"Didn't my cousin come talk to you earlier?" Apple Bloom inquired.

"Just who is this cousin of yours?" the first pony demanded.

"Babs Seed."

"Your cousin is Babs Seed? Why didn't you tell us that at the beginning?" The second pony piped up.

"Sorry, I'm kind of new at this."

"Fair enough," the first pony stated as they backed away from Apple Bloom. "Sorry 'bout all that. As you can imagine, we don't like surprises."

"I can see why. But I wasn't too sure how to approach you."

"Water under the bridge." The first pony grinned. "We've got work to do. We're gonna give you a saddlebag that's already loaded full. All we need you to do is carry it and follow us. Drop your bag where we set ours and then back away from it."

"That's as easy as Babs made it sound," Apple Bloom observed.

"It's not complicated," the first pony said. "The only thing you've got to know is not to ask questions. Don't ask what's in the boxes in the saddlebag, where we're going....it's safer if you don't."

"Okay," Apple Bloom replied, "Can we go now?"

"This one's yours." The second colt picked up a saddlebag and placed it on Apple Bloom's back. "Can you handle the weight?"

"Don’t let my size fool ya none. I’m almost as strong as my big sister."

It took the others a few moments to put on saddlebags of their own. Watching as the two ponies began to walk down the alley, Apple Bloom moved right behind them. It was hard for Apple Bloom to keep track of where she was going and keep up with the two colts ahead of her, so she concentrated on keeping pace with them. Between the weight of the bags and the fact she was trying to keep with colts that had a four-inch leg reach on her, she was panting heavily as she moved down the street. She was so focused on pumping her legs to keep up with the colts she never noticed Babs Seed across the street as they passed her.

Babs watched Apple Bloom follow the two colts she had spoken with earlier in confusion. Last she knew Apple Bloom was back at the farm. She had intended to bring rest of the Crusaders in on this, but she didn't ever intend for her cousin or their friends to go alone the first time. She was positive it wasn't anything that Apple Bloom couldn't handle, but Babs believed in being cautious. She kept almost a block behind the trio of ponies and followed them, making sure to have something she could duck behind if they looked back.

After about ten minutes of walking the trio turned down another alley and walked behind a building. When they were no longer visible from the street they stopped abruptly.

"Take off your bag and place it next to ours," the first colt ordered, dropping his saddlebag on the ground.

Apple Bloom looked around curiously as she set the bag down and backed away from it. When she saw the other bag set beside hers the colts began to walk away from them. The first colt glanced back and saw Apple Bloom had not moved.

"This is when we leave," he said flatly, and watched as Apple Bloom took the hint and started walking toward him.

When the trio came around the corner they stopped and waited for a few minutes. The second colt walked back to where they set the bags down and came back a few moments later carrying a small bag of bits. The colt poured the bits out and divided them amongst the trio of ponies.

"You know, kid," the second pony said, looking down at Apple Bloom, "You did okay."

"Thanks, I guess."

"We're going to meet up near the Golden Oak Library about one in the morning," the first pony said. "You're welcome to come work with us again. Tell Babs she's welcome to show up, too."

"Will do," Apple Bloom replied, watching as the two ponies trotted down the street. When Babs tapped her on the shoulder Apple Bloom jumped in the air. Babs watched in amusement and burst into laughter as he cousin faceplanted on the sidewalk.

"That's not funny," Apple Bloom said flatly.

"Yes it is," Babs smirked, "Looks like things went all right."

"Yeah," Apple Bloom replied. "Not too bad at all."

"Glad to see you made some money. Now let's get home. We've got a busy day tomorrow, and a race to prepare for."

******************************************************************

"Hi Minty," Twilight greeted as the green and pink mare walked into her tree house, followed by Pinkie Pie. "Hello Pinkie. I'm glad you're both here so early."

"Hello Twilight!" both mares shouted in unison, which caused them to bust into giggles.

"Now on to business. I've spent a lot of time reviewing the material you gave me, Minty. I've got a test for you to take. Pinkie, for the moment I'd like you to hang out here," Twilight said, motioning toward her couch, "When Minty finishes the test we'll have a better idea how to proceed."

"Where's the test?" Minty asked, looking at the various tables in the library.

"Right here," Twilight replied, leading her to a table, "I've got plenty of quills and some water if you'd like some. Take your time, Minty. There's no rush."

Minty sat down at the table and glanced at the test in front of her. There were almost a dozen questions on the first page with multiple choice answers for each one. At the bottom she saw page one of eight and gasped.

"Are you okay?" Pinkie asked.

"I will be," Minty replied, looking at the stack of pages in front of her. "Much, much later."

"It can't hurt you, Minty," Twilight said, "Do your best, take your time and think things through. Oh, and there are several essay questions. I'd like you to be as specific with your answers as possible."

Minty picked up a quill and started taking the test when she noticed the feathers on the quill were sticking out in random directions. She tried to straighten them out with her hoof, only to make them all point to the right.

