//------------------------------// // The Twelfth Bell Rings- The Diamond Offensive // Story: The Serenade of Silver Belles // by Your Antagonist //------------------------------// The Serenade of Silver Belles Written By: Your Antagonist Revised by: Cpl. Hooves Edited By: Starwind Dood, Aziraphael, TheWattsMan, and (The Great and Powerful) Plyxe Chapter 12- The Diamond Offensive The influence of the press over the masses is truly an overwhelming and remarkable power. A power that possesses the capacity to inform and enlighten or to berate, destroy and slander, depending on its wielder. Nopony could understand or appreciate this fact better than Featherweight as he begrudgingly descended the stairs to the offices of the Foal Free Press. It was far too cold and much too early in the morning for the colt’s liking, but it wasn’t like he had any choice in the matter. The printing press staff would arrive in a little less than an hour, and it was his job to ensure that the quality of each page was up to par. As Featherweight approached the press itself, he reached for the current edition’s stack of page templates, sifting, sorting, and scanning through them as he had done at least a dozen times prior over the course of the weekend. He already knew that there were no more errors left to correct, as he had caught them all himself, and that each picture was placed immaculately along the columns since he’d painstakingly measured and remeasured to the nearest millimeter. He knew better than anypony that the paper was perfect and ready for the presses, save for one final piece that resided in one of the many drawers of his desk: a piece that represented everything he stood against, a piece that embodied everything he felt that a newspaper was supposed to fight against, a piece ironically forged by his own hooves. Gently placing the stack of plates back on their original resting place, Featherweight moved behind his desk and stopped, simply staring at the lowest drawer as though some horrible creature lurked within. He didn’t want to open the drawer, and yet he had no choice in the matter; he’d come too far and there was too much on the line for him to develop a conscience now. By no will of his own, his hooves wrapped around the drawer handle and pulled it open to reveal that wretched thing. Like a mindless doll, he craned his neck down, seizing it in his teeth. The almost weightless aluminum was a lead weight in his jaw, but he paid it no mind as he lugged it back to the press machine, only a stone’s throw away. Featherweight sat on his haunches, holding the sinister template out in front of himself, studying in disgust the article that he’d been forced to write. He already knew that the staff wouldn’t bother to proofread the templates, that they would simply slap the plates on the rollers and fire up the machines. He’d seen them in action and even worked beside them his fair share of times to make deadlines when they were short-staffed. It was nothing more than just loading the plates, slathering them in ink, and pressing a button. Brain-dead work. It was because the task was nothing more than brain-dead work that this scheme was bound to succeed.  It was funny in a way. All it would take is one glance at the template’s contents for somepony to notice an extra page that hadn’t been part of the original quota, for that same individual to bring it to his attention so he, as editor-in-chief, could declare it a prank and discard it from the issue, effectively providing himself with an alibi for Diamond Tiara while sparing Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon the sting of public denigration, if only for a short while. Some minor attention to detail. That’s all it would take, but Featherweight knew better than that. This scheme, like the countless others Diamond Tiara had concocted before it, would go off without a hitch and there was absolutely nothing that could stop it. Swallowing hard, Featherweight lifted up half of the original stack of plates, grimacing as he reluctantly slipped in the deviant piece. His role in this petty revenge plot complete, Featherweight carelessly allowed the plates to fall, filling the desolate basement with the sharp clattering of metal sheets.  At the cost of yet another shred of his paper-thin journalistic integrity, Featherweight had once again avoided a date with the gallows, and he couldn’t have felt more awful about it. With a hollow pit growing in his gut, the colt retired to his desk, staring deadpanned at the printing press in the manner that an amnesiac might look upon their estranged spouse. He’d tried countless times to convince himself that Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon had somehow brought this on themselves, that this was their own fault, that he was merely an accessory to Diamond Tiara’s will and bore no responsibility for any of his actions. Yet, as he looked at the press, those lies offered him no comfort. He knew that he had allowed himself to become a part of this through his own negligence and cowardice, but what could he do? He was a spineless marionette dancing under strings of blackmail, pulled by a sadistic puppeteer. Featherweight leaned forward onto the desk, burying his head in his forelegs out of shame. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered under his breath, hoping that his muted apology would somehow find its way to Sweetie Belle, to Silver Spoon, to Dinky and everypony he’d ever betrayed under Diamond Tiara’s influence, but above all, to the one he was most afraid of disappointing. That goddess of an earth pony whose opinion meant the world to him. In the solitude, the pitiable pegasus mumbled out once last apology before going silent for the next few hours. “Please forgive me… Ms. Cheerilee.” The monday morning air was sweet and brisk blowing across Silver Spoon’s sleek coat as she trotted out the front gate of her home. Stopping only to issue a rushed fare wave to her mother before she hit the streets, she trotted towards the schoolhouse with a little more spring in her step than she was used to, but then again, today was different. She had something to look forward to for a change, and with Diamond Tiara’s routine whining absent, Silver Spoon’s walk to the schoolhouse was bound to be more fulfilling than it had been in years. As she didn’t have to spend every ounce of her attention pandering to her former friend’s constant need for validation, she was surprised to find how much of the world she’d been unable to appreciate while in Diamond Tiara’s company. Flower gardens that had once been nothing more than background scenery seemed somehow more vivid, the wondrous hues and immaculate symmetry standing out like works of fine art. The aroma of freshly baked bread rolling in from Sugarcube Corner pervaded the air, sweeter and more tongue teasing than she’d remembered it being. The ponies walking around were no longer a mass of faceless shades flitting around in her peripheral vision. Instead, they trotted about giddy and smiling, some even going so far as to issue the filly a “Good morning” or a simple “Hello.” It was shaping up to be a good morning so far, and it was only going to get better from here. “Hey, Silver Spoon! Wait up for us!” A familiar voice called, causing Silver Spoon to stop and face the source. She was pleasantly surprised to find Apple Bloom and Scootaloo galloping up, both grinning from ear-to-ear. “Good mornin’, Silver!” Apple Bloom greeted. “What’s up?” asked Scootaloo. “Hey, you two!” Silver Spoon beamed. “I figured you’d both be at the school already.” “We would be, but this one’s a mite fussy when it comes to gettin’ up for school on time.” Apple Bloom nudged Scootaloo, who rolled her eyes in return. “Ugh, whatever, Apple Bloom. I’m up now aren’t I?” Scootaloo asked rhetorically. “Yeah, after I had to buck your bed out from underneath you,” said Apple Bloom “Which reminds me, you’re moving my bed back after school.” “Why can’t you move it yourself?” “Why should I? You’re the one who kicked it, so it’s your fault!” “My fault? If you’d have been up on time then I wouldn’t have had to kick your lazy flank out of bed!” Silver Spoon couldn’t help but giggle at the pair as they argued. “So,” she said, stepping between the warring fillies, turning their attention to her and away from each other’s throats. “Are you two going straight to the school or would you like to pick up some breakfast first? My treat.” “Sorry, Silver Spoon, but I’ve got to get to the school,” Apple Bloom explained. “I promised Featherweight I’d help get the latest issue of the Foal Free Press printed and situated before class begins.” “You can count me in,” said Scootaloo. “Thanks to a certain somepony’s rude wake up,” Scootaloo cast a glare Apple Bloom’s way, “I didn’t have any time to grab breakfast, and I’m starving.” “I guess I’ll grab something for you and Sweetie Belle in that case,” Silver Spoon said to Apple Bloom. “Sounds good to me, I’ll see y’all in class then!” Apple Bloom said as she parted company with her friends. “You’re still moving my bed back after school!” said Scootaloo. “I’ll help you move it back!” Apple Bloom called back before disappearing into the marketplace streets. “Shall we be going, Scootaloo?” Silver Spoon asked. “Lead the way!” Scootaloo cheered. Giggling and gossiping, the pair made it to Sugarcube Corner much faster than they’d realized, but upon arriving at the bakery, they were faced with a chance encounter that made them wish that they had taken their time. Scootaloo, driven by her appetite, bolted through the bakery doors with no regard for anypony who might have been standing on the other side. As one might expect, she careened full force into the last pony she expected or wanted to see at any point in her morning: Diamond Tiara. "Why don't you watch where you're going, you clumsy, feather-brained twit! Look at this!” Diamond Tiara gestured to smashed and crumpled Sugarcube Corner bag. “You ruined my crystal-berry eclairs! Now what am I supposed to eat for breakfast?” "Scootaloo, are you alright?" Silver Spoon called, cantering up just in time to see the pegasus shakily rise to her hooves. "Who did you run int—” Silver Spoon’s eyes narrowed into razor-thin slits at the sight of Diamond Tiara. “Oh, it’s just you,” she concluded coldly. “Whatever, Silver Spoon. I’m talking to the Dodo bird,” said Diamond Tiara. “Geez, it was an accident!” Scootaloo cried, her wings buzzing erratically out of frustration. “You don’t have to call me names! I was going to apologize!” Diamond Tiara prepared to return fire when it dawned on her that there was no need to waste a tongue-lashing on Scootaloo and risk Silver Spoon getting involved, especially on today of all days. No, she had something far better in store for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and a ruined breakfast was a molehill compared to the mountain she was going to crush them