//------------------------------//
// S9 E22: Growing Up is Hard to Do (What If?) (Bonus Chapter) 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 13 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

It hadn't been more than a week or two since Spoiled Rich had received a most unusual item intended for her eyes and her eyes alone. Said item was something that she had initially thought was some kind of very unfunny prank: A skull.

But it was no ordinary skull as Spoiled had soon discovered for herself. The skull was enchanted, infused with a magic that possibly rivaled even that of the alicorns or of Discord. And said skull's enchantment opened up a line of communication to a figure Spoiled was sure she'd never forget: It was a ram. But not just any ram: Said ram was a moderate cornflower blue in color with very dark blue horns, a light bluish-gray mane and tail in short, razor stubs and pale, apple green eyes that contained red pupils. Just above his hooves rested a red collar with several yellow orbs on it.

The ram soon revealed itself as capable of speech. "You are the one called Spoiled Rich, are you not?" He had inquired.

After a bit of initial hesitation, Spoiled had reluctantly identified herself. "Y-yes. And who might you be?"

"You can call me Grogar," The ram identified itself. "And yes, that is the same 'Grogar' you've heard of in legends. The same 'Grogar' the self-righteous Gusty the Great defeated by draining me of my powers."

From there, Spoiled had quickly learned that Grogar was hoping to recruit her into an army, or a "legion" as he'd taken to calling it. Said "legion" was being assembled of various evil doers big and small alike to carry out an attack on Equestria that would succeed in toppling its current rulers, chief among them the soon to be supreme ruler herself: Princess Twilight.

Understandably, the idea of siding against her home country was not a decision to be made lightly and the rich mare had contemplated it for several sleepless nights. She'd always personally felt that since her daughter's change of heart, friendship had its downsides. And perhaps Equestria was becoming too friendly and welcoming, changing much too fast for a pony like Spoiled to understand.

Yet now, after much thought, Spoiled Rich had made up her mind. Making sure she was alone within the confines of the Rich family mansion, that no hired hooves of any sort were around to spy upon or overhear her, she activated the enchantment on the skull like she had been instructed to do. Soon, she was looking at a projection of Grogar's face as he appeared to be in some sort of swamp.

The ram looked up, his pale, apple green eyes and red pupils staring straight into Spoiled's despite the projection. "Ah, Spoiled Rich. I see you've finally come to a decision. I take it you wish to inform me that you'll be joining my legion? Our day of conquest is drawing near."

But the rich mare shook her head. "As tempted as I may be to get back at someponies for what they've done to my family and I, I know that I wouldn't wanna be caught aiding an enemy of Equestria. And as impressive as your 'legion' sounds, I simply can't be sure of victory. And if we were to lose it would cost me everything I could ill afford to be without," She proceeded to tell Grogar. "It's nothing personal, you understand. But I have my own well being to consider in this matter."

At that the evil ram became indignant, his eyes growing wide as he growled and roared! "You are a fool, Spoiled Rich! I gave you an offer, and when you replied rather than destroy my enchantment I assumed that meant I had found a worthy ally ready to obey me."

"Sorry," Spoiled somewhat coldly replied. "Regardless, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor. Should you succeed, I'd be more than happy to support you however I could."

Grogar was not satisfied at all with that answer as he instead just said. "Well, that's too bad. But I can't afford to have you warning anypony in case you decide to rat me out for a profit. After all, it seems money is all you care about."

"Growing up as the child of dairy farmers, my life was far from luxurious," Spoiled answered. "Having married into it, I'm not about to throw it all away for you."

The ram then began to make his horns glow ominously as he proclaimed. "Then maybe it's time you went back to that time: A time when you were poor and desperate. And a time when you were powerless instead of having power over others."

Without warning, a burst of dark magic shot out from the skull right before it vanished into thin air! The magic struck Spoiled head on, and she felt her entire body shrink around her. It didn't last long but to Spoiled it felt like an eternity. And when at last it had ended, she could only gasp at what she now saw herself as: A little filly with a plain old snout instead of an upturned one. She couldn't be much older than those accursed Cutie Mark Crusaders who had turned her daughter against her.

And now Spoiled couldn't even remember how she'd ended up like this. All she knew was that she was trapped in this filly body. So she did the only thing she could think of in her situation and screamed!

Fortunately for Spoiled Rich, her screaming would quickly draw attention to her and get her some help. But unfortunately for her, it was also going to touch off an adventure with some very unlikely ponies that she was not going to be allowed to forget. And it was an adventure that was also going to teach her a "lesson" about what it meant to truly grow up.



Diamond Tiara hadn't been aware of anything that had just transpired within the confines of her family mansion. She was expecting today to be another typical day for her. Her father would be working late, like he often was at this time of year. And her mother... well, Diamond neither really knew or really cared. She'd been going out of her way to avoid her mother as much as possible recently, especially upon hearing of how her mother's audition for the new position of vice headmare at the School of Friendship had turned out.

