The Path of Absolution - Forgiveness

by Morningstar1337

II - Perspective and Preperation

In the Evening, Applejack, Big Mcntosh and Rarity went to Sugarcube Corner, there a certain blue pegasus flew down to the the entrance. Rarity and Big Mac went to place the luggage down for later.

“Are they coming?” Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash went inside the bakery. “Yeah, I managed to get Fluttershy to stop crying. She should be here in a few.”

“What about Twilight?” Rarity walked near the counter of the bakery. “Do you think she’s coming?”

“I don’t know. She has a force-field over the library,” Rainbow Dash said. “I asked Spike to give Twi the message though.”

Just then Pinkie Pie bounced in from another room. She had a copy of the paper in her mouth and a somewhat angry expression. She tried to smile “Alright is everypony here?”

“Not yet,” Rarity said. “Thanks for letting me put the luggage here for later.”

“No problem,” Pinkie said. “But why are you packing luggage anyway?”

“We’ll explain that later darling,” Rarity said.

Applejack looked at the gossip column. There were hints of betrayal and confusion in her eyes. “I just can’t believe this, I never thought that Apple Bloom would do something like this.”

---

Twilight Sparkle was lowering the barrier to her Library. “Spike can you make sure no intruders can enter while I’m gone?”

“Of course,” Spike said.

Twilight then left for the bakery.

On the way to Sugarcube Corner a blue stallion approached her. “Excuse me miss, but do you know where Cheerilee is?”

“Sure,” Twilight’s lavender fur slightly shivering from the cold of night. “The 3rd house in Trotsky Lane, to the left, slightly blue. Why do you ask?” She noticed that his cutie mark was a gravel and a piece of scripture.

“I have an urgent matter to speak with her about,” the stallion was about to take his leave. “Thank you for the directions.”

Twilight found this strange. Why would somepony look for someone in night like that? She decided to worry about it later and meet her friends at the bakery.

---

In a few minutes Twilight Sparkle met up with her friends in the bakery. She saw the newspaper on the counter. “So what’s going on?” Rainbow Dash handed her the paper and she read the column, her blood boiling with every word. “What!?” She was downright furious.

“Calm down darling,” Rarity said.

“Calm down? Calm down?” Twilight said her mostly dark blue mane began to burn a blazing bright orange. “How can I calm down. I must make barriers for Ponyville. They must not invade ponies’ privacy anymore.” She dropped the paper and tried to run out but she bumped into Fluttershy as she opened the door and tripped. Her mane had cooled off and returned to their usual blue, with pink and purple streaks.

“Um is everything okay?” Fluttershy asked.

“No,” Rainbow Dash said bluntly. She took the newspaper off the floor and gave it to Fluttershy while Rarity was helping Twilight up.

Applejack and Rarity were a little concerned. They were sure if their sisters could even be trusted at all least of which to stay in Ponyville.

Twilight stood up and said, “Sorry got carried away.”

“Alright y’all,” Applejack said. “I talked with Rarity before this and I think we should go to Manehatten.”

“But why?” Fluttershy said uncomfortably.

“We need to talk with the Cutie Mark Crusaders about this and I don’t think we can do this here,” Rarity said. “Even considering the previous ‘Gabby Gums’ articles this is highly unusual even for them.”

Out of all the ponies here the least trustful of the fillies are Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. The former of whom said, “Oh really?”

Twilight read through the paper and noticed that it was done by a typewriter, well except for one piece that seemed to be ripped out of another paper.

“I need to talk with my relatives over at Manehatten first to get everything in order So it would be about two weeks at least before we can go."

“Whew,” Pinkie Pie said. “I have to go help the Cakes for their entry into the national baking competition next week anyway. Do you know how hard it is to make a cake as delicious as...”

“So in the meantime?” Rainbow Dash said. She was feeling a little enraged that she has to spend time with the three who forever ruined her reputation.

“I just don’t know.” Applejack said. The group eventually left the room having nothing further to discuss tonight.

---

The next day Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle went to the school. The first thing on their minds being the guilt they have for their gossip, as well as potentially moving away. Bt the time they went to the classroom they noticed that they were early, only they, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are here.

Diamond Tiara noticed the three blank flanks and approached them. “Oh there you are. I just want to tell you that I’m accepting your resignation. You are no longer working at the Foal Free Press.”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were surprised by this action. Though they knew that the damage was done and that Diamond Tiara had already read (and butchered) their letter. And they knew that no matter what they had ruined the lives of countless others. The students went to their seats as class started.

“That’s odd,” Scootaloo said.

“What do you mean,” Apple Bloom said.

The orange pegasus looked around and more of their students enter the classroom. “Isn’t Cheerilee supposed to be her now?”

The other two fillies had a look of surprise on their face, then looked around and saw that their red-violet-colored teacher wasn’t here.

“You don’t think that she’s mad too?” Sweetie Belle said, nearly panicking.

A minute later the door opened and a familiar voice said, “Okay, class is in session.” But it wasn’t the voice the Crusaders were expecting.

It was Twilight Sparkle. The fillies were kinda surprised. Diamond Tiara said, “Where’s Miss Cheerilee?”

“She said she had to go to court and asked me to teach until she comes back,” Twilight said as Spike walked in with some books. “You can think of me as Substitute Teacher and Advisor to the Foal Free Press.”

“And I’m her number one assistant,” Spike then handed her a book with “Everything you want to know about Kindergarten teaching (But were too afraid of your own experiences to ask)”.

Diamond Tiara was laughing at Spike as he handed out some coloring books and crayons and Twilight went over Cheerilee’s lesson plan for the next two weeks. Spike skipped the Crusaders’ table and looked at them dirtily, only for Twilight to notice and levitated some of the crayons and paper to them.

“Why’d you do that for?” Spike said. “You know as well as I do that they don’t deserve that.”

“And I’m sure that teachers aren’t supposed to let their personal issues get in the way of their work,” Twilight said.

It’s going to be a long day for the Crusaders.