"...So I'm sure you understand, Mrs Rich, in light of the nature of these allegations, it would be best if, er... You perhaps kept a low profile at the moment. Stayed in the office. Did some paperwork. Something to distract yourself, while the investigation is going on." Mayor Mare wasn't being entirely truthful with her intentions.
The dyed grey custodian of Ponyville had really wanted to remove Spoiled Rich from all school related activities, as soon as it had been brought to her attention by Princess Twilight Sparkle the full scale of the accusations laid out regarding the mistreatment of Diamond Tiara.
Rampant emotional abuse was not acceptable anywhere, least of all in her little town. If the elected official had her way, the snooty mare would be out on her ear... Or nose, seeing as that was her most distinguishing feature.
But then, unbelievably, the mayor had found that Spoiled had somehow browbeaten her long-suffering husband Filthy to agree to fund the legal fight against these 'groundless charges', and as long as there were no convictions against her name, the wealthy stallion's wife was free to continue her job unrestricted...
As long as she stayed away from her daughter, of course.
"Don't you worry about anything, mayor. I'm going to stay right here, working as hard as I usually am for all the fillies and colts of Ponyville. These spurious claims won't impact my performance at all. It is my full intention to clear my good name and secure the safe return of my precious Diamond, but it would be amiss of me to let that divert me away from my professional career as a working mother." Spoiled afforded the mayor a wide, phony grin.
The custodian wanted to say so much more. About how she could see through the magenta mare's lies from a mile away. How there were witnesses to her abuse not just towards her own daughter, but to many other foals who's parents were fed up of their children being castigated because they weren't of a 'good stock'.
And that the operation to improve her facial features had actually produced the reverse effect.
But Mayor Mare had to quietly swallow her words, and accept Spoiled's dubious promise at face value. For, the head of the school board had one trick up her silken sleeve which the politician could do nothing about. And his name was Filthy Rich.
Despite having the worst taste in mares around, the Barnyard Bargains tycoon was still a major name in the town. His business bought in a lot of money to the province. He heavily invested in infrastructure for the future.
He more-or-less bankrolled Mayor Mare's last winning election campaign...
And Spoiled had him completely under her hoof.
So, unable to communicate anything she really wanted to, the official simply nodded, before just standing there in the centre of Spoiled's office, stuck in a quandary.
She REALLY wanted to get out of the sight of this ghastly mare as soon as possible, but she felt she owed to the innocent youngsters of Ponyville. To say something else. Do something else. Which would change something, anything...
She did nothing.
"Hmm?" Spoiled Rich looked up from the filing cabinet she was leafing through. "Was there something else?"
"N-no, n-not at all, Mrs Rich" the mayor stammered, powerlessly.
"Well, in that case, you're free to leave." Spoiled waved a dismissive hoof, which indicated the meeting was over. "Do close the door on the way out, there's a dear."
The magenta mare returned to her occupation, while Mayor Mare headed to the exit. She was sorely tempted to slam the door with all her strength, but fortunately was able to just suppress the urge.
As soon as she heard the elected official depart, Spoiled stopped the pretense she was doing something, and her expression became one of somepony who'd been sucking lemons all day. She swiveled on her plush, leather chair, adopting a similar pose to her daughter during her ill-fated stint as editor of the Foal Free Press.
As if the evening hadn't been bad enough, with those four lower class ponies lead by the fake princess invading the sanctity of her home to humiliate her with their lies, she woke up to find her pathetic, sniveling wreck of a husband leaning over her in the morning, saying that their daughter had been removed from the premises...
And it was partially her fault?!
Needless to say, she soon put him right on that score, and it wasn't too long before his sad attempt at a rebellion was quashed, with the pitiful stallion on his knees, kissing her fetlocks and swearing never to speak out of turn again.
She'd informed him the only way he could possibly make it up to her was by ensuring the safe return of Diamond by the week's end, after all... She needed her child to show off at Prince Blueblood's big soiree.
She didn't want the other upper class guests to know there was anything wrong. Also, she'd picked out the most gorgeous dress for Tiara to show off there.
Her plans were not going to unravel because some 'Princess Of Friendship' (what kind of a stupid title is that, anyway) had a parasprite in her bonnet about her parenting methods.
