"How will I know this won't happen again?"
~ Day 9 ~
"How will I know this won't happen again?"
The next morning at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was wolfing down apples and pastries trying to make herself full from eating bare bones for nearly a week. She finally knew that Apple Bloom was in capable hooves and was coming home soon after being gone for six days and six nights, quite a long absence for a little filly without a cutie mark.
"Can't you just take it easy a little?" asked Granny Smith. "You keep eatin' like that and you're gonna get a stomachache."
"Sorry, Granny Smith," said Applejack with her mouth full. "But ah was wastin' away yesterday."
"Well, just don't eat us out of Sweet Apple Acres for land's sakes!"
"Ah still think we're a long way off from that," said Applejack. Winona was all smiles seeing Applejack fully recovered. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom and Celestia were riding in a carriage pulled by Pegasus guards flying through the sky.
"Hey, Princess," said Apple Bloom. "Can ah ask ya somethin'?"
"What is it, dear?" said Celestia.
"Do ya know who Smilin' Princess is?" Celestia looked a bit saddened.
"Once I bring you back to Ponyville, I guess I will have some explaining to do."
"If ya mean to tell me later, that's okay. Ah can wait." Soon, Ponyville was within sight and the Pegasus guards touched down and galloped towards the outskirts. "Ah guess ah should be glad to be home."
"Yes you should," Celestia agreed.
"But ya understand why ah ran away, right? Ah just felt useless, that's all. How will ah know this won't happen again?"
"Don't you worry, Apple Bloom. I am arranging a meeting with the Mayor to address your problem and make sure Ponyville is more aware of bullying in the future." Twilight and her friends, as well as Spike, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, were waiting at Ponyville's town border.
"Applejack, they're here!" said Twilight.
"Oh, heavens to Betsy!" cried Applejack, seeing her little sister before her eyes. "Apple Bloom! It really is you!"
"Applejack!" cried Apple Bloom. The carriage stopped at the town border. Apple Bloom jumped out of the carriage and the two sisters shared a tearful reunion with a big hug. "Ah'm sorry ah ran away and worried y'all. Ah was just feelin' so sad and scared."
"Don't be sorry, Apple Bloom. It doesn't matter now. You're here. You're safe. Ah missed you."
"Ah missed you too, big sister." The other five friends came to tears seeing this joyful reunion. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, both crying with joy, also gave Apple Bloom big hugs along with Twilight and her friends. Even Spike and Apple Bloom shared a warm hug. And with the sound of barking, Winona bounded over, tackled Apple Bloom, and gave her loads of doggie kisses.
"Winona!" cried Apple Bloom, laughing from all the doggie kisses she was getting. "Ah missed ya, girl!"
"And she missed you, little bumpkin," said Applejack. Then Celestia got out of the carriage and walked into Ponyville, accompanied by her royal guards, and met up with Mayor Mare as planned.
"Welcome, Princess Celestia!" said the Mayor, bowing respectfully. "As usual, it's an honor. We've been expecting you."
"Thank you, Mayor," said Celestia. "We have a lot to go over." Apple Bloom returned to Sweet Apple Acres and reunited with a crying Big Macintosh and Granny Smith and soon after Apple Bloom told her family of her adventures, they were all eating a picnic lunch together.
"So what did the Princess say she was doin' again?" Apple Bloom asked Applejack.
"The Princess and the Mayor are settin' up some kind of presentation on the awareness of bullying," answered Applejack. "Apparently, accordin' to Equestria's track record, Ponyville hasn't taken the issue too seriously. However, Vanhoover, Los Pegasus, and even Applewood have had the awareness raised. Ah suspect we'll find out more later this afternoon."
"Eeyup," agreed Big Macintosh. Soon that time came and everypony in Ponyville was going to the park, where the Mayor and Princess Celestia were setting up the presentation. At the moment, only a film projector and its props were being set up, including a big projector screen. The park was chosen as the place for the presentation so that everypony would be able to attend. The Cutie Mark Crusaders seemed eager to come to the presentation spot. Either that, or they were just three stooges fooling around.
"Apple Bloom!" It was Silver Spoon and she seemed happy to see Apple Bloom. "It really is you! I'm so glad you're okay!" She hurried up to the three fillies, but they all looked confused, despite that she had cried with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo over Apple Bloom's disappearance.
