when he had wrapped it around her neck. "Treasure it, break it, here it is, it's yours." They had been dating then. She rarely wore it. It was too precious. Not just for monetary reasons, but for sentimental reasons. She was capable of being sentimental too. He had showered her with gifts back then and in many ways still did. The hickory wood hairbrush had been a gift from him for her birthday. She had been dreadfully depressed that day. She had hit the big 3-0. Thirty. She wasn't sure she could still call herself young nor beautiful. The hairbrush had cheered her up, especially when he used it to run it through her mane and whisper reassurances to her. She was still beautiful. They had a lifetime of love left. A still angry part of her thought of getting a hammer and smashing the heart to one thousand bits. She couldn't do it. It wasn't the ruby's fault. She laid the necklace back on its hook and returned to her bed, fully aware that she was sulking like the filly her husband apparently believed her to be. A low growl escaped her throat. The servants had no doubt seen the altercation. She never reprimanded Diamond in the living room and nor did he. When she was to be chastised for something it was always in her own room. They would not want to hurt her dignity. Apparently, he did not regard her dignity nearly as highly. There had been that one time when she had been made to participate in the Zap Apple Harvest, but since that was part of the event her dressing up like a bunny should not have been as embarrassing as Diamond made it out to be. That, and she'd looked adorable dressed up like that. Spoiled still had the photographs. Part of her didn't understand why he had gotten so angry. Did he really believe those ruffians were suitable companions for their daughter? Even if he wanted to argue that it was good business to keep friendly relations with the Apples, being friends with the Pegasus was unacceptable. Pegasii were violent, impulsive and aggressive. Their aristocracy, if they could be dignified with such a lofty title, were nothing more than the descendants of warlords who had looted and slashed their way to riches. Her favorite aunt had been robbed by a Pegasus once. It had taken her aunt years of therapy to get over the trauma and since then Spoiled had never managed to trust them. Spoiled didn't want Diamond to associate with them. For that matter, she didn't want her to associate with the Apples too much either. Sweet Apple Acres may have been successful, but true aristocracy did not work so they could never claim that title. That was why Rarity Belle would never be true aristocracy as long as she continued her sewing business. It would make more sense if she hired seamstresses to work for her and retired in luxury. But no. She insisted on continuing to work even as her wealth and reputation grew. Spoiled almost pitied Rarity Belle. The Canterlot elite would never accept her no matter how hard she tried. She was from Ponyville and in the eyes of Canterlot she might as well not even have a horn. The Canterlot aristocracy prided themselves on the purity of their bloodline. Rarity's clan's close proximity to an Earth Pony settlement implied the taint of mixed blood. Rarity could marry Prince Blueblood and that taint of a lower background would always be there. After all, they hadn't truly accepted Spoiled either. Spoiled shook away that thought and hopped off the bed. Ladies did not sulk and regardless of her husband's opinion on the matter she was a mare rather than a filly. Her husband was being incredibly foolish to excuse their daughter's behavior. They both agreed that they should keep their daughter from physical danger so why couldn't they agree to keep her from social peril? Spoiled had wanted to send her to a private school in Manehattan, but Filthy had objected. They had roots in Ponyville, he'd said. Deep roots and Diamond was going to grow up here. What he didn't seem to get was that if she continued to mix with those beneath her she would never be accepted among the aristocracy. Spoiled made her way down the winding staircase, looked up at the crystals hanging from the solid gold chandelier. Such wealth, such opulence. The Rich's, true to their name, had built up a vast fortune over Ponyville's century of existence. Even before that they were aristocracy and had links to noble families in more ancient settlements, even as far as Dream Valley. It was something Filthy took pride in and so did she. She couldn't take much pride in her own family. She had clawed her way into this and still felt like a pretender. She strode into the living room. A maid, a green filly with a red mane they'd hired a few weeks ago, was dusting an expensive, blue Chineighs vase with a golden dragon pattern. The maid looked over at her and tried to hide a smirk. She failed miserably. Spoiled glared at her. The maid returned to her task. The mansion was large and, even with servants, felt empty. Empty and still. Silence had descended over it like a shroud. Two hours had passed. The servants had learned to be silent. Not a sound, not Filthy's heavy hoofsteps and low murmurs, not Diamond's giggling while watching cartoons, not any sound at all rang through the house. The silence felt wrong. By now, Filthy and Diamond were already on their way to Manehattan. He would come back. Maybe she would go back to West Virhinnya. Back to the mines to visit her family just as Filthy was visiting his. Her family did not farm. They mined. They were very rich, very successful miners. But they were still miners. She hated the term rock farming. Rock farmers were inefficient miners. She had spent many an evening as a filly dreaming of better things. Dreaming of escape, a better life for herself than digging for jewels or wedding some drunken lout of a miner like her father. That pricked her conscience. Her father was a drunken lout that had had the audacity to die of black lung disease before she was six. But he was a kind, hard-working drunken lout. Too damned lazy to do any real work. The accusation was ludicrous of course and no doubt he had realized that not five seconds after saying it. Still, by the time he had met her family it was true. Her mother had married the owner of the coal mine. After the age of six she had known a comfortable life. But she wanted more, always more. Some indefinable longing. She was not ashamed to admit that Filthy's family wealth was one of the first things that had attracted her to him. Then his rugged strength. Then his romantic nature. They had met because his father had business with her stepfather. After a three month courtship they had eloped. Diamond Tiara had been born the socially correct amount of time later. A bit early, but no cause for any rumors of pre-marital impropriety. A knock on the door interrupted her musings. She hurried to it. No doubt Filthy had crawled back to her on his knees. She would require him to beg before granting him forgiveness. At the door was a familiar, bespectacled grey Earth Pony filly. She was holding a comic book. "Oh, hi, Mrs. Rich." Spoiled's shoulders sagged. "Hello, Silver Spoon. Please come in." She wasn't sure why she'd invited her inside. Silver took the invitation. "Is Diamond here? I wanted to give her this neat comic book and maybe we could read it and...talk about some things." The guilt on the filly's face was obvious. They must have quarreled and now she had come to make amends. "I'm sorry, Silver. Diamond isn't here. Her and her father have gone to Manehattan." Her face fell. "Oh. When will they be back?" Spoiled shrugged. "I don't know." She decided to take pity on the child. "She has gone to visit her cousin." She picked up a piece of paper and wrote down the mailing address. She handed it to Silver who smiled broadly and scampered off after thanking her. Part of Spoiled wished that she'd stayed for tea. After Silver closed the door, Spoiled retired to the couch and turned on the television. She watched the first half-an-hour of a soap opera before realizing that she had no idea what was going on in it. She turned it off. When will they be back? It was a question Spoiled couldn't answer. Surely, Filthy knew that the divorce threat was only a bluff. Even after this she was not going to divorce him. What if he divorces you? Her heart raced. She could barely catch her breath. No. She couldn't lose all this. She stood. They had to find a way to work all of this out. It could be worked out, she was certain of that. They had had fights and obstacles in the way of their relationship before and they had overcome those. They could overcome this too. She very quickly packed and then gave the week's instructions to the servants before heading out the door, towards the train station and Manehattan.
The Busy FatherFilthy Rich looked down at his daughter, who was sleeping against his side. The train rode past high, jagged mountains as it made its way towards the bustling, vibrant city of Manehattan. Filthy and his family had been there numerous times. This was the fist time he'd come without his wife. There were a lot of good memories for them in Manehattan. Filthy wondered how much longer there would be a them. The sun was lowering, the Princess preparing to bring the day to an end. Streams of orange and violet fire lit up the mountains bringing the illusion that the mountains were burning. Great, purple shadows spread mist over the valleys. The train took a corner and the mountains receded as the train went through a town. Simple, humble hamlets lined the mostly empty streets. Soon, the train passed from the town and entered a new one. The last beams of the sun died away and the moon rose, casting silvery light over the wide valleys that the train passed through. The great city came ever closer as the train passed by towns that grew ever larger and then it passed through settlements that were no longer towns, but had earned the title of cities. Great towers rose up and pierced the heavens. An ocean of lights filled the cities, street lights that mirrored the lights of the stars. For a time the train left the cities behind altogether. Diamond stirred, a happy smile across her lips. That was natural as her tummy was full of ice cream and a proper supper of hayburgers that they had gotten before leaving the town. Rushing waters cascaded over a rugged, ancient mountain's face. It shone like a river of silver in the light of the moon and stars. Filthy shook her awake. She rubbed at her eyes. "Daddy, are we there yet?" He pointed out the window. "Look, it's Neighagra Falls." Her face brightened. "Oh, wow!" No matter how many times she saw it her reaction was always the same. A sense of awe and wonder. When she was younger he and Spoiled had had to explain to an increasingly tearful Diamond that no, she couldn't take a swim in the Falls as the water pressure would rip her to shreds. They had left that part out, but Filthy was sure she'd figured it out as she'd gotten older. Filthy smiled himself as he looked out at the Falls. Soon, the train had moved on. Diamond yawned, leaned back against Filthy and went to sleep. It wouldn't be much longer now until they reached their destination. If Diamond managed to stay awake maybe they'd see a Bridleway show. Something to get their minds off of this day. Filthy shifted. He had been acting as a substitute pillow for Diamond for a while and his body wanted to move, but he didn't want to wake her. The motions of the train always seemed to make her sleepy. Very carefully, he adjusted himself while opening a travel case he had bought at a way station. He slipped a pillow beneath his daughter's head and stood. He stretched out his back legs and then his front. Outside the window, the train was passing through another valley. A lake shimmered in the moonlight. He searched for the name of the lake and realized he couldn't remember it. It had a beautiful sound, he remembered that, and it meant something in an ancient language. A lake where a goddess had wept in the days when his ancestors had grazed in a young world. He turned away from the window. This was not a time for looking at the past. It was not the time for recalling that that lake was important not because of depressed goddesses, but because he and his wife had made love there in a fit of passion during their honeymoon. It was, more importantly, where they had spoken of the future. There had been things she'd wanted to do. Go to college. She'd gone for a semester. Open a jewelry store. That store had never materialized even though he'd promised to help her with it. More than her beautiful fur and alluring mane, what had caused him to love her was the fire of ambition he'd seen blazing in her soul, her eyes, the way she'd carried herself. Pride and ambition. He'd loved her for those very qualities that now disgusted him. Loved her. Was one argument, even an argument that had culminated in him walking out the door, enough to end their love? He looked to Diamond who had begun to wake up. She looked to him with bleary eyes. His wife had hurt his daughter. Not just physically, but also emotionally. She had tried to mold her into a pony who was cruel, who looked down on others. He wondered to himself how he could have been so blind. Was it love that had blinded him? Or was it one too many late nights at the office? Too many nights had passed when he had come home after Spoiled had already tucked Diamond into bed. Or, he assumed she tucked Diamond into bed. For all he knew she had a servant do it. There were several servants Diamond was close too, but that was hardly unusual. Filthy himself had practically been raised by a maid. Is that what you wanted for Diamond? How could you have been so blind to what was going on in your own household? A stallion cared for his household. It was his chief duty. Filthy's shoulder's sagged as he felt an overwhelming and horrific sense of failure. Diamond noticed it. She hopped off her seat and trotted over