Chapter One: A Change of Scenery

"Diamond, Diamond."

A little pink-coated earth pony yawned as she stretched underneath a rather fancy canopy bed and gazed at the family's butler, an old purple earth pony with a set of white mane looking rather tired. The filly yawned, wanting to go back to sleep, and mumbled, "Give me five more minutes, Randolph."

Randolph gulped, looking abit worried as he replied, "Diamond, your mother instructed me to get you up for school."

The filly eyes lit up as she cried, "Oh yeah, today's the first day of school!"

Diamond Tiara then hopped over to her fancy bedroom with pristine white walls and pink carpet covered with simple fancy furniture. She was then escorted by her butler to her private bathroom, and assisted with giving her a short bubble bath, brushing her teeth, combing her mane and tail just like her mother's, and picking out a cute outfit, putting her into a pretty little light purple and white striped dress, then topping it off with a new pristine saddlebag with gems encrusted on it. Her mane was perfect, and her tail was combed out and wavy.

Walter then bowed and said, "Now you're prepared for school. I must take my leave."

"Ok, thank you, Randolph!" Diamond chirped and waved a hoof as he left. The filly stood in front of a massive mirror admiring her reflection, looking over her outfit and making sure it looked perfect for her first day of school. The little filly already met her new teacher, Cheerilee, earlier this week. She seemed so interesting she couldn't wait to see her again! Not only that, but she wanted to make so many new friends. Having only Silver Spoon, it's not that she didn't like her. But she was excited to meet other foals her age that her mom didn't pick out.

"Diamond!" her mother shouted.

The unicorn filly was so engrossed in her reflection, looking over her outfit and mane, that she didn't hear her mother.

"Diamond, you answer me this instant!"

The filly squeaked as she realized her mother's voice and cried, "Yes, Mom!"

Diamond ran to her door and opened it, revealing an angry, older, pink-coated mare with a set of stern teal-blue eyes walking into the room. Diamond's mom continued to glare at her as she trotted around her and snapped, "Diamond, why are you not answering me? I called you multiple times!"

The filly subconsciously bent her head down and whispered, "Sorry, Mom, I was just getting ready for school."

"And are you ready for your first day of school?"

She then started to hop up and down, unable to contain her excitement, and squealed, "Yeah, I'm so excited!"

Spoiled Rich started to get irritated as she snapped, "Stop bouncing like an idiot and sit down. And it's yes, mother."

Diamond stopped, quickly sat on a nearby chair, bowed her head, and whispered, "Sorry, yes, mother."

"That's Better now that I know it's your first day of school, but there are some things we need to discuss."

“Yes…mother…”

"Now, I expect you to be on your best behavior and make eye contact with the teacher. Try to raise your hoof as often as possible. I'm not raising an imbecile."

"I will, Mother."

"As you're there, I expect you to get top marks in class. There will be punishment if you don't."

"Yes, mother."

"You know that at school, every one of your other classmates is beneath us, and you will not befriend them, understand?"

Diamond paused, her heart clenched in her chest upon hearing her mom tell her she couldn't make friends. She really was hoping to be able to, so she tried to protest, "Yes, Mother, but I was looking forward to making new frien-"

"But nothing! You are a Rich, not some common riffraff; whatever you do reflects on us and myself, so if you befriend common ponies?"

Diamond Tiara looked up, confused, wondering why she couldn't make friends. Spoiled stood over her and shouted, "Stop standing there gawking like a backwater foal! If you befriend common ponies?"

"No, I won't," The filly bowed and quivered as she whispered, "It makes you look bad."

"Not me, the family! Your father, the butler."

"His name is Randolph."

"Whatever, you understand your actions at school will reflect the family and yourself. You are a Rich, so remember that and make sure everypony else does, too."

Diamond didn't fully believe her, but she wanted to please her and show her she was worthy of being her daughter, so she put the idea of making friends out of her mind. But then she thought about Silver Spoon and saw she'd be going to school with her. She looked up at her mom's glaring eyes and asked, "What about Silver Spoon?"

Spoiled smirked, then said, "Yes, you can be friends with her, but remember, she will always be yours. You will also ensure she is beneath you, but keep her close."

The filly didn't understand but couldn't disobey, "Yes, mother."

"Do not disappoint me. I am doing this for your own good. One day, you'll thank me for this."

"I understand,"

"Now say I love you."

"I…I love you," she hugged her mother as she patted her daughter on the head. "Now, come down for breakfast; the butler made some excellent omelets. Also, he has your lunch packed and ready."

"Thank you, mother." Diamond then trotted after her, picking her head up like her mom, remembering that she was Rich and that she had to act like one, forgetting all about meeting new friends. All she wanted was for her mom to be proud of her.

Diamond woke up jolted awake by a train. The little pink filly realized she had fallen asleep, then looked out her window, eyes glazed over from being tired from last night. Everything was a blur, from her trying to stop Pipp from being school president to the Cutie Mark Crusaders convincing her that she was wrong, her finding out her Cutie Mark standing up to her mom, but everything felt so wrong. She groaned, looking over the stuffy uniform, then looked down and saw her suitcase packed with some minor personal items she could take. Diamond realized that she was leaving all that behind: her mom, school, and her new friends, Silver Spoon…she closed her coat around her, feeling something shift beneath her back and ache, wanting to break free. "Remember, if you show anypony, I'll make you regret it! We will reveal you at the right time, but when I say so, understand?" Diamond shivered hearing her mother's threat, wondering what she would do? Her mother was powerful and could pull some strings. Maybe have her sent to a rock farm or banished from Equestria!? She knew that standing up to her mom was the right thing to do. Every time she was insulted or belittled, all of it hurt but it made her stronger. Maybe this was all a test she had to pass; if she endured her, she could endure anything.

Then Diamond groaned, rubbing her horn jutting up from her forehead as it throbbed, probably primarily due to her still not really knowing how to use it. But she had to learn quickly, seeing that her mother pulled strings to make it look like she was born a unicorn in her paperwork. Celestia knows she'll look like a baby in front of her classmates at this boarding school, Coldstone Academy if she can't use it. Diamond wiped the tears from her eyes and focused on the outside. Then, she thought about all the times she belittled the Cutie Mark Crusaders, made fun of them, told lies about them, and tricked Scootaloo into being insecure about her wings. Tears filled her eyes again, feeling the heavy weight of guilt coming over her. She threw her head down, feeling this ache in her heart as she cried to herself, "I… I'm so sorry for everything." she then balled into her hooves and curled up, wishing she could disappear.

Diamond Tiara was groaning as she woke up the next morning. She still couldn't believe everything that had happened the previous day. It felt like a dream; finally, standing up to her mother was thrilling but scary at the same time. That was the first time she ever fought back against her, and it was, and now everything hurt her head and back. She groaned slowly, getting up and feeling pain all over her body and shaking from the fear and pain. Diamond Tiara then slowly got out of bed, crossed her room, and went to a mirror, the same one she looked into at herself when she first went to school. She blinked as she rubbed her head, seeing a horn protruding from it, then threw her wings out…wings!? She gave the pink feathery appendages a few flaps; being surprised at what she was seeing, she couldn't help but squeal, "I'm an ali-"

"Diamond Tiara!"

