The Slash of Truth

Chapter 14

I planned for it to be a simple kiss, a few seconds long snog but, what I felt as he kissed back was something feral. My shyness was wiped from my name as a primal instinct took over me when I straddled him, my shivering body was electric with excitement and joy as my wings were unfolded, my black panties getting blacker as my nether region was a mess of need. My hands roamed up his shirt, feeling his nicely shaped, strong core, feeling him flex the muscle as my fingers touched his curves.

I was glad to see Joel was getting into it too as his hands trekked all the way down to my waist, all the way down to my rear end, cupping a good feel and brushing against my cutie mark as we continued the passionate kiss.

So… What was this feeling? Love?

“Fluttershy?”

I felt Joel break the kiss and I could see the young, hungry eyes of Joel, breathing heavily with a smile on his face. I knew if I had carried on, there would be nothing in this world to stop me from ravishing this sweet boy under me. By the looks of it however, Joel looked like he was about to ravish me as he could feel my groin grind against his pants, making his private part grow slightly. That thought – it was embarrassing to think of such a perverted thing but, it felt so right to imagine him fully erect under me. It was like a wild daydream slowly coming true.

“Fluttershy… I think it’s time to calm down a bit.” Joel suggested to me, making me freeze for a second – just a second. I looked down at myself, realising what I was doing. Sure, it made me blush greatly but, my body didn’t want to stop, I didn’t want to stop, I was just moving on autopilot at this point, it felt too good to stop, it was too exhilarating. So, as I writhed with the pleasure of being on top of this boy, I didn’t stop myself from leaning down and closing my eyes for another kiss as I continue my needy movements.

“Fluttershy… Are you there?”

As I went in for another kiss, it was to my shock that I didn’t feel his soft lips once again, but a firm finger pressed against my lips. I open my eyes to see Joel looking up at me, a small frown on his face. All he did was shake his head slowly for me to get the clear-as-day message. Instead of shying away like I usually do, my smile only got wider as I let myself drop onto his chest, feeling my boobs squish against him. Shyness aside, I was glad that this moment happened and that he stopped me when I did. I would hate to do something that Joel didn’t want to happen.

“Thank you, Joel.” I murmured, closing my eyes as I snugged deeper into his chest with a massive smile. In response, I felt him squeeze my butt gently, making me eep. I didn’t mind it though, I only giggled and hummed at the perverted attention. With that being that, I felt Joel reach over and toss the blanket over himself and me, making sure to cover the still sleeping Mimosa.

“Fluttershy!”

“YES!?” Fluttershy quickly shot up from her desk in a light-yellow dress, her body stiff and straight as if it was an ironing board, her cheeks a rose colour as she looked around at all the students staring at her, even Miss English who was standing in front of a blackboard with white chalk in her hand looked over with a disproving frown.

“I won’t tell you again, Fluttershy. Pay attention or you will get detention at the end of the day.” Miss English said with authority, making Fluttershy squirm under Miss English’s scrutinising gaze.

“Sorry, it won’t happen again, miss.” Fluttershy said shyly, sitting back down at her desk, her blush as bright as ever as she felt all eyes still on her, hearing the subtle snigger. Oh, why did she have to make a fool out of herself?

“Right then, back to the lesson, students! Comet, please read the start of page 44.” Miss English pointed, making the boy turn the next page and continue to read. In bafflement, Fluttershy looked down to see that she was still on page 38 and the clock on the wall skipped 30 minutes of her life from that little daydream. That daydream… She could still feel her heart being drilled away by a jackhammer still.

Fluttershy turned the pages to the correct page, finding the words that were being said and read along to the words that were being said out loud but, it didn’t take long for Fluttershy to have a small smile back on her face.

Across the room however, Rainbow Dash was watching Fluttershy intently, a small scowl on her face as her finger tapped against her desk.

Where were you last night?

That question kept playing in repeat on Rainbow Dash’s mind, her feet tapping, and lip raised in aggravation of Fluttershy’s ignorance. Sunset Shimmer is in the hospital fighting for her fucking life trying to protect Fluttershy, but here she is with a goofy smile on her face and that pissed Rainbow Dash right off. Rainbow Dash will get to the bottom of this if she was her friend or not.

Suddenly a buzzing went off in Rainbow’s jacket pocket. She went in her pocket and sure enough, there was a notification on her phone from AJ from the girls group chat.

Applejack: Has anyone seen that weasel Feather Bangs? I haven't seen him this morning.😤

Rainbow: Nope, isn’t he meant to be in history with Discord?

Pinkie: I haven’t seen him either.😫

Rainbow: Might be trying to avoid you, AJ.

Rarity: We’ll confront him at lunch and get the truth.😤

Twilight: Has anyone bothered asking the boys?🤨

Pinkie: I’ll snoop around and see what they know.🧐

With the conversation stopping there, Rainbow went over to the Girls&Boys group chat, seeing that Pinkie had already texted the question Rainbow wanted to know.

Pinkie: Hey! Does anyone know where Feather Bangs is?😁

Soarin: Nah, haven’t seen him today.🤨

Applejack: Well, he has to be somewhere in school.😠

Caramel: Might not be in school yet. It’s the Great Awakening Anniversary remember.

Twilight: True, I wouldn’t expect to see any of you boys come in if you didn't have to.

Caramel: Hey! I’m in.

Hoity: Me too. I still have to get my hands on that human!

Rainbow: What did he do now?😑

Pinkie: Huh?😮

Cheese: The human stole his lunch money…😂

Rarity: Really Darling… Surely you're not that petty to fuss over some loose change.😐

Applejack: Yeah, if this is what you're like after someone steals your lunch money, I’d hate to see what you would do if you were broke.😑

Caramel: The human stole 50k…

Rarity:…

Applejack:…………..

Twilight:……………………

Pinkie: Lol😂😂😂

Rainbow: Fr? How the hell did he steal that much?🤣

Hoity: It was in my locker!

Rarity: WHY THE FUCK WAS THERE FUCKING 50 GRAND IN YOUR SCHOOL LOCKER!!!!🤬

Pinkie: Language please, Darling.😎

Rainbow: 🍿🍿🍿

Hoity: THAT WAS MY LUNCH MONEY UNTIL I GRADUATED!!!!

Caramel: Wait… How much money did you have at the start of school?🤨

Cheese: Good question!😲

Hoity:… 100k.

Flash: Bruh.

Cheese: You fat bastard!😂

Rainbow: Fucking hell! There is no way you have spent 50k on food these passed years.

Rarity: YOU FUCKING IDDDDDDIIIIOT!!!!!!🤬

Pinkie: Geez Louise! That’s a lot of money. You could buy… 200,000 MOON CHOCOLATE BARS WITH THAT MUCH!!!!!

Twilight: How is Sunset, Flash? Is she awake?😕

Flash: I was told that she is stable but she had lost a lot of blood, so she is very weak. I don’t know if she is awake or not, I’ve been told that she’s in and out of sleep, but I have not seen her yet.😔

Pinkie: I am glad she is okay at least.😁

Twilight: That’s a relief, I’m happy she made it out alive.

Caramel: Good news then!