The pink coated filly was just stopping at home to rest for a little bit. Knowing her luck, Princess Twilight was still undergoing lessons to prepare for her ascension to the throne as supreme ruler. And hanging with the Cutie Mark Crusaders wasn't much of an option since they were planning to go to the Appleloosa County Fair, having saved up their allowances in the hopes of buy train tickets out to Appleloosa. If only Diamond had that luxury, but she knew her parents (her mom especially) would say no to her going anywhere out of town by herself.

"It's just not fair," Diamond thought to herself as she dropped off her saddlebags and made sure to wipe her feet on the doormat. "I more than held my own against that nasty Queen Chrysalis. It's not my fault she had an army of brainwashed ponies backing her up. I can totally take care of myself. I'm not some helpless little princess that needs protecting all the time. I'm like Princess Twilight, a pony who can be trusted to be a proven leader. Leadership is what my cutie mark represents, after all."

Oh well, those were thoughts to dwell upon some other time. There would be other opportunities for fun, like the Colt and Filly Fair or the Summer Wrap Up Festival and Hoedown. Those were always more frequent in occurrence than a county fair.

Suddenly, the silence of the Rich family mansion was disturbed by the sound of a scream from upstairs! A scream that sounded vaguely familiar to the headgear wearing filly despite its unusually high pitch.

So it was that Tiara forgot all about her earlier plans and raced upstairs as fast as she could! True, she could've just let one of the hired hooves take care of it, but that wasn't her style anymore.

Eventually, Diamond Tiara stumbled across the source of the scream when she entered her parents' bedroom. Pushing open the door, her cornflower blue eyes eventually spotted the source of the disturbance: A strangely familiar looking pale, grayish pink coated earth pony filly. Said filly had strong opal eyes, a curly mane and tail two shades of moderate magenta and darker pinkish-purple, and most telling of all a cutie mark depicting a diamond ring.

Diamond had to blink and rub her eyes just to be sure she wasn't imaging things. Before her now was a filly that looked exactly like her mother, even down to having the same cutie mark. "Mom?" She asked, unsure of whether or not the filly could speak.

The filly indeed could as it quickly grumbled. "Diamond Dazzle Tiara! Don't you dare mock me for my state of appearance!"

Tiara tried hard to stifle a laugh as she heard how high pitched her mom's voice was in her new filly body. "Mock you? Why would I mock you?" She not so innocently declared. "I mean, besides the fact that I'm now bigger than you and probably older than you?"

Spoiled just humphed, folding her hooves across her chest. "Whatever," She then looked at that light green dress she'd always been fond of wearing (until her recent regression anyways). "I'm still your mother. You have to obey me because... I said so."

Diamond just grinned, scooping her mom up. "Now now, Mother, that's not how you talk to somepony bigger than you. You've got a lot to learn about being a filly again."

The regressed rich mare pouted and protested. "But I don't wanna be a filly again! I hated being a kid, everypony always looked down on me because of how I grew up. Once I grew up and met your father, I never once looked back on who I was. You should be thankful that because of me you could grow up in a life of luxury and privilege, never having to worry about where your next meal was coming from or having to draw water from a well just to take a bath."

The pink coated filly just smirked while her cornflower blue eyes kept a watchful gaze on her regressed mother. "Oh, I know all about your days as Spoiled Milk, about your growing up on a dairy farm not unlike the Apples," Then she got an idea. "Maybe I should drop you back off with your parents and they can watch over you for a couple of days. I'll just tell Father you're out of town on a business trip."

Spoiled Rich shuddered at the idea even as she bellowed at the top of her lungs! "You wouldn't dare, young mare! If you try, I will ground you for life when I get back to being an adult again! I mean it this time."

The headgear wearing filly only giggled. "Oh relax, Mother. I was just kidding. I'm not as cruel as you are, you can thank the Cutie Mark Crusaders for that. Besides, how would I ever explain this to my grandparents? They'd think I was crazy."

Spoiled rolled her eyes. "Then don't just stand around, here. Get to me somepony who can change me back, or make something that can change me back! I don't want to spend even a second more as a filly than I have to."

"Gladly," Diamond declared in a sincere tone of voice. "It's lucky for you I was around when... whatever it is that turned you into a filly happened. Just imagine what could've happened if one of the hired hooves had found you. I wonder if they'd be as merciful as I am. After the way you've treated all the butlers and maids, I have a feeling many of them would love to get even."

At that the regressed rich mare nervously gulped. She hadn't thought about it before, but the idea of ponies (or even some non-ponies given recent developments) getting their revenge on her over their perceived treatment by her terrified the mare greatly. "On second thought, maybe you should just leave me and send word to the hired help that I'm not to be disturbed," She suggested to her daughter. "That way, nopony but you has to see me like this."

Diamond only replied by quickly picking up the dress on the floor and throwing it over the mare turned filly who was now way too big to fit into said dress. "Just stay quiet in there until I decide to let you out," She instructed. "Lucky for you, all the times you've grounded me have helped me hone my escape skills. I'll sneak us both out of the house without anypony ever being the wiser."





