Equestria Girls: Open Arms

by AizakkuHorooee

Chapter IX

Author's Note:

CHU: While writing, I was trying to strike a balance between vindication and abiding by TV-Y restrictions. I ultimately settled on Chrysalis throwing Spitfire's own desk tag at her.

Chrysalis knocks on the door pretty plainly.

The head of Camp Hayseed? What’s she doing here so late? Come in!

“Good evening, Superintendent Spitfire.”

“Got some odd summer clothes going on there, huh? Kind of like-” Spitfire gasps, the points to me. “Kind of like him.”

“Don’t you go anywhere near young Aita! Princes Twilight informed me of what happened earlier today! He was lucky Celestia and Luna were with him!”

Hm. Spitfire seems unfazed by Chrysalis. Guess she really was a drill instructor.

“If you think that’s going to make me think twice, then you are sorely mistaken. In case you have forgotten, I was a drill instructor for five years.”

“Regardless of my memory, did you ever once think it was never your job to berate the people who count on you?”

“What are you talking about, Chrysalis? I did exactly what I was supposed to do: steer those cadets straight.” Did Spitfire just say what I think she said?

In this context Aita, it means to steer someone straight by humiliating them.

“So you admit to what you did in that leak?”

“I dunno, do sirens always come here and feed on negativity?” If Chrysalis wasn’t here right now, I would be crying right now.

“You disgusting individual! The school board will hear about this misconduct!!”

“Sure, Chrysalis. You want disgusting, maybe try Suri Polomare for size. She used to work with this school. The only thing I had a hand in was a sturdy tradition at WonderColts Headquarters.”

“It’s not a tradition; it’s an epidemic! Not a soul deserves to be harmed without the wrongdoing that comes with it!” As Chrysalis is yelling, Spitfire facepalms.

“Listen, you can act like a commander all you want, but I know when to do it; this is not that place. I plan things, alright? I don’t work with students unless they come to me. The least you could do is just calm down and tell me what’s wrong.”

“Then why am I the exception?” I ask. “Why? I don’t remember you calling a surprise day off when either Twilight Sparkle came to CHS!”

“That doesn’t prove anything because I was on vacation.”

Chrysalis begins pounding the desk. “Superintendent Spitfire! Listen to yourself! Young Aita asked you a question! Are you seriously lying to distract from your blatant discrimination?!?”

“Okay first of all Chrysalis, that meeting has nothing to do with him anymore. Major faculty has already settled to let him go to school. Second, not everybody’s going to know what his name actually means.”

“My old family knew, and so did this world’s Twilight.”

“But that’s not everybody, right?”

***

So far, I’ve been barely keeping it together with this disgusting excuse for life, but the moment I see Aita gasp and run away in tears at Spitfire’s comment, that is the last straw. I see nothing but red surrounding Spitfire. I grab what is presumably the desk tag, and throw it between her eyes. She falls back with her chair as a result.

I make a… gallop… for it and look for Aita. It’s really too bad I don’t have the senses I can usually rely on back in Equestria. It would make it much easier to find him. I look around the school and come up short.

“Aita? Aita?” I call along the way. When I finally make it to the front of the school, a passerby has a promising expression of concern.

“Aita?” I call one last time. “Have you seen Aita?” The passerby points to the portal with his thumb then shrugs. “Thanks.”

I walk through the portal back to Twilight’s castle. I take a quick second to sniff. Yes, I knew it! I can feel emotions again!

I look around the library, and huddled under the roundtable in the fetal position is Aita.

“Aita?”

“C… Chrysalis?”

I walk around the table and approach him, then lie down face to face with him. “I’m right here. I deeply apologize you had to experience that. No one should have to.”

Suddenly, the door to the library opens. “What going on? I heard some-” Someone gasps. “Aita?” Oh, right. It’s Starlight Glimmer. Oh hey, Twilight’s with her too.

Aita jumps off the floor, clinging to Twilight’s left foreleg and beginning to sob.

“Queen Chrysalis, what happened?”

“Twilight, you have to alert Sunset Shimmer, and alert the Canterlot school board!”

“Huh? …Am I missing something?” Starlight asks.

“We’ll fill you in when this is all finished.” Twilight floats the journal to herself and writes aloud.

Sunset Shimmer? This is Twilight. Superintendent Spitfire has gone too far and intentionally drove Aita to tears with her comments. Report her behavior to your school board as soon as you can.

Twilight begins to lie down and comfort Aita. “Shhh… it’s okay, Aita. You’re safe and sound, back in Equestria now.”

Don’t worry, Twilight! I’ll get right on it!

I scoot closer to Aita and help Twilight out a little bit.

Hush now little changeling; you’re loved by all you know.
You’ll never lose their friendships no matter where you go.
There is no call to worry, ‘cause we are by your side;
our mission is your safety so amour is supplied.

As it turns out, the short lullaby calms Aita down enough to look at me and nuzzle my nose. Soon after, he falls asleep. I completely forgot it was getting late here too.

“...Did you always used to sing like that?” Starlight asks me.

“Very much. All developing changelings need this maternal affection to survive. Aita was lucky we were on the other side of the portal; comments like what we got would’ve done him more than mental harm here in Equestria. Just look at what simply losing Queen Areola did to Carve when she was a child.”

“Thanks for all your help, Queen Chrysalis. I never imagined all this was possible, that someone could hurt Aita on such an emotional level.”

“One more thing, Twilight. Keep Aita home tomorrow so he can recuperate properly.”

Twilight nods. “Okay. I’ll let Miss Cheerilee know first thing in the morning.”