The Bitch is Busted!
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I yawn as I walk out of my room and walk downstairs for breakfast.
Sitting down, I see my usual eggs, bacon (real), and cameral ice cream covered pancakes are sitting in my spot.
I raise an eyebrow at the plate and it hops onto the table, where it belongs.
As I take my seat, I sigh, thinking about how tiring the last few days have been. With the last couple days, I’ve been somewhat able to relax. Despite my having to go around town and fixing the mass damages by both the yaks and the Bugbear, things have been quiet.
I didn’t bother attending the Grand Equestria Summit, though I did make sure they kept the Pony part out of the name. When you think about it, calling it the Grand Equestia Pony Summit, makes it sound very exclusive to non-ponies, of which there were several there. Kinda racist, really.
The looks of worry that played over the princesses faces when I pointed this out to them was both priceless... and groan-inducing. Seriously, Celestia’s been ruling on her own for a thousand years and such a thing didn’t occur to her? Not even once?
Whatever the case, it went as you’d expect, with the only change being the name. I spent the time of the summit just hanging around Ponyville or popping into the EQG world for a while.
As for when the Sister Hooves Social came around, I was both glad and angry still at Spoiled from forbidding Diamond from taking part in something that didn’t further Spoiled’s own status.
God, I can’t wait for her to get her just rewards and leave already.
“Victory is key. Something you’re sister clearly understands better than you.”
Oh, great. This is a fine start to my morning.
I look away from my breakfast to see Spoiled walk in and haughtily take her seat before her breakfast is set in front of her.
I give her a disinterested look. “You have little reason or right to lecture me, Spoiled Milk.”
Her eye twitched as we stared each other down. I’d recently learned the bitch’s given name and it fits so perfectly. The whole time she’s been here, she’s made living with her as unpleasant as drinking spoiled milk.
She huffs, sticking her nose into the air. “Once Diamond Tiara is Student Pony President again, maybe you’ll finally start to understand how to act.”
I snort. “Not likely. By the way, you came up with that position, correct?” At her nod, I continue. “Do you believe only ponies are ever going to that school, or are you just proving how much of a racist cunt you are and trying to say that anything but ponies are unworthy of high positions of power of any kind?”
She chokes on her cereal and begins coughing.
I finish my breakfast and head out as Randolph comes over, trying to help Spoiled clear her airways.
Yep. Today’s the day. Well, okay, tomorrow is, technically, when Diamond and I will finally be free of that wench.
Today is the day of the Election and the beginning of the events of Crusaders of the Lost Mark.
I am both overjoyed, as well as honestly kind of anxious. Not only am I worried about keeping the timeline up to code to make sure Diamond gets reformed completely, but I’m nearing the last of my knowledge of the show’s flow.
I mean, the last episode I saw was when Twi and Flutters go off to solve their friendship problem. Beyond that, I’m clueless and have no idea what to expect.
I mean, I’m certain as ever that Starlight isn’t going to be a problem, but with only three episodes left unaired before I ended up here as Screwball, I literally have no idea what the finale will be, nor how many days there are between Twi and Flutters heading off on their Friendship Mission, episode twenty-four and then the finale.
Heck, I don’t even know how many days the finale will consist of. It could be a week, only a few hours, I’ve no clue and, it both excites and terrifies me, none of which helps my worries about keeping the timeline in check for Diamond.
I stop in the middle of the road and do Cadance’s breathing exercise. It works and I can calm down a bit.
Alright, Screwball. You’ve just gotta make sure things go okay. Once Diamond’s future is safe, you don’t need to fret.
To be honest, that is one of the things that still surprises me, as much as I’m worried about what the finale entails, it will actually be a bit of a relief to not know what needs to happen. I can’t make a mistake if I don’t know what the outcome should be, after all.
With that thought firmly in mind, I decide to go over the evidence I have of Spoiled. A condensed version for now, of course. There’s so much, there’s no way I could go over all of it in under just forty-eight hours.
Once Diamond stands up to Spoiled, Daddy will receive a package containing all the crystals that hold the footage of what she’s put Diamond and even myself through both before and since Discord first got out of his stone prison.
Knowing Daddy, once he sees even just some of that shit, he’ll be horrified and want to get Spoiled out of our lives as much as I do. Of course, he won’t actually receive it until the part where Diamond stands up to the bitch, so he’ll also see how little Spoiled thinks of Apple Bloom and the other Crusaders.
It’s Apple Bloom, however, who will grab his attention the most, what with them and our family being such strong business partners. Frankly, I’m a little surprised Bloom hasn’t told AJ, Big Mac or Granny about Spoiled til now.
Heck, from what I can tell, Spoiled has even pretty much said to their faces, if somewhat subtly, how little she thinks of them when they were younger.
At least, I think that’s what happened. I’ve only gotten scraps of it from here and there. I’d need to talk with AJ or Mac themselves to find out and they’ve been kinda busy lately.
As I walk into school, I see Diamond and Silver sitting haughtily at their desks.
