We Can't Take It Anymore!
"Ugh, great, it's this time of year again," Scootaloo said and sighed.
"I know, right! That means we have to see them again," Sweetie Belle said.
It was an early fall morning. The crusaders were on their way to the Ponyville Schoolhouse, for it was the first day of their new school year.
"Hmm, doesn't look like anythin' has really changed, and it looks like we are early!" Applebloom said. As soon as they went in their empty classroom, they sat in their usual seats, the desks in the middle of the front row. Applebloom gestured with her hoof for Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to come closer.
"Girls, I don't think they will come back. At the end of last year, I heard that they were moving to Fillydelphia. I think we may just have a year of peace!"
"What do you mean by peace? For us, every year is a peaceful year, and sometimes joyous!" The crusaders looked at the door to see who was speaking and saw two fillies, a gray filly with teal glasses and a pink filly with a tiara. The gray filly lowered her glasses and examined the nearly empty class, finding the Cutie Mark Crusaders with concerned looks.
"Well well well, look who we have here!" said the gray filly.
"Looks like the rumors are proven to be untrue," Scootaloo very quietly whispered to her friends as the two fillies sat in the desks that were behind the crusaders.
"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon..." Applebloom mumbled in an annoyed way as she covered her forehead with a hoof.
"Yep. The best of the best! I can tell that you guys miss us over the summer, right?" Silver Spoon sarcastically said as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were giving her glares. Not really... Sweetie Belle thought. The crusaders' only reply was silence. Diamond Tiara dramatically gasped.
"Silver Spoon, it look like they do care!" she said as Diamond was trying to give the crusaders a hug. Their response was attempting to push her hooves off of their shoulders, "Guess what guys? We missed you all as well! After all, we can't forget about our favorite blank flanks!" Diamond said as she giggled along with Silver Spoon.
"That reminds me, D.T., what have you guys been doing over the summer? I see that you guys have made such little progress with finding your talents. I think the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' should just stop crusading and accept who they really are," Silver Spoon said as her friend nodded.
"Certainly. Besides, you guys had a whole summer to work on that!" At this point, the crusaders were trying their best to ignore the mean fillies. But their behavior is getting straight into their heads, especially Applebloom's.
"'Scuse me, we tried our best, and that's all that matters!" Applebloom said. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon lightly chuckled.
"Sure..." they mumbled. When the fillies have finished their conversation, the school bell rang. A lot more colts and fillies started to enter the room. For the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the school bullies, there were some old and new faces. When everypony settled down, a unicorn mare with a light brown coat, a red mane and tail, and a cup made out of china as a cutie mark walked through the door and stood behind her desk.
"Greetings, everypony. My name is Hot Cocoa," the new teacher said in her slightly annoying and monotone voice. A few children giggled in the classroom, "Do some of you children already want to stay in my class for recess for laughing at my name?" Cocoa asked the class. The chuckling came to a sudden stop.
"Thank you. Now, all of you will remain silent while I take attendance. Excuse me if I mispronounce any names," Hot Cocoa said. A blue colt with a brown mane and tail raised his hoof.
"What does 'mispronounce' mean again?" he asked.
"It means to say something wrong," Hot Cocoa calmly answered
While the students were staring aimlessly everywhere and raising their hooves when their name has been called, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon exchanged glances and decided to annoy the crusaders some more. Diamond grabbed a small note out of her saddlebags and began to whisper at Applebloom.
Psst, psst!
Not this again.. Applebloom thought. She tried to ignore Diamond Tiara, but the whispering got louder every second.
Psst, psst, psst!
"Would you be quiet for a few minutes?" Applebloom whispered to Diamond Tiara. Hot Cocoa overheard her whispering and stopped taking attendance.
"Now, who is talking over me at this moment?" Cocoa exclaimed to the class. She examined the whole room and found Applebloom's head turned to Diamond Tiara.
