Scars To Her Beautiful

by flutterJackdash

Chapter 18 - Election Speech

Diamond Tiara was surprised to find herself numb a few minutes before stepping onto the stage, especially considering the fact that her emotions were a whirling turbulence not long ago. Why, it couldn’t have been less than ten minutes ago when she had numerous professional makeup artists who were probably being paid thousands of bits to dress Diamond up like she was a movie star about to go on stage with a professional Talk-Show host.

Meanwhile, Cozy Glow probably dressed herself up as best she could with whatever makeup she had and the most professional outfit she had in her closet.

It really didn’t feel fair. Diamond had all this extra fanfare directed at her which she secretly loathed, and Cozy had to struggle all by herself. Genius or not, Diamond was probably going to win this by a landslide, all because of the advantages of her heritage.

Then again, Diamond didn’t really have a speech prepared. She had no idea what she was going to say. Because of that, she felt like she should be panicking more, but instead, she felt like she was facing an execution that was totally unavoidable, and because it was unavoidable, a strange sense of calm overcame her that stemmed from an inevitable sense of acceptance. If an outcome was impossible to fight, why bother caring anymore? Since caring would not make a shred of difference, it felt like a useless emotion in this case.

“Testing, testing. One-two-three,” Diamond heard Svengallop’s voice in her head again.

Oh, not this again, Diamond thought with an internal groan.

“Before you question your sanity again, there is something you should know,” Svengallop’s voice came up again. “I’ve implanted hidden sonic vibrational speakers in your earrings.”

Diamond’s eyes widened as she realized how this was happening.

“Don’t bother speaking back to me, either. The microphone and camera were hidden in the necklace you had yesterday, but we opted for a less tacky approach today,” Sven announced. “Now, I’m well aware that you don’t have any speeches prepared. Normally one would think that to be a massive oversight when preparing for a presidential election speech, but fortunately for you … you have a ringer on your side.”

Diamond rolled her eyes.

Oh, lucky me!

“So all you have to do is listen to me and say the lines I feed you verbatim. Do this, and you can’t lose!” Svengallop bragged.

Diamond sighed in depression.

Of course. Everything about me is rigged. Is that why I’m kind of feeling like cheering for the underdog?

“By the way, in case you have an inclination to assassinate your speech today, there is something I have here that I think you ought to be aware of. A little something I recorded yesterday.”

There was a short pause, followed by what was, apparently, and audio recording on playback.

“Diamond, I’d like your permission to use my magic on you,” Sunset requested in the audio playback.

“Excuse me?” Diamond asked.

“The last time I used my magic on you, you were barely conscious,” Sunset explained back then. “I wanted your permission even then, but you couldn’t provide it.

“Now, however, you’re fully awake and aware, so I’m asking for your permission to use my magic on you.”

Diamond’s eyes widened as her heart sank to the pit of her stomach.

“Interesting friends you got,” Svengallop said in a snide way. “I wonder what the police or the members of the School Board would think of something like this? As I understand it, CHS is already on some shaky ground because of its history with magic, and one of the members of the school faculty wields it on one of this school’s students without her permission? Used it while she was unconscious?” He gave a tsk-tsk sound, then followed it up with “Naughty, naughty, Missus Sunshine Shimmer. Mmm-mmm-mmm. This does not bode well for her reputation or that of this campus indeed.

“But, fear not, my dear lady. All is not lost yet. So far, very few know about this recording, and we can keep this between us. All you have to do, my dear, is put a serious effort into this election and do everything I say!”

Diamond closed her eyes and bowed her head.

Beep-boop-beep. Diamond Tiara unit online and awaiting instructions, Master!

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure we have an understanding,” Svengallop figured quite arrogantly. “Oh, by the way, I do have one bit of good news that might get you excited. If you manage to convince the others here and win this election, then I am authorized to inform you that there will be a reward for you and everyone at this campus. If you win, then I will schedule a private showing of Countess Coloratura to play in your quaint little one-horse, podunk town. Not only that, but your mother has also opted to front the bill to pay for everyone here at this campus to see this private show if she considers their votes to be favorable to her private interests.”

Diamond widened her eyes again, but this time excitedly. A private and paid showing of Countess Coloratura? That was good news!

“Great news, isn’t it?” Sven asked. “I’m sure all the rest of your peers will think so as well once you share the good news. Let’s just call this a little extra insurance policy, shall we?”

