//------------------------------// // Chapter 18: Break The Diamond... // Story: Undead Robot Bug Crusaders // by Banjo64 //------------------------------// “Hey, girls? I’ve got a bit of a serious question for you…” Diamond Tiara was angry. No, angry was an understatement. Diamond Tiara was LIVID. Hers was the rage that drove generation spanning feuds. It was the hatred that sparked wars in the name of vengeance. It was the fury that turned monkeys into golden haired fighting machines. It was anger that had no business festering inside a young filly. Yet fester it did. There were many reasons why it burned so hot, but Diamond only had eyes for the biggest: those three bucking blank flanked fillies. She sat there at her school desk, watching them pack up and head out the door with an expression of utter loathing. Her anger did not go unnoticed. “Uh… Diamond Tiara? Are you OK?” asked Silver Spoon. Diamond turned towards her friend with a glare. “What do you think?” Diamond Tiara answered in a low voice that spoke volumes. “I… think it’s time we picked new targets? I mean, it’s kind of obvious at this point that the three of them aren’t bothered by our teasing anymore. Yeah, we were able to push those three around longer than anypony, but we both know how this works. Sooner or later they just get over us and we have to start picking on somepony else,” said Silver Spoon. “Yes, that’s how it works. And that’s why I’m so angry at those three,” said Diamond through clenched teeth. “How so? We’ve been teasing them for ages now. It was only a matter of time before…” started Silver. She was cut off by Diamond growling. “That’s just it! Those three clearly had a long way to go before they reached that point, but then one day in the middle of summer they just suddenly get over us? That’s not how this works. We should have been able to keep getting under their skin until the day they got their cutie marks,” explained Diamond. “Well, not every pony is going to just nicely follow the rules of bullying. Come on, Diamond, let’s just go and tease somepony else,” suggested Silver Spoon. Diamond Tiara slammed a hoof on her desk. It was a good thing that they were the only two left in the classroom, or Cheerilee would probably have had words with her about that. “Like who? Dinky’s mom will kill us if we pick on her. Rumble flat out doesn't care about his mark. That loser crystal pony is gone and he wasn’t a blank flank, or even a pony. And everypony else either already has their cutie mark, or we’ve already teased,” exclaimed Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon rubbed the back of her neck nervously. “Well… maybe… this is a sign that we should… find something else to do?” she hesitantly suggested. Diamond Tiara looked at her friend in shock, before glaring at her. “Excuse me? I must have heard you wrong, because you could not have possibly suggested what I thought you did. Could you?” Diamond asked. Silver Spoon winced, but held her ground. “I’m just saying, maybe it’s time? Time to stop only venting your frustration and accept that you…” she started to say. Diamond Tiara slammed her hooves on her desk so hard that it cracked. “I. DO. NOT. HAVE. A. PROBLEM!” she shrieked. Silver Spoon cringed at her friend’s outburst, but then let out a sigh. “OK then, how about we don’t just tease blank flanks. We could broaden our horizons, you know?” Silver Spoon suggested. Diamond Tiara nodded. That was a much better idea. One that wouldn’t give IT any reason to bother her. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea. But before that, we need to take care of some unfinished business,” said Diamond Tiara. “Unfinished business?” asked Silver Spoon. “Like I said, those three got over us far too quickly. Something must have happened to them. Something they don’t want anypony to know about. And we’re going to find out what,” declared Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon raised an eyebrow. “Really? You think that the reason they started ignoring us so suddenly is because they’re hiding some sort of dark secret?” she asked. “Well, duh. Of course they are. Now come on. It’s time for us to get spying,” said Diamond Tiara as she stood up. “You mean, time for you to get spying. I’m not coming,” said Silver Spoon as she packed up her books. “What? Why not?” demanded Diamond Tiara. “Because we still have homework to do. And if you’re going to be wasting the day spying on other ponies, I’m going to have to spend the day getting both of ours done. Your welcome, by the way,” answered Silver Spoon as she headed out the door. Diamond Tiara sighed, but let the matter drop. She didn’t need Silver Spoon to spy on them anyway. Besides, if Silver Spoon wasn’t with her, she wouldn’t be able to make another suggestion about IT. “Things have been, well, kind of crazy lately. So much has happened all at once…” Diamond Tiara kept low as she creeped up to the Crusader’s clubhouse. She had to be careful. Last time she and Silver Spoon had tried to bother the blank flanks in their own clubhouse, Applejack had noticed them, told their parents, and gotten them grounded. She did not want to get caught again. Too bad the only way to be sneaky on the farm was to get down into the dirt. This was especially problematic as it had rained the night before, and she needed to avoid the mud puddles that were still lying about. Diamond Tiara promised herself she would take a bubble bath as soon as she found out what those losers were hiding. A bubble bath she’d be setting up herself because… Diamond Tiara shook her head and banished that line of thinking. IT had tried to strike again. IT had gotten a lot more powerful the last few months because those three pests kept ignoring her. She needed to tear those fillies to pieces and soon, or she risked IT rising up past her defences. Finally, she reached the clubhouse. She tiptoed her way up the ramp, and peeked into one of the windows. Unsurprisingly, all three of them were inside. They were putting their school books away, homework already finished, while talking about something. “... can you believe that?” asked Scootaloo. “We’ve met Twitch, remember? I think we can believe it,” replied Sweetie Belle. “Though Ah gotta admit, that sounds like an all time low for him. Ah mean, really? Food dye to make changelings think their insides were bleedin’? That’s messed up,” said Apple Bloom with a shake of her head. Diamond Tiara permitted herself a smirk. She was already learning so much! In fact, this Twitch fellow sounded like a fun pony to… Wait, did Apple Bloom say changeling? “Well, it’s certainly one of his more messed up pranks, but hardly his worst. Did I ever tell you two about the time he gave everyone in the hive diarrhea?” said Scootaloo. “How the hay did he pull that off?” asked Apple Bloom. Scootaloo leaned in close to whisper to her friends. They quickly reeled back in horror. “Ew! That’s disgusting!