Crusaders of the Lost Mark
Episodal Aftermaths
by Jonathan “KnightMysterio” Spires
Aftermath 1: Crusaders of the Lost Mark
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Ponyville Elementary...
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To say that Spoiled Rich, mother of Diamond Tiara, was vindictive would be like saying that Rainbow Dash had a colorful mane. And she certainly planned to take out her frustrations on the so-called Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Wretched blank flanks. How dare they turn her daughter against her? Oh, she would show them. The school board was her personal dominion, and...
“Mrs. Rich,” said Mayor Mare, “before we begin, we were swearing in a new member today?”
Spoiled blinked. “Ah, yes...” she said, looking over the agenda. There WAS that to deal with, wasn't there? She smiled. Oh, what a coup it was convincing her to join... now if she'd just show up. “Well, once she gets here, we can...”
“SORRY!” Twilight said, the alicorn grinning sheepishly as she entered the room. “Sorry! I got distracted. This nice stallion and his wife wanted to meet me, and since I remembered how nice he was from a party I went to....”
Spoiled started to say something, but the words died in her throat. Fancypants, THE Fancypants, one of the most influential stallions in Canterlot, entered the room after, followed by his wife, retired supermodel Fleur Dis Lee.
“Hello everypony!” Fancypants said. “Sorry to be a bother and detain the Princess, but we've been in town the past few days considering a place to put a new summer home!”
“Here in Ponyville?” Cheerilee asked, surprised.
“Oui, madame,” Fleur said, smiling warmly. “We've heard so many wonderful things about Ponyville, we've decided that we would love to spend our summers here.”
Twilight Sparkle grinned. “If you'd like, you can sit in on the meeting,” she said. She blinked, and said, “Oh, unless that's against the rules?”
Spoiled immediately pounced. “Oh, I'm certain for someone as well-known as Fancypants and Fleur Dis Lee, we can make an exception, right?” she said, chuckling merrily. The other members of the town schoolboard just muttered amongst themselves, eventually agreeing.
“Quite,” Fancypants said, frowning briefly at Spoiled. Oh dear, a social climbing sycophant... he thought, taking measure of Spoiled Rich immediately. He glanced to Fleur, the former model rolling her eyes in amusement, having come to the same conclusion. “Ah, before we begin, there was something I was wondering,” he said.
“Oh?” Mayor Mare asked. “Ask away.”
Fancypants smiled. “There was one of those delightful random musical numbers that seem to occur in our society yesterday. This town always seems cheerful, but yesterday it was rather jubilant. What was that about?”
Twilight and Cheerilee traded grins. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders finally got their cutie marks yesterday!” Twilight said.
Fancypants beamed. “Well well! How wonderful!”
Fleur grinned widely, clapping her hooves. “Tres bon! My nephew will be overjoyed to hear this!”
Spoiled blinked, confused and more than a little frightened by this reaction. “I'm... sorry, do you know them?”
Fancypants smiled. “We know OF them,” he said. “Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, correct?” Twilight nodded. Fancypants grinned, and continued. “Rumors of their efforts to find their marks have spread ever since a branch of them started up in Manehattan. Apple Bloom's... cousin, I believe, is the leader there.”
Fleur nodded. “Word gets around. Plus, Rarity, the last time she came to Canterlot to design a dress for me,” she said, “she could not stop bragging about her sister and her friends. Something about helping a 'Troubleshoes' or something with his problems.”
Fancypants chuckled. “Indeed. There's an unofficial group of Crusaders in Canterlot, and if I recall correctly a Crusaders branch is forming in Cloudsdale as well! Fleur's nephew is a member of the Canterlot group!”
Fleur beamed. “When it gets out that the original Crusaders actually have their marks? Oh, membership will skyrocket!”
Spoiled, throughout this entire exchange, found herself developing a nervous twitch in her left eye. A pulsing headache was starting to form as well. How? HOW?! They were NOTHING! A farmer, the sister of a gold digger, and a runt no one cared about!
“This is great news!” Twilight said, beaming. “I'm so proud of them! And I know Princess Luna will be as well!”
Spoiled just barely managed to resist the urge to shriek. “A-a-and what would Her Majesty Luna know about the Crusaders?”
“Hm?” Twilight said. “Oh, she's helped them with some problems they've had recently. She sometimes asks me about them, I let her know how they've been doing, what they've learned in Twilight Time...”
“'Twilight Time?'” Fleur asked.
Twilight blushed. “S-Sorry... A little nickname for the private tutoring sessions I've been having with them. Apple Bloom's got the makings of a great alchemist.”
Spoiled felt dizzy. How could those little rodents have so many connections?
Fancypants smiled. “My my. I assume that Luna gave them special attention because their older sisters, yourself, and two others played a part in freeing her from the Nightmare's curse?”
Fleur blinked. “I thought Scootaloo was Rainbow Dash's daughter,” she said.
Twilight shook her head. “Neither, actually. Scootaloo's parents like to stay out of the spotlight, so that's why no one mentions them much. Scootaloo herself is basically Rainbow Dash's protege.”
Fleur nodded. “Still, to be protege to the Wonderbolts Rookie of the Year,” she said. “That's tremendous.”
Twilight blinked. “So that's official, then,” she said. “I don't follow sports news all that much.”
Fancypants nodded. “So that's all three of the original Crusaders with famous families,” he said.
“What?!” Spoiled shouted before she could stop herself.
Fancypants and Fleur gave each other amused looks. They were really enjoying her misery too much. They'd probably feel guilty about it. Eventually.
