//------------------------------// // Runaway Crusaders: Part 3 // Story: Runaway Crusaders // by MontyCS //------------------------------// ---- Scootaloo opened her eyes to see that it was still dark out. She had no idea how long she'd been asleep, but she supposed that didn't really matter. After taking a moment to stretch, and yawn, she paused to take a long look around at her surroundings. Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom were still asleep, and everything was still safe, and quiet in their makeshift shelter. For a few moments, Scootaloo just sat there, unsure of what to do. There really wasn't anything to do. Ultimately, even though she knew there wasn't much point, the pegasus filly once again found herself wondering what would happen to her and her friends next. None of them had any idea of just how long they were planning to stay in their little cave, but they couldn't stay here forever, though after their encounter with the Timberwolf, Scootaloo kind of wished they could. The pegasus filly held her head in her hooves as the memory flashed through her head again, and she remembered how terribly frightened she'd been. She quickly shook the thought away; she didn't want to think about it. At last, Scootaloo got to her hooves, and stepped towards the entrance to the small cave. Peering out into the darkness, the pegasus filly saw nothing but shadows, and heard nothing but the slight rustling of branches lightly swaying in the wind. All was well; there was nothing to see, and there was nothing to hear. Scootaloo sighed, wishing that she'd stayed asleep; there wasn't anything to do or think about that served any purpose. Ultimately, the pegasus filly started to head back into the cave, intending to lay back down with her friends... And then she heard it... The sharp snap of a twig being trampled underhoof… A sound which was quickly followed by the rustle of hoofsteps somewhere in the underbrush... Scootaloo froze, an icy terror enveloping her little body as the realization slowly sank in. There was someone, or something moving about in the darkness just outside of the cave. For an eternally long moment, the pegasus filly stood frozen to the spot, and then, unsure if she was in complete control of her actions, she slowly turned, and began to tiphoof back towards the entrance of the cave. Slowly, and fearfully, she peered out... She didn't see anything. And not only that, but she didn't hear the noise anymore. Perhaps it had only been her imagination, just like before. But then, just as Scootaloo was starting to breathe a sigh of relief, she saw it: a shadow moving in the dark, coming straight towards her... Forgoing all efforts to keep quiet, Scootaloo mindlessly darted back into the cave, and began to frantically nudge her friends awake. "Girls..! Girls! Wake up!" "Huh?", Sweetie Belle moaned. "Not yet, granny. Just a few more...", a half-awake Apple Bloom mumbled. "Something's out there!", Scootaloo breathed. "Wh-Wha..?", the earth filly finally opened her eyes. Then, the sounds of movement outside the cave started to get significantly more audible, and the other two fillies immediately snapped awake, all thoughts of sleep promptly vanishing from their minds. Whatever was out there was getting closer, and as that horrifying realization sank in, the three fillies quickly moved as far back as they could into their small cave, hoping that the darkness there would be enough to hide them. But that hope quickly faded away as they noticed the light of the moon illuminating the cave entrance; all one would have to do was look into the cave, and they would almost certainly be discovered. And then, in the moonlight, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom saw a shadow fall across the cave entrance, and watched in horror as it steadily grew bigger as the unknown party approached. The three little fillies huddled together, trying to make themselves as small as possible, and desperately struggling to keep quiet, all the while making promises that they would do anything, anything at all if whoever, or whatever it was would only go away. But the hoofsteps only grew louder as whoever or whatever it was finally reached the mouth of the cave... And then suddenly, a lone figure appeared at the cave entrance, and looked inside... At last, the Crusaders' nerves snapped, and Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, & Apple Bloom all cried out in terror. The three fillies ran, screaming, and unseeing towards the entrance to the cave, desperately hoping to get past the stranger, and then away into the forest. "No, wait!", the stranger cried, waving their forelimbs as if trying to ward the frantic Crusaders off. Then, the three fillies all crashed right into the stranger, sending the four of them sprawling to the forest floor. Apple Bloom quickly began to scramble back to her hooves to gather her friends so they could continue their flight into the woods, but then she stopped, as she suddenly realized that she recognized the stranger's voice. "Z-Zecora?", the yellow earth filly asked hopefully. "Apple Bloom? Is that you?", the stranger responded as they stood back up. "Zecora!", Apple Bloom joyfully cried as she saw in the moonlight that it was in fact the zebra shaman. "It's really you!", Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "I can't believe it!", an ecstatic Scootaloo said. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo practically flew forward, glomping onto Zecora, and nearly knocking the zebra mare over again in the process. The three fillies were so relieved, and happy to see a friendly face that they almost cried. "Well, this is certainly a... a pleasant surprise...", Zecora managed to say as she recovered her bearings, "...Unexpected, but one I certainly cannot despise..." Needless to say, Zecora was quite caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the Cutie Mark Crusaders this far into the Everfree Forest. While Apple Bloom, and her friends would sometimes come to her hut to pay her a visit every now, and again, the zebra mare was not expecting to find them all the way out here, and she certainly wasn't expecting to see them in the middle of the night. After a moment, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo finally broke the embrace, and took a step back. The three fillies suddenly felt rather embarrassed, and even kinda bad about knocking Zecora over in their panic, and then trying to get away from her, especially since Apple Bloom was the first one in all of Ponyville to really befriend her when everypony else had been afraid of her. "Sorry we, uh, ran into ya like that...", a sheepish Apple Bloom apologized. "Yeah...", Scootaloo shyly added, "We thought you were something else...". "Yeah, sorry...", an embarrassed Sweetie Belle said. "It's all right.", Zecora smiled reassuringly, "The three of you just...gave me a small fright." The three fillies nodded, glad to see that Zecora wasn't mad at them. But then, the zebra mare's expression turned serious with genuine concern, "But what in the world are you three doing out here in the middle of the night? I can only assume that something must not be right." The question made the Crusaders pause, as it suddenly brought their thoughts back to the situation at hand. For a long moment, they remained silent, wondering if Zecora knew anything about the huge mess they'd gotten themselves into back in town. Zecora was one of the few ponies that they knew that they hadn't printed a story about in the Gabby Gums column, and they had no idea if she even read the paper. "It's...kind of a long story...", Apple Bloom said at last, as she and her friends somberly lowered their gazes. After a brief moment, Zecora just nodded. It was apparent to the zebra mare that the three fillies really weren't in the mood to explain what had happened to them right now, so she ultimately decided not to press the issue. Whatever the situation was, Zecora decided that it could wait for a little while. For now, it was probably for the best that she just take the Crusaders back to her hut where they would be safe. "Well, the forest at night is no place for little fillies.", the zebra mare said, "The three of you had better come with me to where it is less chilly." Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo all nodded, and then proceeded to fall in step behind Zecora as she began to lead them back to her home. For the first time since they left town, the fillies felt something akin to happiness as relief flooded through them. At last they were in the company of somepony who wasn't angry with them, and they were finally going to be somewhere where they could feel truly safe. Deep down however, the Crusaders knew that sooner or later, Zecora would probably try to ask them again just what they were doing out here all alone. And when she did, just what were they going to tell her? They didn't know, and in the end, they were just too mentally drained to figure it out right now, so they tried to push the troubling thought into the back of their minds for now. For now, they would just follow Zecora to her hut. If she did eventually press them for details, they were sure that they would figure something out. They hoped... ---- As Featherweight trotted up to the front door of the Golden Oak Library, he was suddenly having some serious second thoughts about this. Once he did this, once he told everypony the truth, there would be no going back. Diamond Tiara would make sure that he paid for this, and there was no telling what everypony else in Ponyville would do. Featherweight raised his hoof to knock on the door, but ultimately, he found himself unable to, for in that moment, his courage had deserted him. "I can't... I can't do this...", the pegasus colt said, ashamed of himself for being so gutless. But before Featherweight could actually back out, the door to the library suddenly opened by itself, and he found himself face to face with none other than Rainbow Dash. Featherweight felt his heart leap into his throat at the sight of the brash pegasus mare who he'd taken the picture of getting a hooficure at the spa. Rainbow Dash seemed surprised to see him to, but she didn't dwell on it long, and her face quickly morphed into an expression of intense anger. Featherweight froze in terror as he suddenly got a strong feeling that somehow, someway, she already knew what he was responsible for. The pegasus colt's instincts screamed at him to run, but before he could even make a move to do so, Rainbow Dash grabbed his still raised hoof, and yanked him inside the library before he could even blink. "W-Wait!" Once inside the library, Featherweight's heart sank as he found himself surrounded by Rainbow Dash, Applejack, (Private Eye) Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, Big Mac, Granny Smith, & Mayor Mare. And a few of them didn't look too happy. "All right, you little weasel...", Rainbow Dash seethed as she menacingly advanced on the pegasus colt, "Start talking..." "I-I-I don't know what you're talkin' about!", Featherweight babbled as he tried to back away only to back himself into a wall. "Here, let me help jog your memory!", the sky blue pegasus growled, reaching out to grab him again, only to be pulled back by Twilight's magic. "Rainbow, no!", Twilight said, "Let's not do something that we'll regret!" "Are you kidding?!", Rainbow Dash asked, "This little punk caused my humiliation in the Gabby Gums column, and made me take it out on Scootaloo!" "Yeah!", Applejack agreed, "Cause of him, Big Mac an' Ah snapped at Apple Bloom when she didn't really deserve it, an' now she's gone!" Featherweight began to tremble uncontrollably as his worst fears were confirmed. They DID know what he'd done. "N-No... P-Please..." "Everypony please calm down.", Fluttershy said sympathetically, "Look at him. He's so scared..." "Oh, I'll give him something to REALLY be scared about if he doesn't start giving us some answers!", Rainbow Dash snorted. Then, Granny Smith loudly cleared her throat, causing everypony to look over at her, and Mayor Mare. The two older ponies both gave everypony a stern, disapproving look, and then calmly walked up to the cowering Featherweight. "Featherweight..." Granny Smith began, her voice stern, but gentle at the same time, "Ah'll start this off by sayin' that yer probably in trouble. As ya probably know by now, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo have run away because o' how they were treated fer th' Gabby Gums gossip column. But now, it appears that somepony's released a new edition of th' gossip column with pictures o' them in it despite th' fact that they ain't here ta run it." "Yes, and it also says that as staff photographer...", Mayor Mare added, "You're responsible for taking all of the photographs. Would you care to explain this?" Featherweight's heart pounded inside his chest. "N-No, it's not... I...I didn't...", he stuttered. "It was you! It was you takin' those embarrassin' pictures o' us all along!", Big Mac barked. "You dirty little sneak!" snapped Rainbow Dash, "There's nowhere in all of Equestria where you'll be safe from ME!" Featherweight flinched at their words, and he shrank back against the wall even more, feeling smaller than he'd ever felt in his young life. What had he been thinking? He should never have come here. He just wanted to hide. He wanted to go home... Granny Smith, and Mayor Mare turned to give everypony another stern glare, when suddenly, Fluttershy calmly stepped forward, and began to gently stroke Featherweight's mane with her hoof. "Featherweight, listen to me...", the yellow pegasus said, her voice soft, and soothing, "I know that you've done some bad things, but that doesn't mean that you're a bad colt. Everypony makes mistakes, and perhaps it's not too late to fix the mistakes that you've made." "That's right.", Granny Smith agreed, "It's never too late ta do th' right thing." Mayor Mare nodded, "And something tells me that that's exactly what you WANT to do. What other reason would you have to come here, and at this hour no less?" The pegasus colt had no answer for that, because it was true; that was exactly why he'd come here, because he'd wanted to do the right thing. But now that he was actually here, he didn't know if he could... "Please, Featherweight...", Fluttershy continued, "While I can't speak for everypony, if you just tell us the