Why, Spoiled's mother had raised her in exactly the same manner. To speak when she was spoken to. To listen to a command, and act on it straight away. To only make friends with certain cliques, and that nopony else was worth her time...
Sure, she hated it, and the restriction and lonliness caused her to cry herself to sleep most nights. But it was all worth it in the end! Look at her now. She'd married well, was known in all the right circles and was even going to rub shoulders with real royalty soon.
Meaning: Somepony actually born into an aristocratic role, not some antisocial nerd promoted well beyond her capabilities.
In case it wasn't clear enough by now, Spoiled had no respect whatsoever for Twilight, and regarded her 'concern' for Tiara as a blatant abuse of her undeserved power.
This would be one of the cornerstones of her court case against the injunction in a few days, as soon as that dozy shell of a husband deigned to find some lawyers competent enough to represent her.
The more expensive, the better... And they'd have to hail from Canterlot.
Besides her grudge against the lavender alicorn, Spoiled also mostly blamed three other individuals for the unfortunate predicament she found herself in.
She knew it was stupid to get so worked up over mere children, but frankly their contribution to the break-up of her family was so grievous it couldn't be overlooked.
Since her arrival that morning, she'd spent time digging up info on that trio of troublemakers. Apparently, they already had a rap sheet a mile long.
Including: Destruction of property, endangering other pony's lives due to their silly stunts, causing their teacher to fall in love against her will...
Why these worthless rapscallions hadn't been expelled, or at the very least suspended for their many misdemeanors she didn't know. Maybe it was something to do with the fact one was the sister of Rarity, another was related to that smelly farmer her husband did business with and the other hung out with the same rainbow coloured thug that threatened her yesterday.
And, the common link here between all the ponies? All friends of Twilight Sparkle. More evidence for the trial... She couldn't wait to see that fraud's face when the case against the Rich family was blown apart.
Sure, she'd done some stuff too which could be classified as unethical, like the numerous occasions she'd used her influence as head of the board to stop her daughter for seeing any serious consequences for her actions.
Tiara was simply flaunting her superiority in each case, She didn't deserve any repercussions for exhibiting her power over useless commoners.
One of the proudest moments of Spoiled's life was when her baby got her cutie-mark, while bossing around the servants at the mansion. It was while Diamond was complaining to one of her attendants that her glass of orange juice was two degrees too warm, before throwing it in the face of the serving pony.
The useless maid had run off in tears, much to Spoiled's approval. Learning how to handle the workforce at such an early age... Now THAT was impressive.
Things got even better when the symbol of a five-pointed tiara had appeared on the young filly's flank.
Spoiled had been overjoyed, particularly when she discovered the true power of the mark was that suddenly her daughter became a pony with a silver tongue, able to get whatever she wanted. This would be a skill the magenta mare could use to her own advantage... And had pushed forward plans for Spoiled to introduce her offspring to society, starting with the big upcoming party at the royal palace.
What she didn't see coming though, was Diamond's tactics of intimidation failing her at the school election... Because of those three fillies.
That her daughter would be chased halfway across Ponyville to somehow be brainwashed to waste her priceless talent on helping peasants instead of using it to climb social ladders... Because of those three fillies.
Then she'd lost her blessed child to Celestia-knows-who, due to unfounded accusations against her fine self.
And who'd been spying on her when she'd given her daughter a well deserved tongue lashing for her failures? Who'd subsequently reported her to the authorities, completely over-exaggerating the incident?
Those three fillies.
Spoiled couldn't even say their stupid names. All she knew is they'd taken away the daughter she knew, both mentally and physically. Through their cornball philosophising and out-of-tune singing, they'd transformed a prideful, obedient daughter who was sure of her place in the world as one of the future elite, into a humble, disobedient filly who wanted to be the same as everypony else.
She hadn't even recognised her own progeny yesterday.
Before Tiara's unscheduled departure that night, she was about five minutes away from calling the therapy clinic. Get her checked in there... Undo the harm that trio of misfits had done to her brain... Get back the daughter she'd molded and trained for all those years.
Oh, and loved of course.
Then she was gone, forcibly removed...
And it turned out those three fillies were responsible for that, too.
