//------------------------------//
// Bullying in the Class 
// Story: Instant Mom 
// by SeasonTheWiccan 
//------------------------------//





The next two years were not an easy ride for Cumulus, there were a series of fights between Shiny Bit and Autumn Leaves because Shiny was insulting Cue and Autumn was defending her. Shiny also put a series of signs on her tail with a picture of a bat on them and sometimes Rainbow would catch it as she flew home with her, she confronted the teacher about this several times about this, Ms. Cheerilee held a meeting with Shiny Bit's parents, and it didn't do Cue any good. 

Shiny Bit and Sparkling Gem called Cumulus a snitch and recently even beat her on playground. Autumn and Dandelion tried to help her, but Shiny's new 'cronies' were blocking them, all they could do was watch in horror as their friend was being punched, kicked and hit by Gem and Shiny was encouraging her. Cumulus was relieved when the lunch bell rang and Gem got off of her.

"Remember not to snitch bat!" Gem said as she walked away.

Cumulus started to cry when Dandelion and Autumn helped her up, "I'll get back at em!" Autumn declared.

"No." said Cumulus.

"But...Cue! We have to do something!" 

"If we tell, they might do it to you too! I can't do that...not to my friends!"

"At least tell Ms. Cheerilee!" Dandelion suggested.

"No! They'll do it again!"

"Cue, I agree with Autumn, we have to do something!"

"I can handle it...really."

"It doesn't look like it to me." 

"I can!"

They'd never heard her raise her voice before and they were now fully convinced.

"Okay, if you're sure..."

Ms. Cheerilee then called them, "Children, recess is over, come inside!"

Cumulus came up to the school modeling the black eye she got and when Ms. Cheerilee asked her what happened, Cumulus knew better than to tell because they might do it again so she said that she fell. Ms. Cheerilee knew better, somepony had beaten her and she was not going to tolerate it in her class and she knew right then who it was that did it. As Cumulus went to her seat, Ms. Cheerilee got out an icepack and asked Shiny Bit, Sparkling Gem and Cumulus to stay after. Cumulus cringed as Ms. Cheerilee put the pack to her eye, Dandelion turned and looked at her sympathetically as did Autumn Leaves. 

After the lesson was over, Ms. Cheerilee went outside to get Rainbow Dash. She saw Rainbow waiting by the gate a lot less anxious than the  very first day of school a couple years ago, Ms. Cheerilee hated to be the one to break that. But it was for Cumulus' safety.

"Hello Rainbow."

"Hey Ms. Cheerilee, what's wrong?"

"It's Cumulus..."

"What happened?" Rainbow suddenly got nervous.

"I think you'd better come and see for yourself."

Rainbow followed her into the schoolhouse and got the shock of her life! Her daughter was sitting at her desk, covered in bruises and holding an ice pack to her eye!

"Cumulus!"

She shrank in her seat as Rainbow flew over to her and asked, "Does it hurt?"

"Not so much anymore..."

"Here let me see."

Cumulus shook her head.

"Cue, come on."

Rainbow had to remove the pack herself and what she saw what the most heart breaking sight she'd ever seen, the black and blue pooled down for three inches. A tear dripped down on the bruise, "Oh, Cue..." said Rainbow as she gently replaced the pack.

She immediately knew the culprits, "What did she do so wrong? If she started this, she will be severely punished."

They only shrank in their seats and didn't answer. 

"That's what I thought!"

They obviously didn't care if she was blind or not, Rainbow herself was shocked that the two would stoop so low as to purposely cause harm to her little Cue. She honestly didn't know how to handle this one - the signs on her tail she could patch up in a flash and the name calling she could so easily patch up by lecturing her on how they're jealous that they can't be as awesome and gifted in hearing as she is. But for this situation - she had nothing.

Rainbow was about to ask how this happened when the door opened. In came Filthy Rich and Gem's mother Tea and Scones; Rainbow Dash was already in full - on momma bear mode.

"How in the name of Celestia could you let this happen? And to her! Why her?! She never did anything wrong! She is just the kindest and sweetest little thing!"

"Us? Why are you blaming us? Children will be children!" Tea and Scones exclaimed.

"So you call causing harm to my blind baby, somepony that can't see period...'harmless?!'" Rainbow exclaimed getting in her face.

"Well, when you put it that way," she said smugly.

"That's it!" Rainbow was about to go nuts when Filthy Rich spoke, "Ms. Dash, I apologize for my son's behavior."

"I certainly don't apologize for mine, if you wanted your daughter to get a non - judgmental education you should've used that thing in your skull called a brain and sent her to a school for the blind."

"You mean...an institution???!!!"

"Precisely."

"You...you..." she was about to explode with rage when Filthy Rich cut in again.

"I assure you Ms. Dash that I will see that both of our children will be severely punished when we get home," he said this while eyeing his son angrily.

