"Thank you for coming in to speak to me. I'm glad to have your son in my class," Diana said with a kind smile and a wave. The parents that she had been speaking with smiled back as well before standing up to leave, giving Diana a moment to glance down at her list to see who was next.
'Well this should be fun,' Athena said from the perch on Diana's desk. 'Rainbow Dash's father is next. Think he'll agree with the decision you made to take Dash off of the team?'
"Whether he agrees or not matters little to me," Diana replied in a bored tone as she gazed out the window, staring up at the black clouds that rumbled overhead. "Odd, I didn't expect it to rain today."
'This world is weird, Diana. Why wouldn't the weather be as well?' Athena figured. 'Eyes forward, he's here.' Diana did as the goddess suggested as the man entered into the room. Diana and Athena immediately deduced his relation to Dash, since his hair was the same rainbow color as hers.
"Greetings, Mr. Dash. It is a pleasure to meet you," Diana said while she extended her hand. The parent shook her hand, but his expression was less than thrilled when he sat down in the chair in front of Diana's desk. "It is clear that you are not happy with something. Please feel free to speak freely before me."
"Alright. I've only got one question for you. Why did you take my daughter, the star athlete, off of her team?" Mr. Dash asked Diana. Diana had to fight to keep from rolling her eyes and instead put on a smile filled with warmth. She reached down into a side drawer and pulled out Rainbow Dash's grades, placing them before her father and pushing the grades over to him.
"I pulled your daughter from the team because it seems that she cares absolutely nothing for her schoolwork," Diana cooly replied. Dash's father took the list and glanced down at it, though Diana found it interesting that he wore an expression of amusement on his face.
"So schoolwork isn't her strong suit. That's fine, since I fully expect her to get into college on a sports scholarship, not grades," Mr. Dash said as he tossed the grades back to Diana. "But the schools won't be looking at her if she isn't on the field. So I would greatly appreciate it if you would allow her to play."
'And I thought gods were a pain.'
"I can see where you are coming from, and I have no doubt that Rainbow Dash will have no issues getting a scholarship based off of her athletic abilities," Diana began as she took back the grades. "But what if she doesn't? What if those schools that you are so certain will love her don't like her athletic abilities? What then?"
Neither Diana nor Athena were expecting Dash to throw back his head and laugh, but that was exactly what he did. "Diana, can I call you Diana? Every generation of my family for as far back as there have been awards for athletics has received one. My father did, his father did and my sister did along with me. I have no doubt that my own daughter will keep the trend going."
"I see. This is about more than just her," Diana muttered under her breath. "Very well, now that I know where you're coming from, I can give you my answer. And it is still no." Mr. Dash's face fell as the words left Diana mouth, leaving the man dumbstruck while Diana continued. "If Dash wishes to play with her team, then she will need to get her grades up. While you may not see knowledge as important, I do. And as her teacher, it is my call."
Diana watched with mild interest as Mr. Dash's eyes narrowed and a look of calm rage slowly spread across his features. Meanwhile Diana's eyes remained unconcerned with his growing frustration and glanced down at the list she had on her desk instead.
"If you have anything else you'd like to discuss, please do it now. If not, the next family has arrived and I would prefer to see as many of them as I could today." Diana glanced up to see her flippant tone had infuriated Dash even further and he rose while struggling to control his emotions.
"You may think you are doing what is best for my daughter, but I assure you that you are making a grave mistake," Mr. Dash promised her. "One that I will rectify myself, even if it means going to the principals. But make no mistake Diana, I will fight you on this until my daughter is back on her team."
"Yes, you will fight. And you will lose. But you are welcome to try," Diana replied with a smile. Be it her cold tone or the lightning in her eyes, Mr. Dash decided that he didn't wish to speak anymore. He instead turned and left the room, stalking past the people that were waiting outside.
"Seems I've made a new enemy today," Diana muttered as she pulled out the papers for the next student.
