27. Slightly Artistic
9 days left before the storm
Today was another beautiful day in Equestria with a clear blue sky, not a single cloud in sight. Before, Olive would find herself admiring the beauty of the daylight but as she became accustomed to her new life, she paid less attention to it. It was a reoccurring thing with her, she paid lots of attention to everything that was new to her until it became mundane, unimpressive.
What was still relatively new to the filly, however, was school. During the short trip with Applejack and Apple Bloom, she could only think about how stressed out she was. Unlike last time, she was attending real classes with all the other foals around. Interacting with older ponies wasn’t all that anxiety inducing, she spent her entire life surrounded by adults after all, but talking to other foals? Now that was something she had next to no experience with.
“Well, here we are.” Applejack announced, having finally arrived at the schoolhouse. “Have a good day, ya two! Oh, and be sure to tell me how it went!”
“We’ll do! See ya later, sis!” Apple Bloom said, waving goodbye to her older sister.
Olive watched her foster mother leave without saying a word. There was too much inner turmoil for her to even pay attention to what was going on. The little unicorn followed her sister, keeping a blank face as she entered the schoolhouse, where all the other foals were waiting inside.
The interior was quite nice. There were vibrant colors on the walls and ceiling and lots of cute drawings lined up the entrance. Now, on to the important part, the class itself. The two sisters arrived right on time for the start of the class, being the last foals to show up.
A wave of nausea immediately overtook Olive, who sensed that all eyes were on her. All colts and fillies were staring at her with a mixture of different expressions ranging from curiosity to uneasiness. The young unicorn would have lost all balance had it not been for Apple Bloom’s reassuring presence. Everypony whispered to each other, which only made the feeling worse for the shy pony.
They were staring at the bandage covering her torso. Of course! What else would they be looking at? They didn’t get the chance to ask about it yesterday, but now Olive was sure she would be bombarded with unflattering questions.
“Hey look, they finally got a desk for ya.” the yellow earth pony pointed at the empty desk resting near a wall.
Apple Bloom went to her own desk while Olive sluggishly trotted towards hers. Placing down her saddlebags, she became increasingly uncomfortable with each passing second, feeling everypony’s eyes still on her. The poor foal just wished that they’d all look away, even for just a brief moment. Her coat felt hot, and her cheeks even hotter. All this attention was too much.
Finally taking a seat, Olive did a quick scan of the class, mentally noting all of the foal’s positions, mostly her friends.
At this very moment, the door opened, and Miss Cheerilee entered. “Good morning, my little ponies!
“Good morning, Miss Cheerilee!” the class greeted.
The cerise coated mare placed down her saddlebag and trotted up to the class with an excited look on her face. “I hope you’re all doing well, because today we are welcoming not one, but two new ponies in our class!”
The entire class turned their attention back to Olive, who by now had buried her face in her hooves.
“Wait, two new ponies?” Sweetie Belle questioned. “Who’s the other one?”
Miss Cheerilee smiled. “I’m glad you asked!” she looked at the classroom door. “Everypony, meet Miss Heedful Care!”
Olive lifted her head in surprise and all the other foals stopped staring at her, redirecting their focus to the newcomer. The pegasus entered the class with a happy smile, waving hello to the students, many of which were excited to see her here. Being one of the few counselors in Ponyville, she had plenty of time to get acquainted with most of the young ponies in town.
“Miss Heedful Care came today to help those who are having trouble in class. We’re hoping to spend the rest of the year with her at our side!” Cheerilee presented.
The counselor gave her brightest smile to the entire class, not forgetting to be mindful of Olive. “I am so happy to join you all today. As counselor, I’ll try my best to help you with your struggles!”
Diamond Tiara gave Olive a suspicious look. She leaned close to Silver Spoon. “Something tells me this counselor is here because of Miss Emotionless Creep Bag.”
“They sure did a terrible job at hiding it.” Silver Spoon giggled.
“Girls!” Miss Cheerilee called out. “Were you two talking while Miss Care was introducing herself?”
“N-No!” Diamond lied, pulling back.
“I’ll have you know that this behavior is very impolite and certainly unfitting of a pony of your standing.” The cerise coated mare scolded.
“I’m sorry.” The pink earth pony grumbled.
