Morning in Ponyville was quickly losing the charm that Bruce had experienced the day before. Maybe he was just seeing things without rose tinted glasses. Maybe it was learning that his new father is slightly more corrupt than Bruce had ever expected. Maybe it was waking up a third time without getting any solid rest. But whatever the cause, none of that changed the fact that Bruce had school today.
Wanting to put his best hoof forward, Bruce decided to see if his new sister needed help getting ready. Bruce dragged his tired hide out of the bed and onto the ground. Out the door and to the next, then he knocked to wake her from sweet rest. "Diamond, are you up yet? I was hoping we could walk together to school today, cause I don't know how to get there." Bruce said as he softly clopped his hoof on the door.
He kept on doing so, despite not getting a reply, "Come on... sister." Bruce didn't notice that Diamond was standing behind him, wrapped up in her bed sheet.
"What are doing trying to get into my room? Were you planning on stealing my jewelry when I was gone?" Diamond said, pushing Bruce aside.
"No I wasn't doing anything, I just wanted to see if you would walk me to school today!" Bruce hurriedly defended himself.
Diamond rolled her eyes, "I know what you were doing, I need to brush my mane then I’ll walk you to school. But only this once!" She quickly opened her door ducked inside and then slammed it behind her. The sheet she had wrapped around her got caught and Bruce could hear her get tripped. After some muffled Cloudsdale curses and several minutes of intense mane brushing Diamond emerged once more, she also had on her namesake piece of jewelry.
"Wow Diamond, you look great!" Bruce said with all sincerity, his sister truly was pretty, it's a shame she didn't have a personality to match.
"As if I need a street rat like you to tell me I’m pretty." She walked past Bruce and gave him a rude flick of the tail, Diamond wasn't sure why she did this. 'It must be force of habit,' she thought to herself. "Well come on, we gotta get going. Ms. Cheerilee doesn't like it when were late."
Down the stairs they went and almost out the door before Randolph stopped them, "Young master, mistress I insist you eat something before you leave."
Both siblings shared the same verbal sentiment, "Aww, but we gotta go!" When Diamond saw how almost twin like they were acting she sidestepped away from Bruce.
"I was expecting such a response, so I took the liberty of crafting you a 'bag lunch', I believe that is what they are called." He held out two brown paper sacks, full of sustenance.
"Thank you Randolph!" said Bruce, grabbing the bag with his teeth.
"Thanks," Diamond said under her breath, also grabbing her bag.
The two hurriedly ran out the door and into the street, off to the school house. All the way, any time Bruce would start drifting closer to Diamond she would move farther away, and after a while of this Bruce finally brought it up. "What gives? Why can't I walk next to you?"
"I don't want anypony thinking I’m with a loser like you! And for that matter once we get to the school make sure you sit as far away from me as you can. I have a reputation there I’d like to uphold." said Diamond, her tone beyond insulting.
"Fine! I don't want to sit next to a stuck up mule like you anyway!" Bruce replied angrily.
Bruce had been blissfully unaware of just what a big insult he had just given. Again, being from another world, how could he know that was akin to insinuating somepony was the worst kind of ugly? Diamond rightly gave him a kick to the ribs, "Jackass!" She felt a bit of catharsis from that. She then turned and said, "No offence," to a donkey who happened to be standing on the road side.
"None taken," said the mellow donkey.
Bruce rubbed his sore ribs all the way to the school, making sure to give Diamond her space. And soon enough they were there, the Ponyville Schoolhouse. It seemed the town really loved the red barn motif since the building greatly resembled one, but with some additions.
There was the obvious school bell on top, as well as a nice covered porch.
"I'll go in first, I don't want to be seen entering with you." said Diamond.
Bruce was about to say something similar to his earlier remark, but his aching side warned him against it. He waited a few seconds after Diamond entered before he did so himself. Once he did so however he instantly regretted it, it was one thing meeting one or two well-adjusted adults, but this was a different beast all together. In neat rows were sitting roughly two dozen unruly foals all noisily chatting with each other.
At the front of the class was the teacher, she was writing out something on the chalkboard. Once she noticed Bruce she happily knelt down to him and said, "Hello there, you must be my new student. We just added a new desk just for you, so sit anywhere you like." Looking around he saw that Diamond had taken her seat in the front rows, right next to another filly she was talking to.
