Title:           The story of Diamond "Fast Food" Tiara [WIP]
Author:          SpeedBoostBlaziken
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/ny9gpf7D
First Edit:      Tuesday 23rd of September 2014 10:06:49 AM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Saturday 28th of February 2015 10:47:52 PM CDT

"Diamond...Tiara?!"
"I haven't seen you since school! How've you been?!"
 
You are Raincatcher, a pegasus stallion from the town of Ponyville. You've recently stopped at the newest
>"Oh, you know, just working a bland 9-to-5 job at a fast food joint so I can have something to eat every day"
"Oh. That sounds rough"
>"Yeah, well that's because it is. Now are you gonna order something or stand there making small talk"
>"DOIAMOND TIARAH! WHIT DE YEHW THINK YEURE DOIN TWALKIN TE ME COOSTOMURS LOIK THAWT!"
>You hear what sounds like an angry drunk stallion from Trotland
>Aka a stallion from Trotland
"Uh, sir, you see-"
>'VERY SAWRY ABOUT THAT LAD! TERRIBLY SAWRY"
"Uh, it's OK sir, I actually know her. I'm sure she didn't mean that"
>"WEHL WHIT YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU GUNNA HAHVE THEN LAD?!"
"Uh, a guess a number 1 with large fries"
>"AWL ROIGHT THEN COOMIN ROIGHT UP"
>Clearly this guy was raised by a Trotspony and an Austrotlian
"So, uh, Tiara, what time do you get off of work"
>"Huh, oh, 5 o' clock. Why?"
"Well I thought maybe we could hang out, catch up"
>"Really? Uh, well, sure I guess"
>You're surprised she actually agreed to be seen with you. Guess having to work a crappy fast food job like this has taken her down a notch
 
