Two Weeks Later…
Shield was staring blankly at the ceiling with his hooves under his head. School would begin in another three hours, but it was still too early to get out of bed. The stallion’s sleep schedule had yet to change to ‘Civilian’ time. He still went to bed at zero hundred hours and awoke at four. Frankly he was glad he had such an extreme schedule, it made avoiding Prism and Firefly much easier.
Ever since Rainbow Dash had told Shield’s adoptive parents of his return, there had been no end to the constant pestering and prodding. They’d asked every annoying, pointless question in the book. Then chastised him for not telling them he was back, then apologized and hugged him. Shield didn’t give a damn for the most part. They’d never really shown interest in him as a foal, always instead doting on Rainbow Dash. What saved his sister from sharing in the hatred was that she had shown some actual interest. Mainly due to him baby sitting while their parents went about their busy social schedules.
The stallion could hear his parents downstairs, talking in low voices. It was obvious they didn’t want to wake anyone, or perhaps they didn’t want to be overheard. Shield had trouble differentiating their scheming voices from their considerate ones. He could make out a few garbled words, most of which meant nothing to him. So he continued to stare at the ceiling. His mind wandered to the latest ‘Breaking News’ that had been in the newspaper for the past few weeks. Several guards murdered in Canterlot by some unknown assailant, most likely a Stalliongradi.
For two days school had been cancelled because they feared the ‘mad pony’ would come to Ponyville and do the same as he’d done to the guards. This had lead to two days of pestering and questioning, much to Shields ever growing displeasure. He was actually glad to be back with the foals of Ponyville, even the hell spawns known as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Though, he felt Silver Spoon could redeem herself if she stopped hanging out with Diamond.
Shield sighed and rolled over in bed, pulling the covers up a bit and groaning as his back popped. His thoughts drifted back to his students, Scootaloo had taken to hanging out with him after school. Most likely because of his connection to Rainbow Dash. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had done so by proxy, and he’d ended up supervising seventeen different attempts to get their cutiemarks. He’d successfully talked them out of ‘Pony Cannonball’ cutiemarks, as well as ‘Fire Swallowing’ cutiemarks.
“Celestia damn it, Prism!” The voice of his mother echoed through the house, a groan left Shield’s muzzle and he put a pillow over his head. “Not in the kitchen… Prism stop it!” The marine decided that now was a good time to wake up, hopefully it would stop his adoptive parents from ruining the downstairs. Again.
Shield rolled his shoulders and grabbed his eye patch from his bedside table, he trotted to the door and across the hall into the bathroom. The stallion stared at himself in the mirror for a moment, the place where his eye had been was still as grizzly looking as it had been the day before.
“Maybe I should look into a glass one…” He muttered to himself as he dry shaved his face, when he was finished he splashed some water into his mane and combed it straight. “Should get a manecut while I’m at it, starting to look like a hippy.” With that he slipped his eye patch on and exited the bathroom, the giggles from downstairs told him they hadn’t gotten to far. Shield made a point of stepping on every squeaky step and moving to the kitchen without looking at either of his adoptive parents.
“O-Oh! Shield, sorry did we wake you?” Firefly asked, the pink and blue mare brushing her mane out of her eyes and composing herself.
“No.” Shield said flatly. “I was already up, just didn’t feel like cleaning the kitchen again.” Prism and Firefly looked sullenly and lowered their heads. Shield ignored them and began making his lunch, a simple sandwich with a thermos filled with coffee. “I’ve got a few papers to grade today, I may as well go in early.”
“Son-”
“Stow it.” Were the harsh words that cut off his father. “You go ahead and wait around here, you go ahead and tell me ‘you’re sorry’, don’t expect me to listen. I’m just a charity case to you.” The marine packed his saddlebags and placed his utility cap on his head. Before his adoptive parents could say anything, the stallion had left and closed the door. Shield took to the air, quickly scanning for his friendly neighborhood cloud. It had been following him consistently for the past two weeks, its pattern had never changed in the slightest.
