Spoiled Rich stared out at the audience. "To begin, I must state that it is unfortunate and sad that this meeting had to be held. It is not with joy that we must consider the removal of one of our students, but the safety and security of the student body as a whole comes before the needs of any singular student."
Cheerilee grit her teeth behind her lips. The others might have found that true, but Spoiled always was looking for an excuse to remove 'undesirables' from the school. Cheerilee had always been able to stop it from happening, and she wasn't about to let that perfect record fall now.
"Let us list off the reasons why we have been forced to call this meeting," Spoiled continued, looking down at a partially enrolled scroll in front of her. "In the past year, Candy Apple has missed more days of class than she has attended. While this is normally a reason to force her to better attend school, rather than expel her from it, she has also spent at least half the time she has attended causing disruptions in classes, and to the school as a whole. These disruptions include, but are not limited to; use of foul language, theft, tribalist remarks, ongoing speciest remarks, trying to encouraging students to force out dragon students, elaborate lewd descriptions of activities that upset public decency, frequently screaming in class, unsupervised use of- I must stress- dangerous alchemy, encouraging sedition against the crown, assaulting students with magic blasts, destruction of school property, and disruption of important school events."
Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. "Encouraging sedition?" She asked in confusion, keeping her voice down.
"A few ya didn't like that it was Princess Twilight in charge instead of Princess Celestia," Candy explained in a low voice. Cheerilee rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure that counted as sedition.
"In addition," Spoiled continued, unrolling the scroll further. "We must consider her actions outside of the school. These actions include, but are not limited to; assaulting the residents of the town, attempting to overthrow the local government, damage to public and private property, crimes against muffins-" Oh, come on! Now Spoiled was just reaching for things! "-violation of underage curfew, endangerment of other foals, and arson." Spoiled unrolled the scroll to its furthest extent, and squinted at the remainder of the text. "And trifling as it may seem to some of us, I must include failure to return library books-- which our princess is known to frown heavily upon, and had once considered criminalizing."
Cheerilee hoped that the windbag was out of charges, but Spoiled looked up at the audience and continued. "I also heard today, on good authority, that her fire in the Everfree may have destroyed several endangered plants and caused severe irreparable damage to a potentially important archaeological site."
Cheerilee facehoofed, she doubted there was any negative intent on Petunia's part, but she wished that the mare had kept her mouth shut.
"As we all have been witness to young Miss Apple's various antics, I think that we should start instead with testimony from the filly in question," Spoiled continued on, giving a snide smile to Candy as she did so.
"Um, excuse me."
All heads turned, and the vast majority of those present immediately dropped into bows as they spotted Princess Twilight Sparkle in the doorway.
Cheerilee was among those who had immediately prostrated herself, but the majority of the Apples did not. Applejack let off a loud whoop from right beside her. "About dang time!"
"You can all stand up. I don't care much for bowing," Twilight said in a long suffering voice. They all did as instructed, and the princess's eyes fell on Candy. "I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier. That grain sprite that you caught gets really feisty if you do anything to its loaf of bread. It took me a while to get to where I could properly study its magic without having to fend off defensive attacks from it."
Standing right behind the monarch were Starlight Glimmer and Fluttershy. Starlight had a jar with a sample of poison joke held in her magic. Fluttershy had the possessed loaf of bread. The two came forward and set their cargo down in front of Twilight Sparkle.
"You be nice and calm, okay?" Fluttershy lovingly said to the bread, actually petting it like she would any of her animals. "Twilight is going to be really gentle with you, and won't hurt your home. When this is all done, we'll find an even nicer home for you to stay in. We don't want you to stay in there and have your home get moldy, do we?"
There was no way of telling if the loaf of bread actually gave any form of response to this, but a number of ponies in the audience gave Fluttershy baffled looks.
"Your majesty, excuse me, but… ," Spoiled hesitantly began, then seemed to gather up her courage. "We're in the middle of an important school board meeting. I'm sure that whatever business you have with this little malcontent can surely wait until we're done."
