PLEASE SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR MOST DISCLAIMERS

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES

-CHAPTER START-

Ponyville

Two Days Later

Six fillies walked through town together, going nowhere in particular. The plan to 'turn Diamond Tiara good again' was progressing slowly but steadily. Erika had gone out of her way to befriend Diamond, and then use her status as both the Twosome's friend and the Cutie Mark Crusaders' to (with Silver Spoon's subtle help and the Crusaders' cooperation) organize activities/excuses to get the two groups together with her fairly often. As a result, Diamond Tiara had slowly begun to ease up on her teasing of the Crusaders as she began to get to know them on a personal level (and because she didn't want to upset Erika).

Right now, the sextet wandered aimlessly through town, looking for something to do and making small talk.

"And so he says, 'Answer that and stay fashionable'."

Diamond Tiara couldn't help but giggle, as did Silver Spoon.

"I don't get it" Scootaloo said.

"Yeah, Rarity says that Twilight didn't get it the first time she told it to her, either" Sweetie Belle replied.

"So what now?" Apple Bloom asked.

"W-What have you girls not done yet trying to get your C-Cutie Marks?" Erika asked. "D-Did you try surfing?"

"Tried it" Scootaloo replied.

"Crocheting?" Silver Spoon asked.

"Tried it" Sweetie Belle replied.

"Tennis?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Tried it," Apple Bloom replied, "and we ain't allowed back at the tennis court without adult supervision."

"I still don't understand how it caught fire…" Sweetie Belle thought aloud.

Diamond Tiara stared at Sweetie Belle. "Tennis and… fire? …What?"

"You get used to it" Scootaloo deadpanned. "A lot of our attempts to earn our Marks end with something on fire, or with us covered in tree sap."

"And there was that one time with the burning tree sap" Sweetie Belle said. "Remember that one?"

"I wish I didn't" Apple Bloom replied.

"At least Old Man Jenkins thought it was funny…" Scootaloo sighed.

The girls were silent as they tried to think of something to do.

"I know!" Scootaloo popped up. "Let's share stories: What's the ickiest feeling you've ever experienced?"

"The time I tried to cook when I was six and ended up with gelatin in my ear" Diamond Tiara replied.

"The time I got tree sap caught in my wings" Scootaloo said, shuddering slightly.

"The time we got caught in a taffy machine" Apple Bloom said. "I had some stuck in a very unfortunate place…"

Erika shuffled nervously, her cheeks going pink. "T-The one time that I… m-messed my… y'know, and then l-lost my balance and fell over and landed on my butt…"

The other girls winced.

"Well, that beats my story with the flu…" Silver Spoon replied.

"And mine with the tartar sauce and the orange peels" Sweetie Belle added.

"…L-Let's get back to the town square" Erika suggested. "This r-road leads straight to it, right?"

"Pretty sure it does, yeah" Silver Spoon replied.

Diamond Tiara, however, had a look of panic as she remembered exactly what was on the route between here and town center, along this very road. "No!" she cried out, drawing stares. "I-I mean… It's s-such a nice day, so why don't we go a longer way; take the scenic route, y'know?"

"Uh…" Apple Bloom was a bit puzzled by Diamond's sudden odd behavior. "But I gotta get home in time for lunch, or my sister won't be too happy."

"Oh, I'm sure they'd understand if we just explained it to them" Diamond said with a forced grin, followed up with a forced laugh.

"Sis is actually expecting me for something" Sweetie Belle said.

"And I gotta go watch Rainbow Dash practice" Scootaloo added.

"And it's been a few hours s-since I… went…" Erika murmured "s-so I'm probably gonna need to f-find one of my sisters soon."

"And I've gotta help my dad with something" Silver Spoon said.

Diamond gulped. There was no way around it. She just hoped that she'd be able to lead them past the facility quickly, and that nothing would happen. Taking a deep breath, she started down the path, walking rather fast; the other five had to work a little to keep up with her.

