Lessons in Kindness and Empathy

by Violet Rose in The Rain

Rating: teen
Tags: Equestria Girls, Sunset Shimmer, Slice of Life, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Original Character, Other, Fluttershy
Length: 8274

As a part of a punishment detail, Air Castle is assigned a tutor to be taught how to be kinder person and be more emphatic. He's not enthusiastic about it.

After having one too many run-ins with the school law, Air Castle has been suspended from the school Track and Field team for a whole two months, complete with a week-long detention.

As if that wasn't enough, they have been assigned a tutor to help him earn higher marks and better results in an unorthodox programme that serves as a cornerstone subject of Canterlot High.

Needless to say, they're not ecstatic about it, especially if the tutor in question is a type of person who keeps rubbing them the wrong way at all times.

Note: Takes place before the start of "Equestria Girls", ends when the film does.

Published 2015-12-12 19:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-01-13 13:00:05 UTC

Chapter 1.5: Enter the tutor(s).

Chapter One-point-Five: Enter the tutor(s).

“Banned for a whole two months?” My Sports captain screamed, her knuckles turning a shade of unnerving chalk-white as the vice grips on both of her chair handles tightened. “That tightwad dictator!”

As expected, my sports captain, Rainbow Dash was informed about the two-month ban by Miss Harshwhinny.

“And you! Just when we’re about to start our training for the Events!” My captain threw her arms up into the air as she snarled. “What were you thinking, doing something that banned you from future competitions?”

I wouldn’t say my sports captain was pleased with this new development, which had effectively threw a spanner into her back up works…

“Hey, I just told her the truth, Captain.” I raised my arms to show her my open palms. “She just overreacted, and the teachers just misinterpreted the whole situation as usual. I bet they’re just using my results in the Harmony programme as an excuse to screw me up.”

“Is that so?” My captain furrowed her brow as she gave me a glare. “Mr. Wise Guy?”

“Yup,” I gave a nod of my head. “Any overreaction she had on her part was her fault.”

“Uh-huh,” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow as she reached for a folder and a pen in a drawer. “Well, since I can’t do anything to overrule your detention, I have no choice but to pull in another substitute to take your place on the substitute bench for the Events.”

...but I can safely say that it went a lot better than expected.

Ah, yes. The training and preparations for the Dreaded Curb-stomping Events. Two things that are both nerve-wracking and totally useless at the same time.

“Wonderful,” I commented. “Still preparing for the Dreaded Curb-stomping Events, Captain? As meticulous as ever.”

“It’s part of my duty,” She waved it off as she opened the folder, revealing a list of names.  “List of athletes...here we go.” Rainbow Dash lifted up the hardcover with her left hand, revealing a long list of names that was sorted by year, events and alphabetical order, spanning on for a few pages.

“List of backup-substitute athletes. Castle, Air… There you are. ” She uncapped the bulky, red pen in her hand, striking off my name with a thick, blood-red line. “Comments: Air Castle is unable to attend Beta training as an auxiliary-substitute unit for the…” Captain Dash squeezed her eyes shut as she opened her mouth to reveal gritted teeth. “...Friendship Games. Reasons: For being an insufferable, miserable fucktard towards innocent people.”

“C’mon,” I interrupted her. “I wasn’t that bad.”

“Replace Air Castle with…” Captain Dash trailed off again. “Fine. Not fucktard. Retard. That okay with you?”

“Well,” I ran a hand down the back of my head as I glanced away from her. “I was going to say honest truthbringer, but meh.”

“Enough with the self-promotion, athlete.” Dash barked. "From now on, you can forget about turning up for training unless your training is completed or Miss Harshwhinny overturns your punishment."

The loud snap she made as she slammed the file shut reinforced her words.

"Yes, Captain." I nodded my head in acknowledgement. "But just so you know, judging by the way Canterlot High's played against Crystal Prep last time, I don't think we can catch up to them this year, barring unforeseen circumstances."

“Try what I will," I gave my shoulders a heave. "The competitions we usually lose in are the ones where I can’t make a difference. Or most of the team, for that matter.”

“Hey! Can it!” Rainbow exclaimed. “I don't care if you're in the Alpha accelerated programme or the Gamma remedial programme. The slightest effort can make all the difference!”

I raised an eyebrow at that statement. “Does it? I highly doubt that. Plus, even the greatest efforts our team makes never seems to faze Crystal Prep.”

“Stop that!” Rainbow’s pitch grew a little bit higher. “We will make it this year! Just a bit more training and hustle from everybody and we’ll trounce the heck outta them in the Friendship Games!”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” If Rainbow had sensed my sarcasm, she didn't mention it to my face. “For a bilateral event between two schools meant to promote camaraderie, it formed nothing but grudges and antipathy between the both of them. At least my old school was much more direct.”

“Well, I have to go.” A slow, long breath escaped my nostrils as I got to my feet and paced out of the briefing room. “My detention starts at three-thirty.”

“Well, bye then.” Rainbow muttered her farewells. “And don’t forget to train! This two-month long detention doesn't mean you can just slack off like that!”

“Yeah, I know.” I waved. “I'm no Thunderlane.”

My hand settled on the door knob just as a silhouette popped up behind the glass pane. With a twist and a pull, it opened to reveal a neatly-dressed Thunderlane and a bubbly Flitter.

“Well, speak of the devil and he appears.” I muttered. “Hey, Zapper.”