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle. “Yeah. He got grounded for almost a year for that one,” said Scootaloo with a shake of her head. Diamond Tiara let out a silent huff of frustration. That was the big secret? They knew about a few changelings? Even if she knew those soul sucking bugs were still evil, how the hay was she supposed to make those three miserable over something like that? “So what about you, Scootaloo? Anything exciting happening lately?” asked Sweetie Belle. “Well, I am starting to learn a new disguise technique. Haven’t really gotten it down yet though, so I can’t really show it off,” admitted Scootaloo. “Aw, come on. Show us!” said Apple Bloom. “Yeah!” added Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo sighed. “Alright, fine,” she said. There was a bright flash of green flames, then Scootaloo stood before them: a changeling. Diamond Tiara had to slam her hooves on her muzzle to hold back a gasp. There was another flash, and Scootaloo was herself again, though now her coat looked a little off, like it was made of some sort of fuzzy orange stone. “Gah… couldn’t even make it grey. Anyway, as you can see, I’ve started my lessons on inanimate disguises. It’s really hard, though. At this point, I’m just trying to figure out how to make myself look like a statue, and I can’t even manage that yet,” explained Scootaloo. “You’ll get the hang of it eventually, Scootaloo, I’m sure of it,” said Sweetie Belle with a smile. Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Diamond Tiara put a hoof to her mouth in thought. On the one hoof, it wasn’t exactly illegal to be a changeling, stupid as that law was. But on the other, Scootaloo had chosen not to reveal herself during that meeting. That meant that she wanted to keep it a secret. A secret Diamond Tiara would be more than willing to spill. True, this wasn’t anything really incriminating, but with some creative thinking she might be able to work with this… “Anyway, enough changeling talk. We were plannin’ on headin’ to Carousel Boutique to read that instruction manual today, right?” said Apple Bloom. “Yep. We can finally start figuring out how my APP works,” said Sweetie Belle. “Last one there’s a rotten egg!” said Scootaloo as she dashed for the door. Diamond Tiara’s heart jumped in panic. She quickly looked around for an escape route, then threw herself off the side of the balcony. Unfortunately, she ended up throwing herself towards a small mud puddle. Splat! Diamond Tiara nearly broke out into tears as she felt the mud sink into her coat. The only thing keeping her from doing so was the fact that the blank flanks were in too big of a hurry to notice her, so her eavesdropping remained undetected. “And we’ve all learned a lot about ourselves. What we’re going to face when we grow up, and such…” One lonely… no, one pleasant bubble bath later, Diamond Tiara found herself peering into the second floor of the Carousel Boutique. The tree she was hiding in wasn’t very sturdy, but it was close enough that she could see and hear what was going on inside through the open window. “Chapter 6: Magic Systems,” read Sweetie Belle. Unfortunately, all the blank flanks were doing was reading some stupid manual. “While APP’s technically have the potential to enable users to harness all forms of magic, doing so has a history of severe safety and psychological problems. As such, modern designs have been tailor fitted to each tribe’s individual magic. While this may sound like a downgrade, it has made APP’s not only safer, but also cheaper, making them more affordable to ponies who need them,” read Sweetie Belle. “Well, it’s not like it would have been easy to hide a pair of metal wings, anyway,” commented Scootaloo with a shrug. “Yeah, this was probably for the best,” added Apple Bloom. Diamond Tiara had no idea what they were talking about. Some kind of video game maybe? “Hm… There’s a picture here of how the horn model is supposed to look. I wonder…” said Sweetie Belle. She then tapped her horn a few times. A moment later, it opened up, revealing mechanical insides built around a large wad of glowing material. Diamond Tiara’s jaw dropped as the illusion fell away from the rest of Sweetie Belle. The glass eyes, the crevices across her body, and most of all the way her horn opened up, Diamond Tiara could see it all. There was no doubt: Sweetie Belle was some kind of machine! “Does it look right to you girls?” asked Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked between the manual, and Sweetie Belle’s open horn. “Yeah, looks like a perfect match to me,” said Apple Bloom. “Same here,” said Scootaloo. “Darn. For a moment there I thought maybe there’s something wrong with it, and that’s the reason I’m having so much trouble with my magic. I guess I really am just a late bloomer,” said Sweetie Belle with a sigh. She gently closed her horn. “You’ll get the hang of it eventually, Sweetie Belle, I’m sure of it,” said Scootaloo with a smirk. “Hey, no trying to cheer me up with my own words,” said Sweetie Belle with a giggle. Diamond Tiara pushed her jaw back up as her brain finished rebooting. Sweetie Belle was some kind of robot?! This was huge! This was way bigger than Scootaloo being a changeling! If she could get word of this to the Princesses, that filly would spend the rest of her life as a science experiment! “By the way, did you ever send a letter to the Princess about our little trip?” asked Scootaloo. That stopped Diamond Tiara’s train of thought in its tracks. “Yeah. I got a reply this morning. She admitted that she kind of suspected that was the case, but wasn’t entirely sure. She didn’t want to say anything to get my hopes up if she was wrong. Plus, you know, spoilers,” answered Sweetie Belle with an eye roll. Or maybe the princesses were already in on it, and exposing her would only get the crown to support her. Drat. Now what the hay was Diamond Tiara supposed to do with… Crack! By the time Diamond Tiara realized that the branch she was standing on had snapped, she was already halfway to the ground. And as luck would have it, she was right above another mud puddle. Splat! This was clearly not her day. “But