In other words, a bribe, Diamond realized. This really isn’t fair. Even I want to see that show! I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t. How the hell is Cozy supposed to compete with all of this?

“Now, get out there and light the stage with your radiating brilliance!” Svengallop encouraged. “Between our mutual understanding, bribe, professional pictures, stunning speech and brilliant advertisements, you’re sure to win this election by a landslide. All of this with the help of my ingenious management skills, of course!”

Diamond rolled her eyes sarcastically.

Of course.

“Now get on out there and knock them dead!” Svengallop remotely encouraged. “Do everything that I say, and we’ll have this one in the bag, Mrs. President. You can take that one to the bank. I know I certainly will!” he said, followed by a wicked snicker.

---

This election speech felt like a farce to Diamond Tiara. With all the bells and whistles attached to this election speech which so obviously favored one side, providing her speech felt like a mere formality. She was just an actress on a stage reading her force-fed lines. It felt ridiculous.

On second thought, she eventually realized it felt worse than that. She really did feel like a robot. She felt like some remote-controlled girl who had no true free will of her own, which was yet another symptom and curse that followed her throughout her entire life.

Everything about her life was about the trappings of wealth and the appearance of fulfillment, but the truth was she was a hollow shade.

The speech itself was brilliant, and the performance she gave, while it felt internally hollow, left a strong impression for her audience in a good way. It got them hyped and jazzed up. The brilliant special effects, including laser projected holograms into a cloud of steam in the air, left a dazzling display.

And, of course, the room certainly got very excited of the prospect that, if Diamond Tiara won, the whole school would win an all-expenses-paid private show featuring the legendary Countess Coloratura. That got even Diamond hyped up somewhat, so that was one of the few things about her speech she delivered with any sense of genuine passion.

All the while, Cozy stood silently at her own podium. She occasionally sipped some kind of drink and patiently waited her turn. Diamond was curious to notice not a drop of sweat come down Cozy’s forehead, nor did she look intimidated in the slightest despite all of this fabulous display. Instead, she looked like she had a cunning plan, and simply waited for her turn to execute it.

I got to hand it to her, Diamond thought privately. She knows how to play it cool. I don’t know if that’s false bravado or what, but even if it is a bluff … I’m still impressed.

Altogether, Diamond’s “speech” took about fifteen minutes, although it came off more like a rock concert.

When it was done, most of the crowd was cheering Diamond’s name with the same kind of enthusiasm one would expect for a Rock and Roll Star.

Okay, Cozy, Diamond thought to her opponent. Let’s see you top that!

Diamond might not have really cared about the election at heart, but it really felt nice to hear the school cheer for her after all that she suffered through yesterday and the day before. All of the rumors and teasing about her purging in the girl’s bathroom seemed like a forgotten memory, but in truth, Diamond suspected it was only temporarily patched.

When it became Cozy’s turn, Diamond paid attention with truly rapt attention, for she really was curious how Cozy could possibly top all that was said and done.

“Okay, Cozy,” said a blue-skinned boy with darker blue, puffy hair, “let’s hear your rebuttal. After witnessing all of that, tell us why any of us should vote for you instead,” the boy said with a daring grin.

In a shocking turn of events, Cozy replied with a shake of her head, “Oh no. You absolutely shouldn’t vote for me.”

A collective gasp swept through the auditorium. One which even Diamond Tiara joined.

“Um … excuse me?” The blue-haired boy asked with a bewildered blink. “Come again? I think we misheard you.”

“You heard me,” Cozy Glow confirmed as she crossed her arms across her chest. “I am advising you all not to vote for me.”

“Ah … okay, then,” the blue-haired boy said with a bewildered blink. “It would seem that this debate is over.”

“Oh, I didn’t say that,” Cozy objected. “You didn’t hear my argument fully, yet. You haven’t heard me explain why you should vote for my opponent.”

Confused murmurs swept throughout the room. The blue-haired boy looked back at his fellow students for a moment, then regarded Cozy Glow again with a confused shrug as he said, “Okay, then. Tell us why you actually agree with Diamond about the fact we should vote for her.”

“Well,” Cozy closed her eyes as she grew a devious smile as she shrugged, “have you seen that performance? Just … wow!” She opened her eyes as she regarded the audience with the gaze of a cunning strategist. “Never in a million years can I match something like that. The amount of money it must have taken to organize such a performance must be staggering, or at least … it would be to the vast majority of us, but my opponent … her last name literally is Rich, and she wears that legacy quite appropriately.