with. She chuckled aloud at the very thought. “What are you laughing at?" Scootaloo growled. “Hmph.” Ignoring Scootaloo with a smug smirk, Diamond Tiara picked up her bag of pastries and tossed it on her back, curtly turning her nose up at the pair as she trotted out of the bakery. The gray filly cocked an eyebrow at her former friend’s reaction. She’d given up far too easily for Silver Spoon’s liking, not that Silver Spoon was in the mood for any more conflict than necessary. “That’s it?” Scootaloo scratched her head, clearly just as confused as her companion. “No calling me ‘blank-flank’, no threats, no whining? I thought for sure she'd start shooting her mouth off." "It's a little weird of her, I’ll admit… but a quiet Diamond Tiara is a good Diamond Tiara, right?" "Heh, you got that right," Scootaloo chuckled. "Anyway, forget about her, let's place those orders already, I'm starving!" “Alright, alright,” Silver Spoon chuckled, marching up to the counter where she was met with a concerned look from Mrs. Cake. “I heard some yelling in the front, is everything alright?” The baker asked. “We just had a little disagreement with a certain somepony from our class, ma’am. It’s nothing,” Silver Spoon replied dismissively. “Well, if that’s all it was…” Mrs. Cake said, uncertainty still present in her voice. “What can I get for you girls?” “Hmm,” Silver Spoon began. “I’ll take—” “Did Pinkie Pie make any chocolate malasadas this morning?” Scootaloo cut in. “I want a chocolate malasada— no, I want three!” “Three chocolate malasadas…” Ms. Cake repeated as she wrote down the order. “And what about you, dear?” “—a raspberry scone.” The gray filly finished. “Raspberry, huh?” asked Scootaloo. “Mhmm, it’s my favorite flavor after all.” “Huh, that’s Sweetie Belle’s favorite, too.” “I-It is?” Silver Spoon’s cheeks flushed pink at the notion of sharing a favorite flavor with her special somepony. “Yeah,” Scootaloo stuck her tongue out in disgust at the very thought of the flavor. “I don’t see how you two can stand the taste, I hate raspberries,” Scootaloo mumbled under her breath.  “If Sweetie likes them too, I guess I could order a few more. What about Apple Bloom? What do you think she’d like?” Silver Spoon looked to Scootaloo for input, but instead of an answer, she was met with a look that was flatter than three-day-old soda and practically screamed, “Do you really have to ask?” “Something with apples?” Silver Spoon surmised. “Yup.” Shrugging Silver Spoon placed the order. “One apple strudel, and that’ll be all, Mrs. Cake,” said Silver Spoon. “I’ll get right on that for you girls.” Mrs. Cake beamed at the fillies.  “Order up, honey bun~♪,” she hummed in a sing-song tone, disappearing into the kitchen. “Thanks for treating, Silvs. I can almost taste those malasadas now!” Scootaloo practically drooled, recalling the delightful taste of the chocolatey, chewy sugar bread. “No problem, Scootaloo,” Silver Soon responded, her voice somewhat distant, a detail that was not lost on the pegasus. “Something up?” Scootaloo asked. “It’s just… it’s nothing, Scootaloo.” Silver Spoon smiled and shook her head as though she were banishing a silly thought. “I was just thinking about how much this is going to cost and whether I should use bits or bills, that’s all.” “You don’t have wonder much longer: Mrs. Cake is back.” Scootaloo pointed out as the robust blue baker strode back to the counter with a particularly fragrant bag in her mouth. “Wow, that smells awesome!” the orange pegasus exclaimed. “Here’s your order, Silver Spoon, that’ll be fifte—” Silver Spoon didn’t give Mrs. Cake the privilege of finishing as she slapped a wad of indiscriminately selected bills and bits on the counter. “This should be enough,” she said, snatching the bag off the counter and onto her back. “But, dear, this is far too muc—” “Come on, Scootaloo, we don’t want to be late for class.” “But… but chocolate!” Scootaloo lunged for the bag on Silver Spoon’s back, but found herself eating floor as the earth pony sidestepped the attempt. “We’ll have plenty of time to eat at the school, there’s something I need to see first.” “Ugh…” Scootaloo took a moment to mourn her empty belly. “Fine,” she groaned. With the speed of one who has a purpose but no physical prowess to speak of, Silver Spoon half-trotted, half-cantered to the schoolhouse, with her breakfast-bemoaned sidekick close behind. In truth, the earlier encounter with Diamond Tiara was still bothering her. Though the fuschia fussbudget seemed to be more than willing to go a few rounds with Scootaloo, she practically caved in the moment Silver Spoon showed up, and that bothered the gray filly more than anything. It was just so uncharacteristic of Diamond Tiara to decline an open invitation to conflict, and if there was one thing Silver Spoon knew better than anything in the whole of Equestria, it was that crown-wearing menace’s addiction to aggrieving others. Something wasn’t right, and Silver Spoon had a good hunch as to what that something was; a hunch that was quickly confirmed the moment she stepped into the school proper. The yard was, for the most part, vacant and still emptying as most of the students had begun to head inside the classroom, save for a few small groups who were lingering about and gossiping. Thanks to the scarce amount of ponies in the yard, it didn’t take her particularly long to pick out a familiar pair of swirly two-toned manes that mixed in the same company the way that bleach