>5:15pm
>You are Raincatcher
>Fresh out of school, already an assistant manager at Hoofheld Hobbies, the largest supplier of Pencils, Pens, Paintbrushes, and other arts and crafts supplies
>Also the second largest supplier of quills
>You've just run into an old, erm, acquaintance, and she seems to be down in the dumps
>And down on her luck
>The two of you are chatting away, DT telling you how she was never prepared for the working world
>She was spoiled to the point where she never believed she'd have to do anything
>In fact she almost had it that way
>The late Filthy Rich was going to leave his fortune with her, but right before he bit the dust he changed his will to give it to some old business partner of his
>As much as he loved his daughter, he was bitter toward her for not being a boy to carry on the Rich family name
>Why he couldn't have just named her "Diamond Rich" or something to that effect is beyond anyone
>Maybe it's some family rule that only males get "Rich" in their names
>Back to the conversation
"So where are you staying?"
>"Well, uh, that's not important. What about you?"
>That's suspicious
>You expected her to brag about how she still lives in a big mansion and you don't
"Are you still living in your dad's mansion, or are you living elsewhere? You can tell me"
>"Why?!" she shouts as she leaps up from the bench surprising you
>"So you can laugh at me? Tell me I'm worthless? That the formerly mighty Diamond Tiara isn't worth looking at just because she moves between housing projects and shelters all the time?!"
>At this point she's in tears, her cheap mascara running down her face
>You couldn't be more caught off guard by this
>This was the last thing you'd expected
>"Go ahead. Make fun of me. But you should know I've heard it all before, so you'll have to be original if you want to hurt me"
>After a long silence, you finally tell her
"I don't"
>She looks at you, evidently blindsided by this statement.
>"Wait, what?"
"I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to get back at you for all the times you mocked me in school. I don't want to make you feel bad because of how your life is right now. I had it lucky, being told about a work-study program with two years left in school. That's how I became an Assistant Manager. I was helped, not lied to. You weren't helped. You were lied to, made to believe that hard work wasn't necessary for success."
>You could tell by her expression you were right on point
>"But how did you-"
"I've seen it plenty of times before. A lot of other ponies are treated that way, especially in Canterlot. When I was there scouting out colleges, back when I still planned to go to college, it was all I saw when I checked out the local businesses. Ponies who thought they were going to have an easy life, and then their parents decided to dump the responsibility of growing up on them all at once."
>She nods her head, affirming that she knew exactly what you were talking about.
"I'm sorry Diamond Tiara. If I'd seen that back in school, I could have helped you, but I didn't.  I just worried about myself. I'm so sorry"
>"Y-You don't need to apologize. Not at all. I mean, I should be apologizing for what I did back then. Even if you'd offered to help me back in school, I'm sure I would've refused, and called you a "nerd" or a "commoner who has to work"
>The two of you chuckle a bit as you help her wipe away the mascara tears
>"So, you're living the good life, huh? Eating caviar and steak like I used to."
"Not really. It's mostly hay pasta, apples, things that don't require effort. If I had the money I'd have to hire a chef and a maid, but I get by as it is"
>"Really. So, you never told me where you live. Is it near town center?"
"Nah, I live over in Everfree Villiage"
>"The apartments? I thought you'd have a big fancy house what with all your success in life"
"Success huh? I guess you could put it that way. I make decent enough money to live comfortably, but to be honest I'm pretty lazy when it comes to things other than my job. And the only reason I'm not lazy at my job is because I can't be"
>It was always hard admitting that you didn't really give a flying feather about anything but making money so you could live
>That and improving your intellect through study, puzzles, etc
>At least you contributed to society in some way, but sitting at home doing nothing but reading novels, watching tv, sleeping, or eating easy to make food, every day from 5:30 pm to 7:30 am was almost more than you could handle anyway.
>At least you occasionally went out and socialized with the townsponies every other weekend
>"So you mentioned scouting out colleges? What are your plans? Or do you have any?"
"I don't really have any plans for college. The way I see it, I've finished school, and now I'm supporting myself."
>"Well I'd love to go to college, but it's not exactly free, and the system seems to think I'm still rich so I couldn't get financial aid, even if there was a chance I could pay it off in my lifetime"
>It pained you to hear somepony talk about their dreams being taken away by something they had no control over
>If only there was some way to help her
>Or maybe there was...
"Y'know, I still have the college fund I saved up for myself but never used. It's just lying around not doing anything. Maybe we could use it as a college fund after all."
>You may as well have told her she was the new queen of Equestria
>Her eyes lit up with joy, but her face expressed doubt beyond compare
>The portrait of conflicting emotions painted upon her face made it seems as though two beings controlled the two halves of her
>"Wait, you're saying you wanna help me go to college? Why would you do something like that, after all I've done to you?"
"Eh, I guess it'd make me feel good to help someone who works harder than I do but has less"
>You couldn't tell her the real, selfish reason for doing this
>You weren't just lazy, you felt bad, like you were greedy and worthless
>That wasn't it, you were just... unambitious
>You weren't content with your life. You wanted more but didn't care enough to seize it
>Doing this for her would allow you to basically live a fulfilling and exciting life vicariously through her
>Her interjection snaps you back to reality
>"B-b-but that's insane! You barely even know me"
"That's not true, I've known you for years. Sure, we got off on the wrong foot, but it's not too late for us to be friends right?"
>"I just can't believe you'd do something like that for me. I mean, sure it's a community college but it'll still be expensive"
"It's not like I'm gonna do much else with the money. Food and toothpaste aren't that expensive, and they're just about all I buy, so I've got a bit saved up"
>"Wait, only one bit?! I knew it! You ARE poor!" she shouts with a mischievous grin on her face
>As the two of you laugh at her pun, she looks at you again with a sincere face
>"Trust me, if you really are gonna do this, I'm gonna work as hard as I can to help."
>Suddenly, she shifts her eyes down, like a guilty child caught in the act
>"Although, I'll need to find a new job first"
"W-w-w-w-w-w-wait, I didn't get you fired did I?" you ask in a panic
>"Nonono, it was all me, and my decisions. Trust me. Plus, the manager has never liked me anyway. I'm pretty sure he had something against my dad"
"Well I'll help you find a new job-"
>"No no, you're done enough for me. More than enough really. I don't know how I'll repay you"
"I think I know a way"
>"How"
 
"With that plot"
>"Huh?"
"You know, the plot of land you own? The one with the big mansion on it"
>"Oh. About that, I guess I forgot to mention WHY I'm not living there. You see, when my dad passed away, he left me with a huge debt. I had to sell the mansion to pay for it, and I still owe a hundred bits or so, hence why I'm in such bad shape right now."
"Oh. Makes sense."
>You think of a solution, but you have to hope she doesn't find it too awkward
>Sheepishly, you ask her
"Say, my apartment is pretty roomy, why don't you stay there with me?"
>"R-really, you'd even let me stay with you in your home?"
"Yeah. I promise I'm not a serial killer or anything"
>300% Smooth Jiffy Peanut Butter on sale 50% off 60 jar packages at Costco
>"You sure about that?"
"Sure, it'd be nice having you around. You are nice to look at after all"
>She blushes a deep form of red and looks away
>If this were average everyday blushing you wouldn't notice due to her coat color
>But this was ADVANCED blushing
>You do much of the same
>This was your first time being flirtatious with a mare after all
>"You, know, you're not half-bad looking yourself"
>She says. Adopting that same devious smile from before, she continues
"But you've GOT to do something about that mane-cut, blech!"
>The two of you laugh and joke with each other about your appearances all the way back to your apartment
 