Flash: Yes but, I still got get over the fact that she was close from bleeding out. The doctors said if the knife wound was millimetres to the left, it would have cut her artery.😫

Rainbow: THAT CLOSE!😨

Cheese: Bloody hell…😮‍💨

Pinkie: That’s terrible!😣

Hoity: Have they found the deviant who attacked Sunset?

Soarin: Has the police said anything?

Flash: I haven’t heard anything yet. It looks like the police keeping things hush-hush for some reason. They probably have found something if that’s the case.🧐

Rainbow: What makes you say that?🫤

Flash: I’ve watched some police documentaries for a while.

Soarin: Dude, you do know a majority of them kinda stuff is made up, right?

Flash:…

Flash: I don’t know then!😣

Hoity: Honestly Flash, you can be dense sometimes.🙄

Soarin: Your probably gonna be questioned by detectives, same with you Rainbow. Just don’t lie and everything should be good.

Rainbow: Why would I lie? I was there when it happened! I want the psycho who hurt Sunset behind bars!😑

Applejack: Yeah, that’s a bit weird to say…😐

Soarin: I don’t know if you did or didn’t. For all I know, you could have been the one that had done it. It was just you, Sunset and this supposed cloak figure there.

Rarity: Soarin! You and I both know that’s not true!😡

Pinkie: Yeah! I know Rainbow Dash! She would never do such a thing!😤

Flash: Kinda uncalled for Soarin.😕

Soarin: I’m just saying that it’s a possibility. I don’t know what the fuck went down at Fluttershy’s cottage.😐

Rainbow: Just fuck off, Soarin. Every conversation you are involved with just ends in an argument!😡

Soarin: Blow me, bitch!🖕

Twilight: honestly, you two need to sort out your issues towards one another. It’s getting boring.

Applejack: That’s a blunt way to say it, Twi. But she is right. You can’t keep going back and forth like this, you two need to talk.😕

Soarin: What is there to talk about? I don’t even know what I did wrong!

Rainbow: Don’t act like your innocent, Soarin! We all know you like to flirt at any given moment. So how do you think I feel when I see you winking and blowing kisses at the girls in the stands!?😠

Soarin: Really… That’s what you're pissed at? IT WAS JUST A CELEBRATION! IT WASN’T LIKE I WAS FUCKING SOME CHICK RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!!!

Caramel: Yeah, I think you may have overreacted on this one, Dash.🫤

Rainbow: YOU DON’T GO TO GIRLS AND FLIRT WITH THEM IN FRONT OF ME, YOU ASSHOLE!!! 🤬

Soarin: Fuck off, Rainbow! You’re starting to piss me off.

Twilight: This is not what I meant when I said, ‘Sort your issues towards one another.’ You have to talk to one another face to face.

Rarity: Twilight is right, this is something you to have to discuss alone.

Rainbow: whatever… I can’t be bothered talking to this clown anyway.🤡 See ya!

Soarin is typing…

Dosh is typing…

Applejack is typing…

“So, your Frank, huh…” Said this woman who was face to face with Joel, her face expressionless and with no fear. Despite her knowing exactly who Joel was, she dared get this close? Does she not notice how close to death she is? Joel could think of a few ways to take her out with one swift motion. He almost did, but he held back his reflexes.

“And you are…” Joel asked with a steel glare, his muscles tense and fingers twitching. What is it with this woman? Joel’s body is ready to fight but, this human woman is standing defencelessly. What is causing this reaction in Joel’s body? Is it her proximity? Her cold-blooded stare? Or is it that she knows who Joel truly is? Is that why Joel is having this twitch to retaliate in some way? Even if she’s doing nothing threatening? The woman seemed to notice.

“Your tense… Relax… Frank.” She responded to Joel’s uncertainty, her dull, cold tone not quenching his anxiety towards her. Joel was far from relaxed, he felt very irritated for some reason. She hummed before backing off a bit, her autumn eyes never leaving his own. Joel found it uncomfortable when her eyes scanned him, her eyes lingering on his hand, the hand that was missing his pinkie finger. Joel put that hand in his blazer pocket.

“What do you want?” Joel said with resentment, her eyes looking at him like a used tool was getting under his skin.

“I don’t know… What would a person like me want with a murderer like you? I’m sure you can put two and two together.”

“So what, you want me to kill someone for you, is that it?” Joel shrugged, an unamused look on his face.

“Maybe, maybe not… Depends on what I'll use you for. You see, I want you in my arsenal, at my disposal. I want you… as a weapon. My weapon.” The woman said, circling Joel from the staircase, touching his arms, feeling the strength he had. She pulled out his four-fingered hand, her frown deepening at the missing limb. “You're so young, yet you are already a broken weapon. You haven’t been looking after yourself, have you.” She dropped his arm, looking back up to Joel’s eyes.

“My health is none of your concern.” Joel barked.

“Of course it is, Frank…” She jumped in quickly, cutting off an annoyed Joel. “I heard you did well against the Grinner, you left a good impression on one of my entrusted men. Usually, I'd take his word on the matter, but you are a special exception. I had to meet you face to face, I had to see who was behind the mask.” She said, that uninterested stare of hers not faltering in the slightest.

“Special… What makes me so special?”

The woman was silent for a moment, taking in his young form. It was her first time seeing this kid in person but, she wasn’t happy one bit. “Your age is a big factor in my decision, your still young despite all that you have done and are going to do, it doesn’t help knowing that you are an enemy of The Order and it’s not like your discrete with it either. You made a real mess of things, Frank, and I’m not yet sure that I like the idea of you in my plans.” She said with bluntness, pissing Joel off with her comment.

“Excuse me…”

“Did I stutter.”

Joel felt a strong urge to strike this woman, the arrogance and audacity of this woman to speak to him in such a way. What’s worse is that she knows who he is and still denies the threat he holds. Is she blind or naïve? Wait… Why am I getting so worked up over this? Joel exhaled the frustration out of his system, the twitching in his fingers gone. He was getting himself worked up for nothing. This woman was just testing him.

“No… I understand what you mean. I admit, I could have handled things… differently. But what’s done is done, I can’t change the past.” Joel said, all irritation gone and was replaced by a neutral stare. She noticed the change. “The name is Joel; I don’t think it’s best if you call me Frank in public.”

The woman nodded and hummed. “Well Joel, you should address me as Alma.”

Clink clack, clink clank, click clack was all that Joel could hear in this isolated, marble-floored hallway, on his way to the Principal’s Office. It would have been a decent little walk but, it was who was with him that ruined his peace. She introduced herself as Alma O’Connell, a financial influencer, or so she says she is. Other than that little fact, Joel knew very little about this woman. Joel looked over to the side to see the woman that he met at the front of the school. A human. Another human with abnormal pressure around them which Joel could feel. But this woman – even as he stands by her – gives off a strange heat, an aura that pulses around her. That shouldn’t be possible for a human like her. Magic and Humans don’t go together. Is this feeling even magic? Some sort of energy? Joel couldn’t tell if he was going crazy or if this woman simply wasn’t human.

As Joel took in the details of this oddly unsettling woman, he couldn’t help but spot the odd features on her. A black pristine black blazer with gold rimming the collar was resting on her shoulders, the sleeves empty of her limbs. Dangling from her lip was a thin but long, black cigarette holder, a cigarette lit at the end of it, smoke lazily rising from the end. Then there were her eyes, the most distinctive part of her that he couldn’t wiggle out of his head. Her stare was colder than the iciest part of the planet, the sclera part of her eye was pure black, an eye disorder that made her look like a demon in human clothing. It made this woman exceptionally intimidating with her gelid glare that can break the mask of a killer.