to him, nuzzling his chest. "Daddy, are you alright?" He patted her head. "I will be, Darling. I will be. Everything's gonna be alright." The train came to a stop. They joined a crowd of passengers as they shuffled into the streets of Manehattan. High skyscrapers rose up for thousands of miles and surrounded them. The streets were lit and still crowded. There were shouts and laughter and upraised voices. The scents of freshly baked bread and other foods wafted through the streets. There was a pulse and energy to the city. It could be felt in the tall buildings and shops all around them. It could be felt in the constantly surging crowds. It could be felt in the thrum of far off music coming off of Bridleway and from street performers. Diamond pranced ahead and then turned back, sheepish. She went back to standing beside him. He, not trusting her not to rush off in her excitement, ushered her on top of his back. She held on as he trotted at a brisk pace around the crowds. He took off down a less crowded, but still lit, side street. His hooves clopped onto the hard stone. It was an older part of the city, the street still cobblestone. A ragged looking brown stallion came up to him, looked at him with hollow eyes. He reached out a hoof. "Spare change?" At first, Filthy recoiled both from a sense of possible danger and the offensive odors emanating from the stallion. Then, he reached into his saddlebag and took out ten bits, handing them to the beggar. He smiled, showing yellowed teeth. "Thank you, Sir. Gods bless you, Sir." He stumbled off. "Daddy?" Diamond asked from atop his back. "Yes?" "Why did you give money to that beggar?" It was a fair question. While he made contributions to charity, handing out change to beggars was not something he normally did. "Diamond, what do you think the most important thing in the world is?" He found a park bench and sat down. Diamond sat down beside him. "I guess, how other ponies think about you. And money." He sighed. "Well, those things are important. Money's important. You don't want to spend your life having to beg or steal. It's good to have money to buy the things you want or need. But it's not the most important thing. Family is." He wrapped a hoof around Diamond, drawing her close. "Family and being a good pony. And that means being kind, helping the less fortunate..."He paused. "Admitting when you've done something wrong and trying to make it right." Her ears folded back, as if she were being scolded. "I am sorry for how I treated the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I plan on apologizing to them." He tousled her mane. Her ears perked back up. "I'm right proud of that, Diamond, but it's not what I was talking about. Diamond, remember that time I missed your fifth birthday party?" She nodded. "Because you were in a meeting, right?" "I was. But I was wrong to miss your birthday. It was an important meeting, but not more important than you. I've spent a lot of time working, but I haven't spent enough time with you." Diamond shifted on the bench. "Mommy says you have to work so you can make money to buy me things." "That's true. But I'm going to spend more time with you. You're more important. And I'm sorry I haven't spent enough time with you." She wrapped her hooves around him. "It's okay, Daddy." He held her. They stayed that way for a few minutes. Finally, she let go when her tummy growled. "Daddy, I'm hungry." He stood up. "I'm right hungry myself. How do you feel about pizza?" She had scampered halfway down the street before he'd caught up with her and lifted her back onto his back again. She giggled and held on. He rolled his eyes and tolerantly smiled, just glad that she was in good spirits. ... There would be no Bridleway show after pizza, though they had spoken of it before Diamond had nearly fallen asleep in her plate. The day had simply tired her out. It was ten in the evening before he found his brother's apartment. He walked up the stairs, his precious burden still atop his back. The stairs leading up to the top floor of the apartment was carved from a shining, well-polished oak wood. The walls were painted a cheerful, creamy white. He stood at the brown door and knocked. It was late, but he hoped that they were still up. A few seconds passed before the door was opened by a light yellow Earth Pony mare with a pink mane. "Filthy?" He smiled. "You know I prefer Rich, Ocher." Ocher ushered him inside. "Gonna get confusing since that's also my husband's name." "Where is Stinking?" The stallion in question rose from the couch he was sitting on and turned off the television. His coat was the same brown as Filthy's, but his mane was blonde, a shocking contrast. He trotted over to Filthy and they nuzzled in greeting. "How have you been Brother? Where is that wife of yours?" Something must have shown on his face because Stinking's eyebrow raised. "She's back in Ponyville." Ocher picked up Diamond from Filthy's back and laid her on the armchair. She was sleeping hard, the pizza and the day's events finally taking her off to dream land for the night. Then Ocher went to make tea for their guests. "So, Amethyst is asleep already?" "She sure is, Bro. Now what happened between you and Spoiled?" He moved over to the couch. "Let's sit down." Stinking sat down. "So, spill." "Apparently, Diamond decided to make friends with some fillies Spoiled didn't approve of. So, she paddled her." Stinking winced. "Rather harsh. Who were these fillies?" Filthy shrugged. "Just ordinary fillies. One of them's the daughter of Apple Blossom." "Of the Apple Family? Your primary business partner?" "Yep." Stinking blinked. "And I'm presuming she's not a bad filly?" "No. Actually, she's rather sweet. Energetic and curious, obsessed with finding her cutie mark, but weren't we all?" "So, Spoiled's objection to Diamond being friends with her is...what exactly?" "Apparently, she thinks these fillies are beneath Diamond. One of them's a Pegasus and, well, she doesn't like Pegasii." Stinking sighed and rested a hoof on his shoulder. "Bro, I told you. I told you she was no good when I met her. She married up and she's acting better than she is. Should have gone with Apple Blossom yourself." "What a difference that would have made. And Blossom was a nice girl too. Too bad Runner got a hold of her." "And he's no good either. Ships passing in the night." Filthy leaned back in the couch. "You been listening to Mareilow again?" Stinking shrugged. "I can't just listen to classical all the time. Well, what are you going to do now?" Ocher came back in with the cups of tea which she laid on the coffee table. She sat down on the armchair, settling Diamond in her lap. The stallions told her what was going on. She stroked Diamond's mane. "You always deserved better, Filthy. And Diamond definitely does." Filthy sipped the chamomile tea. The warm liquid eased him. "I don't know what I'm going to do. Divorce her? It seems so final." "Divorce her." Ocher and Stinking spoke in unison. "We've been together for eleven years. We have so much history together. And it's not like she's always a b...it's getting late. I need to tuck Diamond in. Can I stay here tonight?" Stinking shook his head. "You don't need to ask. Take the guest room." Filthy stood, laid Diamond on his back and walked to the guest room. He laid her down on a guest bed that Ocher had been kind enough to lay out. Her teacup mark was in tea-making, not hospitality but he'd assume that it was. She'd explained once that tea was about more than tea. It was about creating a warm, inviting atmosphere. That was where her skill in hospitality came from. He kissed Diamond's forehead and pulled the blanket around her. Then, he returned to the living room and sat down. "Don't think she's always terrible. She can be kind." "When?" Ocher asked. "Give me an example of her being kind." He searched his memory. "When Diamond used to fall she would always bandage it up and kiss the boo-boo. You know how moms do." "Right. That's called being a good mom. Bare minimum anyway." "And she always supports me. She never makes me feel bad about working late. If I get too tired or my back is hurting she'll massage my shoulders. She's good at massage, a lot of ponies don't know that." Ocher and Stinking exchanged significant glances. Stinking placed down his tea cup. "Yeah. We've heard it when you two argue. She's said some terrible things to you. I recall her telling you that you were a lazy piece of garbage when your company took a hit." That had been a nasty argument. "She said she was sorry." Ocher sipped from her own cup. Then she set it down on a table. "Please listen to yourself. She said she was sorry. She's nice sometimes. I got that bruise when I slipped down the stairs." He narrowed his eyes. "What are you saying? That she's abusing me?" Ocher laid the cup on the table. "Using and abusing." "Stallions do not get abused. That's ridiculous." The couple exchanged another glance. He continued. "Hell, I spanked her because I was so angry about what she did to Diamond. Wouldn't that make me the abusive one?" Ocher looked over to Stinking. Stinking drank deeply from the tea and laid it next to his wife's cup. "She deserved a spanking if you ask me. Yeah, abuse isn't just a physical thing. She's emotionally abusing you and Diamond. She's been doing it for years. I have a pamphlet I picked up-" Filthy rose. "How dare you! I am not being abused! She just...she gets angry sometimes...you don't know what she's really like...oh, oh Celestia..." Stinking walked over, patted his back. "It's going to be alright, Bro." Filthy leaned back into the couch. Stinking sat next to him. Filthy rested his head in his hooves. "How did this happen? Why didn't you two say something sooner?" Ocher walked over to him."Would you have listened?" "No, no. I wouldn't have. I need to go to bed." He stood up and walked away from the living room. He turned back. "Thank you for the tea, Ocher and for the hospitality, both of you. I really need to think right now." After he brushed his teeth he went to the guest room and slipped beneath the covers. Then he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
DecisionsFilthy tossed and turned in the bed. The bed itself was not the problem. While smaller than his bed back home, it was still large enough for a full grown stallion. The mattress was comfortable, cradling his body in softness. The blankets were warm, shielding him from the Manehattan cold. The pillow was fluffed the exact way he liked it, supporting his back and neck. On the bed next to his, the rhythms of his daughter's breath could be heard. It was the faintest sound, but he could hear it perfectly. Diamond was the main focus of his thoughts. She had been for eleven years. When he was younger, most of his thoughts revolved around money and the continuation of his family's business. He loved money, that was not something he would deny. His ancestors had built up a fortune and he fully intended to expand it. His father had taught him the most basic principles of economics when he just old enough to understand it. His allowance had been tied to how much work he did around the house so he would learn the link between labor and profit. When he got older an allowance wasn't quite enough for him. He'd opened a lemonade stand when he was ten. He'd taken on a paper route at eleven. He'd volunteered to perform odd jobs around Ponyville at twelve. Just as he'd been taught at his father's knee he saved up over half of his earnings. Being a colt, the other half was spent on comic books, sweets and toys. At fifteen his father had volunteered him to work on a farm. Every Earth Pony needed to work on a farm at one point in his life, his father had told him. So, Filthy had strapped a plow to his back and drug it through the rich earth. He had watched as the plants grew and pulled up weeds. At the end of the day his body ached and his forehead would be covered in sweat. Yet, he could not deny the sense of fulfillment he felt as the crops began to grow. The fruit of his labor. No, it wasn't his land, but he had plowed the fields. He had planted the seeds. His sweat had mixed with the soil and he had helped to bring forth the harvest. He had grown used to the rhythm of farm life. Seed time and harvest. Waking at dawn to plant or plow or reap. Still, when that year ended he had set aside the plow. Farm life was never meant for him. It was only a detour to taking on his father's business. The older stallion was getting older and had grown tired of the strain of running a business. More often than not he was starting to prefer grazing to meetings. When Filthy turned twenty-one his father had turned the business over to him. It was the proudest moment of his life. On the first day he'd done a major reorganization of the store. He diversified the product line. He slashed prices. He raised wages to attract workers. Since the slashed prices brought in more customers he could afford to raise wages. That first quarter was the most profitable the business had seen in ten years. That was fortunate too as the Rich family had been about to receive a new member. Spoiled Rich had gone into labor at Four AM. Filthy remembered it vividly. She had kicked him awake, accidentally she later swore, and nearly dragged him out of bed. Their quick thinking butler prepared a chariot and off they went to the hospital. The nurse ushered her to a room and Filthy had followed. He had held her hoof as she screamed in labor pain. After three hours in labor, Diamond Tiara Rich came into the world. She screamed and shouted nearly as loudly as her mother had. Still, Spoiled held her to her teats, licked and nickered over her. Filthy had nuzzled his daughter's mane, familiarizing himself with her scent. She had been a beautiful foal. Her coat was the most perfect shade of pink. Her mane was a gorgeous blue and white. She had been spoiled relentlessly. Every cry brought attention from her mommy and