“Are you ready to admit what you have done wrong?”

Dinky Hooves carefully considered Miss Cheerilee’s words. Dinky was frustrated, angry, and very confused. Dinky understood that there was a problem, but Dinky did not know what she had done wrong.

“No? Perhaps five more minutes after school will allow you to think about what you have done,” announced Cheerilee.

Dinky felt the hot sting of tears in the corners of her eyes and the burning pain of anger on her neck.

This was not fair.

Dinky thought back carefully on the events of the day, trying to see where she had gone wrong. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who were older and much larger, had been teasing the smaller foals of the class, including Dinky. They had mean words to say to everypony, as usual. It was a common day to day occurrence, and Dinky took refuge in her flock of friends, just as her mother had taught her to do. Dinky had been content to leave things be and just ignore the bullying, the one thing that truly infuriated Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, being ignored.

It was then that Diamond Tiara had shoved Piña Colada and knocked her down from the swing. Messing with a flock member was unacceptable, and Dinky made it clear by delivering a swift swat to the tender snoot of Diamond Tiara, making her yelp and panic. It was something Dinky had done so many times among the pegasi foals within her mother’s flock, the flock that Dinky had been raised in. The blow really wasn’t enough to hurt, it hurt pride more than anything else; pegasi had tender prides and were especially sensitive to having their pride tweaked.

But Diamond Tiara had collapsed completely, falling down on the ground when Cheerilee had come over, sobbing and crying about being punched in the muzzle.

Dinky really resented Diamond Tiara right now. Diamond Tiara had shoved a friend and a flock member, she had been mean as well as abusive, she had pretended to actually be hurt, and she had lied. Dinky hadn’t punched her. Dinky was far too gentle to punch anypony. It had been a simple swat, nothing more, a snoot-tweak meant to communicate a warning.

And now, Dinky was sitting after school, well past the fifteen minute mark, rapidly nearing the twenty minute mark. Each minute passing by was awful to endure. Dinky squirmed in her wooden desk, trying to figure out what she had done that was so terrible that she deserved this. Dinky slumped down in her desk, the first few tears now sliding down her cheeks.

Cheerilee, watching Dinky, saw the tears and believed them to be tears of guilt, not knowing they were tears of confusion and frustration.

“Dinky, I know that you know what you did was wrong, are you ready to talk about it?” asked Cheerilee, her voice careful and patient.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” sniffled Dinky, more tears coming to replace those tears fallen, her tiny little barrel now hitching from anger as well.

“Dinky Hooves, you punched Diamond Tiara in the muzzle-”

“I did not!” interrupted Dinky

“Let me finish!” said Cheerilee in an angry but controlled voice. “You punched her in the muzzle hard enough to make her cry. That is unacceptable. You cannot go around punching other ponies in the muzzle, or anywhere else for that matter,” explained Cheerilee.

“But I didn’t punch her in the muzzle,” protested Dinky.

“Enough!” snapped Cheerilee. “I do not want to hear it,” she finished.

Dinky felt quite infuriated, her own pride now terribly tweaked. Dinky couldn’t even explain what had happened, that it wasn’t a punch in the muzzle, it was a swat, and that there was a big difference between the two. Dinky swatted her big sister too, and there was never any hard feelings between the two of them.

Dinky glared defiantly at Cheerilee through her tears, nursing her injured pride.

Piña Colada sat outside the schoolhouse, waiting on Dinky, determined to wait for however long it took. Dinky had been a real friend, a good friend, and when trouble had happened, Dinky had been there. It had been immensely satisfying to watch Dinky deliver a well-placed punch in the muzzle on Diamond Tiara.

Dinky was always looking out for her friends. Dinky kept the group together, never allowing anypony to stray too far, always reminding them that they were safer in a group, which Piña Colada knew and understood on some deep level, being an earth pony, with no magic or wings, all earth ponies had for defense was strength in numbers, and the protection of the herd.

Dinky, even though she was a unicorn, clearly understood the value of being in a herd, which made her both a good friend and a good unicorn. Dinky clearly wasn’t a snob. Dinky was practically an earth pony, at least Piña Colada thought so.

Piña Colada felt a twang of frustration and anger when she heard Dinky’s cries from inside the schoolhouse. A herd member was in trouble, and alone. Piña Colada struggled with the instinctual urges welling up inside of her, not even knowing they were instinctual urges, all Piña Colada understood was that she had very strong feelings to go to her suffering friend and stand together. Almost anything in life could be endured if you stood together in a herd, and you placed the weakest members in the middle.