"Hey DT, what's the rush all of a sudden?" Scootaloo asked.

"Uh… J-Just thought we could use a little exercise! And you girls have stuff you gotta get to quick, right?"

'She's hidin' somethin', all right' Apple Bloom thought. 'But what? What's got her spooked?'

'Oh no…' Silver Spoon thought. 'I just remembered. This road leads right past…'

They hurried along the path, passing a few ponies here & there. About a third of the way there, Diamond Tiara's blood ran cold as they approached the place she was trying to avoid: Ponyville Mental Asylum. The place had been founded decades ago, back when caring for the mentally unwell was… not as advanced as it was today, so it still bore the old-timey word "asylum" even though it was one of the most advanced and up-to-date-protocol mental health facilities in the country. But that didn't really matter to Diamond. She picked up the pace while trying hard not to look like she was doing so.

'Oh Celestia, please don't let any of the staff who know me see me' she silently prayed.

"Diamond Tiara? Is that you?"

She jumped as she heard her name. She and the others caught sight of one of the facility orderlies, currently on break. He was waving at her.

"I haven't seen you around in a while, little gal" he said. "Come to visit your mother?"

She flinched. "N-No, I was just… passing through."

"Oh. Well, she misses you. She asks about you now & then… when she's lucid, that is." He looked at a wall clock. "Whoops! Break's over! Well, it was good seeing ya, kid."

Behind her, the Crusaders and Erika had now put two and two and two together. Everyone was silent for several seconds.

"U-Uh…" Sweetie Belle started.

Diamond Tiara spun to face them, and they flinched back from the terrifying look on her face, tears brimming in her rage-filled eyes.

"Yeah, that's right!" she shouted angrily. "My mom's in the nuthouse! She's been there since I was five! Go ahead and say shit about it! Come on! I'm used to it!"

"W-We're not going to-" Sweetie Belle started

"Liar! Everyone who knows does! I'm the daughter of a madpony, and I'm never allowed to forget it! I only stopped being bullied because I became the bully, and now everyone's too afraid to pick on me for it! I've become stronger than they all are! P-Prettier and smarter and better!"

"Tiara…" Apple Bloom said, staying calm. "None of us would do that. We can understand what kinda pain you-"

"No you can't! You can't understand it! You don't even have parents, you stupid blank-flanked hick!-!"

The other girls gasped in shock, expecting Bloom to go off.

"Girls…" Apple Bloom said in a careful, quiet tone. "Please leave."

"A-Apple Bloom…" Silver Spoon started.

"I ain't gonna hurt her, Silver, if that's what you're worried about. Go, girls. I'll handle things here."

Reluctantly, Silver Spoon, Erika, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle kept going down the road, leaving the two Earth Ponies to themselves.

"…I'd always wondered what happened ta her" Apple Bloom said. "I remember, from when I was little. Golden Tiara… She an' Granny Smith were friends, an' she an' Big Mac got along like little brother & big sister. I don't remember her too well, but I do remember that she was popular, loved by damn near everyone. She cared for everypony, like Pinkie Pie does."

"That was before her mind snapped like a twig" Diamond Tiara bit out.

"An' you became the bully y'all are because ya wanted to protect yourself… and your ma's memory. Ya wanted to be able ta stand tall, be better than everypony else."

"Because I am better!" Diamond replied. "The blank-flanks, the bullies, the patronizers – none of them dare stand against me, because I've crushed them all!"

Apple Bloom took a deep breath. "Diamond Tiara, I'm gonna ask you a question. Just one. An' I want y'all to think real hard about it. Your mother was a kind an' gentle soul, who looked out for the little folks, who championed equality, who taught me when I was little to never be afraid to ask others for help, who loved to see kids smile, and who was overall as benevolent and understanding as Celestia herself. Tell me, Diamond. After all you've done… Breakin' foals' hearts, teasin' those you see as lesser than yerself, excludin' lonely folks, not helpin' anyone unless it benefits you… Would your mama be happy with what you've done and become?"