daddy. She was nursed, cuddled, snuggled, nuzzled and slept between them. Even the servants loved her. The first moment he had nuzzled her, the first moment he had held her, he had known that all of his priorities had radically shifted. He no longer went and made money for the sake of making money. He now did it for the sake of his daughter. So that he could put a roof over her head. So that he could put food on her plate. So that he could buy her the toys she wanted. Sure she didn't need that top-of-the-line My Little Puppy doll, but her smile was so cute when he got it for her. There were times when he was so busy working he hardly got to see her, even if he worked in order to provide for her. The paradox made him uneasy. There were things in her life he'd missed. Her fifth birthday party lost to a meeting with the Board of Directors. Her dance recital lost to an emergency meeting with a labor union. So many lost moments. He had soothed his conscience by buying her extravagant toys and other luxuries. It was always for her, he'd told himself. He turned on his side. His relationship with his wife had also fallen by the wayside though they still went on date nights whenever they could. He was beginning to understand why his father had retired early. Abandoning sleep altogether he knocked away the blankets and trotted over to Diamond, nuzzling her mane. She was fast asleep. He walked back over to his bed, threw the covers over his head and tried to sleep. They could stay the weekend. Diamond would need to get back to school (he didn't know what he'd do if this was a weekday). He couldn't afford to keep Barnyard Bargains closed for too long. Business was good, but that relied on the store staying open. He was hooves-on so he didn't have anypony that could run the store in his absence though it was something he should consider. There were also all the employees that were going to show up tomorrow and wonder where he was. He should return to Ponyville. Somehow, he couldn't find it in him to plan a return. Not yet anyway. There were too many things he needed to figure out. Decisions that had to be made. Decisions like if he should continue his relationship with his wife. His brother had brought up some very disturbing points. Spoiled could be mean at times. She had also been cruel to their daughter. Was that something he could forgive? Was that something he should forgive? Ponies made mistakes, right? He had made mistakes. When one made mistakes they should apologize to anyone hurt by those mistakes. That was the philosophy hoofed down to him by his father. Spoiled hadn't apologized. She hadn't even acknowledged having done anything wrong. He closed his eyes and breathed, drawing on a technique from a long ago meditation-for-stress-relief class. It didn't work, but at long last exhaustion lulled him into a mercilessly dreamless sleep. ... The smell of frying eggs awoke him. Sunlight streamed through the windows and bore down on his eye lids. His head was pounding as he knocked away the blankets, slowly stretching his limbs. He took several deep breaths and then rose from the bed, stepping onto the hard wooden floor. He wiped at his eyes several times, yawned and shuffled towards the door. Diamond was not in her bed, which meant she was no doubt playing with Amethyst or making breakfast with her favorite aunt. He pushed open the door, trudging from the guest bedroom into the bathroom. The porcelain sink nearly glowed in the sunlight. He hadn't gotten a shower last night and a cursory sniff of his foreleg revealed that he smelled like it. He pulled aside the blue shower curtain and stepped into the well-polished white bathtub. Turning the nozzle he allowed cool water to rush over him, getting into his fur and washing away the last vestiges of his exhaustion. He picked up a bottle of green apple shampoo, squeezed a dollop of it onto his hoof and worked it into his black mane which was streaked with more grey than he felt comfortable admitting to. Soapy shampoo suds fell down his mane and his back. Once he'd finally washed the shampoo out of his mane, which now hung limply over his back, he picked up the bar of lavender soap. Every part of the bathroom was feminine. It was obvious that Stinking let his wife do most of the shopping. Filthy chuckled to himself as he began to rub the soap into his fur. He turned the nozzle, letting the water warm up. Steam filled the bathroom, curling into fingers of mist that swirled all around him. He stood directly beneath the shower head, the water washing away the soap. He closed his eyes and stood, warm water rushing over his well-toned if aged muscles. Young. He was young. He could find another mare. Somepony better for himself. For Diamond. This could be a rebirth. Stepping out of the tub he felt a sense of newness. He grabbed a blue towel, wrapping it around himself, vigorously scrubbing himself down before stepping out of the bathroom. Diamond pranced up to him as he stepped out along with a little purple filly with a pink mane and tail, the appropriately named Amethyst. Her hair and tail were pinned with blue ribbons. "Good morning, Daddy!" "Good morning, Uncle Rich!" He smiled down at the fillies, greeting them with a nuzzle. "I smell a yummy breakfast." Diamond beamed. "Me and Amethyst helped make it." The two fillies scampered off together, giggling and whispering to each other about whatever it was little fillies giggled and whispered about. Filthy stepped into the kitchen. The table was laden with fried eggs, toast, fresh-cut fruit and pancakes. He sat down next to his brother. Ocher, Diamond and Filly sat down and they piled the food onto their plates. Filthy chomped into the eggs. "Delicious." Ocher smiled. "Thank you. Diamond and Amethyst were very helpful." Stinking raised a piece of pancake on his fork. "Sleep well, Brother?" Filthy shrugged. "Let's just say I did a lot of thought." After the meal, the mare and fillies retreated into the living room leaving the stallions with the dishes. It struck Filthy as a fair enough arrangement. Stinking handed him a plate which he dried off. "So, have you made a decision?" Filthy laid the plate into the cabinet. "I...I don't know." Stinking sighed and began washing the last cup. "Bro, c'mon." "There are many factors to consider. But the more I think about it the more leaving her seems like the right decision." Stinking slapped him on the back. "That's because it is." There was a knock on the door. Ocher stood up from between her two daughter on the couch and walked over to open it. She had gotten her cutie mark in tea-making and that included hospitality. She felt her soul shudder when she pulled open the door. Spoiled Rich stood at the threshold of her home. Hospitality demanded she let her in. The pink mare frowned. "Good morning, Ocher my dear. Might I come in?" Ocher stood there, staring at her. Spoiled Rich did not back down, but nor did she move forward. "Ocher? May I come in?" Ocher gritted her teeth. "No. No, you may not." She slammed the door in her face. Then she turned. Diamond pretended to continue watching the cartoon, but she was frowning the same frown as her mother. The knocking continued. Filthy, trotting from the kitchen, hurried to the door and opened it. Spoiled had her hoof up in mid-knock. She laid it back down. Silence descended like a curtain, an unbridgeable chasm opening between them. Unseen by any of the adults Diamond slipped from the couch. Amethyst followed her. Ocher stood by Filthy's side. Filthy walked into the hall, Spoiled following her. He closed the door. "It will be alright Ocher." Spoiled shuffled a hoof. "Do you really want to have this conversation out in the hall? Not much privacy." "It'll have to do." Spoiled nodded. "Yes, it will." The chasm was back. "How long do you intend on staying here, Filthy?" Spoiled glanced at a vibrant house plant he couldn't identify. It had thick, broad leaves. "Filthy?" "The weekend. Actually, would you mind going back to Ponyville and managing the store in my absence?" Her back straightened. "Of course." They were talking about business, Spoiled thought to herself. Safe, solid territory. "How is that new line of cutlery selling?" The question came out of nowhere. "Quite well." He shook his head. "For Celestia's sake. What are we doing?" She took a step forward. "Good question. What are we doing? We had a fight, we've had them before. We both said and did things we both regretted-" "I don't regret anything." That stopped her cold. She gulped. "Okay, okay. But fights are good for couples. They strengthen the relationship. Let's all go to Bridleway and get some ice cream and maybe plan a romantic dinner. How's that sound?" "Oh, Spoiled. Do you really imagine things can go back to the way they were?" She bit her lip. "Of course. They always have before. Forgive and forget, right?" Filthy sighed. "Alright. Tell me why I got so mad and I forgive you. Also, apologize to Diamond." She took a sharp intake of breath. A threat was hidden in her husband's words. He spoke to his employees in the same tone before firing them. "If I don't?" "The courthouse is open by now. We go there, we get divorce papers." She trembled. "No." "I don't need your permission, my dear." The shaking turned into a violent tremor. "No, no. You can't do this to me. You can't take this away from me!" He raised an eyebrow. "What can't I take away from you? Diamond?" "Diamond. Our marriage. Everything we've built together." She reached out a hoof, laid it on his shoulder. "Why can't things go back to the way they were? We've built a life together." "It's trust, Spoiled. I could never trust you alone with Diamond ever again. Trust is hard to obtain and once lost I don't know if it can ever be given again. Or if it should be." "Alright. I'll never discipline Diamond ever again unless we've both discussed it first." "Hmm, better. Yet, you still haven't told me what you did wrong." Spoiled laid her hoof back on the ground. "It was...it was wrong of me to punish her so harshly." Filthy nodded. "Either that was sincere or those acting classes really paid off." She glared at him. Filthy motioned towards the apartment. "Now go apologize to Diamond." She hesitated. "If we're going to be apologizing, why don't you apologize to me for that humiliating spanking?" Filthy shook his head. "No. I'm not going to do that. I only gave you what you gave Diamond." Spoiled snorted. "She's a filly, I'm an adult!" Filthy shrugged. "In the old days they'd even give corporal punishment to criminals. You did something wrong and I think you deserved to be punished." She stepped closer to him, as if trying to be menacing. "So that's how it's going to be from now on? If I do something you don't like your going to haul off and spank me?" He shrugged again. "Why not? It's what you do to Diamond." She bristled. "I do not! Only when she does something wrong." He frowned. "So, you really think what you did to Diamond was okay?" She bit her lip. "You tricked me." He rolled his eyes. "Yes dear. I used my cunning to trick you into telling the truth. You think it's okay to severely punish her in order to control the kind of friends she makes." She grit her teeth. "If it means so much to you, I'm willing to let her...to..." Filthy was becoming concerned about Spoiled's teeth considering how hard she was gritting them. "I'm willing..." He put a hoof to her lips. "Forget it, Spoiled. This isn't working. We're not working." She closed her eyes. "It's been working for eleven years. That's a long time. Let's not throw this away." Tears sparkled in her eyes when she opened them. He turned away, looked down to the ground. "I don't see how we can get past this." Her shoulder's slumped. "That's it then? Your willing to throw away eleven years over this?" "It's not just this. There have been problems for a long time. I just haven't wanted to see them. You've taught Diamond to look down on others and that isn't right. You've put me down. Spoiled, you're an abuser." "That's ridiculous!" She straightened her back, held up her head. "You don't get it, do you Spoiled?" The mood changed so quickly Filthy barely had time to prepare for the tirade that poured out of his wife's lips. "Let me tell you something. Maybe I have been harsh with Diamond. Maybe I have been harsh with you! But you don't understand what it's like to come from where I've come from and then get this far! You don't appreciate your wealth, it was just handed to you-" "Now hold on one minute-" "So, yes, I have put you down when you've been lazy or made idiotic decisions that put that wealth at risk! Yes, I have pushed Diamond to act like a rich pony! To hold her head up high and know she's better!" Tears were streaming down her face. She was shouting, but she didn't care. "Tell me something, Filthy! Have you ever gone to bed hungry? Have you ever not known where your next meal was coming from? Have you ever not been able to sleep because the hunger was so bad so your mama had to go beg off the Guild and you see how Ponies look at you and your mama when you go to the grocery store with food stamps? They look at your mama like she's trash and you are too!" She shoved him. "You know what that's like, rich boy? Huh? Because I do!" He stepped back, then grit his own teeth as he took in what she'd just said. He felt tears spring to his eyes. "Was I your meal ticket, Spoiled? Did you ever love me at all or did you just love the things I could buy you?" She panted, still not recovered from her tantrum. "Of course I love you, Filthy!" "So what if I told you I was going to sell everything I own to buy a small apartment? Live on a lower middle class salary? Would you still want to be with me?" She didn't answer which was all the answer he needed. He opened the door to his brother's apartment. "Filthy, wait!" "We're through." He said it with all the force of a gunshot. "You can contact me to discuss how much alimony you'll get. Goodbye." He slammed the door shut.