The rest of the school board's eyes went wide at her comment. Parasol was so horrified that Spoiled would dare to ask the princess to wait that the pegasus inched away from the mare in her chair. Cherry Tea looked absolutely flabbergasted at the situation. Pip stared on with wide eyes. Applebloom could be seen visibly snarling at Spoiled, and Roseluck fainted right out of her chair. Gasps of shock echoed through the audience at the head of the school board's presumption towards the princess.
Twilight Sparkle did not appear particularly fazed or give any sign of anger at being asked to wait by one of her subjects. The alicorn just smiled at the mare. "Oh, don't worry, I won't take much of your time. I don't want to keep poor Candy waiting a moment more either. That poor filly has endured too much already. From what I understand, her condition can cause another mind to enter her body at unpredictable times. We wouldn't want to delay her getting cured long enough to give an opportunity for yet another mind to take up residence in her, would you?"
Cheerilee watched Spoiled chew over her answer, and felt a surge of rage as realization dawned on her. Spoiled was hoping for exactly that to happen. If it happened in the middle of this meeting it would be that much easier for her to get Pip and Roseluck to vote the way she wanted. That vindictive, nasty, vile, #####! How dare she try to deliberately set Candy up like that!
"Of course not, Princess Twilight!" Cherry Tea blurted out, all but jumping up in her seat.
Spoiled turned and glared at Cheerilee's sister. "You were not given leave to speak."
Cherry grit her teeth, and whispered loudly through them. "You're embarrassing us Spoiled… "
"And we want to see the filly helped, don't we?" Pip added in.
Parasol didn't say anything. The pegasus had chosen to remove herself from view by getting down on the floor and attending to Roseluck-- who was just starting to stir. Applebloom had a smug look on her face as Spoiled failed to find any support.
Spoiled looked around at the rest of the school board, and let off a frustrated whinny. "As you wish, your majesty."
Twilight Sparkle gave a satisfied smile, and Cheerilee couldn't help but let a smug grin spread across her face. However, Ma Apple was above such things, and more focused on the fact that the princess was going to cure her daughter. "Candy, I think the princess is waitin' on you to come over to her," the mother said to her daughter, giving Candy an urgent push with her muzzle.
The filly hurried from her seat, but came to a cautious stop a short distance from the princess, giving the loaf of bread a wary look. She then cranked her head upwards slightly to stare at the imposing alicorn. "Ya're goin' ta fix me, right now?"
The princess gave the filly a gentle smile. "Candy Apple, I'm going to fix the magical problem that you've been having, and I'm sorry that it has gone on for as long as it has, but I don't want you to refer to it as fixing you, because that implies that you are out of order."
Candy blinked a few times. "Ah don't understand."
The princess stepped forward and put a wing around the filly. "I heard about what happened yesterday. Yes, it was very unfortunate that you started a forest fire-- but do you know what would have been even worse?" Candy shook her head. Twilight Sparkle looked around the audience. "Anycreature have any ideas?"
"If that timberwolf had caught her or Cheese!" Cheerilee called out. Pinkie Pie gripped her son tightly to her, and the party pony's eyes watered as she nodded in agreement.
"I hate to refute you, your majesty," Spoiled called out. "But the only reason either of them were in danger was because that filly put them both in danger. The entire situation was her fault, and that she was able to mitigate the potential harm does not excuse her." Spoiled stepped forward, ready to continue to put Candy on trial, even with the princess giving Candy praise. "Further, by the other foal's testimony to the doctors, that filly knew exactly how dangerous a situation she was bringing them into. She knew she could have gotten them both killed, yet she put their lives on the line anyway. She should not be praised for her indiscretions. She is a danger to all those around her."
Twilight gave the earth pony a flat look then turned her head to look back at the doorway. "Hey, Bug, care to come in here?" Bug? Who was Bug?
