"Okay, so we agree on the plan, right?" Sweetie Belle asked Diamond Tiara after a moment of consulting.
Diamond Tiara reluctantly nodded. "Right. You won't hear a peep out of me, I promise."
"You'd better not, for your sake," Scootaloo advised. "Now pipe down and stay out of sight until we sort this out."
Once Diamond had clammed up, the Cutie Mark Crusaders opened the clubhouse door and stepped outside to talk to Pipsqueak. They made sure to keep Pip from seeing into the clubhouse and suspecting anything. To their relief, Pip immediately revealed to them why he'd come to talk to them. "Am I glad to see you four! I need your help again and I need it badly!" He explained urgently.
"What's wrong, Pip?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Oh, it was just awful!" Pip explained, even as he struggled to keep from hyperventilating. "I attended the first meeting of the school board and brought up the issue of the playground equipment. But they turned me down."
"What?! Why?!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed in shock.
"They said there's no money in the budget!" Pip answered. "Which I find odd considering the president of the board, Spoiled Rich, was able to throw away millions on her daughter's campaign! Anyway, I decided to check and see if I had enough money to buy the new equipment on my own but-" Pip shook out his piggy bank, revealing nothing but a few small bits, a ball of lint, and a candy wrapper. "-My little piggy wasn't nearly full enough. What am I gonna do?!"
"Tell you what, Pip," Rumble suggested. "You head back to the school yard and we'll meet you there. We can discuss our next step in your office, or wherever it is the student pony president gets to reside."
"Why not here, where nopony can see or hear us?" Pipsqueak innocently suggested.
Gulping hard, the Crusaders struggled to think up an answer. That is, until Scootaloo hastily told Pip. "Because, it's for official Cutie Mark Crusaders only, and you're not a Crusader yet. Don't worry, we promise that word of this won't leave the walls of your office. If anypony asks, just say we called in that favor you owed us for helping you win."
"Right, got it!" Pip saluted, then he took off running as he called back. "Hope to see you at the school house soon!"
But unfortunately for Pip and the Crusaders, somepony had overheard their conversation, Diamond Tiara. Smirking, the pink coated filly realized. "So, this is what Mother had in mind to get back at Pip for stealing the election from me. It's an odd gift, but I'll take it. That little colt won't have to worry about the playground equipment for much longer, because I already have a solution in mind."
"And that would be?" Rumble nervously asked (though he had a pretty good idea of what Diamond's plan involved).
"Our new president's about to have the shortest tenure of office ever. Once word gets out about his inability to deliver on his big promise, he'll be kicked out of office, and I'll be reinstated!" Diamond proudly boasted. "And once that's happened, I'll get the new playground equipment and that statue of myself, and everypony will wonder why they ever thought to turn against me!"
"What?!" All four Crusaders exclaimed at once.
"Don't try to stop me, Crusaders! And don't even think about getting in my way!" Tiara vowed, as she took off running. "I won't let you take victory away from me a second time!"
"Just where does she think she's going?" Scootaloo wondered.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Where do you think?! Come on, after her! We gotta stop her from makin' the worst mistake of her life!"
"Hey, wait for me! I'm coming too!" Sweetie spoke up.
"And don't forget me! We can't let Diamond Tiara get away with this! For our sake, and for hers!" Rumble added, then all four Crusaders took off after Diamond, hoping to catch up to her before it was too late! Along the way, as the Crusaders began to catch up to Tiara, the filly could be heard singing back to them:
Cutie Mark Crusaders, please get out of my way!
Those ponies need to know the truth, and they'll hear it from me.
The Crusaders sang back a plea of their own:
Stop! Diamond Tiara, this is not the way.
Please, be better than this 'hostility'.
But Diamond just sang back (as she knocked a barrel of apples into the road to slow the Crusaders down):
You don't even know me at all!
Don't understand the meaning of my mark!
Or what my family would think if I ever,
Failed at anything!
I'm a diamond, that means you never break!
And no matter what be the cost of the path I'll take.
Whatever I have to do to win in the end.
Somehow, despite the odds, the Crusaders managed to catch up to and even overtake Diamond Tiara. And once they did, they pleadingly sang to her:
Stop! For this is not the answer.
Wait! And it's plainly seen.
Listen! You can reedem yourself.
But by helping others, and not by being mean.
We know that you want friends who admire you.
And you want to be the star with all the power too.
But there's a better way, yes, there's a better wa-a-ay.
There's so much more still left to-
Learn about yourself.
See the light that shines in you.
'Cause now you can be somepony else!
You can stop right now.
And try another start.
You can finally free yourself from the dark.
And see the light.
Yes, see the light of your cutie mark!
For a moment, the plea seemed to reach Diamond's ear. At the crossroads leading to the schoolhouse, the filly halted and seemed to briefly ponder her options, as if she were suddenly hesitating. But just when the Crusaders had hoped that they'd gotten through to the filly, their hearts sank as they saw Tiara dash along the road to the school.
All four Crusaders did their best, but they were unable to catch up to Diamond in time. At last, she reached the school house, just after Pip had arrived. And before the Crusaders could get a word in edge wise, Tiara loudly proclaimed for all to hear. "Attention, everypony! I have an announcement to make, one that I think you'll ALL want to hear."