//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 - School Drama // Story: Scars To Her Beautiful // by flutterJackdash //------------------------------// Applebloom sighed as she pocketed her phone and looked around the classroom. Most of the students had begun to murmur amongst themselves. Some looked at their phones, others looked at the displays on their desks. After a moment, the digital blackboard erupted in sound as an advertisement of some sort began to blare over the classroom. “What the hell?” Applebloom asked no one. The blackboard was suddenly filled with an image of Diamond Tiara dressed in sharp business attire. Huge text scrolled across the screen before shrinking down and settling at the top corner of the screen. Apple Bloom blinked at the sudden intrusion on class time. This was offensive to her ears, which was why she turned on music from her phone then sat back in her desk chair. The screen continued its display. This time Diamond Tiara was animated and talking to the class. Applebloom watched as Diamond’s mouth moved, but she couldn’t care less about what was being said. She wondered if it were even Diamond’s voice, or if something had been badly voice acted. She closed her eyes, blocking out Diamond’s advertisement completely. She also failed to hear Miss Pie addressing the classroom shortly after that. A student nudged her gently. She opened her eyes to find Miss Pie staring at her. Whether there was any anger, or any other emotion, was never clear to Applebloom. She swiftly removed her earbuds, and sat up. “Yes, Miss Pie?” “Ms. Apple, are you going to be joining us for class today?” Maud Pie asked in her flat affect. “What just happened?” Applebloom asked, accidentally dismissing Miss Pie’s question. “Someone illegally broadcast a poorly designed political advertisement over school lines,” Miss Pie answered easily. “Oh, um… What was yer question again?” asked Applebloom. “How do extrusive igneous rocks form?” Miss Pie asked. “Uhhh…” Applebloom stared at Miss Pie before answering, “Are they the black ones?” Maud blinked once, then turned to the next student, “How do extrusive igneous rocks form?” “They form when magma reaches the Earth’s surface from a volcano and cools rapidly,” the student answered. Maud wore a very small, almost indistinguishable, smile. She nodded, then returned to the digital blackboard and called up images of igneous rocks. She went silent, staring at them for a few minutes before continuing her lesson. “Yep, ya heard me right, Sweetie,” Applebloom said into the phone as she sat on one of the newly furnished booths for the students in the cafeteria. This placed her near a window overlooking the staff parking lot. “Is she there, though? Have you seen her?” Sweetie’s voice came through the phone pretty clearly, easily understood even over the din of the cafeteria. “Ah ain’t seen hide or hair of her yet, Sweetie. Calm down, alright? Ain’t no reason to panic,” Applebloom tried, “and why are ya gettin’ so worked up anyway?” “I um… I don’t want to say. Not yet. But she’s a friend, okay?” Sweetie said. “But we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Ah thought we was meant to be open with each other?” Applebloom complained. Sweetie sighed with frustration, “W-we are… please? Applebloom? I’m sorry, I really am… but… can you please just trust me and not ask too many questions?” “Jeez Sweets, yer actin’ like ah’m tryin’ to pull yer dang teeth er somethin’... Alright, Ah’m backin’ off oa ya fer now, but ya gotta tell me eventually, okay?” Applebloom offered her assurance. The cafeteria’s din became suddenly subdued which drew Applebloom’s attention. The students began to point and murmur amongst themselves. Applebloom followed those points. There, she spotted Diamond Tiara standing at the entrance to the cafeteria. “Uh… Hang on a tick there, Sweets. Ah might have an update fer ya,” Applebloom said, a little distracted. “AB? What’s up? What’s going on? Hello? Hey!” Sweetie nagged at Applebloom, but to no effect. The farmgirl blinked as she took in the scene. Diamond Tiara was standing in the entrance, wearing a pantsuit, with a cravat, and thick gaudy jewelry. Her hair done up in a french braid that cascaded over her shoulder and dropped down over her chest. For all that, her appearance suggested confidence, yet Diamond looked anything but. Her gaze cast from side to side, searching the crowd for someone specific, Applebloom supposed. Guess ah better go to her then. “Sweetie? She’s here. Ah’m gonna get tah talk to her for ya, okay?” Applebloom spoke into the phone. “Yes. Okay. Yes. Thank y-” the rest of the sentence wasn’t heard. Applebloom hung up the phone and pocketed it pretty quickly. Applebloom took the first few steps as she watched Diamond undergo a transformation. Whatever hope there had been on her face had been lost to sadness. Diamond looked defeated, deflated, and ready to give up. Diamond checked her surroundings and found that no one had crowded her at the door yet, so she turned around. Only to feel a strong hand settle on her shoulder without clamping down. Despite the gentleness of the clasp, Diamond cringed tightly and yelped, startled, before whipping about in a hurry to identify her “attacker”, but relaxed a moment later when she saw Applebloom.  