"Excuse me, Twilight. May I have another quill please?"

"Sure," Twilight replied. When she walked over to Minty she looked at the quill on the desk, confused. "Here you go."

"Thanks," Minty took the quill and examined it. "It's not right."

"What's wrong with it?" Pinkie asked, as she and Twilight looked at the quill Minty was holding.

"The feathers are all uneven," Minty said, holding up the quill, "They're all pointed to the left."

"Here, let me see if I can fix it." Pinkie said, taking the quill and brushing the feathers down with her hoof.

"Now they're pointed to the right," Twilight observed.

"Try this one," Pinkie suggested, offering Minty another quill.

Minty examined the new quill and took a pair of scissors off the table. She began to trim the feathers on one side of the quill.

"What are you doing?" Twilight asked.

"These feathers don't quite match the feathers on the other side of the quill. Don't worry, I can fix it," Minty stated, cutting a few feathers. Twilight and Pinkie watched as Minty carefully cut feather after feather, and held the quill out in front of her, examining her work.

"Now the feathers on the left are shorter than the ones on the right," Pinkie observed.

"And the ones on the right are pointed out," Twilight said, "You can't bend them back in place without breaking them off."

"I need another quill," Minty said.

"Spike!" Twilight called out.

"Yeah?" Spike asked, walking into the room and looking at the mess on the table that used to be a quill.

"I need you to run to the store. We need more quills."

"Didn't we just buy a bunch?" Spike asked.

"We did, but I've got a feeling we're going to need more." Twilight sighed. It was going to be a long day.

************************************************************************

As Filthy Rich trekked up the hill toward Fluttershy’s cottage, he pondered making the young mare an offer for the lovely little cabin in the woods. It was calm, peaceful, and quiet. Exactly the kind of place he wanted to retire to someday. His thoughts eventually turned to his daughter. He desperately hoped she had behaved herself for Fluttershy, but he had to consider what he would do if she didn't.

His daughter was growing up, and slowly drifting away from the innocent filly she once was to somepony he barely knew anymore. He was going to have to work hard to rebuild their relationship. When he got close enough he knocked on the door, and was promptly greeted by Angel Bunny, followed by Fluttershy.

"Hello again," Fluttershy greeted.

"Hello Miss Fluttershy," Filthy Rich greeted back, "How are you?"

"I'm doing just fine, thank you. Please, come in," Fluttershy stepped aside from the doorway so her guest could enter. "Diamond Tiara is upstairs."

"This was on the ground in front of your door when I arrived," Filthy Rich pointed out, dropping a newspaper on Fluttershy's table. "Forgive me for picking it up, but there's something on the front page that we need to talk about."

"Accident leaves filly in hospital. A young filly named Silver Spoon was hospitalized after her wagon tipped over and took her down a hill with it," Fluttershy read, horrified. "That's awful."

"Diamond Tiara doesn't know yet, does she?"

"I don't believe so. This is the first I've heard of it. And we’ve both stayed here all day."

"Fluttershy, has Diamond Tiara given you any trouble this weekend? Has there been any point where she has been out of your sight?" Filthy Rich asked.

"You don't believe she would have done something like this, do you?"

"A year ago I would have said no way. Three months ago I would never have believed it, but now... I don't know," Filthy Rich admitted. "I know she's a good kid, but she's made a lot of bad choices recently."

"She hasn't left the cottage all weekend. She even helped me do some chores around here, as well as finishing all of her homework."

"I'm glad to hear it. I had hoped she would be good while I was gone. Hey, your rabbit just stole the paper!"

"Oh Angel Bunny does that from time to time. Sometimes I find bits and pieces of it in birds nests, other times I find he played with it and left it laying around. It's harmless."

"Shouldn't we get it back before Diamond Tiara sees it?"

"I wouldn't worry about that. Angel Bunny keeps to himself. Diamond Tiara was delightful," Fluttershy said, changing the subject away from her mischievous bunny. "I'd fillysit her anytime."

"I do need to be going, but I'd like to tell Diamond Tiara about Silver Spoon myself, and then take her by the hospital to see her later."

"Diamond Tiara!" Fluttershy called out. As quickly as her voice stopped Diamond Tiara trotted into the room.

"Yes Fluttershy? Oh hello, father," Diamond Tiara smiled as she saw her father, "Did you have a good trip?"

"It was productive," Filthy Rich replied as he gave Diamond Tiara a hug. "Go get your things, it's time to go home."

"Yes father."

"She really is a good filly," Fluttershy stated as she watched Diamond Tiara trot up the stairs.

"I know she is. That's why I want to help her stay that way."

Diamond Tiara gathered her books and cleaned up the room she had spent the night in. She never saw Angel Bunny enter the room, and practically jumped through the ceiling when he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh it's you," Diamond Tiara said flatly. "Don't you know any better than to sneak up on ponies?"