"What do you want?" snapped Scootaloo. Apparently her forgiving of Silver Spoon had been her acting on a subconscious level when they had cried together. "You're the reason that Apple Bloom ran away."
"I know," said Silver Spoon, nervously pawing the ground. "I said some things I really shouldn't have. Apple Bloom, I'm really sorry. I was worried about you. You're not a blank flank. And neither are your friends. Do you... think... we can be friends?"
"This isn't a trick, is it?" asked Scootaloo.
"Yeah, what about Diamond Tiara?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Well..." said Silver Spoon. "I'm sorry for what I've said, but I can't say the same about her. I didn't want to be her friend when I saw how mean she was becoming. She didn't seem to care when you were gone, Apple Bloom."
"That's what ah was afraid of," murmured Apple Bloom. "Because of her... ah didn't wanna come back."
"But you are back," said Silver Spoon. "And I'm sure the Princess is gonna take care of things." She stuck out her hoof. "Friends?"
"Yeah. Friends," said Apple Bloom. Silver Spoon happily did hoof-bumps with each of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. That's when they heard Diamond Tiara's shrill voice complaining.
"But Dad!"
"No buts, Diamond Tiara," said Filthy Rich, pushing his daughter into the park. "Everypony in Ponyville is required to attend. Now behave yourself."
"I hope she learns her lesson one of these days," said Scootaloo.
"Ah hope so too," agreed Apple Bloom. That's when Cheerilee came up to Apple Bloom.
"Apple Bloom!" she cried, nuzzling her. "Oh, thank goodness you're all right! I was so worried!"
"Ah'm sorry, Miss Cheerilee," murmured Apple Bloom.
"No, Apple Bloom. I owe you an apology. I should have understood you better." Soon, every single denizen from Ponyville had arrived at the presentation spot, where Twilight Sparkle was helping get everything ready. Applejack was talking to Princess Celestia.
"Princess Celestia, ah can't thank you enough for bringin' Apple Bloom back safe and sound," said Applejack tearfully.
"You're most welcome, Applejack," said Celestia. "It was my pleasure. I just hope our presentation goes well."
"Ah'm sure it will," assured Applejack. "And ah'm sure everypony's gonna learn a thing or two from it." Celestia smiled. She then lowered her head down to speak to Apple Bloom.
"Apple Bloom," she whispered. "Come on up to the front."
"Me?" said Apple Bloom.
"Yes. You're being featured tonight."
"Well, ah'll be, Apple Bloom," said Applejack proudly. "You should be honored to be recognized by the Princess herself." Celestia led Apple Bloom to the front where the Mayor stood in front of a microphone stand.
"Attention, everypony!" said the Mayor, speaking into the microphone. "Mares and gentlecolts, may I have your attention, please? Thank you. Today, all of Ponyville is here today to become aware of a problem, a problem that has more of a serious impact on each and every one of our lives than we could ever know. So as Mayor of Ponyville, I welcome you all here today to our first bullying awareness presentation!" The ponies all stomped their feet in applause. "And now, it is at this time we all welcome, here to speak for us on this subject of importance, from Canterlot, Princess Celestia!" The audience let out cheers as well as more applause, as the Mayor allowed Celestia to stand in front of the microphone stand to speak.
"Thank you, everpony," said Celestia. "It is with great privilege that I am here to speak to all of you today. It is important that Ponyville should now be aware of problems with bullying. Our magical land of Equestria may be peaceful, but that doesn't mean there aren't any occasional problems and conflicts from time to time.
"While bullying may not seem like much more than teasing or some ponies who are trying to get a good laugh, it is actually more serious than we realize. After all, words can be hurtful too and hurt feelings take a lot longer to heal than body pain. Depending on what choices of words are used for teasing or even deliberate insults, they can have a strong emotional impact on a victim. As my faithful student Twilight Sparkle was gracious enough to read for me, bullying can cause severe depression and lower a pony's self-esteem to a point when somepony feels that nothing good can come out of life and it can affect that pony quite badly.
