"No! I won't let you quit!" Diamond Tiara slammed her hoof down on the desk. The four of them, her and the three blank flanks, were facing off in the printing room of the Foal Free Press. Shady Daze was seated in the corner, quietly doing repairs on the school printing press, but he did occasionally sneak a subtle glance at the argument raging between the CMC and the current editor-in-chief
"But the gossip that Gabby Gums writes is hurtin' ponies feelings," cried Applebloom.
"Feelings?" Diamond Tiara leapt off the editor's chair and strode menacingly towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders, "You think I care about feelings? Gabby Gums in my bread and butter and I am not going to let you three goody two shoes make me give it up!"
"But everypony in town hates us now! They'll never let us write another gossip column about them and-" Scootaloo protested but she was cut off when the editor-in-chief of the Foal Free Press prodded her aggressively in the chest.
"We don't need their permission! You three blank flanks had better write another Gabby Gums column or else!" the pink pony stamped her hoof.
"Or... or else what?" asked Sweetie Belle, defiantly.
Diamond Tiara laughed wickedly, "Or else I will publish an article telling everypony in town that I cried myself to sleep last night because Lickety Split called me ugly!"
Diamond Tiara grinned triumphantly. Then, as her own words slowly sunk in, her smile faded. What had she just said?
The CMC blinked at her in surprise.
"Why would we care if you published an article like that?" asked a rather confused looking Apple Bloom.
Diamond Tiara cleared her throat, "What I meant so say was that if you don't write another Gabby Gums article then I will tell everypony in town that I can't get to sleep at night without my safety blanket!"
Diamond Tiara stared at the foals in front of her in horror. It happened again! She had meant to blackmail the blank flanks with the embarrassing photos Featherweight had taken of them. But every time she tried to say it, some other words slipped out. Some... embarrassingly true words.
"Write the Gabby Gums article or I'll tell everypony that I still pee the bed!" Diamond Tiara gasped and stuffed a hoof into her own mouth to silence herself.
The three fillies giggled, "Well, geez Diamond Tiara. Don't let us stop you," laughed Scootaloo.
"Go right ahead! Publish away!" grinned Sweetie Belle.
Diamond Tiara was fuming. It was high time she put these blank flanks in their proper place. She took her hoof out of her mouth and drew a deep breath in preparation to really let them have it.
"If you three don't write another Gabby Gums article then I'll tell everypony that I have a crush on Apple Bloom! And sometimes I stand behind her when Miss Cheerilee makes us line up for class just so I can smell her mane!" yelled Diamond Tiara at full volume.
A crushing silence fell over the Foal Free Press Printing Room. Even Shady Daze, who had been pretending not to eavesdrop while tinkering with the printing press, put down what he was doing and turned to stare at Diamond Tiara.
The editor-in-chief's face had gone from pink to bright red. She gritted her teeth and stared wildly around. The photos! The embarrassing photos! She had to tell them that unless they did what she asked she'd print embarrassing photos of them!
"The photos!" she cried, sweating profusely, "I have a photo of Apple Bloom which I keep in the secret box under my bed and I've kissed that photo so many times that it's gotten all wrinkled and warped!"
Her eyes welled up with tears. It wouldn't stop. It refused to stop. The secrets just kept gushing out of her. Her face was burning hot. Her ears were on fire. Apple Bloom was staring right at her but she couldn't stop.
"I told Silver Spoon that I liked Apple Bloom but she thought I was joking and laughed about it! I signed on to be editor for this newspaper because I knew Apple Bloom was going to write for it and I wanted an excuse to be nearer to her! I always follow you three around at lunch time and tease you because I want to be near her but don't have the courage to say how I truly feel! Sometimes I hug and kiss my pillow and pretend its her!" Diamond Tiara started to run, tripping over her own hooves and stumbling out the door. The CMC stood in silence for a long moment.
"That. Was. Weird." said Sweetie Belle, glancing at her two friends.
"No kidding," Scootaloo replied, "Are... are you okay Apple Bloom?"
"Yeah... w-w-wah would'n' Ah be?" The earth ponies cheeks were as pink as her namesake, "Just... just a lot of stuff startin' to make sense to me now."
"Are you... blushing?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"No!" Apple Bloom turned and walked away, making efforts to hide her face from her friends, "C'mon y'all! We still gotta go 'pologize to everypony in town for writing those nasty things!"
The other two followed her reluctantly
As the door closed behind them I finally allowed myself to exhale. I let the invisibility magic slowly slip away from my form: allowing myself to become visible once more. It had been a real struggle not to giggle a little at the scene that I had just witnessed. Serves her right, the little brat. Spilling other ponies secrets for all the world to see. Let's see how she likes it! A little truth magic will have her babbling her own innermost thoughts to every pony she encounters for the rest of the afternoon. Ha! That's what she gets for dishonouring my beloved. As for the other three I think I will let them go without retribution. Remorse and repentance always did blunt my anger and I am sure that their consciences have punished them enough already.
When I learned that the ponies who had stung me so were merely foals I realized that... perhaps I had overreacted a little. Or a lot. So instead of banishing anypony I merely engaged in a little revenge scheme, turning myself invisible and infiltrating this school to play a bit of a prank. I wonder why I felt I needed to be so melodramatic. Newspapers had openly criticized me before and I had never behaved as I just did. It was her. Ditzy Doo. Because it was her being insulted that I- oh.
Shady Daze, the name displayed on the name tag affixed to the young colt sitting on the corner working on the printing press, was staring at me. I had allowed myself to become visible again...
"You saw nothing. I was never here," I said, sternly.
He nodded hurriedly.
Right. Time to get back to the castle.