Author's Note

Character Tags: Filthy Rich, Spoiled Rich, Diamond Tiara, Pipsqueak, Cherry Jubilee
Tags: Sad, Romance, Slice-of-life, sex

Set: 1503 AD; nine years before the end of The Broken and The Damned.

Rising from the Ashes~PT. 1

Filthy Rich closed the door of his office behind him, smiling as he walked through the isles of his store. After a hards day work, he was ready to head home and have a bit of nice downtime. He nodded to the only remaining employee in the store, telling him, "Good night, Broom Bristles. Remember to lock up when you're done."

"Good night, Mr. Rich", the janitor said. "Say hi to your daughter for me!"

"Will do", Filthy said, pushing out the door onto the street. He could easily have the carriage waiting for him to take him home, but he preferred to walk. While his wife would do that, he was perfectly contented with walking. Ponyville was beautiful in the sunset, and it was a view he simply didn't like passing up.

After about thirty minutes, with Luna's moon just starting to peek up over the horizon, he arrived at his mansion. While nothing like those in Canterlot or Manehattan, it was certainly bigger than the average house in Ponyville. Three-stories as opposed to the typical two, the house shown with a recent coat of white paint. A tiled roof and a large brick chimney gave the building an even more distinctive silhouette. Filthy unlocked the gate, heading up the walkway to the door.

Upon entering, he was greeted by an excited voice saying, "Daddy!"

His daughter, Diamond Tiara, ran up to him, wrapping her forelegs around his neck. He chuckled, returning the hug and said, "Good to see you, my little Diamond. How was school? Are you getting along with those CMC fillies?"

"Well, we're not really friends", she said sheepishly. "But, we're nice to each other now."

"That's good to hear", Filthy said. "Where's your mother?"

"She's eating", Diamond said. "She didn't want to wait for you."

Filthy sighed and shook his head. "Well, let's go eat ourselves, eh?"

"Ok, daddy!", Diamond said, following him into the dining room.

At the ornately carved table, Spoiled Rich was eating a large plate full of food. Filthy asked, "Good evening, Spoiled. Hungry, hmm?"

Spoiled swallowed as he entered, sticking up her nose a little and said, "Well, I was simply hungry. Is that so wrong?"

"No, it's not", Filthy said, sitting down and picking up the salad fork next to his bowl. "But, still. Couldn't you have waited?"

"I. Was. Hungry", Spoiled simply said.

Filthy's smile faded and he adopted a faint scowl. He went back to his food, stealing glances at her. He asked, "Are you alright honey? You seem a bit... skittish."

"I'm fine", Spoiled said, standing up and leaving her food on the table. "I shall be retiring."

Spoiled left and Filthy sighed. "Randolph!" As the butler entered, he said, "Would you mind cleaning up Spoiled's food?"

"Of course, Mr. Rich", he said, grabbing the plate and slid it onto his back, carrying it into the kitchen.

Diamond asked, "Why is mom acting like this?"

"I don't know", Filthy said. "She has no real reason to be stressed. She just took that big vacation to Manehattan. Maybe she's just tired."

"Daddy", Diamond said, shifting in her seat a bit. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, my Diamond. What is it?", Filthy asked.

"Why are you and mom still together?", she asked.

Filthy sat up straight, almost flabbergasted at her question. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

Diamond said, "Well, I mean... it's just... Come on, Diamond. Spit it out... You and mom are so different. She's not as nice as you. She's demanding, she's controlling, and she's just not fair. And, well... you two never seem to get along anymore. You're barely together, you never seem to agree... I sometimes even hear you yelling..."

Filthy lowered his head, and said, "We just have our differences. Sometimes, everypony simply doesn't get along. As for her expectations for you... how about this. I'll take the day off on Friday. We can have our own little trip for the day. How does Canterlot sound?"

"Ok, daddy", Diamond said.

++++~++++

Filthy made his way up to his room following dinner, a yawn escaping his mouth as he entered his room. Spoiled came out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and making her way over to the bed. Filthy, despite how comfortable and soft the bed looked, felt like sticking to his routine. As he headed over to the bathroom, Spoiled asked, "What are you doing? It's late, and I can't sleep when you run the shower."

"Calm down, dear. I'll only be a few minutes", he said.

"Fine", Spoiled said. "I'll be in bed. I need my beauty sleep."