Along with her blazer, her attire consisted of an untucked-in white buttoned-up shirt, black formal trousers and black heels to go with her business-like appearance. But the professional look had a mix of a merchant as her dark black, dishevelled hair was a mess, strands falling in front of her face and bits of hair sticking out at the top and back of her head. Her second button on her shirt is undone to reveal the top of her C-Cup-sized chest and a part of her jet-black bra. Her jewellery was made seemingly out of gold and was neatly polished. She wore golden hoop earrings along with a golden, pricey necklace. A treasured bracelet and two rings on her index and middle finger that were only shown on her right hand, showing her riches shamelessly as she flicked the strands from her face.

She was powerful, Joel knew that for sure. The way she carried herself, and the self-assertive presence she gives off is confidence and demands absolute dominance. It’s strange to see a human so composed in an Equestrian territory, not once has Joel seen her falter as a student bypassed, giving her a look of disgust, but her unwavering, cold stare masked by her dull expression judged them away, as if she was the higher being. In a way, Joel admired her challenging stare but, doing that around him would only bring him trouble so he would like to hurry as soon as possible.

*RING! RING! RING!*

Oh fuck off…

That’s when students came pouring out of the classrooms the instant the school bell went off, making Joel sigh with dread. There weren’t as many students as there should be thanks to today's holiday but, still a concerning amount due to the fact of who he was with. Joel could only hope that there is no trouble in this little walk, he couldn’t afford it.

“Who’s that?” A unicorn asks one of his friends as he walks passed Joel.

“Don’t know… That human’s mom?”

“Hideous… The way she is dressed is so unladylike.” A dress designer student commented with distain.

“Another fucking human? What is that scum doing here?” Thunderlane muttered to Noteworthy as they glared from the lockers.

“Dude, what’s wrong with her eyes? It looks so weird.” Noteworthy replied.

“Fuck off, humans! No one wants you here!” A girl barked, her friends shouting similar phrases.

“Yeah! Your kind isn’t welcome here!”

The comments just kept coming out of each Equestian’s venomous lips, each form of insult putting Joel on edge as Joel had no idea how Alma would react. For now, Alma kept walking without a response with her emotionless mask still on but, Joel wondered how long it would take for the Equestrians to get a reaction out of her. For now however, she looked to be in control as she looked straight ahead, taking a calm pull of her held cigarette with elegance.

“Tell me, Joel. This—institution… Do they allow students to treat humans in such a manner?”

Joel raised a brow, looking over at Alma. “Well, not to point out the obvious but, you are human, aren’t you? You're not gonna find respect here.” Joel responded, looking straight ahead of him. Alma only hummed at that response, exhaling the particles from her maw. Joel wondered what was going through her mind right now. Why would she ask him such a vague and idiotic question like that? Does she not see what’s happening around her? Or is she not used to hearing foul language towards her? Does that mean she’s respected where she is from, or feared? Maybe both. If so, why had he never seen or heard of her before? Too many questions surround this human woman like a tornado and Joel wasn’t sure if he liked that part of her.

Let’s just hope nothing happens.

“Human~” A student said, stretching the word out sweetly.

Me and my big mouth…

Joel and Alma turned to the voice and Joel could only sag. He knew there would be a point where he would come face to face with Soarin and then the rest of the lads except Dosh and Flash but, did it really have to be now?

“Lookie, lookie what we have here? What’s a bitch of a human doing here? You’d think one was enough but two? That’s where I draw the line.” Soarin said, the corridors suddenly getting quiet.

Please don’t kill him, please don’t kill him, please don’t kill him, as much as he is an ass… just don’t kill him.

“How insufferable; this is not what I needed to see first thing when I walked in.” said the high and mighty, snooty Hoity Toity.

I beg, shut up.

“Hey! Aren’t you too old to be in school or are you that fucking thick!” Feather Bangs murmured, that fuck off grin on his face.

Okay… You can kill him, but just not here.

Alma stayed silent as her eyes scanned, unaffected by the blatant insults. Did she even hear them? Or did she not care? It bugged Joel that he couldn’t see what she was thinking, he couldn’t tell if that emotionless face was a mask or her actual face. He’d hate to play poker against her.

Before things escalated, Joel had to jump in. “Look guys, we don’t want any trouble. Let’s just—”

“Damn man, you got roughed up. Have you already got into a fight? You look like shit!” Soarin laughed, stepping forward with all his brass, grabbing Joel’s fringe with one hand and lifting to see a deep wound on the border of his hairline. Joel didn’t struggle, he resisted the urge to fight. “Jezz, they got you gooood~.” Soarin said with a massive grin, digging his thumb into the wound, making more blood trickle down.

“Just for today, Soarin… Just walk away.” Joel growled, his glare aimed somewhere else but at his eyes, his voice calm and steady. Joel knew Soarin enough to know that he gets off on being feared or respected, it makes him feel powerful and in control and sometimes—he’s lenient which Joel hopes he is today. That leniency however flew out the window as a shit-eating grin formed on his face. He looked over Joel’s shoulder, staring at the female human in black, Alma staring back expectingly, not moving to help. That was good. However, her eyes were nailed to his. Soarin didn’t like that one bit. No human stared into his eyes like that.

“What the hell is going on?” Said a scratchy voice, the voice belonging to Rainbow Dash. She made her way through the crowd, making a path for her other five friends to follow. When hen they saw and heard the commotion, they just had to know what was going on. When they arrived at the front, Rainbow should have known what was going on.

“Well, here comes round 196.” Pinkie sighed; her arms crossed under her breasts with a small frown.

“That’s such a specific number, Pinkie. The human has only been here for 3 and a half months, no way he’s gotten into that many fights with the Wondercolts.” Twilight murmured over the cheers, her hands on her hips.

“Trust me, Twi, I’ve kept count.” Pinkie said, tapping the side of her head with a finger. Twilight’s eyes widened for a second. If Pinkie is right and Twilight’s math is correct, the male human has been in school for approximately 113 days minus the weekends which would be 78 days. That would be 2.51 beatings per day, not to mention those fights being a 1 v 7 one-sided fistfight. What drives him to stay? How can he keep taking this punishment? Why hasn’t he snapped yet at all? He’s human, isn’t he? Isn’t it human nature to fight back?

“Wait… Who is that?” Applejack pointed out, her scrutinising gaze falling on Alma.

“I have no idea, darling. I must say though, her attire is shabby and her eyes… I don’t like the looks of her.” Rarity said, stroking her arm softly as she suddenly felt uneasy by the woman’s unique eyes. For a moment, the human woman’s eyes snapped over to the girls, nothing more than a glance of attention, but that little glance sent a shiver through her body. That second of staring into the abyss made her realise how small she actually was. Her body screamed at her to run away or at least keep her distance. Either way, her instincts told her to make herself as scarce as possible.