'Please, an enemy is a person that may become a threat to you. I'd say that instead you've found a minor annoyance,' Athena corrected. Diana smirked at the statement before glancing up at the next family that was sitting down before her.
"Thank you for coming today, Mrs. Granny Smith," Diana greeted the old lady, who nodded with a smile. "And thank you for coming as I requested, Applebloom."
"Why am ah here again?"
"Because I have a question for you and your granny," Diana explained before looking at Granny Smith. "What the heck is an eleven year old doing enrolled in high school?"
=wWw=
Outside of the room where Diana was speaking with the parents of her students, sat a single figure. She held a pair of binoculars and watched what Diana was doing with great interest. But as soon as she saw Granny Smith and Applebloom enter the room, a large smile spread across her face.
"So, not all of the Elements are in the school right now, are they?" the figure asked herself before chuckling and putting the binoculars away. She then lifted her hand, glancing down at her palm where the image of a helmet that phased in and out of reality appeared. "That means that at least one of them isn't under your protection right now."
Agatha leapt out of the tree she had been hiding in and raced across the road away from the school. She came to a stop next to an empty building before glancing around to make sure no one was watching her. She then pressed her index finger to the image and muttered a few words. The image of the helmet began to change until it was that of a mirror, a mirror that held a pair of red eyes that stared up at Agatha.
"So you have finally contacted me again. I assume that you have news for me that is important?" a voice that was as cold as the dead spoke from within the mirror.
"Yup. I've been scoping out the school and right now one of the Elements that you've been after isn't close to Diana," Agatha informed the Lord of the Dead. "And Diana is far too distracted with the parents to notice whatever creature you send to this land. So if you want her power, now would be the time to strike."
Hades went silent for nearly a minute as he pondered over what he was being told. All the while, Agatha stood there silently with baited breath, hoping that her news would have impressed her boss enough to earn his approval. "...This information is indeed valuable, but sadly I will not be able to act upon it."
"But...why not?" Agatha asked as her hopes started to falter.
"Diana has shown in the past that her senses are far too sharp to be caught off guard. It was mere moments after I sent Grundy to your world that she was there to battle him. If I sent any creature to your world, then she would sense either it or my magic." Agatha bit down on her nails, trying to think of a way to salvage her information while also impressing Hades at the same time.
"But what if you didn't send a creature?" she blurted out. The red eyes of Hades gave her a questioning gaze, daring her to continue on. "What if you had someone or thing here that could get the Element for you? Even if Diana felt your magic to draw the Element there, it would be too late and you would have one. Then you could barter for the rest!"
Hades went silent again for a long time once more, leaving Agatha to fear that she had messed up big. "Why are you so keen on helping me, mortal child? You are clearly intelligent, so you must know that you are helping the Lord of the Dead?"
"Because I was told that I need to accept my potential if I am to finally be strong," Agatha admitted. "And if there was any being in all of the worlds that could help me to unlock that potential, it's you, the Lord of the Dead--the most powerful of the gods."
"Very good answer, Agatha," Hades said with a menacing chuckle. "You said that I needed someone already in that world to gather the Element? And that you also want your full potential to be unlocked? Well then, why not kill two birds with one stone?"
Agatha was about to ask what Hades was talking about when the mirror changed into the image of a sword, a sword that plunged itself into Agatha's hand. Agatha yelped in pain when the sword bit down, sending tendrils of black energy through her veins.
"Hades! W-what's going on?" she asked as the tendrils of darkness wrapped themselves around her body.
"That is simple, Agatha. I am unlocking your true potential." The tendrils then begin to dissipate, allowing Agatha to look down at her body. Her arms were covered in a black armor that looked to be made of bones, and gazing down at the rest of her body revealed that she was wearing similar looking armor across her whole body. A red sword comprised entirely of bones appeared in the ground before her, beckoning her. She reached down and grabbed hold of the hilt, feeling power course through her veins as she pulled the blade free.
