Babs came two on the floor, with the three boys she had faced in Sugarcube Corner staring down at her.
“Hi there, shitface,” said the first.
“What the hell?” was all Scootaloo could say before the other two shoved them away.
“You ruined our little day at our hangout by defending Derpface,” he said angrily. “Now we will ruin yours.”
“I’m a visitor!” Babs groaned, having been kicked in the stomach. “When the school find out-”
“There won’t be anything for them to find,” the boy said. “Have at her boys!”
The three of them wheeled around and took out their anger of Babs, punching and kicking her. It was no different to home in any way. It went on for what felt like a minute, each blow hitting with the force of a jackhammer over and over again. “It’s all you’re good at, being a punchbag!”
Babs’ vision suddenly became hazy, when a distinct voice could be heard in the distance: “NOOOO!”
A girl leaped in her way...with blonde hair and blue-purple skin.
“Dinky?” Babs asked weakly.
“Skedaddle kid, before we mess you up.”
“Yeah, why not make her eyes wonky?” asked one of them.
“No,” Dinky replied firmly. “Nobody hurts my best friend!”
The first of the boys stepped forward, and grabbed Dinky by her collar. “You asked for it,” he snarled, throwing her at a locker.
Dinky bounced off the lockers like a ping-pong ball, before coming to rest on the floor.
“NOOO!” cried Sweetie Belle, sprinting over and checking Dinky for injuries. She was bruised, but very much alive.
Thoughts rolled through Babs’ head.
“Come on boys, we got a new game!”
“Fancy having some fun?”
“Thought you could escape from me?”
“You’re amazing! I’m so glad I met you!”
“You have to face your fears, or you will never be free.”
“It’s all you’re good at, being a punchbag!”
Babs spat the blood out of her mouth. “No,” she growled, and shakily got to her feet.
“What the hell?” the first boy said. “We just beat you!”
Babs laughed. “You don’t think I know the kinda shit you guys pull?” she replied. “I know my fair share of punks, but you picked the wrong day to piss off a kid of the Bronx!”
She lumbered forward, giving him a solid blow on the nose. “You tried to fuck with me, you failed!”
Another punch, and he lumbered backwards. “You tried to screw with my friends, you failed!”
The boy smashed into the locker and slid to the floor.
Babs stood confidently over him, popping her knuckles. “Here’s a gift from the Big Apple!”
A last blow to the face. However, it never connected.
A pair of arms grabbed Babs, and pulled her backwards, moving her away from the boy on the floor.
“What the hell is going on?” asked a very senior voice.
Babs came back to her senses, and looked at the scene before her. “Oh God,” she whispered. “I’m no better than them.”
The person who had grabbed her looked at her. “I want to speak to you in my office.”
The office was very dark. The blinds were down and most of the furniture had motifs of the crescent moon on them.
Two women stood at the desk, staring at Babs. One of them was the woman who had broken up the fight.
“Greetings,” she said. “I’m Vice-Principle Luna, and this is Principal Celestia,” indicating to the woman stood next to her.
“What happened?” asked Celestia.
“What happened?” Babs asked, incredulous. “Those thugs jumped me and beat me near unconscious!”
“So why did you fight back?” Luna demanded. “What makes you think that was appropriate?”
“I was defending myself,” Babs whispered. “Because I didn’t stand up to them back at home. I saw them attack Dinky, and I... I lost it.” Babs looked around. “Is Dinky OK?”
“Dinky’s fine,” replied Celestia. “She just had concussion, that’s all.”
Babs looked at the floor. “I know this is not the best of introductions. Do whatever you want with me. I’ve accepted my punishment.”
Celestia looked confused. “You say you're having problems at home? What school do you go to?”
“One of the urban ones, Edison Middle School?”
Luna looked up. “Isn’t that one run by Principal Neighsay?”
“You know him?” Babs asked.
“We...we went to college together,” was all Luna said.
“And we have some sway with him,” Celestia added.