From another angle of the crowd that is growing, a worried Fluttershy squeezed through the gaps in bodies, finding her way to the front with a few ‘excuse me’s’ and ‘sorry’s’ on her way passed. Seeing her worries coming true, she could only tighten the schoolbooks she was carrying around and look on with worry. She saw the blood, his worried eyes, his hurt expression, it tore apart as she just stood there… Doing nothing. She was never a girl of action nor violence; she would always shy away from them kind of attention but… As she stood there, watching as no one stood up for Joel, she could feel her fist tense and grit her teeth. Joel is an outcast in this equestrian school, and she gets why no one trusts him but, don’t they have compassion? Any integrity forward this bullying? Can’t they see they are becoming the very thing they accuse humans of being? It’s not right!

So, what do I do…? What should I do…? What can I do…?

While Fluttershy was struggling with her inner thoughts, she just about saw Joel getting punched to the floor right in front of Caramel and Cheese Sandwich. The boys only grinned Down at the dazed human, their wicked minds planning out their daily beating. Fluttershy could only watch as Feather Bangs grabbed him by the collar and dragged him away down the hallway. Fluttershy wanted to rush over immediately, to stop the hell that was about to befall Joel and attend to his wounds but, they would see, they would realise what was going on between her and Joel and the news would spread like wildfire… Was she ready for that to happen? To let the whole school know? In that moment, Fluttershy didn’t know if she could.

On that stand where it was just Joel and her, she felt comfortable, happy, stable in those flying minutes. Most of all, she felt ready to be there for Joel. Where is that confidence now? Where was that inner promise? Where was that determination? Was that just a pathetic attempt at a promise or, just a lie? She couldn’t blame her shyness on this, that would be a lazy excuse. No… This morning Fluttershy held a sleeping Joel against her chest, vowing to keep him safe from the outside’s perspective of humans. A few minutes later, they confirmed that friendship with a kiss, a confusing, awkward kiss but a kiss that they both understood. She won’t walk away from that, even if that means ruining her image. So, with her mind made up and her heart ablaze, she stepped forward.

Joel was punched to into the boys in a daze as Soarin had his eyes set on Alma, his stride showing his confidence, but his anger grows with each step forward as she just stood there. Not flinching, unmoved by his aggressive approach, her stance being relaxed and uncaring. It aggravated him, so aggravated that his eyes were like daggers, and his facial sagged into a scowl of hatred. It looked like Soarin would have to introduce himself in a way humans would understand.

Soarin and Alma stood face to face, eye to eye, tension high as everything went quiet, anticipating the showdown to come. That’s when Soarin broke the silence. “What are you looking at, bitch.” Soarin uttered coldly, his wings slowly uncurling, his fist clenching.

“I’m looking at the self-centred child in this institution of undisciplined students and clearly uncultured to speak to an elder with disrespect... I suggest you step back a reasonable distance and speak to me as an equal.” Alma announced loud enough for the bystanders to hear, holding her ground as she took a puff from her smoking stick. Soarin ignored her suggestion, his eye twitching as he couldn’t believe the audacity of this human.

“Pardon me… Are you telling me what to do, human?” Soarin said daringly, getting closer to her face to intimidate her but Soarin is far from making that a reality. Alma’s frown deepened, unimpressed by the arrogance.

“I’m suggesting you should be more polite and have more consideration to who you're speaking too.” Alma replied, her sharp remark spoken to be responded by obedience and swiftness. The crowd was surprised and appalled by the quick-equipped comment. They had never seen someone speak to Soarin like a child with no manners, for so long he and his friends had been untouchable, recognised as the popular boys in this school, no one would talk back to Soarin, no one… so to see Soarin being told off – by a human no less – was completely alien to them. Soarin on the other hand was shaking violently, his face heated in turmoil and humiliation, slowly but eventually seeing red.

“You… You fucking BITCH!!!”

“NO! STOP!!!”

Soarin lashed out, his furnace being chard, the coal of her words creating a whirlwind of fury within as Soarin’s wings shot out. It happened in an instant, his fist reeled back and with swift speed that a pegasus could perform and with all the strength in his arm, his back and his legs to execute the strike, he served a hook to the side of the woman’s head. That would have been the case if the punch had landed. Everyone flinched and was taken back in that sudden second, most in awe.

It’s not that Alma moved, she didn’t give any indication to move, she stood firmly still at the risk of being hit. It was the fact that a purple hand gripped him by Soarin’s forearm out of nowhere, Soarin’s fist connecting with the palm of a white pure hand and Soarin’s body being engulfed in a dark blue aura of magic, stopping him in his place. It took the grip of anxious looking Spike, the furious palm of Principal Celestia and the telekinetic hold of Dosh, even Professor Discord was in the background, his thumb and index fingertips pressed together in preparation to snap his fingers, a drop of sweat dripping down his face. All that just to stop an assault on one human, a human that glared down at him with her burning orange eyes. Whether Soarin knew it or not, he was inches away from making the biggest mistake of his life.

"Proper education is in order for your pupils, Celestia. The manner in which they conduct themselves isn't fit enough for society.” Commented the orange-eyed human, while still looking into the eyes of the now incapacitated Soarin, her face still, but her look was a blazing inferno.

“Agreed.” Celestia said from over Alma’s shoulder, a disappointed tone to her voice as the intense magical power radiated around her body, the intense pressure making all the students' knees wobble and steal all their breaths. Slowly but surely, the crowd dispersed from the alicorn’s sight, just leaving Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie being the last of the bystanders, Soarin being under the scrutinising gaze of Alma and Celestia. “Let’s discuss your punishment in-depth this instant.” Celestia barked, pulling Soarin out of the grip of Spike and hold of the sweating Dosh, leading Soarin to her office. But before Celestia took her next step, she looked over her shoulder, meeting the eyes of Alma, a look that indicated that this wasn’t over — not in the slightest.

Dosh however was a mess of sweat, his eyes wide and heart hammering in his chest as he slowly backed away from the woman, the human that he is fully aware of. His father’s words played around on repeat, his serious tone showing that what he was about to utter next was no joke.

Son… listen to my words and listen well. We are powerful and it will be a matter of time to reveal our identities to Equestria. But… That can change just as quickly if we mess with the wrong people too soon… Their time will come but, do not come into contact with The Bulldogs, Frank or… Her — Alma.

“Dosh… Are you okay?” Twilight asked.

What was she doing here? Why now? Alone? She’s never alone.

“Whats the matter? You're sweating.” Twilight asked again, concerned as she stepped forward.

So, who was this human with, and where were they now? Wait… human? No… Don’t tell me…

Suddenly, Dosh turned and sprinted down the hallway, baffling Twilight. His mind drowning in fear and nausea, and he felt sick to his stomach at this encounter. Dosh had only heard stories about this woman, stories that Dosh believed with certainty, stories that his father told him. One look was all it took, one look at her eyes was enough to identify who this woman was, and eye contact was all it took to confirm the stories about her. They were dauntingly hollow, vacant of any emotion or feeling, demonic eyes that shared no sympathy with those they stared at, only sending fear and despair into the unfortunate souls. How dead could someone’s eyes really be?

Now it was just Alma, Spike and a stunned pair of girls in an empty hallway, in an awkward silence. Alma did admire Spike for a second, taking in the rare, young, anxious drake with her eyes. That didn’t last long however as she silently walked away, leaving Spike and the girls watching in wonder.