True to her word, the pink coated filly was able to escape the mansion with her regressed mother safely in tow, all without being seen or noticed by a single butler or maid. Then she carefully set off on a trek across town. There were only two ponies she could think of that might be magically gifted enough to turn her mother back to normal. Age spells were incredibly difficult to pull off.

The journey took longer than it usually did since Diamond Tiara was careful to stay away from other ponies and other creatures. She wasn't confident in her ability to smooth talk her way out of any situation or conversation that would ensue.

At last, however, Tiara reached her destination: The crystal castle that Princess Twilight called home and rested just across a small pond from the School of Friendship. She wasn't sure if the princess was home or not, but with any luck another occupant of the castle would be.

The headgear wearing filly briefly looked down at the dress turned concealing jacket to make sure her mother hadn't slipped out from it somehow. Thankfully, Spoiled had not and the coast was still clear.

A frantic knock on the castle's doors was soon answered by Spike. It was still strange to see him, well, not so little anymore even though it had been quite a while since the molt that had triggered his growth spurt. "Oh, Diamond Tiara," He greeted the frequently visiting filly. "Is today another one of your one on one sessions with Twilight? I know things have been so chaotic recently, your next lesson must've gotten lost in the shuffle."

But Diamond protested with a shake of her head. "It's not for me, Spike. Is Princess Twilight here, or at least Miss. Starlight? I could really use their help with something."

"Actually, today's your lucky day. Twilight's still here, she's not due for any important royal training," Spike cheerfully replied and ushered the filly inside. "I'll take you to her."

"Thanks a bunch, Spike," The young earth pony proclaimed as she walked through the doors and stepped inside. "This time it really is urgent."

The dragon nodded. "I'm sure it is. Now come on, Twilight isn't far."

And it wasn't long before pony and dragon were entering the castle's library where Twilight Sparkle was hard at work, the many books stacked up beside serving as a testament to that fact. But she still managed to somehow look up in time to see Diamond Tiara being escorted into the room by Spike. "Diamond Tiara?" The young alicorn blinked. "I know you're still not completely thrilled to be working with Starlight, but I assure you she's quite capable of continuing your lessons without me."

Tiara nervously replied. "Actually, princess, I need your help with something. Something... unusual."

Twilight arched an eyebrow upward. "What do you mean?"

After quickly scanning the room to be sure she was all alone with just Twilight and Spike, the pink coated filly carefully set the dress she'd been carrying on the floor and whispered. "It's alright, you can come out now, Mother. The coast is clear."

And to Twilight and Spike's great surprise, a filly that bore a striking resemblance to Spoiled Rich clumsily emerged from the dress that Spoiled had always been known for wearing. She immediately bowed as she nervously proclaimed. "P-Princess T-Twilight, so p-pleased to make your acquaintance. Please, forgive my... er... current state of appearance."

Immediately, the young alicorn eyed Spoiled. "Sp... er Mrs. Rich, how in the wide world of Equestria did you end up in such a condition? Did somepony do this to you?"

Spoiled blushed as she admitted. "That's the thing, princess. I... don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Twilight questioned the mare turned filly. "How could you not know? Did you wake up this morning like this?"

The regressed rich mare reluctantly admitted. "I honestly don't know. All I can remember is that one moment I was my usual grown-up self, and the next I was this helpless filly that couldn't even fit into my dress," Then she desperately pleaded. "Please, you gotta help me! I want to go back to being a grown-up, now!"

Unfortunately, the princess declared. "I'm afraid that's impossible. I can't just change you back without knowing who or what is responsible for turning you into this," She proceeded to pick up the filly and hold her close, lighting up her horn as she inspected the regressed rich mare carefully with her magic. "Let me see if I can detect what it was that was used on you. Once I know the cause, I can find a spell to counter the effects. Hold still, please."

Spoiled Rich reluctantly obeyed, holding as still as a statue while the alicorn's horn surrounded her with a reddish-violet magical glow. Meanwhile, all Spike and Diamond Tiara could do was stand there and wait anxiously for news.





Eventually, Twilight carefully set Spoiled back down and declared. "Well, this is like no magic I've ever experienced. It feels like dark magic, but at the same time it doesn't," She questioned the regressed rich mare again. "You're absolutely sure you don't remember anything related to your sudden regression? Anything at all?"

"You're accusing me of lying?!" Spoiled roared at the top of her lungs! "Do you think I'm dumb enough to lie to somepony as important as you?! If I say I don't know, I don't know! What, is my word not good enough for you, princess?!"

Diamond was quick to scold with a wagging of her hoof. "Now Mother, is that any way to talk to the princess? Keep this up and somepony is gonna end up in the time out corner."

The rich mare turned filly wasn't deterred by her daughter's threat. "Nice try, young filly. We're not even in our mansion right now, you have no authority over me what-so-ever," And she then turned back to Twilight. "Please, ignore my daughter's rude remark, princess. I apologize for my... outburst but I'm very much used to getting results. If sometimes it means raising my voice, I can't help it. But until a few years ago it was always enough to make even my daughter obey without question."

