//------------------------------// // 13 - Start Episode 4 - Back to School // Story: Prickle Berry Tries to Be Careful // by David Silver //------------------------------// Prickle did as her mother told her, and performed well on the work she was given by Sweetie every day. Each time the unicorn came around, Prickle would swap notebooks with her answers and homework in it with what Sweetie had from the day before. At last, she was well again and could return to school. Things seemed to be normal enough. "The heroine walked with renewed vigor. She had shaken off her injuries with the determination that made her who she was. Tiny Titan would stalk the streets of Ponyville, and bad guys had better watch out!" Prickle smiled over at Scootaloo. "You're very silly when you're doing the narrating thing." "You know you like it," assured Scootaloo with a returned grin. The other girls giggled at her antics. Apple Bloom threw a leg over her powerful friend. "Ah'm mighty happy ta see ya up n' around again. It'll be a treat ta be at school wit ya insteada jus' bringin' home notes fer ya." Sweetie bobbed her head as they approached the class. "Not that I minded taking notes for you, Prickle. It's the least I could do!" They exchanged a communal hoofbump before they split up for their seats. Cheerilee gave her a sympathetic look when Prickle first entered the classroom. "Prickle Berry, it's so good to have you back." She let out a worried sigh. "To think, you were caught by that terrible Bugbear while trying to get your mother her groceries, really. She should have known better than to send you out at a time like that." Prickle froze a moment and glanced off to see the crusaders were bobbing their heads at her. That was the excuse they had given for her. "O-oh, yeah, ha... That was a bit silly, but I'm alright." She smiled brightly at her teacher. "I'll be extra careful in the future." She found her way to her desk and settled in. There were murmurs of consolation, but it seemed ponies were happy that she was alright, which was nice. Until she heard a voice. "Hello, Prickle." She glanced to the right to see Silver Spoon standing there with a broad smile. "Nice to see you today." What was she aiming at? "Uh, hello, um, Silver Spoon." "Silver will do," she assured with a flutter of her lashes. "We really need to talk more." "Settle down class," came Cheerilee's commanding voice. Silver trotted away without any further words and settled beside Diamond Tiara. Prickle let out a near-silent sigh of relief that Silver Spoon had been banished, but glances showed that Silver was giving furtive looks right back at her. She was in that prissy filly's sights and there was nothing Prickle could think of to shake it. Unless... She raised a hoof into the air. "Miss Cheerilee?" Cheerilee paused her lesson, focusing on Prickle. "What is it, Prickle? Is everything alright?" "I'm really sorry but it hurts a little. Can I go get a drink?" Asking to take a break to get a drink was normally something a foal would have to wait for lunch for, but Prickle hoped, and was rewarded. "Of course you can. Go on. Now class--" Prickle slid from her chair and trot from the room, giddy with freedom once she turned the corner and slipped out of the schoolhouse. The water fountain was outside, beside the playground. As she walked towards it, she looked towards the sky, as bright blue as it was. Part of her wanted to run away, but she couldn't do that... "Why not?" she asked herself out loud. She dipped her snout in the way of the water and stepped on the pedal to get it to start flowing. As she drank, she thought of why not. For one, she was at school. Running away would get her in trouble. For another, she wasn't just Prickle Berry anymore. She was Tiny Titan. Heroes didn't run, and she was one of those, right? "Hello." Prickle jumped and swallowed the water wrong, sending herself into a coughing fit. A hoof came down and gently pat her back until the coughing subsided. Silver Spoon smiled gently. "Are you alright?" Prickle looked around wildly, but there was no way to escape other than outright fleeing, again... "H-hello Silver Spoon. What are you doing here?" "I was worried." She pulled a cloth from her fur and held it in her snout as she leaned in and rubbed it against Prickle's face, nuzzling her as she cleaned away the spilled water. "I volunteered to make sure you were alright." Prickle blinked with dumbfounded confusion mixing with the blush of the other filly's invasion of her personal space. "Wait, Miss Cheerilee wouldn't let a pony out for that." Silver suddenly looked guilty. "N-no, I guess not... I said I was thirsty too." Her smile returned. "We're both hurt, remember. But only one of us got hurt fighting that big terrible bugbear." She tucked her cloth away. "Can we talk?" Prickle gestured at the schoolhouse with a flick of her head. "Cheerilee will be mad at us if we--" Silver put a hoof to Prickle's snout. "Just a moment, please... I swear." Prickle shivered faintly before she nodded. "Alright..." She glanced away and back. "You're..." She was almost certain Silver Spoon knew. "You're here to make fun of me, aren't you?" Silver recoiled. "I said sorry!" "So what!" Prickle