"And standing with me here today is a young filly who has experienced such tough times trying to find the meaning of her own life. She went missing from Ponyville for six days and six nights and when she ended up in Canterlot, she was miraculously and completely healthy and unharmed. Mares and gentlecolts, please welcome, from Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom!" The audience applauded with their stomping feet, but Diamond Tiara's eyes widened and she then got angry. Apparently, Princess Celestia herself introducing this blank flank was not pleasing to her. So Filthy Rich gave her a warning look as if telling her to put on a straight face. Up front, Apple Bloom blushed and waved nervously to the crowd with one hoof while Applejack watched with a warm smile. "Today," Celestia went on. "Apple Bloom has finally returned home. She is one of many young ponies without a cutie mark, and although it means that her possibilities in life are endless, unfortunately there are some of us who have yet to understand this meaning. For a long time, despite the benefits of not having a cutie mark, Apple Bloom has felt secluded and other fillies have taken advantage of her because of it. This is why Apple Bloom was bullied and it is very sad that some fillies and colts with cutie marks at young ages may think lowly of those without cutie marks.
"But what's important to understand is this. We are all ponies of Equestria. It doesn't matter how different we are. Our colors, size, species, abilities and whether or not we have cutie marks means nothing to us. Unfortunately, not everypony may agree. That is why as princess of Equestria, I urge everypony to help contribute in any way possible to make our wondrous land of Equestria a home of true harmony.
"Apple Bloom's story is liable to become an inspiration for fillies and colts without cutie marks, to help them realize they never have to feel left out. Everypony in Equestria has a special talent that helps make a difference in our lives and makes our land a better place." Again, there was more applause. "Now at this time, I would like anypony in the audience who has a story to share regarding any hurtful or humiliating experiences to please come forward and share with all of us. This is a time for us to show more love and support to remind us that we will always be a circle of pony friends. Mares and gentlecolts, I invite any of you to come up front and pour your heart out to us." And of all the ponies to start, Twilight Sparkle stepped forward first. So Celestia stepped aside and let her have the microphone.
"Hi," said Twilight. "You may already know me, but my name is Twilight Sparkle. I am Princess Celestia's personal protégé and the librarian of Golden Oaks Library here in Ponyville. When I first came to Ponyville, I remember that I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of making friends, as I always chose to put my studies up front first and foremost. But of course, that all changed.
"Things were different when I was just a little filly. Since the day I saw the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot for the first time in my life, I devoted myself to studying all kinds of magic by reading books to no end. That's when the teasing started. Other ponies began to notice how many times my muzzle was always stuck in a book and called me names... like 'bookworm' or 'egghead' even. I guess I was just different from them. The only pony who understood me was my brother, Shining Armor, captain of the royal guards and now prince of the Crystal Empire.
"Once I started taking personal school lessons from Princess Celestia, the real tormenting began." At this point, Twilight started to get sad. "Other unicorns from the school, probably out of jealousy, would taunt me..." A flashback shows a scene of Twilight being tormented by older ponies while she is next to a book and hugging Smarty Pants in fear.
"Twilight Sparkle, teacher's pet!" was the sound of the jeers coming from the ponies. "Twilight Sparkle, teacher's pet! Twilight Sparkle, teacher's pet!" Their laughter was heard as the flashback ended.
"Twilight Sparkle... teacher's pet..." said Twilight Sparkle, for the audience to hear. She now had tears in her eyes. "They ridiculed me for being... different..." She even sniffled. "Now that I think about it... maybe that was the real reason I wasn't interested in making friends here in Ponyville. And the night I thought I lost all of my friends... brought it all back... when my heart broke." She shed a single tear. Celestia put her hoof around Twilight and smiled and her.
"Thank you for sharing with us, Twilight Sparkle," said Celestia. They hugged and the audience applauded in response.
"Hey, Fluttershy," said Rainbow Dash, inspired by Twilight's back story. "Why don't you go on up and share your stuff."
"Um... I..." stammered Fluttershy, clearly too nervous to even try.
"Oh, all right. I'll go then. Let me show you how it's done!" So Rainbow darted forward to hog the microphone. At first, she seemed to want to get the crowd's attention, much to Twilight's chagrin as she did a facehoof and shook her head. "Hello, Ponyville!" boasted Rainbow. "Now who's gonna tell me you don't know who I am?" The audience just stared at her. "Okay, I get it. Anyway, my name's Rainbow Dash! You know, Wonderbolt wanna-be, best young flyer in Equestria, harbinger of the Sonic Rainboom! I suppose you're all wondering why I'm up here." Her excited face then drastically changed. "Well, you see, I always loved being fast even back when I was a little filly. But I used to get picked on all the time at Cloudsdale. I don't know if it was because I was fast or just plain different. I mean, how many other ponies in Equestria have colors of the rainbow for their mane? Well... you know, besides my dad."