truth, I won't be mad. I promise..." Featherweight stared up at Fluttershy with wide eyes, shocked at how completely sincere she was being with him. He had seen just how terribly upset she'd been about that photograph he'd made of her with tail extensions. She should be furious with him. But she wasn't, and she was giving him a chance as though he really deserved it. And so were Mayor Mare, and Granny Smith, despite everything that he'd done. It was all too much, and at last, the pressure from this whole terrible situation, as well as Featherweight's own guilt and shame, finally overwhelmed him, and he burst into tears. "ALL RIGHT! I ADMIT IT! IT'S TRUE!", the pegasus colt cried, "I DID take the photos! I took them all!" "And at last, the truth is out...", (Private Eye) Pinkie Pie said in a completely serious voice. "Featherweight, how could you do that?", Twilight asked, stepping forward, "Taking those embarrassing pictures, and having them printed in the paper really hurt everypony. They really hurt us. You had to know that what you were doing was wrong." "I'm sorry!", Featherweight sobbed, "But I swear that it was wasn't all my fault! The Cutie Mark Crusaders, and I wanted to stop when we realized that we were hurting everypony's feelings, but then Diamond Tiara..." Featherweight froze in mid-sentence as he realized what he was about to say, and covered his mouth with his hooves as Diamond Tiara's threats flashed through his head again. "Diamond Tiara?", Applejack asked, "What about her?" "Uhh...nothing!", Featherweight squeaked. Granny Smith looked down intently at the pegasus colt. "Featherweight, is there somethin' we need ta know?" "I... I can't tell you... If-If she finds out..." "Featherweight, please...", Mayor Mare implored, "You have to tell us what's going on." "I can't! Th-Then I'll be a tattletale!", Featherweight protested. "Darling...", Rarity said, "There's a big difference between snitching, and telling the truth". "Th-There is..?", Featherweight sniffed. "Yes.", Fluttershy confirmed, "Tattling is telling on somepony just to be mean. That's not what you're doing. You're just telling us what's wrong so that we can help. And I promise that we WILL help you if you just tell us the truth about what's going on." For a long moment, Featherweight was silent, until at last, he let out a deep, heavy sigh as he realized that they were right. He couldn't run away from this. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you...", the pegasus colt slowly began, "Diamond Tiara is our editor-in-chief; she's the one who decides what gets printed in the school paper. When everypony started getting hurt by Gabby Gums, the Crusaders wanted to stop, but Diamond Tiara wouldn't let them. She said that she didn't care if feelings got hurt, and she threatened to print those embarrassing pictures of the Crusaders if they didn't get her more stories. And when they didn't come back, she went ahead and printed them. I tried to reason with her myself, but then she revealed that she also has an embarrassing picture of me, and threatened to print it in the paper if I don't keep taking pictures for her!" There. He'd said it. And now that he had, there was no going back. There was no telling what would happen now. And once again, Featherweight was overcome by a rush of guilt, fear, & anxiety, and he quickly started bawling again. Well, go ahead and cry, he thought, I guess it can't make things much worse... "Shhh... Shhh... It's okay, Featherweight.", Fluttershy cooed, hugging the pegasus colt against her chest, "It's okay. You did the right thing." As the pegasus colt's revelation fully sank in, everypony in the library became filled with outrage and disgust. "Why that's gotta be th' single most rotten thing she's ever done!", Applejack said. "Eeyup!", Big Mac agreed, his voice filled with anger and regret, "Hearing this makes me feel even worse fer snappin' at Apple Bloom." Twilight shook her head, mortified. "I can't believe it. I knew that Diamond Tiara wasn't the nicest filly around, but this is just disgraceful!" "Forget disgraceful! It's disgusting!", said Spike. "Absolutely deplorable!", Rarity added, "Who ever put her in charge of the school newspaper?" "It was Miss Cheerlie. She put Diamond Tiara in charge.", Featherweight managed to say through his tears. Mayor Mare and Granny Smith looked at one another, both of them shocked at this whole situation. In addition to Diamond Tiara's actions, the two older ponies also couldn't help but reflect on the fact that the school newspaper regulations set by Miss Cheerlie may have not at all been well thought out. At last, Mayor Mare said, "I don't think that Cheerlie ever visualized a situation like this. Do you?" "No, I don't...", the elderly earth pony answered, "But one thing is certain. This is absolutely unacceptable. Somethin's gotta be done." "Darn tootin', Granny!", Applejack agreed, "I say we go lasso up that rotten apple right now, an' shut her down fer good!" "I second the notion!", Rarity put in. "No! You can't do that!", Featherweight cried, "Then Diamond Tiara will know that I told on her! And she'll..." "She will do nothing of the sort.", Mayor Mare assured, "We will make sure of that." "Y-You will?", the pegasus colt asked. "Yeah!", Rainbow Dash confirmed, "If that rotten little brat wants a story, then we'll give her a story she won't forget!" "Well, I think I have plan. But first things first...", Twilight began, "We'll need to let Cheerlie and everypony else in town know what's going on." "I agree completely, Twilight.", Mayor Mare nodded, "Granny Smith, and I will go talk to Cheerlie, while you and your friends go spread the word to the rest of the town." "Right!", (Private Eye) Pinkie Pie said, suddenly jumping in with a stack of flyers in her hooves, "And I'll get to work putting Diamond Tiara's 'Wanted' poster up all over Ponyville!" The entire library was silent as everypony just stared blankly at Pinkie Pie for a very long moment. "That...won't be necessary, Pinkie Pie.", Fluttershy said at last, though she and everypony else couldn't help but wonder just how Pinkie had gotten all of those posters together so fast before they remembered that it was best not to question her. "Okay, enough talk!", an incensed Rainbow Dash unfolded her wings again, "We've got a tiara to dethrone! It's time to take out the trash!" ---- Meanwhile, back inside the Everfree Forest, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo sat in front of the fire that Zecora had built up in the center of her hut (where she usually brewed her potions) so that they could warm themselves after spending all that time out in the forest. Upon arriving at the zebra shaman's home some time earlier, the three little fillies had felt truly safe and sound for the first time since they'd left Ponyville, and they were eternally grateful to Zecora for taking them in. After a while however, Zecora had tried again to ask them some questions about what they'd been doing way out here in the middle of the night. In the end, they'd managed to cobble together a story about how they'd gotten lost during a hiking trip, and had accidentally crossed over into the Everfree Forest. Much to the relief