To Cheerilee's surprise, Bug turned out to be Flurry Heart. The younger alicorn was dwarfed in height by Twilight, and looked more a contrite filly when comparing the heights.
"You all know my niece, Flurry Heart," Twilight said to the crowd. "Flurry has her faults. She is headstrong, arrogant, and more than a little reckless." The younger alicorn seemed to flinch at each of her listed failings. The monarch softened her tone. "But, my niece is not entirely to blame for all of these things, and she used to be much worse. Flurry, please tell the school board about how you used to be, why you think that was, and what turned you around." Flurry used to be worse? That was hard to imagine.
The younger alicorn looked like she would rather do anything else at that moment, but the stern gaze of her aunt seemed to crush any objections. "I used to really not care about other creatures. I was strong and they were weak. My mom, dad, and aunt, were all concerned I was going to turn into some villain or something." The alicorn paused, and looked down. "I'm… ashamed… to admit, looking back, that they might have been right to worry about that." It seemed to take a lot out of her to do that.
"But?" Twilight prompted.
Flurry looked up. "But my parents recognized that part of the reason for that was that I was largely isolated from dealing with others, and they took the blame for that. They'd always been afraid I might accidentally hurt others with my power. I never really got to interact with everyday creatures. After it became clear I lacked much of anything resembling compassion or empathy, they sent me off to the School of Friendship."
"Longest four years of my life," Starlight droned. Flurry shot the headmare a sullen look, but didn't say anything more.
"My niece was a better pony having built friendships, and it was unfair on her family's part-- which includes me-- to have kept her from having that early on," Princess Twilight said stoically.
"That still does not excuse her actions," Spoiled insisted.
Twilight shook her head. "I can't determine how your vote will go, but can state my opinion. Candy Apple is a unicorn with a great deal of promise. She's also a filly who, for the greater part of the past year, has had her friends, family, and community fail to give her the trust and support she desperately needed. Taking her away from a school environment, and punishing her harshly for what has happened, would be a travesty. If she is expelled from your school, I will see to it that she is given full admission to her choice of the School of Friendship or the School for Gifted Unicorns at no cost to her family-- because I see a promising student who should be given every opportunity to flourish."
"I don't want Candy to go someplace else!" Autumn Fire yelled out, shocking the assembled adults.
"Me neither! She's my best friend!" Cheese called out in turn.
"Sshe's nice… " Sisstet called out, and then immediately cowered back down after realizing he drew attention to himself. Silver Spoon smiled and pulled the snake-like pony closer to her.
Cheerilee wasn't about to let her own support go unheard. "At least some of her actions were me acting through her. I demand that the claim she disrupted major school events, and damage to school property, be dismissed. Those were my actions, not hers!"
"My daughter is not a bad foal!" Ma called out, caught up in the moment.
"E'nope!" Big Mac called out in agreement.
Spoiled Rich looked around the room and clearly felt things rapidly shifting against her. She then turned back to the crowd. "We need to have order in this meeting!" She turned to and gave the princess a disgruntled glare. "Do what you came to do, princess, and we will then skip straight to our vote. I don't think any lengthy arguments are going to be needed."
And like that, it became clear that Candy would not be getting kicked out of school. Cheerilee felt glad, but at the same time there was a strange touch of disappointment. Here she was, about to have her big moment defending one of her students, and she became unnecessary. Everything that had happened somehow felt like it had happened despite her, rather than because of her.
The princess looked down at the filly again. "Are you ready for me to dispel this magic?" The filly nodded. Twilight then turned, and to Cheerilee's shock, looked directly at her. "I'll be needing you as well, Miss Cheerilee."
"Me?" She gasped, pointing a hoof at herself. "I'll be happy to help, but what do you need me for?"
Twilight gestured at the two items. "These two things are important and necessary; Starlight and Luster were right about that fact. What they didn't realize is there is more than these two things at work. Flurry might have cut the bond between you and Candy, but that doesn't mean the magic that initially linked you is gone. I need you to be able to find that linking mechanism and stop it from doing any further links. The traces of that magic are in you, not Candy."