InterludeAmethyst opened the poster-covered door to her room. Right across from her mahogany wood dresser was a pink bed which was covered in dolls. Diamond was almost obscured from view by the multicolored stuffed animals, puppies predominating. The young filly was clutching a stuffed German Shepherd. Amethyst climbed onto the bed and laid next to her. Diamond held up the Shepherd. "I didn't know you had Ruffy." Amethyst shrugged. "I know she was pretty awful last season, but she grew on me." "She's cute. And I like her being one of the good guys now." Silence settled between the two. Amethyst settled into the pile, knocking a few dolls away in order to rest more comfortably. Diamond continued clutching onto the doll, cuddling it. "So, what's going on between your parents?" Diamond settled deeper into the pile. Amethyst idly stroked the hair of her Princess Woof doll, waiting for the answer Diamond didn't seem very eager to give. The silence dragged on for an uncomfortably long time. A manic grin spread across Diamond's face. Amethyst inched away. "Hey, ya know what! Let's pretend Woof and Ruffy are having a tea party!" "Um...okay. Yeah, that sounds fun." Amethyst smiled. "And it's Princess Woof now." Diamond rolled her eyes. "I don't care if the stupid writers gave her two tails, she is never going to be a princess to me." Amethyst giggled. "So Fluffy and Spot can join?" She picked up the two tailed Poodle, the regular Poodle and the Jack Russel Terrier. Diamond hopped off the bed and fetched a plastic, white tea set decorated with roses that was sitting on Amethyst's dresser. Amethyst pulled up a small desk and two chairs. The two fillies sat across from each other. Diamond pretended to pour tea into the cups and laid Woof and Ruffy on one side. Amethyst took up Fluffy and Spot. Amethyst moved Fluffy, having her "drink" from the tea cup. "So, Ruffy, I'm so glad that we're all friends now." The manic grin returned, crossing Diamond's features. Amethyst bit her lip, wanting to ask if she was okay. Diamond moved Ruffy. "Oh, yes! I promise to never be mean like I used to be! I want to be friends with you forever!" Ruffy nuzzled Fluffy and Spot. Amethyst moved the dolls so that they returned the nuzzle. Amethyst moved Fluffy up and down. "So, I'm having a bake sale! Want to help?" Diamond moved Ruffy. "That sounds wonderful!" She moved Woof. "Yes, I too would like that!" They both moved the dolls so that they appeared to drink from the cups. Amethyst broke character. "No, really, I have the bake set. Want to?" "Sure!" Diamond ran a hoof over Woof. "I have the bake set too. Daddy bought it for me..." She trailed off. The manic grin vanished. "I can't do this." She leaned back in the chair. "I'm sorry, Amethyst. I'm not in the mood for a tea party. Or playing at all. I just...I thought I could...I just..." "You're the one that wanted to." She threw Ruffy. The doll smacked against the mattress. "I thought I wanted to!" Amethyst jumped up from her seat and retrieved the stuffed animal, nuzzling her. She glared at Diamond. "No need to take it out on poor Ruffy." Diamond at least had the decency to look ashamed, a blush creeping across her face. She stared down at the floor. "Sorry." She trudged over and nuzzled Ruffy. "I'm sorry, Ruffy." Amethyst rubbed Ruffy against Diamond's cheek. When she pulled the doll back, she saw that it was wet. She looked at Diamond, who had tears trailing down her face. Laying the doll on the bed, she wrapped both hooves around Diamond. Diamond returned the gesture. For a few moments they held each other before Amethyst pulled away, keeping both hooves on Diamond's shoulders. "Diamond? It'll feel better if you talk about it." Diamond wiped at her eyes. "I don't know. I don't know what's going on with me. Amethyst, what's wrong with me? Why am I crying?" "Is it because of your parents? Are they splitting up?" Diamond's lip trembled. "I...I don't know. Maybe?" Amethyst ushered her over to the bed and they lay next to each other. "What happened between your parents?" "I don't think Mommy loves me anymore. I don't know if she ever did." Amethyst rubbed her withers. "Ah, c'mon. Moms always love their foals. Always." Diamond leaned against her. "Not her. She only loves me when I do what she wants me to do. But, sometimes, she tells me to do things that I...I know is wrong...to look down on others and just...just being mean. Sometimes she's mean to me." "What did she do?" Diamond took a deep breath. "She got mad at me because I wanted to make friends with these fillies she doesn't like because she says they're beneath me. Then Daddy got mad at her for spanking me so he spanked her." Amethyst had a mental image of her aunt across her uncle's knee getting her rump smacked. A giggle escaped her lips. "It's not that funny." "I know. But, it's a little funny." Diamond snorted. "Okay, it's a little funny." Amethyst settled onto the bed, stretching her hooves. "Your mom does sound mean. I always kind of thought she was. I can't believe she doesn't love you at all, though. I mean, my mom has always loved me no matter how much of a brat I can be-" "Well, we're not all lucky enough to have your mom!" Amethyst cringed. "Sorry, sorry. So, what do you think's going to happen now?" Diamond sighed, a tired sound. "I really don't know. If Mom and Dad split up, I want to live with Dad. But Dad is away a lot because of his job, so what if Mommy takes me? I don't want to live with Mommy." "I'm sure you can live with your dad if you want to." Diamond reached over and pulled Spot to her. Then she let go of the doll and stood up. "You were right. Talking about it did make me feel better. I'm going to be okay, Amethyst. I'm a diamond. Diamonds don't break." She smiled at Amethyst. "Especially not when a diamond has friends like you." Amethyst stood and hopped off the bed. "The ice cream store is open. You know, the one that also sells pizza? I got my allowance yesterday, I'll buy." Diamond licked her lips at the thought of fresh, cheese pizza. "Let's do it." The fillies pranced out the room, Diamond following Amethyst. ... Filthy slammed the door and leaned back against it, feeling himself collapse. Suddenly he felt the weight of his years, as if he were a swaybacked stallion several decades older. Stinking trotted over to him, laying a hoof on his shoulder. "I know that was hard." "You don't know, Stinking. You really don't." Stinking shook his head. "I've been in bad relationships before." Filthy glared at his brother. "You ever married one of those mares? Ever had a child with one? Lived your life with them?" Stinking sighed. "Well, no. There was this one mare, thought I loved her and then I found out she was cheating on me. That hurt. You remember that don't you?" Filthy did. "The only time I ever saw you cry." "Yeah. I was going to ask her to marry me." "Spoiled gave me a sob story. Grew up poor. I knew she did, I never cared. I never cared about her background. Now I get the feeling she used me. It's not like I don't feel bad for her. She went through a lot of hardship, but that's no excuse for the way she treats me and Diamond." "No, it isn't. And don't ever think it is." Diamond and Amethyst came into the room. Amethyst hopped over to Stinking. "Daddy, can me and Diamond go over to the pizza place?" "Sure, Sweetie. Just be back in time for supper." Filthy stepped away from the door. "Actually, I think I'll go with you two. I could use some pizza." He could also use something stronger that would make him forget his troubles for a while, but that never solved anything. Saying goodbye to his brother and sister-in-law, he opened the door. Amethyst and Diamond scampered out after him. ... Spoiled ambled along the city streets, walking along a railing. She had been walking for several hours. She knew she should go back to Ponyville, look after her husband's business. She couldn't bring herself to. It felt too much like surrender. The river glowed in the orange light of the setting sun. Sharp, jagged rocks pushed up from beneath the waves. It would be nightfall soon. She stopped and stared at her reflection. She was beautiful. She stopped and wondered if something was deeply wrong with her. Ponies had been telling her something was deeply wrong with her for years now. For the first time, she was toying with the remotest hint of a possibility that those Ponies had a point. It's over. Her husband's last words had been ringing in her ears for the past several hours, ever since he had slammed the door in her face. Since he had raised the hypothetical scenario of giving up his wealth, something they both knew he would never do. Or, she assumed it was something he would never do. There were times when she wasn't sure she still knew him. He had changed so much over the years. Had she changed with him? It's over. She allowed herself to consider that her husband-possibly soon to be ex-husband-had a point. They were no longer working. Arguments and differences in values had torn away what had once been there. What had once been there? Love? Did she love Filthy? Had she ever loved Filthy? She stared into the darkening waters. Did she love Diamond Tiara? Had she ever loved Diamond Tiara? Had she ever loved anypony at all? She conjured up images of her family. Days they'd spent exploring the city she now stood in. Picnics. Bedtimes she'd tucked Diamond in, read to her, kissed her mane. Watching Diamond grow, molding her into a strong pony, a rich pony. She was deeply proud of her family. But that wasn't the question. Did she love her family? She choked at the vast emptiness inside of her, an emptiness that turned everything cold. She stared at the water. How inviting it looked. Without Filthy to desire her, without Diamond to love her, what was she? Alone. She would be alone. The thought was unbearable. A tremble spread through her. She could not be alone. There had to be others to fill up the emptiness deep inside of her, others to praise her, love her, give her the attention she needed and craved. The attention she deserved. Gazing at her reflection in the river she could not help but notice her beauty. She could kiss her reflection, leap into the river, and then she would be part of the endless current. She would no longer feel the terrible emptiness that had haunted her for her entire life. How long would it take? A few minutes? It would be painful. Her body would swell up. Whoever found her would believe she was fat. That would not do. She tore herself away from the river and kept walking aimlessly. She would go back to Ponyville, care for the store in Filthy's absence and prove to him that he needed her. Author's Note Guess which mental illness Spoiled has.