Her fear was quickly replaced by surprise as she tilted her head to the side. “You?” Diamond asked in surprise. “What do you want?!” Diamond asked tightly and defensively. “To gloat? To rub in my defeat?” “Now why on earth what ah wanna do that?” Applebloom asked. “Well, everyone else is doing it! Why should you be any different?” Diamond shrugged off Applebloom’s hand. “Get off me! I’m not in the mood for your teasing right now.” “Ah ain’t here ta teese ya. Jeez! Ah’m here to make sure yer okay,” Applebloom replied evenly as she just barely repressed some harsher words. “Really?!” Diamond asked with surprised disbelief. “But why would you care if I’m okay after …” She trailed off as she looked down with an expression of sudden regret. Applebloom blinked. She gently took one of Diamond’s hands in her own, “Yer a friend, Diamond. That’s why. Simple as that.” “But why?” Diamond asked as she looked up at Applebloom in misery. “You’re one of the last people I’d expect to sympathize with me.” Her eyes widened in realization. “Unless … did you talk to Sweetie Belle?!” Diamond asked with sudden excitement and hope. “Eeyup! Ah sure did,” Applebloom confirmed She begged me ta give ya a chance, and ta keep an eye on ya here. She’d have been here her own self, but she’s at the hospital now after takin’ a spill down the stairs at home.” “How is she?” Diamond asked with sudden concern which took Applebloom aback. “She’s fine, Diamond. Don’t you worry none about her. She’s a tough gal. You just remember, she’s been hanging out with Scoots and me forever, and y’know what kinda dangerous stuff Scoots gets into, right?” Applebloom asked with a chuckle, disarming herself. “I sure wish she was here right now,” Diamond lamented as she looked corner-wise down, then looked back at Applebloom as she asked, “I don’t suppose you’ve seen Silver Spoon, have you?” “Saw her in class when that advertisement took over all the screens n’ such… Looked a little miffed then, honestly,” Applebloom reported. “Oh.” Diamond looked disappointed, which was replaced with a faint amount of hope as she asked, “You have any idea where she is now?” “Saw her headin’ to the trees out front, Ah think. She doesn’t really eat ‘n here all that much. Ah think Snails followed her out there, too,” Applebloom informed. “The trees! Of course!” Diamond exclaimed, then spun about. “Thanks!” she said gratefully as she rushed off. Applebloom hurried after her, “Now hold on a minute! Where ya goin’ without me?!” Diamond didn’t hear Applebloom or chose to ignore her. Either way, she kept running out until she collided with a student and they both collapsed. The dark and light pink-haired girl crashed into the floor rather hard at the same time Diamond did. They both grunted. “What the hell!?” the girl cried as she rounded on Diamond, only to find herself facing Applebloom. “Easy there, Kettle,” Applebloom coaxed, “Don’t ya worry none. She didn’t mean nothin’ by it. Right, Diamond?” “Sorry!” Diamond expressed as she crawled up quickly. She was about to sprint off again until Applebloom mentioned the other girl’s name which, for some reason, caught her attention. She looked back at the pink-haired girl as she asked, “Wait, you are Kettle Corn?” “Uh… yes?” Kettle answered cautiously. Diamond appeared to take a moment to process this information, then literally shook her head. After that, she offered a hand down to Kettle Corn. “Here. Let me help you up, and please accept my apologies.” Kettle blinked. She tentatively reached up and took Diamond’s hand, “Wha… what? I-I… um… apologies?” “I wish you and Skedaddle the best of luck!” Diamond expressed as she started off again. “I’m sure the two of you will have plenty of beautiful children together!” Kettle’s face was apple red by the time Diamond was running off. “Uh… sorry. She’s goin’ through some things right now. Hope ya feel better!” Applebloom said before darting after Diamond. Kettle fell to her knees, blushing madly. Diamond was a little more carefully dodging and weaving around everyone else in the way, but she kept on with a very driven course. Eventually Diamond charged out of the building. She paused a moment as she took in her surroundings in order to gain her bearings, then ran after the trees at the corner of the campus. Applebloom followed her out of the building soon after. She continued to chase her in her new direction outside. Diamond’s excitement grew further when she actually spotted Silver Spoon who was, indeed, sitting under the shade of the tree along with Snails. When she noticed that, she called out, “SILVER SPOON!” while waving frantically with both arms. In response, Silver Spoon looked at Diamond. She widened her eyes for a moment at Diamond’s frantic approach, then whipped her head away while closing her eyes in a huff. That was not the reception Diamond was hoping for, but she kept running on. “Silver, thank goodness I found you!” Diamond cried out upon arrival then bent over, placing her hands on her knees since she needed to catch her breath. “What do you want?” Silver asked in a huffy way. “Silver, I …” Diamond began in a hurt tone. “Spoony… You really want to hurt her?” Snails asked slowly. “No,” Silver answered. “Rather, I want to avoid being hurt by her again!” she answered with annoyance but also in pain. “She abandoned me yesterday. I don't want to make myself vulnerable like that again.” “She’s nothin’ but vulnerable right now, Spoony. I think you should give her a chance, is all,” Snails urged. “NO!” Silver screamed. “I’m tired of being vulnerable like that! Diamond’s clearly got a lot of problems right now, and I’m growing sick of her drama!” “Silver, I …” Diamond whimpered shortly before she placed her hands on her face and wept. “Take it someplace else!” Silver barked harshly at Diamond. “Or should I leave?” Silver suddenly felt herself being hoisted off the ground by a pair of strong hands clasping the collar of her shirt. “Ya wanna kick her while she’s down? That’s the sorta friend ya ar?” the farm girl accused close to Silver’s face. “Gah!” Silver looked taken aback by Applebloom’s reaction, or even her presence, but shortly regained some of her composure as she asked, “What’s it to you? You have no fucking business meddling in my affairs! If you care about her so much, then why don’t you take care of her!? Personally, I’m done and sick of all her bullshit!” “Ah don’t like liars. Yer a terrible liar, y’know that? Ain’t a lick o’ skill in ya. You expect me to buy that nonsense about you don’t care about her? That yer done?” Applebloom said as she let go of SIlver, “If’n you feel that way, then walk away. Right now. Don’t look back, don’t cry, don’t do nothin’ but use them feet and walk off.” A look of pain overcame Silver’s face as she looked off to her side, then admitted, “I just don’t want to get hurt by her again, is all. She keeps flip-flopping on me, and my heart can’t TAKE IT ANYMORE!” She screamed at the end of her sentence. Applebloom seemed unimpressed