"This...power. It's incredible," she whispered while she turned the blade over in her hands, not noticing that her voice was different. "What is this?"
"Why, your true potential, of course," Hades' voice replied with a laugh. "If you wish to reclaim your mortal form, then simply place your hand on the blade in your skin and drawn it out. But I do not see why you would ever wish to give up this power."
"And I won't!" Agatha promised as she let out a laugh to the skies.
"Now then my dear, go and gather that Element of Harmony for me. I do not know how long this form will remain invisible to Diana or that infernal owl of hers," Hades demanded. Agatha nodded her head before letting out another cackle as she took to the skies, able to feel the draw of the Element off in the distance.
"Time to prove to my master why I was chosen! This is who I am!" she screamed with delight while rocketing across the sky towards the source of the magic. "And woe be to any who stand in my way or bullied me in the past! Because I will send you to meet my master!"
=wWw=
Thunder rumbled in the clouds as black as the night overhead, leaving the two girls that were sitting upon the bench to glance up at the sky to make sure that it wasn't raining.
"Not a very pretty afternoon, is it?" Applejack asked Sunset, who held out her hand to check for raindrops. "Ah swear the weather is getting crazier and crazier these days. Think it has anything to do with the Equestrian magic seeping into our world?"
"It could be any number of reasons, but I admit that I hadn't given Equestrian magic a thought," Sunset admitted before standing up. "We should probably find shelter in case it does decide to start raining." Applejack nodded in agreement and the two headed off towards wherever they could find shelter.
"Thanks fer coming to kill time with me today," Applejack said as the pair walked. "Today is a day that ah don't like to think about--parent teacher conference and all. Brings back painful memories. Better to spend it with a friend than thinking about the past."
"It's no problem. I'm just glad that I can help you," Sunset replied with a smile to AJ, who flashed her a grateful smile in return. "And to be honest, I don't like to think about today either."
"Makes ya think about yer parents?"
"Yeah. That and parent teacher conferences back in Equestria," Sunset sighed as her eyes glazed over slightly. "Back when I was Celestia's star pupil, my parents would love coming to those meetings and hearing about how I was the greatest student that Celestia had ever trained. Wonder what they think of me now...oh I'm sorry, I shouldn't be talking about my parents like this when your-"
"It's fine, Sunset." The two walked along in silence for a few minutes before Applejack glanced over at Sunset once more. "Ya know...ya could always ask yer parents what they think of you. All ya have to do is send a message to Princess Twilight and ask her to open to portal."
"No," Sunset replied in a tone that was cold.
"Why not? Ya have been here for so long, keeping yourself isolated from yer family and friends," AJ reminded her. "It's been a long time since all of that stuff happened, and ah'm sure that they would all love to see ya again."
"No. Not after what I did."
"Sunset, ah'm sure that they forgave ya for what ya did. We forgave you for the way you acted to us, and even Princess Twilight said that was certain that ya would be welcomed back in Equestria," Applejack said. "Just pay them a short visit. Ah bet yer parents miss ya. Ah know ah would miss my family."
'Maybe she's right,' Sunset thought when Applejack stopped talking. 'Maybe it has been long enough that I can...no, I can't go back. Not as the same failure that I was when I left. It would be too...' Sunset's train of thought came to a sudden stop when she heard a screeching sound. Both she and Applejack looked up just in time to see a skeletal monster diving down towards them.
"MOVE!" Sunset screamed as she hurled herself into Applejack, knocking the both of them out of the way as the creature crashed down where they had been standing.
"My, my, two of the Elements here? Truly I must be having a lucky day," the creature said as it pulled itself out of the crater it had made, eyes glowing red while it glared down at the two girls. It then pointed its crimson blade at them while slowly advancing closer. "Don't try to resist, girls. Because I've been wanting to try these powers out, and I would love nothing more than to use them on both of you."