of the three fillies, the zebra mare seemed to have brought the story because she hadn't pressed them for any more details. Not long after that, Zecora had stepped out of the room for a few moments in order to get a couple of "essentials" for them. Having a few moments alone, the Crusaders soon began to talk amongst themselves. "We sure are lucky that Zecora found us.", Sweetie Belle said, "I was starting to think that we were going to have to stay in that cave forever." Apple Bloom nodded, "Yeah. She was probably out lookin' fer glowin' mushrooms. She needs 'em fer some o' her special potions, an' ya can only find 'em late at night. Lucky fer us." "So do you... Do you think she really bought our little story?", Scootaloo asked, somewhat uneasily, "I mean, you don't think she knows about what's been going on with us back in town, do you?" "No, Ah'm sure she doesn't...", Apple Bloom assured her friend, "Ah don't think she even reads th' paper. How would she know?" "Yeah... Right... But...but what about...?" "There ain't nothin' ta worry about.", Apple Bloom insisted, "Zecora doesn't even know that we ran away from Ponyville. She won't suspect a thing." Scootaloo nodded, but said nothing else. Sweetie Belle looked at her friends intently, "Well, anyways, it's good to finally be someplace that's safe and warm..." "And ta finally be with somepony who...who..." Apple Bloom started to add. "Who doesn't hate us like everypony else...", Scootaloo finished for her. Depressed, the three fillies could only sigh in despair. "Why would everypony hate you?", Zecora's voice came from behind them. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, & Scootaloo froze as it suddenly hit them that Zecora was standing right behind them. "Z-Zecora?!", Apple Bloom exclaimed, as the three fillies spun around to face the zebra mare. "H-How...How much did you hear?", Sweetie Belle asked fearfully. "I heard every chime. For I was listening the entire time.", Zecora answered, keeping her voice soft, and gentle. Scootaloo stared up at her, "So you... You never bought our story...?" "No, I didn't.", Zecora confirmed. The truth was that Zecora had known all along that the Crusaders had just made up that story about how they'd gotten lost on a hiking trip. Zecora wasn't stupid. It was pretty obvious to her that that story had been rather badly put together on spur of the moment, and not only that, but she also knew for a fact that the Crusaders' families would never have allowed them come all the way out here without any kind of supervision. Especially not if there was a real risk of them becoming lost in the Everfree Forest. But Zecora could tell from their somber expressions, and evasive answers that the Crusaders really didn't want to tell her their real story. Something was really bothering them. So instead, she had played along with them in the hopes that she would overhear them speak of what was really going on amongst themselves. And in the end, that gamble had paid off. For a long moment, the three fillies said nothing. They had no idea what to say. At last, Zecora broke the silence. "Why would you three ever run away from Ponyville? From your home?", she asked, clearly shocked, to the point where she actually forgot to speak in her usual rhymes, "And why...why would you ever think that everypony hated you?" "Cause it's true, Zecora...", Apple Bloom said at last, "Nopony wants us around no more..." "Why do you say that?", the zebra mare asked. "Because...", Sweetie Belle started to say, but found herself unable to continue. How could they tell Zecora about what they did? "What happened? You can tell me.", Zecora assured. "We don't want to talk about it...", Scootaloo said sadly. "This may sound hard to believe...", Zecora replied, "But when something is troubling you, talking about it will help you feel relieved." The three little fillies said nothing, and only lowered their gazes. Zecora could see from their expressions that they felt bad, ashamed even. And this observation alone made the answer rather obvious to Zecora: the fillies had gotten themselves into trouble back at home... "What did you do?", the zebra mare finally asked. For an eternally long moment, the Crusaders remained silent, until finally, Apple Bloom answered, "Somethin' awful..." Zecora nodded, and she was silent for a long moment, until finally, in as gentle a voice as she could muster, she said , "Girls, look up at me." Slowly, but surely, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo lifted their heads to meet Zecora's gaze. "Whatever might have happened, whatever you may have done, if you just tell me what's wrong, you have my word that I won't be angry, and I will do all I can help you get along." The Crusaders stared up at Zecora for a very long moment, until finally, the three resigned friends looked at one another, and slowly nodded, deciding that they might as well come clean. If worst came to worst, and Zecora did get mad at them just like everypony else, at least they weren't lost anymore, and they would probably now be able to find their way. And it wasn't as if they could've stayed with Zecora forever anyways. "Okay...", the fillies said in unison, and at last, they began to tell their story. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle & Scootaloo told Zecora everything. How they'd joined their school newspaper, the Foal Free Press, to try and get their cutie marks in journalism. How they started the Gabby Gums gossip column and wrote those embarrassing stories about everypony. How Diamond Tiara blackmailed them into continuing when they'd wanted to stop. And finally, how they'd run away from home after being angrily rejected by everyone in town, even their own friends and family. All the while, Zecora listened to them intently, allowing them to tell their whole story, and to fully explain themselves. Overwhelmed by emotion, the Crusaders began to break down in tears as they brought their story to an end, so Zecora gave them a few moments to let their feelings out, as she took in everything they'd told her. The zebra mare had been shocked by what she'd heard. While it was indeed wrong of the Crusaders to write those hurtful stories, the townsponies had gone way too far in their treatment of the three little fillies. It was especially shameful considering the fact that everypony loved the stories at first, and wanted to see more of them. And then there were the actions of Diamond Tiara... At last, the Crusaders managed to stop crying, and Zecora handed them a few handkerchiefs so they could blow their noses, and dry their eyes. "There, now you know the truth...", Sweetie Belle choked out. "We'll leave now if that's what ya want...", Apple Bloom sniffed. Zecora shook her head. "No, that's not what I want at all.", she assured them. "You're... You're not mad at us?", Scootaloo asked. "Well, I am a little disappointed, and I can't really blame everypony in Ponyville for being upset with you...", Zecora admitted, "But at the same time, I believe that their treatment was completely undue." She paused for a moment as another thought came to her. "But one thing I don't understand is, why didn't you tell anypony about Diamond Tiara?" Apple