mixes with ammonia. On one side of the spectrum, Diamond Tiara’s jaw worked in fluid cohesion with her eyes, which shifted between overly exaggerated expressions of shock and concern, while Sweetie Belle’s glaring features conveyed nothing but indignation. “Her again?” Scootaloo snorted and stomped her hoof, her hunger forgotten in the wake of her natural instinct to protect her fellow Crusader. “Come on Silver Spoon, let’s go sort this out.” “Right,” Silver Spoon curtly agreed. Although she and Scootaloo had missed the disagreement in its entirety, Silver Spoon arrived just in time to hear Diamond Tiara say: “…just don’t say I didn’t warn you,” before slithering away like the serpent of Eden, earning a sneer from Silver Spoon as she passed by. “What did she want?” Silver Spoon defensively asked Sweetie Belle, whose scowling face softened at the sight of her special somepony. “I don’t know, I wasn’t really listening to her,” Sweetie Belle sighed. “ Anyway, how’s your morning going?” “It’d be alot better if somepony was home sick for, oh say, the rest of the semester,” Silver Spoon replied, her tongue sharper than a saber’s tip. “But I think it’s definitely going to get better now.” “Oh, is it?” Sweetie Belle grinned coyly. “Like you wouldn’t believe.” The pair had become so entranced by their small talk and each other’s eyes, that they’d all but forgotten about the presence of a certain famished pegasus. A pegasus who saw an opportunity to remedy her situation. Silver Spoon’s back, which was precariously balancing a bagged bounty of beloved breakfast breads, was turned to Scootaloo, completely unguarded. This was her chance to be rid of her bane of a belly and reunited with the greatest baked snack-bread in the world. Scootaloo crept forth, making sure to stay in Silver Spoon’s blind spot. Once she was close enough, she lunged forward with her hooves outstretched, snatching at the bag. To her dismay, her hooves only caught air as Silver Spoon had bucked the parcel in front of herself at that same instant. Scootaloo grit her teeth in frustration at the failed attempt, but decided that she could definitely wait. A decision she’d soon regret. “Breakfast?” Silver Spoon offered, pushing the bag towards Sweetie Belle, who gladly accepted the offer. After a moment of digging around in the paper sack filled with some of Sugarcube Corner’s sweetest treats, Sweetie Belle bolted upright with a massive grin on her face. “Raspberry scones? My favorite! How did you know?” “A little birdy told me.” “Oooh, are those malasadas?” she asked, poking deeper into the parcel. “They sure are,” Scootaloo said proudly. “Do you mind if I take one?” Scootaloo scoffed at the question. “Yeah I mind, thos—” “Not at all,” Silver Spoon interjected. “Hey, hold on a sec, those are mi—” Sweetie Belle’s eyes lit up at the offer. “Are you sure? You did get me those scones...” “Yeah, she did, besides those are my mal—”  “Why don’t you take one of each?” Silver Spoon suggested, much to Scootaloo’s chagrin and Sweetie Belle’s delight. Completely ignoring the blatant looks of protest on the pegasus’ face, she fished out one of the angelic puffs of dough, passing it off to Sweetie Belle, who began giddily munching on the lump of heaven and powdered sugar. Silver Spoon looked quizzically at the mound of dough, questioning the gelatinous chocolate oozing from the side of the fried pastry, wondering if something so unhealthy could really be that delicious. “You know, come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever tried a malasada before. Are they any good?” “Are they good?” Scootaloo chuckled and shook her head at her friend’s ignorance regarding the sweetbread. “Silver Spoon, it’s like biting into the chewiest, gooiest, cinnamon coatedest, sugar-glaziest cloud dipped in awesome and injected with chocolate syrup! Does that answer your question?” “Well, when you put it like that, they do sound delicious…” Silver Spoon scratched her chin and licked her lips at the description. “Uh, duh,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “That’s because they are.” “…I think I’ll try one.” “Wait, what?”  It was too late. Silver Spoon had already plundered the penultimate pastry and began chewing on it conservatively, savoring each bite. Scootaloo’s description of the treat had only done it so much justice; the simple flavor of the bread itself was overwhelming, but the inclusion of the chocolate filling, that was the ambrosia that Equestrian poets of old would have sang epics of. “Oh wow, these are delicious! You don’t mind if I finish this one do you?” “Yeah… sure, I’ve still got one left at least.” Scootaloo reached for the bag, only to once again find herself grasping at the air as Silver Spoon snatched the sack and called out to the fast approaching fourth member of their party. “Hey, Apple Bloom, are you hungry?” The red maned filly gave a snort of derision before answering. “Are apples members of the rose family?” For all that piece of trivial knowledge, she was only met with quizzical looks. With a dejected sigh she continued, “Yeah, I’m hungry. Loadin’ up them printin’ plates and foldin’ the papers was some mighty difficult, and might I add, borin’ work. ‘Sides that, Featherweight was actin’ kinda... weird... even for him.” “He wouldn’t be the only acting weird today...” Silver Spoon mumbled. She offered the bag to Apple Bloom, opening it wide for the filly to peer inside. “Apple strudel?” “Thanks but no thanks, Silver. We got plenty of them things at home; family sends ‘em by the cartload every week.” Apple Bloom politely declined, searching the remaining contents of the bag. “I’ll take one of them malasadas though.” “No, wait, that’s the last one!” Scootaloo could only watch helplessly as Apple Bloom plucked the last chocolate malasada from the bag and popped the whole thing in her mouth, hardly even bothering to chew as she sucked it down her greedy little gullet.  “Mmm-mmm! That thing was all right!” “You… you didn’t even savor the taste…you just swallowed it...” Scootaloo’s spirit, suffice it to say, had been utterly broken with that one act. “What’s up with you, Scoots?” Apple Bloom licked the sticky sweet residue of the pastry from her hooves. “Didn’t you get one?” “Nghh! You...” Scootaloo scratched at her mane in irritation. “The three of you ate them all!” “Oh… well at least you still got that strudel and them scones left! Come on y’all, let’s get inside before Ms. Cheerilee marks us late!” “But… but I hate raspberries…” Scootaloo moaned. With her beloved malasadas devoured and no other alternatives for nourishment, she begrudgingly took the bag in her muzzle and followed her friends into the schoolhouse. The four quickly sought out their seats, taking the opportunity to engage in some idle conversation before Cheerilee would start the class, save for Scootaloo, who was still deliberating whether or not she could stomach the taste of raspberries. Just as Scootaloo had finally mustered up the will to bite into one of the raspberry-stuffed sweets, her teacher spoke up. “Good morning class!” "Good morning, Ms. Cheerilee!" The whole class, with the exception of one exceptionally dense individual, sounded off in harmony. "Uh... good morning, Ms. C," Snails drawled in, notably later than his peers. "I hope you're all doing well this morning my little ponies, because we've got one doozy of a lesson plan to get through so that you're all ready for Friday's exam." At those very words a collective groan swept through the classroom, but Cheerilee was quick to wave off their concerns and take up the reigns of damage control. “Now, now, class, it won’t be all worksheets and lectures. I’ve come up with some games and activities to make it easier for you all to take in the material.” “Whatever,” Scootaloo mumbled under her breath, shrugging as she fished the apple strudel out of the bag. “At least I can finally get something in my stomach.” “Ah, ah, ah, no eating during lessons, Scootaloo.” Before Scootaloo could chomp down, Cheerilee snatched the pastry away out of her hooves, stuffing it back into the bag from whence it came. “You had plenty of time to eat your breakfast before class; I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until lunchtime.” "But I—" "No ‘buts,’ Scootaloo. You can have your snack at lunchtime." With that, Cheerilee took the bag in her mouth and brought it back to her desk. With a frustrated faceplant to her desk, Scootaloo finally surrendered to the fact that settling her hunger was going to have to wait. And yet, if Cheerilee depriving the starving pegasus of her breakfast was the wound, then Diamond Tiara’s poorly stifled sniggering at her misfortune was undoubtedly the salt. “What’s so funny, huh?” Scootaloo snapped in a harsh whisper. Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, shaking her head at Scootaloo. “Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing a silly blank-flank could appreciate.” “Why you—” Silver Spoon laid a comforting hoof on her agitated friend’s shoulder, pulling her away from Diamond Tiara. “Don’t let her get to you, Scootaloo.” “Especially not with exams this week. You need to pay attention more than anyone,” Sweetie Belle added. “Yeah, your grades are almost as bad as mine!” Apple Bloom chuckled jokingly, nudging Scootaloo in an attempt to make her fellow Crusader smile. For her troubles, she was rewarded with a slight smirk that lasted all of a split second. “Fine.” Scootaloo sighed, sitting upright in her chair. “I’ll let it go... for now.” Diamond Tiara stuck her tongue out with an audible and over-exaggerated wretch at the display, but the Crusaders paid her no mind. “All right everypony,” Cheerilee addressed the class. “Let’s get this review underway!” Cheerilee delivered exactly what she had promised. The lesson plan was painless, surprisingly fun-filled, and for the most part lecture-free. Her curriculum was comprised historical skits that were satiric in their execution and a few educational variants of popular game shows where instead of winning bits, her students won bonus points towards their exams. Though she’d have to stop to explain the significance of certain events from time to time, the instruction went so smoothly that even Snails managed to keep up for the most part. However, what was most surprising about the whole ordeal couldn’t have been directly appreciated or even fathomed by the teacher herself, but instead was left up for deliberation by four thoroughly-confused fillies. Not once throughout the entire lesson plan had Diamond Tiara partaken in any hostile behavior towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders. There were no spitwads blown at Sweetie Belle, no hastily written notes expressing her disdain towards Apple Bloom, and she hadn’t insulted Scootaloo by referring to her as any variety of flightless bird. Whether it was Silver Spoon’s presence or Sweetie Belle’s outburst the night