“He’s not been taking it seriously,” Babs told them.
“I think we can change his mind,” Luna smiled. Her face then turned serious. “As you are not a student at our school, we cannot formerly punish you. However, we are going to ask that you leave the school site and not return today.”
Babs nodded. “That I can do.”
As Babs walked out of the office, she saw a rainbow-haired girl walk up to her.
“Hey, are you Apple Bloom’s cousin?” she asked.
“Yeah, so?”
“I hear you gave Hoops, Dumbbell and Score the dusting down they needed!” the girl replied. “I’m Rainbow Dash.”
“Uh...nice to meet you.”
“I really mean it! Scoots has taken a real liking to you.”
“That’s nice to hear.”
“Besides, anyone who’s a friend of my little sister is a friend of mine.”
“You’re her sister?!” Babs exclaimed. “Man, she’s lucky!”
“They’re not biologically related,” said another voice, and a woman stepped out of the staffroom. She had light pink skin and purple hair.
“My name’s Cheerilee,” she said. “I’m Scootaloo’s mom, and she’s told me all about you.” Her face grew serious. “For the record, I never said this, but you gave those bullies what they deserved. You’re welcome to visit us anytime you want.”
Rainbow looked at Babs. “Well, if there’s anything you ever want, just tell me and I’ll make it happen. I work on the railroad.”
Babs’ face grew into a smile. “You know, there is one thing,” she said.
Babs whooped as the Hudson roared along the line. She was seated in the driver’s seat and having the experience of a lifetime.
Rainbow Dash was there in the cab, ensuring the fire was properly stocked and kept up to temperature. This was one of the few engines in the collection that lacked an automatic stocker.
“You look to be enjoying yourself!” Dash called.
“There aren’t any of these engines left back home!” Babs shouted back. “So, to find one out here is a wonderful surprise!”
“The railroad built it in their workshop,” Dash replied. “Long before I was born.”
“Do you build many engines?”
“A couple. We’ve bought most of ours. We recently finished building a T1, and someday we’ll see if it can do 140MPH.”
At Halfway, the two of them swapped positions. Alas, all too soon there time together was over, and Babs was picked up by Applejack at the depot.
“Ah don’t know what those bullies thought they were doin’,” she conceded. “But it seems folks around here never leave each other alone.”
“I’ve made some new friends here,” Babs admitted, “and I’m not sure if I want to go back to NYC.”
“Nothin’ lasts forever,” the older apple girl said. “But you want to know what the good part about family is?”
“What?”
“There’s always room for more.”
Later that evening, Babs and Apple Bloom were playing a boardgame in the living room, when suddenly Bright Mac called out. “There’s somebody from the police here!”
Babs froze. What was going on?
A man dressed in a trenchcoat and hat stepped into the room. “Greetings,” he said. “My name’s Swift Order, and I run the local police department.”
He sat down, and look clearly at Babs. “With regards to today’s altercation, those three boys have been punished with 6 months community service. They are also forbidden from going anywhere near Sweet Apple Acres or Sugarcube Corner. We’ve tagged them to ensure that they don’t.”
His face grew stern. “But what I need to know is why you chose to act in the way you did.”
Babs explained the whole story, leaving nothing out. Swift Order nodded.
“I have friends in the NYPD,” he mentioned. “I’ll get some strings pulled. But you very nearly made the problem worse there, as they could easily have retaliated.”
“I’m sorry sir,” Babs mumbled.
“I won’t be charging you, as you are certainly the victim here,” the policeman answered. “But I want you to take this message to heart. If you ever end up in a situation like this again, don’t take it into your own hands. Tell a responsible adult.”
Babs nodded, to show she had understood.
“Good.” Swift Order straightened up, and headed out of the room. “This isn’t the first time I’ve dealt with bullying, and it won’t be the last.”
Babs went to bed that night a wiser person. But it was almost the end of her stay in Canterlot, and Thanksgiving was nearly upon them.