“I mean, between all the advertisements, paid speechwriters, light shows, and hired goons shouting out her name like the town criers of old … how am I supposed to keep up with all of that? I’m just a lone girl. I’m a certified genius who has only one advantage in my corner, and that is my vast intellect. Intellect which is bright enough to realize when I’ve been outmatched. As her campaign slogan clearly says,” Cozy gestured to the slogan which was still being projected on the giant screen behind her, “the smart money is on Diamond Tiara, and I am certainly not a stupid girl. Neither, I think, are any of you.”

Diamond, like the rest of Cozy’s audience, felt too stunned to speak. Most of them hardly blinked, for this seemed like an awfully unorthodox strategy for Cozy so far.

Cozy applied both of her hands to the sides of her podium as she leaned forward and said, “I am also smart enough to foresee where this pattern is leading. The smart thing is to vote for Diamond because it is important to suck up to our betters. Diamond Tiara is filthy rich. Both she and her family. That’s a fact! It is also a fact that her family owns a controlling interest in some of the most lucrative businesses in the world. There is a good reason why this family is very rich, and the fact remains that, in one way or another, the buck stops with them!” Cozy pounded the podium five times when she said the last five words of her sentence. “So, like it or not, you are looking at the future boss of virtually any job you could possibly apply for. Even with the businesses that they don’t own, the Rich family still has substantial influence over.

“So, one way or another, kissing their ass is a very important survival skill. After all, we’ll need that practice for when we go out into the real world!” Cozy waved across the audience dramatically. “Sad but true, people. It’s just the world we live in, and it’s important to cow to our betters … right?”

Cozy deliberately left that final word hanging.

Diamond looked across the audience and noticed murmurs rise again, but this time the mood was greatly soured. Some of them even flashed bitter looks of resentment and jealousy at Diamond.

Noticing this greatly saddened Diamond inwardly. Her legacy wasn’t her fault, after all. She didn’t choose this lifestyle. Truth was, she hardly chose anything a day in her miserable life. It might look like she was a winner to an outside observer, but there was always a price for power.

“It’s clear to me,” Cozy eventually went on after the bitter murmurs finally settled down, “that my opponent doesn’t even need to try seriously to win your votes, nor does she have to take her job seriously even if she wins. With someone with that much fortune, she can just hire someone else to handle her job for her. Rather than talking to her whenever any of you have an issue with this campus, you’ll have to speak to her secretary or lawyer instead. She can just handle all of this President business remotely from home while sitting on a lounge chair next to a giant indoor swimming pool while sipping hot toddies. Why should she spend any effort on her job when she can just let her money do her work for her?”

Cozy paused once again for dramatic effect and let that new thought sink in. Another wave of angry murmurs swept throughout the room.

What is going on here? Diamond wondered to herself. Am I starting to lose?

Notably, Diamond was also aware of Svengallop’s strange silence.

“Actually,” Cozy eventually said while standing up straight, “why even go that far? She doesn’t need to hire anyone else to handle her problems when she can simply bribe all of you to think any way she wants to. For example, need votes for a presidential election?” Cozy snapped her right fingers. “A promise for a private showing of Countess Coloratura should do the trick. Why should any of us think or feel for ourselves when we can simply let her money govern our fate for us?”

Once again she paused as she allowed the angry murmurs to spread throughout the room. They got louder and louder with each argument that Cozy poisoned their minds with.

Sweetie’s gaze remained fixed on Diamond Tiara, unwavering loyalty to her.

Finally, Cozy went on to say, “The only reason you should vote for me,” Cozy said while pounding the podium with each word she spoke, then went on while gripping both sides of the podium, “is if you are willing to put actual effort into this politics business.

“Now,” she shrugged, “I already know that’s not a popular decision. Most people in this country want to be lazy, but that is the same as allowing others to decide our fate for us. We have freedom in this country, and we can vote for whomever we want … but if we’re unwilling to apply any effort past that point, then we will always suffer the fate of dirty politicians.

“I know how the game is usually played. I know how and why the system is usually rigged to make the rich richer and all the rest of us … Well,” she shrugged again, “I’m sure you can figure the rest out.

“While my opponent had a whole army to lead for her campaign, I’ve had to work by my lonesome. I’ve handed out fliers personally to every single person rather than relying on someone else to do my job for me, and all of that has taught me one very crucial thing, and that is the fact that, even if I did win this election by some miracle, the end results are the same. I am still only one woman. I am still one voice lost in the winds of an angry storm. By myself, I am powerless. I won’t make any promises that I can’t keep, because I know I have no realistic chance to pull them off by myself.