Cheerilee cleared her throat. “Well, now that you’re acquainted with Miss Care, it’s time to start today’s class! I’m certain you’ll love it for we are doing a very special project today!”
She took out a bunch of jars and placed it on her desk. The students quickly realised it was colored modeling clay.
“Uh, is that modeling clay?” Scootaloo asked just to be certain.
“It is!” Cheerilee answered. “For this art project, I want you all to shape your clay into something, be it somepony or an object that means a lot to you. Then, you’ll present it in front of the class and explain it to your classmates.”
Olive’s world stopped for a moment; her mind stuck on the words “in front of the class”. It was already bad enough for ponies to stare at her while she was at her seat, but to be in front where everypony can see her is another story. Her coat became hotter, and her tail started shaking.
“Now, everypony. You can come and pick up whatever color suits your creation best!” Cheerilee announced, opening the various jars.
Every foal went to the front of the class to pick up their clay, with Olive following behind most of them. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were the first to get their clay despite not being the closest to Cheerilee’s desk, and nopony even dared to object to this.
“Hey sis, whatcha gonna make?” Apple Bloom asked curiously. “Ah was thinkin’ about doin’ something CMC related. Oh yeah, our logo! Ah’ll just make our logo!” The yellow filly gazed at her two friends, wondering if they also chose a Cutie Mark Crusader item.
“That’s cool, but I’ll do something cooler.” Scootaloo exclaimed.
“He he, I’m... still not sure yet.” Sweetie Belle said.
“Hm.” Olive curiously examined all the available colors on display, desperately trying to come up with something. The worst thing to do would be to go on front and be stuck there thinking about what to make when everypony else already started working on their project. Eventually, her savior came in the form of a dark shade of red clay, almost crimson in color.
Now back on her desk, the little unicorn blankly stared at the clay in her hooves. The other foals began working on their creation. Olive, however, did nothing.
“Hey, Olive.” The filly flinched, surprised by the sudden appearance of Heedful Care. “Oh, I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you having any troubles?”
The pink unicorn looked back at the clay in her hooves and nodded. “How do I make something with this?”
One student snickered behind her but quickly stopped when Care gave her a stern glare. “By pressing on it with your hooves, you can change its shape. From this point, it’s all about manipulating it so that it resembles the object you had in mind.” she patiently explained.
“You mean like this?” Olive twisted and bended the clay, but only succeeded in making a messy ball that resembled nothing. The filly scratched her head, trying to understand what went wrong.
I know that certain ponies learn by modeling. Maybe if I show her how to do it... Heedful Care thought. “Here, let me show you.” she smiled, picking the clay the filly handed over.
The pegasus mare played a bit with the clay, forming the silhouette of a bunny’s head. “See? By clearly imagining a bunny in my head, I played around with the clay to form what I had in mind. Now, you try.”
Olive twisted and bended the clay, but this time with more certainty behind her movement.
“You’re doing great! Now, I must help the others. I’ll come back and see if you need any help.” The mare congratulated before leaving her side.
“Ugh, why isn’t it going as smooth as I thought?!” Scootaloo grumbled, frustrated by her rather ugly looking motif.
Sweetie Belle loomed above her friend to take a good look at the pegasus’ creation. “I knew it! You’re making Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark!”
“Hey! Not so loud, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo exclaimed, shooing her friend away.
“That’s a mighty fine idea, Scoot!” Apple Bloom complimented. “Though, Ah saw it comin’ a mile away.”
“Are you complimenting me, or just mocking me?”
“Uh,” Apple Bloom turned to her sister. “let’s see what she’s makin’!”
The three Cutie Mark Crusaders each leaned over Olive, trying to see what she was modeling. All they saw was a red blob slowly starting to resemble a dog’s head.
“What’s that?” Scootaloo asked.
“The Crimson Mask.” Olive responded in a monotone. “At least, that’s what I’m trying to make.”
Apple Bloom opened her mouth, but hesitated to comment on it. “Uh, wh-why are you makin’ the Crimson Mask specifically? Ah know it just came to our home yesterday bu-”
“What?!” Sweetie Belle nearly screamed, earning her a couple of glares from her classmates. “I mean, what?” she said, this time being more mindful of the other foals hard at work. “The Crimson Mask came to Sweet Apple Acre yesterday?”