She wasn't going to try to contradict the princess and foremost expert in magic. She just nodded and stepped forward to join Candy. The princess lit her horn, and began doing something with the loaf of bread and the sample of poison joke. Whatever she was doing, it didn't seem she was entirely ready to do what she was going to do to Cheerilee and Candy; so they patiently waited. The crowd had cleared backward to give them all space, and it seemed almost as if they were alone together.
The filly looked up at Cheerilee. "Are ya goin' to come back and be our principal again?"
She smiled. "I might come back and teach, Dinky is a great principal, who looks out for her students. I would be teaching the new incoming class next year if I did. Don't worry, Silver Spoon is a great teacher, and you're lucky to have her."
Candy giggled. "It was kinda funny seein' her as a filly."
Cheerilee frowned. "How did you see her as a filly?"
"Ya're memories, ya thought about her as a filly," the filly explained with a shrug. That meant Candy did indeed have full access to her thoughts when she had been in the filly's body. That made her uncomfortable. The filly seemed uncomfortable as well, as she continued. "Ah'd never have done what ah did without ya. Ah was about ta return those books, and wouldn't have even found out about what a grain sprite was if ya hadn't read that book. Ah really started to think ah was crazy."
Cheerilee took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. If I influenced you to run off like you did. I put a lot of pressure on you about this meeting. I just wanted to help you, even if I didn't end up being much help."
The filly seemed confused. "But ya was helpin'. No creature believed me, but ya made them believe. Ah didn't even know before ya figured it out how this happened for sure. Ya never stopped thinkin' that ah… that we... ain't crazy. Ya stood up for me all the time, and ya pulled me out of the fire. Ya're ma hero."
Cheerilee blinked away happy tears, and pulled the filly into a hug. "Thank you. I needed to hear that. It sounds like you put a lot of thought into what you said."
Candy sniffled. "Not much else ta do but think when ah'm sittin' back, just watchin' from ma head." The filly let off an irritated whinny. "Ah… I need to work on how I talk."
That made Cheerilee pull back and frown at her companion of the last few days. "There's nothing wrong about how you talk."
"But… my accent, it makes ma sound like…"
Cheerilee placed a hoof over the filly's mouth. "Your accent is part of who you are, and after all the time you have spent not being able to be you, you should be glad to be able to speak with your accent. It's time for you to stop wishing you were someone else. You're a special, unique, and talented pony; and don't you ever doubt yourself."
Candy stared for a moment, then grinned. "Ah'll not doubt m'self if you don't either."
Cheerilee lifted up her hoof, spit on it, and held it out to Candy. "Shake on it, and we've got a deal." The filly laughed joyfully, and promptly spit on her own forehoof, before pressing it against Cheerilee's.
"I think we're all ready."
The two of them gave a brief startled jump, and turned to the princess. They'd almost forgotten why they were sitting up there with how caught up in their shared moment they'd been.
The princess lit her horn and stared at the two of them. "Both of you just sit still. This won't hurt, but it will take a few seconds, and it will take longer if you're moving around." The two of them nodded, and sat still as statues. Cheerilee held her breath, as if her breathing would somehow constitute too much movement.
A soft glow enveloped both of them. Cheerilee felt a slight tingling sensation, and there was a feeling of warmth deep inside her. It was hard to place where deep inside her it was, there was no real location for it. She tried to focus on the sensation, but the location eluded her all while she was certain that the sensation was definitely there. Maybe Candy was feeling the same thing, and would understand it better. This was a thing of advanced magic, and Cheerilee was just a simple teacher.
It ended so quickly she almost thought something went wrong. Candy must have thought the same thing, because she gave the alicorn a puzzled look. "Is that it?" The filly asked.