"No wonder she struggled so much with her earliest studies," Twilight thought to herself but didn't say so out loud. Instead, she just said. "Well, yelling at me isn't going to make me anymore willing to help you out," And then she apologized herself. "I'm sorry, but I really could use any details at all that you could provide. Otherwise, I'm pretty much flying blind here."

Spoiled nervously commented. "You mean, you can't change me back? I'm going to have to grow up all over again?"

Twilight shook her head. "I'm not saying that at all, Mrs. Rich. But without a reliable lead to go off it could be a very long time before I can track down the right spell. If I just cast any age spell willy nilly, it could make things worse. I could leave you stuck in diapers, possibly forever. And I have a feeling you wouldn't want that."

Gulping, Spoiled agreed. "Yes, that would certainly not be desirable even if I retained my adult mind. I may be comfortable with other ponies caring for me, but not as a foal. Nopony would ever take me seriously."

The young alicorn took a deep breath. "Then it's going to be quite a while before I'll be able to even think of changing you back," She then apologized again. "I'm sorry. I wish I had better news for you."

The regressed rich mare proceeded to grumble again while once more folding her hooves across her chest. "So, what am I supposed to do in the mean time? Just sit around here and do nothing?"

It was then that Diamond Tiara got an idea as a lightbulb went off inside her head. "Actually, Mother, I know of someponies who could keep an eye on you for at least a couple of hours. That way, I can help Princess Twilight with her search so that hopefully we can find a cure sooner."

"Great!" Spoiled excitedly declared! "Take me those ponies at once! And make sure you tell them not to tell anypony else about this. I'll pay them handsomely for their silence."

But Diamond smirked as she approached her regressed mother. "Don't worry, I'm sure the Cutie Mark Crusaders will know better than to expose you in public. As long as you don't give them too much trouble, that is."

Spoiled immediately became alarmed at the prospect! "Wait, don't take me to them! Please, anything but those..." She shuddered and spat out. "Crusaders! Those ponies have been a pain in my flanks even before your change of heart."

Tiara just grinned, picking her mother up. "Well it's either them, or I take you back home and have all the hired help pitch in to foalsit you. I would think you'd want as few ponies as possible to see you like this. Plus, I have a way to make sure nopony suspects anything if they see you with the Crusaders," She promptly carried her mother out of the castle library as she said with a knowing wink. "I hope Miss Starlight still has some of her old paints, I'm sure we can find something that'll match your coat color nicely. Can't have ponies asking questions about your cutie mark, after all."





Some time later, Diamond was taking her now disguised mother to the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. "Surprising what some paints and a quick mane styling can do, eh, Mother?" The filly commented to the regressed rich mare who now had her diamond ring cutie mark completely covered up, and had her mane and tail styled way more loosely. Plus, a little bit of mane dye had been worked in to make it look a most unattractive green.

Spoiled Rich was anything but pleased or amused. "You're gonna pay for this one way or another, Diamond Tiara. I just know you're enjoying this."

Tiara simply replied in a scolding tone of voice. "Now now, that's not how you're supposed to behave. You're Spoiled Milk now if anypony asks, a distant cousin of mine with no relation to you besides name. Only Princess Twilight, Spike, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and I are going to know the truth."

Spoiled only grumbled. "Let's just get this over with, shall we? I'm surely never going to live this down as long as I live, but I at least hope my humiliation will not too bad."

"Hey, it could be worse. You could have the mind of a filly as well as a body," The pink coated filly pointed out to her now fellow filly. "Although maybe that would be better. I'm betting you weren't anywhere near as mean and nasty growing up as you are now. Maybe if you spend some time with actual children, you'll remember what it was like to not be in control of others all the time." Then she led her regressed mother up the steps to the CMC's clubhouse.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were more than a little surprised to see Diamond Tiara enter into their clubhouse unannounced, and even more surprised to see her accompanying an earth pony filly that had a very familiar looking coat and eyes. If not for the filly's lack of a cutie mark and her mane and tail being a different color and style, they would've assumed it was Spoiled Rich.

Diamond smiled, she seemed to be in an extra good mood for some reason as she cheerfully greeted. "Hey there, Crusaders. Sorry to drop this on you so suddenly, but I need your help."

Apple Bloom was the first to question. "Help with what? Does it have somethin' to do with that little filly you got beside you?"

Scootaloo pointed out. "We're not taking any clients today, we were just on our way to buy train tickets to Appleloosa. The Appleloosa County Fair is gonna be so awesome!"

Tiara simply nudged her fellow filly forward while asking. "Can you girls keep a secret?"

Sweetie Belle immediately nodded. "Of course we can! What's your secret?"

Before Diamond had a chance to explain, Spoiled Rich opened her mouth and declared! "The secret is me! Thanks to some unknown magic, I've been turned back into a filly and now my daughter wants me to spend the day with you. All so she can 'help' Princess Twilight find a way to turn me back to normal," She then snooted. "So, this little clubhouse doubles as your business headquarters? Color me not impressed. Even by my incredibly low standards, this clubhouse hardly seems worthy of being occupied."