Thunderlane raised an eyebrow. “Hi. Were you talking about me?”

“No.” A mischievous smile spread across my face. “We were discussing about how we could assign Lightning Dust to be on your sub-team to replace Blossomforth. You’ll like that, wouldn’t you?”

"W-what?" Thunderlane was taken aback. "No!"

I chuckled as I reached out a hand to ruffle his hair. “Of course not. I have no power to do that, and Rainbow Dash isn't that cruel.” I turned back to face Rainbow. “Right?”

Rainbow’s only physical response was to roll her eyes. “Whatever. Just get to detention already.”

“Right.” I shook my finger. “Gotta go. My Daily Trolling Quota has been filled.”

As I sauntered away, a glance over my shoulder revealed a frowning Thunderlane deep in a conversation with our Captain and a neutral Flitter staring at me with searching eyes. Out of the blue, Miss Harsh Whinny’s words from yesterday repeated itself.

“You should, however, interact more with your peers and weigh your words carefully before speaking and responding to others.”

I gave my head a vigorous shake as I slapped it.

That’s enough. I thought. I need to finish this week’s assignment. The last thing I need is the reproaching words of some old crow in my head while I'm suffering in jail.

And it’s not as if anyone’s gonna be hurt by what I say. And if they are hurt, well, they can get over it.

Fast forward nine days and fourteen hours of mind-numbing detention, I was back inside the Scourge’s room, staring straight at her.

“So,” she started. “Did you learn anything in detention?”

A smile stretched across my face. “Yeah. I've learned a few lessons.”

Miss Harshwhinny cocked an eyebrow.

“I've learned that irradiating food is safe because it works by only firing gamma rays and not alpha and beta particles, which is what makes the food radioactive; the lowest soil layer is the ‘R’ horizon, or bedrock, the layer from which the parent material is formed; the three types of weathering are physical, chemical and biological weathering; radioisotopes exist because excess neutrons are joined to the nucleus, thus making it energetic and unstable; and that Professor Oblong Chalkboard would rather write teacher comments in assignments in purple ink for students if the school law allowed it.”

Her response was a tilt of the head and a narrowing of her eyes to slits. “We've never had a teacher named Oblong Chalkboard in this school, Air Castle.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Who said it was during this seven-day period? This isn't the first time I've been in detention.”

A pause hung in the air before I remembered to add, “Miss Harshwhinny.”

“Getting back on track,” Miss Harshwhinny continued. “Today marks the start of your two-month tutorship. Do you need me to go over the details again?”

I snorted. “No.”

Miss Harshwhinny nodded. “Good. Because I've finally selected a tutor for you, as well as two substitutes.”

“So where are they?” I asked.

“They should be on their way.” She answered. With an extended arm down beneath her desk, she pulled out a large water pitcher and a dull, grayish cup, pouring herself a cup of water with the same frown on her face I've seen for the past year. "Oh, yes, and there is one more thing I should have mentioned to you last week." Miss Harshwhinny added.

I looked back at her.

"You are required to write and submit a three-hundred word summary of the two days' lessons of Kindness and Empathy every week. The report will be looked over and marked according to its phrasing and its accuracy in summarising the lessons' points. The effort you've put into your reports determines the final grade you'll receive at the end of the year."

Oh, fantastic. Written reports. And important ones, no less.

“And while we’re on the subject, there are some things that I should tell you.”

I kept a neutral face as I stared at her. “Do I have a choice?”

Miss Harshwhinny ignored this. “Let’s imagine a hypothetical scenario, Air Castle. For example, matters in this school may take a sudden turn for the worse for you, and that everything about your life in High School is turned upon its head.”

I craned my neck.

“Unforeseen Incidents may occur where the staff of the school is unable to help or otherwise unaware about problems that the school may take time to recover from. Incidents where students’ lives will be negatively affected.”

I pressed two fingers against the side of my head, slowly massaging the same spot over and over again. “Get to the point.”

“My point is, Snowy Skies,” Miss Harshwhinny continued. “You need to rely on the generosity of other people to give you support when disasters beyond our control occur, as well as support them when the time comes.”

“And if those same people start to question whether you are someone you can trust or be friends with, there’s the possibility that these people will cut off your friendships with you, leaving you high and dry without harbouring regrets about it at all.”

Fantastic. More mumbo-jumbo. Why couldn’t I stay with my old school?

“Now, I’m not asking you to make friends with the tutors or be close friends with every peer you come across,” Miss Harshwhinny added. “But reaching out and connecting with others is the whole point of the program.”

Never thought I’ll say this, but…

“I’m…I’m…I’m actually touched.” I raised a hand and placed it over my mouth, making sure to coax a bit of moisture out of my glands and crack my voice up.

“Spare me the terrible acting, Skies.” Harshwhinny barked. “If you do not truly give a flying pea’s worth of care towards the moral lessons taught, then at least try your miserable best at this to improve your grades and G.P.A.”

Still worth a shot.

“Welp, it was still worth a shot.” I reverted back to my previous expression. “But they are taking their own sweet time about this, aren’t they?”

I could see Miss Harshwhinny slightly lower her jaw in response, but before she could say a word, the sounds of knocked door rang out from behind me.

Knock! Knock!

“Come in!” Miss Harshwhinny announced.

Creak! Neeeeeee!

“Hello, Miss Harshwhinny. Sorry we’re a little bit late; we had to help the biology teacher clear up.”