before that had triggered the sudden change, none of the four knew, but as nice as it was to have a quiet class period for a change, it was also a bit unnerving. Little did they realize that this was merely the calm before the storm./ Suffice it to say, Diamond Tiara not bothering them bothered them more than anything. Thanks to the fast pace of the lessons, hours flew by in the blink of an eye, and before anypony in the class realized it, lunchtime was only a quarter of an hour away. “Ms. Cheerilee, may I be excused to use the little filly’s room?” asked Sweetie Belle. “Of course you can, Sweetie Belle, just make sure you take a bathroom buddy,” said Cheerilee. Almost immediately after the teacher finished issuing her instruction, Diamond Tiara’s hoof shot into the air with such speed that it would have made the Wonderbolts seem like a tortoise in comparison. “I’ll go with Sweetie Belle, Ms. Cheerilee!” “What?” The four Cutie Mark Crusaders cried out in tandem. “All right, Diamond Tiara, you can go, just make sure you both hurry back,” said Cheerilee. “Yes, Ms. Cheerilee!” “What?” The four cried out again, this time out of disbelief that their teacher had given her blessing to such a potential catastrophe. “Wait an apple-buckin’ minute!” Apple Bloom pounded her hooves on the desk. “Why would you want to go with Sweetie Belle?” “Yeah, what are you up to?” Scootaloo eyed the scheming filly suspiciously. Diamond Tiara simply smiled at her stunned schoolmates. “I just want to make sure that my fellow classmate gets to and from the bathroom safe and sound. That’s all.” “I’ll believe that when pigs have rights,” Apple Bloom scoffed. “Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.” Cheerilee barked in her most authoritative educator’s tone. “It doesn’t matter who accompanies whom to the restroom, but would you like to know what does matter? Your participation in our next skit about the Crystal Empire. Please come to the front of the class.”   “Ms. Cheerilee,” Scootaloo protested, pointing at Diamond Tiara. “You can’t jus—” “Now.” Cheerilee turned to face the source of her lesson’s interruption. “Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, you two should hurry, lunch is in fourteen minutes.” “Yes, Ms. Cheerilee! Come on Sweetie Belle, we don’t want to miss any more class, do we?” Sweetie Belle glanced worrisomely at her friends and then to Silver Spoon, whose burning glare was searing into the back Diamond Tiara’s smug head. Gritting her teeth, Sweetie Belle started towards the door with Diamond Tiara’s predatory smile not far behind. After closing the door on her friend’s concerned looks and one of Cheerilee’s catchy tunes on how the Crystal Ponies liked jousting, Sweetie Belle found herself swiftly pulled around and forced into a corner of the schoolhouse by her unwanted and, in her opinion, unnecessary escort, who had clasped a hoof around the unicorn’s mouth so she couldn’t scream.  “Shhh... stay quiet and come with me,” Diamond Tiara instructed. Angered by the sudden roughness she’d been put through, Sweetie Belle promptly swatted the hoof away from her mouth. "What the hay ar—" "Be quiet!” Diamond Tiara hissed over Sweetie Belle. “Do you want Ms. Cheerilee to come out here?" “Well, now that you mention it, yes.” “Even when I’m trying to do you a favor?” Sweetie Belle snorted at the desperate grab for her attention. “Why would I want a favor from you?” “Because maybe it would be in your best interest to accept my generosity. I don’t just do this for everypony, you know.” “Please, the only thing I would ever even consider accepting from you is a public apology for all the grief you’ve given me and my friends over the years. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go to the restroom, so just wait somewhere where Ms. Cheerilee can’t see you if you’re not coming.” Diamond TIara sighed and shook her head at the stubborn unicorn. It seemed that she would have to try a more persuasive approach, not that she didn’t relish the idea. “Okay, let me rephrase what I said: it would be in the best interest of you and your friends to accept this little favor of mine.” “Excuse me?” Sweetie Belle whipped around, glaring. “Glad to see I got your attention.” Diamond Tiara grinned. “What does this have to do with my friends?” “Oh I’m sorry, did I say your friends? I just meant Silver Spoon, but it might affect Apple Bloom and the Dodo bird too.” “What might affect them?” “Hmph.” The upper class filly turned her nose up to the unicorn, pivoting on her hooves. “Come with me and I’ll show you.” Diamond Tiara slunk around the corner, curling her tail in a ‘come hither’ motion. Sweetie Belle was torn. On the one hoof, she did have to use the bathroom and wanted to get as far away from Diamond Tiara as possible, but on the other hoof, Diamond Tiara’s insistence had admittedly piqued her curiosity. “I just know I’m going to regret this,” she sighed, resenting every step of Diamond Tiara’s that she followed. It didn’t take her long to catch up, as Diamond Tiara had stopped in front of the open doors to the school basement. “Down here.” Diamond Tiara waved Sweetie Belle over, gesturing for the unicorn to take the lead down the stairs. “Why are we going in the school’s basement?” “Like I said, you’ll see when we get there.” Unable to appreciate the irony in being told that she’d find out later—like she’d done to Silver Spoon so many times the day before— Sweetie Belle descended the stairs. She