"The point is, I was teased. Other Pegasi would call me... Rainbow Crash. I guess I took it in stride, though. Then one day, I performed the legendary Sonic Rainboom for the first time in my life, but after that, for some reason I wasn't able to do it again. That's when I took part in the Younger Flyers' Competition and won it all when I brought back the Sonic Rainboom! The jerks who used to tease me started to respect me after that, so I guess my troubles went away on their own.
"But one thing still always bugged me. Despite my endeavors, I'm still on Ponyville's weather management team and I haven't really moved on ahead yet. Then, I was reminded of my fetal position when... that superhero Mare Do Well came to town and... did the things I couldn't. She could use magic and I couldn't. I'm a Pegasus! But the thing is, all my life I've been struggling to be somepony and then just when I think I can do it, something always comes around and I just can't. Mare Do Well has nothing to do with bullying, but what I went through day after day was just public humiliation." Hearing Rainbow's words, Twilight felt tears in her eyes once more and started to walk to the front. "So sometimes, and I know this may sound crazy..." Rainbow then started to choke up. "...I ask myself... Who am I?" Rainbow didn't want to break down in front of the audience, but she couldn't hold back her tears. She lowered her head and wept as quietly as she could. Twilight came up to her and put her hoof around her.
"Oh, Rainbow," said Twilight. "I know it still bugs us whenever you're acting like a showoff, but that's just who you are. And we love you, even when you boast and brag. And believe it or not, we wouldn't change a thing about you." An "aww" came from audience as Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight and smiled with tears in her eyes. And when they hugged, the audience applauded again. Fluttershy shed a few tears out of happiness for her fillyhood friend and then wiped her eyes with her hoof. Now she had the courage to go up front and share her painful memories. She stepped up in front of the microphone.
"Um... M-my name is Fluttershy," she said, still naturally a bit nervous. "And I... I just wanna say... I... I used to be tormented when I was a little filly at flight camp. They... picked on me... because I was a weak flyer... They would call me... Klutzershy..." Saying that name call made her wince. "And that's not all... it got worse... Those words... Those jeers that always put me down..." And in her mind, she could hear the very words the other fillies used to say that haunted her ever since.
"Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy can hardly fly! Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy can hardly fly! Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy can hardly fly! Fluttershy, Fluttershy..."
"Fluttershy..." said Fluttershy, trying to repeat the demonic words etched in her memory while getting choked up. "Fluttershy... Fluttershy... can hardly fly..." The audience seemed a bit shocked with her story and many ponies even felt sorry for her. A few of them even came to tears as they heard Fluttershy begin to weep. Rainbow Dash put her hoof around Fluttershy. "It's okay, Fluttershy. You're much stronger than you've ever been since all those times you've been hurt."
"You were very brave to come up here and tell your story," said Celestia. "Believe it or not, you've changed a lot since the day you were bestowed with the Element of Kindness. And that indeed has made you so much stronger. Fluttershy, we all love you." There was another "aww" from the audience as Fluttershy and Celestia embraced and then there was more applause as a few ponies even shed tears.
"Oh, thank you," Fluttershy wept happily. "Thank you so much." And that's when Muffins appeared almost out of nowhere, standing at the microphone. Apparently she too had a story to share.
"My name is Muffins," she said. "Some like to call me Derpy Hooves. But when I was introduced as Derpy... what happened was... some ponies... got mad at me... and called me names. They called me... stupid... retarded... offensive..." Poor Muffins sounded more and more hurt the more she went on. "They wanted me to change my name... or even go away forever." She then came to tears. "But... I didn't mean to hurt anypony... I never meant to hurt anypony's feelings..." Muffins started to cry. "I just don't know what went wrong. But... I wasn't respected for who I am... Some ponies... didn't even like my eyes... and it's not my fault..." Many ponies in the audience were wide-eyed and in tears, including even Mayor Mare and Celestia. A few of them even sniffled. "I just wanted... to be loved... for who I am..." Muffins went on, tears dripping from her face. "And one day, I just felt... all the love I ever had... was gone... I... I... I'm sorry, everypony! This is just who I am." Rainbow's eyes flooded with tears, which streamed down her face.