I turned my head to study the newcomers; both of them.

“We helped cleaned Greenhouse Three after a sweet potato experiment, with Miss Chrysalis guiding us.” The speaker’s skin was a faded whitish tinge with a vivid green hair. “Again, Miss Harshwhinny, we’re sorry for being late.”

“Yeah!”A second voice bellowed. This one was chalk-white, with light yellow, spiky hair and red eyes.

Not to mention the fact he was ridiculously ripped.

“Settle down, both of you.” Miss Harshwhinny waved a hand. “Snowy Skies, allow me to introduce you to these two tutors. Air Castle, this is Sweet Leaf and Bulk Biceps respectively. Sweet Leaf and Bulk Biceps, this is Snowy Skies, a third-year student. He’ll be the one the main tutor will be teaching for the month.”

“Hey.” I deadpanned as I raised a hand.

“Hi! Pleased to meet you!” Sweet Leaf flashed a smile.

“Trust me, the pleasure’s all yours.” I snarked.

A small sneer lined my face as I saw her face change expressions.

Ah, changing a few words in common everyday phrases and watching their reactions as I say it is so fun.

“Speaking of which,” Miss Harshwhinny asked. “Where is the main tutor?”

“Oh!” Sweet Leaf gave a start. “She said she left her books back in class. She should be here any minute now.”

"Playing pronoun games?" I interrupted. "Why don't you start telling me about the one who's going to teach me before this girl gets here?"

"Politeness, Snowy Skies." Miss Harshwhinny snapped. "I have no obligation to tell you any details about about your tutor upon request, so patiently wait until your main tutor reports to my office."

Well, talk about suspense. I can barely wait to get this over with.

I folded my arms as I sat back down in one of the benches at the side of the office closest to the closed door, silently listening to the girl called Sweet Leaf exchange words with Miss Harshwhinny.

Gwuf, gwuf. Gwuf, gwuf.

With a slow turn of my body, I gave a glance towards the huge guy called Bulk Biceps, studying his solid, steel gaze as he stared ahead out of the window at...nothing in particular.

Haven't I seen him somewhere before? Maybe in the weightlifting-slash-wrestling sports team or something?

Gwuf, gwuf. Gwuf, gwuf.

Oh, well. It doesn't really matter anyway. Save for Bulk Biceps, they're all probably just a bunch of weaklings. And dumb too. If they came from where I came from, they'd probably get their head stuck in a toilet on their first day of Middle school and get yelled at for displaying weakness. And that's just for starters.

Gwuf, gwuf. Gwuf, gwuf.

And the main tutor who'll be teaching me...she'll probably be the weakest of them all.

Gwuf, gwuf. Gwuf, gwuf.

I heaved a sigh as I turned back towards the closed office door, trying my best to tune out any background noise.

Canterlot really is nothing like where I came from.

Gwuf, gwuf. Gwuf, gwuf.

I miss my old school. Sure, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, but hey, that's life. There are a whole lot of cloudy and rainy parts in it too, and I'm not letting anyone tell me any different.

Gwuf, gwuf. Gwuf, gwuf.

Hmm?

I slowly adjusted myself so that I sat upright, craning my neck for a better hearing of the sound of footsteps.

Is someone coming along?

Gwuf, gwuf. Gwuf, gwuf.

Well, someone was, and it got the attention of the others. I could practically hear Miss Harshwhinny slightly shift herself to handle whoever was coming.

Gwuf, gwuf. Gwuf, gwuf!

"Think that's the main tutor coming along?" I asked.

No one replied.

"Excuse me, is Miss Harshwhinny in the office?" A small, timid voice called out from around the corner.

"Come in, Fluttershy!" Miss Harshwhinny called out.

A few seconds later, I saw the speaker walk into the open doorway.

"Hey, Fluttershy." Sweet Leaf piped up. "Good thing you're here now."

"Yeah!" Bulk Biceps yelled.

Why does this seem so familiar?

I watched with narrowed eyes as the main tutor strolled into the office. A girl with butter-coloured skin, long hair the tone of cotton candy and wide, teal eyes that-

Wait, teal eyes?

“Um, hello.” The teal-eyed girl mumbled as she strolled in, clutching a book tightly against her chest. She wore a plain, white tank-top, along with a green skirt that was decorated with three pink butterflies along each side.

Oh! Well, well.

"Hello, Fluttershy. You are late." Miss Harshwhinny remarked. "And just after the two have finished introducing themselves to the student."

I spun back to see the stoic look on Miss Harshwhinny's face.

“Snowy Skies, meet Fluttershy. Fluttershy, meet Air Castle.” Miss Harshwhinny introduced. “She will be your main tutor. Fluttershy, this will be the student you will be tutoring for the next two months.

What?

My vision darted between Miss Harshwhinny and this new girl that stood in the doorway, studying the person who straight-up dissed her friend with a curious gaze in her eyes, my mind aching as it backpedaled on what they just threw at me.

And to think that this is the girl who saw me give her friend the unbearable truth. Oh, Life can be funny sometimes.

"Well, Mister Skies?" Miss Harshwhinny urged. "I believe you owe her a proper introduction."

That I do.

"Hey," I almost spat it out. "Name's Air Castle. Third-year student and Beta-rank athlete."

Fluttershy hugged her book tighter around her waist with one arm as she reached out an arm with the other.

"H-hello." Fluttershy squeaked, staring straight up at me. "My name's Fluttershy, and I'm a second year student."