The filly squeaked and then turned to face her mother in the doorway. "Mother."

The mare slammed a bag on the ground, and her eyes widened.

The filly turned to face her and cried, "Mother."

"Diamond yo…. You're."

Despite everything that happened yesterday, Diamond was so thrilled to see she had been gifted a set of wings and a horn that she shouted, "I'm an alicorn! Can you believe it!"

Spoiled's demeanor did not change as she scowled, "Alicorn, or not behave yourself!"

The filly paused, and just like when she was a little filly, she meekly but with a hint of anger replied, "Yes, mother."

"Don't think being an alicorn will get you out of trouble! Humiliating me in front of the entire school and your teacher!"

"Mom, I-!"

"No buts, I am sending you to boarding school."

Diamond's eyes widened, and she shouted, "Boarding scho- Mom!"

Spoiled then slapped her across the face with a crack with the sting of the hoof hitting Diamond as she cried and winced in pain as the mare snapped, "Quiet now! I will not hear another word!"

Diamond bit down her tongue and looked down, fearing what her mother would do if she did anything else, and waited as Spoiled trotted around looking her over her, "An alicorn, If you think this new body of yours is going to change my mind it won't."

"You can't stop me, but I can just run away!" Diamond cried.

Spoiled took her daughter's face and had her look right into her mom's eyes as she shouted, "I can! I am your mother! Everything you are, everything you have is because of me! You think you won by turning everyone against me! If you want me as an enemy, now I am!"

With tears in her eyes, Diamond Tiara wanted to just run away and hide but somehow mustered the courage to shout, "We'll just have to see what Dad has to say about this! He won't just let you send me away!"

"Your father isn't here, and when he does return from his trip, I'm sure he'll agree that bullying your poor classmates and running that horrible gossip column is so unbehaving of a filly like yourself. I'll make sure to have him see you in a different light as an unruly spoiled brat who needs to learn some humility and discipline."

Diamond paused, her heart thumping. She knew full well her mom had done this in the past to make her look worse than she was. She even used that same tactic against the Cutie Mark Crusaders and other foals. At this point, there really wasn't much she could do but cry, "This is unfair. You can't do this."

Spoiled slammed a hoof onto the ground, making her bow, and then she shouted, "Diamond! You may be an alicorn! Hell, you can be Princess Celestia's descendant. I don't know how or why, but you don't deserve it; you're not becoming a princess, and your behavior is unchecked. We can't hide that horn, but you will hide your wings."

"Seriously!?"

"You will do as I say. We can bind your wings to your sides and make you wear a coat."

"Why would I let you do that!?"

"Listen, you're on thin ice as it is, and remember, if you show anypony, I'll make you regret it! We will reveal you at the right time, but when I say so, understand?

Diamond bowed her head and nodded. Completely scared of what her mother could do, she wanted to fight back, run away, and do anything, but all she could do was shake uncontrollably as she muttered, "Yes, mother."

Spoiled stood up and snapped, "Now pack a suitcase you're leaving tonight," then, the mare walked out and slammed the door behind her. As Diamond rubbed her bruised cheek with tears welling up, she looked into her reflection. She was thrilled to see she became an alicorn, but now all she felt was shame and regret, not knowing why. After all these years, Diamond finally stood up to her mother, but in return, she was being sent away against her will, and she could do nothing. The filly cried out and slammed a hoof into the mirror, cracking it into several shards; she then looked at the shattered reflection, wondering who she was, why she was given this gift, and wondered if she even deserved it.

The train finally stopped, and Diamond woke up again from another dream. As the train screeched to a halt, she wiped her eyes, trying to make sure it didn't look like she was crying, and got off. Diamond then pulled her jacket around her, ensuring nopony could see her other new appendages except her horn. She then pulled her saddle bag around her and followed a group of ponies out of the train. It was a dark overcast with a bit of frost forming on the platform. She shivered to clench the coat close to her chest and saw an old grey pony earth pony with her white hair tied in a tight bun and purple eyes glaring at her as she asked, "Diamond Tiara, I presume?"

The filly let out a breath as she whispered, "Yes, that's me."

"Good evening; I am Mrs. Hardwood, your instructor at Coldstone Academy."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Hardwood," Diamond mumbled as she bowed again.

"Young fillies should curtsey, not bow; we'll work on that later. Now come with me."

Diamond rolled her eyes as only old ladies think fillies still curtsied. But she was too tired and aching to fight, so she was led to a carriage, which two stallions led, assisted on, and then rode off down relatively vacant fields spotted with trees and permafrost covering the landscape being relatively close to the North. By the time they came to the school, it looked like some old mansion. It looked ancient, with grey stone and an Iron sign overhead reading "Coldstone Acadamy." The trees surrounding it looked pretty, along with some well-cut shrubbery. The entire courtyard looked clean and to the point; it had no soul. Diamond was then escorted up the steps as Mrs Hardwood continued talking, "Now your mother told me that you have a coat condition, and you must always wear a jacket."

Diamond clenched her teeth, but remembering the threat, she whispered, "Y…yes… that's true."

"Well, that won't be an issue as it does get cold up here even in the summer," she was then escorted through the corridors filled with portraits of fillies; it was an etiquette school about learning to be a noble mare. She will be here for a whole year. Will she have to hide herself for that long? Can she risk disobeying her mother? They eventually came down to a room and opened it, revealing a pristine carpet with light pink walls and two beds; on one of the beds, a white-coated pegasus filly with bright blue eyes was lying down reading a book. Upon the two entering her room, she jumped up and performed a curtsey as she replied, "Good evening, Mrs. Hardwood."

"Snowdrop, this is your new roommate. I informed you about Diamond Tiara. Today is your free day to relax after your long trip, but tomorrow starts your classes. We have breakfast at seven AM sharp, so make sure you get a good night's rest and have your uniform ready for tomorrow's dinner at Seven PM; we are quite punctual here."

"Yes, Mrs. Hardwood," the two fillies chimed. As Mrs. Hardwood left, Snowdrop's cheerful demeanor instantly turned sour. She rolled her eyes and complained, "Ugh, why did I get stuck babysitting the newbie?"

Diamond eyed her new roommate, who she already didn't like one bit, and then snapped back, "You don't have to babysit me. I can take care of myself."

"Well, I heard about your "skin condition." You better not get your dandruff on my uniforms; I just have them cleaned."

She returned to reading her book as Diamond placed her suitcase under her bed. Looking worried, she asked," Um, aren't you supposed to show me around?"

"Why would I do that? If you're not a baby, do it yourself."