“Oh, right...” Apple Bloom took a deep breath and explained the whole situation. Her two friends’ eyes widened; their jaws nearly dropped during the terrifying tale of the yellow earth pony. They were at a loss for words.
“...Still doesn’t explain why she’s making this.” Scootaloo finally said.
“It represents my life with my daddy. Even though I live in Ponyville with Applejack, I can’t act like my past didn’t exist.” Olive explained, surprising the three fillies with this rather mature thought pattern. “It’s a part of me, and it always will be.” She said right as she finished making the mask. All that was missing were the black eyes.
“Whatcha working on, blank flank?”
“Ugh, not this again.” Scootaloo groaned.
“Something...” Olive broadly responded. She turned slightly in her chair, clearly hiding her work from Diamond.
“Something? Something like what?” Silver Spoon pressed, trying to look over the filly’s head.
“Also, what’s with the bandage. You’ve had it at the party and at the playground yesterday! Whatcha hiding?” Diamond Tiara added, further angering the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“Hey, knock it off! She just wants to work in peace.” Scootaloo said, placing herself between Olive and the two bullies. “She doesn’t have to answer all your questions!”
“But we’re just so curious to know what she’s making!” Diamond Tiara explained, putting on a deceiving shocked expression. “It’ll helps us know her better, and we just want to be her friend, don’t we, Silver?”
Silver jerked back for a moment. “O-Oh, yeah! We’re not trying to bull-” Tiara kicked her leg, and Silver quickly rephrased her sentence. “We like making new friends!”
Sweetie Belle sighed. “Don’t listen to them, they’re just trying to get some favors out of you.”
Olive cocked her head back. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
Diamond Tiara’s eye twitched. She hopped out of her seat and went face-to-face with the new filly in class. “Were you even listening to me?”
“N-No, not really. I was busy doing the art project. Applejack told me that school was super important, so I must focus on my work.” Olive responded, before immediately acting as if Diamond Tiara wasn’t right next to her. The pink earth pony opened her mouth, but Apple Bloom shoved her out of the way.
“Heard that? Now let her, uh, focus on her work and go do yours.”
Diamond wasn’t going to quit just yet. “Didn’t she also said something about making friends?” It was effective, as Olive raised her head and blinked, no longer modeling her clay.
“Uh...”
“I’m sure your momma will be happy if she learns you’ve made not one, but TWO new friends today!” Diamon Tiara said, sugarcoating her voice.
Olive rubbed her chin. She placed down her clay and Tiara peeked her head out to examine it. “You want to be my friend? I don’t understand.”
“Huh?”
“I insulted your dad and you got really angry at me, and I didn’t even apologise. Why would you want to be my friend if I was mean to you?” Olive innocently explained.
I don’t understand this filly at all... Diamond Tiara thought. She facehoofed and sighed. “Well, yeah, but that’s in the past, I forgive you. So... mind telling me whatcha working on?”
“Beat it already!” Scootaloo growled. “Just stop disturbing her, and us too by the way!”
“But I told you what I was working on,” Olive said. “and since they are my friends now, I must tell them too.”
“What?!” Apple Bloom raised her voice, earning some glares from her classmates. She made sure to keep her voice down a notch. “You can’t make friends just like that. You have to choose who you consider to be your friends. You can’t be friends with somepony like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They’re just spoiled, rich meanies.”
“Spoiled?!” Silver Spoon gasped.
The silver pony’s friend gritted her teeth. “Who are you calling a spoiled kid, huh? And who are you to insult other ponies like that? You don’t have a Cutie Mark, your family relies on MY dad to make money. If I were you, I’d choose my words carefully.”
“Girls!” The five fillies flinched. Miss Cheerilee trotted to them, a displeased look in her eyes told the foals they should return to their seat at once. “It’s okay to talk during this class in particular, but that doesn’t mean you should stop working on your project!” She, however, changed her tone to address Olive. “That doesn’t include you, Olive. You’re doing fantastic!”
The pink unicorn giggled, her face turning a little red as her hooves cutely kicked the air. A smile lingered on her for a few seconds after the teacher turned to address her face again. Despite working on her project again, this time, she listened to what the others were saying.
Then, her clay finally took shape. It looked just like the Crimson Mask she knew, albeit, missing some eyes, and a nose. The rest, however, was there. She turned to look at Cheerilee, but the teacher was busy with somepony else, meaning her question will come later. Problem is, what can she do in the meantime? Nothing, she just sat there and kicked her hooves up to pass the time.