Oh, having another second year student coaching me? I just wish it was Captain Dash; she wouldn't care about this kind of stuff.

"And there we are." Miss Harshwhinny concluded. "As I've said, Fluttershy will be your main tutor, with Sweet Leaf and Bulk Biceps filling in for her when she is not available. Now, remember that your first session will start tomorrow, and attendance is mandatory. If you skip it, we'll know, and there will be consequences."

First, a two-month tutorship with a soft hippie, and then a threat from the Fall Formal Princess herself. How more insane can this school year get?

Wait. I probably shouldn't have asked that.

"Well, if there is nothing else, the four of you are dismissed." Miss Harshwhinny announced.

I saw no reason to stay around for longer than necessary.

My eyes swept over the three juniors that were supposed to tutor me, a pair of folded arms over my chest as I furrowed my brows at the sight.

"So," I began. "Where's your homeroom?"

I saw Fluttershy hastily bring her lime-green bag to the front as she dug around for a pencil and a slip of paper instead of, y'know, talking to me.

"No, Fluttershy, let me handle this." Sweet Leaf interrupted her. With a fast pull and a few short scribbles, she written down the homeroom's location on a paper pad and gave a small smile.

Rip!

"Here you go!" Sweet Leaf handed the torn slip to me. "The three of us share the same homeroom, so just report to it every session without any fear of changes to the plan!"

"At this point, I would accept any with open arms, because there's no way in Tartarus it can get any worse than this."

"Alright." I gave the three of them a smile as I strolled off. "Thanks so much for your help. See you soon."

I studied the slip as I walked further down the hallway, my ears catching snippets of conversation from the three.

"I can definitely see why he needs help..." Sweet Leaf started. "But I don't know if he'll ever learn to do it for the sake of others..."

"Yeah..."

I gave a snort as I paced faster towards the main door.

Well, screw them. I have more important things to do than learn about kindness.

The glass doors swung outward to the front of the school, where a giant, three-part marble statue rested in the middle of the school-yard.

Thud, thud. Thud, thud.

I continued making my way down the steps as I stared at the symbol of Canterlot High.

Thud, thud. Thud, thud.

The first part of the statue was a wide, flat pedestal that raised the rest of the sculpture above the ground, about as tall as a human foot from the sole to the heel. The second part was a huge, block-like structure with a large, mirror-like surface on all four sides and a fancy decoration on the top, covered with three marble slabs.

The final part of the statue was emblematic of the school's spirit; a statue of a horse on its hind-legs, rearing up in preparation for a deadly, overhead strike against its assailants. Stallion, from what I've heard the other students and staff talk about it. And something about how it was supposed to represent the spirit of hard work and strength.

Not that it helped us in any of the Friendship Games events against...ugh.

Crystal Prep Academy.

I strolled over to the mirror-like surface, stuffing my hands back into their pockets as I studied the details of the large block.

Hey. Is one of my hair braids loose?

As I arrived within arm distance of the statue, I bent over slightly and tilted my head to the right, allowing me a full view of the errant hair braid. As both hands were raised to adjust it back to its usual tightness, I took another look at my colour scheme.

My straight, shoulder-length hair was a dirty, aged-white tone, and my skin the colour of old concrete. Separating my hair into several thick, rope-like strands were several cylindrical, black braids with one red line at both ends, varying in terms of sizes and occupying different parts of my hair based on the distance from the scalp.

Best decoration present set I've ever got.

Once it regained its usual tightness, I gave my reflection a nod and continued strolling away from the school's front, eager to get to the nearest bus stop.

Like I've said, there's no way I'm driving a car to school when there are nutcases out there ready to thrash it.

A quick walk around the block revealed an alternative bus stop where the bus service that would take me back to the nearest bus stop near my house was.

Screech!

I jolted at the sound, glancing up at the bus that had just arrived at the stop. A quick glance at the bus number told me that it was the one I was looking for.

"That was fast." I noted.

"Psssst! Thok!"

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

The sound of footsteps thundered throughout the bus as a large group of children hurried down the steps, happily chatting away as the bus driver tapped a finger against the driving wheel in irritation.

“C’mon, people! It’s almost time for Rainbow Dash to start training with the athletes!”

Oh, look. It’s Captain’s own little fan club.

I watched as a gaggle of little tweens stepped down from the bus, each and every one of them wearing a hair hat that was messily styled with the seven different colours of the rainbow.

And at the forefront of the group was the enthusiastic, tomboy club leader, whose name was…

“Scootaloo, good to see you.” I maintained a neutral stare. “If I recall correctly, Captain Dash should start training with the Alpha athletes under Coach Stormy Flare at the Soccer Field in fifteen minutes, so you've still got time.”

The violet-haired girl returned my gesture as she twisted her head back to her group and the pair of adult chaperones that had just gotten off.

“Alright, you've heard what the big guy said. We've got some time before the training session starts, so get yourselves ready before we move out! Thanks, Skies!”

I stared with remote interest as she herded the entire group off to a small gate that led to the stadium. With a guttural sigh, I made my way up the bus and took a seat.

If it wasn't for Miss Harshwhinny, I would be out there, training with the rest of them.

"Psssst! Thok!"

And I certainly wouldn't be stuck in a mind-numbing lesson with that wimp called Fluttershy.