“Well… That could have gotten worse.” A Jovially voice sighed out of relief, fixing his tie and wiping the sweat from his brow. They all turned to see Discord, a jagged grin on his face. “It's never a boring day with good old Alma around.”

“Discord… Who was that?” Rarity asked, everyone looking up at Discord in anticipation. That’s what everyone wanted to know, the mysterious woman at the forefront of their minds.

“Who that is? I… I have no idea what you're talking about.” Discord said, turning around and started walking before they could ask any more questions than that.

“Discord… You said her name! You not fooling anyone!” Rainbow Dash said with a brow raised.

“Remember kids. Ignorance is bliss!” Discord announced before snapping his fingers and vanishing with a flash of light, leaving the girls and Spike befuddled. Now, there were two parties remaining, making things extremely awkward. Spike just stood there, his head down and facing away, his hands in his pocket, looking afraid to look up or to lock eyes with any of them. He seemed more jittery today, more—frantic for some reason. Twilight felt like saying something to Spike but, she looked away with discouraging emotions running in her mind. Rarity looked uncomfortable, the eyes of Alma deeply disturbing her. Pinkie Pie was—gone, Applejack seemed to be neutral, and Rainbow Dash had her arms crossed, staring at Spike with suspicion.

“So Howdy, Spike… Ya gotta clue what just happened here? Got a little out of hand, didn’t it.” Applejack broke the silence, making Rainbow Dash snap her head over to AJ.

“AJ! Did you already forget? He’s a—”

“No, it’s okay, Dash. Go on, Spike.” Twilight moved her arm in the way of Rainbow, nodding towards Spike. Rainbow growled, crossing her arms and looking away with a pout.

“I’m just as baffled as you are, I just arrived just in time to stop Soarin and that’s it.” Spike said, rubbing the back of his head, a small frown on his face as he watched the end of the black blazer turn the corner.

Who was she?

The air was knocked out of Joel’s stomach as his back was slammed into the slated wall, breaking a few tiles. Joel’s eyes were wide and mouth agape, slobber drooling down on the bathroom floor while he held his belly, still on his two feet and hunched over. Gotta hate them gut punches, especially from an earthling’s power.

“Whew! That felt good.” Caramel chuckled, shaking off his wrist from the punch, grinning a sly smile.

“Y’know, I’m starting to think you get off on this kind of stuff. You don’t complain to the teachers or fight back… it's kinda funny.” Feather Bangs walked forward, taking pleasure in Joel’s slowly infecting black eye and blood. He relished in his pain. Feather gave him a hook, then another on the other side of his cheek, flecking blood on the floor and wall as Joel crumpled to the floor in a daze, still gasping for air.

“Yeah, I think you’re onto something there, Feather. No matter how many times we knock him down, he keeps getting back up, not only that, but he also keeps coming to school. He’s practically asking for more and more and more.” Cheese Sandwich chimed in, running up and volleying Joel in the side of his abdomen, making Joel grit his teeth.

“Pathetic. What’s the point of coming to school? What are you going to achieve out in the real world? Nothing! The answer is absolutely nothing! You’re a human, the scum of the earth, and you will get nowhere even if you miraculously got high marked education.” Hoity Toity spat, standing well away from the violence to not get himself dirtied by the blood and grime.

Fluttershy could hear everything from behind the boy’s restroom as she just stood in front of the door, her head low and still. She could hear flesh meet bone, a body being shoved and knocked down, the heavy panting of Joel. She could hear the humiliating things they said, cursing him, mocking him for who he was. She hated it. What does she do? Does she just walk in? Tell them to stop? Threaten them to report them to Principle Celestia? What then? Fluttershy knew she should have thought this out more, but she was here for a reason, and she wasn’t about to back out now that she is here.

When Fluttershy opened the door slightly, the prominent noise of laughter and grunting got louder, making Fluttershy’s neck hairs stand on end. Fluttershy went to take one step into the bathroom but, the wicked tone of Feather Bangs stopped her in her tracks. It brought her back to that night when she was at her lowest, where she felt betrayed and lost in the torment of fear. Fluttershy took in a deep breath, she couldn’t go back to that place, not now. So, she kept her composure and entered through the doorway.

However, nothing could have prepared her for the horrid sight of the crimson blood smothered around the bathroom floor, dripping down the squared tiled wall, on the scarred skin of Joel.

It happened again… Not again…

Joel tried to get back up but, he wasn’t given the time to get on his knee before Feather Bangs pulled Joel up by his collar, coming face-to-face with the sand-skinned boy with that gob-shite smile of his. Feather Bangs shoved Joel roughly, making Joel stumble but stay on his feet. In a daze, Joel was slow to react to the full-strength, flying punch of Caramel, shattering Joel’s nose as his whole body rotated backwards from the full-blown strike, making Joel smack the back of his head off the bathroom floor, blood coming out of both of his nostrils as he lay on his back. Joel didn’t move, his eyes glossed over as he was in a semi-conscious state. He couldn’t think of a coherent thought, he didn’t even know if he was still awake or dreaming as everything was numb to him. He could barely breathe at all. All the body blows he had received had him wheezing for air and now, breathing out of his nose was out of the question — it concerned Joel with the amount he was taking in, it wasn’t enough to live on. Tired… It was tempting to just lay here and forget today ever happened… Yeah, that sounded nice… Besides, he was already on the floor, he could die for all he cared.

“Damn, you got him good there. He’s completely out cold.” Grinned Cheese Sandwich, crouching down and tapping Joel’s cheek to get some sort of response.

“I'm not surprised, my knuckles had popped from that punch.” Caramel said, inspecting his slightly bleeding knuckles.

“Uhh, Fluttershy dear… How long have you been standing there? You do know this is the boy’s restroom, right?” Hoity Toity murmured suddenly, making the other three boys look over to Fluttershy who stood by a wide-open exit, her expression twisted in atrocity. She was shaking, her hand covering her mouth as she froze on the spot. She couldn’t believe what she just saw. She heard the crunch of bone, the sight of the splat of blood bursting out of his nose, the harsh landing… It was awful to watch.

“Fluttershy… What are you doing here?” Feather asked sceptically, taking a step forward.

“Stop it.” Fluttershy said inaudibly, her eyes glued to the slumped form of Joel, showing no life in his body.

“Fluttershy!” Feather Bangs said sharply, making Fluttershy’s eyes snap to him. He had that look in his eye again. “Speak up!”

“I said stop it.” Fluttershy spoke up, her mind speaking before she could comprehend what she just said. The bathroom went silent, everyone staring at Fluttershy with bewilderment. Feather Bangs was the first to respond after grinning as if it was some big joke, picking up the pieces as he looked between the human he just beat to the ground and his ex.

“Wait… Don’t tell me… Are you and this human—”

“Stop hurting Joel!” Fluttershy shouted suddenly, her voice cracking as tear droplets hung at the corner of her eyes, threatening to fall at any given moment. They say getting things off their chest would do a world of good but, her shaking got worse, terrified beyond belief at the situation she just put herself in. It wasn’t a secret now; they knew where she stood and what side she was on. There is no going back from this, Fluttershy will lose every inch of respect she had as an Equestrian. From now on, she wasn’t Fluttershy the Element Bearer, she was now Fluttershy the Human Lover.