it’s also gotten me thinking about things. Big and important things that we need to talk about…” After another… no, keep IT back… delightful bubble bath, Diamond Tiara once again snuck into Sweet Apple Acres. It was getting late by this point, and Apple Bloom was the only pony she still needed to dig up some dirt on. She spotted her target near the pig pen. This provided her with the perfect hiding place, though said hiding place made her want to gag. She hated to admit it, but her pink coat made it easy for her to blend in with the pigs, especially in the setting sun. She was going to need a third bubble bath after this. One with extra strong soap. Still, she had a clear view of Apple Bloom as she wrapped up the last of her chores. “Whew. I knew puttin’ this off was a bad idea. But Ah got to help Sweetie Belle learn a ton today, so Ah guess it was worth it,” Apple Bloom mumbled to herself as she turned and made her way towards her house. But then, she accidentally stepped on a rake that blended in with the dirt. Crunch! Diamond Tiara let out a squeal of horror as Apple Bloom’s head was knocked clear off by the rake handle. Luckily for Diamond, it sounded so similar to a pig squeal that Apple Bloom didn’t notice. Her shock only grew as she realized that Apple Bloom’s body had turned charcoal black. “Confound it! Not again!” cried Apple Bloom. Diamond Tiara looked in surprise at where the voice had come from. Only shock kept her from screaming at the sight of Apple Bloom’s black, red eyed head. It was moving despite not being attached to her body! What kind of horror was she?! Apple Bloom’s body turned and, rather clumsily, hobbled over to her head. It picked her head up, and popped it back into place. A blink later, Apple Bloom was back to her normal yellow self. Diamond Tiara couldn’t even form a cohesive thought at this. “Apple Bloom, ya alright?” asked Applejack as she came running over. “Ah’m fine, sis. But we really need to do somethin’ about this rake. This is the third time Ah’ve stepped on it. It’s just the perfect shade of brown to mix with the dirt. Somepony’ll end up gettin’ really hurt one of these days,” said Apple Bloom. “Ah agree. Not all of us can just put our heads back on after all. I’ll see if we can’t get it repainted,” said Applejack with a nod. The sheer insanity of what she was witnessing almost made Diamond Tiara faint. Apple Bloom’s sister knew she was some kind of zombie and didn’t seem to care? What the hay was this?! It didn’t make any sense! This wasn’t how families worked! And she knew because… NO! Diamond Tiara slammed her hoof against her face. IT was threatening to emerge again, but she wouldn’t let IT get out. She turned her thoughts away, desperately trying to think about anything other than IT. At last she succeeded, and IT fell back into the depths of her mind where IT belonged. At any rate, Diamond Tiara had gotten what she came for. It was time to head home and come up with a plan. She turned to leave, and then slipped and fell into the muddy slop of the pig pen. Splat! This was officially the worst day of her life. “Now, I’m not saying I think we should go ahead and do it. But I do think we need to consider the possibility…” “... and that’s what we’re dealing with. I know it sounds crazy, but those three losers are actually freaks!” said Diamond Tiara. She was in her bedroom with Silver Spoon, explaining everything she’d seen. Silver Spoon just looked at Diamond Tiara in sheer disbelief. “It’s a shame we can’t just tell their families and watch them get disowned. But no matter how much support they have, if they’ve been keeping these things secret, then it would be just horrible for them if their secrets were revealed. So we're going to expose them,” declared Diamond Tiara. “What?! We can’t do that!” exclaimed Silver Spoon. Diamond Tiara looked at her friend in confusion. “Diamond, this isn’t just bullying. If what you said is true and you just expose them, it could ruin their lives,” said Silver Spoon. “Yeah, that’s the point. What’s the problem?” asked Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon’s jaw dropped. “You’re joking. Please tell me you’re joking,” begged Silver Spoon. “I have never been more serious in my life,” said Diamond Tiara. “But… but… you… they…” stuttered Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon opened and closed her mouth several times, struggling to say something. To say anything. “Come on, Silver. It’s just reestablishing the order of things. Rich and powerful ponies get adoration, and monstrous freaks get cast out of society. That’s how it’s always worked, and we’re just…” said Diamond Tiara. At last, Silver Spoon found her voice. “No,” she objected. Diamond Tiara looked at her friend in confusion once more. “That’s not how the world works, Diamond, and you know it. You know perfectly well that is… well... that. And even if that was how things are supposed to be, exposing other ponies like that is wrong,” said Silver Spoon. Diamond Tiara got angry as she realized that Silver Spoon had nearly brought up IT again. “Oh, don’t you go all ‘moral righteousness’ on me, Silver. Last time I checked it was you who suggested we start bullying blank flanks,” argued Diamond Tiara. “Yes, because it was only bullying. I knew that as long as we didn’t take it too far ponies would get over us and move on. And I only suggested it because of how badly you needed a release. But if you’re going to go this far just so you can keep pretending you don’t have…” said Silver Spoon. Diamond Tiara shoved her face into her friend’s. “How many times do I have remind you?! I. DO. NOT. HAVE. A. PROBLEM! What kind of friend keeps telling the same lie over and over again no matter how many times you remind them that they’re wrong?!” yelled Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon’s fear turned to anger. “A friend who cares about you enough to go along with bullying other ponies just so you don’t have a break down in public! Stop blowing me off as a liar and just accept it already! I am trying to help you, Diamond Tiara!” shouted Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon’s words gave IT power. Diamond Tiara couldn’t let that happen. “Again with the lies! Lies, lies, and more lies! Good friends don’t lie to each other! In fact, I think you’ve only been pretending to be my friend all this time! Yeah, the only reason you even bother to come near me is because you know that I’ll always be richer and more successful than you’ll ever be, and you want to leech off