The bus gave a forward lurch as it prepared to move off, gradually settling into a slightly smoother form of motion when the bus reached its normal traveling speed.

It's only a matter of time before the whole thing ends. I thought. Just two more months and she'll be out of my hair.

I won't be sad to see her go in the end, anyhow.

Chapter 1: Physical punishment

Chapter One: Physical punishment

Here I am. Once again.

Quite a catchy and relevant song line, considering the situation I’m stuck in. It played itself over and over again in my mind as I sat on a plastic chair in an air-conditioned office, staring straight into the cold, merciless eyes of my executioner. Raising a fist to her mouth, she cleared her throat with a loud “Harrumph!” before setting it back on the table, angrily furrowing her brow.

“So, Snowy Skies,” my executor began. “do you know the reason as to why you were called here?”

Glancing around the lemon-coloured room, I could only see a few certificates and drab, grey posters displaying important rules. The Venetian blinds in the room were drawn, allowing only tiny slivers of light inside. Most of the illumination in here came from the hanging lamp overhead. Her grey, metallic desk sported no photos of any sort, bearing only a short stack of papers at her left hand’s side and a small, white-on-black plaque that bore my executor’s name.

Tap, tap.

Miss Harshwhinny.

Tap, tap.

School pioneer, Discipline Master of Canterlot High and a Grade-B bitch.

Tap, tap.

“Well?” She snapped, irritatedly tapping a finger on the drab desk. Jolted out of my reverie, I stared back at Miss Harshwhinny who wore that wrinkled, unamused expression on her face like a second layer of skin.

Better not drag this out too long.

“Um,” I muttered, throwing false glances around the room. “...no. I thought I was supposed to report to Vice-Principal Luna’s office because of the incident in the hall, and...”

“No!” She snapped.

I blinked as I stared back at her.

“I called you here,” she barked, “because I convinced her to let me take the full burden of disciplining you instead! Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna have many duties and responsibilities, a few of which involves the approval of appropriate plans and activities to enrich the school lives of students, the overseeing of the curriculum, and the continued existence of Canterlot High. All of these require their utmost dedication, time, and energy.”

“Which,” she pointed and accusatory finger in my face. “should not be spared for the rebellious like of you.”

Relaxing, she placed a hand on her chest and softly exhaled. I could observe a few crease lines on her face slowly disappear as she released a bit of tension.

I don’t know which one of us had a rougher day right now.

“At least you are correct,” she continued. “the reason you are here is because you verbally insulted and bullied a fellow student, causing her to burst into tears and potentially harming her emotional well-being."

Oh. Is that how you see it?

“Now,” she exhaled. “kindly explain why you did what you did.”

“Glad to.” I began. “Well, in the hallway after school, I was helping a classmate out with her homework by going over her answers when another girl came along and introduced herself as Pearl Necklace.”

A frown crossed Rarity’s face as she stared at the cat on the simple, wide and spotless table in front of her. Her eyes narrowed further the longer she looked at her pet, a

"Like I said earlier, Doctor Stable, there seems to be something wrong with my cat," Rarity began as she extended a hand to the cat on the table. "Opalescence won't eat, reacts terribly to water whenever it's bathtime, and she can’t stop scratching herself behind her ears!”

Doctor Stable tapped a finger on his chin as he studied the cat. With a swift movement of his arm, he threw a saliva-covered wooden stick into the bin. “Hmm, she is be under the weather. Assistant Fluttershy, what do you make of this?”

Opalescence looked worse for the wear. Tufts of hair were falling out in different areas of her body, and what patches were left had lost their silky, smooth texture. It was no longer a snow-white tone now, but a sickly, pale grey. Multiple pinkish-red scratch marks lined the back of the cat’s ears, some of them still fresh and open.

On the other side of the table, Fluttershy and Doctor Stable observed the cat, with the former steadily taking down notes on a clipboard.

“Oh, my,” Fluttershy exclaimed. “If I’m not wrong, she’s really sick. I think we might have to give her an injection, followed by a regular course of antibiotics, which has to be administered orally.”

“Astute observation, Fluttershy,” Doctor Stable noted. “I’ll prepare the injection. You keep an eye on the patient.”

Sauntering over to a nearby fridge, he took out a small vial containing a strange, green liquid and with a prepared syringe, pierced the protective seal and withdrew a large amount of the medicine.

“Um, Doctor,” Rarity bit down on her lower lip as she looked back in between the cat and the vet. “W...will this be absolutely safe?”

“Why, of course it will be,” Doctor Stable replied. “Now Fluttershy, hold the cat still, this might hurt a bit-”

“Mrrroooww!”

Out of the blue, Opalescence swiped a claw at Fluttershy’s outstretched hand, shocking her.

“Oh, my!” Fluttershy exclaimed in shock.

The cat then tensed itself on its hind legs before jumping off the table, soaring through the air in a graceful arc before landing on the brown, copper window frame of the ajar window.

“Opalescence!” Rarity shrieked. “What are you doing?”

Without another look at the two girls behind her, the cat took a leap out of the clinic and down to the nearby grass field, shocking them.

“Ahh!” Rarity’s shriek sharpened into that of a high-pitched scream. “Quickly, after her! Who knows what could happen to her in this current state!”

Turning upon their heels, the two of them quickly paced towards the door. As Fluttershy held it open, Rarity led the both of them, with Fluttershy following suit.

“Follow that cat! I’ll go get the restraining equipment!”