Angel Bunny ignored her and held up the newspaper.

"Your work I presume?" Diamond Tiara inquired as she read the article, a cruel smile forming on her face.

Angel Bunny simply grinned, and held out his paw to Diamond Tiara.

"I thought you wanted your money upfront," Diamond Tiara stated, "In any case you’ll just have to wait until I get home. I simply don't have it on me right now."

Angel looked at Diamond Tiara, then at the clock on the dresser. He grabbed the clock and pointed to the number 5.

"I seriously doubt I'll be able to come back here today, if that's what you're implying," Diamond Tiara advised, "My dad isn't going to let me go out without him."

Angel tapped the clock again.

"Yes yes I see it. 5 o'clock. Fine. That doesn't change that I will have your money, but won't be able to get it to you."

"Diamond Tiara, is everything okay up there? You’ve been getting ready an awfully long time."

"Coming father."

Angel glared at the filly as she left the room.

************************************************************************

Big Macintosh grabbed a rope with his teeth and pulled. The pulley system that he and Applejack had improvised was working well, and the last bundle of roofing material began to lift into the air. Slowly Big Macintosh backed up and as the bundle finally reached the roof he tied the rope off to the wagon.

"Good job, brother!" Applejack called out, looking down at Big Macintosh. "Shouldn't take but a few minutes to finish up the roof."

"Eeyup. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. I could sleep right here."

"At least we won't have to worry about this after today," Applejack replied, hammering away on some shingles "Once we're done the rest of the day should be pretty easy."

"Isn't that Apple Bloom and her friends over there?" Big Macintosh asked.

"Yeah, sure looks like 'em. Ask them to come over here for a minute," Applejack stated, "I'd like to know if they got those chores done."

Big Macintosh trotted toward the four fillies, and a few minutes later they returned and sat at the ground next to the ladder while Applejack climbed down.

"Good mornin’ sis," Apple Bloom said, "How're the repairs going?"

"Oh we're just about done here. Ah'll get the roof tacked on, clean up the mess, and we're good to go. Did y'all get our note? It's important those chores get done."

"Oh don't worry about them," Babs replied. "We worked together and got them done."

"We found something on the front porch this morning," Apple Bloom started to say but was interrupted by Applejack.

"Before you continue there's something Ah need to tell y'all," Applejack interrupted. "It's about Silver Spoon."

"I was just about to say that," Apple Bloom replied. "There was an article in th’ newspaper today that said she's in the hospital."

"Yeah, we already knew that..." Big Macintosh said.

"You did? How?" Babs asked.

It took nearly ten minutes for Applejack and Big Macintosh to tell the Crusaders what had happened to Silver Spoon.

Applejack watched the Crusaders as they spoke, not the least surprised by the shock on their faces as they came to the part with her in the hospital.

"I'm glad you were able to help her so quickly," Sweetie Belle said.

"Will she be okay?" Scootaloo asked.

"We sure hope so. The doctors think she'll be laid up in the hospital for awhile," Applejack replied.

"We're going to go visit her," Apple Bloom stated.

"Why that's right nice of you," Applejack replied. "I'm sure she'll be grateful for the company."

******************************************************************

"All right Minty," Twilight looked at the mare sitting in front of her. "I've graded your test. Out of the forty-eight multiple-choice questions and the four essay questions I asked you, you got thirty-seven of them correct. Of the fifteen questions you missed, you got six partially correct."

"Partially correct?" Minty asked, sounding confused.

"How can an answer be partially correct?" Pinkie asked.

"When I made this test I found myself thinking about Paradise," Twilight admitted, "If I were in her position I would make a test that had multiple choice answers, and phrase them in a way that only one was correct, but others had elements that were right with one or two things that were wrong. Just to make certain you knew exactly what to do in a situation."

"That's sneaky," Pinkie said.

"It is, but as you can see it's highly effective at finding areas where we need to study," Twilight said, "Now, Minty, I circled the questions you got wrong and highlighted the answers. I'd like you to take a few moments and review them. Then we're going to put on an interactive play for you."

"An interactive play?" Minty asked.

"I've prepared several different scenarios we're going to act out with you based on how you did on the test," Twilight replied, smiling. "Given the fact you share Pinkie Pie's opinion about reading books..."

"Borrrrrrriiiiiing!" Pinkie and Minty shouted in unison, and burst into laughter.

"Yeah, that opinion," Twilight continued, unphased by their outburst. "I thought you might get more out of this if we showed you how these laws work instead of just telling you."

"So what's first?" Pinkie asked.

"Minty, the first question you answered wrong was how to properly subdue a suspect. Since you don't have unicorn magic to help you, I'm going to have Pinkie be the suspect, and I'll show you how to do it," Twilight answered.