Heeding her command, Bruce searched for a seat in the rear of the classroom and he even found two open, that way he could be in the corner and not surrounded. The bell rang and every student stopped their incessant chattering, the teacher moved behind her desk and opened up her planner.
"Good morning my little ponies!" said the Teacher.
"Good morning Ms. Cheerilee!" Chimed back all her students, 'My little ponies?' thought Bruce, even in a land populated by talking horses that seemed forced. 'Well at least they don't do that annoying thing with new students where they make you-'
"We have a new student Today class, I'd like you all to meet Bruce Wayne! Bruce please stand up and introduce yourself," said Ms. Cheerilee.
Bruce's almost incognito entrance was ruined, now all eyes were on Bruce in his lonely corner. "Um, hello. It's good to meet you all." With that said Bruce sank back into his chair and all the students turned their attention back to their teacher. All except for the fillies sitting next to each other in the next row, in an undertone they were all excitedly talking with each other.
"Should we ask him?" "He is a blank flank." "But we've never had any colt members in the club before." "How do you talk to colts?" "My sister knows how to, she can get them to do pretty much anything." "Maybe we could get Rarity to teach us after school." "No after school is too late, we don't even know where he lives." "You're right, lets just wing it, after all what could go wrong?" "Right? The worst he could do is say no."
Bruce was desperately trying to pay attention to what Ms. Cheerilee was saying, which was already hard since his small size made it hard to see over the heads of his class mates. This problem was compounded by the jabbering of the three fillies in front of him. He could just make out what the lesson was, Cutie Mark 101, 'Finally I can get some real answers!' Bruce thought.
One of the fillies, the unicorn in their little group, turned around to face Bruce, "*Psst* Hey, *Psssst* Um, we were wondering if you wanted to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders?"
Then the Pegasus turned around, "You know, since you're a blank flank." she put bluntly.
Lastly the earth pony turned around, "That's what the Crusaders are all about."
With the three right in his face he could no longer see the chalk board and the sought after knowledge. The minor commotion caught the attention of Diamond's companion, "Hey look Diamond, the cutie mark 'lamesaders' are so desperate they'll take the first blank flank they find. You gonna join their stupid club, you wanna wear a stupid cape like them?"
While the idea of a cape sounded nice, right now Bruce just wanted to focus on learning. But it was quickly becoming apparent that would not be happening anytime soon. "Don't worry Bruce we've been dealing with these bullies for a long time." said the Pegasus, "Yeah well once Bruce joins were all going to get supper awesome cutie marks together!"
"Yeah! And there gonna be ten times better than your stupid spoon, what kind of destiny is a spoon anyway?" jeered the unicorn.
Ms. Cheerilee was trying unsuccessfully to regain her class' attention, "Students eyes on me please. Little ponies?" None of them paid attention. Both sides, the Crusaders and Silver Spoon kept on shouting at each other, Bruce was getting overwhelmed laying his head on his desk waiting for this to end.
Salvation came for Bruce in an unexpected form, "Would you all just shut the B*#@ up and leave my brother alone!?!" Everypony in the small schoolhouse went silent, most from the foul language but the Crusaders, Silver Spoon and Bruce from the revelation.
"Diamond Tiara! I don't know what your father lets you get away with at home. But in my school house Nopony uses that kind of sailor talk. Take your chair outside and sit where I can see you." Ms. Cheerilee was dead serious, Diamond was about to raise an objection to the effect of 'But I was only-' Ms. Cheerilee wouldn't hear any of it and sent her outside.
As Diamond carried her chair outside, Silver Spoon asked,"Ms. Cheerilee can I go and sit with-"
"No, it's not punishment if your off talking with your friends, now I want everypony to get back to work and stay focused this time. The next pony I see with their back turned is staying after class." Ms. Cheerilee then went back to the lesson.
The Crusaders went back to their hushed meeting between themselves. "Diamond Tiara has a brother?" "Well that rules him out as a crusader." "Why's that?" "He's on the dark side." "Well cousin Babs was on the dark side too." "Yeah but she was just doing that cause she was tired of getting bullied. He's like, a dark side master." "Come on girls aren't you prejudging him? He hasn't even said or done anything to us." "I don't care, I don't want anypony related to Diamond Tiara in our clubhouse. Remember how long it took to undo all the changes the 'Sugar Lump Rumps' made?" They all shuddered simultaneously, "Right then he's out."