 “…and the next thing I know, I ended up with a sobbing, rich bitch at my feet and a trip to the pits of Canterlot's Tartarus. A.K.A, here, Miss Harshwhinny.”

Spreading my arms to reveal open palms, I heaved my shoulders.

“And that’s about it, really.”

Studying her face, I could see her gently squeeze her forehead with the first two fingers on her right hand. Setting it down, she turned her eyes back on me.

“Now,” she drawled. “It is obvious you need to be taught a lesson. Help is required to make you reflect on the consequences of your actions, in addition to the detentions you’ll have to serve.”

Sigh.

This is the pits.

“For verbally provoking fellow students and emotional assault,” she drawled, scribbling away on a sheet of paper, I will have to give you…”

I paused, waiting for my sentence.

“…a week’s worth of detentions!” Miss Harshwhinny finished.

Of course.

“And I don’t mean the five-day kind! I mean the seven-day kind, which starts tomorrow!” she added.

I don’t know why I’d hoped for something more merciful.

Repeating the breathing ritual, she slowly exhaled a third time, with the same results as before. Focusing her harsh, sapphire-blue eyes on me, Miss Harshwhinny drawled again.

“Now, I understand you are in the Elements of Harmony programme, an extension of the Social Sciences module.”

I narrowed my eyes as I studied her face. It was like watching a statue.

What is she getting at?

With a reach of her hand into the small stack of papers to her left, she used her fingers and made a small gap, rifling through the stack.

Is she going to make me sign a Tartarus contract with my blood or something?

I could see Miss Harshwhinny pause momentarily, pressing on a sheet before dragging it out, pinching with her thumb and forefinger. With a gentle flap of the slip, she settled it before me.

Oh. I see.

As a report on my progress in the programme, it included my particulars, grades in displaying each moral characteristic emphasised by the programme, and comments written by the teacher and their assistants of the designated group they are supposed to oversee.

To cut a long story short, students in a cohort are grouped according to the emphasised trait they are perceived to be lacking the most, which the designated teacher must teach the group of students to help “develop character”.

Right. The Elements of Harmony programme results. My bad.

Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, Kindness and Loyalty. These are the five emphasised traits. The Elements of Harmony.

Every now and then, they would grade us based on how we conduct ourselves, using the Elements as a measuring stick.

Studying at my own report, I recalled how they mentioned they used smiley-face stickers or sad face stickers representing how we fared in each trait. Five for most extreme, zero for least, yadda, yadda, yadda. That kind of stuff.

Hmm…

Loyalty - Four smiles. Great.

Honesty - Three smiles. Hmm, meh.

Generosity-Two and a half smiles. Decent.

Laughter-One and a half frowns. Well, it’s not my fault I rarely laugh at funny stuff.

Now, as for Kindness, it was a-

Ow.

Well, that’s a new low, even by my standards.

Right next to the word ‘Kindness’ in a box, was-

“Wow, I didn’t even know you guys used vomiting face stickers.” I remarked. And three of them, no less. Sure, I rarely displayed touchy-feely sentiment and not really care a single bit about this programme, but…

But Miss Harshwhinny slowly bobbed her head. “Yes, Snowy Skies. We’ve decided to use this for truly terrible attempts at displaying the Element qualities. The decision has only been approved yesterday. Congratulations on being the first to learn about and experience the new feature of the Harmony reports.”

God, what a fucking bitch.

With two fingertips on the other edge of the report, she dragged it back to her side before clipping it between her fingers, holding it up for herself to read. “While I am pleased with the way you openly voice your thoughts, ideas and opinions,” she read, “You should however interact more with your peers and weigh your words carefully before speaking and responding to others.” Settling it on top of the stack, she turned her eyes back upon me.

“Considering the incident in the hall, that last phrase seems particularly relevant.”

Wait. That means-

And before you ask,” Miss Harshwhinny went on. “The incident in the hall was taken into account while compiling your report, thus pushing your Kindness rating down from a sub-average one smile to a dismal three vomiting face stickers. Did you know that out of all the students in your class, you are the one who has consistently earned the lowest score for the past two years?”

“Gee, thanks for reminding me.” Sarcasm dripped from my voice.

“As I have mentioned earlier, you have to be justly punished, since we cannot let a poor track record and a violent incident slide like that. Since your designated teacher and his assistants has their hands full teaching your group, I have no choice but to assign you a tutor; a student who has an excellent rating in Kindness to teach you.”

Oh, great. A tutor. I really wish her dad pulled out the same way she’s pulling out all the stops on me.

Then again, the way she acts around every student meant it probably wasn’t successful and her parents felt fit to remind her of that.

But I’m probably overthinking this.

“The tutoring period,” she drawled, “will begin after your week of detentions. You will report to your tutor’s homeroom at three-thirty in the afternoon every Tuesday and Thursday. Each session will last for an hour, after which you are free to go.”

“However,” she paused, tapping a finger on the table.

No way I’m gonna let her draw this one out. “However what, Miss Harshwhinny?”

“Silence!” she angrily barked. Narrowing her eyes even further, she slowly rose from her chair, pushing it backwards with the back of her knees.

“The thing is, dear student,” she continued. “Is that the arrangement will last until you obtain at least one and a half smiles in your rating on your next report.”

Huh. That’s...actually doable.

“And before you think you can get away with your after-school activities,” Miss Harshwhinny warned. “I’ve written a letter to the relevant coach and captain in charge of your school activities to suspend you, so from this day onwards, you are effectively banned from taking part in school sport competitions.”