The question pierced through Diamond Tiara like an arrow. She briefly forgot how to breathe.

"If Golden Tiara found out what y'all have been doin' to other ponies… would she approve? Ask yerself that, Diamond. I ain't expectin' an answer right now; take what time ya need to figure it out. …I gotta catch up with the others. I'll see ya later."

With that, Apple Bloom turned and walked away, down the path to town. Diamond Tiara sat there, eyes still wide, unmoving. Her breathing slowly became quicker and shallower. She began hyperventilating as she clutched her head between her hooves, tears falling from her wide-as-can-be eyes. In her mind, she could see her mother's look of sad disapproval. She fell to the ground, curled up on herself.

'She's right… She's right… She's right! SHE'S RIGHT!-! I… I… M-Mama would never… M-Mama… I… I've… W… What… have I… WHAT AM I?-!'

-SCENE BREAK-

Ponyville General Hospital

Later That Day

Trixie let out a weary sigh as Twilight helped her into the bed of the room she'd be staying in for a few days. The purple unicorn had, upon being cleared by Canterlot Hospital's doctors, teleported the two of them here, so Trixie could complete her recovery in Ponyville, where it'd be easier for everyone to visit her. The new cybernetic eye presently occupying her right socket was functioning perfectly; she already sometimes forgot it was synthetic… though she usually got a reminder whenever anyone looked at it, seeing as it was unmistakably mechanical to anyone who got a good look at it, with the scar that ran down across the eye making it abundantly clear what had happened.

"How are you feeling, Trixie?" Twilight asked. "Physically, I mean?"

"A little better" Trixie replied. "They've been pumping nutrients into me, and as of this morning I have the strength to eat again. I still feel tired and weak, though. My wounds are still sore, my muscles are still recovering, sitting up too fast makes my head hurt… though strangely the toothache I had is gone."

"Yeah, uh… When they had you under to put your new eye in, they… might've treated a cavity or two. One of them was almost bad enough to need a root canal, but they got it before it could get that bad."

"Remind me to thank whoever it was if I see them again… especially for doing it when I was out cold. I hate the dentist…"

She sighed. "I just don't know what you're going to do about the townsfolk. I imagine there are a few who'd still be happy to have my head."

"I think…" Twilight said "the only way we'll make sure they all know how bad things got, how much you've changed, is if we tell them all everything. And if any of them still have a problem with you, we'll protect you."

"…Thank you, Twilight…"

-SCENE BREAK-

Rich/Tiara Residence

Two Days Later – 1:15 PM

A small hoof knocked on the door of the rather large and impressive-looking two-story house/mansion. An Earth Pony maid, with fur the same shade of purple as Twilight's and a mane & tail that could best be described as Diamond Tiara's with the colors reversed, answered the door. "Oh, hello Silver Spoon" she said with a smile. "And I see you've got some company."

"Hello, Starshine" Silver nodded in greeting. "We came to check on Diamond Tiara. Is she here?"

"Erm… Yes, but… Well, perhaps I'd better let her father explain. If you would all come in, I'll go fetch him."

The five girls followed Starshine in, being ushered into the main hall and told to wait as Starshine headed off in search of her employer. Less than a minute later, he emerged. Filthy Rich was a fairly tall stallion, with tan fur and black mane & tail, and a Mark of three bags of money.

"Silver Spoon? And little Apple Bloom? What brings you girls and your friends here?"

"Hello, Mr. Rich" Silver Spoon said. "We… came to check on Diamond Tiara."

"We haven't seen hide nor hair of her since the… incident two days ago" Apple Bloom said.

Filthy Rich sighed. "I don't know what happened to her, but it must've been bad. She's a wreck; she barely eats, I know she's not getting any sleep, she has this… haunted look in her eyes, she barely says anything, and I… found her favorite tiara in pieces yesterday."

The girls exchanged worried looks. "Gosh…" Apple Bloom said. "I knew she'd end up considerin' what I said, but…"

The stallion's eyes widened. "You know what might've caused my daughter to be like this?"