Bloom shrugged sadly, "We didn't think that anypony would believe us..." "They wouldn't listen to us before, so what point was there in trying again?", a glum Scootaloo asked. "Okay...I guess I can understand why you felt that way.", Zecora conceded. "We didn't know what to do.", Sweetie Belle said despondently, "Nopony would listen to us, and nopony wanted us around anymore, so we...we... Well, I guess you know the rest..." Zecora nodded slowly, and thought for a long moment about what to say next. She felt bad for the girls; while they had certainly made a big mistake, they surely didn't deserve such harsh treatment. And what was more, Zecora knew what it was like to be shunned, as she herself had been considered an outcast by all of Ponyville until she had been befriended by Apple Bloom, allowing her to then befriend Twilight Sparkle, and her friends. And now, it was Apple Bloom, as well as Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, who had been shunned by all of Ponyville. But perhaps, Zecora thought, she could now return the kindness that the yellow earth filly had done her. "Girls...", Zecora said at last, "I understand how you must feel, and I know that it appears as if you are no longer wanted in Ponyville. But I also know that in spite of how everything must seem, your family and friends love you, and they would NEVER want you to leave." "You wouldn't say that if you'd actually been there...", Sweetie Belle insisted. "I know that they were very harsh in their treatment, but I'm sure that they didn't mean it.", Zecora assured. Unconvinced, Scootaloo shook her head. "Rainbow Dash dumping a raincloud on us, Pinkie Pie not wanting to talk, Twilight putting up a forcefield around her home, and Big Mac actually yelling at us? That's sounds a lot like meaning it to me..." "Sometimes...", Zecora sighed, "Anger gets the better of us..." "Thanks fer tryin' ta cheer us up, Zecora.", Apple Bloom said sadly, "But we can't go back. There ain't no place fer us anymore..." Zecora looked down at Apple Bloom intently, once again forgoing her usual rhymes to show how serious she was, "That isn't true, Apple Bloom. Once, there seemed to be no place for me in Ponyville, remember? Everypony was afraid of me, but it was you who showed them that there was no need to be. It was because of you that I was finally able to make friends in Ponyville. Perhaps I can now help you...just like how you helped me." After a moment, Apple Bloom sighed, but said ultimately nothing, and neither did Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo. "I'll tell you what." Zecora suggested, "How about the three of you go into my bedroom, and think things over for a little awhile, maybe even try to get some rest. We can talk some more about this later." In the end, the three little fillies somberly nodded in agreement. "Okay... Yeah, that's sound good... Thanks, Zecora...", Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, & Apple Bloom said respectively. Zecora put on a soft smile to try and reassure them. "Just take it easy for a little while, and try to clear your minds. I promise that we will find a way to sort this out, and that everything will be fine." The Crusaders all nodded again, though rather half-heartedly this time. They still weren't convinced that everything would ultimately turn out to be okay. But still, they had accepted Zecora's offer, and that was a start. In fact, even as the three little fillies headed into Zecora's bedroom, and closed the door behind them, the zebra mare had already begun to form a plan inside of her head. Zecora knew, even if the Crusaders were unable to accept it, that their friends, and family would never wish them gone, no matter how angry they had been with them. In fact, if she knew Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and all the others, they were probably worried sick, and doing absolutely everything in their power to find the three missing fillies. Not only did Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo need Zecora's help, but she needed to let their friends and family know that they were okay as soon as possible. And so, Zecora waited quietly for some time, listening intently as to what was happening behind her bedroom door. She could hear the three little fillies speaking to one another for a short time, but eventually, they quieted down, and she heard nothing more. After waiting for a few more minutes just to be safe, the zebra mare opened her bedroom door open a crack, and looked inside to see the three fillies sound asleep in her bed. The first part of her plan had succeeded, and now it was time to go... Closing the door as quickly, and quietly as she could, Zecora placed a hastily written note on the floor just outside the bedroom where the Crusaders would see it on the off chance that they woke up while she was gone, but with luck, she would already be back by then. And she had no intention of returning alone. Quietly slipping out the front door to her hut, Zecora ran as fast as she could in the direction of Ponyville... ---- Meanwhile, morning had finally dawned in Ponyville, and Diamond Tiara was walking up to the Ponyville Schoolhouse. The pink earth filly was feeling very satisfied as she reflected on the events of the previous day. Thanks to her, the Foal Free Press had not only avoided a crisis, but had released it's juiciest edition yet, and she couldn't wait to see how much of a success it had been. A smug grin spread across her face as she thought about the Cutie Mark Crusaders' most embarrassing moments being seen by everypony in town. "You've really outdone yourself this time, Diamond Tiara.", she said to herself, "The Foal Free Press has reached the top, and it looks like the blank flanks are gonna need a new name. How about 'The Cutie Mark Laughingstocks'?" Diamond Tiara chuckled to herself, but at the same time, she couldn't help but lament the loss of the Crusaders as the writers behind the Gabby Gums column. Since she'd already printed those pictures of them in the paper, she didn't have anything else to blackmail them with, and there was no more reason for them to work for her. And then there was all that talk going around town about them being missing...that they may have even run away... Diamond Tiara quickly shrugged off that train of thought. Everypony was probably just overreacting, as usual. The blank flanks were probably just hiding out in that stupid clubhouse of theirs or something because they were too afraid to show their faces in town after having their most embarrassing moments printed for everypony to laugh at. They'd show up sooner or later... Oh, well. In any case, losing the Crusaders from her staff was no huge loss. She didn't need them. She still had Featherweight to get her more juicy pictures. She could work with that. And if all else failed, she could always find something else to blackmail them with. There was nothing to worry about. Trotting up to the door to the basement of the schoolhouse, Diamond Tiara promptly let herself in, ready to address her loyal newspaper staff. "All right. Places, everypony!", Diamond Tiara announced, "We've got a lot of work to do before-" Diamond Tiara stopped in mid-sentence