“I understand you’re all excited to chat with the new student, but you that doesn’t mean you should stop working. This project is graded, it’s important that you put your all in it.” Cheerilee scolded.
“Yes, Miss Cheerilee.” The five fillies responded in unison.
The cerise mare turned to go back to her desk, but her teacher’s instinct told her she was about to miss something important. She looked behind her and saw Olive holding a hoof up.
“Miss Cheerilee, can I use more than one color?”
The mare smiled and nodded. “Yes, you can! I greatly encourage using more than one color. It’ll make your creation prettier!” The teacher couldn’t help but stare at the filly’s creation. She had a good idea what it was, but decided to ask, nonetheless. “What’s this? It looks good!”
Olive looked at her creation, then at her teacher. “It’s the Crimson Mask.”
“I see. Wh-why d-” She stopped. The filly had to explain it to the class afterward for the presentation, she can’t just ask it right away. “Well, I’ll be looking forward to hearing about it during your presentation.”
Olive let out a barely audible whimper, her legs crossing uncomfortable underneath her desk. It sure was a moment she wasn’t looking for at all. If only there was a way to skip it, and just let the fruits of her labor speak for themselves. But then again, would anypony understand why she even made it? Even she was starting to question why she chose the Crimson Mask of all things. Maybe her sub-conscious saw some sort of symbolism in it that she hasn’t figured out yet. She just had to think a little harder. The filly took a quick look at the clock. 30 minutes left. Her crossed legs began to shake nervously.
Minutes passed, and now the time was almost up. Olive finished the Crimson Mask, now with the added eyes and nose. It looked just like the real deal. Even she was impressed by just how good it was for her first time dabbling in art. As such, she admired her creation for a few more minutes until she took another look at the clock and nearly had a heart attack. Five minutes!
Sweat dripped down her face, her hooves trembled even more. During this moment of panic, the unicorn looked everywhere for an escape plan. When she found nothing, she panted, struggling to calm her hasty breaths. Then, to make matters worse, a burning sensation announced itself in her private area. Wait! Olive swung around on her seat, trying to hold it in. An idea popped in her head.
She jumped out of her seat and rushed to the teacher. “Miss Cheerilee, I need to go to the restroom.”
“Go ahead!” Cheerilee kindly obliged, smiling at the adorable filly running in place.
Olive wasted no time in rushing to the restroom, locking herself in one of the stalls. Compared to the classroom, the filly’s restroom was quiet, almost devoided of any sound. That was perfect for the pink unicorn who needed to gather her bearings. She was in no way ready to speak to an audience. If it was only ponies, she knew, doing a presentation wouldn’t be a problem, but she only knows about five foals in this entire classroom, two of which are quite bothersome.
Olive focused on two things for now: controlling her breathing and wiping the sweat off her face. This silent restroom was much hotter than it should be. She ended spending a few more minutes in very unpleasant conditions, trying desperately to mentally prepare herself for her presentation. Just what was she supposed to say about the Crimson Mask? What did it represent to her? She kept thinking as she relieved herself, a part of her stress now gone. It felt a little cathartic, like she was holding it in all day.
Eventually, Olive realised that it was going nowhere, she couldn’t truly be prepared for this. No matter how long she spends locked in there, nothing will change. Resigned, she left her stall, slowly opening the door until she saw something that made her freeze. Currently using the sink in front of her was a colt. Uh, i-is he in the wrong restroom? O-Or is it me?
Olive quietly shut herself back in her stall, waiting for the colt to leave. If anypony spots her in there, she’ll be the laughingstock of the entire school! The colt left after he was done washing his hooves, signaling to the filly that now was her time.
The pink unicorn tip hoofed out of her stall, looking behind her as she turned on the sink. Bad timing, another stall opened! Olive gasped loudly, her pupils turning to pinpricks. She froze in pure shock as she felt her soul leave her body.
What came out of the stall was, unexpected to say the least. It was another filly just like her. This foal had a pale violet coat and a light grayish gold mane. She even was a unicorn just like her. The newcomer smiled and waved at Olive, further confusing her.
“Hi! What’s your name? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before?” The filly asked kindly. She seemed innocent enough, which put Olive at ease.