“But …

“Where one person is powerless, many could triumph. Where one voice is lost in the wind, a whole chorus of people’s voices can pierce the very heavens themselves. That is why my campaign slogan is the following:”

She clicked a button on her cellphone on her podium. In response, the image on the giant screen behind her changed to only two simple words, “Get Involved!”

“Get Involved,” Cozy stated. “The only way my office on this campus is going to work is if we all get involved in this process. You’ll have to actually be willing to take charge of your own destiny and the fate of our community at large, for it is only through our involvement that we, the people, are empowered together. It is through our will and our acts that we can evoke positive change for our shared community.

“For example, do any of you remember when we worked together to build the new swimming pool here at this campus? It may have been my initial idea, but all of you carried that wish to its eventual fruition. You chose to follow my lead, and looked at what happened! A new swimming pool was constructed for this school. That legacy won’t just benefit us, but every other future generation to attend this campus. We are the ones that made that happen. We made it possible through our fundraisers, personal time, and physical effort constructing the pool. Some of you donated building materials and others lobbied for more funding from the city council.

“My point is … we all played a part in this affair, and because of that … we caused a positive change. We made change happen because we chose to do it with hard work, dedicated effort, and community spirit.

“Think about that for a second!” Cozy encouraged as she lifted a finger. “You made that happen … all of you! We worked together, and we celebrated together. Our hard efforts paid off. We can live with that triumph in our hearts ever onward. In every future generation to follow, we can point at that accomplishment together and proudly brag, ‘Yes! We made that happen because we got involved. We cared enough about the end result to make it happen.’

“And that, my friends,” she spread her arms wide, “is how the rest of us non-rich folks evoke strong and permanent change.

“Every single one of you,” Cozy pointed across the entire enraptured audience, “has a special light within you. A special voice. You all matter if you choose to matter. You govern the fate of your community if you simply have the courage and the dedication to be heard.

“As an officially elected leader,” Cozy gestured to herself, “my only job is to carry out the will of the people, but that can only happen if you share with me what your will is. Not only that, but you’ll need to learn to follow me as I attempt to guide you all to the path that will allow your dreams to come true, for what is a leader without any followers?

“Politics.” Cozy spread her arms out wide. “We, the common people, have been led to believe that is a dirty word. We’ve been conditioned to believe that by those who are already in power because what they don’t want you to know is that you have a voice that matters, and you can influence change, but what politics is, at its core, is the practice or profession of governing political affairs, and what is political affairs without the voice of the community that empowers it?

“Well, I say its finally time we WAKE UP, people!” Cozy called aloud, greatly startling some with her sheer volume on the words “wake up”. “The start of a new dawn of change happens whenever we choose for it to happen, and we evoke these changes together!” Cozy collected her fingers in front of her, then stood up straight again. “That is why I have organized a new plan that will help us all to get involved, but choose this option only if you wish to vote for me as well as yourselves.”

Cozy pressed another button. Behind her, the screen showed a diagram that showed and explained the implication of a new computer system.

“Something like this is already in place with the CHS Public Network,” Cozy announced, “but I’ve adapted a new program within the system to get you all involved. With it, you can post any of your questions or concerns to both me and my staff. My plan is to operate with complete transparency. My aim is to not merely make empty promises to you all, but rather to show you all my work. Every request you make will be on this computer system for all to see. You can also send your request anonymously so even those of you who feel a little shy can still have your voice heard.

“After that, according to this system, it will reveal when your request is being worked on and the progress thereof. It will report every detail of what is being accomplished and exactly how it is being accomplished. This system will proudly display our school budget and how those funds are being allocated, because it is all of you, ultimately, who decide things like that.”

Cozy pounded both of her fists on the podium as she said, “My system is all about informing you, as the people, and keeping you involved. This is a communal project, I feel it is only fair to inform the community of our progress, for in the end …. all of you are my boss. I am simply the elected voice to carry out the will of the people.

“Will you all decide to get involved? Do you have the courage, determination, and the will to evoke change in your community?

“Well, let’s test that theory.”

Pressed another button. The screen behind displayed a list of instructions for how each student could log onto the system that Cozy claimed to have created.

“Log on to this system,” Cozy encouraged. “I want to prove to you all that I’ve already committed the effort to create it. Using this platform, we can make decisions together.” Cozy pointed across them. “By this system, your voice will be heard. Let us see if you are willing to use it.