Problems and SolutionsThe sun's ray's were only now beginning to rise over the humble, thatched roofs of Ponyville. Spoiled yawned as she stepped out her door. The town was mostly still asleep, only a few Ponies wandering the streets. The market stalls weren't even being set up yet. Morning dew glistened off of flowers growing out of hanging baskets. Spoiled yawned again, stretching her tired back. She normally didn't wake up this early. Almost nopony did, though the Apple family certainly already awake. Last night, Spoiled hadn't been able to sleep. A few shots of vodka had finally knocked her into troubled dreams, but her eyes had opened with the rising of the sun. Looking around at the still sleeping town, she stepped back into her home. There was a chill to the air so she hurried to her bathroom, passing a picture of herself, her husband and her daughter. She paused to glance at it, remembering the day it was taken. Then, she continued on her way. Stepping into the blindingly alabaster room, she turned on the water and waited till steam had filled the room before pulling back the white shower curtain and stepping into the bath. She stood beneath the nozzle, letting the water rush over her perfectly styled mane, letting it pool around her perfectly manicured hooves. If only fixing all my problems were as simple as getting my mane and hooves done. Taking a bar of soap, she lathered her fur, her hooves and her underside. The water was soon full of soapy suds that rose up around her. She reached for a bottle of shampoo, working the red liquid into her mane. The sweet scent of strawberry filled the room. How do I fix this? Why hadn't she swallowed her pride, marched into the apartment and apologized to Diamond Tiara? Why had she struggled her entire life with moral concepts that every other Pony intuitively grasped? Meeting Filthy had been like a breath of fresh air. He might not have understood her (even she didn't understand herself), but he always forgave her. That's how most of their arguments ended. Her committing some offense, he getting angry at her for awhile and then forgiving her. That's the way it worked, that's what their relationship had been built upon. Forgiveness. She forgave him when he did something stupid. I still feel like I was in the right. My own mother...well, she wouldn't have done exactly the same, but she would never have tolerated disrespect. Diamond disrespected me, what was I supposed to? She began to scrub more violently as the thoughts worked their way through her mind. I have nothing to apologize for. Let Diamond spend a week around my mother. She'll be begging to be back with me. The bitch. I wouldn't even think about leaving Diamond around her. She let the heated waters flow around her, washing away the soap. I've always encouraged Diamond. Maybe I've made mistakes, but the world is full of predators. I've raised her to be strong. To survive. Filthy just doesn't get it. The warm current gently flowed around her, working its way into her withers and neck. She sighed in contentment. After a few moments she turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping a blue towel around herself. After she had dried off completely, she trotted to the kitchen. The kitchen staff, attentive to their mistress, had begun to stir. When Spoiled walked into the kitchen she was greeted with the smell of coffee and frying eggs. She detested eggs. They all knew she detested eggs. Luckily, she also detected the scent of pancakes. Tough Love, the nanny, stood flipping the delectable breakfast treats. She glanced around herself as Spoiled walked in. She was a strong, brown Earth Pony whom Spoiled suspected had missed a career in the Guard. "Is the master and the little miss not back yet?" Spoiled sat down. "No." Tough took out two plates, scooped eggs and pancakes on hers and then just pancakes on hers. After pouring two glasses of orange juice she sat down. Spoiled raised an eyebrow. Normally, the servants ate in the servant's quarters. Tough raised a helping of eggs to her muzzle. "When will they be back?" Spoiled sipped her juice. "I don't know. You'll still get your paycheck don't worry about that." "It's not the paycheck I'm worried about, Mistress." She stirred the eggs. "Something happened between you and Filthy. I leave to pick up some fruit, I come back and you're all gone. What's going on?" Spoiled sniffed. "That's none of your concern." "Like hell it isn't. I've been a part of this household for a long time. I understand you and Master Filthy had a fight. A bad one. Things got a bit physical as I understand it." Spoiled frowned. "I just told you, that's not your concern. You're the hired help. That's all. You are not part of this family and don't ever think you are. Is that clear?" Tough gave a vicious slash to her pancakes. "I practically raised your daughter, Spoiled. Excuse me, Mistress." How she managed to make the title of respect sound like an insult Spoiled would never know. "Put your concerns aside, Tough. We're just going through a rough patch. There's nothing more to it than that." "Are you going to get divorced?" Spoiled slammed a hoof on the table, knocking over the orange juice. It tipped over, shattering on the linoleum floor. The juice trickled along the floor. Shards of glass glittered in the morning light. "Are you going to pick that up?" "I would normally, but y'know what? I don't really feel like it. If I clean up the mess you made, you'll never learn, now will you?" "Why the hell are you acting like this?" "I know what you did to Diamond." Spoiled rose. "For the third and final time that is none of your concern!" "She's more of a daughter to me-" "Shut your mouth!" Spoiled swung a hoof. Tough caught it. "You know it's true." "You're fired!" Tough chuckled. "Funny thing about that is you didn't hire me and you're name isn't written on my paychecks." Spoiled felt her chest begin to heave. She wanted to beat the mare before her senseless, but she could feel the raw strength of the hoof holding onto her foreleg. Tough was stronger than her. That was just the way it was. "So what if we do get divorced? How's that affect you?" She let go of Spoiled's hoof. "This is Filthy's ancestral home. You'll be the one that has to leave. However, judges tend to award custody to the mother. Maybe I just want to know what's to become of my little Diamond." Spoiled growled. "She's my little Diamond." "I helped raise her. I helped her with her homework and gave her her baths. I don't want her living with you." Spoiled trembled. "Why is everypony turning against me?" "You really want to know? Because you're a selfish, cruel, cold-hearted bitch." "Get the hell out of this house." Tough slowly, delicately began slicing up the pancakes and then stirred the eggs around her plate. "Once I finish breakfast." The breakfast passed slowly, each second dragging. Spoiled barely tasted the coffee that she had to pour for herself. No matter how much syrup she poured on the pancakes, they seemed to be without any taste at all. Tough didn't say anything else to her, not that Spoiled tried to engage her in conversation. At long last the breakfast came to an end as Tough swallowed one last piece of egg. She stood, turned and walked away. Spoiled ate the last piece of pancake, sipped the last bit of her tasteless coffee. The orange juice had dried and the floor was sticky to her hooves. The maid would clean it up. She quickly trotted to the living room and then out the door. By this point, Ponyville was waking up, A few mares and stallions were strolling to their jobs. Colts and fillies were scampering to towards the park or other foalhood adventures, most of them prancing alongside their parents. Further up ahead, the market stalls were being set up. The merchants set up multicolored tents with bright images of fruit and simple brown boxes overflowing with their wares. Spoiled strolled through it as a group of Pegasii laid out lines of multicolored flags. Many of them had symbols of fruit. For a while she lost herself in the herd of early morning customers, browsing a box of apples and then a box of pears. She bought a bundle of green grapes, found a secluded path of grass beneath an old, gnarled oak and sat. Once she finished her second breakfast, which tasted better without the interference of nosy nannies, she continued her trek down the old dirt road. Barnyard Bargains always opened at around nine. By the position of the sun it was nearly eight fifty. She hurried down the road, breaking into a light canter. ... Filthy Rich stood before the imposing, marble edifice. It glowed orange as the shafts of the sun played across it. Atop one of the towers of the building was the imperial banner of Equestria, two familiar alicorns wrapping around a sun and moon upon a light blue field of white stars. Each star stood for a member of the empire. Filthy, though not more patriotic than any other Pony, had been staring up at it for the past ten minutes. On the tower next to the Equestrian flag was the flag of the City-State of Manehattan. A blue background for the river that had given the city life. A blazing fire for the crucible in which the steel of this city had been forged. A hammer and scythe crossed above the flame symbolizing the hammer of industry combined with the symbol of traditional Earth Pony agriculture. Atop the stairs was a statue of Celestia rearing, her wings spread and a stern expression upon her face. This was not the kind, benevolent mother-goddess of the sun. This was Celestia the Lawgiver. It was no comfort to the offenders brought before the court, but assured victims that this was a place where wrongs were made right, compensation was made and justice was done. Filthy trotted up the steps, the stone warm against his hooves, almost uncomfortably so. He hesitated before the statue of the Princess and looked up at the wooden door. A black coated guard nodded to him. "Can I help you, Sir?" Filthy took a moment before he answered. "I need to see a judge. Are any available at this hour?" "What do you need to see the judge for? Civil matter or criminal complaint?" "Civil complaint-matter.Civil matter. Divorce." The guard frowned. "Your wife isn't present?" "No, she isn't. Does she need to be?" "It is customary, but not required. Things like custody or property division will need to be done with both spouses present. Do you know her whereabouts?" "Not at present. I imagine she's back in Ponyville." "Follow me. We'll go see Judge Fair Heart." Filthy trotted behind the guard as he walked into the halls of the courtroom. A long tapestry depicted events of the chaotic pre-Unification and Discord Eras, then Unification with Celestia descending upon a cloud with a scroll containing Ponykind's first written law code. Following that was the submission of the tribal chieftains and founding of the imperial order. Then Ponies joining together to farm, build cities and settle the wild world. The message was obvious. Law brought harmony and peace. Without that, there was only chaos. It was a message Filthy approved of. The disharmony in his home had gone on long enough. Restoring harmony to his household meant one member would have to be removed. The guard turned a corner and walked into a chamber. An old, light red pony with a graying mane and wearing black judge's robes, was seated at a cherry wood desk. He looked up as the guard walked in. "Good morning, Stout Soul. Who is this gentleman?" Filthy took a step forward. "I'm Filthy Rich and I'm here to get divorce papers." The judge straightened up. "This is a bit irregular. Normally, both spouses are present so that I can counsel them. Alternatives to divorce, such as couple's counseling, are preferred." Filthy shook his head. "No. The relationship is over." It surprised him when he smiled. He felt relieved to say that, like a stone had fallen off his back. "Infidelity?" "Abuse, both emotional and physical." The judge's eyes widened. "Could she be dangerous?" "I honestly don't know. She won't consent to a divorce." "The most dangerous time for an abuse victim is leaving the relationship. Has she ever been physically abusive towards you?" "No, just our daughter. She's been emotionally abusive towards both us." "I understand why you won't the divorce." He reached into a file and pulled out two papers. "Sign this and, if you can, get your wife to sign it. If she doesn't, I can and will dissolve the marriage anyway." "Thank you. Do you have a pen?" The judge handed one to him. Filthy sat down on the leather back chair, setting the papers before him. He thought he might hesitate when he began to write, but he didn't. There was not even a moment's hesitation as he signed his name and began the process of dissolving eleven years of legal union with Spoiled. ... Spoiled strode through the aisles of the store. Everything was in order. A young, brown colt was busy stocking forks on the shelves. It looked right to her. She turned and strode down another aisle, this one filled with faux crystal cups and other dinnerware. One shelf proudly displayed a plate with a rather fetching Hearth's Warming design. Green holly leaves wrapped around its white surface, bright red berries sprouting from