Diamond was appalled by her and, now getting really angry, snapped, "How dar-"

Snowdrop got up and shouted, "No, how dare you! I'm your elder here! If you want, I can tell Mrs. Hardwood about how rude and brutish you are!"

Diamond paused, fearing she would not only make a bad impression on Mrs. Hardwood but also report back to her mother; Celestia knew what she would do to her and cried, "What, no, please, I'm sorry!"

Snowdrop smirked, seeing she won, then said, "If you're sorry, leave me alone. Don't talk to me; for all I care, we can act like we don't exist."

She then flew off to her bed and went back to reading her book. Diamond stood there heaving in anger, thinking that her old self would find a way to get back at this filly. The truth was Snowdrop reminded her of her old self, and it made her feel queasy. She didn't know what else to do but shouted, "Fine, I'll just go take a bath!"

She then went to the bathroom and slammed the door; then slowly took off her coat, took the massive rubber band off her wings, and unfurled them. She winced, feeling the pain of them being bound for so long. She then flapped them a few times, still not used to her appendages and wobbling about as they put her off balance. The filly then went about and prepared the water; luckily, it was hot and steamy, and then she poured some soap until a froth of bath bubbles formed on the top. The little filly then plopped herself in and sighed, feeling the warm water come over her small, cold body. She lay there looking at the ceiling tiles, thinking to herself, one year of this…she needed to get through one year and somehow talk to her father without her mother present; remember, if you reveal them…she felt a deep rage swelling in her as she growled, "Yes Mother I'll behave for now, but the second I'm out of here I'm going to tell father what you did to me! I'll get through this!"

Chapter Two: The New Foal in School

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Diamond Tiara groaned as she woke up the following morning. She felt her stiff wings as she slowly got into her jacket, wishing she could spread them out, taking a mental note to free them when she used the bathroom. Then, she turned to see her roommate slowly getting up and dressed in a drab grey uniform. They didn't talk at all throughout the morning, but she saw Snowdrop was looking rather guilty, but she herself was still quite angry at how she treated her yesterday.

Then they walked out, trailing behind dozens of other fillies slightly younger or older than her, and followed the rest of her class to the dining hall. She looked up to see the long, dusty hall filled with long benches covered in bowls of sad-looking grey oatmeal, plates with small omelets, and small china cups filled with tea. The little filly then sat down and began eating a small omelet that wasn't filling and some tea. Throughout the meal, the other fillies looked over at her and whispered amongst each other with stares. She tried to ignore them and just went about eating.

Mrs. Hardwood then came out and tapped a spoon into her cup. "Now, students, settle down."

The chatter died down to a murmur as she continued, "Now we have some announcements. I want to introduce you all to a new student, Diamond Tiara!"

The filly slowly rose and bowed as the rest of the students murmured and whispered, some looking at her with smirks. She felt like a fish in the middle of a swarm of sharks waiting to gobble her up; while she was here, it would be best to keep her guard up.

"Please sit."

"Yes, Mrs. Hardwood," Diamond whispered as she sat down, which got more fillies to murmur. But they went quiet once more as the teacher replied, "Now, since we have a new student and the beginning of a new semester, we should go over the rules now while you are in class; you will do as your teachers say and be on your best behavior. You will receive demerits if there is any misbehaving, missed assignments, or being late. If you reach ten, we will send a letter to your parents about your behavior. I promise you we take your education seriously and will not allow any misbehavior if that is understood!"

"Yes, Mrs. Hardwood," the fillies all chimed.

"Now, enough chit-chat. It's time for classes. Go to your assigned teacher's single-file lines."

The fillies got up, and as they were going to the front of the dining hall, Diamond crossed. She tripped and squealed as she fell. Then she slammed onto a bowl of cold oatmeal face first. The little filly groaned as she struggled to get up, wiping the cold glop from her face. This got a laugh from the other fillies, and Mrs. Hardwood stomped a hoof on the ground and shouted, "Silence!"

The fillies stopped with only a handful of giggles echoing through the hall and snapped, "Diamond, get up and clean yourself up this instant!"

The filly looked up surprised, "But!"

"No buts! Fillies should be more aware of their surroundings. Now, get up and clean yourself."

Diamond was furious that not only were her classmates bullying her, but the teachers couldn't care less or were clueless. She was about to snap back, but Snowdrop put a hoof on her shoulder, bowed, and quickly said, "Don't worry, Mrs. Hardwood. I'll escort her back to the dorm."

"Good, now hurry; you two will still need to be on time for your classes."

"Yes, Mrs. Hardwood," the two fillies chimed as they rushed off. Diamond felt tears coming over her eyes as she looked at Snowdrop, who looked downtrodden, as she escorted her roommate back to their room. As they entered their room, the filly went to the bathroom and cleaned herself. Snowdrop stayed by silently, waiting patiently; once finished, Diamond eyed her and asked, "Why are you helping me?"

"Look, we don't have time. I'll talk about it later, okay? Now come on, we can't be late!" Snowdrop helped her out of the room, and the two ran off through the dusty halls.

Upon finding their classroom, they stopped running and took a second to fix themselves as they slowly opened the door. It revealed a drab-looking classroom with rows of fillies all dressed in their boring grey uniforms, quills in their hooves. At the front of the classroom was a plump earth pony with a chalkboard. She eyed them as they sat down and snapped, "You're late!"

Snowdrop bowed her head. "Please accept our apologies. Diamond slipped into some oatmeal, and I escorted her back to our dorm to help clean her up."

"Yes, I am aware that it does not excuse your punctuality. You two will both receive a demerit now. Sit!"

"Yes, Mrs. Porridge."

Diamond wanted to say something back, but Snowdrop shook her head, "No." so Diamond sat grumpily at a desk as she took out a notebook. Then they went straight to etiquette lessons, learning to eat properly, talk to ponies, and curtsey. Each lesson was more tedious than the last, and it was exhausting to make all the effort to stay awake. Snowdrop nudged her every time she dozed off, and Diamond did her best to pay attention; after their morning classes, they were back in the dining hall having lunch, this time being a hot bowl of a thick veggie stew with tea. As Diamond ate, three other foals came over, and one was a tall, black-coated unicorn with a long purple mane and dark violet eyes. "So, you're the newbie?"

"Yeah, so what?"

"Well, I'm Onyx, and there are some rules you might not know about. I'm the one in charge when the teachers aren't around."

Snowdrop rose and said, "Look, I'll pay her share today. She's new."

"Of course she is, so she needs to learn who's in charge!" She then threw her mane back and took out a hoof. "I'm sure your parents gave you some bits for your trip here, so how about you lend me some to help make your time here easier."

The pink-coated filly eyed her, "No, I'm not giving you a bit."

Snowdrop took out a purse filled with bits, but Diamond placed a hoof and shook her head. "No."