"Oh, Derpy!" Rainbow cried, pulling her into a big hug, both of them crying in each other's embrace. "We won't let anypony change a thing about you! We all love you!"
"Thank you... Rainbow Dash," Muffins wept. Ponyville's first bullying awareness presentation was becoming a massive emotional moment for everypony. The Mayor dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief as everypony applauded for Muffins. Now that a few ponies had shared their stories, it was time to move on. Celestia stepped up to the microphone once more.
"Now then," she said. "I wish to share with all of you the story of a young filly who touched the heart of Equestria when she left us behind. Citizens of Ponyville, I will now tell you... the story of Smiling Princess." Twilight Sparkle used her magic to power up the projector and the image it projected appeared on the billboard behind Celestia. The first image was exactly the same thing that Apple Bloom saw on the scrap of paper she read while out in the San Palomino Desert.
So of course Apple Bloom recognized it. The words with the picture read, 'We will always remember... Smiling Princess'.
"Smiling Princess was an alicorn born and raised in Vanhoover. As a little filly, she dreamed of becoming a nature documentary filmmaker. She would borrow her father's video camera and film herself immersed in natural wildlife and environment." Fluttershy got excited when the projector started showing videos that Smiling Princess had filmed herself in.
"Um, excuse me for interrupting, Princess," said Fluttershy, speaking softly as usual. "But how was Smiling Princess an alicorn like you?"
"Well, that was never figured out. Her father is a Pegasus and her mother is a unicorn, so we believe it happened by means of a very rare case of cross-breeding. But that is a good question, Fluttershy." Celestia then continued with the story. "When she started school for the first time, the teasing started. She was picked on for being different. After all, how many alicorns do we see in our lives? Very few or hardly any.
"One day, one of her films was showcased in Applewood itself and she was soon accepted into their film school, where she would be able to study film and pursue her lifelong dream. Unfortunately, her bullying problems got worse. Some say it was out of jealousy for her and others say it was simply because she was an alicorn as a result of a rare breed. One day, she was bullied and tormented by other students and it ended up on film and was broadcasted throughout Applewood." Already, there were murmurs from the audience. "But," Celestia continued. "By the time the film school director decided to hire security for Smiling Princess, she had already left Applewood in tears and returned to Vanhoover. At some point after that, her parents... found her body..." Everypony in the audience gasped, including even Diamond Tiara. "The young filly, Smiling Princess... took her own life," said Celestia sadly.
Much of the audience was in tears and some were crying and sniffling. Rarity burst into sobs and Twilight, even though she knew Rarity tended to get overdramatic, put a comforting hoof around her. Rainbow and Ditzy Doo were hugging each other and crying. The story itself had been overwhelming for almost everypony, hearing how this rare cross-bred alicorn at such a young age chose to end her life over her inability to cope with bullying and open harassment. Celestia then finished the story. "From that day onward, Vanhoover, Los Pegasus, and Applewood raised the awareness of bullying to an all-time high and drastic measures had been taken to hopefully prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future. And now it is time that Ponyville becomes aware of bullying too. Because what if Apple Bloom had suffered the same fate as Smiling Princess? She too would be gone from our lives and the end of a life is always completely irreversible. Not even the magic of Star Swirl the Bearded can erase it. Once a life is over... that's it."
Now Diamond Tiara started to come to tears as a result of the story. Celestia's words had reached deep within her heart. What if Apple Bloom had taken her own life because of the things she did and said to her? Did she really want Apple Bloom put out of her misery for not having a cutie mark? But just then, she heard Silver Spoon burst into tears as a result of hearing the story of Smiling Princess. Snips and Snails were crying as well.
"That's the saddest story I've ever heard in my life," sobbed Snips.