suddenly shouted before going red. She hadn't meant to shout like that. "I..." Silver had wilted under the sudden scream. "I'm... sorry to bother you." She spun in place and galloped back for the schoolhouse, leaving Prickle behind. She hung her head with newfound guilt. Had Silver been trying to be nice to her? Was it right for her to shove Silver away like that? There wasn't much she could do about it right that moment, so she walked back to class and tried to pay attention to the lesson being given. During lunch, Prickle was happily sitting by herself and chewing the sandwich her mother had prepared for her. It was her favorite kind and each bite reminded her of how lucky she was to have a perfect mom. A sudden lashing hoof knocked it free of her grip and sent it to the dirty ground. Diamond Tiara was there with a huge scowl. "Where do you get off talking to Silver Spoon that way!" She leaned in, her hind legs lifting off the ground in the motion. "Nopony treats Silver Spoon like that! Nopony!" "W-what? I didn't--" Diamond moved in all the further, shoving Prickle back. It wasn't that she couldn't resist, just that she wasn't. The fact that she wasn't, and Diamond's scathing tongue rubbed the wrong way through the heroic filly. Wold Tiny Titan accept this? She didn't have to be bullied anymore! But if she showed her strength, she might blow everything... "I heard it from inside the classroom. You shouted at her and she came back ready..." Diamond Tiara cut herself out with a low seething growl. "Nopony treats my friend that way!" She gave Prickle a terrific shove that sent her tumbling over her back to land on her belly with an oof. "You mutant freak! You don't belong in this school! You don't belong in this town! Go away and never come back!" It was too much. Prickle was beyond thinking. She had to defend herself. Never had the bullying become so physical before, had she been so directly attacked. She scrambled up to her trembling hooves, her entire body shaking like a leaf in a strong wind. "Stop. Stop right now. You leave--" "Go away!" shrilly cried Diamond Tiara, rushing with a raised hoof. She swung in a mighty punch, but Prickle did not allow it. The hoof landed, a deep thud heard, but Prickle's snout did not move a millimeter. It was as if she were made of stone. The noise of the conflict had started drawing eyes, but Prickle was not paying attention to them. Her eyes were on Diamond, who was heaving and pushing, trying to get her hoof to move Prickle, which wasn't happening, not even a little. "Stop," she repeated. "Last warning." A third party suddenly threw herself between them. Silver Spoon hugged Diamond Tiara tight and pulled her away. "Stop! Please stop!" "Silver!" Diamond backed up in a sudden recoiling. "I was just..." She looked around nervously. "She..." Her voice lowered to a whisper, "She made you cry! I'm defending you, you big dummy. Let me handle this." Silver Spoon leaned forward and kissed Diamond Tiara on the nose. "Parsnip." Prickle blinked. What did parsnips have to do with anything? Despite her confusion, Diamond sat on her haunches like a well-trained dog. Tiara gave a slow blink. "Are you... sure?" "Yes." Silver Spoon nodded. "I'll explain later, I promise." Diamond looked to Prickle, frown returning swiftly. "You're off the hook, this time. You better watch yourself!" She thrust a hoof at Prickle. "I'm watching you!" With a mighty huff, she stormed away. Cheerilee approached with a concerned expression. "Is everything alright over here? I heard some sh--Prickle!" She reached down and turned Prickle's head gently to reveal the swelling bruise that Diamond Tiara's hoof had left. She was powerful enough to resist moving at all, but she could bruise as well as anypony else. "What happened?! Who did this? Tell me right now." Silver Spoon looked stricken, and Prickle hesitated. She wanted to get Diamond in trouble, but... "I fell. That's what all the noise was about..." Cheerilee tilted her head a little. "It's... Are you sure?" Prickle nodded. "Alright... Come with me. You really must be careful while you're healing." The teacher took Prickle away to get a new bandage and her face gently dabbed off. "Now, you know, if somepony is picking on you, you should tell me," she said as she worked. "I know you're probably scared, but it won't be better for you to be quiet about it. It will be between you and me." Prickle knew that wasn't true. Other ponies had told on Diamond before, and it rarely worked out for the better for them in the long run. Sure, Diamond Tiara would be punished in the short term, but in the long run... "I just fell," she repeated. "Thank you." "You run along and play, but, please, don't hesitate to talk to me." Cheerilee gave a smile she hoped was reassuring. "I'm always here." Prickle gave one final nod and rushed out back outside. Her sandwich was right where she left it, all dirty and mildly trampled on. Her mother's love, ruined. Another thing to add to the tally-sheet of Diamond Tiara's wrongdoings. With a muted grunt, Prickle slammed the ground, making a little crater. She was so angry right at that moment, at herself for failing to stand up for herself, and Diamond for being a bully.