With that the Crusaders all got back to their own work, and in a stunning turn of events Bruce could actually see and pay attention to the chalk board. The information he was learning was thrilling. The current scientific understanding of cutie marks was, when a foal comes to an understanding of what their place in life is, a mark either literally or figuratively representing that destiny appears on the ponies flank. The prospect was interesting to say the least.
Bruce was left wondering what his mark would be, something businesses related? Something meaning his loss of his family and gaining his new one. His mind buzzed with cutie mark designs as he completed the work sheet, finishing his before any of the class. "Ms. Cheerilee, I finished my work. What should I do?"
Cheerilee was surprised, "Really? Bring it up so I can see it." Bruce did so, and Cheerilee looked it over. "Well now, you did a very good job, and on your first day too! Since your all done I'll let you take your recess and eat your lunch early." Ms. Cheerilee patted Bruce on the head and sent him off.
With the paper sack in mouth Bruce left the school house and out into the playground. He was about to dig in when he caught sight of Diamond, sitting grumpily on her chair. It was because of her Bruce's day hadn't turned out completely miserable so it was only right to thank her. "Hi Diamond, I just wanted to say-"
"Shut up, just shut up. be Because of you I got in trouble, everypony thinks I’m a dweeb and I can't even eat my lunch cause it's in my desk." Diamond said, she then slumped down in the chair. "You need to grow a backbone Bruce, don't make me have to stand up for you, I don't like it."
Fine then backbone time, "I wanted to say thank you Diamond, for standing up for me. Thank you for calling me your brother, you don't know what that means to me." Bruce's eyes were starting to water, "I'm sorry you got in trouble because of me."
Now Diamond's eyes were starting to moisten as well, "I'm sorry I've been a huge jerk to you, it's just everything happened so fast. I came home one day and suddenly daddy's brought in some stranger and treating him like family. I think I felt like I was going to be replaced."
Bruce didn't dare bring up the conversation he and his father had on the scaffolding last night, but he totally understood what she meant. "Do you think we should start over?"
"Okay, then." Diamond said as she wiped a tear from her eye. "Well you gotta start, I'm not the one introducing myself."
"Oh right, hello my name's Bruce Wayne. I'm your brother."
"That still sounds stupid," Diamond said as she pulled Bruce into a hug. Their moment of sibling affection was interrupted by Diamonds rumbling stomach. "Urgh, too bad I can't just walk inside and grab my lunch real quick. I'm starving!"
"How about you take mine?" suggested Bruce.
"You'd really do that?" asked Diamond.
Bruce opened up the sack searching its contents, "Sure why not, and if I get hungry I can always raid your desk for yours." Bruce found a tasty looking peanut butter sandwich and gave it to his sister.
She immediately devoured it, "*OOgh* Scho ghood!" Diamond said with her mouth full. Just then the bell rang and class was dismissed, all the foals poured out onto the playground taking the equipment by storm. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had the swing sets watching their foes with caution.
Silver Spoon came out as well and sat down next to Diamond and Bruce, "Sorry I was making fun of you Bruce, It's kind of our thing. But I totally wouldn't have done that if I knew Diamond Tiara was your sister!" Silver assured him. "So like, when did you get a brother Di? And why didn't you tell me he was so cute."
Diamond gave a violent spit-take of the milk she was using to wash down the sandwich, "You think he's cute!?"
"Yeah, he's got a certain air of mystery about him." She blew a little kiss at Bruce and winked.
Bruce didn't know how to feel, he'd never been called cute before by anyone other than his mother. He felt his cheeks turning red, "Well-I-I-I-I-"
"Got ya didn't I!" Silver Spoon said with a laugh.
"Yeah you got me, pretty good there." He started laughing too, which in turn started the whole group laughing. They all ended up spending the rest of their recess together. And when Diamond and Bruce were walking home side by side, the teacher's note describing Diamond's bad behavior didn't bother them at all. It was more like a testament of their coming together as siblings than anything else.