"Yeah, why do these stories always have to have sad endings?" cried Snails. The sound of a handkerchief being blown into was heard, as Pinkie Pie let loose with a stream of tears flowing from her eyes. Spike grabbed the handkerchief and cried into it as well, dabbing his tearful eyes. Up front, Apple Bloom, who had shed tears of her own from hearing the story, looked a little guilty. Ah didn't think everypony was worried about me, she thought. Ah just thought ah was unwanted after everythin' mah friends and ah did. She then saw Diamond Tiara in the audience, but when Diamond Tiara saw that Apple Bloom was looking at her, she turned her head away and tried to fight back tears.
"And now, mares and gentlecolts," Celestia went on. "Let us welcome the parents of Smiling Princess, now representatives of bullying awareness in Vanhoover." The parents of Smiling Princess came to Celestia and stood beside her.
"Today, they help take a stand in the fight against bullying to help make Equestria a better place for all ponies. And they hope that nopony else should have to suffer like they did." The audience gave a round of applause by stomping their hooves. "Thank you, everypony." Celestia then left the front, allowing the Mayor to take over the microphone once more.
"Princess Celestia?" asked Twilight when Celestia was finished with her speech. "How long ago did this happen?"
"Oh, I believe it was about two years ago from the day I sent you to Ponyville," answered Celestia.
"Well... do you know what became of the bullies who tormented and humiliated Smiling Princess? I mean, did they eventually get punished or something? You know, for their... crimes. Were they at least expelled from film school?" Celestia seemed afraid that Twilight would ask that question.
"It's quite lonely being encased in stone, but you wouldn't know that, would you, because I don't turn ponies into stone."
Celestia for once did not know how to respond to Twilight. But what fate had been bestowed upon the bullies for ultimately being responsible for Smiling Princess taking her own life?
"I... don't think it's for me to say," Celestia finally said to her trusted student. Twilight was a bit puzzled that Celestia seemed to hesitate to answer her question, but decided to let it slide, seeing as the presentation was apparently not over yet, even though it had gone on long through the afternoon and now into the early hours of the evening.
"And now, mares and gentlecolts," said Mayor Mare at the microphone. "To wrap up Ponyville's first bullying awareness presentation, we are proud to introduce a very special guest here tonight. Let us all welcome, here to sing for us, Equestria's musical artist... MandoPony!" Surprised and excited cheers came from the crowd, as MandoPony stepped forward, accompanied by Vinyl Scratch and Octavia from Canterlot.
"No way!" said a very surprised Twilight Sparkle to Celestia. "The MandoPony?!"
"Oh yes, Twilight," said Fluttershy, half swooning. "He... wrote a song about me once," she said blushing at her words.
"He did?!" Twilight was even more surprised, but Celestia just smiled at this. MandoPony himself stepped up to the microphone.
"Good evening, everypony," he spoke. "It's a real pleasure to be here in Ponyville. First of all, even though it's been a few years, I wish to extend my heartfelt sympathies to the parents of Smiling Princess, the little filly who will always be remembered in our hearts. Equestria is a beautiful land and a paradise for ponies, but unfortunately, there are still the occasional disagreements every now and then, sometimes not too bad, but others with more serious consequences. Equestria is the magic of friendship and this alone keeps our hearts together. So tonight, I'm gonna sing a song to all of you... to remind us that we are always a circle of pony friends till the very end. Tonight, I give you... 'A Long Way From Equestria'." So MandoPony started playing on his trademark mandolin while Vinyl Scratch helped provide background acoustics and Octavia played her cello. And as the music started up, the image of Smiling Princess with the words 'We will always remember... Smiling Princess' was displayed on the projector screen once again. Princess Luna also showed up and stood beside her big sister. Apple Bloom rejoined the rest of her family.
He was different from the rest of the world
He chose the lovely every time
With a smile, he would bravely saunter on
Yeah, was that such a crime?
He did not wear cynicism well
He chose the lovely every time
The audience of ponies stood there listening to the song, wrapped in its soothing tune and absorbing the words MandoPony sung.
And they cut him down, the world cut him down
Yeah, being peaceful was his crime
And I don't understand
The way we all behave
In this world of ours..
This world we live in...
We're a long way from Equestria
We're a long, long way
During these lyrics, the audience of ponies began to sway back and forth to the song and its peace-inducing melody. Twilight and Spike did the same while showing smiles to each other.
We're a long way from Equestria
A long, long, way
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were then seen with Apple Bloom and they snuggled up with each other.