“Uh, i-it's Olive.”
“Olive?” The violet unicorn said, scratching her mane. “It sounds like something’s missing.”
“What d-do you mean?” Olive questioned, worry creeping into her eyes. “Is something wrong with my name?”
“Well, not really. I just think it sounds a little incomplete.” The filly squinted, leaning closer to the pink unicorn. “Did they name you after your eyes?”
Olive looked at herself in the mirror. “I guess so. Everypony’s name so far sounded like it had some meaning behind it, but I can’t see one with mine.” She pondered over this for a while longer, until a previous issue suddenly came back to mind. The pink unicorn looked around. “A-Are we in the right restroom?”
The violet filly’s eyes widened. “Oh no! Did I trot into the colt’s restroom again?” She looked to her right and saw a couple of urinals, giving her a concrete answer. “Not again...”
“Do you often go in the wrong restroom?” Olive asked idly.
“Yeah, I often get scolded for making the same mistake.” The filly shamefully admitted. “Uh... Oh! I didn’t tell you my name! My momma always said that it’s impolite to not introduce yourself to another pony when you talk to them. My name is Dinky Hooves!”
“Dinky... Hooves? Is your momma named Derpy?”
Dinky’s face lit up. “You know my mom?!”
“Uh, y-yeah. I saw her giving a letter to mister Looking Glass.” Olive responded.
The violet unicorn absently washed her hooves, her gaze entirely focused on the new filly. “She gave a letter to Looking Glass? That’s awesome!”
Olive noticed something peculiar with this unicorn, or to be more precise, a lack thereof. “Your momma has funny eyes, but you don’t. Why is that?”
Dinky blinked. “Funny eyes... oh, you mean lazy eye!”
“Lazy eye? How can an eye be lazy? Like, does it not want to look in the right direction?”
The violet unicorn giggled. “Exactly! It’s a bit more complicated, I’m still not sure I entirely get it. But she said that it’s hereditary. Thankfully, she said I don’t have it and that it’s a good thing!”
“Sounds like you have a good mom.” Olive said. “I do too... now. I had another mom before, but I don’t remember her too well. I wish I could.” she lamented.
“My mom says it’s okay to forget things. Nopony is perfect, and that’s what makes us special.” Dinky said, hoping it would console her new classmate.
“Imperfections are good? That’s not what my daddy used to say.” Olive said, confused. “I don’t know if I should agree with him, but daddy has always been the smartest pony around. He even said he’s smarter than Looking Glass.”
Dinky let out a hearty laugh. “That's not possible! Looking Glass is the smartest unicorn alive!”
“I think you’re right. Daddy just loves to talk about himself and Princess Luna all the time.”
The door to the colt’s restroom opened, making Olive freeze again, wide eyed. “Olive?” The filly recognised the voice of Miss Cheerilee. “Oh, there you are.”
Olive slowly turned her head, her cheeks turning red.
“I think you’re in the wrong restroom.”
The pink unicorn lowered her head in shame.
“Oh, don’t worry, there is no punishment for going in the wrong restroom. You should just make a conscious effort to look where you’re going.” Cheerilee turned her attention onto Dinky, this time with a displease expression. “The same can’t be said for you, Dinky. This is the third time this month. How many times do I have to tell you?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Cheerilee.” Dinky apologised sadly. “Just... don’t tell my mommy.”
“I won’t, if you never make the same mistake again. This will be your last warning.” The cerise mare sighed. “Come on now, the presentations are about to start.”
Dinky trotted past Olive, giving her a reassuring pure smile. “I can’t wait to hear your presentation! I’m sure you have like, a super cool story to tell.” she pointed at the bandage around her body. “Ponies with bandages always have cool stories to tell. That’s what my momma, Derpy, often said.”
Olive touched her bandage, feeling its fabric against her hoof. The ugly scar underneath made her shiver just from thinking about it alone. Some things were better left buried, forgotten. She wished this haunting stain would go away already. I... have a cool story to tell? I don’t know, it doesn’t sound cool when I think about it. It just makes me sad.
Her hoof slowly slid down to her flank, where nothing lied. So many of her classmates have cutie marks, an indicator of their true worth, their destiny, their goal. They all have a clear idea where to go, what they want, but the pink filly never knew what it’s like to have control over anything in her life.