Bloom sighed. "It's a bit of a long story, sir."

He led them to a few chairs where they could all sit down. Then, the girls started their explanations, Starshine listening in. They told of Diamond's bullying habits (Filthy knew his little girl was a bit of a brat, but the extent of her bullying caught him by surprise), of the girl's out-of-nowhere display of kindness toward Erika (who, with some persuasion, shyly confessed her "problem"; thankfully, Filthy Rich and Starshine were very understanding), of Silver Spoon's plan to bring the hidden goodness of Diamond's heart out into the light, of the few things they did as a group… and of the happenings two days ago, with Apple Bloom explaining to everyone what she'd said to Diamond.

"When I asked her the question," the yellow filly said, "she jerked like she'd just been shot, an' she stopped breathin' for several seconds. So I knew that what I said had hit home. I told 'er to ask herself it, an' to take her time comin' up with an answer, and then I left. I… I didn't expect for her to react this badly, though…"

Filthy Rich sighed. "That explains a great deal" he said solemnly. "Diamond Tiara was made to face herself and her actions from an objective viewpoint, and she didn't like what she saw at all. …She must think she's betrayed Golden Tiara by acting how she's been acting, and the guilt from that is eating her alive."

"So what should we do?" Scootaloo asked. "Should we… try talking to her?"

"I don't see how that could cause any more damage than has already been done. Go right ahead; Starshine will lead you to Diamond's room."

The five fillies followed the head maid up some stairs and down a hallway. They soon reached a door bearing a gem-encrusted plaque of a heart with a tiara in the middle. Starshine gently opened the door, revealing a little bundle of pink curled up on the bed, turned away from the door. Starshine nodded, and the five girls quietly walked in, the door shutting behind them. They walked over, and Silver Spoon jumped up onto the bed.

"Leave me alone, Starshine…" Diamond Tiara muttered weakly.

"Not her this time, DT" Silver Spoon replied.

Diamond startled a bit at hearing someone she wasn't expecting. She rolled over to see Silver Spoon sitting next to her, and then spotted Erika & the Crusaders. Her eyes went wide, and as they all hopped up on the bed she stared at them, at a loss for words.

"Diamond…" Apple Bloom said softly. "We came to check up on ya. We've been worried."

She gasped, and tears built in her eyes. "…You… You were right…" she whimpered. "I… I never thought about what mama would want… what she would say… I've …h-hurt so many ponies… ponies who are j-just like how I used to be… I've gone against everything mama taught me, everything she stood for… I…" she choked up. She squeaked out "I'm sorry."

Silver Spoon reached out and pulled her into a hug just as the tears started falling. Apple Bloom and Erika soon joined in, and Scootaloo & Sweetie Belle's pity for the girl outweighed their old grievances with her, so they too joined.

"I… I don't know how to make things right…" Diamond whimpered. "I don't think I remember how to be good."

"Well, we can help ya with that" Sweetie Belle replied.

"B-But I've… After all I've…"

"A w-wise woman I've worked with once said something" Erika replied. "She said 'Your past doesn't define who you are; it just gives you the starting point for who you're going to be.' I w-won't deny the journey will be tough, but… won't it be worth it, when you think about it?"

"… Will… Will you girls help me along the path?" Diamond whimpered.

"Every step of the way" Apple Bloom replied.

They stayed like that for a while, and were still in their group hug when Starshine came in to check on them. As they slowly separated, Starshine felt happy as she saw that some of the weight was off Diamond's shoulders.

Suddenly, Erika squeaked and went red. "U-Um… I think I need to g-go find one of my sisters…"

Starshine smiled. "I can take care of you, dear. I did help raise Diamond and Silver, after all."

"Eh?" the turquoise filly's blush deepened. "U-Um…"

"Do you have the necessary supplies?"

"I-In a subspace pocket, yes."