it. The artistry was incredible. She reached for it, wondering if she needed to pay for it since she was the boss's wife. She stopped a red-maned, green-coated teenage filly. "You, there. Since I'm the wife of the owner do I need to pay for this?" The filly sputtered, shying away nervously. "Well, ma'am, um, you, um can get a discount, but you need to pay for it." Spoiled debated with herself. She could buy it, but what would she do with it? She couldn't take it home, she needed to manage the store. The filly couldn't be trusted to guard a goldfish from the way she was adamantly refusing to make eye contact and appeared to wish that Spoiled would very quickly go away. She groaned. "I'll check to see if its still available. Why don't you go...continue whatever it is your doing." The store ran like a well-oiled machine. She was surprised Filthy needed to manage it at all. All of the employers knew where their departments were and what their daily tasks were. Why had Filthy asked her to come over anyway? Had he just wanted her gone? Just as that depressing thought threatened to pull her back into the darkness, a shrill voice caught her attention. A yellow-coated teenage filly with a blue mane rushed up to her. "Take a breath, Child." Spoiled noted to herself that her husband sure did hire a large number of young, attractive teenagers. The filly, Razzle Dazzle Spoiled recalled her name as being, caught her breath. "I've been dealing with an irate customer." "And?" Razzle stared at her. "I told her I'd get my manager. Mr. Rich isn't here and you are so..." Spoiled shook her head. "Of course, of course. I've never done this before you understand." Spoiled thought Razzle muttered that she could tell, but let that pass as she followed the younger mare to the cash register. "Are you the manager?" "I am." The mare swung her hoof, revealing a coupon. "Your employee says this coupon isn't valid." Razzle spoke up. "It isn't for pots." Spoiled looked at the coupon. "No, it looks valid. What's the problem?" "I want to buy this pot and get half-price." "Oh, I see the problem. Ma'am, that coupon's only for cutlery. We had a surplus and were trying to get rid of it-" "Why's it have a picture of a pot on it?" Spoiled's jaw worked up and down. "That's...that's a very good question. I think somepony messed up, it very clearly says cutlery." You illiterate moron. "I really want a new pot." Spoiled bit down an insult. How does Filthy deal with this? "I'm very sorry, but that's not a coupon for pots." The customer grumbled. "Fine." She stalked away, leaving her cart. Spoiled had no idea how Filthy would have handled the situation, but she didn't know what more she could have done. She hadn't insulted the customer, that was good. "Nothing more I could have done right?" Razzle shrugged. "No, I don't think there was." Spoiled turned to walk away. Razzle stopped her. "Ma'am?" She turned. "Yes?" "What do you want to do about the cart?" "Put it back. Oh, and the merchandise too." Razzle chewed her lip. "I have to work the cash register." It was a small store. There was only one register. Filthy had once gone on and on to her about how annoyed he got when things in his store were arranged out of order. It was irksome, but he liked order and she didn't know what order he wanted that kitchenware put in. A line had started to form now that the other customer was gone. "I'll handle the register, return the merchandise." Razzle hurried to her task. Spoiled stood at the register with the conviction that she had no idea what she was doing. However, it was easier than she thought it would be. After a few minutes, she found herself getting into a steady pattern of ringing up the merchandise. That's how Filthy found her as he walked into the store. He nodded to a stallion stocking pruning shears and sent him to the cash register. Then he motioned for Spoiled who walked over to him. "Good to see you back." She leaned in for a kiss. He stepped back. "Twister, work on the register would you?" Twister, who had been walking around rather aimlessly, went to the register. Filthy returned his attention to his now, legally speaking, ex-wife. "Spoiled, thank you for caring for the store. Did you have any trouble?" "An angry customer, that was all. Rather dull." "Yes, it normally is. Let's go to my office." She walked by his side as they made their way to his office. It only contained an oakwood desk and a chair. Some papers were scattered on the desk. He opened his saddlebag, pushed aside some papers and laid a new paper down. Spoiled's eyes widened. They were unsigned divorce papers. "Don't make this difficult, Spoiled." "I'm not signing them." "Doesn't matter. The judge will still divorce us." She slammed down a hoof. "How could you do this to me? After all I've done for you!" Her eyes narrowed. "You're leaving me for some tight little young whore aren't you?" Filthy raised an eyebrow. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She advanced on him, so close her breath was on his neck. "Who is it? I'll kill her!" "Spoiled, you're not making any sense!" He stepped back. "You know full well why I'm divorcing you." "You don't think I see all those pretty little fillies working here? One of'em lift her tail for you? Bend right over and lift her flipping tail?" He blushed at the image. "Spoiled, stop it! You know that's not true!" Spoiled looked over to a letter opener on the edge of the desk. Her hoof twitched. Filthy placed his hoof on it. "Spoiled?" The emptiness was returning, swallowing everything up. An image flashed in her mind of Filthy with his throat slashed. She grabbed the blade, shoulder blocking him into the wall. Quickly, she raised it into the air. "Spoiled you crazy bitch, stop!" She plunged the blade into her chest, blood splattering on paper and wood. "Spoiled!" He rushed to her, cradled her in his arms. She was still breathing though she had collapsed immediately after stabbing herself. Brief medical training back in the Colt Scouts instructed him not to remove the blade. It would stop up the wound, though blood was already running down her fur. He pulled her onto his back and rushed out of the office.
Mommy DearestFilthy darted from the office, nearly tripping over the stairs. Spoiled's weight was heavy on his back, her blood soaking into his shoulder. There was too much blood, far too much blood. He ran past shelves, he ran past the cash register, ignoring the shouts of justifiably alarmed employees and customers. He rushed from the front door into the dazzling sunlight. Was it afternoon? He didn't really know. He continued running, breaking into a gallop. A cloud of dust rose up in his wake as his hooves thundered on dirt and then on cobblestone. The pounding of stone against his horseshoes hurt, but he ignored it. He thought he heard his left back shoe snap, but he ignored it. That could be replaced later. It was no longer about Spoiled as his ex-wife. It was about Spoiled as a fellow Pony. A Pony did not let another Pony die. Brightly colored stalls overflowing with fruit, grains and vegetables blurred past him. The Ponies of the market place shouted in surprise. He nearly bowled over a familiar looking, purple unicorn who was being trailed by three fillies. He didn't stop to apologize. "Hey, wait! Mr. Rich!" The Princess took off after him, breaking into a gallop. "My apologies, Princess Twilight, but as you can see I don't have time for a conversation!" "Let me see her! I might be able to heal her!" Filthy paused, exhaustion nearly knocking him over. His breaths came in ragged gasps. His lungs were burning, his chest on fire. He took several moments to catch his breath. Twilight grunted, levitating Spoiled to the ground. She walked around her, examining her. "How did this happen?" "She tried to kill herself." Twilight nodded. Her horn glowed and a frown crossed her face. "Right in the chest...left anterior descending coronary artery...her magic is working overtime just to keep her alive...I can speed the process along..." Her horn glowed and a purple aura removed the blood. Blood spurted out before Twilight's aura overtook the wound. It began to close up, skin reforming over the gaping hole, restitching as the new flesh was guided by Twilight's magic. The Cutie Mark Crusaders scampered up. "Miss Twilight what happened?" She ignored them, glancing at the letter opener. The tip had snapped off. "She did it with a lot of force and that's not a very strong blade." "Miss Twilight-" She smiled sweetly at them. "I'm sorry, girls, give us a minute." "But-" She patted Sweetie Belle's head. "I'll explain everything. Just a second, okay?" The fillies pouted, but obeyed their teacher. Twilight returned her attention to Filthy. "Mr. Rich, she's not out of the woods yet. The tip of that blade is in her heart. Jostling her is a bad idea. I've stopped the blood flow for now, but that tip needs to be removed and I'm not a licensed surgeon. Some things not even magic can do. This requires delicacy. If I pull it out the wrong way, she could bleed out." She shuddered. "It's why healing has never been my strong suit. Makes me nervous." Filthy nudged the unconscious mare onto his back. "Regardless, thank you for your help Princess Twilight." "I can at least teleport you. She needs help quick." She glanced at the fillies. "Don't worry you three, the nature trail is still on. Go on ahead. Mr. Rich, I'm going to teleport you and your wife." Filthy gulped. "I ain't never teleported before. Is that safe?" "It's perfectly safe, I've done it countless times." She lit her horn, casting her field over him. He tingled at the sensation of the magic washing over him. Then came a blinding flash of light and he passed through he knew not what. There was no time in this place so he could not say how long the trip had taken. All around him was light, pure light in every color imaginable. There was yellow and blue and purple, red and green and pink. The colors of the rainbow, an eternal vortex of power and life swirled all around them as they traveled through it. He felt the magic within him drawn to this place as a drop of water is drawn to the ocean. This was the source of all magic, the source of his existence. And the being he was travelling with was treating it as if it was a mere road crossing through the woods. Suddenly, the rainbow vanished. He stumbled as his legs felt like jelly. Mystical bands steadied him before he could fall and Spoiled could tumble from his withers. Twilight rubbed his side. "You alright there? Not everypony does well on their first teleportation. My brother threw up the first time. His buddies in the Guard still won't let him forget about that." Filthy breathed deeply. He felt tired, a deep exhaustion that settled into his bones and his soul. The ending of his marriage. Spoiled's suicide attempt. The exposure to the power of teleportation magic for the first time. It was all too much, far too much. He felt Twilight's hoof on his side. They were standing in a hospital waiting room. The hospital walls had been painted white at one point, but they had faded to a dingy grey. The carpet was an industrial shade of blue. "Mr. Rich?" Two doctors rushed up. His wife was taken from his withers in a bizarre parody of how, on their wedding day, he had carried her across the threshold. He hastily explained the knife wound to the doctors, Twilight providing most of the information. Their wedding day had been happy. He thought he could remember what happiness was. It was before having met the mare that they were rolling away in that gurney. He slumped in a hard, plastic blue chair. Twilight sat next to him, rubbing his shoulder. "Mr. Rich? Are you okay?" "Why? Why would she do this?" "It's hard to say with suicide. Has she been depressed lately?" He rested his head in his hooves. "We're divorcing. I brought her the divorce papers to sign. She went insane, began babbling about me having an affair. I've never cheated on her. Not once. How could she even think that? How could she accuse me of that? Then she stabbed herself right in front of me." He bit back tears. He was not going to cry. "She's put me through hell before and she's doing it again. Was she trying to upset me? Was this some kind of attempt to force me to take her back?" Twilight shook her head. "The counselors will have to talk to her. She'll be required to take therapy. Paid for by the Crown, of course. What did you mean that she put you through hell?" He told her. The way she berated, insulted and humiliated him and Diamond. The cruel head games. The harsh punishment doled out to their daughter that finally tore them apart. Twilight's expression changed from concern to shock to anger. She heavily sighed. "Mr. Rich, you realize I'm going to have to press charges against her don't you? Emotional and physical cruelty to a child. She's looking at a fifty-thousand bit fine and ten years community service." Filthy's lips twitched. "Community service?" "In a town like this she's probably going to end up working on a farm." That did it. Spoiled, with a plow strapped to her back, working on a farm. It started with a tremble in his belly and was released in a guffaw that made Twilight look at him like he might have needed