She dared to love everybody
Yeah, she was nothing but kind
And the world told her she was wrong
Yeah, there must be something wrong with her mind
And she was just a child amongst thieves
Just a child looking for love
The parents of Smiling Princess were now seen amongst the audience along with Pinkie's family and even Zecora. Smiling Princess' mother had tears in her eyes and dabbed at them with a tissue.
Yeah, all the grownups in the world told her she was wrong
To believe in something we're all dreaming of
And I don't understand
The wicked things we do
In this world of ours...
This world we live in...
We're a long way from Equestria
We're a long, long way
Celestia and Luna were enjoying the music as well. Luna rested her head against Celestia's shoulder.
We're a long way from Equestria
A long, long, way
And I will never give up the fight.
I will never surrender to the hate
I know this world ain't perfect at all
But the world is just what we create
A group of fillies and colts were seen amongst the audience, swaying their bodies back and forth to the tune. Cheerilee, Cup Cake, and Carrot Cake were also seen, although Cheerilee seemed to be watching the fillies happily.
So let's make love,
And let's make friends,
Pipsqueak bounded over to Princess Luna, his favorite princess, who looked happy to see him, and they nuzzled heads affectionately.
And let's take time to make amends,
Even Cranky Doodle Donkey, wearing his blonde toupee, and his love Matilda were present. Pinkie came to them and they all shared smiles.
Let's make this world more like Equestria
Equestria
During the instrumental part, Diamond Tiara's stiffened heart created from her misdeeds against fillies with no cutie marks finally melted and feelings of love and care seeped in. The tears flowed down her face and she cried. Rainbow Dash and Ditzy Doo were still holding on to each other in an embrace, tears still dripping down their cheeks, and they swayed back and forth to the song's melody. Vinyl Scratch was already wiping her teary eyes with her hoof while trying to work the acoustics at the same time and Octavia was also in tears. Rarity was sitting down and crying, and when Spike came over and stroked her mane, she took the little dragon in her hooves and they hugged tenderly, tears coming from both of their eyes. As for Diamond Tiara, her father saw that love had entered her heart and smiled compassionately at his sobbing daughter. They nuzzled heads and Filthy Rich put his hoof around her as she cried.
We're a long way from Equestria
Such a long way
Moved by MandoPony's song, Octavia cried as well, but still kept focused on playing her cello.
We're a long way from Equestria
A long, long way
A long, long way
After the song ended, the audience cheered uproariously with thunderous applause. MandoPony had without a doubt touched everypony's heart that evening. Fluttershy let loose with a loud cheer, like she did for Rainbow Dash when she brought back her signature Sonic Rainboom.
"I love you, MandoPony!" she squealed loudly. "WOOO!"
"Thank you, everypony, thank you!" said MandoPony. "And good-night, Ponyville!" After the presentation finally ended, the six best friends were talking amongst themselves about how great everything went. And then Rainbow heard a familiar voice talking to her.
"That was quite the speech you gave." It was Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts herself.
"Spitfire!" said Rainbow excitedly.
"We'd like you to come with us for a moment," said Spitfire, smiling. As for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they were hanging out with Twilight and her friends when Diamond Tiara saw them and approached them nervously.
"Uh... Apple Bloom?" she said weakly. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle just looked a little surprised, but Scootaloo was angry.
"You've got a lot of nerve to talk to us after everything you did to us!" Scootaloo snapped, causing Diamond Tiara to look away sadly.
"I know," she said. "And... I am so, so sorry."
"Oh, you're sorry," said Scootaloo. "Sure, of course you are. This coming from somepony who doesn't give a flying feather about other ponies' feelings! We remember quite clearly what you said that day!" Diamond Tiara's lip trembled and she came to tears. Maybe she didn't care then, but hearing it getting rubbed in her face after her heart softened was now hurting her.
"Scootaloo!" said Twilight. "That's enough. Diamond Tiara apologized. The least you three fillies you can do is forgive her."