Shield let out a groan and continued on his way to the town, the wind was strong enough to let him glide in the sky. The marine looked down at the town and spotted the newest members of Princess Twilight’s guard. They were marching up and down the street, most likely to ensure to the citizens that there was nothing to fear. Shield shook his head and angled himself towards the school, he enjoyed the feeling of the cold air on his face as he descended.
With just as much grace as a Marine could muster he landed on the school steps and entered the building. The sun was just starting to rise past the horizon, giving him just enough light to get to his darkened classroom. The stallion pushed open the door with surprising ease and began making his way to his desk. He set his bags down and placed his cap on the desk. Something about the desk caught his eye, he’d made sure to clear all papers from the top before he left the day before. Now there were several pages out in place.
“Hmm…” Shield looked at the papers and scowled, they were answer keys to the final exam which was coming up with the approach of summer. “I guess I’ll just have to make a new one. There goes my saturday.” Shield put the papers down and sat in his chair. “First, I need a nap.” Rather than fall asleep, he kept his eye on the room.
“Come on Snips…” A soft voice said after several minutes, it was muffled by the door of the supply closet in the corner of the room. Shield turned towards it with an even deeper scowl. The door swung open slowly and a tiara wearing filly poked her head out. “Don’t be so slow, this is why I don’t hang out with losers like you.” She was followed by Snips and his friend Snails, two colts that Shield believed should be in a different, more specialized class. Easily manipulated, often made scapegoats. Not this time.
Shield coughed loudly and turned on his desk lamp. Diamond Tiara looked at him with wide eyes, her mouth moved as she tried to think of an excuse.The marine said nothing and simply gestured to the desks closest to his desk. The filly sighed and took a seat, Snips and Snails followed after her and took their seats. One of them looked close to a break down.
“Snips. Snails.” Shield said neutrally, they struggled to look at him. “Look at me, please.” After a few minutes they’d managed to build the courage to look the teacher in the eye. “Before I lay down any punishments, I want you two to be honest with me. Were you coerced into doing this?”
“What does coerced mean?” Asked Snips in his scratchy voice.
“Were you talked into coming here?” At that, the two colts nodded swiftly. “What were you promised if you came here?”
“D-Diamond Tiara said she wouldn’t be mean to us for a whole week.” Snails said, Shield could see he was at his breaking point. The stuttering and the sweating were a sure give away.
“Okay. Here’s what’s going to happen. You two will report back here after school, with your parents. We are going to have a talk, after which time they will be the ones to punish you.” The marine’s glare softened a bit. “Now, I want you to go home, I want you to tell you parents and if they can’t come tell them to send you with a letter. Are we clear on that?”
“Y-Yes, sir.” The replied.
“Good, now run along. I expect you here on time today.” They quickly scrambled out of the chairs and rushed out the door, Diamond Tiara was trying to follow them but was cut off when Shield closed the door and bolted it shut. “We’re not done, Miss Tiara. Not even close. Sit down.” The filly shuddered and sat in her seat again.
“Stupid… Dumb…” The grumbled under her breath, Shield ignored it.
“Miss Tiara, I cannot begin to say how angry I am today.” Shield began as he sat behind his desk again. “I have seen many bad things in my time, but this baffles me.” The stallion paused, letting her digest his words. “You promised them that if they helped you, you’d be nice to them for a week. That is by far the sickest, cruelest thing I think I’ve witnessed a filly do in my life.”
“I just wanted to pass the test.”
“And you’re willing to let two colts that you constantly torment take the fall for you!” Shield shouted, his anger boiling over. “I have tried sending letters home, I have tried making appointments with you parents, I’ve detained you, I’ve even had to send you home! I have done all of this to try and save you, because I thought that you could get your act together!” Shield let out a sigh and rubbed his temples.