some therapy himself. He wiped away tears. "Princess, my wife hates farmers." "Tough luck. I'll make certain she ends up on a farm. Trust me on that one." Filthy leaned back in his chair. Finally, the stress caught up with him. In a few moments he was snoring. ... What surprised Spoiled when she opened her eyes was that she was alive. Either that or the stories of her foalhood were seriously inaccurate on the matter of the afterlife. There was no endless green plain where the Eternal Herd roamed forever. Nor was there the cold and darkness of the Halls of the Damned. She looked around finding herself to be on a hospital bed. Bandages were wrapped around her chest. A glance outside the window showed the sun setting, painting the skies in shades of fiery orange. Puffy pink clouds dotted the darkening, evening sky. A Pony walked into her room. She was older than Spoiled, but could have been her twin with the exception of a graying black, dyed blonde, mane. A lit cigarette dangled from between her cracked lips. She looked at Spoiled as a scientist might look at a failed experiment or one might look at an insect. She removed the cigarette from between her lips. "Why the hell you'd try to kill yourself?" At first Spoiled wondered how she'd found out. Of course. The wonderful system of the Empire of Equestria required the next of kin to be informed when somepony nearly died. Why aren't I dead? She stared at a point on the wall. Am I dead? Is this Hell? My mother is here. This is Hell. "Spoiled. I asked you a question." She didn't feel like answering."Me and Filthy are divorcing." She took another drag on her cigarette. "What happened? Did he finally realize you weren't good enough for him? I tried to warn him." "Yes, Mother. You did. On our wedding day as I recall." "Hey, the priest said to speak if you had an objection. I had an objection." Spoiled grit her teeth, a sharp pain shooting through her jaw. "No one does that. It's a god damned rhetorical question." She jabbed the cigarette towards her daughter. Smoke filled the room. Spoiled coughed. She hated the smell of cigarettes. "Don't you mouth me Filly unless you want a smack across your lips." Spoiled wanted to punch her. "You ruined my wedding. We had a second one, you know. You weren't invited." Her mother's eyes widened. This was the first she'd heard of it. "I don't believe you." "I have the pictures. I'll prove it to you." An ugly snarl crossed her features. She advanced on Spoiled who suddenly felt like a frightened six year old again. She drew back. Her mother leered over her, her breath smelling of the whiskey and tobacco that had dominated her foalhood. "You know what you are, Spoiled?" She drew herself up. "Yes. I do. More than what you said I was. I made more of myself than you thought I ever would." "Shit. You're nothing but shit. I told you when you were a filly playin' with those fancy dolls, sayin' you wanted to be rich one day. I told you you were never going to accomplish a damned thing." Spoiled had thought her mother had been drunk at the time. If she remembered it, then that meant she had been sober. That made it worse. "Always tryin' to make yourself look pretty. Looked like a whore. Whored yourself out to the first rich pony that showed up." Spoiled looked away. There was some truth to her mother's words. "I told you when you were a teenager tryin' to act all pretty. You're just coal mine trash. Put you in a big, pretty mansion you're still coal mine trash." "Shut up." It came out as a tearful whisper. Tears were already stinging her eyes. Some were trailing down her eyes. She desperately wanted to stop the flow. There was plenty of medicines around here. She could pop some pills and then the bliss of eternal rest. Her mother sneered down at her. "Trash. So damned cowardly you tried to throw it all away when things got tough. Cowardly trash." She laughed. A hard, bitter, empty sound. A sound that had driven away her stepfather. I...have I ever made Diamond feel like this? So worthless and small? "Ah, Miss Obsidian Heart." Filthy strode into the room. "Sunset and you're still sober? What's the occasion?" Obsidian Heart turned to face her former son-in-law. "Finally gettin' rid of her, huh? I told you." "Get out. You call your daughter trash? At least Spoiled can go more than a day sober you old drunk. And put out that cigarette. The rules actually do apply to you and you can't smoke in a hospital." She threw the cigarette on the floor, stomping it out. Then she trotted out the door. Ex-husband and ex-wife stared at each other. He trotted over. She hurriedly wiped away her tears. "What are you doing here? Why did you save me?" "Regardless of my feelings for you, I'm not going to let another Pony die." He paused. "You're going to be facing legal trouble." She glanced up at him. "What?" "Twilight is the one who took the knife out of your chest. I explained everything. You're being charged with child cruelty." "How...how could you do this to me?" "Isn't that the problem, Spoiled? Your inability to accept the consequences of your actions or to take responsibility for anything. I don't intend to sound cruel, but you brought this upon yourself. You'll be escorted to jail when you recover." Spoiled leaned back on the pillow. "I'll post bail and hire a good lawyer." He shrugged. "Do as you wish. You know, I never intended for this to happen. I wanted forever, but we couldn't work." "Please go." He nodded and then turned, leaving the room. ... Filthy trudged into his brother's apartment. He was greeted by a blur of pink attaching itself to his leg and revealing itself to be his daughter. He patted her head. She looked up at him. "So, are you and Mommy divorced?" "Yes, Sweetie. Yes, we are." Custody and alimony could be worked out later. He wrapped a hoof around her. "Are you alright?" She nodded and smiled. "Can I...I'm going to stay with you, right?" "Of course." He held her close. His daughter. His greatest treasure.
Epilogue-Breaking the CycleDiamond wandered happily through the rows of apple trees. The air was sweet with the scent of the succulent fruit. All around her leafy, green branches swayed. Juicy, red apples hung from the trees, tempting her with the promise of their delightful taste dancing on her tongue. She licked her lips, which tasted like apples due to the lunch she had shared with her very special friend. Sunlight shimmered on the rough bark of the trees which enveloped her like the embrace of her lover. It was beautiful, all so beautiful. A poet she had once read wrote that love made all things beautiful. Diamond agreed. She whistled as she continued to slowly trot, the tall grass tickling her bare hooves. The high branches shaded her from the fierce heat of the summer sun. She paused and sat down near the gnarled roots of a particularly ancient tree. Silvery lichen and emerald moss ran up the tree's trunk. Patches of moss held the soil together. Apple Bloom had explained to her how everything in nature served a purpose. Moss held the soil together. Fungi broke down dying plants. Lichen helped prevent erosion. Nature was a cycle, an endless circle of death and renewal. A tree fell in the forest and became a nursery for new seeds. The seasons followed one another. New plants grew from rot and decay. One generation followed another. Foals became mares. At her age she could be called a mare. The pink-coated mare rose up and stretched. A yellow-coated, red-maned mare trotted into the grove, smiling at Diamond and giving her a nuzzle. Diamond returned it, brushing her lips over the other mare's lips. She tasted like sweat, having just completed her daily task. The taste was intoxicating. Bloom gave her another kiss and drew apart. "You ready Diamond?" Diamond sighed. "Do I have to?" Bloom chuckled. "You don't have to do a darned thing you silly filly. We can go down to the swimmin' hole and spend the rest of the day there. But I got a feelin' you and her got some unresolved business." "Yeah, we do." "So, what's it going to be? Swimmin' hole or talkin' things through with your mama? Her shifts ending soon and she'll be out of here. She's only got one more month of community service. Time sure does fly doesn't it?" Diamond nodded. "Yeah. It sure does." Bloom leaned into her. "I'll be right here. Whatever you decide." "Where will she be?" "West orchard." "Lead the way." She followed her marefriend. She would follow her anywhere. They wandered through the seemingly endless rows of trees until they reached a clearing. In the distance a pink mare could be seen. Her mane and tail were still a vibrant shade of purple. If one liked older mares, she could be seen as attractive. Her muscles had become toned, particularly her back and legs. She wore an expression of great concentration on her face as she turned and slammed her back legs into the tree. A rain of red apples fell into the waiting basket. She moved onto another tree, bucking it as well. Bloom rubbed Diamond's withers. "Go on. Your choice." "I know you want me to do it." Bloom shook her head. "It ain't about what I want, Diamond. It's about you always cryin' about her when you've had too much cider. It's gettin' on my nerves." Diamond chuckled at the obvious good natured teasing. Spoiled noticed the two, but said nothing. "It's been five years since we last spoke. She had supervised visitation rights. Our relationship sort of went from freezing, Northern wasteland to just cool then back to freezing wasteland when I started dating you." Bloom frowned. Diamond tickled her side, eliciting a squeal. "Don't you dare feel guilty about that." Spoiled trotted over to them. Diamond felt her back stiffen. Spoiled addressed Apple Bloom. "Applebloom, I am done for the day. Good afternoon and I'll see you tomorrow." "See ya tomorrow." She began to walk away. "Wait." Spoiled stopped. "Yes, Diamond?" "Mom, can we talk?" Spoiled walked back and stood to face her daughter. "I was under the impression you didn't want to speak to me." "Yeah, you probably got that from how I haven't said one word to you in five years." "That is how I arrived at the conclusion, yes." That condescending tone grated on her. Spoiled looked away. "What is it you wanted to say?" "You know me and Bloom have been dating for a long time. I've discussed things with Dad. He approves and Granny Smith approves. We're getting married-" "I know, Diamond. Your father still talks to me on occasion. It is a rather momentous event and he felt I should know." Her eyes moved from Bloom to Diamond. "If you're debating about inviting me to the ceremony, I assure you I will not act as my own mother did." "Would you want to come?" Diamond asked. "Of course. I wouldn't miss my daughter's wedding. Do you want my blessing?" Diamond sighed. "It'd mean a lot to Bloom. She's a stickler for tradition." "Blame my upbringing though we're gettin' married with or without it." Spoiled nodded. "I can see how happy she makes you. You positively glow with the radiance of being in love. You might not believe me, but I do wish for your happiness. So yes, I give my blessing." "Mom..." "There's a condition." Diamond's shoulder sagged. "Of course there is." "Are you marrying Apple Bloom just to anger me?" "No, of course I'm not!" She spat, placing her foreleg around Bloom and drawing her close. "I love Apple Bloom more than I've ever loved another Pony!" "Good. I'm glad." "There's more. Me and Apple Bloom plan on having foals. With Unicorn magic we can merge our DNA. One of us will bear the foal, we haven't decided who yet. Soon, I'm going to be a parent." She paused, drawing strength from her lover's presence and her own supply of confidence. "Look, Mom, you might not realize this. I don't think you can, but you were an awful mom." "I know." Diamond gaped. "You do?" Spoiled looked her straight in the eye. "Yes, Diamond. I do know. My therapist helped me to realize just how many things were wrong with my way of thinking. I'm a narcissist. I can't help being that. Much of it is because of my own mother. You...you wouldn't believe how I was treated by her." "No, I would." "I was never that bad to you." "No, you were." "She was worse." "I don't know if that's possible." "It is, I assure you." Diamond breathed. "We'll be arguing all day if we keep going. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm going to be a better mom than you were. I'm going to be a better mom than Grandma was." Spoiled snorted. "You already are better than her." "I know your mom abused you and you abused me. That ends here. It ends with me." She stomped her hoof. "This cycle has to end and I'll be the one to end it." Spoiled closed her eyes. She smiled when she opened them. "I know you'll be the one. I want you to." She gulped. "You have to." It surprised Diamond when she embraced Spoiled. It surprised her more when Spoiled returned the embrace. Apple Bloom trotted a respectful distance away. Mother and daughter only left the embrace after several minutes had passed. Spoiled wiped away Diamond's tears before wiping away her own. "Good luck, Diamond." "Thank you. I have to go now. I have a wedding to plan." "Of course, my dear." Together, leaning into each other, Diamond and Apple Bloom walked off into town.