and unphased by Silver’s outburst, not even flinching or moving away. “All ah’m hearin’ is you worryin’ over yer own self,” Applebloom said evenly, folding her arms over her own chest. “Just leave me alone!” Silver Spoon cried out as she turned her back to all of them. From there, her shoulders bobbed a bit as she started to sob, just like Diamond, but not as hard. “I warned her on the phone … that if she walked out on me one more time then I …” Silver trailed off and bowed her head, unable to continue. “Don’t fret none, Diamond… Ya got me, n’ Sweetie n’ Scoots in yer life. We’re real friends. We ain’t selfish like this one ‘ere, and we ain’t gonna hold yer vulnerabilities against ya. Yer havin’ a hard time, Ah get that. Ah just wanna help ya,” Applebloom assured as she turned to Diamond. Not seeming to hear Applebloom, Diamond wailed, “Silver, I … I never meant to hurt you!” “WELL YOU DID!” Silver screamed back. “So leave me alone and abandon me again, just like you always do!” Diamond sobbed harder, then crawled up and ran away. Applebloom blinked. “Ah can’t remember ever wantin’ to actually hit ya before now,” she said as she turned back to Silver. “It’s disappointing to me, too, Applebloom,” said Snails. “I don’t expect either of you to understand me,” Silver said with a shake of her head and a tight and painful squint to her face. “I don’t ever want to be hurt like that again. I’m done with her!” “Here’s what Ah know,” Applebloom started, “If’n Scoots ‘r Sweetie was ever hurtin’ so much as Diamond is right now, the last thing Ah’d ever do is make ‘em wanna hurt themselves, er’ think they was alone when they needed to be anything but.” Snails gazed at Silver as he said, “I honestly care about you. I might even use a stronger word… but right now? I’m finding it hard to look at you,” He turned and began to walk away. He noticed that Diamond fell into the grass nearby. He walked over to her. Diamond was curled into a ball in a fetal position as she cried on the grass. Snails looked down at her. After that, he sat down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. With that grip, he started to rub her shoulder gently as he assured, “She’ll come around, Diamond… She still cares about you. She’s… very scared of getting hurt, y’know?” “No!” Diamond wailed. “She hates me now!” “Get a hold of yourself!” Diamond inexplicably heard Svengallop’s voice. “Stop being an embarrassment.” “What?!” Diamond cried out. She looked around, startled. She did not see the man anywhere nearby. Shortly later, she started to wonder if she was going crazy. “Silver doesn’t hate you, Diamond. I truly believe that,” Snails assured. “What?” He looked around. “Something wrong?” “I thought I heard …” Diamond began but trailed off. She looked at Snails, then decided she shouldn’t advertise her insanity too much. “Um, nevermind.” She grabbed his shoulders. “Hey, listen … you need to be with her right now. Don’t do what I did. Don’t make her feel abandoned. If she won’t talk to me anymore, then she needs you more than ever. She literally doesn’t have anyone else, at least that I know of.” “I’m havin’ trouble lookin’ at her right now, even if she is beautiful… She’s not actin’ like the SIlver I know and… and love,” he added quietly while looking back toward Silver. “But I won’t abandon her, Diamond. Don’t you worry about that, eh?” “You love her?” Diamond asked with a fond expression. “Aw! That’s so sweet! I’m glad she has a friend like you.” She grabbed his shirt. “But make sure she knows you’re not abandoning her right now. Maybe it’s okay to let her know that you’re upset, but reassure her that you will come back.” Diamond shook Snails slightly. “Promise me!” “I promise, Diamond. I’ll go back now, but are you gonna be okay? I can tell you’re hurting an awful lot,” Snails noticed sadly. He slipped his hands into his hoodie’s pockets as he spoke. “Tell this disgusting imbecile that you’ll be okay,” Diamond heard Svengallop’s voice in her head again. “You’ve got an image to uphold, and you don’t want to make your mother upset.” “Ah, uh …” Diamond mumbled, feeling dumfounded. “Remember; big, bold, confidence!” Svengallop reminded. I may need to go to the psyche ward soon, but the voice does have a point, Diamond privately decided. “I, ah … I’ll be okay. Really. I’m fine.” Diamond wiped her tears away. “Silver needs you more. She may not be as strong right now. Also, maybe you can one day persuade her to be my friend again, but that can only happen if you’re there for her and maintain her confidence.” “You’ll be the one to persuade her, but I won’t let her give up on ya. Take it easy, Diamond. You’re a good person. I can tell,” Snails said easily as he turned away and began making his way back to Silver. As he did that, Applebloom noticed him walking away from Diamond. Because of that, she began to jog to Diamond in order to replace his company. “Trade ya!” Applebloom called to Snails as she jogged on by him. “Why are you still following me?” Diamond asked as she got up and brushed some loose blades of grass from her suit. “Uh, Sweetie asked me to and… yer kinda a friend in need right now, so Ah’m gonna stick by ya,” Applebloom replied. “Oh yeah!” Diamond recalled. “You did say that.” She flashed Applebloom a fond smile. “You Crusaders really are great friends to each other. I’m jealous.” “Why be jealous? Yer one of us, ain’t ya?” Applebloom replied with a raised eyebrow. “I am?” Diamond asked while taken aback in confusion. “Since when?” “Since ya stopped bein’ a dingus and hatin’ on us, for one, but ya hung out at Sweetie’s overnight, and she’s vouching for ya somethin’ fierce, and if’n she trusts ya, well then …  shoot, so do I,” Applebloom stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jeans, so her shrug was shoulders only as she strolled alongside Diamond. Diamond looked across the street in depression as she said, “I don’t think Scootaloo would approve. I was awful to her.” “Confidence!” Sven’s voice reminded Diamond again instantly. “Never lower your nose below anyone. Instead, keep it high! You’re a politician now, and a member of the Rich family besides, so it’s