It was an unusual day for some of the ponies in Ponyville. Miss Cheerilee told the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who have had their marks for a week now, to come meet her at the Mayor's office to talk with him; Twilight Sparkle and her friends, which included the Crusaders' sisters, were also called upon by the Mayor to talk. When the group arrived at Ponyville's City Hall, they were directed to the Mayor's office, where she and Cheerilee were seen seated behind the front desk. The ponies were given seats to sit in, and the meeting began.
"I think you're wondering why we're called you here today," said the Mayor sternly.
"Um, obviously," said a Rainbow Dash.
"Well," began Cheerilee, "it's a matter of what had been going on for quite some time, something still affecting Ponyville now. It's about Diamond Tiara."
The nine ponies on the opposite side of the desk widened their eyes. Just hearing that name brought on some pretty bad memories. Diamond Tiara, the bane of the schoolhouse; the filly who, along with her cohort Silver Spoon, took good sport in crushing her peers, spread lies and got all of Ponyville in an uproar, and being an overall unpleasant pony to be around.
"What's this meeting got to do with that little insect?" asked an angry Rarity.
Cheerilee spoke again. "Calm down, girls. This meeting is about the fallout of her actions from the past few years, and how she's been doing since she finally made peace with the Cutie Mark Crusaders after helping her. Now, I'm sure her attitude affected each of you in, er...certain ways."
"Ah'll say," shouted an angry Applejack. "Tiara sent Apple Bloom home cryin' time and time again. And on top of that, she tried to make Granny Smith out to be a cock-eyed fool, and she nearly turned sweet little Babs Seed into a monster. Ah told Filthy Rich he couldn't bring her to the farm no more."
Rarity threw in her two bits. "And I banned her from my shop when I found out that she spread lies about me and so many other ponies, especially because she blackmailed poor Sweetie Belle into making them."
Rainbow Dash got really mad, taking to the air as she did. "And when I found out that she made fun of Scoots's wings...Aaaagh!"
Fortunately, Twilight grabbed and pulled down Rainbow with her hoof before her emotions got out of control.
"Yes," said Cheerilee, "Diamond has certainly crafted some painful memories. But I can assure you she's on the road to recovery. I told my class that she had turned over a new leaf, and so far, I haven't heard of any incidents involving her. But despite my advice, I've seen my students try to avoid her at recess by walking around her. Some even go stiff at the sight of her."
"When the Crusaders told me about everything that happened, I...I didn't know what to say..."
She began to tear up a bit, remembering when she learned that one of her own had.
"I remember going up to Diamond, and...and told her...'I thought I'd never see the day...when one of my own students would resort to such underhanded cruelty.'"
Sweetie Belle chimed in. "Yeah, you really threw the book at her. She was suspended for two weeks, and you signed her up for sensitivity training out of your own saddlebag."
"And when Miss Harshwhinny caught wind of it," said Scootaloo, "she banned Diamond and her family from coming anywhere near the games. Boy, did Spoiled Rich get mad."
"Mad?" asked Rainbow Dash, regarding the gross understatement. "I heard her screaming all the way up in Cloudsdale."
Applejack chimed in. "And even then, it wasn't about that she said all that stuff, but rather that she got caught and made her family more infamous."