Onyx eyed her, then said, "Diamond, let me say this another way: Pay me, and I can make things much easier for you. I'll get the other fillies to stop teasing you, and we can become best of friends. But you're a newbie, so if you want to climb up the ladder here, you need to pay. Or I can make the next year a living hell. What do you say?"

"I say you can buck off," Diamond growled as she eyed her.

Onyx got in close until they were "muzzle to muzzle" and said, "You really want me to be your enemy?"

"No, but I won't be bullied by the likes of you. There are better ways to make friends than abusing your power over other ponies."

The two other fillies gave each other nervous looks. Diamond smirked, seeing that she had planted a seed of discontent into Onyx's posse, but this just made the filly more furious. Stomping a hoof, she said, "Fine! See what happens when you mess with me!" then, she stomped off with her posse following behind her. After Onyx left, Diamond returned to her meal as Snowdrop asked, "Why did you do that?"

"I used to be like her, and it's easy to intimidate ponies who move to a new school. Standing up to her is the best way to stop a bully like that."

Snowdrop rolled her eyes and said, "You have no idea how things work here. This isn't just any school. You should've just let me pay her off for you."

During the meal, Diamond Tiara grew quite frustrated as she turned to her and asked, "Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden!? You basically told me to buck off last night."

Snowdrop opened her mouth, looked around, and whispered, "As I said, we can talk later."

Just then, she heard a plop and a splash in her teacup. The filly saw a mouse squirm out, making her cry as it ran off. She fell back onto the ground, and there was another round of giggling and laughing as she heard Mrs. Hardwood shout, "Diamond Tiara! Stop making a racket!"

The filly got up and was going to shout, but Snowdrop placed a hoof on her shoulder and bowed, "We will do as you say. I apologize."

Diamond glared at Onyx, who smirked but did as she said, giving a cutesy. Then, as she sat down next to Snowdrop, she apologized, not fully trusting her, but at this point, she was the only pony in this school helping her.

They then spent the rest of the day going by with tedious lessons on the history of Equestria, mathematics, spelling, and language. By night's roll, Diamond was exhausted, hungry, and tired. By dinner time, she quickly ate her meal, not wanting to stay in the dining hall a single second longer than she had to, and then went on her way. Being used to the hushed whispers and the looks, it was like what she did the cutie mark Crusaders, but over a hundredfold. Onyx probably was spreading rumors about her already, but it would be what she used to do.

That night, after Diamond had a long relaxing bath, she dressed in her coat and placed the band around her wings. Then, as she entered her room, she spotted the small pegasus, which seemed a bit crushed. She turned to her and said, "What!?"

"Nothing, just I...I want to apologize."

"For what?"

Snowdrop sighed, then said, "For snapping at you yesterday, I…I was having a bad day and took it out on you. That wasn't right."

Diamond was surprised and then said, "That doesn't explain why you're being nice to me all of a sudden?"

The pegasus looked downward and said, "I see how you're being treated. It was the same for me when I first came here," she then paused and continued, "Most of the foals here were forced to be here by their parents, and we all are a bit…"

"Snobbish, rude, bullies."

Snowdrop winced at Diamond's description but nodded in agreement. Then she said, "Yeah, all that…" She shivered a little and added, "But it's not all our fault. Every filly here was put here by our parents, so you can't blame us for being suspicious—even Onyx, though she's the worst of them."

The pink-coated filly looked downward, reminiscing about seeing a lot of her old self in the black-coated unicorn, and said, "Yeah, she is, but who knows how she's keeping everyone from ganging up on her, intimidating, blackmailing, and spreading rumors about other foals."

Snowdrop just nodded along with every word and said, "Yeah, that's true; guess you had a similar experience?"

Diamond paused, reminiscing a little about how she bullied other ponies, then said, "You could say that."

The pegasus then trotted to her bed and plopped on it as she took off her shoes. "Well, while you're here, I'll teach you the ropes, who to talk to, and how to navigate Onyx and her posse, okay?"

Diamond turned to her, appreciating the thought, but she didn't want to be protected. Deep down, she wanted to do more and explained, "Thank you, Snowdrop, but I'm not going to let them walk all over us. In fact, I think I can change them."

The little white-coated pegasus paused as she started to laugh. "Change them? Yeah, good luck with that. In the meantime, I'll try to keep you alive."

"Trust me, I think we can change them," Diamond said.

"Alright, if you say so?" Snowdrop scoffed, unconvinced, as she took off her uniform. Upon doing so, Diamond's eyes widened to see she didn't have a cutie mark, and she replied, "You're still a blank flank?"

The filly eyed her, then snapped, "Yeah, I'm a blank flank, alright!? You better not tell anypony else!"

Diamond squeaked, seeing she didn't mean how she said that, and then said, "Right, sorry, but I'm just surprised."

The filly looked back at her flank and said, "Well, if I'm being honest, my whole life, I wanted to be the perfect filly like my mother wanted me to be, but I barely ever knew her. I was raised by nannies, and most of them were quite cruel. I became bitter and angry as the only times I ever saw my mother was when I was in trouble, so I lashed out a lot and disobeyed them. They soon had enough, and the last time I saw my parents, they packed me up and sent me here to teach me how to be a proper filly."

Diamond paused hearing the story, feeling so sorry for her and the dozens of the fillies here, all being punished unfairly. This would only make them crueler. Then an idea crept into her mind as the pink-coated unicorn took out a suitcase and opened it. Some clothes were removed, revealing a red cape with the sigil of a prancing pony on a blue field. Snowdrop eyed it and then said, "What is that?"

Diamond turned to face her and said, "This is the cape of the cutie mark crusaders, a group of ponies who changed me for the better. They spent years looking for their cutie marks and helped me find out what pony I wish to be."

After hearing Diamond's words, she placed a hoof on her chest and said, "They sound like great fillies."

She then placed the cape around Snowdrop's shoulders, tied it around her friend's, and continued, "In time, with some faith and help from friends, you'll find your cutie mark, and I think other foals here might be blank flanks as well. We can help them find their cutie marks, too!"

"That… that's a great idea!" the filly squealed. Then she threw it behind her as she fluttered about, giggling with glee. Then her joyful expression turned sour, and she groaned, "But the teachers won't ever permit us to wear these or host a club."

Diamond Tiara tapped a hoof to her chin, wondering what the Cutie Mark Crusaders would do. Then an idea came out as she said, "Then we have to hold our meetings in secret, a place where the adults don't ever go."

Snowdrop got excited again as she shouted, "We should meet in old Classroom 3C! It's been abandoned for years; no pony would ever go there. We can meet after dinner. Most of the teachers leave, but only Mrs. Hardwood walks about, so we'll still have to keep an eye on her."

"Okay, that works. Then all we need to do is find other foals scared of Onyx and have them come. It can be a place where they can relax and learn about themselves, even if they do have cutie marks."

The pegasus filly nodded and said, "Right, I might know some fillies who would join.