Ms. Cheerilee then spoke, "Rainbow, take Cumulus home, I feel she deserves it."

Rainbow flew back to Cumulus, gathered her saddlebags and guided her to the front of the classroom. It was then that she spoke to both parents, "And if any of your children pulls something like that again, so help me!"

Rainbow so badly wanted to see the outcome, but understood that since her daughter was the victim that it wasn't something she needed to see.

When they got home, Cue said out of the blue, "I don't wanna go to school anymore."

Rainbow almost said she didn't want her to either, but she knew that in reality she needed her education and Twilight probably wouldn't have the time.

"Cue, you have to go, you need your education."

"You or Auntie Twilight could teach me."

"I think Auntie Twilight has other things on her mind and I'm not much of a teacher."

Cumulus slumped her shoulders sadly.

"Look, I need you to tell me something..."

Cumulus prepared herself for the question.

"Have they done this to you before? Now, be honest with me. You know you can tell me anything."

"No...they've never hit me before."

"Okay...do you know who was the one hitting you? Could you tell?"

Cumulus thought for a moment and she could hear Shiny Bit yelling in the background, "Get her! Get her Gem! Get her! Get the bat!"

"I think it was Sparkling Gem, Shiny Bit was hanging back and telling her to keep going."

Rainbow nodded and Cumulus, hoping there weren't anymore questions, went up to her room.

That night, when Rainbow tucked Cumulus in - she had a question that threw Rainbow off balance, it was one that rainbow had been hoping to avoid until Cue was 16.

"Where's my Daddy?"

Rainbow stiffened, she was planning on telling her origins until she was older, she didn't think Cue was ready yet.

She merely kissed her forehead and said, "I'll tell you when your older...okay?"

Cue noticed how stiffly she said that, but didn't question it.





Rainbow couldn't sleep that night, she tossed and turned and tears fell without her making a peep. She was upset over the comments from Tea and Scones, Cumulus being beaten, how she was being treated differently because of her differences and the first lie she has ever told her daughter.

It was around 1 that she needed to check on Cumulus. She got out of her bed and walked to Cue's room; she opened the door a crack to see her Little Cue sleeping peacefully, curled up in a little ball under Rainbow Dash's baby blanket and clutching her teddy bear with Luna's moon giving Cumulus an angelic glow around her. Usually Cumulus came to Mommy when Cue couldn't sleep think of the twist when Mommy couldn't sleep and went to Cumulus. This is the only time Rainbow has done this; she came in, tucked herself in with Cumulus. She then tried to hold her, but her efforts woke up Cue.

"Mommy? Why are you - "

"I couldn't sleep."

Cumulus turned to face her as the mother pulled her daughter closer to her.

Cumulus then felt a drop of warm water on her head, "Don't cry Mommy."

"I'm sorry, sometimes like with the things that happened today...I just have to."

Rainbow honestly, for the first time in her life with all her confidence, felt powerless. She didn't have any power when her baby was at school and there, she was being abused and the thought saddened her.

Cumulus felt bad for her, a lot of times she thought to herself that raising her without a husband couldn't be an easy task. That's why she behaved so well, although some of her mother's traits like her desire to excel and succeed as well as her confidence had been picked up, either way she wanted to make it as easy for her as possible.

Her mother sobbed in her mane, "I love you Cumulus."

"I love you too Mommy."

Over the years, since Cumulus came into her life and touched her heart, Rainbow had gotten more sentimental. After 5 minutes Rainbow stopped and they talked for a bit before going to sleep.

"So, what have you been learning lately?"

"We learned about long division today."

"Whoo long division, that's a toughie!"

"And we're planning our Hearth's Warming Eve Pageant for this year."

"Really? You know, I was in the Canterlot Pageant one year - I was Commander Hurricane."

"Dandelion and Autumn think I should be Commander Hurricane, but..."

"But what?"

"I wanna be...Private Pansy."

"And that's okay. You're not me and I understand that."

"Thanks."

Things were silent for a while before Cue spoke again, "Hey Mommy..."

"Yeah?"

"Were you...scared when you saw me? With the eye today?"

Rainbow hesitated, but answered truthfully, "I was, I was scared that I wasn't gonna be able to talk you through this."

"Oh."

There was another pause before Cue lit up with an idea that she thought was kind of funny, "But you wanna know something Mommy?"

Amused she answered, "What?"

"By the way you were talking to Gem's Mom, I think she was even scareder!"

Rainbow had to laugh, because even she felt that this was true, "Because nopony messes with your Mom! C'mere you!"

She then began noogying her Cue escaped her headlock and jumped onto Rainbow's stomach. Rainbow then lifted her off and tossed her in the air and caught her again, she was then laid back down beside her as Rainbow began stroking Cue's mane.

Before Cue fell asleep, she said, "Goodnight Mommy...I love you."

"I love you too."

And with that Cue fell asleep.