"Ooohhhh I get to be a suspect? One sec," Pinkie disappeared in a pink cloud of smoke, and then reappeared just as quickly. She was dressed in a black cape, wearing a black hat on her head, and twirling a handlebar mustache.

"What's with the costume?" Twilight asked.

"I can't play the part of the suspect and not dress for the occasion. How often do I get to wear my fedora after all?"

Twilight Sparkle ignored the pink mare. "Okay, let's see here. Minty, please show me how you subdue a suspect."

Minty shrugged and walked over to Pinkie Pie. Minty grabbed Pinkie Pie from behind and tried to wrestle her to the ground, only to have it backfire. Pinkie wound up standing over Minty, holding her down with a hoof.

"Pinkie! Honestly, we're supposed to be showing Minty how to restrain a suspect, not how to be restrained by one," Twilight said.

"But it's funnier this way," Pinkie replied, giggling.

"Perhaps you can show me how to restrain her," Minty suggested, "But first think you can get off me now Pinkie?"

"Oh, sorry," Pinkie replied, hopping off the green mare and helping her up.

"Now," Twilight stated, "This is how you properly restrain a suspect. First, you tell them to lay down on the ground. Pinkie, if you would please."

"Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie replied, lying down on the ground.

"Next, you take some hoof cuffs and clip them around the suspect's hooves," Twilight said. "Like so."

When Twilight moved to place a pair of hoof cuffs on Pinkie, Pinkie moved at exactly the right moment and Twilight came tumbling over her. Wasting no time Pinkie clicked the cuffs around Twilight's front hooves.

"Pinkie! You're the suspect! You're supposed to let me restrain you so I can show Minty how she's supposed to restrain a suspect! You're not supposed to restrain me!" Twilight shouted.

"Silly, you don't expect a suspect to just let themselves be restrained, do you?" Pinkie replied, a smug grin on her face.

Twilight rolled her eyes and her horn began to glow. A second later the cuffs fell off of her and she glared at Pinkie Pie.

"Minty, perhaps you'd like to help me restrain the subject," Twilight said, glancing over at Minty and levitating another pair of cuffs to her.

"Of course I would," Minty replied.

Minty leapt forward and tackled Pinkie. While she and Pinkie struggled on the ground, Twilight tried to cuff Pinkie's hooves together. That only made Pinkie struggle harder, and the trio found themselves in a cartoon ball of violence. While Pinkie was struggling for dominance over her two would-be captors and Minty was honestly trying to restrain Pinkie, Twilight had given up and was just trying to escape. Every time she thought she was clear a hoof grabbed her and pulled her back into the ball. When the smoke finally cleared they found themselves cuffed together.

"I don't think this is quite what was supposed to happen," Minty observed.

"Not exactly, I was supposed to win," Pinkie replied.

"Can you move your hoof? I can't see where the keys to the cuffs are," Twilight stated.

"Oh those. Yeah, they're in the other room on the counter," Minty replied.

"What are they doing there?!" Twilight shouted.

"I dropped them on the floor. They got all dirty so I decided after I took the test to wash them," Minty replied.

"I can't even see the keys from this angle, how are we supposed to get free?" Pinkie asked.

"Spike!" Twilight shouted.

"Coming," Spike called from the kitchen. When he entered the library he took one look at the three mares and burst into tears laughing. "Oh this is too rich for words. Wait, I'm gonna go get a camera. Rainbow Dash'll never believe me."

"Just get us out of this," Twilight suggested, "Please."

"Just a minute," Spike said, snapping a few photos, "Let's see, one for me, one for the Princesses. Ok, now I'll get the keys."

****************************************************

"We need to stop by my house before going to the hospital," Sweetie Belle said.

"Why?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Usually ponies bring gifts to their friends when one of them is in the hospital," Sweetie Belle replied. "I've got a new toy that I think Silver Spoon might enjoy."

As the Crusaders turned from the road leading to the hospital and walked toward Sweetie Belle's home, Babs turned and looked at the rest of the group.

"We do have some other things to take care of this morning. I trust you all brought the money you have?" Babs asked.

"I sure did," Scootaloo replied.

"So did I," Sweetie Belle said.

"Me too," Apple Bloom said.

"Okay, let's divide it up now," Babs said, stopping in her tracks. The Crusaders dumped all of the bits they brought with them onto the ground and split them into even piles.

"Looks like we've each got 15 bits," Apple Bloom said.

"It'll have to do," Babs said. "Now, we have to go place bets with ponies all over town. Remember, don't bet more than the 15 bits you have, but bet as much of it as you can. The more bets you place the more money we stand to make if High Winds comes through for us."

"What position was she supposed to finish in?" Scootaloo asked.

"Third place in tomorrow's race," Babs replied.

"Got it," Scootaloo said.

It didn't take the Crusaders very long to reach Sweetie Belle's home. While Sweetie Belle went to retrieve the toy, the rest of the Crusaders waited outside. After what seemed like forever she finally emerged from her home and joined up with the others, carrying a neatly wrapped box.