"Forgive her?!" said Scootaloo, aghast. "Twilight, she set us up so that Ponyville turned against us that day! Because of her, we took the heat! You put up that shield to keep us out as if we were dangerous criminals!" Now it was Twilight's turn to look away sadly. "And Rainbow Dash wouldn't stop soaking us as if we were monsters! And Applejack, you and Big Mac wouldn't even talk to us! Not even your own sister!" Applejack also looked away sadly, as if hurt. "And for that, you want us to forgive her?!" Diamond Tiara started to cry and this time Twilight and her friends couldn't exactly come up with an excuse for not forgiving the Cutie Mark Crusaders until they made amends. But Apple Bloom, having always looked up to her older sister, decided to show her own honesty.
"Ah forgive you, Diamond Tiara," she said. This made Diamond Tiara stop crying instantly and made Scootaloo's jaw drop.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" she said in shock.
"Come on, girls," said Apple Bloom. "Ah know the things she did before was wrong, but they're gonna be better now. Ponyville is gonna step up to be more aware of bullyin', so there's no way Diamond Tiara is gonna keep to her old ways without gettin' caught. Besides, ya know what ah think? Ah think she needs a real friend." She came up to Diamond Tiara.
"Whaddya say, Diamond Tiara? Friends?" Diamond Tiara was surprised at first, but knowing that Apple Bloom accepted her apology and forgave her, that made the farm filly better than her. Diamond Tiara smiled weakly and shed a few more tears.
"Yeah," she sniffled. "Friends." And then they shared a big hug, which if anything created a brand new friendship between fillies who once despised each other.
"Apple Bloom," said Applejack, coming to tears herself. "Ah'm so... proud of you." But the hug was suddenly interrupted when the sound of somepony clearing his throat was heard. It was Filthy Rich.
"I can see that this presentation was just the thing you needed to hear, young mare," said Filthy Rich, who looked mildly disappointed. "But I'm afraid I'm not about to take any more chances and get into any more trouble with Ponyville. Diamond Tiara, I've decided to enroll you in a private school in Fillydelphia. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara gasped.
"You mean... you're gonna send her away?" asked Apple Bloom.
"She's left me no choice," said Filthy Rich decisively. "I heard what she did to you three fillies. Not only that, she had Ponyville up in arms and didn't even care. That makes her dangerous!" Now Twilight and her friends gasped. "And my reputation with Barnyard Bargains is all but ruined. I'm as good as out of a job."
"Fiddlesticks, Mr. Rich," said Applejack. "Ah was just goin' crazy over Apple Bloom bein' gone and all that. And besides, Granny Smith is the pony who can make that decision. Ah reckon Barnyard Bargains is still on, so ah wouldn't worry."
"Please, Mr. Rich," begged Apple Bloom. "Diamond Tiara is truly sorry for bein' such a... Well, anyways, ah forgive her and ah'm willing to give her a second chance as mah new friend. So please, don't send her away." Filthy Rich then smiled.
"Well, I can see that she is sorry," he said. "Very well, Diamond Tiara, but this is your last chance, I'm afraid. So be nice to others and respect those fillies." Diamond Tiara nuzzled her dad.
"I will, Dad," she said. "I promise to be good."
"Do you really mean that?" said the voice of Silver Spoon. She had been listening in and had tears in her eyes, overjoyed that Diamond Tiara was willing to turn over a new leaf.
"Yes, Silver Spoon," said Diamond Tiara. "Does this mean we're friends again?"
"Yeah, you bet," said Silver Spoon, running up to her and hugging her. And then they both did that chant of theirs.
"Bump! Bump! Sugar-lump, rump!" they said in unison and laughed.
"Hey, where's Rainbow Dash?" said Scootaloo, just noticing her absence.
"Oh, she'll be back," said Fluttershy. "I wouldn't worry. Rainbow Dash is always faithful to her friends." Applejack took Apple Bloom back home to Sweet Apple Acres.
"Ah bet yer lookin' forward to sleepin' in yer own bed tonight," said Applejack.
"Ah am, big sis," said Apple Bloom. "It's really good to be home! Apple Loosa was fun, but it's just not quite the same, even if ah was afraid of comin' back." Soon, Apple Bloom was back in her own room at long last. And when she got into bed for a good night's sleep, Applejack tucked her in.
"Good night, little sister," said Applejack. "Ah can't tell you enough, it's good to have ya home again."
"Good night, Applejack," said Apple Bloom. The lights were turned out and Apple Bloom went to sleep, cradling Princess Luna's teddy bear.
But Apple Bloom's story was not over yet...
