//------------------------------//
// XII - Team Work 
// Story: Mare Magnet 
// by Revenant Wings 
//------------------------------//

	At lunch two days later, Rumble and Diamond Tiara left class and started making their way towards a large open space on the school playground.  Silver Spoon was walking alongside Diamond Tiara, but no one walked alongside Rumble and the two muttered multiple jokes and insults under their breath at him.  Rumble growled but kept silent and continued walking forward.
They found Miss Cheerilee standing next to two large wooden blocks and seemed to be looking around for someone.
“Go ahead and eat your lunch, you two,” Cheerilee said.  “We’re still waiting for the last piece.”
Rumble sat down quietly and pulled out his lunch bag.  Thunderlane had made him pack it last night as part of his ‘punishment’ but had helped him out along the way.
Cheerilee noticed Silver Spoon sitting there about to bring out her lunch with Diamond Tiara and frowned.  “Go away, Silver Spoon.  This doesn’t involve you, and these two are in detention.  Yes, that does include Diamond Tiara,” she added upon seeing the incredulous look on the filly’s face.
“Just go do something for right now,” Diamond Tiara said.  “I swear we’ll be done with this in no time.  I’ll meet you later.”
“If ‘later’ is after school, then yes.  If we finish early, you’re both going back inside and waiting out the rest of lunch in silence.”
Diamond Tiara was stunned into silence.
With fair reason, Rumble thought to himself.  She’d never really been punished by Miss Cheerilee before this and so it came as a shock that she could be that willing to stand up to her due to her status.
After a time, Big Macintosh came over balancing a long wooden plank on his back.  It was thick and rough as though it’d been recently cut from the tree.   With ease, the stallion carried it over to Miss Cheerilee and set it down as she directed it in between the two blocks so that the width was smaller than the space between the two.
“Thank you, Big Mac,” Cheerilee said.  “I hope that was from a dead tree and not a live one.”
“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh said.
“I’ll need you to come back in a little bit to pick these up if you don’t mind.  You can use them for firewood or something, right?”
“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh said again.
“Okay.  So... maybe come back in half an hour.”
Big Macintosh nodded and started walking off.
Cheerilee turned her attention to Rumble and Diamond Tiara.  “I’ll guide you through this first one, but afterwards you need to figure out how to do this.”
Cheerilee motioned her hoof towards the plank and blocks.  “The goal is simple: set the plank so that it rests on top of the blocks.  You’ll need to find a way to lift it and turn it so that it can rest evenly on the blocks.  And no moving the blocks.”
The two looked at the plank.  It was large and wide and almost immediately looked heavy to the touch.  Rumble began thinking about how they were going to lift it.
“You try first,” Diamond Tiara said quickly.
“What?  Afraid of getting a splinter in your hoof?” Rumble asked dryly.
“Uh, yeah.  You ever hear about the diseases you get from that thing?”
“That’s why we’re vaccinated,” Rumble said.  “So you don’t get them.  You’re never afraid of the woodchips in the playground giving you splinters.”
“They’re manufactured to be smooth!  Not like this rough piece of bark!”
“They also get worn away.  There’s bound to be some splinters in there.”
Diamond Tiara scoffed.  “Fine, Mr. Know-it-all.  You still need to do it first since you seem to know what you’re doing.”
Rumble gritted his teeth and went over to the plank.  He placed his front hooves at one end and heaved.  The plank budged a few inches off the ground but no more.  He heaved again but was unable to get it any higher.  He began buzzing his wings and lifted himself off the ground, trying to lift the plank with him, but the stress began to hurt and he soon set down the plank.
“Well, that wasn’t very effective, was it?” Diamond Tiara smirked.
“Well, what do you think the point of this exercise is!?” Rumble shouted.  “We’re supposed to work together.  Of course it’s not going to work if I’m doing it alone!”
“Rumble has a point,” Cheerilee interjected.  “Make use of your race’s abilities.  Pegasi are good flyers and are known for their balance, while Earth Ponies are known for their strength and sturdiness.  Use that to try and lift the plank.”
“My daddy never makes me work at anything like this at home!” Diamond Tiara whined.
“This is not home, and that’s why they call detention a ‘punishment’.” Rumble said evenly.
“Well, then, why don’t you help me out here!?”
“I’m the one doing all the work here?  Why don’t you come in here and lend me a hoof!?”