Oh, boy. This is gonna hurt... probably Diamond more than me, really, but still.
___________________________________________________________
“WHAT?!” Diamond screams from within the school house, before coming back outside, her expression shock and hurt. “One vote?!”
I’m standing next to Silver Spoon as Diamond comes over. “Silver Spoon, Screwball, you didn’t vote for me?”
“No. I didn’t,” Silver says firmly.
“Sorry, sis,” I shrug. “We may be sisters, but I’d prefer new playground equipment over a statue of you in its place.”
Diamond seems to accept my reason, but turns to her friend. “But you’re my best friend!”
Silver Spoon gives her a disapproving looking. “Am I? ‘Cause I tried to help by mentioning your ‘surprise’ statue, and suddenly I wasn’t even allowed to speak! You could have actually won this election if you just listened to me. You wanna know how?” she moves closer and shuts Diamond’s open-hanging mouth. “Sorry. I’m not allowed to speak.”
Diamond looks at her for a moment, before leaping into the air, screaming and runs off.
I decide to follow the Crusaders discreetly. After all, while I may not be able to help Diamond now, my keeping a record of Spoiled’s actions will save her in the long run.
My heart breaks as I hear Diamond poor her heart out in her song, while I also feel pure rage at Spoiled.
Oh, and don’t think I didn’t investigate the whole Statue of Diamond Tiara thing, either. Oh, no. I looked into that.
Seeing as Spoiled saw it as what would happen once Diamond won the election, she used school funds to pay for the statue. Would explain why she tells Pip there’s no money in the budget for something the school needs, yet Silver Spoon pointed out the school board would be the ones putting that statue where the playground equipment should be.
Then again, she could’ve easily just been saying that because of how little she thinks of him and wanted to make him feel like a failure. Don’t think I didn’t notice when she called him a “transplant from Trottingham” in the episode.
So, yeah, embezzling school funds can be added to the already long list of charges she’ll be facing after tomorrow.
Once Diamond’s done singing, I head home. I tell Randolph I won’t be eating dinner tonight because I don’t feel hungry and head for my room.
I know Daddy can tell something’s on my mind. He hasn’t even seen Diamond, who was too ashamed to show her face at dinner either. With both of us refusing to eat, he must know something’s up.
I honestly feel bad for him when he finds out the truth. It won’t be an easy thing to understand, but, if our family is going to get past this and move on with our lives, it needs to happen.
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“Everypony, I have an announcement!”
I turn around, along with the rest of the class and Miss Cheerilee to see Diamond standing before us, the CMC right behind her.
Finally. I’ve been waiting since I first learned who my pony family is for this moment.
“Diamond Tiara!” Apple Bloom calls out, not actually knowing what it is Diamond is going to say. I’m pretty sure she was going to say something different, after the song the CMC sang with her on the way here. “Think hard about the choice you’re makin’ right now!”
“You can be a better pony!” Scootaloo further encourages.
As Diamond opens, her mouth, however, “Diamond Tiara!”
We all turn to see Spoiled standing in the doorway. “I just happened to be here for the school board meeting, and this is what I see when we adjourn?” She walks out, passing the CMC with a disgusted look. “My daughter associating with confused, insignificant lowlifes? Socializing with their kind is not how you move up in Equestria!”
Please hurry and stand up to her, Diamond. I’m really struggling not to turn into Godzilla and just stomp on her already!
“Come, Diamond Tiara!”
“No, mother!”
Spoiled Rich stops and turns around, giving Diamond a very angry expression. “Excuse me?!”
Diamond steps forward, her expression firm. “You’ve spent your life acting like a high horse and raised me to follow in your hoofprints!” she wavers for a moment. “At first I thought this was fine,” her resolve returns and she glares firmly, “but then I finally realized I wanted something you don’t have – friends!
Everypony else gasps, while I’m just smirking.
Spoiled gets a nervous look, likely because she sees Diamond is thinking for herself and not just whatever Spoiled wants, before she looks sternly at Diamond. “That’s enough, Diamond Tiara! Step away from those blank flanks!”
Oh, yeah. Real smart, Spoiled. Use that term in a derogatory manner about the siblings of several ponies well-known in town for having SAVED EQUESTRIA MULTIPLE TIMES. You just love digging your grave deeper, don’t you?
Diamond looks to the CMC, smiling. “These are the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and they are my friends!” She looks firmly at Spoiled. “You need to stop calling them such mean and hurtful names! They are working harder to get their cutie marks than anypony I’ve ever seen! And they will get them exactly when they discover their true talent, which I guarantee will be amazing! Now, will you please deliver this to father?” she finishes by holding out a note to Spoiled.
The bitch looks uncertain for a moment, before she notices my sly grin. “Yes, of course, dear...”
She takes the note and starts to head off.
I grin, sending the crystals to Daddy. I can’t wait to get home and see what happens.