Yet again, the drowning silence filled the bathroom, all eyes wide at the unexpected demand. None of them expected this of the timid and easygoing pegasus, they didn’t think she had it in her. But Feather's initial wide-eye shock slowly turned to his lip quivering as he was livid. Not only did she tell him to do something after what happened two days ago but, he is trying to defend this boy, the boy that he now knew as Joel.

Feather Bangs stepped forward to come face to face with an unnerved Fluttershy. “You better choose your next wordswisely, Fluttershy. You’re a hair away from making the biggest mistake of your life.” Feather said through his teeth harshly, lowering his tone so Fluttershy could only hear.

“I—I said what I meant, Feather.” Fluttershy said shakily, her heart pounding as she looked up at him. “Y-you and your friends can’t keep getting away with this, I can’t keep watching a poor boy being beaten for just being a human. It’s not right.”

“Fluttershy… I don’t think you know what you are doing—”

“No, Feather.” Fluttershy interrupted. “I know what I’m doing, and I know what will happen. But I don’t care, Joel is my friend, and I can’t keep watching while he keeps getting beaten. I can’t just stand and watch anymore. I just—can’t.” Fluttershy said in a pleading voice, trying to make Feather Bangs sympathise, but that couldn’t be further from his emotions. Fluttershy could see the anger swell up, his disbelieving glare had a look of betrayal. Spike was one thing, But Fluttershy? He trusted her with his legacy, his legacy that he had built from the ground up is about to be ruined by this… this… this Human Lover. No, he won’t let her drag him down to the lowest level of society.

“You bitch… I don’t know what shit you are trying to pull but, since you are so keen to fuck up your life over this human, I won’t stop you.” Feather said in a threatening tone, making Fluttershy back up into a wall as he didn’t give Fluttershy space. When she didn’t have nowhere to go, Feather took his hand and moved Fluttershy’s pink hair from the left side of her face, seeing what he did to her face. “But I won’t stop what will happen to you. But let me tell you what will happen when the word spreads. No one will lift a finger to help you, no one will care about you, and you will be nothing more than trash in this school. When shit hits the fan, you’ll be in a world of pain. That human hasn’t resisted a beating once, but you, you wouldn’t last a day. You’ll beg us to stop, but we won’t, we’ll just keep going despite what you say and when you just think it’s over, it’ll start all over again later on that day, and let me tell you something, they won’t take it easy on you. If anything, they will do far worse than what I would’ve done last night.” Feather said firmly, watching as tears after tears rolled down her cheeks with every haunting realisation, her tormented eyes looking up in dread. But Feather wasn’t finished.

“Not to mention what will happen outside of school, there are people out there keeping track of Human Lovers in Canterlot. Everyone will know who you are with a single press of a button and your name will be all over the dark web, your home address, personal information, family relatives and background will be known for all to see.”

“Stop…”

“Once that is done, you’ll never have a comfortable life, your image will be ruined, you won’t be trusted enough to work at any workplace in any faction of Canterlot, Manehattan or Fillydelphia, you’ll be in a financial wreck. How are you going to feed your precious animals? Even your little sister? What will she think of you after this? What are you gonna do for money? Steal? Scam? Sell your body?”

“Stop talking...”

“Whatever it is, I just know you'll despise it, it’ll force you to regret your decision and it’ll make you hate who you are. It’s a dark world out there, Fluttershy, and now it's just got a whole lot darker for you.”

“JUST SHUT UP!” Fluttershy snapped, fear driving her body to freeze up, hearing her thumping heart in her ear as it was going berserk. While Feather Bangs wore a frown on his face, his expression was one of hatred. Fluttershy had never seen such a hateful expression on his face before. Then… the gravity of her situation kicked like an anxious driven drug, envisioning every prediction that Feather Bangs uttered.

He really hates me… and soon… everyone else will…

Before Feather could say anything more, running could be heard getting louder behind the toilet door until eventually the doors slammed open to see a drenched Dosh looking frantically around. “WHERE’S THAT HUMAN!” Dosh barked, looking into the eyes of all his friends, a fierce look in his eyes. Cheese Sandwich stepped to the side, revealing the slump form of Joel. Dosh immediately turned to Caramel with a pleading look, grabbing Caramel by the collar with his two hands.

“Caramel… I need you to listen to me very closely, okay?” Caramel nodded, taken back by this sudden seriousness. “Was that boy with someone in that hallway?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Who!” Dosh said quickly, his grip getting tighter.

“That human woman with them weird eyes. Why? What’s going on? Why do ya look so—scared, Dosh?”

Dosh couldn’t respond, couldn’t even breathe as he just stared passed Caramel’s eyes and into his soul. Dosh went pale, his blood freezing in clarity as he loosened his grip on Caramel’s collar. Dosh had a jinxed look on his face, letting go of Caramel as he just looked around, muttering to himself frettingly. Then his eyes landed on Fluttershy.

“What the hell is she doing here!?” Dosh roared at Feather, his fury slowly pouring out. Feather had his hands in his pocket, a small frown on his face.

“She’s with the human. Apparently, they are friends. She sold her soul to the devil.” Feather murmured, looking down at Fluttershy as she shied away.

“What!? You can’t be serious!” Dosh growled, looking away with a snarl, his hands on the back of his head. “QUELLA MALEDETTA STRONZA DEMONIACA!” He swore in a burst of anger, his fist clenched tightly.

“Dosh, ya gotta calm down. What’s the big deal anyway? What does it matter that he was with that woman?” Caramel spoke up, walking up behind Dosh with concern. But that concern was Dosh’s trigger.

“What does it matter…? You fuckin’” In a quick swing of aggression, Dosh planted a solid punch into the unexpected face of Caramel, sending the Earthling back sprawling into one of the stalls, falling back onto the toilet seat. Dosh didn’t stop there however.

“She. Is. One. Of. The. Most. Powerful. Women. On THE! FUCKING! PLANET! YOU! FUCKING! IDIOT!” Dosh roared, saying each word after each stomp. Again, and again and again Dosh stomped his foot in Caramel’s face over and over and over again, cursing wildly, making the boys widen their eyes in shock and for Fluttershy to close her eyes and hold her hands over her ears, shaking violently. That continued for several seconds, Caramel would grunt in pain with each punch or kick he took, confused but mostly afraid for his life as his sense of direction was dwindling. Caramel didn’t know when Dosh stopped but, all he knew he was in a world of pain and confusion as he sat back on the toilet seat.

Dosh breathed heavily, stumbling back as he just looked at his dirty work. After wiping the blood from his face, he looked around at everyone with a much calmer look but, still full of anxiety. “You all don’t know this woman like I do, she is far more dangerous than any regular human. She has powerful connections, a multi-billion valued business, and even a private army.” Dosh said, smoothing out the suit that he wore.

“Okay… So what’s that got to do with that fucker?” Feather said with caution, looking between Dosh and the bloodied Caramel nervously.

“Don’t you get it? If that boy was with her, that must mean they were connected in some way. Relatives? Friends? She could be his babysitter for all I know, it doesn’t matter now, because from now on, we don’t go anywhere near him.”

“What! Don’t go near him?” Cheese Sandwich said sceptically.