Twilight smiled. "That's it. You won't be subject to any more intrusions into your life by random creatures taking up residence in your head." A cheer went up from the assembled crowd at this announcement. The alicorn's eyes flicked to Cheerilee. "Although, they weren't quite random, and I think you both realize that. I didn't realize it till you two did it, but I think Candy having faith in herself was just as important as my spell."
Candy still seemed confused. "What do ya mean? Why?"
Twilight gestured at the jar that had held the poison joke just a moment before. It was now a fine blue powder. "You had to get the joke. The grain sprite's magic amplified the poison joke's magic a hundred-fold, but it still was mainly the poison joke at work. The grain sprite's magic on its own was just causing you to see fake grain sprites everywhere. The joke was that a capable little filly felt she had to be someone else, so it made you have to be someone else. When you ceased to believe that, you basically broke the joke. I was needed to get the remnants of it out, just in case you ever fell into that faulty thinking again, but the joke would have had no power over you if you had just believed in yourself, rather than wishing you were someone else."
Cheerilee's eyebrows shot up. "Are you serious! That's all she really needed to do?"
The princess frowned. "We all have moments where we doubt ourselves, and wish for someone else to deal with our problems. The joke would take effect whenever Candy inevitably did, but I've stopped that. There are aspects of this magic I still don't fully know how they work, even if I have dispelled it, and I'll be doing a full study of that grain sprite soon, to try to understand it better. Just know, this nightmare is done and over with."
The alicorn turned her gaze back to the school board, which had been silent through this entire exchange. "You have no more reason to fear she'll be turning into Sombra, or whatever other creature might fit that hurtful joke. I also think that Candy is done with her adventuring, at least for a few more years, and all the trouble and danger that comes from adventures. You can continue with your meeting now."
Spoiled gave a small start at having been addressed. The head of the school board seemed to have been lost in thought while the princess had been at work. She then nodded with a grimace. "Very well… I guess we can get straight to the votes, as I don't see where any debate and discussion will accomplish much at this point. All in favor of having Candy removed from the school, please raise your hooves now."
Not a single hoof among the six-member board rose, not even Spoiled's. "We have five against her expulsion, and I respectfully abstain from voting." Respectfully abstain? It seemed like the mare instead just didn't want to lose face.
"All in favor of having the filly in question be held back a year from her current class due to gross lack of attendance, please raise your hooves now."
This time Spoiled did raise her hoof up, and Parasol hesitantly raised hers in turn, but Spoiled failed to obtain her third or fourth votes. Her mood seemed to darken further.
Spoiled sniffed. "Well, for our final vote, all in favor of Candy Apple being forced to face some form of disciplinary action, as decided by her teacher and Principal Doo, please raise your hooves now."
Spoiled of course raised her hoof right away, immediately followed by Parasol. Roseluck and Pip followed quickly after. Cherry raised her own hoof slowly. Applebloom looked at the other five board members and let off a long sigh, and to Cheerilee's shock, raised her own hoof as well.
Spoiled grimace released into a small smirk. "Well, it seems that at least a small bit of sanity does prevail. I leave the disciplinary action to the appointed parties. This meeting is hereby adjourned."
The Apple clan rushed forward and gave Candy a massive group hug, Pinkie and Cheese quickly joined in. While that was happening, Cheerilee watched as the school board started to exit. In particular, her eyes were focused on Spoiled Rich. This wasn't all over yet, there was one last thing that needed doing, something long overdue.
She slipped quietly away from the small celebration, and stepped out the door that she had just watched Spoiled Rich exit out of. It was a side office, and the head of the school board seemed like she was going to be taking the time to do some paperwork. Spoiled looked at her as she walked in. "What do you want? I've had my fill of unhinged ponies for today."
Cheerilee kept her face neutral. "You're about to find out how unhinged I can be." Spoiled' s eyes went wide and took a few steps back. Cheerilee stood still as she watched. "You've been a plague on the students of this town for far too long, Spoiled. I'm through letting it happen. I demand that you step down from the school board."
