Author's Note

Welcome to the next chapter. This is where things are going to get pretty messed up, so if you wanna turn back now, I will not blame you. Otherwise, please enjoy the story and send me any constructive criticisms you have.

Cracks in the Surface

A few weeks had passed since the election and things had proceeded as normal. The foals and fillies went about learning new subjects and conversing with one another. Unfortunately, the playground equipment that Pipsqueak promised had not arrived yet, but the students were willing to be patient as they knew they could trust a pony like Pip. As for Diamond Tiara, the students began to ignore her the day immediately following the election and had not let up since. It was now as if the brightest star in the night sky had lost its shine and disappeared altogether. However, it would only be a matter of days before that star suddenly received recognition once again.

It was a bright Friday morning and the class was getting ready to have lunch. Not only that, but it was also the day that the students got back their report cards. The bell rung loudly as the foals and fillies went to their respective saddlebags and got out their lunch boxes before heading outside to enjoy the day. However, one filly didn't seem to have any food with her and ended up spending the free period in a secluded area of the school grounds. She thought no one had noticed, but she had been quite wrong in that assumption. Apple Bloom was hanging out with the rest of the CMC when she saw that certain filly move towards the aforementioned secluded area. "Hey, y'all see that little filly head into the woods?"

Sweetie and Scootaloo looked to where AB was gesturing, but saw nothing that would catch their eyes. "I didn't see anything Apple Bloom, maybe your eyes were playing tricks on you?" Sweetie tried to dismiss AB's claims, but she remained strong.

"I know what I saw! I've been in my family's orchard long enough to know when something unusual goes in or out of it. This ain't any different 'cause I'm sure that I saw a filly go into the woods."

Sweetie still had her doubts, but Scootaloo seemed interested. "Well if you really want to, we could go check it out. I mean, there's still a half-hour of recess left. As long as we're back before then, I don't see what the issue is." Scootaloo pointed to the school's clock tower and sure enough, they did have exactly thirty minutes before they were meant to return to class. While hesitant at first, the CMC went into the woods to follow the filly Apple Bloom saw.

About seven minutes had passed since the trio of fillies went into the woods to look for their classmate, but they had no luck in doing so. As they were about to turn back, they saw a strange structure in the distance and decided, against Sweetie Belle's judgement, to investigate. Upon getting a closer look, they saw that the structure resembled a large barn constructed of both wood and metal. The trio decided to walk up to the door to get a closer look through the window. Due to their combined weight, the door latch came loose and opened suddenly, causing them to collapse on top of one another.

Sweetie Belle was the first to get up and survey the area inside. "Hey, is it just me or does this place look like a sort of storage place?" Sweetie browsed around finding various music and history books from many years ago.

Scootaloo opened one of the boxes near her and saw several old textbooks on subjects they were currently learning, most of which from an older time period. "You're right, this must be where Ms. Cheerilee stashes old learning stuff from past school years." Scootaloo then found a book about mechanical engineering and her eyes widened in wonder. "I'm sure she won't mind if I just take one," she muttered as she tucked the book under her wing.

However, Apple Bloom shot her a piercing glare with a raised eyebrow and pointed to the box Scootaloo just opened. With a sigh, she went back and returned the book she found to its rightful place. "Ms. Cheerilee keeps this stuff around for a reason, so I say we don't take anything in case that reason makes itself known. Now come on!" Apple Bloom dragged Scootaloo away from the box as the three of them suddenly heard something strange from around the corner.

Although nervous at first, the three fillies went to investigate while keeping a low profile. Upon seeing what they did, they were shocked and appalled. There, sitting in the corner with an old, broken pencil sharpener next to her was Diamond Tiara. Her eyes completely glossed over with her own tears and face buried in her hooves. Upon raising her head, she reached for the sharpener and took out the blade from within. The CMC then winced as she used the blade to create small scratches on her forelegs, making sure that they would not show through the fur. Scootaloo was about to race in and stop her, but Sweetie held her back using her magic and was able to pull her back around the corner. However, the effort of doing so left her with minor exhaustion as Apple Bloom took over in holding Scootaloo in position.

Despite her struggles, Scootaloo was unable to escape from Apple Bloom's grip due to the latter's superior strength and endurance. "What are you doing, let me go!" Scootaloo half-whispered as Apple Bloom went to cover her mouth.

"Easy Scoots, let's just think about this! Why would somepony like Diamond Tiara be in a place like this and doing something like that to herself." Scootaloo felt the realization hit her as Apple Bloom felt her struggling cease and proceeded to release her.

After regaining her breath, Sweetie Belle added her two bits. "Besides, if we just rushed in asking to talk to her, she'd either throw a huge tantrum at us for stalking her or run away in fear. Trust me, Rarity's had enough emotional breakdowns for me to recognize what's going on and what not to do. That said, I've never seen Diamond or Rarity upset enough that they'd want to cause harm to themselves." Sweetie Belle looked again and saw Diamond go back to bawling in her hooves.

The CMC then took that as their cue to leave and walked through the door as quietly as they could. It was then that Scootaloo noticed something. "Hey, if Diamond was really in here, shouldn't she have heard when we knocked opened the door and fell inside?"

Sweetie shook her head. "Whenever Rarity was crying like that, she would unknowingly shut out the world around her. Not even a magical explosion rivaling that of Hiroshimare would rattle her from her weeping.

Scoots and Apple Bloom nodded as the latter looked at the position of the sun. "Oh no, we're gonna be late. There's only five minutes of recess left."

The CMC then raced back the way they came as fast as they could so that they could get to class on time. Thankfully, they had about 30 seconds to spare as the three took their seats and prepared for class to begin again. Only a minute later, Diamond walked back in with a neutral expression on her face as she took her seat in the back where no one would notice her. She would have been accurate had it not been for three fillies who had witnessed most of her ordeal. A few hours later, the bell rung and signaled the end of the day as the little ponies filed out after receiving their respective cards and headed for home once again. The CMC however, took the initiative to follow Diamond Tiara to her home so as to survey the goings on for themselves. Whether or not Diamond had been awful to them, they had decided that it wouldn't be right to at least see what was happening in her private life.