Chapter 3 – Schoolyard Scuffle
(Author’s note: The rest of the story will take place in the present time.)
The silence of the afternoon was broken by the sounds of fillies and colts pouring out of the Ponyville schoolhouse after the end of another school. Some ponies formed small groups of friends to talk to one another while some fanned out into the town to their homes
.
“That was a great lesson, wasn’t it,” Apple Bloom said.
“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle, “I liked learning about flight. Making those paper gliders was cool too.”
“I loved that part,” Scootaloo said, “Did you see how high mine flew? It was awesome!”
“Well, if it isn’t the Blank Flank Crusaders,” a familiar mocking voice was heard.
The three fillies turned to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon giggling madly at their own joke.
“What do you two want,” Apple Bloom said defiantly.
“Nothing from you three losers,” Silver Spoon said.
“Good one, Silver,” Diamond added to her partner in crime.
“Why don’t you two just buzz off,” Scootaloo said. If there was anything that the filly hated, it was those picking on her friends. She was ready to do everything necessary to defend them. They were everything to her: an endless source of caring, fun and love.
“Oooo…” Diamond said feigning being scared, “What is the chicken going to do, squawk at me?”
Inside of Scootaloo there was a tiny flame that was building ever since Diamond and Silver decided to make fun of her friends. With the words that the bully just uttered to the orange Pegasus, it was like gasoline aaded to that flame, making it grow bigger and hotter.
“What did you say to me,” Scootaloo said, rage building in her voice that made Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle back up slightly.
“Hey, Scootaloo, forget what she said,” Apple Bloom replied trying to calm down her friend.
“Yeah, you’re acting like not you,” Sweetie Belle replied.
Their friend just ignored the two of them, focused on the snide spoiled filly in front of her.
“Chicken,” she said knowing which button to push, “because that’s what you are: a big orange chicken with tiny wings that can’t even fly. Why do your friends even hang out with a flightless Pegasus? You’re a disgrace to your pony type. Why don’t you go to a farm and hang out with where you truly belong, with the chickens!”
As if the onslaught wasn’t enough, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon began to make clucking sounds as they imitated a chicken.
It was then that that growing flame inside the filly reached its limit and suddenly Scootaloo exploded.
With a scream that caught off not only the two bullies but her friends as well, Scootaloo charged Diamond Tiara and knocked her to the ground.
“Take it back,” she shouted as pinned the grey pony to the ground.
“No,” Diamond replied as she tried pushing the orange filly off her.
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Silver Spoon could only stand and watch as the two ponies wrestled on the ground, kicking up clouds of dust and bits of grass. Part of the three onlookers wanted to assist, but they knew that it would only lead to a big fight. There was no telling how long it would last as the two ponies both had the stamina and the rivalry to make it last a while.
“Girls,” a stern familiar voice was heard from the doorway of the school. The two fighting ponies immediately stopped and looked up at their teacher, Miss Cheerilee. From the upset expression on her face, she had seen them fighting and now she saw enough.
“Both of you into the school now,” she said using her best ‘teacher voice’.
With their heads down, Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara headed into the school and past their teacher as she calmly closed the door, leaving the other ponies wondering what was to take place inside.
The two ponies slowly walked towards through the empty classroom. It was an odd feeling being in a place that was just a few minutes ago was full of the sounds of their classmates but was now eerily quiet. The teacher’s desk was piled with stacks of paper. The two guessed that she was working on correcting something when she heard them fighting. The two fillies then took a seat in the front row, right in front of the teacher’s desk, and waited for what their teacher was going to do next.
“Now,” the teacher said as she sat in her comfortable chair, “I want you two to know first of all that whatever the trouble was, fighting is not the answer . You two should know better by now that you can resolve things better than that. Now I want to hear from each of you what happened to cause you two to start fighting. While one of you is telling their story, I don’t want the other to interrupt. Is that clear?”
The two fillies looked at each other as if to assure that they agreed before turning back to Miss Cheerilee and nodding in agreement.
“Good. Now Diamond Tiara, why don’t you tell me what happened.”
The filly told her story with as much drama as a school play, explaining the woeful tale of how she and Silver Spoon were minding their own business when Scootaloo attacked them. As the orange Pegasus heard this, she wanted to respond and set the record straight, but she grudgingly held her tongue. She knew her time would come to tell her side.
“Thank you Diamond,” Cheerilee said, “Now Scootaloo, if you would give your side of the story.”
Scootaloo, with no dramatics or twisting of the tale, told how Diamond and Silver made fun of her and her friends, especially calling her chicken. That led to the fighting.
“Thank you Scootaloo,” the teacher said calmly, “Now Diamond I’m going to ask you something and I want the truth. Did you make fun of Scootaloo and her friends?”
The pink pony grudgingly nodded, admitting to her crime. She knew that if she lied and was found out, her punishment would be doubled.
“I see,” was all the teacher said with a sigh before becoming silent.
A few seconds passed by where the teacher sat quietly, thinking about what she was about to say. For the two fillies, it felt like an eternity. Both wondered what kind of punishment it would be, because they knew there was to be punishment for both of them. There was no escaping it. Each filly however hoped the other would get a harsher one than themselves. That would be the only kind of justice in this case.
“Now since you both were fighting, I’m going to give you two a week without recess where you will be helping me clean up the classroom. Now Diamond, since you made fun of Scootaloo and her friends I will be speaking to your father. You know that I do not tolerate bullying in my classroom, and you seem to be the prime offender. Now Scootaloo, as I said before you need to find better ways of facing bullies rather than fighting them. Although I have yet to meet your parents, I know that they would not like you doing that. And as you become a mare, fighting somepony you’re opposed to will not be an option. Do I make myself clear to both of you?”
“Yes Miss Cheerilee,” the two said.
“Good. Now you two run along. I expect you to think about what happened today as you return home.”
The two fillies headed towards the door. Scootaloo should have been reveling in the fact that Diamond Tiara got a harsher punishment, but instead she felt bad.
Outside Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Silver Spoon waited for their friends to appear.
“What do you think Miss Cheerilee will do,” Sweetie Belle said to Apple Bloom.
“I don’t know. I hope they don’t have Scootaloo stay after class. That would ruin our Crusading together.”
The doors opened up and the two fillies appeared.
“Let’s go Silver Spoon,” Diamond said to her friend, ignoring the other three fillies as the two left.
“What happened Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom said.
“I got a week without recess,” the filly said in a monotone voice, “Diamond got the same and Miss Cheerilee will be talking to her dad.”
“That’s ok,” Sweetie Belle said thinking that Scootaloo was upset that she could not have recess, “You’ll get recess again soon.”
“So, let’s head to the clubhouse then,” Apple Bloom said partly because the incident had taken up valuable Crusading time and partly because she wanted to ease her friend’s mind.
“Actually you two,” Scootaloo said, “I think I’m going to go for a walk around town. I need to think about some things.”
“Is it something you want to talk to us about,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Nah, it’s ok. I’ll see you tomorrow in school.”
“Ok then,” Apple Bloom said with a shrug, “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye,” Sweetie Belle said as she and the earth pony headed down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres and their clubhouse.
Scootaloo was left alone in the schoolyard as she watched her friends leave. With a heavy sigh and her head hung low she began to walk down the street, her thoughts weighing her down.