"Hey now!" Scootaloo immediately glared at the regressed rich mare! "We worked hard fixing up this clubhouse all on our own! Nopony helped us!"

Sweetie added. "And with your attitude, why should we help Diamond Tiara by foalsitting you? You've made it no secret that you hate us, and we don't exactly like you for the way you treat your only daughter."

Tiara began to beg. "Please, Crusaders! I can make it worth your while if you'll help me keep this secret and make sure Mother stays out of trouble. But this could be my last chance to do anything with Princess Twilight before she has to take the throne."

Reluctantly, Apple Bloom agreed. "You know what? We'll do it if only to prove that we ain't as mean and nasty as Spoiled Rich is," She gazed down and glared at the filly. "But you'd better watch your step, Spoiled. We're watchin' over you now, but that doesn't mean we have to like it."

Spoiled just declared. "The feeling is mutual, Crusaders. And fyi, I'm going by the name of Spoiled Milk now, at least in public. So if you're planning to go anywhere with me, you'd better keep up the disguise my daughter went to great lengths to make. If you expose me, I will see to it that your lives become a living Tartarus for the rest of your days. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah, crystal," Apple Bloom replied. "But technically, we're bigger than you and probably older than you now. So you have to do whatever we say."

The regressed rich mare snorted. "Whatever." She very much doubted the ability of the Crusaders to do much of anything to her. And she didn't much trust them either.

Diamond Tiara breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank you SO much, Crusaders! I promise, you won't regret this! Just keep Mother in Ponyville, preferably within Sweet Apple Acres so I don't have to go all over town to find her later," Then she turned to her mother. "Now Mom, be nice to the Cutie Mark Crusaders for me. Or at least try not to be too much of a spoiled brat."

"Shut up and get out of here!" Spoiled demanded! "The sooner you leave, the sooner you can assist the princess in finding a cure for my condition!"

Tiara rolled her eyes as she departed, instructing to the Crusaders. "Don't be afraid to take action if Mother keeps acting up. I know she never let me get away with this kind of back talk and bad behavior, so she should be treated no differently." Then she all but slammed the clubhouse door shut as she exited, heading back to Twilight's castle.





Sweetie Belle sighed as a realization slowly settled in among the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Looks like we can say goodbye to going to the Appleloosa County Fair. And after we went and saved up all our allowances too.

"County fairs like that only come once a year." Scootaloo lamented.

Apple Bloom just declared to her fellow fillies. "It can't be helped. Diamond Tiara needed our help, and we aren't the ponies we are now 'cause we turned down a pony in need," Then she looked to Spoiled Rich. "Besides, I reckon Spoiled here kind of needs our help too."

Spoiled Rich stared back in disbelief. "Help? I most certainly don't need help from you low lives. I can't believe my daughter actually convinced you to turn this club of yours into a business," She snorted and rolled her eyes. "It's the worst business I've ever seen. Even those Apples have better business tastes, and they live on a farm."

Apple Bloom sternly glared at the regressed rich mare. "For your information, that's my family you're talkin' about, Spoiled. And we're the reason your family's able to enjoy the luxuries you're always so fond of. So you need to watch how you talk to me. If my family wanted to, we could stop workin' with your family all together and then you'd have nothin'."

Spoiled was not convinced. "As if you'd ever do that. Your family needs ponies like me."

Sensing that an argument was starting to brew, Sweetie Belle intervened to stop the conflict by using her magic to separate Apple Bloom and Spoiled Rich. "Now now, let's not have any bad blood," She then said to Spoiled Rich. "Apple Bloom is kind of right, Spoiled. You clearly don't remember what it was like to be a kid, and you need to learn how to act better. Ponies aren't gonna wanna be around you if you treat them like dirt all the time."

"I can't help it if I'm better than everypony." The mare turned filly proclaimed.

Sweetie could only shake her head. "You just don't get it. It's not about being better than others. Growing up is supposed to be about working hard and learning new things."

Spoiled just replied. "I had plenty of that when I was an actual filly. And becoming a parent was most certainly a learning experience I'll never forget. All I know is that being turned back into a filly is perhaps the second worst thing that's ever happened to me."

"It's not our fault your daughter got tired of having to always act the way you wanted her to do," Scootaloo pointed out. "All we did was provide her with the courage to stand up to you on her own terms."

The regressed rich mare simply snorted in reply. "I didn't come here to be judged over my methods and how I choose to live my life. Had I known that I wouldn't have let my daughter smuggle me all the way across town, forcing me to spend time with the likes of you."

Apple Bloom promptly declared. "Well, you're here now. So you might as well make the most of it. Haven't you ever wanted to just take a day off?"