The change proceeded as planned, with poor Erika mortified at having it done right in front of her friends and by somebody – er, somepony – she didn't really know.

"There we go!" Starshine chirped. "All better!"

"T-Thanks…" the girl murmured, fidgeting. "S-So, um… What do we do now?"

"Would ya mind if'n we hung out with ya for a bit, DT?" Apple Bloom asked.

"N-No, that'd be fine" Tiara replied.

Erika reached for her skirt… and then stopped. "Um… W-Would you girls mind if I… w-went with… exposed?"

"Nah" Scootaloo replied. "It's cool. Don't worry about it."

Sweetie Belle giggled. "You look really cute" she said, causing the girl to blush deeper.

-SCENE BREAK-

Ponyville Mental Asylum/Hospital

Same Day – 2:50 PM

"You sure you wanna do this, DT?" Scootaloo asked.

"No…" Diamond Tiara replied. "But I need to."

"You're not the only one who hasn't visited her as much as you should…" Filthy Rich said guiltily. "I'm here for ya, honey."

"Thanks, dad…" She swallowed nervously. "W-Well… H-Here we go…"

The seven walked through the door, Diamond Tiara leading. She was soon spotted by a black-furred pegasus mare with forest-green mane, seated at the receptionist desk.

"Diamond Tiara?" she asked. "It's been quite a while since I've seen you around, dear."

"H-Hello, Ms. Soft Thunder. I've… We've come to visit my mother. She's still in Blue Ward, Room 204?"

"Huh? Oh, you haven't been here in a while, so you haven't heard. She's in Teal Ward, Room 3 now."

"Teal Ward?" Diamond asked. "Isn't that for patients who…"

"…are almost normal, who're nearing the end of their time here and who are anticipated to be allowed out within a year's time, yes. Golden Tiara's mental state has undergone remarkable improvements since you were last here. She still gets the delusions, but she also gets regular periods of lucidity, and the "episodes" are getting rarer. In fact, she can feel the delusions coming and suppress & postpone them, for several hours if necessary. And when they do happen, they last a lot less time. The frequency and intensity of her "episodes" is steadily decreasing, and she's coming up with mental control exercises that we're pretty sure might actually do the rest of the work. The fact that she gets them at all is the only reason we have to still keep her here for now. If things keep up at this rate… she might actually be ready for release in less than a year."

Diamond and Filthy's jaws dropped. "Are… Are you serious?" Filthy Rich asked.

"O-Oh, Mr. Rich. I didn't see you there. Y-Yes, I'm completely serious. Your wife is almost well again. She… has presently 'shunted' the "unstable" parts into another personality who calls herself Screwball. GT and Screwball are able to talk to each other via thought, and see what the other sees. Generally, Ms. Tiara keeps Screwball on a short leash for most of the day, and then about once or twice a day she goes to her room, locks the door, and lets Screwball have reign for about an hour or so. She tells me she's been trying to convince Screwball to "re-merge" with her so she'll be "complete", and thus fully well; she's described the incident four years ago as having fractured her mind into several pieces that have since been slowly pulling themselves together, and Screwball's the last piece yet to be reintegrated.

"With all the things she's done lately, she's almost as much a staff member as a patient here. She keeps the… less fortunate patients in line, she'll occasionally act as a semi-unofficial counselor or help new additions adapt to the facility, and just yesterday she helped thwart a suicide. She's actually one of only two patients allowed free reign of nearly the entire facility, because of how much control she has over her 'problems' and how big of help she's been in keeping the… less stable patients under control."

"Can she still… dislocate her bones?" Diamond asked.

"Wait, what?" Scootaloo chimed in. "Your mom can do what?"

"Actually, she's always been able to do that" Filthy Rich replied to his daughter. "Since before I met her, in fact. She's always had a freakishly high pain tolerance, thanks in part to some accident she was in as a foal where she had to have some nasty injuries treated without anesthetic."

"So that's where that comes from…" Soft Thunder said. "…She loves to use it to scare the hell out of new additions to the staff."