Diamond started to get excited as she exclaimed, "Sounds like a great plan! We can start our first Cutie Mark Crusaders meeting tomorrow evening to spread the word!"

Snowdrop nodded, then yawned, "Right tomorrow, we better get going to bed. We can't be late. We're already on Mrs. Hardwood's bad side."

The pegasus gave her an odd look and asked, "Also, I have to ask why you are wearing that jacket?"

The filly looked away, then clenched it hard as she said, "It's my coat condition, please. I don't want to talk about it."

Snowdrop wanted to pursue it more but sighed, "Fine, I'll drop I, but…if you're going to keep my blank flank a secret, I'll keep your secrets as well."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind," Diamond whispered as she lay under the covers and slowly fell asleep. Feeling the wings beneath her stir, she wanted to break free. The little filly wanted to reveal them to Snowdrop, but she couldn't still hear her mother's threats.

Chapter Three: The birth of the Fourth Crusader

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The next day, Diamond endured another brutal day of classes and bullies. Still, Diamond learned to keep her head down and avoid unnecessary conflict, focusing on her first Crusader club meeting. The day went uneventfully as she continued to host the "Cutie Mark Crusaders" meeting. The meeting occurred in the abandoned classroom conveniently named "3C", which was somewhat rundown. The place was empty, with most of the desks as Snowdrop and a few other fillies sat around in the broken-down desks. Diamond stood at the front of the class, cleared her throat, and said, "Good evening, my fellow crusaders! Welcome to the first Cutie Mark Crusader meeting."

The foals gave some small clops on the ground, mainly looking at each other with confused expressions. One of the foals raised a hoof as Diamond pointed and said, "Yes?"

"Um, so what exactly are Cutie Mark Crusaders do?"

"Yeah, I heard we can do anything we want!? What is this club about!”

Diamond smiled at her and said, "Those are excellent questions! I’ll start from the beginning." She then went to the chalkboard and drew some stick figures from her other friends. She then pointed towards them and explained, "These are the three first Cutie Mark Crusaders! They are Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo! They were once blank flanks, and they spent working together to find their cutie marks. They eventually did and thats what this club is about discovering your talents if you are a blank flank or rediscovering them if you have a cutie mark."

One red-coated pegasus blurted, "Oh, so they were your friends. Why didn't they invite you to help?"

Diamond paused as she wondered how to answer this question, but she decided that honesty would be the best course of action and said, "I…I was a bully, and I treated them horribly for quite some time." This got quite a stir from the crowd, and some looked at her angrily. She wanted to leave and fly off to hide, but she gritted her teeth, stood up, and said, "I regret a lot of my actions, and what I did is something I'm trying to change."

After she finished, the filly winced and looked among them. Many fillies whispered as Snowdrop was the first to take up the courage and asked, "Then how would they be your friends if you bullied them?"

Diamond looked up and continued, "I'm getting to that; as time passed, I started questioning my actions. Then our paths collided as I tried to become the school president by sabotaging my opponent, a colt named Pipsqueak, who won. But the Cutie Mark Crusaders then showed me that I had a choice to make, and, in the end, I decided to make the right one for once and helped Pipsqueak win! That was when my friends earned their cutie marks!"

Snowdrop scratched her mane, "um, I'm still confused. What exactly did they get cutie marks for?"

The pink-coated unicorn replied, "They helped me discover who I am and what I want to be, and ever since then, they have been helping other ponies find their cutie marks or rediscover what their cutie marks mean!"

The filly turned around and pointed towards her flank, "I believe my journey is to learn to be a leader, and the cutie mark crusaders kept me going down a darker path."

Snowdrop seemed to look somewhat concerned, "that's why your mom put you here, right?"

Diamond acknowledged Snowdrop with a nod, then said, "Yes, my mom wants me to become like her, and sending me here is a part of her plan. But this club can help you and other fillies fight back against what this school is trying to learn who we are instead of the one being drilled into us."

The other fillies nodded as one purple-coated earth pony stood up and said, "I…I want to be an artist, but my parents threw out all my art supplies and sent me here."

A dark grey-coated unicorn stood up and said, "My parents learned I wanted to be a royal guard! They told me fillies can't be in the royal guard, and I wana to prove them wrong!"

"I want to be a singer!"

"I want to learn to bake cookies!"

Diamond looked at Snowdrop and asked, "What do you want for her?"

The pegasus blushed as she scratched the ground. “Oh, my dream…its um…its…” She then threw her wings out and threw out a cloud of snow as it formed and froze, turning into an ice sculpture of herself as they all looked surprised. "I want to make art with snow and ice!"

The other foals went wide-eyed as Diamond smiled, "Yes, that's what this club will be about! We will meet here every evening after classes to learn about each other and help foals without cutie marks, okay!?"

"Okay!"

"Also, remember that this has to be kept a secret from the other teachers, the bully Onyx, and her posse."

"Yes, Diamond!"

"Alright then, let's start!"

They all went off to work on their own things as Diamond watched, feeling rather proud of herself for being so vulnerable with her past and that these ponies would still be willing to have her lead this club. She felt that, in some small way, she was passing on the Cutie Mark Crusaders legacy to these fillies who need it as much as she does.

The week went by as her fellow Cutie Mark Crusader club members went and found new members. The club exploded in popularity from only a handful of fillies to the entire classroom now packed with foals doing all types of activities, from art to music and dancing; some foals brought rudimentary tools to cook or craft. There was so much going on, and seeing all the young fillies engaging in many activities was rather interesting. She came over to Snowdrop, who was deep in crafting an ice sculpture of an alicorn princess. At first, she thought it was Princess Celestia. Still, it was much smaller, with distinctive glass stars shimmering frozen within the mane and tail. Then Diamond recognized who it was and exclaimed, "Oh, is that Princess Luna!?"

Snowdrop said, "Yeah, I think I got her right mostly."

"Is she your favorite princess?"

"Yeah!" the filly flapped her wings, "I do like the other princesses, but Luna is like us, you know? We all were or are a little mean but we all want to be better like her!"

The other fillies nodded and shouted in agreement as Diamond giggled, "Yeah, we should all strive to be like Luna."

She then saw a young red-coated pegasus filly flying over them, zooming about and landing perfectly as she threw out her wings and held her head up high. The other fillies got a rousing response, and they started clapping their hooves in applause as she chirped, "Yeah, yeah, keep it coming. One day, I'm gonna be the best flyer in Equestria and be a Wonderbolt!"

Diamond Tiara fluttered over and asked, "What's your name?"

The little red-coated pegasus flew over and chirped, "Cherry Bomb!"

Everypony ooohed at the name as one filly eyed her and shouted, "That's not your name!"

The little pegasus threw up her head and flashed her wings as she chirped, "It is now! Diamond said we can choose our destiny. I wana to choose my name! I hate being called Cherry Blossom!"