“That’s right. You don’t go anywhere near him, don’t look at him funny, don’t look at him period, don’t talk to him, don’t talk about him, I don’t even want you to breathe the same air as him.” Then Dosh Snapped his head over to Feather Bangs with a finger pointed at him. “And finally… No fighting… No fucking fighting, no fighting… NO! FUCKING! FIGHTING!” Dosh mandated loud and clearly, his every syllable that he spoke being enhanced by his dangerous tone.

“Okay, we get it… But… What about Spike? Hell, what about Fluttershy? They are both with the human too.” Feather Bangs said, making Fluttershy open her eyes at her name being mentioned. She looked up to meet the cold eyes of Dosh who gritted his teeth at her.

“Yes… Even them.” Dosh let out, seething as he looked down at Fluttershy. But Fluttershy could see much more than just boiling anger, it was mixed with apprehension, clouded by a mist of regret. It was easy for Fluttershy to see all of their emotions fight for dominance but, if it was anyone else under the scrutinising gaze, they would only see the stone-cold face of scorn. It was odd for Fluttershy to see, she had never seen the proud Dosh so conflicted before.

“Shit! What does that mean for Soarin then? He was sizing her up a minute ago. If she is as dangerous as you say she is, what the hell is she gonna do to him?” Cheese Sandwich pointed out, feeling a sense of worry for his friend.

Dosh’s features softened for a moment, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh from the question. “I don’t know…” Dosh let out, defeat in his tone. “But let me tell you this, I’m warning you all now, whatever happens to Soarin, we do not get involved.”

“Wait… what are you trying to say? Is… is she going to kill him?” Feather piped up, his laxed state turning to seriousness and concern. That raised some alarm bells for the rest of the boys, looking between the
anxiously, trying to find the solution in each other's eyes.

“All I’m saying is that we stay silent and expect the worst tomorrow…” Dosh murmured, his head down as he silently walked towards the exit.

“So, is that it…? There’s nothing we can do?” Cheese Sandwich said weakly, his words sounding desperate and vulnerable, a contradiction to his bubbly personality. Dosh stopped at the door frame, thinking of something to say but, his mind was blank. He could still feel the watchful eyes of Alma looking down on him. So, instead, he walked out of the bathroom gravely, leaving the boys alone with Fluttershy, a lingering tension in the air. That tension was broken by the groans of Caramel, leaning up from his seat.

“You okay, Caramel?” Hoity said almost as an afterthought, his mind reeling.

“Never better.” Caramel muttered, hunched over as he let the blood drip on the floor, his mind still woozy. “What the hell happened?”

“We’ll fill you in when we get to the infirmary; come on, let’s get you up.” Cheese Sandwich huffed, helping him up by the waist, making Caramel wrap his arm around Cheese’s shoulder. They left without hesitation. Hoity left seconds later, taking his time to brush himself off and make himself presentable to the public before leaving. Then it was just Feather Bangs and Fluttershy, alone in a blood-smothered murder case. Fluttershy wasn’t willing to speak up to break this miserable silence, averting her eyes from the blood that seemingly seemed endless. As for Feather, he couldn’t stand this awkwardness, he just walked out without a second thought.

Now it was just Fluttershy, isolated with all this dark, grimy fluid and the body of Joel that might as well be just a corpse in the eyes of the pegasus. Fluttershy could feel something rise deep within her gut, all her traumas of her past coming to haunt her fragile mind once again. It played on repeat, a mere spectator to the gore around her, a listener to all the screams, cursing in abhor agony. It was too much; Fluttershy got on her hands and knees as she projectile vomited all over the floor, her breakfast going to waste. Another wave of spew left her stomach, her eyes watery and her nose runny as a bitter taste on the tip of her tongue, so vile she had to spit it out. She panted heavily, her vision going blurry from the overlapping tears as she became dizzy, a headache pulsing and gradually getting worse. She gagged at the smell of her own sick, making her stomach churn. She needed to calm down, she needed to focus on what really mattered the most — Joel.

Wiping her tears from her eyes, Fluttershy looked up to see that Joel hadn’t moved, not one bit after all that had just happened. It concerned her greatly but, a wave of relief hit her to see that his chest was rising up and down softly. It only looked like he was just sleeping soundly if it wasn’t for the crimson gory around him. Suddenly, the sound of the squeaking bathroom door opening once again caught Fluttershy’s attention for a split second, hearing heavy footsteps mixed with a well-needed oiled wheel being pulled.

“Bleedin’ hell…” An unfamiliar man’s voice announced, stopping in his tracks behind Fluttershy. “Ye’d think someone was murdert in here, eh?“ A strong Scottish-accented man said, making Fluttershy look up and see an old human in janitor clothing, a warm smile on his face as he looked down at her.

Fluttershy wasn’t calm however, she was terrified.

After scolding Soarin and finding a suitable punishment for his outrageous actions, Celestia could only wait for what was going to happen next. Principal Celestia was sitting at her desk, the only source of light being the natural ray of her sun shining through her window from behind her. Her expression was expecting, awaiting a knock at any moment now as her fingers were interlocked with each other on the desk in front of her. It was silent; usually she would hear voices or footsteps from outside her door, but she couldn’t hear a peep. It concerned how quiet things had gotten and yet, she knew that the stillness in the air was Alma’s doing.

When you know someone such as her, you anticipate her when you know she is around. She makes you block off all other senses, all but your hearing, and even then you can’t hear anything until you hear her approaching. One second you could be lost in the deafness, and the next you hear her heel connect with the solid floor. It’s a trick that only Alma could pull off.

Truthfully, Celestia could live the rest of her life without a visit from that woman, to forget someone such as Alma would make Celestia 10 times lighter, for that to happen, it would feel like freedom at last but… Alma isn’t someone you just forget. When she is around, she is all you can think of and not in a good way. It aggravated her. She should be out there marking the latest tests or signing documents, or even checking up on Joel this morning, but no… Here she is, sitting at her desk obediently, waiting for that signal that she was close. And closer… Wait… That sounded too close.

“Calm yourself, Celestia… Worrying about my arrival shouldn’t be on your agenda.” Said a sudden voice in front of Celestia, making Celestia look up to meet the eyes of Alma, her features becoming more visible when she stepped into the light. Celestia’s momentary shock was replaced with a look of indifference, gathering all her emotions into a controlled mask.

“Alma… I didn’t hear you come in. Please, take a seat.” Celestia said politely, gesturing to the polished wooden chair in front of her. Alma took a seat gracefully, crossing her leg over the other. “So, what brings you here today?”

“You know why I am here today.” Alma said plainly, unamused by her apparent ignorance. “So do you want me to point out the elephant in the room or should I? Because I could see the problem as soon as I stepped through the doors.”

“Alma… If it’s about the student that tried to attack you—”

“It's all your students, Celestia.” Alma said unblinkingly, her unwavering expression gazing at Celestia. Alma looked away for a moment, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a golden coin, taking a puff out of her stick. “Do you know the difference between me and you?” Alma said, watching as the coin rhythmically flip over each finger, moving her fingers expertly, almost as if the coin was apart of her.

“Power. Control. Influence… It feels like you have all of that and I…” Celestia couldn’t finish her sentence as she sighed, leaning back and staring into space. “Nothing seems to be working.”