"Ms. Applebloom, I expect more from you. Do you want to ruin it for the whole class and make them stay inside here instead if playing outside?" Hot Cocoa sternly said to Applebloom. The whole class gave her an annoyed look and fake irritated looks from Diamond a Tiara and Silver Spoon. Meanwhile, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were giving concerned faces.
"Um... uh... sorry, no, Ms Cocoa," Applebloom stuttered to her teacher.
"Very well, then," Hot Cocoa replied as she walked back to her desk to take attendance while Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were lightly chortling.
After they have been lectured about class expectations and foal growth once more, it was recess time for the whole class. As soon as they heard the bronze bell ring, everypony galloped out the back door of the schoolhouse. Meanwhile, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were the last ones out. When they reached the fields, Sweetie Belle spoke up.
"Girls, I don't even know if we are going to even survive the first month of school after we have seen how the teacher and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon have treated Applebloom," Sweetie said with a pout as her other friends nodded along with her. Suddenly, a Tetherball hit Sweetie Belle at the back of the head, making her fall on the ground. Looking up, she saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon who was laughing at the sight of her pain.
"What in the hay was that for?!" Sweetie Belle shrieked.
"Oops, sorry Squeaky Belle! We didn't see you there," Silver Spoon lied.
"Besides, why don't you just get some glasses and watch where you are going next time?" Diamond Tiara hissed. Applebloom and Scootaloo saw how Sweetie Belle was getting demolished and angrily ran straight to the two bullies.
"Hey! What gives you the right to talk to our friend like that?!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"Says the the flightless pony who pathetically attempts to fight back because of how much of a chicken she is," Silver Spoon rudely said as she mocked Scootaloo by flapping her arms while Scootaloo herself sat on the grass and gazed in shock and pain.
"Guys, why don't you just leave us be and carry on with what you are doin'?" Applebloom said as she tried to reason with the two fillies.
"Oh, what's wrong Applebawl? Are you going to cry your eyes out like the little crybaby you're friends are?" Diamond Tiara indelicately said as she pointed her hoof at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Now, that is the last straw out of the hay bale, she thought as her muzzle sharply scrunched up.
"That. Is. ENOUGH!" Applebloom loudly exclaimed as she furiously trotted over to the two schoolfillies. Her yell caught the attention of her whole class. Thus, making them silent.
"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, I and certainly my friends, just had it with how you have been treating us," Applebloom said. Scootaloo stood up, took a glance at her, and made a stern face. The school bullies exchanged surprised glances.
"Applebloom is right. We just can not take it anymore with how much disrespect you have been throwing at us for a year. A. Single. Year. Don't you both know how much time that is when it comes to you guys bullying us? The answer is: an eternity. Just countless hours and days of being called names and tortured," Scootaloo said. Regaining her strength from her extremely minor head injury, Sweetie Belle stood up as well.
"Yeah and first of all, how would you guys feel if we did the same things that you did to us? What if you still don't have your cutie marks while we did and called both of you 'Blank Flanks'? So please, why don't you both stop tormenting us and maybe other ponies? How about you think about what we said?" Sweetie Belle assertively stated as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon remained standing on the grass with shocked expressions. The school bell then rang and all the children hurriedly rushed into the classroom as Hot Cocoa was holding the door for all of them, while the two mean fillies had their heads facing the ground in shame. As they were approaching the building, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had confident faces and gave warm smiles toward each other.
"By the way, thank you for sticking up for me Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle said with gratitude.
"No problem, and thanks Applebloom for standing up for me as well," Scootaloo said.
"Aw shucks, you're welcome, Scoots. However, I think what's important is that not only we stood up for ourselves, we stood up for each other and together. That's what true friends do. I'm very lucky to have you guys by my side!"
"So are we!" both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle exclaimed as they had a group hug. The teacher noticed that the crusader were hugging, and they saw Hot Cocoa standing by the door.
"Uh, guys, I think we should head inside before we get in trouble," Applebloom said.
"You don't have to worry, I'll give you all a minute," Hot Cocoa said with a smile.
"This is going to be the best school year ever!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders said as they finished their hug and walked to the Ponyville Schoolhouse once again in triumph.