"We were starting to wonder what was taking so long," Babs said.

"Anyone can bring a toy, but I wanted her to have the privilege of unwrapping the gift," Sweetie Belle replied.

It took nearly fifteen minutes for the Crusaders to cover the distance between Sweetie Belle's home and the hospital. When they arrived they walked up to the desk and the duty nurse looked down at them.

"Welcome to Ponyville hospital, my little fillies. How can I help you?" Nurse Red Heart asked.

"A friend of ours was admitted yesterday," Babs said. "Her name is Silver Spoon. Would it be possible for us to see her?"

"Let me see…" Nurse Red Heart looked through some paperwork on her desk, "Ah here it is. She's in room 301. Right this way."

"Thank you," Sweetie Belle replied as Nurse Red Heart led the fillies through the hospital and up some stairs.

"I apologize for not taking the elevator, but maintenance is doing some repairs today. For today it's for medical emergencies only," Nurse Red Heart explained.

"That's fine, we don't mind walking," Sweetie Belle said.

"How is she doing anyway?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I'll let her explain that," Nurse Red Heart said, stopping in front of a door. She knocked gently on the door and called out, "Silver Spoon, are you awake?"

"Yes?" Silver Spoon called out. When the door opened she gasped as she saw the nurse lead in four fillies.

"Your friends decided to come pay you a visit. I need to return to my post," Nurse Red Heart stated, "There's a button next to your bed. Press it if you need anything."

"I sure will, thanks," Silver Spoon replied, watching the Nurse depart. "I can't believe you all came to see me."

"We're still having some trouble believing you're actually here," Babs said.

"It's a long story," Silver Spoon said.

"We ran into my sis," Apple Bloom said, "She told us what happened."

"We brought you a gift," Sweetie Belle said, giving Silver Spoon a box. Silver Spoon wasted no time shredding the wrapping paper and found an Etch A Sketch inside.

"Thank you! It's the perfect gift!" Silver Spoon said, excitement clear in her voice.

"I'm glad you like it," Sweetie Belle replied, "I saw those drawings you made during arts and crafts in class. We thought you probably wouldn't have any way to draw here, so..."

"I love it!" Silver Spoon said.

"So how long are you going to be here for, anyway?" Babs asked.

"The doctors tell me I'll be able to go home in a few days, but I won't be walking around anytime soon. I broke my left leg."

"Can we sign your cast?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Sure." Each one of the Crusaders took turns signing her cast and wishing her well.

"Can I ask you something?" Babs asked.

"I know what you're going to ask," Silver Spoon replied. "It's been the only thought on my mind ever since I woke up here."

"You've known her for a long time," Apple Bloom said, "Would she go so far as to try and have you killed?"

"I do know this....if she swears revenge on somepony, she finds a way to make it happen," Silver Spoon said. "But as far as trying to have me killed...I just don't know. I don't know what she's capable of anymore."

"When you were pulling the wagon did you notice anything strange about it?" Scootaloo asked.

"Nothing. It pulled just fine."

"Any idea what happened to the wagon after you were rescued?" Babs asked.

"My folks told me Applejack and Big Macintosh took it back to their farm. They said they'd try and fix it when they had time."

"We can't just assume that Diamond Tiara did this," Sweetie Belle pointed out. "Yes she's a vicious, vindictive pony who has taken every chance she has gotten to make our lives miserable, but this crosses a line. We can't accuse her of this without proof. Proof that even she can't deny."

"The other thing is it's not likely she'd just be out and about these days," Apple Bloom said. "I can't imagine Filthy Rich being very happy with her at the moment. I know if I had done what she did Applejack'd have me at her side just so I couldn't cause any more trouble."

"There's a good chance this was just an accident, but we should look into it just to be safe," Babs said. "In the meantime you should get some rest. We'll come back and visit you again later."

*****************************************************

Diamond Tiara looked at the clock in her bedroom. When she got home the first thing she did was collect the bits she owed Angel. Although she was certain that only Fluttershy could talk directly to animals, she knew enough about magic to realize it wouldn't be difficult for a unicorn to cast a spell on either themselves or Angel if they wanted to talk to him directly. For the first time in her life, she felt like she might have gone too far. Diamond Tiara quickly dismissed such thoughts as meaningless. It was done, and too late to worry about what-if scenarios right now.

After she finished re-counting the bits, she unpacked her schoolbooks. Realizing she was missing one of her books, she trotted toward her door and stopped before opening it. Her father was adamant when she got home she was not to leave her room except to use the bathroom, but the fact remained. She needed that book for class tomorrow, so she opened the door and walked downstairs. Hearing her door open, Filthy Rich was watching her as she walked toward him.

"Excuse me young lady, I thought I told you to stay in your room," Filthy Rich admonished.