Diamond Tiara scoffed, but approached the plank.  Tentatively, she pulled out a hoof and began slowly stretching it to the plank.  As she approached it, her hoof began to shake and her whole body began to tremble.
“What are you expecting it to do?  Attack you!?”
“N-No!  I just... it’s so dirty...”
“Look, we don’t have all day.  Why don’t you just try picking up the thing?”
Diamond Tiara touched the plank and flinched.  Carefully, she opened up one eye and noticed she was okay.  She experimentally poked the plank a few times and ran a hoof down a short length of it.  Satisfied, she lifted a hoof under it and quite easily tilted the plank and made it sit up on its side, at which point she turned to Rumble with a grin that showed she was quite pleased with herself.
“I don’t see what the problem is,” Diamond Tiara said.  “I can’t believe you’re such a wimp.  You couldn’t even lift this thing up.”
“That’s because you’re an Earth pony.  Earth ponies are naturally stronger than pegasi.”
“Well, how about I show you how to do this task effectively and why I’m so much better than you?”
Rumble looked at the size of the plank.  Then he smirked.
“Go right ahead,” he said.
Diamond grinned evilly and heaved the plank above her with both hooves.
Almost immediately the grin vanished a she began wobbling and teetering under the weight and size of the plank.  Diamond gritted her teeth and Rumble could already see sweat forming on her forehead as she struggled to keep it in place.  Cheerilee and Rumble had to quickly dodge and fly out of the way as Diamond Tiara swung the plank wildly around trying to turn it, but she quickly lost balance and fell flat on her face.
Rumble gently landed next to Diamond Tiara.
“Go take a long walk off a short pier,” Diamond Tiara said through a mouthful of dirt.
Rumble waited until Diamond Tiara had pulled her face out of the dirt before speaking.  “Getting any ideas in that head of yours?”
“No...”
“I thought you knew what to do.  I thought you were better than me.”
“What?  You have an idea?”
“Yeah, but I’m gonna let you figure it out.”
“At least tell me the basics...!”
“Earth ponies are strong.  Pegasi are coordinated in the air.  We have a plank that’s too heavy for me to carry alone, but too wide and long for you to keep balance.”
Diamond Tiara thought about it for a minute.  Just when Rumble thought she wouldn’t get it, her face brightened and she grabbed Rumble with her hooves.
“I’ve got it!  I need to pick it up, then you can help me keep it balanced while it’s in the air!  Don’t you think it’s a great idea?”
“I’m the one who thought of it, smart one.”
“Oh, be quiet and help me move the plank.”
Diamond Tiara repositioned herself in the middle of the plank and Rumble positioned himself at one of the ends.  With an easy heave, Diamond lifted it into the air and Rumble grabbed and buzzed his wings to keep it aloft and steady.
“Tell me which way you want to go.”
“My left.”
“Fine.”
Diamond Tiara gently swung the plank around and Rumble easily pushed the plank around in a circle.  Diamond Tiara then easily set the plank down and rubbed her hooves together with a very pleased grin.
“Well, I think I did a good job,” she said.
“You both did a good job,” Cheerilee said.  “It was very smart to think of that plan.”
“I know, I thought it up all by myself.”
“However...”
“What?  I thought we were finished!”
“Well, you are for this time.  However, you argued so much that I think we need to spend some more time on these.”
“Are you kidding me?” Rumble said.  “Why do we have to do these stupid exercises?”
“Because this is part of the detention.”
“Yeah, but can’t we have traditional detention?  Be inside and not do anything?”
“Well... you could...”  Cheerilee pondered it.  “I’ve usually had this work in the past, though.”
“But really?  Doing this?  Are you kidding me?  This is... who even does this?”
“Alright.  You want traditional detention?”
“Yes!”
“Diamond Tiara...?”
“My father will be going into conniptions when he hears about what we have to do.”
“He agreed to it.  Remember the letter?”
“You’ve...  gimme the regular detention!”
Cheerilee sighed.  “Alright.  But you’re both still serving the detention.”

*	*	*

Oh dear Celestia, please let this end...
Rumble had been sitting for five minutes.  Neither he nor Diamond Tiara had been allowed to talk, work on their homework, or read.  They just sat there while Cheerilee graded papers again.  Two days ago, Rumble wanted the exercises.  Yesterday, Rumble wanted to sit in the classroom.  And now... how  quickly he wanted to be doing the exercises!