subconsciously kept her distance from Diamond Tiara since her extreme distrust of the earth pony led her to believe that if she wandered too close, she’d quickly find herself tripped and eating the sharp corners of every single stair until she hit the basement floor. The moment her hoof finally made contact with solid ground, Sweetie Belle stopped to let Diamond Tiara once again take the lead. “So, what did you want to show me?” Sweetie Belle asked as she walked into the printing press. Diamond Tiara wordlessly walked over to one of the stacks of freshly printed newspapers and slapped a copy to Sweetie Belle’s hooves. “The school paper?” “Why don’t you try flipping through it? See if any of the articles in there... catch your eye.” Sweetie Belle gave Diamond Tiara one last uncertain glance before turning her attention to the front page of the paper. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing out of the ordinary, save for the minor fact that it hadn’t been printed with a date. The lead story was forgettable as always and, in a similar fashion, none of the other headlining stories caught her attention. Still, she knew from her experience writing the Gabby Gums column that she couldn’t just ignore the rest of the paper based on the first page. With a hesitant hoof she flipped and skimmed through the gazette, page after page and article after article, until she happened across the central page and the article that lay in wait like a trap-door spider. From the moment her eyes fell across the headline so eloquently titled: The Filly Foolers Among Us, An Investigative Exposé,  an indescribable feeling of hollowness began to spread within Sweetie Belle. As she took in the outlandishly sized cover-photo depicting what she had thought was a tender, private moment between her and her special somepony, Sweetie Belle could feel her breaths growing short and shallow. “Why you...” She couldn’t decide whether to feel violated or enraged. One thing was certain though, she wasn’t going to take this lying down. Sweetie Belle sneered at the antagonizing filly before her. “You think this is enough to scare me?” “Nope,” Diamond Tiara said simply. “Well, I— wait, did you say no?” Sweetie Belle hadn’t been ready for that response, and she certainly didn’t like how effortlessly Diamond Tiara’s tongue had parted with it. Something was wrong here. “That’s right. I don’t think that this article can scare you. I mean judging from the way you chewed me out yesterday it’s pretty clear that nothing I could do to you or call you, least of all this, could possibly get to you.” Something was definitely wrong here, but for the life of her, Sweetie Belle just couldn’t figure out what it was. “Well, if you already know that you can’t bother me, then why bother showing me all of this?” “Think about it for a moment: I can’t hurt you. I can’t scare you. Why something like this article probably wouldn’t even phase you. You’ll probably just shake off all the insults and teasing. But you know, when you stop to think about it, you aren’t the only one in this picture.” It didn’t take Sweetie Belle long to see what Diamond Tiara was driving at. “Silver Spoon...” “You know, I wonder how Silvy would react to seeing this little piece. I mean she’s been trying to keep this a secret from everypony for so long. I wonder what would happen if the entire class found out about it...” Diamond Tiara clasped a hoof to her mouth in a poorly acted out display of faux-surprise. “Or even worse: all of Ponyville. Wow, I couldn’t possibly imagine how embarrassing that would be for her.” For the greater portion of her life, Sweetie Belle had managed to maintain a pacifistic attitude towards anyone who’d ever given her a hard time. On occasion, she’d been involved in a few minor scuffles with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo when tensions between the three ran high due to silly arguments getting far out of hoof, but even still, she’d never earnestly rose her hoof to somepony out of anger. It just wasn’t in the sweet-hearted unicorn’s nature to harbor hatred and animosity towards any living thing. Yet, as she continued to look at Diamond Tiara, a vehement swelling the likes of which she had never felt towards anything before began to take root, growing slowly in her chest. Even her outburst to the pampered prat the night before, couldn’t come close to what she was feeling at this moment. “Wow, you look mad, better do something about your face before it gets stuck like that.” Diamond Tiara taunted. Even in the face of a dragon-like wrath she managed to keep her cool. As far as she was concerned she was still in control of the whole scenario. “You look like you’ve got something you want to say.” Sweetie Belle’s horn, in response to its bearer’s emotional intensity, had begun spitting out red and green sparks that served no purpose other than to complement the intense beet-red color of her face. “I’m not going to let you do this, Diamond Tiara!” she shouted. “I won’t let you hurt Silver Spoon!” “Ha! You won’t let me?  