"Yes father, and I would have done so, but I just realized I left one of my schoolbooks at Fluttershy's cottage," Diamond Tiara replied, "I will return to my room."

"Wait," Filthy Rich replied, "I want to talk to you about something. One of your friends had an accident. Silver Spoon is in the hospital."

"She is?" Diamond Tiara replied, doing her best to imitate surprise, "What happened? How is she?"

"The newspaper said she had a accident and got dragged down a hill by a cart she was hauling," Filthy Rich replied, studying his daughter's reactions. "She's expected to be in the hospital for a couple of days. I was wondering if you wanted to go and see her."

"I don't know. She hasn't been much of a friend as of late."

"I see," Filthy Rich replied, not really understanding but not wanting to push her into going to the hospital, "I'll go see if I can catch up with Fluttershy and get your book."

"Thank you," Diamond Tiara said, "I'll go back to my room."

"I don't know exactly what happened between you two," Filthy Rich replied, watching his daughter walk back up the stairs. "But don't let hatred win."

"Tell that to her," Diamond Tiara retorted, closing the door behind her.

*****************************************************

"Ok, that's a bet," Babs said, "Thank you, Thunderlane."

"It's not every day a filly is foolish enough to bet that one of the top Wonderbolts won't finish first in a race where only two of the top five Wonderbolts are racing," Thunderlane smirked. "You sure you want to go through with this? It'll be like taking money from a filly."

"I'm sure," Babs smiled, "Besides, you never know what can happen in a race. Maybe Spitfire'll hurt her wing or something."

"Alright," Thunderlane replied, "Can't say I didn't warn ya."

"Take care," Babs said, watching Thunderlane flap his wings and soar into the sky.

"How'd it go?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Just finished placing my share of the bets," Babs replied.

"That's a coincidence. So did we," Apple Bloom giggled as she and Scootaloo trotted toward the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Already?" Babs asked, surprised.

"It was pretty easy," Scootaloo stated, "We were walking near the cafe' and heard a few ponies talking about the race. One thing led to another and presto! We've got ourselves a bet."

"Much as I like the idea of fixing a race, it's not going to be enough to really help us, is it?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Doing that job last night paid, but it will take a lot more of them before I can be of any real help to my family," Apple Bloom said, "Not to mention that we're splitting the money evenly, so it'll take even more."

"You want to do something that provides a lot more of a payday?" Babs asked, watching as the three fillies nodded their heads in agreement.

"As long as nopony gets hurt," Sweetie Belle replied.

"That won't be a problem," Babs said, "Now we just gotta choose what kind of payday are we going after here. There's a lot of ways we can do this."

"Like what?" Scootaloo asked.

"I need some time to look around town," Babs said, "I'm not all that familiar with what shops and businesses are in Ponyville. I'll get back to you on that later. The next thing on our to-do list is Diamond Tiara."

The mention of those two words caused the Crusaders to stop in their tracks.

"We have to have proof before we move against her," Scootaloo warned, "Otherwise it'll look like a personal vendetta for what she did to us."

"I think the first thing we should do is go back to Sweet Apple Acres and look at the cart. Maybe try and piece it back together ourselves and see if anything looks odd," Apple Bloom said, "It shouldn't be very hard. I've helped my sis rebuild several wagons over the years."

*********************************************************

Diamond Tiara sat on her bed, reading. Being grounded limited her entertainment options drastically. She had board games, but those required a second player. For years that second player had been Silver Spoon, but now that was no longer an option. Likewise, most of her toys had memories associated with them that she really didn’t feel like reliving at the moment, so reading was pretty much the only thing she had left to do.

She was so engrossed in her book that she never noticed she had acquired a lapin companion. Angel thumped one of his hind legs on the bed to announce his arrival.

"Oh. It's you."

Angel tapped a pocket watch and extended his right forepaw.

"Here's your payment as promised. Good work. I take it you stole that book out of my saddlebag?"

Angel grinned and nodded. He hopped off her bed and in a blur of white fur he was gone. Diamond Tiara found herself left alone in her room once more.

*********************************************************

"I think I'm finally ready," Minty smiled. She was sitting on the couch next to Spike, sipping on some tea he brought in for the mares, "I want to thank all of you for your help."

"It's not a problem," Twilight said, "It's been educational for me too."

"And don't worry about the stairs," Spike said, "We'll get them patched up in no time."

"Did Paradise give you a time when you could take the test?" Pinkie asked.

"She didn't give me a deadline," Minty replied. "She only said to come back when I'm ready. I'm going to go see if she's at the station," Minty said. "If she is maybe I can take this test now and get it over with. If not I'm going to go to her home and ask if I can do it."

"It's getting a little late, are you sure you wish to do this right now? Maybe doing it tomorrow would be better," Twilight suggested.

"Why wait?" Minty asked. "I'm as ready as I'm gonna get. Either I pass it or I don't, but at least I won't have this hanging over my head to ruin next week."