Filthy simply nodded, pushing open the door to the bathroom. Moving past the expensive, billboard-branded products on the counter, he started to turn the pump to bring up the water. He undid his tie as he did so, practically able to feel the cold water already.

After a few minutes of lifting the pump handle up and down, he was ready and stepped into the tub and flipped the lever keeping the water in the tank above the tub. Coldwater ran down in a stream across his back, wiping away some of the dirt in his coat and cooling him down from the day's heat. Soon, the water ran out, but filled the mahogany tub just enough for him to lay down and have it reach up to his withers.

He did so, grabbing one of the shampoo bottles on the platform next to him. Opening it up, he gave it a squeeze but some failed to come out. Scowling, he gripped the bottle with his teeth and squeezed it onto his waiting hoof. A very small amount came out, and he sighed. He placed the bottle next to him on the edge of the tub and began to lather the shampoo in.

After he had finished cleaning himself, he toweled off the remaining shampoo and pulled out the plug. He stepped out of the tub, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around himself. As he dried himself off, he looked over at the empty bottle of shampoo. He grabbed it in his teeth, looking over at the wastebin next to the counter. He could easily walk over there, but why do so when wet? If he needed to use the restroom later, why take the risk of slipping in any remaining water? So, craning his neck, he tossed the bottle, watching it bounce off of the wall and falling into the bin.

He smiled. He was never all that good at sports as a colt, but he could throw decently well. It was nice to see, after all of these years, he still had it. His little reverie was interrupted when he heard his wife call out, "I said keep it down!"

His smile was replaced by a scowl, and he went back to drying his coat. His daughter was right; his wife's relationship with him wasn't the best, to say nothing of her relationship with their daughter. She was certainly more than a bit demanding, and it was little secret that she could be very dead-set on the things she wanted. However, she was still his wife. He recalled something his father had said, after he had told him he was planning on proposing to Spoiled: "Remember son; Marriage, agree or disagree, and as much as I dislike it, is a contract. You're both chipping into something you believe to be mutually beneficial. And, if there is one thing a Rich will never do, is to break a contract."

He hung back up the towel, and turned to leave. He only stopped when he saw a small box had fallen off of the top of the waste bin. He made his way over to it, looking at an empty box of tampons. He picked it up to put it back in the bin, only for a small plastic stick to fall out. His eyes widened as he picked it up, knowing what it was instantly and looking at the end of it. Sure enough, he spotted the same words and symbol he had seen several years before, before Spoiled had given birth to Diamond Tiara.

Pregnancy Tes +

His eyes widened as he looked down at the positive pregnancy test, his hoof practically shaking. He looked to the closed door, his eyes clenching shut. When he opened them, they were narrowed, and his scowl deepened.

He opened the door, watching as his wife put away a magazine. "Ah honey, good", she said, oblivious to his anger. "I need to talk to you. I'm planning on going on a trip for a few months, and-"

"Is this why?", he asked, holding up the pregnancy test.

It was his wife's turn for her eyes to go wide. "W-where did you get that!?"

"It was in the wastebasket", Filthy said. "Now, tell me two things. What's his name, and how long have you been seeing him?"

"How do you know it isn't yours?", Spoiled said, panic in her eyes.

"One, it's still in the trash", Filthy said. "Two, you're not showing any signs, so you must've found out recently. Three, you look like I came in on you doing something embarrassing... or shameful. So, again: Who is it, and how long?"

Spoiled stuttered for a moment, before snorting and raising her muzzle. "Fine", she said. "His name's Money Bags, a Manehattan banker. We've been seeing one another for roughly a year. Happy?"

"NO!", Filthy roared, fury in his voice. "I just learned you're pregnant from a stallion you've been cheating on me with for almost a year!" He took a deep breath, before fixing her with a cold glare. "Get out."

"Beg pardon?", she said.

He said, "You heard me. Sleep on the couch in the parlor. In the morning, after Diamond goes out to play with her friends, or simply leaves the third floor, we are going to sit down, and start talking about the terms."

"Terms?", Spoiled demanded. "What terms?"

"The terms of our divorce", he said, almost in a snarl. "You broke your end of our contract, and so it's broken. Our contract being the marriage. Ok?"

Spoiled stood up, huffed, "Fine!", and stormed out the door. Filthy dropped the pregnancy test, before trotting forward and slumping on his bed. In spite of the fact she had betrayed him, or perhaps because of it, he wept.