“I sympathise, Celestia, I do.” Alma conveyed, the coin stopping between her middle finger and index, her orange eyes looking up. “With the odds stacked against you like this, it must be difficult to maintain your celestial duty with pressure on your shoulders.”

“You don’t understand, Alma… My students… They were already brainwashed before I could even get started, and with the Ministry of Education’s system in place, trying to teach human history before magic will be non-existent soon. They are trying to cover everything up, trying to distort the history. I am powerless against that.” Celestia said with measured frustration as she abruptly stood up from her seat and looked outside the window. “Not to mention I’m being monitored by the SIAs. Everywhere I go, I just—feel someone watching me… Not only is it annoying, it looks like I’ll have to call upon my sister for assistance on this matter.” Celestia ranted, shaking her head slowly as she snarled, looking out her window expecting to see someone that looked out of place.

“It’s pitiful the way you complain over the smallest things. It’s like you forget who you actually are and what you can do.” Alma said with a lamented tone, her eyes looking at the back of Celestia’s head with dismay. Celestia turned around with a frown and a challenging brow raise. “You are an alicorn; a celestial being with a power that can destroy everything in an inferno of wrath, and you tell me you are powerless… It’s pathetic.”

“I’m doing everything I can within the system of the law. My status as an alicorn does not mean I can do what I like.” Celestia whirled her body around, fully facing Alma as she felt exasperated.

“You're being blinded by the law; you have forgotten the values of your one and only duty.” Alma suddenly said, rising from her seat as she looked into the eyes of Celestia with a steady glare. Alma didn’t have to look deep to see what was going on. “You’ve become incompetent, Celestia. Did you really think you could just get away from your duties? Did you really think the mortal’s law was good enough for society? You ruled this country once, you were in the perfect position to do what had to be done.”

“Yes, I did rule for a time, and I did my best to preserve order at the best of my ability but-“

“Things didn’t go to plan, did they…” Alma finished for Celestia, making Celestia drop her head down with sigh. “You choked.”

“I did not choke!”

“Then what did you call that election for presidency?” Alma replied with a cold, serene tone of voice. If there was one thing that annoyed Celestia about her old friend, it would be the fact that her facial expression would never shift from that unreadable face, her volume would never raise above a stern tone. It aggravated Celestia how Alma can take control of a conversation. “You got bullied out of it and then you gave up.”

“Gave up… That election was rigged from the start! There was nothing I could do!”

“Even if it was, you had no ambition to prove the Equestria that you were fit to rule, you did nothing whatsoever to regain your status as ruler. Instead, you became a teacher… You took the easy way out… you're a disgrace.” Alma said bluntly. Celestia’s hand suddenly turned into a fist, a burst of emotional power spreading around the room with the aura of fury. The tension would be suffocating if it was anyone else, but for Alma, that magical storm in the office was nothing more than a gust of the wind. It actually felt pleasant against her pale skin. Alma didn’t pay any mind to Celestia’s power challenge, she saw it as a childish act of throwing a tantrum. Instead, she went back to playing with her coin until Celestia calmed herself, taking a seat back on her chair. Celestia always did get upset when her faults are mentioned negatively.

“You know, Alma. I was prepared to take responsibility as the President of Equestria. I was ready to start a campaign against the discrimination of humans. I had everything planned out to the finest margins to ensure my success and I had the energy and passion to go through with it… So don’t. You. Dare. Call me a disgrace.”

“You finished…?” Alma said in a drawled tone, waiting patiently for Celestia to calm herself. It was getting boring listening to her justifications for her failure. Celestia bit her tongue; she should have known that throwing a tantrum would only end up embarrassing herself. Celestia grits her teeth.

“Yes.”

“Good.” Alma stood up from her seat casually. “Since you now no longer rule the nation, you are now useless. What should I do, Celestia? What should I do…” The room went silent, the rhetorical question echoing around the office. That was the question Celestia had been wondering ever since she spotted her in the hallway and when she turned up in her office. Is this something she is going to fight her over? Or is this a warning? Either way, Celestia wasn’t looking forward to what was gonna happen next.

“I’ve been lenient for far too long and I’m becoming restless for any results. What will it take, Celestia? I’m coming to the point of taking severe actions against your laziness. Tell me, should I rip your wings off? Take your magic? Tear the essence of alicorn out of your body? No… That would be too kind. Maybe I should go for the things you care about. Should I punish your sister for something you did? Take your school away maybe. Or… What about the Element of Magic, hmm… What about her.”

“You leave Twilight out of this!” Celestia said in a threatening tone, her pure white wings rising. That’s when for the first time today, Alma had a malevolent grin on her face. She had her right where she wanted.

“That’s it… Twilight Sparkle~. Your faithful student. It would be a shame for Twilight to just… suddenly vanish, wouldn’t it.” Alma said with a smug look, leaning over the desk with her hands down on top of the oak wood. Celestia had so many things to say, most of it being vulgar. But she wouldn’t speak up to this human, she wouldn’t dare as her heart pounding in her chest. Celestia tried to hold her stoic look but, cracks were beginning to show. Sweat started to form, her lips dry as her mouth was left open in horrified shock, realisation striking Celestia like a bolt of lightning. Twilight Sparkle is in danger and it's all because of her.

“I’ll leave you to it then, Celestia. But, considering you can’t fulfil your duties as a ruler, I want to see improvement to your students' attitudes to the human race. Make them see that we aren’t all that different.” Alma said finally after the initial threat, breaking the silence with her monotone voice. Alma simply turned away from Celestia, intending to walk out the exit of the office until Celestia spoke up with an angered, shaky, low tone.

“Do you know what it’s like to have everything torn from you in front of your face? Are you haunted by the failures you created? Being belittled by the media and being taunted by the politics that once served you? I haven’t given up on my duty as a deity, and I never will. I understand what happened was a huge setback but, I am trying to make up for what I can’t do for Equestria for what I can do for the new generation of youth. I am not ignoring my duty; I’m just converting it in a different way where the same result will come at a later date.” Celestia said with gritted teeth, trying to get Alma to understand what she was trying to do. Alma stood still, her hand inches from the doorknob. It was impossible for Celestia to see what the woman was thinking.

That’s when Alma turned to meet Celestia’s eyes for the last time, her autumn eyes glowing vibrantly as the air around her body from the head to her toe started to bend to her will like a heated mirage, but Celestia knew better, she knew it was this strange human’s magical essence. Suddenly, Alma’s hand shot out with a vice grip, catching Celestia off guard as the scorching ripples in the air wrapped itself around her neck, making Celestia gag in surprise. The pressure around Celestia’s neck only tightened as she was being lifted up into the air, helpless as she tried to pry herself with her fingers. Then she felt herself rag-doll backwards and crash heavily into her glass cabinet, snatching the glass doors and in a daze as she fell on the floor in front of Alma. It didn’t stop there however as the cabinet fell down onto Celestia, trapping her lower half as she grunted from the impact. That’s when Celestia saw the heels of Alma, standing a few inches away. Celestia looked up at Alma with rage in her eyes, but Alma’s glare kept her still.

“Maybe I was wrong to say you had given up but, you are a fool to believe that educating a minority of the youth in Equestria will lead to the same result. You have a month to show me you are not completely incapable, don't disappoint me or your master again, Sunny Skies.” And with that, she left the room, leaving Celestia whose fist was clenched tightly.