finally time you start acting like it.” “Will you SHUT UP!” Diamond cried aloud to the internal voice. “Why, I never!” Sven complained with indignity. “Uh… I wasn’t sayin’ anythin? Er… Scoots ain’t gonna keep holdin’ on ta her grudge. Yer sorry, and it shows. She’ll come around, no worries… Seriously, I didn’t say anything to shut up about…” Applebloom said, a touch of confusion in her voice. “You really believe that about Scoots?” Diamond asked with hope in her voice and her look when she returned it to Applebloom. “Ah know it sure as I know my own self. We’re too durn close for me not to be sure,” Applebloom assured. The school bell rang, signalling that lunchtime would be over in about five minutes. “Best get to class,” Sven’s internal voice advised. “You have an image to uphold, and tardy candidates tarnish their own image.” “I know!” Diamond cried out irritably. “Shut up and get out of my head!” She looked at Applebloom and noticed her look of concern and confusion deepening, so Diamond explained, “I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to that annoying voice in my head.” Sven’s voice sighed, then complained, “You just love making my job harder, don’t you? You’re lucky that your mother is paying me so much to babysit you little brats!” “You… have a voice in yer head? Might wanna talk ta somebody professional about that, huh?” Applebloom recommended with concern. “Well, we got to get back to class.” Diamond said to Applebloom as she looked over Applebloom’s shoulder. She watched as Silver Spoon stood up, likely because of the school bell. She noticed she looked at Snails with concern and said something to him. Snails, meanwhile, wasn’t looking at her, as promised, but at least he stood nearby Silver and maybe responded to some of Silver’s questions or comments. Seeing this caused Diamond to smile a little, for she what saw kindled a little bit of hope for them in her heart, like watching a tiny flame on a candle struggle to endure a cold winter breeze. “Shoot, yer right. We ain’t got anymore classes together today, so I’ll check back with ya between classes and after last bell, alright?” Applebloom offered. “Okay,” Diamond accepted as she looked at Applebloom gratefully. “Thank you! I could really use the moral support right now.” Diamond half expected some snide comment from Svengallop’s inner dialog, but none came this time for some reason. “Come on.” Diamond started to make her way back to the school building. “Right there with ya, Sugarcube,” Applebloom said as she kept herself alongside Diamond. “There! It’s done!” Twilight enabled an emergency override of the school’s newest computer hack, this time advertising Diamond for Student Council President.  Twilight leaned back in her seat and blew out a long breath. This was stressful and terribly embarrassing. Last time something like this happened, her system was used to email every student using their student account to display a video that could easily get the school sued, and now the system was used to advertise Diamond as a candidate during the middle of classes! This was so humiliating! Maybe this system is too flawed after all, Twilight thought with worry. I helped to design this system itself, so why is it easier to hack than the T-800 terminators? “Hello, Miss Sparkle?” came in a call from Sunburst. Surprised in a delighted way, Twilight reached forward to press a virtual button in order to answer the call. “Yes, Sunburst? “Oh, by the way, before you say anything, I want you to know that I’ve shut down those embarrassing advertisements for Diamond. They shouldn’t disrupt classes again.” “Ah, good! That’s good!” Sunburst cheered. “That’s not why I called you, however.” He sighed on the intercom, then said, “Unfortunately, Superintendent Neighsay is here to speak with you again, and he’s insisting that the meeting occur now.” “Probably about this newest fiasco,” Twilight realized with a groan. “That’s all I need right now.” “Do you … want me to send him away?” Sunburst offered kindly. “Or, at the very least, talk to him myself? I am Vice Principal here at Canterlot High, you know.” Twilight shook her head as she said, “No. He’s here to see me and this is my responsibility. Send him in.” “Are you sure?” Sunburst asked sympathetically. “I thank you for your concern, but I am sure,” Twilight replied. “Alright, then. I’ll go ahead and send him in. Good luck. I have a feeling you’re going to need it.” “Yeah,” Twilight agreed listlessly. Moments later, the Superintendent entered into Twilight’s office. When he did, Twilight narrowed her eyes slightly at him because his attitude seemed different. She expected him to slam her door shut in anger, but instead he was quiet and, for once, he looked a bit meek. “Hello, Superintendent. What can I do for you?” Twilight asked in order to test the waters of this social conversation. “I’m certainly not here for small talk,” Neighsay assured while still standing at the door and facing it. “So I’ll make this brief.” He turned around to face her. “I’m here on behalf of the President of the School Board, Miss Spoiled Rich, to convince you to let her advertisements about her daughter resume, or at least,” he lifted a placating hand, “until the election is over.” “Wha … ah … Um, pardon me, Sir, but you know I can’t do that,” Twilight told Neighsay with surprise in her voice. “That advertisement is disruptive to class time activity. I’m running a school, Sir, not an advertisement firm.” “Believe me, I know,” Neighsay agreed with an aggravated sigh. “It embarrasses me to make this request of you, but I am under orders to deliver you this message from a higher authority. “I will admit, if it were up to me, I’d have this fools errand shut down immediately, for it is highly inappropriate during class time, as you have said. Fiascos like this are why I’m tempted to run for President of the School Board myself, but I know I can’t realistically compete with the wealth of Spoiled’s campaign. I’m pretty wealthy myself. I rode a limousine just to get here now, but I have nowhere near the resources to match Spoiled. A shame, really. “But things are as they