Spoiled's fear melted from her face, as it contorted with rage. "You're daring to make a demand? From me? You don't even work at this school. Who are you to make demands?"
Cheerilee stepped forward. "I think I did pick up some things from Candy. In this case, I'm willing to go to any length to see that those I care about-- in this case the current, past, and future students of this school-- are protected from somepony that is more concerned about having power over others than their well being."
"You're unhinged!" Spoiled spat.
Cheerilee smirked. "If I was a petty mare I would buck you so hard in the face that you'd need to get a third nose job, for all the insults you've thrown at me. I really was in Candy's body the other night when you expressed what you thought of me. Lucky for you, I'm a responsible grown adult, that doesn't lash out over being called names."
Spoiled's eyes narrowed. "So tell me, Miss Cheerilee, how do you intend to press your demand?"
Another step forward was taken. "I said I wouldn't lash out for being called names. I didn't make any promises about what I would be willing to do for the sake of our students."
The headmare gasped and retreated backwards again. "You can't! I'd have you arrested for assault!"
"I'd willingly go to jail for a few months if it put an end to your tyranny over this school," Cheerilee said gravely. "I told you I picked up some things from Candy. That filly thought little of her own safety and well-being when it came to protecting her friend; I will do the same for our youth."
"You're insane!"
"I'm a teacher protecting her students!" Cheerilee hissed. "Go become a food critic or something if you want to feel power and terrorize somecreature with your opinions, but you are getting out of this school's affairs. I'll get in trouble for knocking the snot out of you, but everycreature will sit there and wonder why Ponyville's longest serving educator was so furious with the head of the school board that she was willing to beat you down. Bow out now, keep what little reputation you have intact-- along with your nose. I'm willing to sacrifice my reputation for this; what are you willing to sacrifice?"
Spoiled looked around the room frantically, searching for an out. Her eyes turned back to Cheerilee and hardened with hatred. "Fine! I'll step down. There's no need for violence. But know this, I will get you for this. Not right away, but I'll find some fitting way to repay you for this."
"Bring your worst, as long as it is directed at only me, I don't care."
"Oh, it will be," Spoiled snarled. "Now, will you please allow me to exit this room? You have my word I won't speak of this incident."
She wordlessly stepped aside, and the other mare hurried past. As soon as Spoiled left the room, Cheerilee let go of the breath she had barely been aware she had been holding. She couldn't believe she just did that! Was she proud of it? No, but it needed to happen, and now it was done.
After she composed herself, she went back out to see how Candy was doing. It seemed that the majority of the crowd had dispersed, now that the meeting was over. There were a few hangers-on who stayed to talk to school board members and to congratulate Candy, but most were gone-- even the princess and those she brought. Cheerilee walked over to the Apples and rejoined them.
"Aunt Applebloom! How could ya vote ta have me punished!" Candy shouted in betrayed outrage.
Applebloom looked her niece in the eyes. "Ya did steal from ma office, did a dangerous potion experiment unsupervised at the school, and endangered your best friend. I understand why ya did all those things, but that doesn't mean ya get outta havin' ta face consequences for those actions."
The filly pouted, and turned her head away in foalish anger.
Applebloom sighed. "Ya already have a punishment arranged with the principal anyway. I seem to recall somethin' about a report on potion safety."
Candy turned back, and her ears slumped. "Oh… ah forgot about that."
Applebloom smiled. "I was thinking, maybe we can turn it into a better presentation. Not only can you give a report on potion safety, but you could demonstrate making a potion safely-- with supervision from me, of course." Oh, sweet princesses, no!
The filly's ears picked up. "Really?!" Cheerilee's stomach sank further.
"E'yup," Applebloom replied, and winked at Cheerilee. That evil mare!
Cheerilee sighed, knowing that this was probably going to happen. "I guess I should talk to Silver Spoon about what supplies she should keep close when dealing with show and tell. You never know what kind of adventure show and tell can bring."