as her mind finally registered what she was seeing. The school basement was completely empty, and her staff was nowhere to be seen. "Hello? ", the pink earth filly called. "M-Morning, chief...", a voice answered Diamond Tiara looked up to see Featherweight standing beside her desk at the back of the room, but the pegasus colt seemed to be the only one here. "Where's everypony else?", Diamond Tiara asked. Featherweight shrugged uneasily, "I'm, uh, sure that they're on their way..." She scowled in irritation, "They better not be late." Making her way to her desk, Diamond Tiara took her seat in the editor-in-chief's chair before continuing to address Featherweight, the only one of her staff to deal with at the moment. "While we're waiting...", Diamond Tiara sighed in annoyance, "What have you got for me?" "Well, a-actually I...uh....", the pegasus colt nervously began. "It better be something good if we want to top yesterday's edition!" "Diamond Tiara, we have to talk...", Featherweight said. She gave him an impatient look. "We did that yesterday, remember? Now show me what-" "I quit.", the pegasus colt said simply. That caught Diamond Tiara's attention, and for a long moment, she just stared at him, sure that he hadn't heard him right. "I'm sorry. You wanna run that by me again?" "I'm through.", Featherweight repeated, "I'm not going to take anymore hurtful photographs of other ponies for you." Diamond Tiara couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Featherweight HAD to be joking. He wouldn't DARE defy her. Was he forgetting that she had dirt on him? "You don't say?", Diamond Tiara said at last in a low, cold voice, "I think you're forgetting one teensy-weensy, but ever so crucial little, tiny detail." Then her voice suddenly rose to rough shout. "I! OWN! YOU! Either you get me some juicy pictures for our next edition, or I will make YOU our next edition!" Featherweight was afraid, but this time, he found the courage to stand his ground. "You mean like how you did to the Cutie Mark Crusaders when they'd wanted to stop?" "Exactly!", Diamond Tiara said shamelessly, "The blank flanks wouldn't get back in line, so I had to take matters into my own hooves! And I WILL do it again if you don't get back in line!" "You're the one who's out of line, Diamond Tiara.", Featherweight countered, "The Crusaders were right. This has gone too far; we're not doing the right thing anymore." Diamond Tiara snorted, "Oh, and let me guess. We're 'hurting other ponies feelings' to, right? What have I told both you, and the blank flanks about feelings, Feathers?" "That you don't care about them.", the pegasus colt answered. "That's right! I don't!", the pink earth filly confirmed, "And you'd better remember it this time, because I'm not gonna tell you again! We are NOT stopping the Gabby Gums column! Not now, not yesterday, not the day before yesterday, not EVER!! So as your boss, I command you to get out there, and get me some more pictures, OR ELSE!" "Ah'm sorry, Diamond Tiara...", another voice said. Startled, Diamond Tiara looked up, and suddenly saw a very stern-looking Granny Smith stepping out from shadow in a corner of the basement. "But Ah'm afraid we can't allow ya ta do that...", the elderly earth pony finished. "Wh-Wha...", a confused Diamond Tiara started to say. But the words died before they were even out of her mouth, for it was then that Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, (Private Eye) Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Big Mac all emerged from various hiding places throughout the basement. As the ponies, and baby dragon began to surround Diamond Tiara, the pink earth filly began to feel a sense of dread forming in the pit of her stomach as they all glared ice-cold daggers at her. "Wh-What's going on? What are you all doing here?", Diamond Tiara asked uneasily, even as it suddenly hit her that they'd likely heard everything she'd said to Featherweight. "You're the boss here...", Big Mac said in eerily calm voice, "You tell us..." Rarity narrowed her eyes, "So you like juicy stories, do you, Diamond Tiara?" "Well, it's your lucky day, 'cause we've got a story for you..." Rainbow Dash snorted. "Yeah!", Applejack seethed, "And it's called, 'Spoiled Rotten Filly Blackmails Our Little Sisters Into Doin' Her Dirty Work!'." As their furious words sank in, Diamond Tiara felt an icy chill creep down her spine as her fears were confirmed. Don't worry, she tried to reassure herself, No matter what they may have heard, they can't prove anything. "No-Now listen, everypony. This can all be explained..." "Don't even try to sweet talk your way out of this one...", Rainbow Dash growled. "The jig is up, Diamond Tiara...", Twilight said as she used her magic to reveal a microphone that they'd strategically placed underneath the editor's desk, much to the pink earth filly's shock, "Not only did we hear everything you just said, but Featherweight told us the whole story." For a moment, Diamond Tiara was too stunned to speak. No. Impossible. Featherweight wouldn't have DARED snitch on her. And yet, he had. How else could she explain what was happening? These ponies were here, and they had set her up, because Featherweight had ratted her out. And as that realization fully sank in, Diamond Tiara bared her teeth as she quickly became filled with utter fury. "You buck-toothed tattletale! You're about to be REAL sorry!", Diamond Tiara all but roared as she began to menacingly advance on the pegasus colt, fully intending to throttle him. But before Diamond Tiara could reach him, Fluttershy immediately stepped between her and Featherweight, and then unleashed "The Stare" on the pink earth filly. In an instant, Diamond Tiara froze on the spot, her fury practically evaporating as the effect took hold. Disoriented, and gripped by fear, she was forced to back off. Unnerved by the effects of "The Stare", and surrounded by a group of angry ponies, Diamond Tiara finally lost her nerve, and decided that it was high time to get out of dodge. As the pink earth filly ran for the basement exit, she noticed that nopony actually tried to stop her. For a moment, Diamond Tiara couldn't help but grin at how stupid they were to have just let her slip through their hooves like that. But her feelings of triumph were very short-lived, for no sooner did she burst out the basement door, did she stop dead in her tracks at the sight that greeted her just outside. Waiting for Diamond Tiara right outside Ponyville Schoolhouse was Miss Cheerlie, and Mayor Mare...with virtually every pony in town standing right behind them. And NONE of them looked too happy... "Muh...M-Miss Cheerlie! M-Miss Mayor!", Diamond Tiara stuttered, "Wh-What a surprise..." "Indeed...", Mayor Mare said sternly, pointing to a loudspeaker that had been set up nearby, which Diamond Tiara immediately realized must have been connected to the microphone that Twilight had hidden under her desk. "Y-You...You all heard...?", she stammered. "Every. Word.", Miss Cheerlie said, as the townsponies all glowered angrily at the pink earth filly. Diamond Tiara quickly turned to flee back into the basement, only to find that Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, (Private