"Okay, Cherry, um…" she wanted to ask if she could help her learn to fly, but she was still unsure if she should unveil her wings. She then asked, "Um, what brought you here?"

Cherry then flew up, "My parents wanted me to go into ballet. I said Buck that! I wana to be a Wonderbolt!" she then took out her hooves and, in a nagging tone, said, "So, they sent me here, to teach me how to be a proper filly."

Diamond felt the wings beneath her uniform aching, wanting to be released. She wanted to ask if this filly could teach her how to fly, but she wanted to keep being an alicorn a secret. Then, an idea cropped into her head as she slowly came forward and asked, "Well, um…Cherry Bomb, if you can, there are a lot of Pegasi who want to learn to fly as well. Do you think you can teach them?"

The filly fellow backed down and cried, "What, no, I'm not a teacher!?"

"I know, but many pegasi fillies here aren't getting proper flying training. This might be the best way to help."

Cherry Bomb groaned as she looked around at the other pegasi, then sighed, "I'll think about it, but I'm not promising anything."

Diamond smiled reassuringly and said, "Okay, that's fine, but even if you say no, thank you for at least considering."

"No problem!" she then flew off to talk to the other pegasi, who were asking for tips for flying themselves. Snowdrop came over and asked, "So why would you be interested in flying?"

"Um…well…we have a lot of pegasi here, and it only makes sense." Diamond quickly replied as she looked around and said, "I'm going to look for more foals who need help." She then ran off and tried not to draw more attention to herself.

Later that evening, as Diamond and Snowdrop returned to their room, they were getting ready for bed when Snowdrop turned and asked rather suddenly. "Why did you ask Cherry Bomb to teach other Pegasi how to fly?"

Diamond turned and said, "N…no reason, just thought it was a good idea."

Snowdrop picked up a pink feather, "It wouldn't because you're hiding something," and threw it at her hooves. “How about explaining where these come from?”

Diamond trotted back, feeling rather queasy seeing Snowdrop come to one conclusion as she cried, "Wait, that's not mine!"

Snowdrop rolled her eyes and sarcastically replied, "No, I just find them everywhere and in the bathroom, and we're the only two ponies who live here.”

The little pink-coated filly gritted her teeth and then thought that, at this point, she and Snowdrop were becoming close, and deep down, she knew she wouldn't tell anypony else. Diamond slowly removed her uniform and showed her wings bound to her sides. Snowdrop then trotted over and helped take the bound off the filly; then Diamond unfurled her appendages, wobbling a little as she flapped them, and whispered, "Are you happy now?"

Snowdrop stepped back, somewhat surprised, as she said, "Diamond, you're wings. They're beautiful! Why were you trying to hide this!?"

The pink-coated alicorn cried, "My mom, she…she told me if anypony found out, she'd enact her revenge on me. I don't know what to do, so I hid them from everypony."

Snowdrop paused and said, "I see, but why would she do that? That sounds so horrible?"

Diamond closed her eyes as she wanted to talk to Snowdrop about this. Still, she finally summoned the courage to say, "Remember the story I told our new crusaders? I omitted the part where my mother tried pulling strings and making me the class president. I was doing it more to get her approval than for myself.” she gazed at a mirror nearby then whispered, I've been striving to be like her my whole life, and now that's gone. She hates me."

Diamond started to bawl as Snowdrop came over and hugged her, then said, "Hey, it's okay; you heard all the other fillies our parents all suck. You're not alone here."

The little pink filly laughed as she said, "Yeah, I guess…though my dad is cool, but he's rather clueless about my mom."

Snowdrop let out a snicker before she replied, "Yeah, I wish my parents had that excuse. They ignored me until it was convenient…" The little pegasus said, "But you must hear it from me. I bet once ponies learn about you being an alicorn, your mom won't be able to do anything."

"You think so?"'

"Oh, heck yeah! You might not be a princess yet because you are still a foal, but when you're an adult, who knows what can happen."

"Hopefully, but I should keep it a secret."

Snowdrop sighed, "I don't know…This is wrong, especially when you put your wings under all that strain. But I won't force you to do anything, and I'll keep your secret."

Diamond hugged her and said, "Thank you. Maybe we can practice flying from time to time. I really would want to learn to fly."

"Okay, but you should reveal them to our fellow Crusaders. It'll only be fair seeing we should be open and honest with each other, and it'll inspire them."

"Alright, I'll take your advice, but I don't want a bunch of fillies spreading the word I'm an alicorn."

"We must take so many precautions to keep this club a secret. But I want you to do it on your own time. It's only a suggestion."

Diamond nodded and replied, "I want to find a magic teacher. I don't know how to use my horn that much."

Snowdrop tapped a hoof to her chin, threw it up, and chirped, "I have somepony in mind."

"Girls, it's time for bed lights to be turned off!"

Diamond then turned the lighst off in her bedroom then she heard Snowdrop whispered, "Hey, wana sleep together?"

"Why?"

“Um…just uh…I always wanted to have a sleepover but never was able to have one."

Diamond skipped over and flopped right into her roommate's bed as she snuggled under the covers against her friend, and whispered, "So this is okay?"

"Yeah, thanks."

She then started to snuggle under the blankets, and then she heard her roommate crying and whispering, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's nothing."

The sobbing stopped, and Diamond lay there wondering why she would cry. Slowly, she relayed that she probably had never had a connection in such a loving way with any other pony. These fillies needed help and support, and she would strive to improve. Diamond then decided to reveal to her fellow crusaders that she was an alicorn and inspire them.

Chapter Four: Operation Breakout Diamond Begins!

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It had been a week and a half since Diamond Tiara moved schools, and The Cutie Mark Crusaders were all looking somewhat worried as they started classes one morning. As Cheerilee went about the lesson for the day, the three seemed unable to concentrate, looking at the empty seat where Diamond Tiara usually sat. During recess, the three were talking about her at the new playground. They then turned to see Silver Sppon approaching them with a downtrodden look on her face. Looking rather worried, she came over and asked, “Um, Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“Yes?” they asked in unison.

The filly fidgeted with her ponytail and said, “Um,…can I ask for your help?”

Scootlaoo looked over, eyeing her suspiciously, and asked, “Sure…but…”

She held up a hoof. “I know I’ve bullied you three a lot, and I don’t have any right to ask for your help, but I'm desperate and worried.”

Scootaloo turned to her friends as the other two got up, and Apple Bloom then asked, “Um yeah, go ahead. What’s the problem?”

Silver Spoon rubbed a hoof over the other, then said, “Ca…can you help find out where Diamond Tiara went? I asked her mom the other day, and she told me she was sent to boarding school for her bad behavior. I tried digging around but found nothing; it's like she just disappeared!?”

The three fillies gave each other worried looks, and then Sweetie Belle said, “You don’t think that Spoiled Rich would hide her from everypony on purpose?”