Filthy chuckled. "Yep, that sounds like her, alright. She's always loved to mess with people."

"Twilight says that P-Princess Celestia's the same way" Erika said. "T-The Princess apparently doesn't like all the o-overt, stuffy formality her position l-leaves her surrounded by, s-so she tries to lighten the atmosphere w-whenever she can."

Filthy Rich looked at the half-clothed filly with surprise. "…Why does that not sound as unexpected to me as it should?"

"Well, if you've lived for over 3,000 years, you've gotta do something to keep from going stir-crazy with boredom, I guess" Silver Spoon said.

Suddenly, a group of orderlies were visible running by in the hallway behind the receptionist desk. They looked panicked.

"What's going on?" Soft Thunder asked.

"It's that new patient, the unicorn named Bada-Boom! He's having an episode!"

Soft Thunder cursed under her breath. "How bad is it?"

"We've got ponies tryin' to talk him down, but…"

"What's all the hubbub about?" Filthy Rich asked.

"Bada-Boom's special talent is Explosion magic" Soft Thunder said.

Filthy Rich and the fillies widened eyes when they heard this. "H-How bad could it be if he… blows?" Erika asked.

"Anywhere from wrecking a single room to demolishing an entire wing of the building" Soft Thunder replied.

Erika's expression hardened, and her body surged visibly with magic. "If the worst happens, I can form a max-strength Shield Bubble spell to contain the blast" she said.

With that, she took off running down the hall, with Mr. Rich and the five other fillies trying to catch up to her. They soon found her peeking around the corner of a large room. In the center of it was a wild-eyed white unicorn with blazing red-and-orange mane & tail, and a Cutie Mark of an old cartoon-style spherical black bomb with a burning fuse. Around him were several ponies in white coats, keeping their distance and looking way. But what caught the newcomers' attention was the Earth Pony mare with purple coat and purple-with-white-stripes mane & tail who was among them, a few steps closer to Bada-Boom, speaking to him with a smile and a careful tone.

"BB…" Golden Tiara said carefully, using Bada-Boom's favored nickname. "Everyone here is your friend, and no-one wants to hurt you."

"Yeah, right…" the unstable unicorn replied.

"Come on, BB!" said a young-looking pegasus stallion, his crisp white coat marking him as a new orderly, his name tag reading 'Victory Lap'. "Think of a happy place! Now, what makes you happy?"

Bada-Boom gained a small yet crazed smile. "Being in the middle of a huge explosion!" he answered.

Golden Tiara's eyes visibly widened, and she elbowed the pegasus next to her. "Less 'happy place', Vic" she whispered frantically. "Less 'happy place'!" She then turned back to Bada-Boom, her smile in place again. "Think calming thoughts… Remember that 'flowery meadow' exercise we taught you? Let's just calm down, okay? Nice… and calm…"

"H-How do I calm down?" Bada-Boom asked.

"Y'know what's worked for me when it comes to calming myself down?" Victory Lap said. "Let's try counting backwards from 10! It always works for me! 10… 9… 8…"

"No!-!" several ponies, including Golden Tiara, interrupted, eyes wide with sudden panic. Filthy Rich felt his heart-rate go up by a not-insignificant margin.

"J-Just picture nighttime, BB" Golden Tiara said. "Nice… calm… cool… quiet… Stars overhead, cool breeze blowing… Doesn't that sound good, yeah? Nice and calm, just before bed…"

Bada-Boom's random twitches slowly subsided, the wild look leaving his eyes. "Y-Yeah…" he muttered. "Nighttime… Quiet… C-Calm…"

"There, now. Now… why don't you let my friends get you back to your room? Okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Sure…"

Bada-Boom allowed two orderlies to slowly, cautiously approach him, and he let them lead him to his place. As soon as he was gone, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"Man, that was close" Victory Lap said. "I thought we were-OW!-!"

Golden Tiara thwacked him on the head rather hard, glaring at him.

"What the hell was that for?" he whined.