Wait. Hold it all up!

What did she just say?

“Banned until the next report, which is in the start of November, if you try your best.”

November?

November?

That’s two months from now!

Oh, shit. Two hours wasted every week for two whole months.

Two whole months.

I stand corrected. This is the pits.

“And if the tutor’s sick?” I risked.

“Then I will simply assign a substitute tutor if the original is inconvenienced.” Miss Harshwhinny dismissed it with a flick of her hand.

“But I,” she glared hard at me. "Would worry more about myself if I were you. Bullying a fellow student under the guise of 'brutal honesty' is hardly a sign of outstanding behaviour in this school. Your parents must be ashamed."

Her parents might be too for raising the tense, angry troll that she is, but they might not have told her that.

And it's not as if-

"Wait. Hang on a minute." I made a gesture.

Miss Harshwhinny raised an eyebrow at me.

“Are you telling me that the system comprises of only smiley, frowny and vomiting face stickers from now on? Or is there another feature you haven’t told me about? How about a euphoric face sticker, huh?”

A long sigh escaped from Miss Harsh Whinny’s mouth. Leaning back into her chair, she took a paper cone of water and sipped from it before replying.

“To answer your questions, yes, Castle. We are working on introducing new stickers and broadening the spectrum to allow for greater accuracy for calculating students’ results, which, in your case, should be less than welcome.”

Right. Time to wrap this up.

“So, we done here?” I asked.

Her eyes now tiny slits, Miss Harshwhinny shook her head. “Politeness, student.”

Sigh.

“Alright. May I please leave now, Miss Harshwhinny?” I grimaced.

And she slowly nodded, relaxing her eyelids. “Yes, you may leave now. Here’s your detention slip. I’m sure you know what to do with it, since this isn’t your first time.”

Rising up to my feet, I took the slip, turned upon my heels and paced out, not even sparing a backward glance at the Nutcase Queen or her sour den.

Two whole months. I think I’ll start mourning for all that wasted time in advance.

A slight, tingling sensation ran down my spine as I stepped out into the deserted hallway, setting off the goose bumps on my neck. The thought of having a really punishing punishment can do that to you.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the one and only senior too dumb to study here in Canterlot High.”

The dull tingling in my spine inexplicably exploded into a full-blown chill that ran throughout my ribcage; cold droplets of sweat that had little to do with the October wind steadily dripped down my forehead.

I slowly twisted my neck, craning my head for a good look at the speaker who lurked in the shadows of the locker shelf with the ruined lights.

Oh, hell no.

Standing in a dimly-lit dead end section of the hallway was the last person I wanted to see right now; the only girl that can out-bitch Miss Harshwhinny.

“Hello, Snowy Skies,” A thin smile stretched across her face. "We need to talk."

“Sunset Shimmer?” I raised an eyebrow. “Well, it's rare to see you without your lackeys.”

“Humph,” Sunset lifted a stray hair strand away from her face with a finger. “I have work that I won't trust anyone else to do; this place just happened to be the best place for my...activities.”

“Your work, in a place with malfunctioning lights,” A snort escaped my mouth as I began pacing down the opposite direction. “I’m glad that makes perfect sense.”

But I only took three steps before a slender, hard hand gripped my right shoulder, immobilising me.

“Tut, tut. Didn’t your mother tell you it’s rude to leave when other people are talking to you?”

The cold sweat on my forehead ran faster and in larger amounts, coating it with a thin film of sweat. The goose bumps on the back of my neck that had gradually subsided returned in a full-blown force, like the sensation of so many prickly needles lightly piercing my neck.

Why am I feeling this way right now?

“Didn’t your mother tell you it’s rude to touch other people without their consent?” I snapped. Alpha bitch or no, I want to enjoy my free afternoons while it still lasts.

Sunset Shimmer exhaled. “It might be,” she conceded. “But your offense is greater than mine, and you still haven’t heard what I have to say.”

 “Then spill it.” I hissed. “I have places to be, and I’d rather not be late.”

“Tut, tut,” Sunset repeated. “You obviously haven’t learned who’s really in charge here. Let me give you a crash course, in case your old high school was any different.”

Suddenly pulling her hand back, I was spun around in place, whirling back to see her face and curling sneer. Damn, she’s actually quite strong.

“Here, in Canterlot High,” Sunset began. “There are many types of students, each possessing different types of interests and abilities.”

“We have the jocks, the fashionistas, the eco-kids, the nerds, the artsies-fartsies,” Sunset ticked off on one hand. “The goths, the rebels, the rock star-wannabes…”

I frowned as she went on.

“…and of course, the outcasts,” She finished. “All these different groups need an authority figure; a leader to call the shots and do what’s best for everyone, including punishing those who step out of line.” Sunset then inhaled, raising herself to her full height.

Frankly, it wasn’t that intimidating when her full height was still shorter than how I stood slouching, but if her tone and voice was any indication, she was still unfazed.

“Go on,” Her smile grew wider. “Take a wild guess as to who’s the real leader of the students around here.”

“Hmmm…” I raised a hand to my chin, pretending to be in deep thought.

Time to get a rise out of her.

“Oh, I know!” I piped up. “Ivory Scroll, Head of the student committee! No, wait!” I held up an open hand. “Vice-Principal Luna and Principal Celestia!”