She looked at the personnel records she had on each one of them, laid out on her desk. The pegasus couldn't even fly. The unicorn couldn't even use magic properly. And, the earth pony...
Was an Apple...
Spoiled angrily scrunched up each piece of paper. What made them so special? They seemed like a bunch of unrepentant delinquents. Yet, despite the fact they shamefully were among the last in their class to get their cutie-marks, the whole town came to a standstill to help them celebrate this 'awesome' achievement.
Even her own daughter attended, against Spoiled's express wishes, of course.
Though they were only children, and it was most unbecoming to say so, she hated them. They had taken away everything that was important to her, even though she'd never done anything to them. Well, now she would.
Revenge was a base concept, and not one she generally approved of. Yet, if anypony deserved it, it was those brats. She'd do something to ruin their reputation around town. Show the residents of this dump that these insignificant low-lives were as contemptible as she saw them.
Of course, she'd have to keep it very hush-hush.
With the impending court case, and the big upcoming shindig at the palace which could make or break her social climbing...
She couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
If it was impossible to get her own back on a manufactured princess, ruining the lives of the three fillies that started this whole sorry affair would be a good consolation.
Why did her daughter choose to be friends with them, anyway? Had her standards really slipped that low? Why couldn't there be more children around like Sterling Silver's filly... The only one who had ever got onto her 'approved' list in this town of riff-raff?
Silver Spoon...
That was her name...
She wondered if Silver was as disappointed in the changes wrought to her daughter as Spoiled was...
Maybe there was a kindred spirit there...
Maybe, the grey filly could help her with her plan...
*KNOCK KNOCK*
Spoiled sighed at the interruption. Just when she was about to get into monologuing mode...
"COME IN!!" The magenta mare bellowed.
The door opened... And in popped Miss Cheerilee.
Spoiled internally sighed. 'Oh Celestia, not her. Shouldn't she be in class by now, being used as a painted target for spitwad throwing hooligans?'
"Miss Cheerilee. What an absolute pleasure to see you, and on such a fine day as well. How are you, my dear?" Spoiled showed off her expensive dental work with the widest of fake smiles.
Always nervous when confronted with the one who could make or break the job she loved so much, Cheerilee stumbled into the room, a little on edge. "Er, hello Mrs Rich. I'm fine thank you. And, how are you, may I ask?"
"Never better!" Spoiled spat out, almost threateningly. She bet one of the signatories on that stupid petition was this clumsy single girl. Well, she'd get her comeuppance soon enough too...
"I just came to make you aware about today. I'm sure you know the terms of the injunction." Cheerilee nervously fiddled with her forehooves. As much as she loathed Spoiled's appalling parenting methods, she still felt sorry for any mother separated from their child in such acrimonious circumstances.
Mrs Rich didn't seem too bothered, though. "Yes, yes. I'm not to go within fifty feet of her... Not talk to her... Not send her any letters... As if that useless mailmare we have would be able to find her anyway, Not breathe on her... I intend to follow all of that to the last detail, so don't worry your pretty little head about it. It won't be for too long, though... I'll have her back in the mansion where she belongs sooner than you think. You'll see."
Cheerilee wasn't sure about the reason behind Spoiled's rock-solid confidence, but wisely decided not to comment on it. "Good, because she'll be arriving soon with Apple Bloom, and..."
Spoiled's nonchalance was suddenly cast aside, upon hearing this. The head of the board jumped up from her desk like she was on springs, knocking over her carefully arranged papers in the process. "WHAT?!" She screeched, "What's she doing with that... pony?"
Cheerilee took a step backward, sweat dripping from her brow. She was used to dealing with Spoiled's tantrums by now, but this looked to be one on an entirely new scale.
"D-didn't you know?" Stammered the teacher. "Apple Bloom is living with her now..."
Spoiled continued to stare open-mouthed at Cheerilee, as if she knew what this earth-shattering news entailed, she just wanted to hear it from the teacher's lips.
So, unwilling to disappoint, Cheerilee dutifully obliged. "Applejack is her new foster parent."
That did it. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Spoiled Rich fainted dead away, her tongue unraveling like a serpent once more in her unconscious state.
Cheerilee put her hoof to her mouth. "Oops, maybe it would have been better if I hadn't said anything..."