___________________________________________________________
“How can you be this way?!” Daddy demands as he stands protectively in front of Diamond, whilst I float by his head, my forelegs folded, a cold smirk on my face.
Spoiled looks from him to me, worry etched deep into her face. “Rich, you can’t honestly believe everything that,” she points at me, “told you, right?”
He snorts. “Screwball didn’t have to tell me anything. I saw the footage, Spoiled. I haven’t even seen all of it, just the points marked as priority cliff notes and those alone show I’ve been living a lie for years!”
“Rich, let me explain clearly—” Spoiled says, in a tone that I honestly feels in condescending.
“You’ve tried to mould Diamond solely to suit your own ends, not allowed her to make her own choices, made her feel worthless for even the smallest failures instead of trying to help her learn from them, insulted the youngest member of my family’s best partners and friends and worst of all, you tried to hide Screwball’s original condition from the public, just so she wouldn’t taint your own reputation!” he cuts her off with a snarl, before taking several long, deep breathes. “I don’t know what happened to the mare I fell in love with, but you clearly aren’t her!”
Spoiled gets a slight frown, one she’s given both myself and Diamond many a times when we weren’t living up to her standards (meaning it was the only look she ever gave me). “Now, Rich, be civil about this. I have merely tried my best to make sure Diamond does not make the wrong choices in life and goes far.”
“By belittling her for losing the Flag Carrying Competition?” he asked with a mockingly raised eyebrow. “By telling her off for joining Screwball last year in the Sister Hooves Social? By making her feel like she failed us by not becoming Student Pony President at her school? By making her feel like I won’t love her if she doesn’t do every single thing you say the way you say it?!” he was screaming by that last part.
Spoiled glares at me. “This is all her fault, don’t you see? Before she came after Discord’s attack, we were all fine.”
“No,” Daddy shakes his head, before giving me a warm smile. “She’s been fighting for our family, to make us better ponies.” He looks back to Spoiled with a scowl. “I want you out of this house, now!”
She stares at him, open-mouthed. “What?! You can’t be serious?!”
“I’ll pay for you to stay in a hotel somewhere here in town until you find your own place,” he grunts, pulling Diamond into a hug, before returning a glare at the mare before us. “I will not, however, have you living under the same roof as my daughters until you can sort out whatever is wrong with you.”
She stares at him in absolute shock, before a downright animalistic snarl forms on her face. “You DARE?! Without me, this family would be associating with gutter trash! Why, you’d probably be living on that putrid farm with those worthless farmers!”
Oh, shit! She did not just go there. I can actually see a vein throbbing on Daddy’s forehead.
“Those worthless farmers are the whole reason my family is where it is today, you... you...!” Despite his rage, he seems to be remembering Diamond and I are in the room, thus is stopping himself from saying whatever vulgar thing he was about to address Spoiled as.
I wouldn’t have minded myself, but Diamond is far younger in mind than I am, so keeping her away from such language is probably for the best.
“Go, Spoiled!” he says quietly, but coldly. “I don’t want to see you in this house or near my daughters until you have your head on straight!”
“Don’t worry about packing,” I say, just as coldly, her luggage containing all her personal possessions appearing next to her in a flash of white light. “Don’t let the door hit your fat flank on the way out.”
She just glares between Daddy and me in shock for several long moments, before thrusting her nose in the air. “Fine, Filthy! You really do live up to your name! See you in court!”
With that she turns away and stomps off.
As a final jab, I levitate her luggage and throw it at her, shouting, “Carry it yerself, ya saggy bag!”
“Screwball, language!” Daddy snaps.
“Sorry, Daddy,” I say, feeling a little bit sorry. I shouldn’t have said that right in front of Diamond.
He heaves a heavy sigh, before pulling Diamond and I into a hug, holding us close. “No. I’m sorry. Sorry I didn’t see how horrible a mare Spoiled had become and leaving you two to suffer under her like that.”
“Diamond suffered worse than me,” I say glumly. “I could avoid any stupid actions Spoiled took against me, but sis...”
Diamond sniffles.
We remain silent for a moment, just holding each other.
After some time, Daddy suggests we all go to bed and that we should all sleep together tonight. I can’t find any reason to disagree and Diamond is more than happy for the comfort.
She told me, back before Spoiled took over so much of Diamond’s life, back when Diamond still didn’t have her Cutie Mark, she and Daddy would sometimes do that.
As we head up to Daddy’s room, I sense Spoiled is no longer on the property and activate the ward spells I’ve been waiting so long to put up.
Now, Spoiled won’t be able to set hoof on this property without mine, Diamond and Daddy’s permission.
We all wash up, have a small meal in Daddy’s room Randolph brings in, then all snuggle up in Daddy’s bed, Diamond and I held in his forelegs.
True, dealing with the courts won’t be a walk in the park, even with all I have against Spoiled and it’ll be a rough time, but, I know it will be worth it in the end and the three of us will be far better off for it.
But, that’s for later. For now, I’m just going to enjoy being with my daddy and big sister, together, finally able to be ourselves around each other.