It was a new day. A new start to a life that might be worth living! After the fire, and in the hospital, Spoiled demanded her, and her daughter be placed in the same room. To Diamond Tiara, this was a nightmare in a nightmare. Now trapped in a room, close quarters with mother. Great.

Mother happily (and drunkenly) blamed the fire on the CMC, even if they had absolutely nothing to do with the blaze. Not that it mattered anyway. Crawling through the burnt wreckage turned up evidence of conspiracy. Pictures of the Carousel Boutique and Sweet Apple Acres and illegible, drunken plans for various fires to be stared around the properties.

After that, they wouldn't listen to a word Diamond had to say. All the protests that "She started the fire" fell on deaf ears, the damning evidence was too severe for her to get away with that. Mother expressed profound regret over the events of the day. She promised Diamond things would change. That she'd get better. That she almost hurt her baby, and she'd never let that happen again. She promised she was going to check into rehab, and get herself together to be a 'better mother. '

Which would have delighted Diamond, if it wasn't for the fact this would be the third time mother had made that specific promise to her. Still, it was hope, and that was something that was in short supply these days. Mother would purchase lawyers to defend her. Again. Her own little team of experts that would figure out how to get her off scot-free, or with as little penalties as possible. It was only a matter of time before things returned to 'normal.' Maybe a few months. Maybe a few weeks. But Diamond could enjoy the time that mother would be cowed into good behavior. Diamond could appreciate that, and while Mother was taking care of legal issues, Diamond had been set up to spend her time with Silver Spoon. Like an extended sleep over of sorts, which promised to be a fun little vacation from life, while the house was being repaired.

If that was the best she could do, so be it. Extended time spent with her best friend, a new appreciation for her new friends, and the depths they'd go to for her, and the renewed hope that mom might actually be ready to turn over a new leaf! She was satisfied with that. Sometimes there were no happy endings. Sometimes you could only do the best you could do and hope.

Hope. Heh. It was a poisonous thing that ruled her life. She hoped things would work out, and mother might learn her lesson, but she knew father would somehow get mother off the hook. Even Diamond Tiara knew she would pitch in. She'd never testify against her own mother. She'd do everything in her power to keep Spoiled from being sent to the dungeons. But she hoped things would change, even if mother somehow managed to sneak a bottle of champagne into her hospital room. She hoped mother would get better, even as she listened to her abuse the nurse. "Fluff my pillow. Bring me more pudding. I refuse to sleep in this bed until the sheets are changed. Do it now. Ugh. Do I HAVE to have a unicorn for a nurse?" She hoped she could fix her family, and now she had help from Silver Spoon and The Cutie Mark Crusaders. Even if things weren't great, or even better, things were definitely different. Maybe the burnt belongings, and ruined house might keep Spoiled in line a little longer than normal. Now she had more friends to help her share the weight of the world. Daddy promised he'd remove all the locks from the house, and replace them with deadbolts, which was exciting to hear. She'd never be locked in a room again in her own house, and if that was her 'reward' for everything she'd been through, Diamond was ready to accept it.

Somethings would stay the same, she was sure. Mother would inevitably relapse, like she always did. She'd hit the bottle lightly at first, and then harder and harder, until she was back to hiding booze around the house. She'd lose her temper and they'd have a screaming match, and she still hated Blank Flanks- there was no getting around that. She'd hate them to her dying days as if some great matter of principal.

But Diamond had to focus on the changes. The little things. Even if it was just a brief amount of time before things slipped back to normal, she had a group of friends who would support her through anything. That was it. That was the hope to hang onto! She could count on her friends, and she could most certainly depend on Silver Spoon. She'd stay strong, and help mother through this, and her friends would help her with mother. Together with her new friends she was ready to take on the world, and maybe while they couldn't save the day in the end,
together, they could at least survive it.

Author's Notes:

Sometimes there are no happy endings. Your mother isn't going to magically turn over a new leaf, despite how much you want her to. She will do whatever she wants, until she makes a conscious effort to change her behavior, and often times, those are weak willed attempts at best.

The best you can do, is marshal it. Manage it. Try to keep it from swallowing you up, and doing the best with what you have. No, you can't 'beat' this, but you can look for ways to survive it.

To all the victims and survivors how domestic abuse: I won't tell you it gets easier, because most of the time it won't. I know that's not very reassuring, but the truth of the matter is, you are in an unfortunate situation, and there's nothing you can do about it, other than try and cope.
But you don't have to do it alone.

The story ends on a positive note in a bleak situation. The fire came out of no where, as fires tend to do. You can't predict a fire or the catastrophes that happen in life. Shocked there was suddenly a fire? So are they. I had to find a way to end the story, and this gives me a climax. If I kept going the way that it started, I fear I'd never finish. The fire was required for hope. Often abuse will only cease after a traumatic event, or some momentous life impacting change. I wanted to give Diamond and the readers hope. She deserves it. And so do you.

Soapbox: http://www.fimfiction.net/blog/553759/aftermath-or-the-blog-where-rarity-stands-on-a-soap-box-for-45-minutes