Her whole life was spent being pushed around, following somepony that had a purpose, always lagging behind and watching. Now, she was somewhere stable, static and free. Nothing was holding her down, and she never realised it. Why did she make the Crimson Mask? The answer was starting to make sense. Her presentation played in her mind; she knew just what to say. Now, to wait for the worst.
Back in the class, Olive listened intently to the presentation of her fellow classmates, trying to get a better understanding of who they are. Heedful Care sat next to her and even complimented her recreation of the Crimson Mask, noting how close it is to the real deal. This made the filly stop for a moment to contemplate her work. She never dabbled into art before for it never really interested her. The paintings she saw looked rather uninspired in her humble opinion.
With each new foal going on front, the more nervous Olive got. Her body was heating up to the point that her hooves were dripping with sweat, she stopped fiddling around with the Crimson Mask in fear that her sweat would melt it after it spent so long drying up. She began to breathe through her mouth, and they were shaky breaths, not good.
The young unicorn felt a hoof resting on her shoulder. She looked up to see Care giving her a reassuring smile. “Are you nervous?” she asked despite knowing the answer.
“Y-Yes. I’m scared to go in front of the class.” The filly whimpered. “I’ve never talked to so many ponies before.”
“I know it can be scary, even I am still nervous to do presentations. It’s just a normal part of life, and nopony would blame you for being nervous.” Care gingerly comforted. “If you want; I can go in front with you, that way you won’t be alone.”
“Y-You will?”
The counselor happily nodded. “Of course! I’m here to help your class after all.” she said, telling only half the truth. Cheerilee made it especially clear that the filly shouldn’t know Care is only here because of her unstable condition. It’ll probably upset her and make her feel lesser than the other foals, and that’s not the message they want to send.
Thankfully, Olive seemed more at ease, slowing down her swinging legs. The filly breathed through her nostrils again, now concentrating on her classmates' presentation.
“I’m sure it’ll go well. You strike me as a passionate filly. If you just let your heart speak, then this presentation won’t be a problem at all!” Care said. “Remember, this project is all about telling other ponies who you are. I’m sure they’ll be captivated by what you’ll have to say.”
Olive lowered her head to ponder over her words, then she raised herself and smiled back. “I-I see. I think I have something to say.”
“Perfect! I can’t wait to hear about it.” Care shuffled around in her pockets, searching for a pen.
Time passed and the fated moment arrived. It was time for Olive to present her creation to the whole class. The instant Cheerilee announced her name, the filly’s body heated up. It burned, horribly. It was so hot that she sweated again. The pink unicorn stared at the pegasus with a pleading look that sought only some vague sense of comfort. Heedful Care got out of her seat, inviting Olive to do the same.
The pink unicorn left her seat, holding her creation in her mouth but making sure to not let her saliva touch it. While trotting to the front of the class, Care barely heard a snicker behind her. Diamond Tiara was about to say something unflattering, so the golden pegasus looked back and gave her a stern glare which worked in shutting up the snob earth pony. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, on the other hoof, were thrilled to finally see their newest member about to present her project.
Now facing everypony, Olive was intimidated by the number of eyes upon her. There were at least twenty foals in this classroom plus Cheerilee. That all rounded up to a not so nice total of twenty-one ponies staring at her. For a moment, the poor filly almost forgot what she was supposed to do, until her tongue accidentally licked the clay she was holding. She raised a hoof and picked up her creation, showcasing it to the entire class.
Many “oohs” and “aahs” broke the silence of the class. Evidently, the foals here recognised the signature look of the evil Crimson Mask, having heard the stories about him and Looking Glass. Their gaze put even more pressure on her as some looked even worried, eyeballing her like she was some sort of freak for making the monster instead of the hero. Olive could only hope they’d understand what she had to say, and she better talk quick, because she’s slowly forgetting some pieces of her presentation!
“Um... I... I made the Crimson Mask.” She announced awkwardly.
Some foals stared her down with wide eyes, wondering what dreams of chronic and sustained cruelty happened inside that pink unicorn’s head.
Diamond Tiara even leaned close to Silver Spoon and whispered. “See? Creeeepyyy.”
“Wouldn’t wanna touch this filly with a ten-foot pole.”