me!” cried Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon gave a gasp and stepped back. Her anger quickly faded. A moment later, tears started to build in her eyes. “You… you’re just saying that because you’re angry. You don’t really mean…” said Silver Spoon. “Yes I do! Now stop making dumb excuses and help me think of a way to expose those freaks! Or are you admitting you’re just a bad friend?” demanded Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon turned away as her tears started to fall. “Yeah… I guess I am a bad friend. Everything I did to try and help you only made things worse. We made so many ponies miserable, and all it did was make you close yourself off even further from reality. I should have just hugged you that night I found you crying on your bed instead of getting ideas. At least then I wouldn’t have just helped you pretend you’re fine,” said Silver Spoon in a soft tone. “For the last time, I AM fine! Stop saying such nonsense! Now are you going to help or what?” demanded Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon just got up and walked towards the door. “And I guess I’m just going to continue to be a bad friend. I might not know much about friendship, but I know that good friends don’t let their friends throw their lives away. But it’s clear to me now that I can’t help you. I can’t stand to see you like this anymore, but the only way I think you’ll ever break out of that delusion of yours is if it gets smashed clear across your face. So If you want to go ahead and destroy your future, you be my guest. But I’ll have no part in it,” announced Silver Spoon. Silver Spoon stopped in the doorway and looked back at Diamond Tiara. “Please, Diamond. Don’t do this,” whispered Silver Spoon, her eyes full of tears. Diamond Tiara looked at her friend in disbelief, then glared at her. “Fine! I don’t need your help anyway!” Diamond Tiara cried before turning away in a huff. Silver Spoon sighed, turned, and walked away. Diamond Tiara, meanwhile, was struggling. IT was rising with greater force than ever before. IT wanted out. IT wanted out so badly. But Diamond Tiara wouldn’t let IT come out. She controlled her thoughts, locked up her emotions, and pushed IT down with everything she had. It took almost twenty minutes, but she did it. She managed to keep IT back. She was running out of time. She wouldn’t be able to hold IT back if IT got any stronger. She immediately turned her thoughts to the freaks. “Yeah, I don’t need your help. I have other ponies that can help me,” said Diamond Tiara. “And really, this isn’t the sort of decision any of us should make just because we feel like it right here and now…” “What do you mean ‘you can’t do anything?!’” demanded Diamond Tiara. Murphy Law sipped his coffee and gave Diamond Tiara a bored look. He wasn’t sure how this filly found his office, but with bits on the line, he honestly didn’t care. “I can’t do anything. Do you need me to repeat myself for a third time?” he asked. “That’s a load of manure! One’s a changeling, one's robot, and one’s a zombie! You can’t expect me to believe that you, a lawyer, can’t find some legal loophole to get those three arrested!” cried Diamond Tiara. Murphy Law sighed. “Do you want me to go over it, case by case?” he asked. “Yes, yes I do. Now start talking!” demanded Diamond Tiara. Murphy Law blinked in surprise, but then he smirked and pulled out a few folders. “Alright then, first the changeling. I’m sure you saw the royal decree declaring changelings to be legally identified as citizens, correct? Well, part of the new law is that changelings are permitted to remain in disguise. Whatever the filly’s reasons to keep her true nature a secret, it doesn’t break any laws. In fact, exposing her without her permission could get us in trouble,” explained Murphy Law. “What? You can get arrested for exposing one of those things?” asked Diamond Tiara in disbelief. “Well, not arrested, per se. But there are social consequences for exposing someone's dirty laundry when it’s not controversial or dangerous, changeling or not. The sort of consequences that can haunt you for the rest of you life. If you want to expose her, you’re going to want to convince her to reveal herself, or at least hide the fact that it was you who did it. And even if you do, it probably won’t amount to much,” said Murphy Law. Diamond Tiara fumed, but didn’t object. “Next, the robot. Assuming she’s really what you claim, that is. Last time I checked, robots don’t exist. And as such, there are no laws about being a robot. Nor any laws on keeping it a secret that you are a robot. While exposing her might cause her some trouble, legally she’s completely clean. And you did mention that one of the Princesses already knows about her, right?” asked Murphy Law. “Well, yeah. But…” said Diamond Tiara. “Then the moment she is exposed, the Princess will most certainly get involved, and everything will surely end up going in the filly’s favor. And I doubt the Princess will be happy with whoever did the exposing. And getting on the bad side of the Princess is a good way to become shunned by the rest of Equestria. And guess what, kid? No amount of your daddy’s money will save you from the Princess’s fury,” said Murphy Law. Diamond Tiara’s anger grew stronger, but she still had no objections. “And finally, there’s the ghoul. Yes, ghoul, not zombie. There is a difference. While she’s the only one who we could possibly have a case against, I’m already fairly certain that we don’t. Though I suppose I can do a quick check if you want. You said she was burnt black with red eyes, and her family is aware of her condition, correct?” asked Murphy Law. Diamond Tiara only answered with a grunt and a nod. Murphy Law pulled out a large black book with nasty looking symbols on the cover. He opened it, and flipped through a few pages. “Ah, here we are. She is likely a class G ghoul. From a legal standpoint, class G ghouls have all the rights and protections of any other citizen of Equestria, provided that their curse has been properly sealed and they have registered themselves with the Royal Dark Arts Department. If she’s been out and about in town and there has not been an outbreak of undead, it’s safe to assume her curse is sealed,” declared Murphy Law. “OK, but what about that Dark Arts thing?” asked Diamond Tiara. “Well, not registering is only a problem if the ghoul in question can be proven to have been hiding their condition from the government. If she was just not aware of the requirement, then all we’d accomplish is making her fill out