are. I’m simply the messenger, albeit a reluctant one. Nothing more.” Twilight narrowed her eyes again at Neighsay as she said, “Well, I’m sorry, Sir, but the answer is no! I have too much respect for my students here at CHS to showcase such blatant favoritism and disruption to valuable education.” Neighsay nodded in acceptance as he said, “That is, of course, your prerogative, Miss Sparkle. You are the principal at this school. Run it as you see fit, but remember this; everyone answers to a higher authority at some point, and most of the bucks stop with Spoiled Rich. She was one of the most decisive votes to get you this office in the first place. Now mind you,” he gave a brief pushing motion to Twilight, “she’s not the only one, but she was a big factor.” Twilight opened her mouth to make a rebuttal, but before she could, Neighsay cut her off by quickly moving on with another point. “Also consider this, Miss Sparkle: When you petitioned the School Board for an upgrade to this school’s digital technology, the School Board almost unanimously voted you down. Spoiled alone was the only one who approved of your bill, and in the end … she agreed to pay for it from her own pockets. The School Board may be able to vote for their own funding, but Spoiled alone was responsible for her personal money. “I have to admit, the fact that her daughter attends this school might have had something to do with that decision, but that’s up for speculation. “She believes in you, Miss Sparkle. I’ll be damned if I ever know why, but she does. She committed millions, and I do mean millions of bits to upgrade this school’s system. CHS is now entire decades ahead of every school in this state when it comes to technology except for other colleges specifically emphasizing technology. Not even Crystal Prep has it this good, and that is an elite school meant for the wealthy. “Spoiled committed those bits to upgrade this school’s system from her own pocket, and how does she get repaid? By having that very same system betray her by having it post an embarrassing video to every student at this campus about her own daughter.” Twilight looked down, feeling guilty about that point. “Now Spoiled has come to you to ask for a favor,” Neighsay went on. “She helped you out when you asked for help, and now she’s the one asking for a favor. A favor to help make up for the PR damage that your system was responsible for!” “I didn’t invite this hacker to abuse my system!” Twilight pointed out as she looked back at Neighsay while her expression grew firm again. “Why should I punish every student here at this campus a second time for what happened? What did they do to deserve this disruption to their education?” “Likely nothing,” Neighsay admitted. “If it were up to me, I’d probably turn down Spoiled’s request.” He took a few steps forward. “But I’m not the one who accepted a blank check from the devil. I’m not the one who owes this woman some favors, and I’m not the one who created a system which was used to betray her.” He slammed his hands on the backrest of one of the seats in front of Twilight’s desk meant for her guests. “I’ll have you know,” Neighsay ranted on, “I’ve petitioned many times to the School Board to have you and your satanic staff fired for all the danger you’ve brought to this campus. I am virtually certain that I have failed every petition because of Spoiled Rich. She has stood up for you on many occasions. I advise you to bear that in mind. “Now, I ask you this, Miss Sparkle,” he said as he pointed at her dramatically with a condemning look, “do you really wish to alienate and upset your greatest supporter? You’ve only gotten this far because you had friends in high places, which I admit is a remarkable talent of yours.” Neighsay gave her a daring sneer. “Now, I dare you to stick to your guns and follow your heart. I dare you to do what you think is right and deny Miss Rich’s request. Nothing would please me more than you to anger your formerly most loyal supporter. After that, I’ll have no trouble kicking you out of office completely.” Twilight looked down at her desk sadly. “So do you stick to your moral principles and lose your job in the process?” Neighsay pressed. “After that, you’d lose your chance to influence these students completely, and a far more competent, and probably less popular, person will replace you.” “You’ve made your point, Sir,” Twilight said with sad acceptance. “I will comply with her wishes.” Her look turned more firm again as she gazed back up at Neighsay. “But I will do it my way.” Neighsay gave her an inviting gesture as he said, “By all means, Miss Sparkle. I hope you don’t mind if I linger while I watch to see how you handle it.” “That is, of course, your prerogative,” Twilight accepted. “As Superintendent, it is your job to supervise the principal of this campus. In fact, I welcome you to remain so that I might finally earn a chance to earn your faith.” “I highly doubt that,” Neighsay scoffed with a disgusted sneer. “But, by all means,” He sat in front of her. “try.” Twilight wasted no time to activate her comm system in this school. A pole ejected from her desk which aimed a camera back at her. “Attention, everyone,  Attention! This is Twilight Sparkle speaking. Forgive me for disrupting your class activity again today, but I wanted to talk to you about the earlier advertisement strung about this campus earlier today. “First of all, I want to apologize for that disruption. It wasn’t my call to apply it, but I am under orders from the School Board to allow it to continue as a means to make up for the earlier slander of Miss Diamond Tiara. Since that is out of my hands, I may have to let it continue. I beg you for your indulgence and forgiveness. “I want to make one thing absolutely clear to all of you, and that is that I, personally, in no way condone or endorse any specific student for Student Council President at this campus. I don’t have a vote in this anyway, and I want you to know that I will support anyone that you choose to vote for, but if I could vote for anyone at this campus, then what I want you to know is that I vote for all of you, my