“Well, you can’t do anything to me now!” Diamond Tiara shouted, putting up a wall of false bravado.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Shield said, immediately the fillies demeanor shattered. “Diamond Tiara, you have pushed me to this point. Breaking into my classroom is the last straw. I am going to drill the mean out of you.” Shield said intensely. “You will not laugh, you will not cry, there will be no mercy. Under the law I am allowed to carry out these acts, so daddy isn’t going to save you.” Diamond Tiara shivered. “Now get outside! Move it!” The filly couldn’t move fast enough, Shield grabbed his cap from his desk and put it on. “We’re taking class outside today.”
[♠]
Cheerilee had seen a lot of things in her career as a teacher, an irate, one eyed, Marine Staff Sergeant was not one of them. It was very much like a carriage crash, she knew she should look away but the scene was far too fascinating. As she was trotting towards the school, she had heard his voice echoing through the town. Now she saw exactly what he was yelling about. Diamond Tiara was absolutely filthy, her mane was disheveled and twigs were caught within it.
“Come on, Private Twinkles! Is that the best you can do!? MY GRANDMOTHER DOES BETTER THAN THAT!” Shield screamed at the filly, she was doing push ups in the mud and it was obvious she wasn’t happy. “COME ON! COUNT LOUDER! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”
“Thirty seven… Thirty eight… Thirty nine…” Diamond Tiara said louder, Cheerilee trotted up to the two of them with a concerned look on her face. Diamond Tiara looked hopeful and stopped the exercise.
“Keep going or we start again!” Shield shouted, the filly went back to the push ups without question. The marine turned to Cheerilee with a stone faced expression.
“What are you doing?” The mare asked, looking at Diamond Tiara.
“She busted into my classroom with the intention of stealing grading keys. I have seen fit to carry out the Corporal Clause in Equestrian law.” Shield answered strackly, Cheerilee thought back to when she had become a teacher. The Corporal Clause was an obscure line of law that gave a teacher the right to punish a problem student however they saw fit. So long as they didn’t inflict bodily harm. “I have caused no harm to her.”
“I don’t like it, Shield.” Cheerilee said, watching the filly. “But, perhaps this is the only way we’ll get the message through.” Shield nodded. “Just let her have some water if she gets thirsty…”
“I’m not a monster, ma’am. I have no intention of letting her get hurt.” He stated, Cheerilee sighed and left to prepare her classroom.
“I’m… I’m done, Staff Sergeant.” Diamond Tiara said, weakly standing at attention. She’d completed her pushups and was waiting for orders. The system was working.
“Outstanding, you managed to do something right!” Shield bellowed. “Grab some water and take no more than a five minute break. Every minute you’re late is five pushups! Now go!” Diamond Tiara nodded and rushed off to find a drinking fountain. Shield looked towards the sky and spotted his ever present cloud buddy. Whoever it was, they certainly must have had too much time on their hooves.
The minutes ticked by and Diamond Tiara rushed to get back on time. The filly had never been subjected to such trials before, but she knew one thing. She was actually starting to like them. Not so much the yelling, but the burning muscles. It gave her something to focus on, aside from being ‘mean’. Still she feared what her teacher had planned next.
“Very good, you didn’t keep me waiting!” Shield stated, looking her up and down. “Now, run around the school ten times!” Diamond Tiara was going to complain, but that would lead to more push ups. As much as she was starting to enjoy the exercise, she wasn’t ready to go through fifty push ups again. The filly took off running, hoping that the end was within sight. Cheerilee watched from her window as it happened, she’d never seen Diamond Tiara so compliant before. Perhaps the Corporal Clause wasn’t such a bad thing.
[♠]
Diamond Tiara finished her first day of punishment just as the other students were arriving at the school. Shield kept a strict eye on her as she approached the CMC, to his surprise and pleasure, she waved at them and smiled. The CMC were confused by the change in behavior, but hesitantly waved back nonetheless. School began as it often did, roll was called and the class began.