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// Chapter Eleven; The Plot Thickens 
// Story: Working Towards The Future 
// by Dasponi 
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Scootaloo watched Rainbow Dash take off and then headed into the schoolhouse. When she entered she looked around for any signs of Diamond Tiara. She found none and smiled as she walked to her own desk and sat down.

“Mornin’ Scoots. Ah didn’t expect to see you here.” Apple Bloom said. She had walked over from her own seat when she saw Scootaloo enter. The Cutie Mark Crusaders may have done everything together inside and outside of school, but they weren’t sat together, much to their chagrin. They had asked Cheerilee several times to be moved but she felt that allowing them to sit together all the time would lead to just as much disaster as any time they were together outside of the school.

“Oh hey Apple Bloom. Didn’t you hear that Diamond Tiara won’t be coming for the rest of the week?” Scootaloo replied. She thought it must have been common knowledge. Scootaloo had arrived just before the class had started, which meant there was plenty of time for the news and gossip to spread. Then again, the main spreaders of news and gossip had been the Cutie Mark Crusaders themselves.

“I heard about that.” replied a voice from behind Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. They looked around to see Featherweight, the new head of the school paper. He still wore his camera a lot even though he wasn’t the official photographer anymore. It was his special talent after all. He was also very good at finding out about things quickly, which was how he came to know about Diamond Tiara’s predicament. “I heard her tell Silver Spoon this morning. Normally they walk to school together. It’s a shame she’s not here. I had something she might be interested in.” Featherweight added, giving Scootaloo a look that made her uneasy. Scootaloo was about to respond but the bright and cheery voice of Cheerilee interrupted her before she could speak.

“Good morning my little ponies.” Cheerilee said.

“Good morning Miss Cheerilee.” her class chorused back at her. Cheerilee smiled at the response but it was soon replaced by a frown. “I’m sorry to report to you that because of some bad behaviour your classmate Diamond Tiara will not be joining us in class for a week.” The class, minus Scootaloo, Featherweight, Apple Bloom and Silver Spoon, who already knew, began chattering amongst themselves, wondering what had happened and generally responding to the news. “I’m sure you’d all like to talk about this but we have classes to do.” Cheerilee said, raising her voice to be heard over the chattering and tapping the chalkboard to emphasise her point. The class quietened down, and Cheerilee began her lesson.

After a few classes Scootaloo had to admit, to herself at least, that things were going pretty well. Everypony left her alone but this was just how she wanted things to go. Diamond Tiara finally getting her comeuppance and being punished was quickly becoming the new topic of conversation. During their morning break Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle told Scootaloo that the rest of the class hadn’t really been told about what had happened between her and Diamond Tiara. Rainbow Dash’s outburst had been loud but that had also escaped the attention of the majority of the class as the group was in a secluded area of the playground. When questioned about why Scootaloo had vanished her fellow Crusaders had told ponies that she had been sick and Diamond Tiara was too egotistical to admit to anypony, other than her father who could do something about it, what had happened between her and Rainbow Dash. The words of Featherweight, and the look he had given her, still played on Scootaloo’s mind but she didn’t see anything of him during their break, and he didn’t talk to her during class.

Soon enough lunchtime came and so did the interaction that Scootaloo was waiting for, yet fearing at the same time. Her and her fellow Crusaders were happily enjoying their lunch and discussing new ways for them to earn their Cutie Marks when Featherweight walked up to them.

“Hey Scootaloo.” Featherweight said. He was still wearing the smirk that had so unnerved Scootaloo earlier in the day.

“Hey Featherweight, what were you talking about this morning? I didn’t get a chance to ask.” Scootaloo replied. Her friends huddled up beside her in case something happened.

“I was just saying it’s a shame DT isn’t here, because I think she’d want to see these.” Featherweight replied, opening up his saddlebag and pulling out an envelope. He threw it on the ground before Scootaloo and motioned for her to open it when she looked at him questioningly. Scootaloo opened the envelope and looked inside. She quickly dropped it when she saw the contents and said contents spilled out for her friends to see. The envelope was full of pictures; pictures of Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, and one tiara. Featherweight had taken pictures of Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash posing and playing with Diamond Tiara’s tiara. They were too busy having fun to notice him, and he was good enough at staying out of sight as it was.

“Is that...” Sweetie Belle began, wondering aloud. She thought she recognised the tiara in the picture.

“It is. That right there is Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash and what is on their heads and in their hooves is the tiara of Diamond Tiara.” Featherweight replied, pointing a hoof at the pictures on the ground.

“Wow, how’d you get your hooves on that?” Sweetie Belle asked, suitably impressed by the antics of her friend.

“I’ll tell you later.” Scootaloo replied to Sweetie Belle before turning to face Featherweight again. “So what do you want?”

“Me? I don’t want anything.” Featherweight replied, feigning hurt at the implication he might want something. “I think DT would want her tiara back though. I also think you were wrong to steal it and didn’t want you to think you had gotten away with it. If DT isn’t wearing her tiara next week when she comes back, I’ll know you still have it and I’ll show her these pictures.” With that Featherweight scooped up the pictures and put them back inside the envelope and walked away from the girls. Scootaloo had some answers to take away at least. Even if they did just leave her thinking more in the end. Such as thinking what she was now going to do with the tiara, and why he didn’t just show her the pictures yesterday.

“Hey Featherweight! Why didn’t you just show her yesterday?” Scootaloo called out before Featherweight could get too far. He ignored her and continued walking away.

“Who says I didn’t?” he said to himself, much too far away for anypony to hear him. Scootaloo sighed and laid down on the grass.

“What was that all about?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“I have no clue. But how did you get that tiara anyway?” Apple Bloom replied, snapping Scootaloo out of her reverie. Scootaloo recounted to them the events of the day before and what happened after she and Rainbow Dash had left the school together. She told them about their little trip into town and how Rainbow Dash had decided to do some pranking and had then spotted the best target of all; one Diamond Tiara. Her friends eyes lit up and they all started laughing when Scootaloo said that she was the one who had swiped the tiara and then they laughed more as Scootaloo recreated some of the poses.

“What are ya gonna do now?” Apple Bloom asked when all the stories were told and all the laughter had been had.

“I don’t really know. The tiara is actually still in Rainbow Dash’s living room. She put it on display so whenever I felt down I could look at it and laugh knowing that I had once gotten the better of Diamond Tiara.” Scootaloo explained. She had to admit that it was fun to look at the thing and laugh as she remembered the look on Diamond Tiara’s face.

“Ah guess you gotta give it back to her then.” Apple Bloom said.

“Guess so but I’m not sure how I’m going to do that. I can’t just turn up to her door and hand it back. ‘Hey Diamond Tiara, I stole this. You can have it back.” Scootaloo said, doing a very poor impression of herself.

“Well we’ve got time to think of some ideas.” Sweetie Belle tried to reassure her.

“Yeah, and maybe Rainbow Dash might have some too.” Apple Bloom added.

“Yeah maybe. I guess there’s no sense in worrying about it right now.” Scootaloo said. Her friends nodded and together they continued eating their lunches and suggesting various ways for Scootaloo to return the tiara. By the time the bell rang and signified the end of lunch, and the renewal of lessons, Scootaloo was aware of just how much she had missed the overactive imaginations of her friends.