some paperwork. Besides, if her family is aware of her condition and accepting of it, I suspect they have learned about the department and registered her,” said Murphy Law. “But… but… maybe they're all ghouls or something?” suggested Diamond Tiara. “That would make only more likely that she’s registered. Just because most of the public is unaware of how the undead function does not mean the crown is negligent. It wouldn’t let a single ghoul run around Equestria unnoticed, let alone an entire family. It’s right here in black and white, kid: there is no case here on any of them for me to work with,” finished Murphy Law. Diamond Tiara slammed her face onto the desk. “Hey, watch it. If you break my furniture, you’re paying for it,” stated Murphy Law. “Ugh… OK, so we can’t get them arrested. Is there something we can call them out on, and use that as an excuse to expose them? Maybe charges for property damage? Disturbing the peace? Anything?” asked Diamond Tiara. Murphy Law shook his head. “This is Ponyville. There’s so much property damage and disturbances that even if we could pin something on them, it’d be hardly grounds for an arrest. As far as I can tell, the only thing you could aim to accomplish is driving them out of town with an angry mob. And that sort of thing never sticks. Especially if at least one of them is in touch with a Princess. Face it, kid, you got nothing here,” said Murphy Law. Diamond Tiara felt ready to explode, but managed to keep it in check, if only barely. Murphy Law wasn’t one of the ponies she was seeking vengeance against, after all. “Well, fine! I’ll just come up with something on my own,” said Diamond Tiara as she got up and turned to leave. “Hey, you still need to pay me,” said Murphy Law. Diamond Tiara turned back towards him with a glare. “Why should I pay you for wasting my time?” countered Diamond Tiara. “No kid, you need to pay me for wasting my time. It was stated in the consultation rate on the door to my office. Either you pay up, or I sue you. Now that’ll be one thousand and twenty four bits,” said Murphy Law. Diamond Tiara’s jaw dropped. “One thousand and twenty four bits?! What kind of rip off is that?! The door said your rate is two hundred!” cried Diamond Tiara. “Yes, but that’s just the entry fee. I also charge for every minute that passes, for every question asked, and for every resource I have to refer to. By the way, the bill is now one thousand and fifty two bits,” said Murphy Law. It was at this moment that Diamond Tiara learned why everypony hated lawyers so much. “We get it. You have a really crazy suggestion that neither of us are really going to be happy about, but you think it’s worth mentioning. Just spit it out already.” Diamond Tiara paced back and forth in her room, trying to come up with a plan. Key word being try. No matter what ideas popped into her head, two obstacles prevented her from going through with one. First, she would have to be subtle about exposing the freaks. The law was on their side, unfair as that was, so she couldn’t let it come back to her. She didn’t care what the fillies at school thought of her, let alone those losers, but she did care about having a permanent record as a snitch. As as Murphy Law had reminded her, with the Princesses likely involved, such a record would most certainly be made if she was caught. Second, just exposing them wouldn’t be enough. They had friends in high places, and the ponies close to them would not be affected. She was going to have to do more if she wanted this to have any real impact on the fillies. She’d settle for just driving them out of town, but angry mobs were a lot harder to start than a panicked stampede. Diamond Tiara sighed as she flopped onto her bed. After all the mud, anger, and wasted bits, she was honestly wondering if this was even worth the trouble. She’d have to put so much effort into whatever plan she came up with, and it might not even ruin those freaks’ lives for very long. It just wasn’t fair that after uncovering such juicy secrets, she couldn’t do anything with them. Then again, it wasn’t like life was fair either. Just look at her… NO! Diamond sat up and rapidly banged her head with her hoof. IT had snuck up on her. IT was on the verge of escaping. She had to stop IT. Yes… that was why she was doing this. She had to keep IT at bay. No matter how much effort it took, it would be worth it as long as IT would stay quiet. She had to keep IT back. She had to. She had to. “OK… After everything we’ve been through and learned, have you girls ever wondered if we should… you know…” It took all night, but Diamond Tiara came up with a plan. One that would expose the freaks, push the blame for it away from her, and, most importantly, would only take a single day to set up. She’d be able to do the deed before IT came out. She wasted no time, and got to work. Setting up a town meeting was easy. All it took was a few well chosen words with the mayor, and the old coot was convinced that there was some sort of spy in town. She was also quickly convinced that Diamond Tiara wasn’t the only one who knew about the spy, but they were all having difficulty pinning down the culprit. Hence the town meeting, so that Diamond “and her allies” would be able to set things up. It also had the benefit of giving her an angle to throw some other pony under the chariot if it came down to it. It was also easy to set up the leaflets. Featherweight may have been the one who used the school printing press the most, but Diamond Tiara knew how to use the machine herself. She managed to get her papers printed without being detected, even if she ended up having to take even more bubble baths to get the ink out of her coat. Even making sure the blank flanks were at the front of the crowd when the meeting started proved easy. The mayor wanted the element bearers to be in the front row in case things got out of hoof. They in turn naturally wanted their sisters to be with them, so this step was taken care of without Diamond Tiara doing anything. This also meant that she could leave fewer hoofprints that suggested she was responsible. The first real hurdle was setting up the fan to the side of the stage. This time of year, there was no real reason for a fan to be used in the first place, so she had to set it up without anypony witnessing her. She also had to set up the wire, and a few well place pieces of loose tape to ensure that when she pulled on it, it would work properly. Another issue was coming up with a way to get all three to drop their disguises by themselves. No