students here at this campus. I fully support your right to vote for anyone you believe is worthy, and I’ll back you up one-hundred percent. Twilight paused a moment as she collected her hands in front of her. “There is one other thing I want to talk about, and that is the earlier video which slanders one of my precious students here at this campus. I want to apologize to everyone here at CHS for this most humiliating attack, and I especially want to reach out to Miss Diamond Tiara directly. “Diamond, if you are listening to my announcement, then I want you to know that you have my most sincere apology for this attack. I want you to know that, in no way, did I ever invite this attack, and I’m doing everything in my power to investigate it in order to make sure this never happens again and to bring this perpetrator to justice. “As for the rest of you, it has come to my attention that some of you have chosen to use this fiasco to tease Miss Tiara about this video, but I urge you to consider what exactly makes this campus special. There is a special magic in this campus, and it isn’t just the literal kind.” As a demonstration, she had her phone float up in a purple sparkling aura for a moment, then had it levitate down on her desk again. “I admit, this ability is amazing, but there is a far more special kind of magic that is prevalent at this campus, and that is the magic of friendship! I think there is a camaraderie and school spirit here that makes this campus something special. I see it in the eyes of everyone that helps support each other and cares for one another. We are the Canterlot Wondercolts, and we help each other! I urge you to remember that, because one of our own has been maliciously attacked at this campus. She is the victim here, and I encourage you all to help defend her. “I know you can do it, and I know you will do it, because, just as you all believe in me, I, in turn, believe in all of you. I know you won’t let me down, and I know you won't let one of our own down. Help Miss Tiara during her hour of need. I know you can do this because you are all among the reasons that makes this campus so special. So magical. Please remember that, and do what you feel is right.” Sill in a sitting position, she bows to the camera, and says, “Thank you. That is all.” Twilight pressed another button which ended that announcement. Upon doing so, the camera lowered back into her desk. She peered at Neighsay beyond it. Neighsay just stared at her for five seconds in silence with an impassive face. After that, he stood up, adjusted his necktie a bit, nodded at her in silent approval, then left without a word. So far, his silence was the greatest compliment Neighsay had ever given her. Applebloom stared at the digital blackboard once the live feed from Principal Twilight’s office turned off; the blackness of it just waiting to turn into that loud advertisement. She sighed. Ah just know they aren’t gonna go easier on her after that. She looked around the classroom, trying to gauge different reactions. It looked like the students were at least pacified, if not sold on the idea of being nice to DIamond Tiara. Applebloom thought that Diamond might have, quite frankly, dug her own darn grave, but having talked to her and saw for herself that she wasn’t all that bad and that this was hurting her, Applebloom now thought a bit differently. Applebloom decided that this was a better reaction than nothing, though she wasn’t convinced it would last past today. Maybe I better call Sweetie after class ‘n let her know? Yeah. I’m gonna. Applebloom nodded resolutely to herself. Diamond Tiara felt stunned about Twilight’s announcement, but also touched to notice that Twilight was putting in a genuine effort to apologize and make things better. That’s why she was considered one of the best principals CHS ever had. She heard some murmurs from the other students in the class. When the announcement was done, she noticed them looking at her far more sympathetically, and some even got up to apologize to Diamond directly. In response, Diamond tried to wave it off like it was no big deal, but inwardly she felt flattered and relieved. “Diamond, I’d like a moment to speak to you after class,” Diamond’s professor for this class, Sunset Shimmer, requested. “Uh, sure thing,” Diamond accepted. After class, Diamond Tiara lingered in Sunset’s class a little longer to find out what Sunset wanted her for. Sunset waited till the last student, besides Diamond, left the class, then looked at Diamond with a pleading look. “Diamond, I’d like your permission to use my magic on you,” Sunset requested. “Excuse me?” Diamond asked, taken aback. This wasn’t what she expected Sunset to say at all. On second thought, Diamond realized she didn’t really have any expectations. “The last time I used my magic on you, you were barely conscious,” Sunset explained. “I wanted your permission even then, but you couldn’t provide it. “Now, however, you’re fully awake and aware, so I’m asking for your permission to use my magic on you.” “Why?” Diamond asked with a blink. “All it does is read people’s memories. What exactly are you checking for?” Sunset shook her head before replying, “I’ve learned some new tricks since I first got this geode. Now, not only can I use it to read other people’s thoughts, but I can project thoughts as well. With the ability to receive information and now send information, it allows for two-way telepathic communication.” “Oh!” Diamond blinked in surprise. “I see.” “Not only that,” Sunset continued, “but I’ve learned a trick to accelerate our mental capacity during telepathic communication. In essence, we’ll be mentally communicating at hyper speed.” Sunset gestures around her. “Which, in effect, makes time pause while we communicate. As a result, we can share a lot of information in a very short period of time. “Now that you understand that, do I have your permission?” “Um,” Diamond hugged her bookbag closely as she asked nervously, “Will it hurt?” Sunset shook her head as she answered, “Not at all, and there are no risks to this either as long as we don’t spend too long in this hyper cognitive