Diamond Tiara had it quicker than he did.  “Alright.  This is absolutely boring!  Can’t you make us do something?”
Cheerilee looked up from her papers.  “I can’t exactly prepare an exercise that quickly, but I can call over our janitor and make you clean desks.  There are sixteen here.  You both have to wash eight.  That work for you?”
“Yes!” Rumble and Diamond Tiara both shouted.
“Alright.”
A few minutes later, a pony came in with a bucket of water, some soap, two rags, and two large towels.  Diamond Tiara and Rumble both grabbed a rag and set to work on opposite sides of the classroom.
“Wash the tops of the desk and the seats,” Cheerilee said.  “Then dry them with the towels.  I will be inspecting your work if done, and if you don’t do it well, you have to do them all over again.”
Rumble and Diamond Tiara both grumbled.
It was harder work than Rumble thought.  There was the fact that he had to bend over for the seats and stretch his hoof across for the desk.  Then there was the fact that some of the desks had so much stuff on them.  Apple Bloom’s tracked dirt and apple juice all over.  Truffle Shuffle’s always had some sticky, sweet stuff on it.  Archer’s had eraser shavings all over it.
A knock came at the schoolhouse door.  Caramel, serving as lunch supervisor, was at the door.  Cheerilee ended up leaving the building, leaving the door open.
“You’re still working on it?”
Rumble looked over.  Diamond Tiara was seemingly already done, the eight desks on her side looking sparkling.
“You... what?”
“Yeah.   You’ve been taking your time doing all of it.”  Diamond Tiara’s voice was low, as though trying to make sure Cheerilee didn't hear her.
“You know Cheerilee is going to inspect all of them when we’re done.  Which means if she finds something you did wrong, you’re going to have to do them.”
“Nope.  We have to do it.  So you know what?  You’re going to do them for me.”
“Oh, no.  You wash it, you own up to it.”
Rumble continued and said nothing more as Cheerilee came back inside.  He finished his fourth a little while later and continued working.  At five minutes until lunch was over, he dried off the last desk and looked over to Cheerilee.
“Miss Cheerilee?” he asked.  “I think we’re done.”
Cheerilee looked over to the clock and pondered it for a bit.  “Yeah, that was probably long enough.  So, did each of you take a side?”
The two nodded.
Cheerilee came walking through and inspected each desk and chair.  She started on Rumble’s side, looking at each one carefully.  Rumble found himself sweating and gulping as she closely inspected each, sometimes tracing a hoof across it.
“Rumble... the eight you did look clean enough.”
Rumble breathed a huge sigh of relief as Cheerilee went over to Diamond Tiara’s side, the pink mare proudly looking over it.  But Cheerilee soon stopped beside a desk and traced a hoof over it... leaving a much cleaner mark than the rest of the desk.
“Diamond Tiara... you forgot to dry this one.”
Diamond Tiara looked at Cheerilee in shock.
“And this one... and this seat... and this seat doesn’t even look washed at all.”
“But I did what you said!”
“Are you sure you didn’t just lightly dampen the rag, barely touch the seat, and barely touch the dry towel over it?”
“Look, I did what you asked!  And this is ridiculous; these are servant’s tasks that you’re making us do!  Isn’t there something that says you can’t?”
“Actually, there’s something that says I can.  I can’t do it permanently, and I can’t do it where you’re overworked.  But something as simple as cleaning desks and tables is fine.  It’s not asking much, and you’re failing to even do an assigned portion.”
“Well, what does making me do work like this have to do with my punishment?”
“Because you need to learn you can’t lord your status over us all the time!” Rumble shouted.  “Do you not get it?”
“It’s not like you’re in any better a position,” Diamond Tiara said.
“He’s got a point,” Cheerilee said.  “You’re going to have trouble later on if you can’t learn to treat others as equals and not just as servants to your whim.”
The three sat in silence.
“I have one more exercise in mind,” Cheerilee said.  “But not tomorrow.  Once you do that, your punishment is done.  For now, Diamond Tiara, finish cleaning these desks.  Rumble, head out with Caramel for P.E.”
Diamond Tiara groaned as she went back to the bucket, and Rumble walked silently but thankfully out of the schoolhouse.