6:00pm
>"This couch does look comfy"
"Yeah, I hope I can sleep well on it"
>"Oooooh no! OOOOOOh nonononononono! YOU are NOT going to give up your bed for me too! You've done waaaaaaay too much already. I'm sleeping on this couch because it's the most comfortable thing I've had to sleep on since I lost the house."
"Mansion" you corrected
>"Yeah, yeah, make it sound even worse"
"If you insist, you can sleep there. Help yourself to any books or TV shows you like. I'm gonna fix something up for dinner"
>"Raincatcher?" (author's note: I keep forgetting this fucker's name)
"Yes Tia?"
>"I- Tia?"
"Yeah, for Tiara"
>"Oh. Anyway, why don't you let me take care of dinner"
"Uh, you sure about that"
>"Hey! I'm not TOTALLY useless. When I was young, my mom wanted me to be a proper lady, so she taught me how to cook. I've sort of, secretly done it as a hobby for a while"
"Really, I wouldn't have thought" you said in disbelief
>"Yeah, well, I couldn't let anyone know I did something so, 'beneath me'" she said, making air quotes with her hooves.
 
>Your new roommate walks into the kitchen, and eyes your pantry
>It's as barren as Granny Smith
>"Uh huh, well, we'll make do"
>She grabs butter, and some Marezetti's fettocini, the brand your mom used to buy all her pasta from
>She also grabs garlic powder, basil, and oregano
>She begins to take out the grated Parmesan,but puts it back
>"I'll make some butter pasta. I can't make full-on alfredo without milk after all" she says with a gaze that looks down on you, albeit playfully, not like when you were young
>Oh. So that's what you were forgetting to pick up on the way home
 
6:30pm
>You and Diamond Tiara are eating something you would call "delicious"
"I'd call this delicious, Tia"
>"Really? It seems, i don't know, like it's not my best"
"Well I didn't give you much to work with," you say sheepishly
"I guess with your talent though, you overcame it"
>She blushes a bit, but this time it's very faint, almost invisible
>She eats about half of her plate before declaring herself no longer hungry
"Into the trash it goes"
>"Are you kidding?! I should wrap it up and put it in the fridge for tomorrow."
"Oh yeah, I guess you're in the habit of saving food whenever possible right? I usually don't make more than I eat so I never run into that problem"
>"Yeah, being able to turn one meal into two, or at least a meal and a snack, is vital to low-budget survival"
the two of you clean up, put everything away, and resume chatting away about your lives
 
7:00p
>"Say, do you like movies?"
"Yeah I do. You want me to take you to one sometime?"
>"Oh, uh, I just was wondering if you had any favorites"
"Yeah. Backdoor Barn Mares 6"
>She stares at you wide-eyed
>"You're kidding right?"
>...
"Yes"
>...
>The two of you share a giggle
8:00pm
"Well, I guess I should head to bed"
>"Awww, already?"
"Well I start work at 7 am every morning so I have to get up a couple hours before everypony else"
>"Oh. Yeah. I guess managers have to be there early right?"
>She looks disappointed to see you going so soon
>But you have no choice
"Yeah, gotta take inventory, manage employee timesheets, things like that"
>"Yawn" she says, rolling her eyes
>"Boring!"
>You chuckle and head out of the room
"Sleep tight, Tia"
>"You too"
 
5:30am
>You wake up and roll out of bed
>Same as yesterday
>Same as every day
>As you limp into your living room, your right hind leg still waking up, you barely stop yourself from screaming at the sight of a strange pony lying on your couch.
>Oh right
>Anyway, you journey into the kitchen to find something to eat
>Diamond Tiara won't be getting up for an hour
>You try to be quiet about things, but you end up stirring her
>She gets up and rubs her eyes
>You'd heard stories that when mares wake up they look terrible compared to how they went to bed
>Apparently there was an exception for her
>She looks at you
>You look at her
>Your gazes connect, and you know what to say
>You look her dead in the eye and tell her 3 small words that fills her expression with joy
"I'm making waffles"
>"Mmm, I love frozen waffles"
"Well you're out of luck then, because these are gonna be fresh"
>"Really?"
"Yeah, waffles are just about the only thing I know how to make from scratch"
>"I can't wait. Do you mind if I take a shower here?"
"Not at all"
>She walks away toward the bathroom as you prepare mixing the batter
>You hear the shower turn on and realize something
>You forgot your oven mitt in the bathroom
>Somehow
>Diamond tiara is in the bathroom showering