amount of hoof pointing and suspicious paper would convince anyone of anything unless the freaks proved it was true. Diamond Tiara wasn’t certain about how their illusions worked in the first place, and the methods she herself had unwitting used didn’t really appeal to her. If she saw Apple Bloom’s head come off again, she might just end up puking. But the largest problem was practicing her speech. She had to make sure it was insulting enough that nopony would think she was setting something up, but not so insulting that everypony would just dismiss it as her  being a bully. Diamond Tiara had to admit that subtlety wasn’t exactly her strongest skill, but by the time she reached the town hall, she was confident that it would suffice. At last, it was time. Time to remind Ponyville that everypony gets their comeuppance sooner or later. Time to get revenge on those three blank flanks for all the stress and frustration they’d put her through. But most of all, time to ensure that IT would sink so deeply into her subconscious that she’d never have to worry about IT ever again. “…Yeah, that’s a serious question. But you know what? I think you might have a point. We really should think about...” “Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I’m honestly still uncertain myself as to what this is all about, but I suspect it is significant enough for everypony to attend,” said the mayor on her podium. There was some mumbling in the crowd, but nopony objected. This was Ponyville after all. Everyone was used to unexpected problems. “Ten bits says it’s just a prank,” whispered Rainbow Dash. “Ah thought ya were hopin’ it was a monster attack,” Applejack whispered back. “Yeah, which is why it’s definitely not going to be one. I’ve had a long day so far, and I have a feeling that it’s only going to get longer,” replied Rainbow Dash. Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, annoyed that she had to wait next to these weirdos. Once again, she wondered how in the world these ponies were the ones who had saved Equestria several times over. It had to be some sort of cosmic joke. “I have been informed from a source that wishes to remain anonymous that there may be some sort of infiltration force in our town. And no, I am not referring to our new changeling allies,” said the mayor. That was Diamond Tiara’s cue. As the crowd started to mutter, she glanced around to make sure nopony was looking directly at her. Then she rubbed her hoof across the ground, searching. It took her only a moment to find the bit of clear wire she had laid across the ground beforehoof, which was nearly invisible in the hall’s lighting. She quickly grabbed hold of it, checked to make sure nopony else was standing on it, and gave it a tug. She felt it give slightly. She’d tied the string to the on/off switch of the fan she’d set up, using carefully folded tape to ensure it would work. She quickly tossed the wire to the ground, so that nopony would know she had been the one to pull it. She couldn’t hear the fan starting up over the crowd, but that was the plan. “While I am not certain as to why or how, I believe… huh?” the mayor’s voice cut off as sheets of paper began flying into the crowd. “What the hay…” said Rainbow Dash as she quickly snatched one out of the air. Her eyes quickly grew wide in shock as she looked at it. They weren’t blank sheets of paper. They were leaflets, which Diamond Tiara had stacked up in front of the fan so that they’d be blown into the crowd of gathered ponies. They had also proven useful in hiding said fan. Each sheet had four little sentences that would hopefully tear apart those three fillies: Apple Bloom is a ghoul. Sweetie Belle is a robot. Scootaloo is a changeling. And all three of them are dangerous. The last line was the important part. After all, if Diamond Tiara was going to push the gathered crowd into an angry mob, she was going to have to rattle them up. The mayor could only watch in stunned silence as ponies read the leaflets then started loudly mumbling. There were a few cries of “What?!” and “Is this true?!” The freaks themselves caught a sheet fairly quickly, and their expressions quickly turned to horror. Diamond Tiara, however, patiently waited until one of the pamphlets landed in front of her before picking it up. She then took the time to actually read it, then braced herself. Show time. “What the hay is this?!” she cried before turning towards the freaks with a shocked expression. She trotted over towards them, making certain to move quickly enough that Equestria's “heroes” couldn’t stop her. “I knew there was something wrong with you blank flanks, but I didn’t know you were all monsters!” she cried. She took no small delight at their terrified expressions. The crowd quickly turned to focus on them. To Diamond Tiara’s delight, she saw the many ponies bore scared looks. And because she and the freaks were in the front, there was no way the three of them were going to just slip out. “Now just hold on a second…” started Applejack. Diamond Tiara wasn’t going to give her the chance to get things under control. “How long has this been going on, huh?! Have you three been planning to eat us or something?!” demanded Diamond Tiara. “What?! No! That’s not true!” said Apple Bloom. The crowd’s muttered was getting louder. Perfect. “Yeah? Well then why don’t you just prove it. Is there a unicorn here who can break illusions?” Diamond Tiara called out into the crowd. Before anypony in the crowd could speak up, Rarity stepped forward. “I believe that’s quite enough. There’s no reason for...” said Rarity. Diamond Tiara wasn’t surprised that Rarity was also in the know. In fact, this fit nicely into the plan. “Why the hay not?! If they have nothing to hide, then why not just let us see if it’s true or not?! Are you in on this mess too and trying to cover for them?!” demanded Diamond Tiara. That got the crowd talking. It also made it that much harder for the freaks’ siblings to help, as any attempt to dismiss the matter would now be regarded with suspicion. Not that this stopped Rainbow Dash. “Oh yeah? Whoever wrote this is obviously just making things up. It says that one of them’s a changeling. I mean, even if that’s true, are we supposed to be upset that one’s a changeling? We just had a meeting last week about this. They’re not our enemies,” Rainbow said loudly. “Yeah!” said an undisguised changeling in the crowd. “Yes, a meeting where changelings were supposed to reveal themselves! But this one didn’t! She wouldn’t have done that unless she’s