“Indeed,” Fancypants said. “Scootaloo has the ear of a famous Wonderbolt rookie. The Apples are amongst the oldest and most respected families in Equestria. And Rarity...” He chuckled. “I'm actually a little envious... Rarity's more well-connected than I am at this point. Her dresses are in high demand amongst the highest echelons of society.”
Spoiled looked ready to throw up. She had come into this meeting expecting to pull her authority over the schoolboard, as well as the fact that she was the school's main financial benefactor, to get the Crusaders expelled, perhaps even go after their families a bit. And now, in just a few minutes of conversation, she found out that she was nothing in comparison! How little did she actually know?!
“Oh my,” Fancypants said, chuckling. “In all this, I didn't think to ask... What are their cutie marks for?”
Twilight grinned. “Believe it or not, their cutie marks are for helping others find their own cutie marks, or understanding what their cutie mark is! They helped their longtime nemesis, Diamond Tiara, figure out the real meaning of her own cutie mark.”
Spoiled jerked, as if struck. “Wait... Diamond was uncertain of her mark's meaning?” she said. “She never mentioned that to me.”
“You do tend to react badly if you think she's failed in any way,” Cheerilee said, the schoolteacher clearly enjoying the wannabe socialite's discomfort.
You smug little... Spoiled thought, glaring at Cheerilee.
“Still, you must be very proud of Diamond, Mrs. Rich!” Twilight said, oblivious to the animosity between the two. “She's become a much better pony since figuring out her mark's true meaning!”
Cheerilee looked thoughtful for a moment, and nodded. “Indeed. It's been just a day, but she's become a lot more popular, and respected.”
“Popular and respected,” Spoiled Rich said flatly. By being nice. By ignoring everything I've ever taught her and by being nice.
“And actually,” Twilight said, reaching into the saddlebag she had brought with her, “that reminds me. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, especially Luna, wanted to be there for their cute-ceañera, and the girls wanted to have her there, so they convinced Pinkie Pie to have it this weekend, when they had some time free.” Twilight pulled out several colorful invitations, giving them out amongst the group. “You're all invited, of course. And while I don't have ones for you two,” she said to Fancypants and Fleur, “I'm sure no one would object to your coming as well.”
Fancypants looked to Fleur, who nodded, grinning. He smiled himself, and said, “We'd be honored. It sounds like a smashing good time.” Everypony else in the room
Spoiled sat down. Her thoughts were a jumble. Everything she thought she had known was shattered in the course of... she looked at the clock. Good heavens, has it really only been fifteen minutes since Princess Twilight showed up? Her daughter, her position in society, the position of others in society, especially those she once thought her lessers...
She looked down at her own cutie mark. She tried to remember when she got it, when she had discovered her true destiny, what her mark meant... and drew a complete and total blank.
Blank.
Blank flank.
She suddenly began to laugh. A sickened, frustrated laugh that welled out of her throat unbidden.
“Mrs. Rich, are you okay?” she heard a voice ask. She turned, and saw everypony else in the room giving her a concerned look. She glanced at her reflection in a nearby window and saw that she had started to cry.
Wiping her eyes, she shook her head. “No... No, I'm not,” she said.
Fancypants came forward, genuinely concerned. He had been dismissive of her before, but he wasn't about to stand idly by when somepony was in distress. “Is there anypony we can call for you?” he asked gently.
Spoiled shook her head. “No, I... I'll be fine, I just need some time to myself... Time away from Ponyville,” she said. She thought about it, and nodded. “Yes, I think I need a bit of a vacation. Time to think and do some personal re-evaluation.” She straightened herself out. “I'll be taking a leave of absence. Effective immediately.”
Princess Twilight frowned. “I'm... I'm not chasing you out, am I?”
Spoiled shook her head. “No. No, I assure you I'm doing that all by my self,” she said, chuckling weakly. “I just... need to rethink a few things.”
With as much dignity as she could muster, she trotted out of the room. Cheerilee frowned. “I hope she's okay...” she said softly.
Mayor Mare quirked an eyebrow. “As much bribery, blackmail, and outright threatening as she's done to keep that brat daughter of hers out of trouble, I'm surprised you can show concern for her,” she said quietly.
“I wasn't kidding when I said Diamond's made a huge turnaround,” Cheerilee said softly. “And yes, I quite frankly detest her. That doesn't mean I wish her to be miserable.” Out loud, she said, “Well... perhaps we should get started with the meeting?”
As the schoolboard settled in to talk, Fancypants and Fleur politely excused themselves. They looked around for Spoiled, wanting to talk to her.
"Oh dear..." Fleur said. "Perhaps we took our schadenfreude too far?"
Fancypants shook his head. "Dear me..." he said. "We try so hard to avoid the behaviors of those we disdain and look what we just did..."
As for Spoiled herself, she was already making her way back to her mansion. In such a short time, her entire worldview had been shattered to pieces. And now? She didn't know what to do. She needed to think, needed to get away...
Proud. “You must be very proud of her, Mrs. Rich!” Twilight had said. She had been proud of her daughter, at what she perceived as her strength, her dominance. And yet, in one day, through the happy silly magic of 'friendship,' Diamond was now not just dominant, but also liked.
“If I've been wrong all this time... what does that mean for me?” Spoiled said softly. She shook her head, and continued on home. She needed her family right now, needed some stability.
And boy, did she ever need that vacation...
THE END
Next Aftermath: Brotherhooves Social