"Almost getting us all killed, you idiot!" she snapped. "Do you ever think before you speak?-!"

"That was suicidally stupid, new kid" one of the older, bigger orderlies said as he looked at Victory Lap with a disapproving glare. "Go feed Screwloose."

"B-But she keeps trying to bite me!" Vic protested.

"Move it!" the bigger orderly ordered, sending Victory Lap scurrying.

Golden Tiara sighed, resting her forehead in her hoof. She felt a hoof giving her a congratulatory pat on the back.

"Damn good job, Tiara" the older orderly said. "Calming Bada-Boom down, and covering for that thick-skulled newb's mistake? That was golden."

"Why, yes I am" she replied with a grin. "That is my name, after all."

The visitors were calming down as well. "Well, I think I just got three years of my lifespan scared off me" Scootaloo said.

"Same here, kid" Filthy Rich replied. "Same here."

"You good for a while?" the orderly asked Golden Tiara.

"Oh, yeah" she replied. "I let Screwball have an hour and a half at the reins a little while ago. I reckon I'm good for about another seven or eight hours, actually."

He nodded, and then he turned his head and noticed the visitors. He promptly tapped GT on the shoulder and pointed. She turned to look, and her eyes lit up as a big smile formed on her face.

"Honey! Diamond!"

She walked over to them, as Diamond Tiara took the lead, walking up to her with a mixture of emotions. But when Golden promptly pulled Diamond into a hug, the filly felt a warmth she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Mama…" she whimpered. "I'm sorry…"

"For what, sweetie?" her mother said, softly stroking her mane.

"For not visiting you, and… for going against everything you've ever stood for."

Golden Tiara looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Apparently," Scootaloo chimed in, "she took your departure… rather poorly."

"…How so?"

Diamond Tiara let out a few whimpers, and then the words came tumbling out. She was only partially articulate as she confessed everything. When it was over she was openly crying, but was surprised to feel her mother gently hugging and nuzzling her.

"It's okay, honey" she said softly. "You made mistakes, but it's not too late to fix them. And your friends are willing to help them in that."

The other five fillies nodded in agreement. "We've got yer back, DT" Apple Bloom said.

Golden Tiara looked at the other fillies. "…Apple Bloom? Is that you? …My goodness, you've grown since I last saw you. And Silver Spoon? I see you've got glasses now. And… Rarity's baby sister… Sweetie Belle, right? And… Um…"

"I'm… new in town" Scootaloo said. "I foun- I mean, moved here about half a year ago. My name's Scootaloo. And together, me, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Bell are…"

The trio of fillies made a sentai-style pose. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

Golden Tiara had to struggle not to crack up; these three were just so cute and funny together! She then caught sight of the little skirt-clad turquoise filly, shuffling nervously.

"U-Um… I'm Erika…" she said quietly.

Golden Tiara smiled; this girl's mannerisms reminded her of Fluttershy (she wondered how the shy pegasus was doing nowadays). "Are you new here too, dear?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah. M-My big sisters and their friends are… h-here visiting for a while, and I c-came along with them, as did m-my boyfriend."

Suddenly, there was a knocking on a nearby window. The group looked to see a dark-green pegasus with somewhat-wild black mane fluttering just outside, looking in.

"M-Marie?" Erika said. "W-What're you doing here?"

"Looking for you" the girl replied (somewhat muffled by the window). "Whatcha doin' here, kiddo?"

Golden Tiara looked to one of the unicorn staff members, who used his telekinesis to open the window, allowing Marie to fly in.

"Thank you" she nodded to them.

"I w-was just accompanying Diamond in s-something she had to do" Erika explained. "I-Is that okay?"

The pegasus-form girl smiled. "Sure it is" she said, petting the little girl on the head. "So what's happenin' here?"