Silver Spoon angrily threw a hoof as she explained, “You all saw how she was when Pipsqueak became class president. Even though Diamond stood up to her mom, things might have worsened with her." The little filly's demeanor changed, and she calmed and pleaded, "Please, if you can do anything to help find out where she is …I…I just want to make sure she’s ok.”

Apple Bloom looked anxious as she didn’t know if they could do it. Sweetie Belle said, “We’ll see what we can do and find out where she went.”

“That's enough just so I can send her letters,” Silver Spoon whispered. She then trotted off and sat beneath a tree alone, still depressed. Apple Bloom then took her fellow crusaders aside, cleared her throat, and said, “I know it’s been some time since we have seen Diamond Tiara, and I'm worried, too.”

The little unicorn spoke up. “You’d think she would have contacted us, especially after we became friends!?”

“Well, we all just became friends. We were not that close?” Scootlaoo replied.

Sweetie Belle tapped a hoof to her chin, adding, “Ok, maybe she wouldn’t send us letters, but Silver Spoon!? Sure, they had a falling out after Diamond lost the election, but I bet she would have sent her at least a letter by now!”

Scootaloo looked a little angry as she said, “I agree. It smells like her mom is trying to keep her from having connections here.”

Sweetie Belle looked worried as she asked, “So if Spoiled Rich is keeping where Diamond is going to school a secret, how can we figure that out?”

The three sat together, pondering what to do as the yellow-coated earth pony threw a hoof and chirped, “What about sneaking into her house?”

Sweetie Belle went wide-eyed and shouted, “That’s a horrible idea!? We would get into so much trouble if we got caught!”

The little orange-coated pegasus sighed, ‘But it might be the only way to learn what happened to her and see if she needs our help.”

The three looked at each other with unsure looks, and then Apple Bloom stomped a hoof. “Listen, I know we had our problems with Diamond Tiara, and I still have mixed feelings about helping her. But she’s changed, and we all saw that she’s trying to make amends for all the bullying she’s done. We gotta at least try to find out where she is.”

Sweetie Belle was looking apprehensive about the idea and said, “Well, alright, but if we get caught, we are all seriously grounded.”

Scootaloo spoke up. “That's it then. We just don’t need to get caught.”

“But how?”

“I know a way.”

The three squeaked as Silver Spoon was now behind them, and she stood there blushing as the little filly pushed her glasses and stammered, “Sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.”

Scootaloo sighed in relief and said, “No, it’s fine; actually, we need some help getting into Diamond’s room to find clues about what happened to her.”

The grey-coated earth pony's face lightened as she said, “I know of a way in; Diamond and I would sometimes sneak over to each other's houses if we were in trouble.

The yellow-coated earth pony took out a hoof and said, “Okay, you help us get into her house, and we’ll find out where Diamond Tiara is.”

“It’s a deal,” the two shook on it. As they all started talking and planning to sneak into Diamond’s house.

Later that evening after school, Silver Spoon led the Crusaders through the back of the house, hopping over the cobblestone wall and trotting around the swimming pool. The three were all beneath Diamond’s massive home, and the Crusaders looked up in awe at such at how big the house was up close. Silver Spoon just trotted along as if it were normal. Looking behind, she eyed them and asked, “What's the hold-up?”

“Nothing,” the three replied as they hurried over to her. Silver Spoon pointed to the second-story window, “that window is where Diamond Tiara’s room.”

Apple Bloom looked around and then asked, “Okay, so how do you sneak in?”

Silver Spoon then looked around, making sure no one else was watching. Then she went wide into the house and pressed a stone. It sunk in and slid out as a secret staircase opened up. The three fillies looked at it in shock as Silver Spoon rolled her eyes and then said, "It’s just a way to get into the wine cellar.” The little earth pony then pulled out a crudely drawn map with a crayon and pointed it at the bottom. “Just go through the wine cellar into the kitchen, sneak around, go to the living room, there you'll find a staircase; once on the second floor, go three rooms down, and take a left; that's Diamond's room. Just avoid Randolph. He’s old but will rat on you if he catches you.”

“Got it!” the three responded as they trotted through the stairs, going through a damp room dimly lit with giant barrels and glasses filled with various colored liquids, including red, purple, and white. As they trotted through, Scootaloo's head went around on a swivel as she thought out loud, " So this might sound silly, but what's wine?”

Sweetie Belle looked rather curious at the liquids and sniffed the air, wrenched at the smell of rotting fruit, and said, “Well, my sister drinks it once in a while, and when I asked, she said it's juice for grownups.”

Apple Bloom then chimed in, “My sister has a special Cider that she says is only for grownups, too. She then starts acting weird after drinking a lot.”

“Yeah, my sister does the same thing; we better just stay clear of it.” Sweetie Belle chimed.

The three then snuck through Diamond Tiara’s house, going up the wine Celelar as suggested, and they came into a fancy dining room; they then carefully trotted around towards the living room and up a flight of stairs, going down a hall and entering a bedroom. Despite never being in Diamond’s room before the second the three entered, they knew it was her room. Diamond’s room was relatively spacious and filled with expensive furniture for a filly her size: a wardrobe filled with dresses and a trophy case; her canopy bed was covered in expensive plush animals, and nearby was an entire shelf filled with tiaras. As the three trotted around, they saw that there were pictures of her winning pageants on the walls or in front of rich ponies, but she was always with her mom, sticking her nose up with a snobbish sneer. The three spent a few minutes just trying to find anything, but the problem was that it was too clean, and they had almost no clues as they searched for anything. Apple Bloom peered under the bed and picked up some pink feathers. She looked at them, thinking they were from some bird, but she saw how big they were and recognized they had to be from a pegasus and whispered, "Odd? Does Diamond have any Pegasi friends?

The other two looked at each other and then shrugged as Apple Bloom stowed the feather away. Scotaloo was looking under a desk and then found a pamphlet about a boarding school called Coldstone Academy: “Found something!”

The three came over, and then Apple Bloom read it aloud: " Coldstone Academy, the Boarding School for Disobedient Fillies.”

They all then opened it and looked to read, “Is your little filly acting bratty due to her wealth or status? Is she openly rebelling against you or acting like some common foal? Well, this is the perfect boarding school for you; here, your daughter will gain a high-quality education along with strict discipline and learn how to engage with high society. Starting at twelve thousand bits a year, your little brat will be turned into a perfect little filly who will obey your every word. You will be refunded if you are unsatisfied with our program or wish to remove your filly from the school.”

“This sounds more like a prison than a school.” Scootaloo blurted as she looked over the pictures, horrified to see angry, rebellious fillies in the “Before” and the pristine-looking fillies in the “After” section.

Apple Bloom threw the pamphlet in disgust, “No kiddin’, how could any parent send their foal there!?”

The three then heard arguing, and the three ran into a closet and closed the door as Filthy came in shouting, “I cannot believe you sent her to boarding school without telling me!”

“Darling, she needed it. Have you heard of some of the things she’s done!? Bullying, Running that awful gossip column, blackmailing other students, you even said it yourself: she needed more discipline.”