Piña Colada began to dance nervously on her hooves, feeling dangerously close to tears herself, the terrible feeling of being very little and young, and being completely powerless to do anything about the awful things that went on around you.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were the worst sorts of bullies, being earth ponies, they threatened herd stability and caused the herd to break apart, exposing them to untold danger.

Piña Colada actually burst into tears when she saw Derpy, Dinky’s mother, landing somewhat clumsily a few paces away, wobbling on her hooves and trying to carefully fold in her wings. Piña Colada ran to Derpy, throwing her forelegs around Derpy’s foreleg, hugging her tightly, seeking comfort, and feeling comfort when Derpy hugged her back, Piña Colada felt a wing wrap around her and then she was crushed against Derpy’s warm barrel. Piña Colada didn’t understand why Derpy’s hugs were so fierce, so crushing, but Piña Colada liked them, she felt warm, secure, and safe.

Piña Colada had no way of knowing that earth ponies had a deep instinctual need to rely upon the pegasi for protection, fierce airborne protectors of the herd. All Piña Colada knew was that she felt extra safe in the downy fortress of being wrapped in pegasi wings.

Derpy could not help but feel that it was one of those days.

She felt frustrated, a little angry, and a little happy, all at once, and it was confusing to say the least. After hearing about what had happened with little Dinky, Derpy had tried to explain to Cheerilee a different perspective on what had happened, but Cheerilee was not interested. She had no desire to understand the difference between a swat and a punch. Both of them were hitting, and hitting was unacceptable.

Earth ponies were numbskulls.

Swatting and punching were two very different things. Swatting was a gentle sociable nudge to let somepony else know that their behaviour was uncouth, punching was violence, plain and simple. Dinky and Sparkler swatted one another all the time, and Derpy never felt concern. Derpy would feel concern if the two never swatted another, it would mean that they didn’t care enough about each other to correct each other’s social blunders. But if either of them actually punched one another, Derpy would have to step in and deliver some serious punishment.

Derpy had never once had to deliver serious punishment to her foals. Both of them were even keeled and well adjusted, good mannered, and equipped with proper social graces.

This was all just another case of misunderstanding between the tribes, just like what had happened earlier, when she had snoot-bumped into Bucky.

Handsome Bucky, with his fine tan coat and black mane. Derpy felt a distracting hot flush.

Bucky seemed genuine in his efforts to overcome the misunderstanding, Cheerilee refused to acknowledge that there was a misunderstanding.

Numbskulls just didn’t want to listen to reason. At least snobs could be reasoned with, provided you could get their attention and that you were worth noticing.

Derpy had given up and was simply nodding where it seemed appropriate. Cheerilee was entirely unreasonable. Derpy would have to pull poor Dinky aside later and praise her for doing the right thing.

Derpy did feel a bit angry about Dinky crying however.

Dinky looked at the clock, it was now a little past the thirty minute marker. She clung to her mother and Piña Colada, wiping her tears on her mother’s foreleg, feeling hot bubbly anger causing her ears to burn.

Dinky took comfort in knowing that her mother would understand.

Dinky felt a tiny hoof press against her back, rubbing her gently. It was comforting, physical touch was something that Dinky understood. All of the words in the world couldn’t match one gentle stroke or a hug for comfort.

Dinky felt herself being lifted on her mother’s back, and then she felt Piña Colada sliding up behind her. Dinky buried her face into her mother’s mane, ignoring Cheerilee’s parting words, not wanting to hear Cheerilee anymore. She felt her mother walking from the schoolhouse, her steps slow and careful.

“Thanks for being my friend.”

Dinky heard Piña Colada’s words and felt a bit of comfort. She felt Piña Colada’s nose pressing into her own mane, and the painful frustration of the after school detention began to melt away as Dinky felt Piña Colada breathing against her.

“I’m sorry mommy,” mumbled Dinky.

“Shush Dinky Doo Hooves, we’ll talk when we get home. You’re not in trouble,” replied Derpy in soothing tones. “Today has been full of misunderstandings,” she added.

“It sure has,” Dinky said, sniffling.

“I have a funny story to tell you Dinky," said Derpy.

Dinky did not reply, she just sighed and snuggled deeper into her mother’s neck.

“Thank you Dinky,” Piña Colada said, wrapping her forelegs around Dinky and squeezing tightly, feeling a warm rush of gratitude for her friend.

Author's Notes:

Well, that was somewhat challenging, juggling different perspectives.

I like the mental workout though.

I feel as though I am pushing into new territory, and I am really enjoying writing this.

So... chapter three. I had to start writing the actual story, and not the hook. So yes, things changed a little bit. I made a few fumbly attempts at world building as I tried to understand the characters and the world I created. I really didn't know what I was doing, but I had enthusiasm. I really had no idea where this fic was about to take me.

For that matter, neither do you.