“Politics is all about the community’s willingness to evoke change within the community, and I want to prove to you all that this system is not just a flat piece of numbers and letters. Within this system houses the power to make real change happen, and there are plenty of people within the community that need change to happen. Case in point,” Cozy pressed another button on her cellphone. The image behind her changed into a live filming of some brown-skinned woman with a shawl over her head. She seemed to be looking out at the audience with a pleading expression.

“This is Dusty Trail,” Cozy announced to her audience, “and this,” she gestured to the screen behind her, “is not a recording, but a live stream. Dusty Trail is here waiting for a decision on all of your parts.”

Confused and concerned murmurs rose throughout the audience until Cozy lifted her hands to regather their attention, then went on to explain, “Dusty Trail is a mother of six children, all of whom are living within her home which is about to be foreclosed. This woman,” she gestured behind her at the screen, “is a member of your community … and she is about to lose her home.”

The murmurs of the crowd grew louder, mostly in shock and sympathy.

“THIS is what politics is, people!” Cozy announced as she slapped her podium again. “Not just numbers, light shows, glitz, and glam, but real people who live in our community with us. I want all of you to see her face just so you know for sure that this is serious business! I bring her to your attention now because all of you have this opportunity to be her hero!

“Log on to the following page, if you will,” Cozy instructed as she pressed a button on her cellphone. Behind her, the livestream of Dusty Trail was still there, but new text instructions appeared below her explaining how to use the system she designed, sort of like a live tutorial, but with an actual person’s life hanging in the balance.

“Now, on this page,” Cozy went on when she noticed how many people logged into the page she displayed, thus giving her accurate feedback how cooperative her audience had been so far, “I have listed a number of community projects that you can sign up for which will help to save this poor woman from losing her home. Anything from jog-a-thons, community service, games, donations, you name it. I’ve displayed it all here to …”

Cozy trailed off when she noticed a bunch of her audience clicking one activity after another. On the screen behind her, a red bar quickly filled which showed how much funding this project has, or will, accumulate so far based on the promises.

Within twelve seconds, the red bar already reached its target goal.

“Okay.” Cozy looked across her audience. “The people have spoken, and what they said is this woman, a fellow member of our community, shall not perish, nor lose her home.”

Behind Cozy, the giant image of Dusty Trail broke out into a grateful sob. Apparently, she was monitoring the progress of this project from her end, and she just received some critically needed good news.

“Okay.” Cozy applied her hands gently to the podium. “I want you to look around yourselves at everyone around you.” She paused a moment as she waited for them to cooperate, to which most of them did. “Now, as you look around, I want you to realize that you are surrounded by heroes … and you are one yourself. Every single one of you who donated your time or money to this project,” she gestured behind her at the red graph bar, “is a voice in this community who has chosen to save one of its own. I want you all to remember this moment … because Dusty Trail will never forget it either. She will remember how every one of you cared enough to commit some tiny little act which ultimately saved her, her home, and her children.

“They are going to keep a roof over their heads because of you! They are sleeping in their beds comfortably because of you! They no longer have to worry about their future because of you! You all made this happen. You made a difference in someone’s life today, and THAT … is the true power of politics! THAT … is how our forefathers who helped to form this country intended this system to work.

“Think about it!” Cozy leaned forward as she applied her hands to the side of the podium again. “Why was freedom so important to those who founded this country? It’s because they used to lack it! They fled the country they came from and all the tyranny that came along with it. They came to this new land in the hopes of a brand new beginning, and it came at them with a great cost. Many people did not survive the trip to the new lands. Even those who did, many perished right here in these lands as they fought disease, famine, political strife, and nature itself.

“Can you imagine how much courage it took for them to abandon everything they knew and venture off to what was practically an alien world to them? And for what?

“Why, the answer is a desperate hope for a better future for them and all of their descendants.

“Lo and behold … you are their descendants. You are the inheritors of a very bloody and vicious past. You are the fruition of a desperate dream. You have the freedom that so long eluded your ancestors.

Cozy took a deep breath, held it for a moment, released it, then asked,“Now that we got that established, let me ask you all the following; what will you choose to do with that freedom? Give it to another who will callously discard it?” Cozy asked as she tilted her head at Diamond, “or take charge of it yourself?

“It’s up to you. You decide your fate, but whatever it may be … know that your decision affects all of us, for we are a community-based society. You matter. All of us … matter. It’s time to realize that and face the truth. The choice is yours … so choose wisely.”