“I meant grounding her! Taking away some of her privileges when she does something wrong, not rewarding her like you do every time! Whenever she did anything like what you just said, you blew it off or congratulated her! And now you suddenly care!?”

“Maybe I thought she would grow out of it. Besides, it's not like you did anything to stop her.”

“Of course I did! But you undermined me every time. Also, I did have her hang out with Granny Smith when I found out she was insulting her in class.”

“Oh, so the one time you disciplined her, you had her learn a lesson by humiliating her.”

“Humiliating her!? She was talking bout old Granny Smith like…like she was beneath her, and all I did was have her bounce around in some bunny ears with her and Apple Bloom. I was trying to show how calling her names in front of her classmates was wrong.”

“You don’t consider that humiliating!?”

Filthy clenched a hoof to his face, then snapped, “You're changing the subject. This isn’t about what I did, and even if I was in the wrong, sending her to boarding school in her last years of grade school away from her friends? How could you do that?”

“It’s good for her; she needs to be humbled and learn to live without our money for a while.” Spoiled seductively put a hoof on his shoulder and began to rub it. “You’re just tired. Why don’t you lie down? You sound rather stressed.”

Filthy threw his wife’s hoof off his and then turned away, “I…I just need a moment alone.”

Spoiled held her nose up, then scoffed, “Fine, suit yourself. Walter.”

“It's Randolph, mam.”

“Whatever, butler, I need a drink. Fetch me a glass of wine from the cellar.”

“Yes, mam, do you wish for anything in particular?”

“A nice red, something sweet. Screw the glass and fetch me a bottle.”

“Right away, mam.”

As the two walked off, Filthy came over, went to bed, sat there for a while, then looked down and picked up the pamphlet on the ground; he then began to read it, and his eyes went wide as he threw it. “How could my wife send our daughter to such a horrible place?” His eyes were now filled with tears. What kind of father would let this happen…I…I must get her back, apologize, and stop this madness.”

The stallion got up, fixed his tie, and left the room. As soon as the stallion left, the three came out of hiding, and Apple Bloom took up the pamphlet. “So it seems like her dad is going to help.”

Sweetie Belle whispered, “Maybe, but Spoiled might try to stop him…”

Scootaloo looked uncomfortable as she said, “I'm going to be honest, guys; I think we should leave this. We know where she is, and she might not be in the best place in Equestria, but she’s safe…We’re getting involved with something that maybe we shouldn’t be.”

The three took a pause, all now looking just as uncomfortable, but Apple Bloom spoke up. “Look, Scootaloo’s right; maybe we shouldn’t if Mr. Rich is going to get Diamond back, but let’s discuss this after we get out of here.”

As the three were about to leave, Scootaloo stopped and said, “Yeah, one problem: they sent Randolph to the wine cellar. Now we’re kind of stuck…”

Sweetie Belle went to the window and saw Silver Spoon outside; she opened the window, quickly jotted down a note, created a paper airplane with it, and threw it. The paper airplane did some circles as it landed near Silver Sppon. She caught and read it, then turned it around, wrote on her back, folded it into a paper airplane again, and threw it back. Apple Bloom caught it and read it: " Use the bedsheets as a rope behind the wardrobe.”

There, the three quickly found a bunch of sheets together. They tied it to the massive canopy bed and opened the window, and they all slid out. Once they were all on the ground, Sweetie Belle lit her horn with all her might, levitated the sheets back into the room, and closed the window. The four fillies then ran off, hoping over the cobblestone fence before anypony noticed them.

Later that afternoon, the four were talking about what to do in the Cutie Mark Crusader treehouse. Silver Spoon, still looking the most worried of the four, asked, “So you guys think Mr.Rich will help Diamond get out of that awful Boarding School?”

Apple Bloom nodded and said, “Yeah, it seems so. You should've seen him. He seemed so sad learning his daughter was sent away; it seems Mrs. Rich sent her there with him knowing, and he seems committed to getting her out.”

Scootaloo slammed a hoof on the ground and snapped, “But Spoiled might try to stop him; we need to investigate this school and help push him to get her out.”

“But that would mean we would need to go there? But how!?” Sweetie Belle blurted.

Scootlaoo tapped a hoof to her chin. “Well, it's the weekend, so we can just say we're having a sleepover.”

Silver Spoon stood up, smiling as she exclaimed, “That's a great idea! I'll help buy you three tickets to the boarding school and cover for you, saying you’re sleeping over at my place!”

Apple Bloom sighed, “Sure, that sounds like a good idea, but I feel like I should tell my big sis where I am.”

Silver Spoon eyed her and said, “You think your sister will be okay sneaking into a boarding school? Even if it's to help a friend, I doubt you will be allowed to go if you tell the truth.”

The three looked at each other with worried expressions as Scooaaloo sighed, “Look, this is all to help Diamond get out of that “School.” we can get her to write a letter explaining what’s happening to her and show it to her dad. If he isn’t convinced about getting her out now, he’s sure will after hearing what his daughter has to say.”

Scootaloo started to get excited as she said, “Alright, that sounds like a plan. We should make a code name for the mission.”

They sat there pondering. Sweetie Belle’s face brightened, and she blurted, “What about Operation Breakout Diamond!”

The three giggled as Apple Bloom gave a nod. “Yeah, that works.”

The three fillies put their hooves together and shouted, “Operation Breakout Diamond is ago!”

As they threw their hooves in the air, Silver Spoon started to tear up and cry. The three turned as she wiped her tears. “I'm sorry; it's just…Diamond and I, we’ve been so horrible to you, especially you, Scootaloo. How could you ever forgive us, let alone help us?”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders all took a moment, taken aback by what to say, but Scootaloo spoke up, “Honestly, I considered not helping all day; even now, I remember what you did to me when we were trying to bear the flag for Ponyville in the Equestria Games. I'm also still angry about how you treated my friends and other ponies. But maybe we’re trying to show you and Diamond we can be better, and you can be too.”

There was another pause, and a rather uncomfortable silence now loomed over the four. But Silver Spoon got up, wiped the tears from her eyes, and said, “Yeah, you're right, Scootaloo. You don't know it, but you and your friends help change me as well." she then gave the pegasus a hug, and the two sat there in each other's embrace. Then the little grey earth pony stepped back and said, "Well, I'll go get those tickets…. I guess you all have to get going and tell your families.”

Apple Bloom nodded and said, “Right, we’ll meet up at Silver Spoon’s house tonight, then go to that horrible boarding school tomorrow, agreed?”

“Agreed!” the other two shouted as they all left the tree house and went their separate ways.

The Tiara weighs Heavy

by Foal Star

Chapter One: A Change of Scenery

Chapter Two: The New Foal in School

Chapter Three: The birth of the Fourth Crusader

Chapter Four: Operation Breakout Diamond Begins!