-Mini-Break-

Same Place

One Hour Later

The gathering had 'snowballed', to the point where the facility had provided one of their larger meeting rooms. Courtesy of some telepathy with Marie & Erika, Timmy and the rest of Gamma Team had shown up, with the Mane Six and Spike close behind. Golden Tiara, for one, was thrilled to be able to spend time with so many friendly ponies, especially since it involved getting to see AJ, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie again (Rainbow Dash had moved in a year after GT's 'incident').

"Hey, do you mind if I 'port out and get someone?" Twilight asked. "She's still recovering, and she needs to socialize a little. The doctors say it'd be okay."

"I don't see why not" the orderly stationed as an observer said. "But do you mean, she's a patient somewhere?"

"Yeah, she's got some serious issues with her self-image, and she's also got some nasty injuries and malnutrition. She's recovering, but it's slow going."

"Go right ahead, Twilight" GT replied.

"Right. Be back in a few minutes!"

A flash of purple, and Twilight was gone. Golden Tiara then turned to Teana.

"Pardon me for asking, but… do you have combat training?"

The girls of Gamma straightened, looking a bit nervous.

"I can tell by some subtle cues" Golden Tiara continued. "Subtle signals in your body language, how you have this constant low tension to you, it took you seven longer to relax, how you're taking turns as lookout while trying not to look like you're doing so… Judging by some of the signs I've picked up, you girls are a Field Ops team of some sort". She turned to Teana. "And I'm guessing you're the team leader."

After several seconds, Teana closed her eyes and let a small smirk form. "You're good" she said. "Yeah, it's true."

"Wait, seriously?-!" Diamond Tiara interrupted. "You seven are soldiers?-!"

"We're a Spec-Ops team, yeah" Shion replied. "I know we seem a little young for that, but our skill sets are too valuable not to use. It's a long story."

There was a sudden flash of purplish-white light in the middle of the room, revealing Twilight and another, blue unicorn.

"I'm back!" Twilight said.

Trixie, meanwhile, looked around at the multitude of ponies she now shared a room with. The kids and Diamond's parents, meanwhile, felt shock as they got a good look at her – unhealthily thin, bandages covering several wounds on her body including a large one on her right side, the slash-scar that went vertically across her obviously-cybernetic right eye, the dulled, morose look on her downcast face, and…

"W-Where's her Cutie Mark?" Apple Bloom asked, quietly so that Trixie – who was across the room from her, the kids, and DT's folks – couldn't hear.

"All ponies earn their Cutie Marks when they discover their special talent…" Fluttershy said. "But there's something that has happened only a hoof-full of times in the past several centuries. When a pony gives into great despair, and loses all faith in themselves and their special talent… their Cutie Mark can disappear. They see themselves as having no purpose, and thus they lose the mark that defines their purpose. Trixie is so lost in self-loathing and depression, so convinced that she's purposeless, meaningless, and talentless, that she lost her Cutie Mark to her sadness."

The listeners' reactions – shock, horror, empathic pity – were wholly understandable.

"A pony can… l-lose their Cutie Mark?" Apple Bloom whimpered.

"By Ouranos…" Golden Tiara murmured. "Poor girl…"

"W-When we showed up to see Diamond Tiara earlier today…" Erika confessed, "it d-did look like her Cutie Mark w-was a little… faded out. I-It's back in full now, though."

"It's normal for a pony's Cutie Mark to lose some color when they're really, really down" Twilight replied as she walked up. "But to lose it completely is extremely rare."

Trixie caught sight of Golden Tiara giving her best Kind Motherly Smile, and she felt compelled to walk over to her.

"Hello there"

"H-Hi…"

The group hang-out lasted for another hour or so, before everyone went home. Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich were the last to leave.

As Golden Tiara watched them leave, she – and only she – saw the other transparent pony now seated next to her, bearing her colors but with a wild, messed-up mane, swirls in her eyes, and a different Cutie Mark.

'Welly-well-well, this was an innnnteresting day, wouldn't ya say?' the other pony asked.

'Indeed it was, Screwball' Golden though back. 'Indeed it was.'

-CHAPTER END-

Next time: stuff.