Cozy curtsied to her stunned audience, and said, “Thank you!”

The audience remained silent for several more seconds, then the blue-haired boy seemed to fight to moisturize his mouth then asked Diamond, “Well, um … Miss Tiara … care to give a closing statement?”

Diamond looked over at her opponent as she watched Cozy cross her arms and give Diamond a cocky and cunning smirk. Diamond stared at Cozy for several more seconds, then looked back at the giant screen which formally displayed the image of the distraught and then greatly relieved woman.

Diamond could not believe this. She actually felt speechless. She offered the audience a dazzling display and a chance to see a legendary performer, but Cozy managed to save the home of an actual person right in the middle of a political debate. Cozy evoked real change in the community already. Next to that, anything Diamond offered felt hollow in comparison.

Then, suddenly, she reached a snap decision. Diamond looked forward at the audience again as she announced, “Yes. I have one last thing to say for my closing statement and that is … the video you all saw of my purging in the girl’s bathroom … it’s all true. I did it.”

---

“God damn it!” Svengallop cursed as he smashed the right arm of his swivel chair, then asked another member of his staff, “Any luck cutting through that jamming signal yet?”

“Ah … no, Sir,” a purple skinned woman named Holly Berry replied. “Whatever is blocking our transmission to Diamond’s audio transmitter, it’s still going. We don’t even know where it’s coming from, but it seems to be localized somewhere in the auditorium.”

“Or it might be an equipment malfunction,” Suri proposed. “That’s happened often before, but we usually have a backup system in that case. Not much we can do with that portable audio transmitter, though. At least, not from here.” She focused on her husband. “Isn’t it strange, though, that we started having problems communicating with Diamond as soon as Cozy’s speech started up?”

Svengallop grunted as he leaned back in his seat and covered his face with his hands due to embarrassment. It was so frustrating and humiliating to sit here and watch helplessly as all of his hard work went down the toilet, especially after Diamond did a hard flush with her confession towards the end there.

“So much for blackmailing Diamond,” Suri realized in amusement. “Not even your threats could prevent her from shooting herself in the foot.

“I got to hand it to Cozy, though. That little pipsqueak sure knows how to make one epic speech.”

Silence hung thick in the trailer, once again broken by Suri Polomare as she asked her husband, “Well … are you going to carry through with your threat about Sunshine’s confession?”

“I’ll tell you what I am going to do!” Svengallop began and he lowered his hands from his face. “I’m going to get as far away from this situation as I possibly can, and I want no more records that we were ever involved in this disastrous campaign. Miss Spoiled Rich may pay well, but I do not want to work with that broken heap of trash again!” he insisted with a jabbing point at the image of Diamond Tiara on the wall. “It’s clear to me that no amount of coaxing or threatening on my part is going to get through to that self-sabotaging and uncooperative little bitch!” He collected his hands in front of his face. “I say we cut our losses and run like hell. This fiasco has been embarrassing enough as it is.”

Svengallop closed his eyes and massaged his temples, then said in irritation, “Silver Bee, schedule an appointment with a masseuse for me. After the amount of frustration I’ve endured baby-sitting this little bitch, I’m in need of the works.”

“So,” Suri said as she lifted a new cup of coffee near her lips, “I take it the show with the Countess is cancelled in this quaint little podunk town?”

“Cancelled?” Svengallop repeated with a savage growl. “My dear, that doesn’t even come close to describing it! I’ll personally make sure that my bright and shining star never works in this pathetic little town ever again!”

---

Countess Coloratura sneezed before shutting down the lid to her laptop computer which originally showed the live political candidate debate at Canterlot High. A debate which a friend of hers in the business privately assured her might see the Countess scheduled in Canterlot Heights depending on how the debates went.

But, based on what Coloratura just witnessed, she suspected that the show might be canceled now, but she still dearly wanted to perform for the school children, even if she had to do it for free.

However, after what she just witnessed about the debate and what occurred within it, a far more pressing concern clung on her mind. One which she knew she would find no peace over until this issue was settled.

So she pulled out her cellphone, dialed another close personal friend of hers, and waited as the phone rang. When the line was picked up, Coloratura said, “AJ? It’s me, Rara. Yeah! I know! It’s been a long time, but hey … listen. I was hoping you could do me a little favor.”

Comments

[Uz Naimat]

10449215
I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! I love references.

[Uz Naimat]

10449270
I am, indeed. I do love a good reference. I'll point them all out Ina single comment next time.