Olive cocked her head back, feeling her cheeks growing warm. She looked to Heedful Care for some reassurance. The mare smiled and ushered her to continue.
“Uh... S-So I made it at first because I saw the red clay. I-I didn’t put much thought into it but...” She gazed down at the small Crimson Mask. “I began to see something in it. Unlike most ponies, I, uh, got to see the Crimson Mask in pony.”
The class went wild. Students immediately started talking about that bombshell, making all sorts of wacky theories regarding Olive. Miss Cheerilee had to shout to get their attention back.
“Everypony! It’s very impolite to talk during your classmate’s presentation. You can talk about it only when they are done. Olive, you may continue.”
Olive had lowered her head in embarrassment. Taking one more look at Heedful Care, she mustered the courage to resume. “A-As I was saying, I saw the Crimson Mask in pony. From what I know, he really hated my dad and the two would always fight. At first, I was s-scared of him, but the more I grew up, the more I began to see something in him.” She raised her creation to eye level, taking another good look at it.
“He was angry, bitter and suffering from some sort of injustice he always blamed on the princesses. I realise then; he was just like the ponies that worked with my daddy.” Olive continued, her voice becoming dreamy as it continued. Many images of her past resurfaced, stopping her for a couple of seconds. “Nopony truly was happy. The more I think about them, the sadder I feel for them, especially now that I know what’s it like to be happy. They’re all missing some love, and that makes them mean and angry... it even happened to daddy.” Her voice quieted down.
The tone in the class shifted. Everypony was on the edge of their seat, their eyes and ears glued onto the pink filly. They waited in bathed breath for her to continue.
No wonder she always seems kind of sad. Other ponies’ moods can affect ours as well. Being surrounded with angry and sad ponies must have made her feel the same way, though she doesn’t seem really angry in the slightest... Perhaps it’s because of her good nature? Care pondered during the down time.
“I often try to forget about my dad and them, but I can’t. I can’t pretend like none of this ever happened. I can’t fool myself into thinking it’s all behind me. Even now, I still feel like I'm missing something b-but I don’t know what is. I-I also don’t know what I want to do. All I know... is that my foalhood with them was an important part of my life, but that doesn’t mean I have to let it define me. Here in Ponyville, I can finally choose who I want to be.”
Cheerilee listened, her mouth agape. Not only did this filly have quite the vocabulary, but she also seemed smarter than she was initially letting on to be. There was a lot going on through her mind, even if it was sometimes misguided or greatly uninformed. One thing’s for sure, she wasn’t as neglected as she believed. Looks like this little filly did have a good role model growing up, but it’s odd that she’s not bringing this pony up.
Olive looked back at the Crimson Mask, her eyes slightly widening. “Uh, th-that's... That’s it.” she awkwardly finished. “I have nothing else to say.” she admitted, gazing at her teacher hoping that she would let her go back to her desk.
“Th-That was wonderful presentation!” Cheerilee exclaimed, putting on a nervous smile. “Everypony, let’s applaud Olive for her efforts!”
The whole class erupted into thundering applause, three of them with more enthusiasm.
“Ya were mighty great!”
“That was awesome!”
“You know lots of cool words!”
Olive victoriously trotted back to her seat while Heedful Care stayed near Cheerilee to whisper something in her ear. Now back in her seat, it felt as if the weight of the world left her shoulders. It was the greatest feeling in the world, not just because she finished her stressful presentation, but because she got something off her chest. Something she never admitted to anypony before. She was one step closer to finding some semblance of closure.
The filly looked at her bandage again and touched it. She gazed at the rest of the class and observed their reaction. To her surprise, many of them stared at her in awe and wonder. To them, she was the coolest filly in town.
Gazing back at her wound, Olive played with it a little. Her lips curled into a smile and her legs stopped shaking. Huh, maybe it’s not as ugly as I thought.
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Since I read the first chapter in which Olive goes to school, this scene occurred to me where Apple Bloom forcefully but friendly takes Diamon Tiara to the back of the school, to have a talk.
New cover looks dope but also looks like the Employers stalking a unicorn filly💀
11714881
Thanks for the compliment! Also, was that a Madness Combat reference?
11714243
Ay, that's a pretty nice scene! Olive could really use somepony to stand up for her, at least until she's learned how to deal with confrontations.
11715109
;)
5:30