"Would you like us there for moral support?" Pinkie asked.

"I'd appreciate it," Minty replied.

Before anypony could stand up, a loud knock was heard. Spike looked at Twilight and walked over to the front door.

"Can I help you?" Spike asked as he looked over the mare standing in the open doorway.

"Can you tell me if a mare named Minty is here?" the mare said, her voice sounding rough. "My name is Paradise and it's very important that I speak with her."

"She is. Please come in. Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you," Paradise coughed. Spike led her into the library where Minty, Pinkie and Twilight were. All three mares looked in surprise when they saw Paradise.

"Hello Paradise," Minty said smiling. "We were just coming to see you."

"We need to talk. There've been some developments you need to know about."

"Can we do it after I take my test? I'd like to get it over with today if at all possible," Minty asked.

"That's what I need to talk to you about," Paradise replied, "There's not going to be a test, Minty. Ever."

Minty looked quizzically at Paradise, then at Pinkie, then at Paradise again.

"You want to run that by me one more time?"

"There's not going to be a test, Minty," Paradise said between coughs. "There's no point to it."

"What exactly do you mean there's no point to it?" Minty demanded, "My job is the point of it! I spent all day studying and practicing!"

"Minty, the reason my voice sounds so bad is because I've spent the last several hours yelling at the insurance adjusters," Paradise explained. "Earlier today I received a notice from them regarding the incident at Ponyville Elementary. They did make reparations to the Apple Family, who completed the repairs to the school."

"Okay, that's good news," Twilight said.

"The problem is they threatened to drop coverage for the police department entirely if you're allowed back on the force. I told them that they can't dictate who is and who is not an officer on the force, and that when you passed a competency test I fully intend to let you resume your job. They said they went to the Mayor and told her what would happen if her police department was not covered by insurance and something happened. How much money the town would have to pay to repair damage caused by us if they won't cover us? I went and spoke personally with the Mayor about this, Minty."

"I don't like where this is going," Minty replied. "But since we've come this far you might as well take the next step. Do I or don't I have a job?"

"I convinced the Mayor to let me hire you in an administrative role, Minty. You'd be behind a desk the rest of your time with us, but you'd still have a job."

"I thought they wouldn't cover her if Minty was allowed back on the force?" Spike asked, "That is what you just said, isn't it?"

"If Minty is allowed to be an officer who responds to calls, they'll drop our coverage, but the Mayor will let her be a secretary who does paperwork and other administrative tasks. The Mayor said she'd go to the insurance company and assure them that's all you'd do, Minty, but you'd be able to keep your job. I’m sorry, it's the best I can do for you."

"So let me get this straight," Minty said, anger clear in her voice, "I've spent the last several days worrying about taking a test to keep my job, studying for that test, involving my friends and asking them for help to prepare me to take the test, only to now have you tell me that all our efforts were in vain? I've said it many times now that I do not want to sit behind a desk, Paradise. And I still don't."

"Minty, I know you're angry, and I don't blame you a bit. But if you don't accept this job I can't let you come back."

"Since you're beating around the bush saying it," Minty replied bitterly, "I'll just say it for you. I quit!"

"Don't do anything hasty, Minty," Paradise advised. "Making this kind of decision while angry can come back to haunt you. So here's what I'm going to do: I know your skills, Minty. You'd make an excellent pony running our office, so if you want your job, you need only come to the station and tell me. I'll hold the position for you."

"Don't you need help if you've got an open position?" Twilight inquired.

"I could use the help so I won't have to do all the office work myself," Paradise said, "But it's no more work than what I'm doing now anyway. Think it over, Minty. The job is yours when you want it."

Paradise stood up and excused herself from the library. When she left, Pinkie, Minty, Spike and Twilight all walked to the door and watched her leave.

"They can't do that, can they?" Pinkie asked.

"Paradise is right about something," Minty admitted, "Ponyville Police need insurance. Maybe I can go to the insurance company and talk to them directly."

"In the meantime what will you do? How will you pay your bills?" Spike asked.

"Looks like I'll have to get another job. But I won't go back to the station. Being reminded daily of what I lost is worse than just losing it and being done with it."

*********************************************************

The Cutie Mark Crusaders had the smoking gun in front of them. The wagon was more complete than they had thought. The chassis was mostly intact, as the body had taken the brunt of the damage. The missing chunk of wood in the axle was easy to spot.

"Whoever did this was inexperienced, in a hurry or both," Apple Bloom concluded. "But one thing is for certain – this was no accident."

"We need to alert the police."

"Are you crazy, Sweetie Belle? The cops are already suspicious of us. If we go to them they'll probably think we did it and are confessing, or trying to pass the blame off on somepony else." Babs thumped the side of the wagon for emphasis.

"Can we prove Diamond Tiara did this?" asked Scootaloo.

"No. And we were out of town all weekend so we have no idea where she's been or what she's been up to," Babs replied.