hiding something else! What are you, you freak?!” demanded Diamond Tiara as she pointed a hoof at the blank flanks. “That’s not what…” the Mayor tried to say. “Come on! Show us! Unless you can prove that it’s all fake!” demanded Diamond Tiara. The muttering of the crowd got louder, making it hard to tell what exactly everypony was muttering about. But that was fine. The important part was getting the three of them to think that there was no way out of this. That they had no choice but to reveal themselves. And judging from the terrified expressions on their faces, Diamond Tiara’s plan had worked like a charm. But then something happened that Diamond Tiara had not been expecting. The three of them looked at each other for a moment, then without a word they nodded at each other. Their expressions, while still nervous, became determined. “Ya know what, sure. We’ll prove it. Honestly, after everythin’ we’ve been through these last few days, this ain’t nearly as scary as it used to be,” said Apple Bloom. “Yeah. I wish we’d had more time to get ready, but we’re prepared to go through with it,” said Sweetie Belle with a nod. “Kind of a shame after I spent so much time deciding to keep it a secret, but life isn’t always fair,” said Scootaloo with a shake of her head. Diamond Tiara blinked in surprise. What the hay was this? They were clearly still scared, so where was this sudden courage coming from? Their sisters were confused as well. “Are you sure about this, darlings?” asked Rarity. “We could say that this is all just a misunderstandin’, maybe?” added Applejack. “Or we could at least go first and explain things a bit,” suggested Rainbow. Diamond Tiara was about to object, but she was beaten to the punch. “No, it’s fine. We’ll take care of it,” answered Apple Bloom with a shake of her head. “Making excuses now will just make things worse,” added Scootaloo with a sigh. “Yep. Like it or not, this is it,” said Sweetie Belle in a tone that gave away her fear, but she remained determined. The crowd grew silent as the three of them climbed onto the stage, anxious to hear what they had to say. Diamond Tiara almost cackled in delight. The plan had worked, but not for the reasons Diamond Tiara thought it did. “… coming clean. I mean, it’s kind of terrifying to think about, but it doesn’t really seem like an ‘end of our lives’ kind of situation anymore. Everypony whose opinion we really care about already knows.” “I don’t think we should just go out and yell it to the town, but I agree we should prepare for it. Besides, it’s only a matter of time before one of us slips up again. At the very least we should make plans for when that finally happens.” “Alright, we’ll explain everythin’. All we ask is that y’all hear us out before jumpin’ to any conclusions,” announced Apple Bloom. There were nods and sounds of agreement, but the crowd mostly remained silent. Scootaloo stepped forward first. “First of all, it’s true. I am a changeling,” she said. There was a bright flash of green fire, and her true form was revealed to the crowd. There were a few gasps, but most of the crowd remained silent. This was the easy one, after all. “I don’t think I have to say anything about what I am. But I can say why I wanted to keep my true nature a secret. I can think of several reasons why, but I think the big one is because I’ve lived almost my entire life as a pegasus, and I didn’t want that to change that,” explained Scootaloo. There was a little mumbling at this, though a few ponies seemed to be satisfied with that answer already. “And to be honest, I was scared. Scared of what would happen to me if I revealed myself. But I want to believe that the ponies in this town are trusting and forgiving enough to give me and my fellow changelings a chance. It’s been a week now since we went public. And while some of you are still nervous about us, I’ve seen how most of you are willing to let us prove ourselves,” said Scootaloo. There was some more mumbling, though now it was much more positive. “My friend and I are not sharing our secrets now just because of this meeting, or whatever the hay this was supposed to be. We’re sharing because we think we’re ready. Ready to show everypony what we really are. And besides, I figured it was only a matter of time before somepony figured it out. I mean, I’m kind of surprised nopony’s called me out over that ‘distant cousin’ incident yet,” said Scootaloo. There were several facehooves in the crowd from their classmates. Diamond Tiara was one of them. “I figured it out, but I also figured you had your reasons for staying quiet, so I didn’t bring it up,” Dinky called out from the crowd. Scootaloo gave a grateful nod before stepping back. Apple Bloom stepped forward next. “Ah’ll go second, and just so y’all know, mah secret’s kind of scary lookin’,” said Apple Bloom. She reached up and undid her bow. A moment later, her true form was revealed. Her horrifying body made more than few ponies in the crowd gasp in terror. “Woah. This is just like one of my comic books!” exclaimed some random stallion. “Yeah, Ah know. Ah ain’t exactly pretty. But before anypony gets any ideas, Ah want to assure y’all that Ah ain’t contagious. The first thing that happened after Ah was turned into this was gettin’ mah cursed sealed. Ah’m not more dangerous then anypony else in town,” said Apple Bloom. “I can confirm that this is true. I was the one who sealed it, with some help from Zecora,” added Twilight Sparkle. The crowd seemed to let out a simultaneous sigh of relief, and the fear and horror seemed to vanish from the air. “As for why Ah’m like this, well that’s a bit of an interestin’ story,” said Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom then shared her tale. More than a few ponies were concerned to hear that there was a cursed town hiding somewhere in the everfree forest. Still, most ponies simply felt sympathetic to the poor filly. “...So that’s it. Ah’m just a filly who ended up gettin’ caught up in somethin’ messy. Ah ain’t gonna pretend that Ah haven’t been turned into a dark and twisted thing, but Ah’m not a monster. Ah’ve sworn to never become a monster. And Ah hope y’all can see that for yerselves,” finished Apple Bloom. The crowd was quiet, but then the same stallion from before raised a hoof. “Hey, uh… you can do that ‘break off body parts’ thing, right? You see, I want to impress this mare in Plowsburgh and if you could help me make it look like I can break a pony into pieces with a single buck…” Apple Bloom gave him an unamused look. “Ah’ll just do ya a favor