Spoiled Rich rudely remarked. "Why do you think I'm always going to the spa? It's the one thing that always helped me unwind after a day of dealing with my daughter, and dealing with you three. I'm actually glad you three got hired to be friendship councilors at Princess Twilight's school. That means you can be there and not at the school house, leaving me with one less problem to have to handle. At least Diamond Tiara knows better than to beg to be allowed to attend that school."

Scootaloo questioned. "Don't you have any games you used to enjoy playing when you were a filly? Even if you grew up on a farm you had to have some times where you weren't doing chores."

At that the mare turned filly seemed to get an idea as she put a hoof to her chin. "Actually, now that you mention it, there's one game I always wanted to play but never got a chance to. It was hard when it was just myself."

"What would that be?" Sweetie Belle innocently inquired.

Spoiled simply explained. "Hide and go seek. After all, you can't have the same pony hide while also being the seeker. It just doesn't work. A shame too, I found so many good hiding places around my family's old milk farm. If I'd had even just one friend I'm certain I would've never be found."

Scootaloo soon replied. "So?"

The regressed rich mare had to resist the urge to put a hoof to her face. "Do I have to spell it out for you..." She seemed to struggle to force herself to say. "Crusaders? I want to play a game of hide and go seek. I want to prove that I'm the best!"

"How are we supposed to play it, though? There ain't a lot of room in the clubhouse, we'd spot you pretty easily." Apple Bloom commented.

"Obviously, we're not going to play in the clubhouse. We're going to go outside," Spoiled pointed out. "You three can all be the seekers and I'll be the one hiding. And if you somehow manage to find me, I promise I won't complain or cause any trouble for you for the rest of the day. I'll be a good little filly."

That offer was far too tempting for the Cutie Mark Crusaders to pass it up. The farm filly was quick to state the agreement for them all. "Alright then, Spoiled. We'll see just how good you really are! Just don't start cryin' or poutin' or anythin' like that when we find you. There's three of us to one of you."

Spoiled Rich wasn't worried for even a second. "Then let's go outside and start the game. You fillies are going to need all the luck you can spare to find me. It'll be like I turned invisible." Soon afterward, she was taken outside (thankfully, still in her disguise of "Spoiled Milk") as the Cutie Mark Crusaders all gathered by the bottom step leading up to their clubhouse.

"You ready?" Sweetie Belle asked the regressed rich mare, who firmly nodded in reply. Sweetie then joined her fellow Crusaders in closing her eyes and counting slowly to ten.

Spoiled couldn't believe how easily she'd managed to dupe the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Her parents would've never fallen for such an obvious trick, not for a second. But that just made her all the more relieved and excited at the prospect of having free range for the first time all day. And as luck would have it, she already had a destination clear in mind. She wouldn't be gone for too long, just long enough for those accursed Cutie Mark Crusaders to get into trouble.

"Ready or not, here we come!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders finally declared as they slowly opened their eyes. As expected, Spoiled Rich was nowhere in sight. But the trio weren't worried for even a second.

Scootaloo quickly declared! "Let's split up and start searching! Spoiled Rich can't hide for long, not from us!"

Apple Bloom added. "Yeah. The farm ain't as big as she thinks it is. And I already know all the best hidin' places from my times playin' with Applejack and Big Mac."

"Don't forget the times we've played hide and seek here," Sweetie Belle pointed out. "You've always been the best hider among us." Then the trio went their separate ways for a while in order to search for their charge.

But when the three fillies reconvened a little while later, they began to worry.

"Any luck finding her?" Sweetie asked Scootaloo, hoping for good news. "I searched every possible location I could think of and she wasn't there."

Scootaloo only shook her head. "I searched high, low and everywhere in between. Spoiled wasn't kidding when she said she was good at this game."

Apple Bloom then shouted! "Girls, come quick! I just found somethin' you ain't gonna like!" And that something was soon revealed when she was joined by the unicorn and pegasus fillies: A set of of hoofprints that started from near the clubhouse and led away from Sweet Apple Acres, towards Ponyville proper.

Sweetie reluctantly looked to the farm filly as she asked. "You don't think..."

The farm filly firmly nodded. "I wouldn't put it past her. She seemed to come around to wantin' to play with us a little too fast."

Scootaloo nervously proclaimed! "We need to go after her right now! We can't let her get away! She could end up in all kinds of trouble!"

"But she could be anywhere in town by now," Sweetie Belle complained. "How would we even know where to look for her? Her prints will have faded away."

Apple Bloom seemed to get an idea. "Where's the one place she could go where she'd be as far away from anypony as possible? A place where she could very easily disappear without anypony ever findin' out?"

A realization flashed in both Sweetie and Scootaloo's eyes! It was the same place they'd planned to go earlier this day, before any of this business with Spoiled had taken priority. "The train station!"

The earth pony Crusader than instructed. "Exactly! Now let's get a move on! She's bound to have money, and you know they'll let just about anyone buy a ticket as long as they've got money. She might even be able to afford a round trip that'll bring her back tonight from... wherever it is she wants to go to get away from us."