Sunset Shimmer’s eyes momentarily widened, letting the implications of my answers sink in. But those eyes narrowed as suddenly as they had widened, accompanied by a creeping smile I’d usually see psycho villains in the movies make…

Oh.

Oh, shit.

Those light turquoise eyes that glared back at me were as cold as the dark, smooth ice on the surface of frozen lakes, and just as translucent. Rumours stated that any defiant student who dared to stare back into those eyes ended up shaken and unnerved, as if they had gazed past the topmost layer into her soul.

Just what in Equus could be hidden behind those eyes? What in Equus could be there be hidden in the darkest corners of her inner being?

“No and no, Snowy Skies,” Sunset replied. “You see, Air Castle, all three are placed at the top of or near the school official authority ladder, and are thus far removed from the daily lives and struggles of the ordinary students.”

“They look pretty relaxed and happy to me,” I interrupted.

“Oh no,” Sunset shook her head. “Every now and then, disagreements crop up between them, slowly but surely degenerating into quarrels and squabbles over who should do and get what. If left unchecked and unresolved, it could lead to a feud between two different cliques, which in turn would lead to a school divided. Those three people you’ve just mentioned can only do so much in a system that doesn’t respond well to an official top-down approach.”

Funny how she mentioned official.

“Therefore,” She concluded. “A popular figure is needed, someone who can communicate with all the different cliques and groups and keep them separate so as not to start any hostilities among them. And a simple answer to that need is naturally the Fall Formal Princess,” Sunset pointed towards herself. “Me.”

Top-down approach? Keeping different groups separate? A single, bat-shit crazy leader everyone supposedly looks up to? How fucking stupid does she think I am? Anyone with half a brain can clearly see through the bullshit lies she’s clearly spouting.

For someone who can only reach up to my mouth at her full height, she sure as hell loves talking down to me like I’m kind of idiot.

“And you,” She turned a finger towards me. “Should be punished for attacking one of my subordinates, Pearl Necklace. Since this is your first time, I’ll let you off the hook. But you better not try anything funny again, because something bad will happen if you ever dare step out of line again.”

“Oooohhh,” I faked a full body shudder right in front of her, narrowing my eyes to slits as I did so. “I’m so scared.”

Sunset snorted.

“Hmph,” She turned upon her heel and stalked away, sending one last malignant glare at me. “You should be, Snowy Skies,”

I cautiously waited till Sunset Shimmer disappeared down the hallway before I paced down in the opposite direction.

And that makes three awful meetings I’ve seen in two days. Better run before Harshwhinny accuses me of loitering.

A shudder ran down my back that had little to do with the early Autumn chill.

The September wind blew warm-hued leaves past my windshield as I drove down the suburban street, carrying dead leaves from the branches of shedding trees and leaving them all over the yards, where some unfortunate person has to sweep it all up and put it into a pile.

“Oh, do please come down, Opalescence!”

Ah, autumn. My second-favourite season of the year.

“Your mummy will be so scared if you stay up there, in that dead tree!”

It has nothing on winter, of course. What with all the driveway-shovelling and excessive preparations for extended family reunions destined to screw up, no matter the year or occasion. It’s totally stress-free.

“Yes, Opalescence. Please listen to Fluttershy! Try not to stay up there!”

On a more urgent note, I should probably take the bus to school again and lay low for a while; there’s no telling what a crazy bitch like Sunset and her lackeys might do to my car-

“Yoo-Hoo! Help, please!”

I snapped out of my train of thought as I spotted a figure in the distance waving an arm at me. Without a second thought, I slowly pressed a foot down on the brake pedal and stared straight at the flagger as my car slowed down, coming to a complete stop right beside her.

“Oh, thank goodness you’ve arrived in time, stranger!”

I gazed out of the open car window, taking in the sight of a chalk-coloured, purple-haired girl making a pleading gesture to me.

“There’s something I really need your help with. It’s an absolute disaster!”

I tilted my head. “What? Your lover dumped you?”

“What?” The chalk-coloured girl flinched. “No! My cat, Opalescence, has climbed up a tree and hasn’t come down! If she remains up there, who knows what might happen to her!”

My first reaction was a snort, followed by an annoyed frown.

 “Go bug somebody else, drama queen.” I hissed. “If that cat matters so much to you, then call the fire department. Who do you think rescues all the cats from the trees for the crazy, old cat ladies?”

“Wh…wh…what?” The purple-haired girl sputtered, taking a step backwards. “Are you implying that I’ll grow up to be a crazy, cat lady?”

The girl then turned away from me, sticking her nose up high in the air. “Humph! Fine then! If you don’t want to help, then I’ll simply ask somebody else to do the job! Good day to you!”

“And the rest of the day to yourself.” I replied.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a second girl with butter-hued skin, long, straight hair the colour of cotton candy and teal eyes standing beside the tree the crazy cat girl was stomping off to, turning away from a white cat in the tree to talk to the purple-haired girl.

Huh.

I could see the second girl well from where I was standing, and I could tell that the body language she was giving me wasn’t from a person who would invite me to any kind of occasion, joyous or otherwise. Or even wish to see me, for that matter.

Oh, well. Nothing new.

I turned back to the road ahead and drove off in the direction of my house as the dim October sun shimmered in the corner of my eyes, eager to savour the last of my freedom before my two month-long punishment.

I sincerely hope that’s the last I see of these two idiots; God knows I have enough on my plate at the moment.