//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Twilight's Duties // Story: Ponyville Parents Day // by Black Kyurem //------------------------------// At Ponyville Urgent Care, each of the Cutie Mark Crusaders were resting in separate beds, all hooked up to oxygen masks, with a nurse watching over. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Babs Seed came into the room to check up on them. "How are they doing?" asked Rainbow Dash, who now looked quite weary. Her nose was even slightly red. "Please tell us our sisters are gonna be okay," said Applejack with much worry in her Southern-accented voice. "It's all right," replied the nurse. "They're in stable condition, but they ended up swallowing so much water. We've had to pump it out of their lungs." Rarity then started sobbing dramatically. "Oh, why-y-y-y-y-y?" she wailed. "Why would those little monsters even think of doing something so horrible to my little sister?" "Aw, Rarity," moaned Applejack, trying to comfort her. "What did our sisters ever do to them?!?" Rarity shrieked. "Yeah, that's what I wanna know too," said Rainbow, slamming her front hooves together. "Sure, Scootaloo and her friends may have done things they shouldn't have, but at least they came clean about it." As Rainbow then shouted, Babs came to Apple Bloom's bed and stroked her mane, tears in her eyes. "And nothing they did was ever directed at those rich fillies! You know what I think? I think they did it just because they were there. It's as if they were deliberately trying to bring an end to them just because they don't have cutie marks! The nerve! The cowardice! The... the... the..." She sneezed again and nearly collapsed from apparent fatigue. "Whoa there, pardner," said Applejack, catching Rainbow. "Take it easy now. Besides, you should be restin'. Ya got yerself a bit of a cold divin' into the lake like that." "At least it was worth it," answered Rainbow, wiping her nose. "And I just had to come here to check on Scootaloo. Ugh... I feel awful." "We're gettin' ya back to the farm, sugar cube. Ah'm sure the little tykes will be just fine. They've been through quite a bit already." Applejack led Rainbow out of the room, where Big Macintosh and Granny Smith were waiting outside, both equally worried as Applejack had been. "Big Mac, take Rainbow back to the farm and put her to bed." "Eeyup," said Big Macintosh, carrying Rainbow on his strong back. Much later, the Mayor was pacing around the town square, apparently waiting for Twilight to show up. But only Spike came to her. "Spike," said the mayor. "Where's Twilight? Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are expected to stand trial today along with their parents. But I need Twilight to help decide and carry out the sentence." "She's practically concealed herself in the library," answered Spike, looking sad. "She's been crying for a long time and... I tried to talk to her, but... I don't think I can get through to her." He hung his head. "She must be thinking that this is a terrible time for something like this to have happened," the mayor replied. Spike let out a sigh. The mayor was quite right because back at the library, Twilight was sitting on her bed, crying over what had happened recently. She had planned festivities to celebrate family time, but a result of a horrible prank pulled by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, the Cutie Mark Crusaders ended up hospitalized and Rainbow Dash caught a cold. As Twilight wept, her pet owl, Owlowiscious came up to her and nuzzled her. "Hoo," he hooted softly, trying to get Twilight's attention. Twilight looked up with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Owlowiscious..." she sobbed. "It's ruined... It's all ruined... Things were gonna go so well, but no thanks to those mean little creeps... some of us are probably gonna miss out on all my plans!" "Hoo?" "The rich fillies..." said Twilight Sparkle, slightly annoyed. "You know... Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon." "Hoo." "Oh, never mind... It's just not fair!" Twilight hid her face in her forelegs and Owlowiscious started looking sympathetic as he stayed but her side. "Hoo..." But just then, they both heard somepony come through the front door. "Twi? Honey, are you okay?" It was Applejack, but Twilight just groaned. Eventually, Applejack came up to see Twilight. "Twi? Are you still upset about what happened?" "Oh, Applejack," Twilight whispered. "I thought everything was gonna be just fine." "It still will be," said Applejack. "Mah sister and her friends are recovering and they'll be okay. They're not gonna miss anything. Y'know, ah don't think those rich fillies were tryin' to ruin yer plans. Ah think ah might have stirred them up a bit... but all ah did was tell them off because they were thinkin' Filthy Rich was better than you." "Applejack, that wasn't worth the trouble." "It was fer me, sugar cube. Now you look me in the eye when ah say this to ya, Twi. Nopony will ever be better than you because yer mah friend. We're all friends, Twi, the six of us. Oh, and of course Spike as well. And ah know fer sure that those rich fillies don't understand friendship the way you do. Friends don't just hang out with each other. They're there for each other as well." Twilight was touched and wiped away a stray tear from her cheek. "What would I ever do without such great friends?" "Come on, Twi. The mayor's waitin'." Later, a bunch of ponies had gathered in Ponyville's town square with the mayor and Princess Twilight at the forefront. Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and their parents were being forced to stand trial before the princess for the prank that nearly killed the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Filthy Rich was beside himself with shame and embarrassment while Silver Spoon's mother was dabbing her wet eyes with a handkerchief. They were tears of disappointment. And practically every pony in the crowd was angry at the rich fillies and their parents. "This unworthy act committed by fillies Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, which as a result put three fillies in the hospital and gave Rainbow Dash a cold, has been reported as dangerous and therefore, they must be brought to justice until they can be controlled," said the mayor. "If there is anypony that wishes to speak out before Princess Twilight passes the sentence, please do so now." "You pushed my little friend!" said an angry Muffins to Diamond Tiara. "You're a spoiled bully!" "I'm very disappointed in both of you," said Cheerilee. "Picking on those three fillies just for not having cutie marks and thinking you're better with cutie marks... Those are signs of cowardice and egocentrism." "Hmph," snorted Diamond Tiara. "Well I thought we were doing Ponyville a favor." That did it. Everypony gasped upon hearing such heartless words uttered from the mouth of a filly. "How atrocious!" declared the mayor. "Princess Twilight, what will it be?" "As Princess of Ponyville," spoke Twilight. "I hereby decree that the fillies Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon will be banished from Ponyville until they are given proper discipline. Starting tomorrow, their new home will be the Fillydelphia Day Care and they will attend separate private schools. And their parents will be on probation for the time being." There was now much chatter from the audience of ponies. "You shouldn't have said that," said a worried Silver Spoon to Diamond Tiara, but the heartless filly just turned her head away. Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow was sick in bed with a cold and Applejack was taking care of her. "Aw, sugar," said Applejack sympathetically. "Ah'm awfully sorry that yer goin' through this, but at least you saved their lives." "Yeah," croaked Rainbow. "Don't worry, Dashie. This is just the worst of a cold. You'll be better by tomorrow. Just try to get some rest. And thank you so much." Applejack went back out into the orchards to do some apple-bucking. But before she got started, she seemed to be troubled by words from Diamond Tiara etched in her head. "My dad's the richest pony in Ponyville! He's better than any goody-two-shoes princess!" "Well I thought we were doing Ponyville a favor." Applejack became consumed with rage and animosity and started taking it out on the nearest tree, scattering its apples left and right. Even after the tree was emptied, Applejack still kept on kicking the tree as hard as she could. She was then spotted by Twilight, who had come to Sweet Apple Acres to check on Applejack and by the time she came over, Applejack had started butting the tree with her hard head. "Applejack!" cried Twilight in surprise. "Applejack, stop! You're hurting yourself!" Twilight used her magic and started levitating Applejack, who starting writhing and squirming furious, but couldn't break free of Twilight's magic. Soon, Twilight let her go, causing her to lean on Twilight and cry. "Oh, Twi..." she sobbed. "It's just not fair. Those mean little rich fillies... especially that Diamond Tiara. She's just been sayin' things so mean, doin' nasty things to mah sister and her friends for no reason, and... and... Ah just can't believe this." "Apple Bloom's gonna be fine, AJ. Would it help to know that I'm the one who should be worried?" "Whaddya mean?" "Well... When I passed the sentence... by banishing those two fillies... Did I do the right thing?" Applejack just sighed. "Twilight," she said assuredly putting a hoof on her. "Ya did what ya had to. It doesn't matter whether it was right or wrong. Those two fillies weren't about to change their ways anytime soon, so ah think it was fer the best that you decided to send them away. And ah reckon if they start gettin' unwelcome anywhere in Equestria, they'll be brought before Princess Celestia herself. But it'd be a mite embarrassing if things came down to that. Remember what ah told ya before, Twi? Don't think about doin' the right thing all the time. Just do what ya feel ya have to. Bein' right or wrong is just a point of view sometimes. That's what makes us all different." "Oh, Applejack... You really are such a good friend. But I wanna make sure you're gonna be fine as well. We've all been a bit upset over what's happened recently, but we've also taught each other that we can still go on because together we are strong. Tell you what. I have my monthly therapy session with Gentle Soul tomorrow. Why don't you come along and I'll ask her to take you in?" "Aw, that's mighty kind of you, sugar cube. Ah guess ah could use a little therapy mahself."