The CMC took off on hoof to make their way to the train station, certain that that was where the disguised Spoiled Rich was heading. With any luck they hoped to be able to intercept her before she could make her escape.

No one questioned the three fillies as they rushed through Ponyville to the train station, all assuming that they were just now getting around to buying their tickets to Appleloosa.

At last, almost out of breath, the Crusaders reached the train station. And there they could see the still disguised Spoiled Rich on the platform, the regressed rich mare appearing to argue with the conductor as a train looked ready to depart in a matter of minutes.

"What do you mean you can't let me on?!" Spoiled snapped at the conductor as she locked her strong opal eyes on him and waved a hoof! "Look, I've got my ticket and everything! You have to let me on! I paid good money for this trip!"

The conductor only shook his head as he told the filly. "I'm sorry, miss. You're much too young to be allowed on a train all by yourself, ticket or no ticket."

Spoiled stomped her hooves down in protest! "You can't do this to me! I'm a paying customer! I've seen countless other ponies get on the train by themselves, and I swear some of them were fillies and colts."

The conductor just calmly replied. "Sorry, the rules are the rules. And the rules clearly state that all passengers under a specific age are to be accompanied by a parent, guardian or other designated chaperone. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Train travel can be dangerous. If the train were to get lost or into an accident, we'd be in a lot of trouble if anything happened to you. We need to know that somepony older and trustworthy is coming with you," He pointed a hoof to the ticket window. "You're welcome to ask for a refund if you can't make the trip on your own."

Spoiled Rich began to whine. "But... but..." She wasn't used to not getting her way.

All the conductor bothered to say in reply was. "Unless you have somepony that meets our requirements, you can't get on the train and that's final. So either find whoever is accompanying you, or please talk to the ticket salespony to see about a refund. This train needs to depart on time, we're very busy today."

At that very moment, the Cutie Mark Crusaders came trotting up. "There you are, Spoiled Milk," Apple Bloom declared, careful not to give away the disguised filly's true identity. "How dare you run ahead of us like that, young filly. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Sensing an opportunity, Spoiled Rich immediately said to the conductor as she pointed a hoof! "These three are my chaperones! They're older and bigger than me, and I've seen them take the train before by themselves."

"Where are their tickets, then?" The conductor inquired.

"Tickets? To where?" Sweetie Belle questioned.

With a grin the regressed rich mare answered. "To Appleloosa, of course. I know how much you three wanted to attend the county fair there," And she then said to the conductor while flashing a smile. "If you'll just let us on, that would be most appreciated. I'll pay for their trip. How much would three more ponies cost? Name your price, everypony has one."

The conductor wasn't fooled as he sternly and firmly replied. "Sorry, but I can't let anypony on without a ticket. So if these three are accompanying you they'd better buy their tickets now, or else all of you should stop wasting my time. You're going to make this train very late, and everypony down the line relying on this train will be very upset."

Spoiled turned and pleaded to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Please! You three wanted to go to the Appleloosa County Fair, right? Well this is your chance. Let me buy the tickets and we can all forget about this. You won't have to spend a single bit."

Scootaloo uncertainly answered. "Well... your offering is tempting..."

But Apple Bloom moved to shut down the offer. "No way, Spoiled! You ain't charmin' your way out of this one! You did a bad thing and you're not gettin' rewarded for it!" She then added to her decision by saying. "There'll always be another Appleloosa County Fair. We don't have to go to this one, and neither do you. You can't get away with actin' bad in front of others and then expectin' 'em to do nice things for you. You need to treat others the way you want to be treated and keep good behavior, somethin' that obviously ain't important to you."

Spoiled Rich gasped! "You... you can't do that! Nopony's ever told me no before!"

"Well there's a first time for everything, young filly!" Sweetie Belle lectured. "You're coming back with us, not going to Appleloosa. And maybe some quality time alone in the time out corner will help you think about what you've done."

Scootaloo added. "We're doing this for your own good, you know. Your name may be Spoiled but that doesn't mean you have to grow up to be... well... spoiled," And to the conductor she apologized. "Sorry about Spoiled Milk. We're gonna see to it that she learns her lesson."

The conductor just tipped his hat. "Believe me, you're not the first ponies I've met who've had to deal with ponies that give me a hard time," He then looked at Spoiled and told her. "You're lucky you have such good caretakers to keep you on the straight and narrow. I've seen far too many young colts and fillies like you turn out rotten. You should change your ways while you still have a chance," Then he climbed aboard one of the train cars and with a shout of "All aboard!" accompanied by the blowing of a whistle, the train he was on departed the station and soon puffed away over the horizon.





Spoiled Rich was in a state of shock and disbelief as she was brought back to the clubhouse at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres. Never before in all her life had she found herself in a situation where she hadn't been in control or found some way to salvage it. Only once before had anyone ever worked up the nerve to say no to her (in public no less).

Once back in the clubhouse proper, the regressed rich mare was placed in a lonely corner while the Cutie Mark Crusaders stood at the opposite end of the clubhouse and kept an eye on her.