"We should go back to the hospital and let Silver Spoon know about this. Maybe she can fill in some of the missing pieces, or maybe she saw somepony suspicious on her way to the Apple farm," Scootaloo suggested.

"It's getting' kinda late. Are you sure we should go over today?" asked Apple Bloom.

"The sooner we get answers the sooner we can plan retribution. Silver Spoon was paying us for protection and she got injured on our watch. This cannot go unpunished. An eye for an eye."

"Isn't that kinda harsh, Babs?"

"We need to send a message to Diamond Tiara or whoever did this that anypony under our protection is off-limits. And the only way to do that is to rough 'em up more than what they did to Silver Spoon."

"But then won't whoever we rough up come back after us and beat us up even more than what we did to them?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Not if we send a strong enough message."

"And what message is that?" asked Apple Bloom.

"That messin' with the Cutie Mark Crusaders is hazardous to your health."

"That's a good message," Scootaloo agreed.

"I dunno. I don't like the idea of anypony getting hurt." Sweetie Belle frowned.

"I agree with Sweetie Belle. We can't just go around hurtin' other ponies. That makes us no better than they are."

"Our enemies have already proven they're not afraid to resort to violence. If we don't check it now, how many more ponies could get hurt? It might be Rarity next time. Or Granny Smith."

"Point made and taken," Sweetie Belle replied, conceding defeat. She would go along with the others for the sake of her sister and other innocent ponies, but she didn't have to like it. "I just want to make it clear I'm not going to hurt anypony no matter what happens."

"Same here," Apple Bloom agreed.

"Fine, I'll do it," Scootaloo said. "I don't have any issues taking a prybar to somepony's kneecaps if need be."

"I'm not afraid to get my hooves dirty either," said Babs.

The awkward silence that followed lasted until they arrived at the hospital. They checked in and walked up the stairs to Silver Spoon's room. They opened the door to Silver Spoon's room and were surprised to find she already had visitors.

"Diamond Tiara! What are you doing here?"

"Visiting my poor injured friend." She glanced towards her father.

Filthy Rich turned to look at the new arrivals. "Aren't these the fillies you tried to frame, Diamond Tiara?"

"Yes, that's right," Babs replied.

"What do you say?"

"I'm sorry." Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes and fought the urge to gag. She needed to get her father out of the room. "Father, I think the least I can do to make reparations to these fillies is to provide them all with a meal. Would you be so kind as to get us something from the hospital cafeteria?"

"I'm glad to see you're taking responsibility for your actions. I'd be happy to." He took their orders and left to get their food.

"All right, now that we can talk privately, what do the four of you think you're doing here?"

"We came by to tell Silver Spoon that her accident wasn't an accident. It was on purpose. Somepony broke the axle of your wagon," Babs said, leveling her gaze at Diamond Tiara.

"Just try and prove it was me."

"Who else has motive?" asked Scootaloo, as she pressed her snout against Diamond's.

"But I have an alibi: I was grounded all weekend and I have Fluttershy as my witness."

"So who did you pay to do it?" Babs demanded.

"A filly has to have some secrets." She flashed the Crusaders a wicked grin. "Whoever it was did good work – the traitor got just what she deserved. I may have four more jobs for them. Nopony important, just a few blank flanks. I'd watch my flanks if I were you."

"I've had enough of this. Your bullying days are over, Diamond Tiara," Babs said, joining Scootaloo in confronting her. "This time you've gone too far."

"And what are you going to do about it, blank flank?"

"Try me and find out."

"Typical. Won't even make the first move. Chicken."

"I'm sick of that stupid chicken joke!" Scootaloo headbutted Diamond Tiara, knocking her into the hallway.

"Oh, so you do have some fight in you. I was worried this might get boring."

"Come on, Sweetie Belle. Let's find a place to hide."

"Good plan." The white unicorn filly followed Apple Bloom towards the elevator. The doors were open, so they could hide in there and still have a good view of the fight.

Diamond Tiara quickly pinned Scootaloo. "You're not much of a fighter."

"Try me on for size," Babs said, as she rammed Diamond Tiara off Scootaloo. The two fillies slid several yards on the recently waxed floor. They continued to struggle, with Diamond Tiara once again gaining the upper hoof in their fight. She pinned Babs dangerously close to the still open elevator shaft. "Have a nice fall, blank flank."

Apple Bloom jumped out of the elevator shaft and tackled Diamond Tiara. "Leggo o’ mah cousin!"

Diamond Tiara stood up and shook her head to clear the cobwebs. Before she could say a word Apple Bloom bucked her hard in the chest. She stumbled backwards.

"Oh no!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed as Diamond Tiara tumbled past her.

There was a sickening half-crunch, half-splat as Diamond Tiara hit the bottom of the elevator shaft. The Crusaders gasped as they looked down at her body sprawled in an ever-widening pool of blood.