Eye) Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Spike, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Featherweight had emerged to block her path. "Give it up, Diamond Tiara! You've got nowhere to run!", Rainbow Dash growled. "We have you surrounded!", (Private Eye) Pinkie Pie said as though she were making an actual arrest, "Make it easy on yourself, and come out with your hooves up!" "Pinkie Pie...", Twilight was trying very to keep her face straight; she'd had just about enough of Pinkie's antics for one day, "Will you please cut that out, and let us handle this?" "Huh, suit yourself...", the pink earth pony sighed as she FINALLY ditched her detective garb. Diamond Tiara had barely even noticed Pinkie Pie's latest shenanigan, and considering the fact that she'd found herself surrounded by a large crowd of angry ponies, that was very understandable. "Now, now...", the pink earth filly said quickly, trying to appear unafraid, "L-listen to me, everypony..." "Oh, that won't be necessary, Diamond Tiara.", Mayor Mare replied, "Everypony has heard quite enough already." "Yes.", a very serious Miss Cheerlie agreed, "And as your teacher, I must say, that you've got quite a lot to answer for." Applejack angrily stepped forward, "Y'all got that right! It was this bratty troublemaker who was behind everythin' all along!" "Eeyup!", a furious Big Mac agreed. "Who are you calling 'bratty'?!", an offended Diamond Tiara asked. "You, you little..!", Rainbow Dash almost lunged at the pink earth filly, prompting Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy to restrain her. Miss Cheerlie stepped forward, "I can't believe all the things I've heard, Diamond Tiara! I make you the editor-in-chief of the Foal Free Press, and you disgrace the school paper by publishing hurtful gossip, AND you blackmail your staff into doing your bidding! You should be ashamed of yourself!" Several ponies within the crowd voiced their own anger, and outrage at Diamond Tiara's actions. "Wait just a minute!", Diamond Tiara exclaimed, "All I was trying to do was get some juicy stories for the school paper! Is that a crime?!" "And to do it...", Twilight scolded, "...you forced Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, & Scootaloo to write more hurtful stories for you until everypony got so mad at them that they ran away from home?!" "Our poor little sisters are lost out there somewhere...", Rarity wailed rather dramatically before pointing an accusing hoof at Diamond Tiara, "And it's all because of YOU!" "ME?!", an indignant Diamond Tiara retorted, "I am not the one who treated them like common criminals, and I never told them to run away! You can't blame me for that!" "And what about the gossip column?", Fluttershy crossly pointed out, "How could you keep publishing those stories when you knew that they hurt other ponies' feelings?" Spike snorted, "You heard what Diamond Tiara said! She doesn't care about other ponies' feelings!" The crowd of ponies all gasped in shock and outrage. "Hey! I was giving all of you ponies what you WANTED!", Diamond Tiara shouted, "I am not the one who started the Gabby Gums column, and I am not the one who WANTED to see more of those stories in the FIRST PLACE!" The pink earth filly's words made everypony pause, because like it or not, it was the truth. Most of the ponies in town had loved, and fully supported the gossip column, only deciding that it was bad when the joke was on them, including Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, who'd respectively given the Crusaders the idea for Gabby Gums, and who'd wanted a story to be written about her in the first place. "And if those stories hurt everypony so bad...", Diamond Tiara continued, "Then why didn't anypony come, and tell us to cut it out? Why didn't Miss Cheerlie come, and tell us to cut it out? She's our teacher, isn't she? Where was she during all this?!" Cheerlie lowered her eyes at Diamond Tiara's words. It was true; she had failed to properly oversee the school newspaper. Not only that, but the townsponies also couldn't deny the fact that nopony had even bothered to complain about the situation to Cheerlie, not even Mayor Mare or Twilight Sparkle (Gabby Gums' biggest critic). Instead, all anypony had done was harshly, and unfairly treat three little fillies as social outcasts until they ran away from home. If they'd listened, if they'd just allowed the Crusaders to explain themselves, then they probably wouldn't have run away, and all of this could have been cleared up much sooner. "You can't pin this whole rap on me!", Diamond Tiara insisted, "Not when what everypony else standing here did was wrong to!" In the end, everypony found that they simply couldn't disagree with that statement. Diamond Tiara may have blackmailed the Cutie Mark Crusaders (and by extension, Featherweight) into continuing the gossip column when they'd wanted to stop, but that didn't absolve everypony else of their own mistakes. While Diamond Tiara certainly wasn't being sincere, and had probably only said those things in order to shift the blame off of herself, that didn't make what she'd said any less true. "That may be, Diamond Tiara...", Mayor Mare conceded, "The cold, hard truth of the matter is that we're all somewhat to blame for this whole mess." "That's right!" Diamond Tiara rather smugly asserted. "Don't get too comfortable, little lady...", Granny Smith said with a slight smile, "Cause that don't mean yer off th' hook." "No, it certainly does not...", Mayor Mare sternly added, "Because regardless of the things that we have done, Diamond Tiara, it still doesn't excuse the things that you have done." Miss Cheerlie nodded, "That's right! You still blackmailed your staff into printing more hurtful gossip, and embarrassing pictures when they had wanted to stop, and that is completely unacceptable!" "In any case, you're days as editor-in-chief of the Foal Free Press are over.", Mayor Mare declared. "What?! You can't-", Diamond Tiara was incredulous at the idea that they thought they could force her to step down as editor-in-chief. Were they forgetting that her mother was president of the school board? "And...", Miss Cheerlie interrupted, "You are also going to turn that folder full of all those embarrassing photos over to me." "Forget it!", Diamond Tiara snorted, "Those photos are my property! And you're all crazy if you think you can make me step down as editor-in-chief! None of you are the boss of me, and none of you can tell me what to do!" "No, but I can!", a stern voice called out. Everypony turned at the sound of the voice to see Diamond Tiara's father, Filthy Rich emerge from the crowd, and he was NOT in a good mood. "D-Dad?!", Diamond Tiara gasped in horror. Filthy Rich trotted up to his daughter, and glared down at her with a look of complete, and utter disapproval. "All I have to say, young lady, is that I am VERY disappointed in you.", he said angrily, " I honestly had expected better of my daughter than to bring shame on the family name like this." Diamond Tiara was left stuttering. "B-But...But...". "Apparently...", Filthy Rich continued, "I haven't been doing my job as your father as well as I thought I