state. I’ll explain why later, but for now I just need your permission to use this on you.” Diamond considered it. “Please, Diamond,” Sunset begged. Diamond closed her eyes  and sighed, then opened her eyes at Sunset while nodding. “Thank you!” Sunset expressed gratefully, then stood up in front of Diamond. “This will only take a moment.” Sunset reached forward to touch Diamond’s shoulder. The last thing Diamond saw before everything changed was Sunset’s eyes ignite with a white glow. A moment later, the world slowed to a stop. When that happened, all external sound ceased, and the lighting around them became more muted. “There! Now we can talk in more privacy,” Sunset said in satisfaction as she moved to sit back down in front of her desk. “What the …” Diamond exclaimed in shock. “You paused time?” “Sort of,” Sunset answered, “What I’ve done is cause us to mentally communicate at a vastly accelerated rate. This,” she gestured around her, “is not the real world. Instead, it’s the cognitive world, much like a dream, except we’re aware of it.” She gestured to herself. “This isn’t our real bodies anymore, either. Instead, it’s our cognitive perception of ourselves.” “That’s awesome!” Diamond cheered. “Since this place is like a dream,” Sunset went on to explain as her eyes wandered the environment, “it means we can control it like a dream.” Her gaze returned to Diamond. “So we can change our forms, fly, teleport around, change the environment. Whatever.” “Really?” Diamond asked, intrigued. “Uh-huh.” Sunset nodded. “Right now, by default, I set it up to look like where we left off, but I can easily change the environment to look like anything we want.” Sunset tilted her head. “Do you have any specific preference?” “Um … preference for what?” Diamond asked. Sunset gestured around her with a finger as she asked, “The environment. Do you want me to change it into anything in particular while we talk?” “Um,” Diamond looked around as she thought about it, then her eyes brightened as she looked back at Sunset excitedly. “Can you make it look like the world you came from? You know … the pony world?” “Absolutely,” Sunset confirmed immediately. “Of that world, do you have any particular preference?” “Um,” Diamond folded her hands behind her back and daintily hung it low. “Someplace pretty.” “Someplace pretty?” Sunset looked outward as she mused that to herself, then came up with something. “Oh! I know!” She closed her eyes as she said, “Give me a second.” As promised, a second later, the environment around them dramatically shifted. Diamond looked around and noticed they were now standing on what appeared to be a very large, white marble balcony. She looked up and noticed that it was attached to some giant white castle. She looked at the edge of the balcony then approached it. She put her hands on the rail. She gasped in astonishment while she witnessed a marvelous and beautiful alien world stretch out before her. Seen from this height, the valley around her extended all the way to the horizon. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Sunset asked as she approached beside Diamond, still in human form, and leaned on the rail. “I used to come here very often back when I was studying under the guidance of Celestia. Not the former principal of CHS, mind you, but her pony counterpart … which is an ancient alicorn and princess of Equestria for the longest time. I was one of her prized pupils until …” she trailed off as she looked off to the side with an expression Diamond would describe as ashamed. “Um … it’s okay.” Diamond reached to her side and pat Sunset’s hands. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” “I’d rather not go over it. That’s true,” Sunset confirmed, then looked back at Diamond. “Besides, we’re here to discuss you right now.” “What is it you want to discuss?” Diamond asked with trepidation. “Well, to be frank,” Sunset stood up straight, “I’m worried about you. As in, very worried about you. I know that your mother has been very abusive to you, and that you are afraid to stand up to her.” Diamond looked down with a frown. “Part of me doesn’t blame you for this either. Your mother is a very scary and resourceful woman. She can do a lot of damage if she goes on the warpath,” Sunset acknowledged. “But, if I have to, I’m willing to stand up and face this tyrant if it means saving your life, Diamond. I swore to you that I would protect you, but I don’t want to go against your will to do it, and this morning … you chose to follow that business-suited fellow against my recommendations.” “Svengallop,” Diamond elaborated. “Excuse me?” Sunset asked in confusion. “Or should I say, ‘Gesundheit’?” “That’s his name,” Diamond explained. “Svengallop.” Sunset looked repulsed for a moment and waved Diamond off. “Right now, I don’t really care what his name is. All I see in him is a threat that might make you miserable, and that might lead to some very alarming actions on your part.” Diamond sighed, then said, “Look … if it will make you feel any better, I promise not to kill myself.” “I don’t feel much better,” Sunset returned, “because I don’t really believe you. You thought of it several dozen times just this morning.” Diamond regarded Sunset with surprise. Sunset tapped her head with her left pointing finger twice as she said, “I got a brief recap of your memories this morning when I touched you this time just before we entered this hyper cognitive reality.” “Oh.” Diamond looked down, depressed. “Look, Diamond, I need you to understand something about me.” Sunset put her left hand on Diamond’s right shoulder. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, including yourself. I really don’t want to oppose your will, but if I have to in order to protect you, well then … better to have you alive and upset at me than having you dead.” Diamond said nothing. “You need to stand up to your mother and defend your rights,” Sunset encouraged. “You’re a living person, Diamond. You have every right to defend your happiness.” Diamond shook her head. “You don’t understand me at all. What they would do to me if they learned that I disobeyed or lost at anything.” “They?” Sunset checked. “Your father is hard on you too?” “Um,” Diamond looked at Sunset more softly. “No. Not usually. More often than not, he’s simply absent.” Sunset appeared thoughtful, then asked Diamond, “If he knew what your mother is putting you through, do you think he’d approve, or complain?” “Um … I’m not sure.” Diamond shrugged. “Probably the latter.” “Can you get a hold of him?” Sunset checked. Diamond squinted as she replied, “Not easily. Father is often busy overseas making us more money.” “Please, Diamond.” Sunset reached to grab Diamond’s shoulder, and this time she also squeezed it encouragingly. “Please try when we return to the normal world. Will you promise me this?” Diamond sighed as she looked down, then shrugged. “I don’t know if I can get a hold of him, but there is no harm in promising you that I’ll try.” She looked back up at Sunset. “I’d love to talk to him anyway. It’s been a long time.” Sunset smiled brightly as she said, “Thank you, sweetie!” Diamond squinted as she replied, “I am not Sweetie Belle.” Sunset’s look instantly turned dull as she responded, “You know what I mean.” “I suppose I do,” Diamond accepted. “I also wanted to talk to you about one other thing,” Sunset brought up. “Yeah? What’s that?” “I want your permission to share this secret with Twilight, at least partially,” Sunset requested. Diamond squinted one eye as she asked, “Which secret, and why?” “Twilight Sparkle isn’t just the principal at CHS, she’s also one of my dearest friends,” Sunset told Diamond. “Trust me when I say she won’t abuse this secret, and the secret I’m referring to is the fact that your mother is abusing you so badly that it’s driving you to hurt yourself.” “NO!” Diamond rejected. “If anything, I wish less people knew that! I didn’t invite Sweetie Belle into that secret, either. She just barged in on me while I was in the bathroom.” “But Twilight can help!” Sunset argued. “If we get her on your side, we can work together,” Sunset interlocked her fingers as a demonstration, “to help alleviate your situation. “Imagine if it works, Diamond. Imagine if we can get your mother to lighten up her pressure so that you don’t feel so bad. “Please, Diamond! I’m begging you! This is for your own sake!” Diamond looked over the rail across the wide valley, still feeling reluctant. Sunset realized she might be pressing Diamond too hard, so she amended, “Okay, how about this instead. Will you promise to at least consider it?” Diamond sighed, then looked back at Sunset with a nod. “Atta girl!” Sunset expressed gratefully as she pulled Diamond in for a hug. “Thank you!” Diamond breathed in Sunset’s scent. For some reason, it made her think of Sweetie’s scent. When she thought of that, Diamond suddenly felt a pang of longing to return into Sweetie’s arms. “Um, Sunny,” Diamond brought up after about a minute of hugging. “Yes, Diamond?” Sunset asked as she pulled back to arm’s length. “Can we see other beautiful places in your homeworld?” Diamond asked hopefully. Sunset looked across the valley as she said aloud, “There are some other places I can think of. Cloudsdale, Rainbow Falls, the Crystal Empire.” She looked back at Diamond. “However, I don’t want this cognitive reality to press on for too long.” “Why?” Diamond asked with a tilt of her head. “Because, when I’ve tested this before, I’ve grown more and more dizzy whenever I stopped the spell. The longer it goes on, the more dizzy I get.” “Oh,” Diamond expressed with a disappointed expression. “I think it has to do with the fact that we’re thinking at hyper speed. When this spell stops, our brains have to adjust and reorient themselves. The more memories it has to work with, the greater the side effects. Eventually, I’m concerned that, if we used this technique too long, we’d get so dizzy when this spell ends that we’d get knocked unconscious, or worse. I don’t want to escalate the risk, so I try to keep it under ten minutes, approximately.” “I see,” Diamond accepted with a disappointed shrug, then looked up at Sunset hopefully as she asked, “In that case, can we see those other places next time?” Sunset smiled brightly at Diamond as she stroked Diamond’s cheek with her thumb, and said, “Sure.” Svengallop spun about in his swivel chair away from the direction of his monitor after witnessing Sunset’s confession about her magic mind scan. The reason he was able to spy upon this conversation was due to the hidden camera and microphone on the necklace Diamond was wearing which he gave her. The earrings Diamond wore also allowed Svengallop to communicate with Diamond by having their sonic technology vibrate on her ear. “Well, that’s certainly interesting information, mmkay,” Suri said smugly, then regarded her husband. “What are you going to do with this information?” Svengallop grinned at his wife as he replied, “What else, Honey-Buns? I can’t ignore a valuable opportunity to hold onto some leverage. Spoiled might also reward us for this information, but I don’t think I’m ready to share it with her juuuuust yet.” He spun about to face the giant monitor on the wall. Within it, he noticed that Diamond and Sunset had already finished their telepathic communication. Diamond started to move out of the classroom already. “Diamond cares what happens to this professor, right?” Svengallop asked as his evil grin widened. “Well … maybe now I got enough leverage to get Diamond herself to cooperate.” He leaned back in his seat as he collected his hands in front of his face. A wicked gleam glinted off the edge of his spectacles. “Well then … I think it’s time to pull out all the stops with Miss Tiara. The election speech is tomorrow, after all. I could care less what happens to her after that, but will get paid for my hard work.” “You’d be paid regardless,” Suri figured. “Yes,” Svengallop agreed as he looked at his wife over his shoulder, “but do you think that I, of all people, would accept anything less than total perfection? I have a reputation to defend, after all.” “True,” Suri accepted with a careless shrug. “Do as you think you must.” “Oh, believe me,” he grinned wickedly back at the monitor, “I will!”