and say no. That won’t impress anypony,” she answered. “Aw…” moaned the stallion. There were a few chuckles from the crowd, as even more tension left the building. Satisfied, Apple Bloom stepped back. Now it was Sweetie Belle’s turn. Without a word, Sweetie Belle opened up her chest. The illusion was broken for almost everypony in town. The reactions to this reveal however, were far more positive than the last two. “Whoa! That is so cool!” said somepony in the crowd. “As for me, well it’s a bit more complicated than the others. And I can’t say everything, because it involves time travel, and I’m not supposed to give out spoilers. And while I am kind of a robot, it’s more like a full body prosthetic than anything,” said Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle’s story was more or less a repeat of what Dr. Brown had told them, though Sweetie Belle took care to omit a few crucial details, such as the existence of AAT. She was willing to share her secret alongside her friends, but she wasn’t about to put a target on her back like that. Honestly, it was kind of surprising how nopony objected to the idea of time travel. Then again, it wasn’t exactly the first time Ponyville had gotten caught up in temporal shenanigans. “... And that’s about it. My body may be made of metal, but the parts of me that really matter are not. I realize that I might be one of the weirdest ponies in Ponyville, which is certainly saying something, but I am still a pony. And I hope you believe me when I say that,” finished Sweetie Belle. “You’ve got our support!” called out Vinyl Scratch. “Indeed!” added Octavia. There were several nods and sounds of acknowledgement as well. There were still a few ponies who seemed uncertain, but the vast majority of the crowd was now in full support of the three fillies. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stepped forward, joining their friend and looking out at the ponies who were willing to accept them for what they were. The mayor cleared her throat. “Well, I can’t say I expected any of this, but I believe I speak for everypony when I say that this revelation changes nothing. We are all still very glad to have you three as part of our community,” said the mayor with a smile. The crowd gave its agreement. The three of them all felt a great deal of relief and joy that it had all turned out so well. Though, as they would later learn, it wasn’t the unusual nature of the three of them that scared so many ponies at first. It was simply fear of the unknown. This was bucking Ponyville, after all. Weirdness was simply par for the course. And now that the answers were laid out, everypony was willing to accept what was ultimately just a few more marks on the list of strange things in town. In fact, a cheerful melody started to fill the air. Ponies began bobbing to the beat. Soon, the entire hall was caught up in a Heartsong. Everypony happily joined into the chorus of acceptance and welcoming those who are unusual. Everypony, that is, except for one. Diamond Tiara was angry. So angry, in fact, that words could not do justice to describe how angry she was. Her plan had worked perfectly, and now everypony in town knew the truth about the freaks. And yet, all they did was cheer for them. Support them. Sing for them. There was no possible way for her to turn this crowd into an angry mob now. All that effort, and all she did was make the three of them feel loved. So loved that it triggered a Heartsong. The injustice of it all made her blood boil. Her anger at the moment was possibly the greatest she had ever felt in her life. And all that anger needed to be unleashed. She threw back her head and let loose an unearthly wail that echoed through the town hall. It was so loud and powerful that it shattered the Heartsong in a way that would have made any skilled Versebreaker proud. The ponies standing next to her quickly backed away as everypony in the hall turned to look at her. Her cry lasted for far longer than was reasonable, but a last Diamond Tiara ran out of breath. Huffing and puffing, she looked up at the fillies on the stange with deep and powerful loathing. “It’s. Not. Fair!” She screamed. Ponies looked at each other nervously, unsure what was going on. Diamond Tiara ignored them, focusing solely on those three miserable ponies. “You’re nothing but a bunch of freaks! You should be driven out of town! But all anypony wants to do is cheer! CHEER AND SING!” she cried. Her voice was uneven and raving. Her words were wild and impulsive. But Diamond Tiara was beyond caring. “This is not how it works! This is wrong! This is all wrong! Wrong, wrong WRONG!” she screamed while stomping on the ground. Several ponies looked like they were ready to move forward and stop her, or at least object to what she was saying. But none could do anything other than watch in shock. “It’s wrong! It HAS to be wrong! Because if it isn’t wrong then why…” Diamond Tiara’s voice cracked. IT was coming. “Then why…” she gasped out. No. No, she couldn’t let IT out! Not now! “Then why…” she repeated herself. But IT was so strong now. IT was being shoved so bluntly into her face that nothing Diamond Tiara could do would be able to stop IT now. And part of Diamond Tiara knew it. “Then why…” she said yet again, as tears began to build in her eyes. Still, she tried to hold IT back. She had to hold IT. She had to! “Then why…” she said in a softer voice as the tears started to fall. But it was no use. IT pushed past her defences, and she was forced to acknowledge what she had been trying so desperately to suppress. “Then why… why doesn’t my mom love me?” Diamond Tiara’s words were barely a whisper, but they left a deep, and powerful blow to her very being. That was IT. The truth she’d spend years trying desperately to pretend wasn’t true. But it was true. Just like Silver Spoon had said, IT had to be shoved into her face for her to accept IT. And in accepting IT, Diamond Tiara broke. She fell to the ground, sobbing hysterically. She didn’t notice how everypony looked at her in pity. She didn’t notice her mother making a scene, and the disgust her words were sparking in the crowd. She didn’t notice her father lean over her and try to comfort her with a words of reassurance and a gentle hug. She didn’t even notice the three ponies on the stage looking at her with guilt of all things. All she could comprehend was the deeply rooted despair that had once again consumed her like it had years ago. Because she could no longer deny the truth. And for Diamond Tiara, the truth hurt.