And just how are you going to stop me?” Diamond Tiara reared up and leaned her back against a particularly sturdy stack of newspapers. “These are ready to be passed out a moment’s notice.” She gave the pile a solid pat as though it had won top prize at a dog-show. “All I have to do is give the word to Featherweight, and this story will spread like wild fire.” “I’ll just tell Ms. Cheerilee!” “You’re going to tell her now of all times? While class is still in session? Why that’s such a great idea! I think I’ll tell her too! We’ll go together and tell her exactly what we found in the school paper in front of the whole class! I’ll make sure to yell it nice and loud so she can understand us no problem!" “But you’d just get in trouble too!” “Moi?” Diamond Tiara snickered. “And just how do you figure that?” “You wrote that article didn’t you?” Sweetie Belle stepped forward triumphantly, as though she’d found some glaring crack in Diamond Tiara’s plan. “You’d just be setting yourself up as well, and then Ms. Cheerilee would expel you from the school!” “Ah, you silly little filly. Does it look like I wrote that article? Perhaps you’d better check the name of the author again.” Sweetie Belle took a closer look at the space where one would find the writer of the article expecting to see it accredited to Diamond Tiara only to find Featherweight's name in its place. Diamond Tiara had thought of everything. Still, where reason would fail, there always the less graceful approach. “In that case, I’ll just have to rip up all those newspapers!” Diamond Tiara rose an eyebrow in amusement at Sweetie Belle’s boldness. “Oh, really?” Diamond Tiara dropped back to all fours, grinning with an arrogance reminiscent of The Changeling Queen Chrysalis during the invasion of Canterlot. “I’d like to see you try. You’ve got to get past me first, and even then, there’s too many newspapers for you to go through before lunch.” With a grand sweeping wave of her hoof, she gestured around the room which was practically packed with enough editions to easily circulate through Canterlot. “Besides, if you so much as lay a hoof on me, then I’ll just take a page out of your book and tell Ms. Cheerilee that you attacked me then went crazy in the printing room. You’ll be expelled from the school so fast, that you’ll be home-schooled faster than you can blink, and I’ll still win.” “Then I’ll... I can...” Sweetie Belle racked her mind for ideas, but nothing came to mind. She had just under twelve minutes and a less than stellar amount of angles to attack this issue from. As much as she didn’t want to accept it, Diamond Tiara had successfully locked her down. “Face it, blank-flank. No matter what you do, I’ll always come out on top, and short of setting the school on fire, there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” “You... you’re horrible.” “Now, now, I’m a pretty reasonable pony. Why don’t we work out a deal?” Sweetie Belle could only glare at the earth pony. She felt helpless, she felt angry, she felt stupid, among other things she didn’t quite have words for. All she knew was that she’d been effectively shut down, and any further ideas at this point would be just pointlessly grasping at straws. With no other alternatives she finally ceded to the inevitable, premeditated outcome that had been lain out for her by cruel, cruel fate: “What deal?” “Oh, good.” Diamond Tiara swooned a bit as she heaved an over-exaggerated sigh of relief. “For a moment there I was afraid you believed you still had chance. I’d hate to continue this little back and forth." She began to trot around Sweetie with a sadistic smile straining the edges of her mouth. The malevolent display was reminiscent of a shark circling its prey that had given up all hopes of escape. The only difference was that a shark would put its prey out of its misery eventually; Diamond Tiara was much less merciful. "Here are the terms: As long you completely ignore and keep your distance from Silver Spoon, I’ll make sure Featherweight holds this nasty little edition back for as long as you keep away. That seems easy enough, doesn’t it?” She turned her gaze to the brooding unicorn, revelling in the pleasure of Sweetie Belle’s unspoken pain. “...hey, I asked you a question, Blanky-Belle."  “Whatever,” Sweetie Belle replied offhandedly. “Oh, and before I forget, not a word to Apple Bloom or Scootaloo. In fact, let’s make this interesting! In addition to Silver Spoon, you’re going to keep your distance from those two as well.” If looks could kill, then the abhorrence radiating from Sweetie Belle’s eyes would have been the driving force behind a genocide of a small population of Diamond Tiaras. “Hey, don’t be like that, there is a bright side to all of this: Since there’s no date on this paper, we can keep this little game of ours going until the end of the school year! Doesn’t that sound exciting?” Only a look so dirty it could contaminate a pristine river in ten seconds flat answered her. “Good, looks like you’ve already got the idea. Now let’s head back upstairs. Lunch is going to start soon and I’m still your... ugh.. bathroom buddy...” Diamond Tiara shuddered at the incredibly embarrassing stigma their teacher had stuck to the position. “...and to make sure you keep your end of the deal, starting after lunch, you and I are going to spend so much time together, we’ll practically be B.F.F.s!” she cackled. “Now after you, Sweetie Belle.” Against her will, Sweetie Belle marched up the stairs, silently reviewing her situation. There had to be a way out of this. Diamond Tiara had planned this out to a “T”, but even she had to have missed some slight detail, and when Sweetie Belle figured out what it was, by Celestia, come Tartarus or high waters she was going to see to it that the spoiled brat paid for every inch of this exile, even if she had to suffer in silence until she did. Chapter 12 End.