For a while there was nothing but silence, nopony seemed willing to say a word of any sort.

At last, it was Spoiled of all ponies who broke up the silence as she slowly turned to look at the CMC. "I... don't understand it. You continue to baffle me with your existence."

"What the hay are you even talkin' about, Spoiled?" Apple Bloom pondered in response.

The regressed rich mare slowly explained. "I've been mean and nasty to you all day. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised you wouldn't let me trick you twice. But even so, you had a chance to get what you wanted: A trip to Appleloosa to attend the county fair. But you turned it down even though I would've been the one paying for all of you. You three wouldn't have to had pay at all, you could've saved your bits to spend on food or games at the fair."

The farm filly explained in reply. "Money ain't everythin', Spoiled. Some things can't be bought with bits. And even if we'd let you buy the tickets, it would've still been you gettin' rewarded for behavin' badly."

"Think about it like this," Sweetie Belle pointed out. "If Diamond Tiara tried to make you buy something for her even though she was acting badly, you wouldn't buy it for her, would you?"

"Actually I would, if only to shut her up and keep her from making a scene," Spoiled responded. "In fact, I used to do that all the time whenever she just a foal and I was stuck caring for her. It's a good thing those times were rare."

Scootaloo shook her head. "No wonder you don't get it. You don't reward ponies for being bad. That's how they learn that they can get away with anything," She gestured a hoof to herself and to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. "We all turned out the way we did because we had ponies willing to teach us right from wrong. And Diamond Tiara's change of heart is because you tried to control her life simply by throwing money around, making her do whatever you wanted. It was probably your idea to have her be student pony president, wasn't it?"

Spoiled Rich snorted. "So what if it was? What's it to you? It gave her a position of power, which is something all rich ponies should have over others."

The tomboyish filly just remarked. "That's not true power. And growing up doesn't make you powerful. If you don't act nice around others, others are going to notice. I'll bet even half the ponies you've interacted with would want nothing to do with you if not for how rich and influential you are."

"But it's never too late to change," Sweetie pointed out. "Your daughter's living proof of that. You may not approve, but you can't deny that she's been much happier now that she doesn't have to always act mean and nasty to others all the time. Now she's free to be her own pony instead of having to be what you wanted her to be. Maybe you should consider changing too, even just a little."

The mare turned filly slowly blinked her strong opal eyes. "I... never thought about it like that. I guess... maybe you Crusaders aren't all bad," And she seemed to realize something about herself. "When I was growing up, I hated every part of my life. And when I married Filthy, I never again wanted to go back to being what I was. I guess I got so used to my life of luxury that I forgot what it was like not to be rich and famous all the time. Maybe I could at least stop giving you and some other ponies a hard time all the time, just a little."





No sooner had Spoiled Rich finished speaking than did a strange and mysterious glow start to emanate from her. And soon it became blinding, all consuming! It was such a bright glow that the CMC had to shield their eyes!

When at last the glow faded, Spoiled Rich was no longer a filly! She was now back to her old grown-up self, at least physically. "I...I'm an adult again!" She excitedly declared! "I don't know what it is you Crusaders did, but it worked!"

"I don't think we did much of anythin', besides give you a good talkin' to." Apple Bloom commented in reply.

"Well either way, thank you," Spoiled declared as she stood up. "If it's all the same to you, though, I'm going to get my daughter and let her know she doesn't have to waste another moment of the princess' precious time. And you are not going to tell anypony about any of this. This whole ordeal is going to be our little secret, do you understand?"

Sweetie Belle gave a goofy grin as she remarked. "Who would ever believe us if we did tell them? They'd think we're crazy."

Scootaloo added. "But you know, I hope you won't forget what you learned today. It'd be a shame for you to go right back to your old ways now that you're all grown up again."

Spoiled sighed. "I suppose I can give you three a little bit of slack from here on out, and stop always being so hard on my daughter for hanging out with you," Though she was quick to add. "That's about as far as I'm willing to go, though," She then sighed. "It's going to take everything I've got just to make that change." Then she hastily made her way to the clubhouse door, feeling rather silly.

"Don't you wanna maybe change a bit first?" Apple Bloom suggested while stifling a laugh. "You still have that whole 'Spoiled Milk' look on ya."

The rich mare blushed, realizing what she had forgotten all about in her excitement to be back to normal. "Oh, right," She turned to the Crusaders. "I guess I still owe you three one last tiny favor."

Sweetie Belle flashed a big smile. "Well good. Don't worry, though. A quick wash and a mane un-styling will you get back to being yourself."

"What about the dress, though?" Spoiled Rich remarked with concern. "I'll be going out in town completely naked!"

Scootaloo shrugged her hooves and laughed. "So? How that's a problem? Most ponies don't wear clothes at all. Besides, it's just a dress. It can't be that important to you." And the tomboyish filly promptly took the mare by the hoof before Spoiled could even think of protesting.

All Spoiled knew for sure was that she was never going to be able to forget this humiliating experience for the rest of her life.