Trouble in ParadiseFilthy knew something was wrong the minute he stepped onto the plush, red carpet of his living room. There was an energy of wrongness, a tension that hung over the mansion. He looked to the blue couch where his daughter usually rested and watched TV after school. She wasn't there which normally meant she was in her room serving a time-out. She could be out with her only friend, but Silver knew better than to disturb her when My Little Puppy was on. He looked around for his wife, walking into the kitchen in case she had decided to order the servants to make her a snack. She was not sitting at the long table. A green checkered tablecloth was spread over the table. It was immaculately clean. Two crystal candle holders were set in the center of the table and so was a bowl of fresh cut carnations. The servants had been busy. He made a mental note to give them their pay the next day. Leaving the kitchen, he passed the living room which was filled with colorful paintings and wall-hangings. Gifts and purchases he had accumulated in his occasional travels. A bookshelf was filled not only with books, but also knick-knacks and family photographs. He smiled at one in particular. It showed him, Spoiled and Diamond. She was smiling widely, holding both her parents' hooves. In the background was that great city built by the strong hooves of Earth Ponies, Manehattan. Filthy smiled himself at his daughter's smile. For the life of him he couldn't understand why his daughter didn't have more friends. She was such a happy child. The smile vanished from his face as he recalled what Cheerilee had told him about her bullying behavior. He had scolded her and wanted to punish her for it, but Spoiled had talked him out of it. Just a phase, she had said. That had been an odd discussion. Normally, Spoiled was the stricter parent. Sometimes, she was too strict for Filthy's liking. That time, she had almost insisted that their daughter's behavior was an excusable phase. Filthy secretly wondered if she hadn't been a bully herself at one point. He continued his trek down the long hallway and heard the rush of waters. Ah, so she was in the shower. It was something she did after her obligatory thirty minute attempt at housework which consisted of yelling at the servants to do things she could easily do herself. Filthy, as a young and virile stallion, would surprise her by slipping into the shower with her. She would always welcome him and, well, they had a good time all in all. He was not old and could feel masculine virility yet flowing through him. He did not slip into the shower with her today and had not in many years. Trying to remember the last time he had done so caused him to draw a blank. He walked away from the bathroom door and up the stairs. At the top step he heard the faintest sniffle. His ears perked up. Unless the maid had broken up with the cook (again), that sniffle could only belong to one filly. He hurried his pace. His daughter's cry always pierced his heart. He opened up the door. Diamond laid on her tummy, her face buried in a pillow. Her backside was a pinker shade than usual, hinting that she'd gotten a taste of old fashioned discipline. Spanking was an exceedingly rare occurrence in their household, but their had been times Diamond had crossed the line and ended up taken over her mom or even her dad's knee. (A certain zap apple harvest had ended that way). Still, she had only been spanked twice last year. Lately, Diamond's behavior had been very good. He sat down and ran a hoof through her mane. She hurled herself into his chest, wrapping both her forelegs around his barrel. He hugged her back, caressing her withers. After a few moments she calmed down, though she kept herself nestled into his chest. Being forced to miss My Little Puppy and a spanking was a harsh punishment indeed. What had she done? "Sweetie, why did Mommy spank you?" She wiped away her last few tears. "B-because I decided to be friends with the C-cutie Mark Crusaders a-and sh-she doesn't want me to." Filthy blinked. There had to have been some mistake. "Diamond? Is that all you did?" Perhaps, she had gotten into trouble with the Crusaders. They were trouble prone after all. Diamond nodded. "Y-yeah." He breathed again. He was going to get to the bottom of this. There had to be a miscommunication somewhere. There was no way Diamond was telling the truth. She was leaving something out. There was no other explanation. No, that wasn't true. There was another explanation. He just didn't want to think about that one. He gave her a consoling pat on the shoulder. "Daddy needs to go talk to Mommy. Please, wait right here." She nodded and curled back up on the pillow. He rose and left the bedroom. Spoiled Rich was just leaving the shower when he passed the bathroom. She had a white towel wrapped around herself which she casually threw into the dirty clothes basket. He laid an arm around her withers and, before she could protest, herded her down the hallway. "You, me, living room. Now." His tone tolerated no argument. She squirmed beneath his hold, but her years of sloth had left her weak while his habit of loading heavy crates full of merchandise had added to his natural, Earth Pony strength. They made it to the living room and he let her go. She pranced away from him, facing him. "How dare you handle me like that!" "Not in the mood, Spoiled. Diamond is crying in her room and she claims you spanked her because she made friends. I don't want to believe her. Please tell me she's lying. Please." Spoiled's eyes darted to the left. "She left out a few things." Filthy suppressed a flicker of anger. "Give me the bottom line, Spoiled." She snarled. "I'm not your employee, don't talk to me like one." He stepped closer to her. "No. You're my wife. And I expect honesty from you." She stepped back. "Yes. I paddled her behind. She wanted to make friends with that filthy farmer's sister and her featherbrain friend! It wouldn't be so bad if she made friends with the unicorn, she could be useful since her sister's got connections, but a filthy farmer? Or a featherbrain?" Filthy shook. He had fired employees on the spot for using those kinds of tribalist slurs. For a few moments he stood there, shaking and in shock. "Filthy farmer? My family are farmers or have you forgotten? I don't see a horn coming out of your head or wings sprouting from your back! We're Earth Ponies, we're all farmers! Maybe I haven't in a long time, but I can plow a field or buck a tree with the best of them!" Spoiled rolled her eyes. "Yes, your father made you work on a farm. I'd never make Diamond do something like-" "Shut up." Spoiled's jaw dropped. Filthy continued. "What the hell is wrong with you? That filthy farmer is my best customer! Our families have been partners for generations!" Once, he had even gone so far as to consider Big Mac a friend but that relationship had cooled at some point. Spoiled lifted one perfectly manicured hoof. "Partners?" She snorted. "They practically work for you! They'd be nothing without you to sell their products-" He stomped his hoof and snorted. "You are a moron who knows nothing about business!" "How dare you-" "Just shut up!" He roared. He stalked so close to her their noses were touching. Fear flashed in her eyes as she became aware of how large and imposing her husband actually was. She nearly tripped over the couch as she was pushed back. "Business is about relationships! Do you know I know which one of my employees are married and I ask after their families every time I see them! At the very least I try to let them know I care about them! The Apple Clan is the reason my clan is so rich! We work together! Together, Spoiled! Together! It's a partnership! If Diamond decides Applebloom is her one true love and elopes with her I'll foot the wedding bill because I couldn't imagine anything better for my business!" Spoiled sniffed. "You'd marry our daughter off to a farmer!" "We're Earth Ponies you tribe traitor!" She moved farther away from him. His lips were curled up in an expression of utter disgust. He stalked towards her. "I can bet your clan were farmers at some point!" "No, we never were-" "Then maybe they were all just too damned lazy to do an honest day's work!" She jabbed her hoof into his muscular chest. "Don't you talk about my clan that way! And I am not a tribe traitor!" "Could've fooled me! You practically get on your knees and inhale every time a unicorn farts! You don't have the slightest shred of pride, racial or otherwise!" He jabbed his hoof into her chest, pushing her back. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be content to just sponge off of me! I thought you were doing your duty, being a good mother to Diamond and now I see how wrong I was!" "I am a good mother to her! I'm looking after her prospects." "You're delusional! And I can't believe you would punish her just for making friends!" "I punished her for associating with lowlifes!" He stopped. "What did you spank her with?" For a moment she was caught off guard by the change in subject matter. "My hairbrush." He nodded and saw the implement laying on the stand next to the couch. He picked it up. It was hickory wood, fine craftsponyship. It had been a birthday gift for Spoiled. Suddenly, he felt a wave of self-hatred that his gift to her would be used to unjustly punish their daughter. Spoiled's eyes widened. "Filthy, y-you wouldn't dare! I'll divorce you!" "That's supposed to discourage me?" He turned to glare at her. "Diamond didn't deserve her punishment. But you do deserve a sore backside and so much worse." She tried to run, but Filthy was quicker and stronger. He grabbed her by her hoof. "Did she try to run?" He dragged her over to the couch and sat down, bending her across his knees. He had given her playful spanks once, long ago. Harmless love play. This wasn't play. Her kicking only served to put her rump in a good position. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You deserve this, Spoiled. Deep in your heart, if you still have one of those, you know you do." "S-stop!" "I bet Diamond begged! Did you listen to her?" He brought the hairbrush down across her backside. The resounding crack of wood across her behind filled the room. He landed a second, equally firm smack in the same place. He lifted his brush and landed a third smack, leaving a dark pink mark. He moved lower, getting into a good rhythm as he brought the hairbrush down against her behind again and again. She kicked her legs and squirmed as the hairbrush continued to relentlessly fall against her rump. He tightened his grip over her and concentrated on the right side of her rump. He lifted the hairbrush and brought it down again and again, the sting of the brush causing her to yelp and shout. "Please stop!" She was helpless as the hairbrush continued smacking her backside. Filthy brought down several more smacks across the right side of her rump, then he turned his attentions to the left side of her rump. He unleashed a barrage of firm swats to the left side of her rump and then went back to smacking the right side. He peppered her pink posterior with the stinging spanks. She stopped squirming as the spanking continued. The spanks moved to her sit spot. He swung the brush against her reddened rear, smacking the exact center of her rump. She yelped, but he continued spanking. He fell into a steady cadence of spanks, the hairbrush raining down hard slaps that alternated from the left side of her rump to the right and then to the sit spot again. Three hard smacks fell in rapid succession to her sit spot then the hair brush began to fall across the right side of her behind. He lifted the hairbrush once more, preparing to land more spanks when a voice rang out. "Daddy? What are you doing?" He was too late to stop the trajectory of the hairbrush which landed across his wife's backside. He looked up. Diamond was at the end of the hallway. She stepped into the living room. "Are you spanking Mommy because she spanked me? But I deserved it." He set down the hairbrush and nearly threw Spoiled from his lap as he walked towards Diamond. He walked over and embraced his daughter. She embraced back. Filthy realized that she was convinced that whatever her mommy said or did was the right thing. How much damage had Spoiled done while he tried not to see it? He felt tears welling up in his eyes. "No, Diamond. Your mommy did a very terrible thing and she deserved to be punished for it. You did nothing wrong. You can make friends with anypony you want." He stroked her mane. "How would you like to go get some ice cream and then we can take a little trip to Manehattan. We'll visit your cousin, Amethyst. You like her don't you?" Diamond's face brightened into a smile. "That sounds fun!" She turned to look at Spoiled who had an expression that was a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Does Mommy have to stay here and think about what she did?" Filthy stared at Spoiled. "I'd highly suggest that she do that. And think about what she wants to do in our future-if we have a future." Diamond took his hoof. He squeezed it as they walked out the door. Author's Note This story demanded to be written. Anytime I write a spanking fic I like it to be in the context of love play or loving parental discipline. This is different, but Spoiled needs her @$$ beat.