have. Well, that's going to change! To start with, you WILL be stepping down as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, and you WILL turn any, and all embarrassing photographs you may have of other ponies over to Miss Cheerlie!" "But Daaaaad!!", Diamond Tiara whined. "NO! BUTS! ABOUT IT!", her father emphasized, "And we will talk more about this when we we get home. Right now, I have some things to say to everypony, and you will be silent unless you are spoken to. Understand?" Realizing that she had no choice, all Diamond Tiara could say was, "Yes, Daddy..." After giving his daughter another glare just for good measure, Filthy Rich then turned to address the crowd of ponies. "Everypony...", he began, speaking so that everypony could hear him, "On behalf of the entire Rich family, I deeply apologize to all of you for all of this trouble." Then, he turned to face Applejack, Big Mac, Granny Smith, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, "And especially to the Cutie Mark Crusaders' friends, and families." He paused, before continuing in a lower voice, "I promise you that I will do all that I can to help find them, and bring them home..." "Much obliged, Filthy...", Granny Smith expressed her gratitude, while the others all simply nodded. "Just as soon as I teach my daughter a lesson...", Filthy Rich added seriously. Diamond Tiara visibly gulped at her father's words. "And as soon as this is all over..." he concluded, "She WILL give everypony involved a proper apology. Am I right, Diamond Tiara?" Ultimately, Diamond Tiara nodded. "Yes..." "Now, let's go home.", her father said sternly. Filthy Rich escorted his daughter through the crowd of ponies, all of whom glared at Diamond Tiara as they past by. The pink earth filly could only try not to make eye contact with anypony as her father led her to his personal taxicab; she was going to have enough to worry about soon enough. Upon reaching the taxi, Filthy Rich practically stallionhandled Diamond Tiara inside before climbing in himself. And as the taxicab sped away, everypony could have sworn that they'd heard a series of audible smacks, and loud yelps coming from the inside. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but grin. "Something tells me that Diamond Tiara isn't going to be able to sit down anytime soon." "Nnnope", Big Mac agreed. "Serves her right.", Rarity smirked. Several from within the crowd of ponies voiced their agreement as well. Featherweight however, still didn't very particularly good about himself due to his own involvement in all of this as staff photographer. He hesitated for a long moment, until finally, he stepped forward, and looked up at Mayor Mare. "Featherweight...", Mayor Mare said, already suspecting the colt's intentions, "Is there something you'd like to say?" Slowly, Featherweight nodded, and then took his place in front of the crowd of ponies. "Everypony...", the pegasus colt began, "I...I just wanna say...that-that I...I..." Featherweight trailed off, unable to continue as he was again struck by the shame of his own wrongdoings, as well as his fears of what everypony else would think. Sensing the pegasus colt's inner turmoil, Fluttershy stepped up to place her hoof on his shoulder to reassure him that it would be all right. Taking a deep breath, Featherweight ultimately found the courage to continue. "I just wanna say that I am so very sorry for my part in all of this. As staff photographer, it was my job to take all of the photographs for our paper, including all of the embarrassing, and hurtful ones. But I honestly never meant for things to get so bad. I guess I just got so swept up in the hype as the popularity of the Gabby Gums column grew, and everypony in town seemed to want to read what we were printing. I know what I did was wrong, and I only hope that you can all find it to forgive me..." The townsponies all listened to Featherweight's apology, and were touched by his words. After their harsh treatment had driven away the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they had all decided on their own that they wouldn't make the same mistake again. After Featherweight had finished, Miss Cheerlie came forward to give the pegasus colt a hug. "Featherweight... It's okay.", the teacher said, "The fact is, we've all made mistakes, but what matters is that we take responsibility for those mistakes, and do what we can to make up for them, like you did." She sighed, and then turned to face the townsponies herself, "In fact, I owe everypony an apology to. Diamond Tiara was right: as teacher, it was my responsibility to oversee the school newspaper, and I failed to properly do that job. I'm willing to take full responsibility for all of this, and I will tender my resignation if the town so wishes." "No, Cheerlie.", Twilight said, "It wasn't all your fault. We all should have come, and told you what was going on." "Yeah.", Featherweight added, "And I should have told you about what Diamond Tiara was doing. But I was too scared..." Cheerlie nodded slowly, "I know, but I still feel responsible..." Mayor Mare put her hoof on Cheerlie's shoulder, "Don't be so hard on yourself, Cheerlie. We've all made mistakes, not just you. But they won't happen again." "We all know yer quality.", Granny Smith assured, "You are one o' th' finest school teachers Ah have ever known, an' Ah wouldn't have anypony else in yer stead." The townsponies all voiced their agreement with Granny Smith's statement; everypony wanted Cheerlie to stay. Touched, the purple earth pony smiled warmly in gratitude. "But we can talk more about this later.", Mayor Mare said, her voice turning serious as she turned to face the townsponies, "Right now, we must get back to the task at hand." Applejack nodded firmly, "That's right. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo are still missin', an' as Celestia as mah witness, we're gonna find 'em if we have ta tear apart all of Equestria!" The townsponies were in full agreement, but many of them were still at a complete loss after the failure of yesterday's rather thorough search, and they were eager to know if anypony had a new plan. "Well, we've all thought about that...", Twilight began, addressing the question, "And we've decided that our best course of action would be-" Suddenly, Twilight was cut off as a commotion at the back of crowd drew everypony's attention. Somepony was pushing their way to the front. "What is going on back there?", Mayor Mare asked. Then, to everypony's surprise, who should emerge from the crowd, but Zecora, having run all the way to town. "Zecora!", Twilight exclaimed, "What are you doing here?" "Oh, thank goodness I found you all here.", the zebra mare said, breathing hard, "You all need to come with me right now, though I assure you there is nothing to fear." "Huh? What's th-", Applejack started to ask. Zecora quickly cut her off, "It's Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, & Scootaloo." For a very long moment, everypony just stared at Zecora, too stunned to speak, and certain that they'd misheard her. Ultimately, it was Rarity who found her voice first. "What?", she gasped out hopefully. "I have them.", Zecora said simply. ---- END OF PART 3