The return of Blanche to the Little Red Pony Academy was like dropping a spark into a dry forest. Suddenly, the energy of the wardship intensified by fourfold, with the remaining six-tenths of the chaos fueled by Pomona Sheldon, who stood on a plastic chair acting as a hype-man, shouting "Six-six-six!" at the top of her lungs every time Blanche so much as blinked.
The classroom had been transformed into a makeshift court. The "Small Radishes"—the younger children who usually scattered like marbles—were now organized into a disciplined, rhythmic line. They were waiting their turn to pay tribute to their returned queen. It wasn't money they offered, but stories. Each child had to recount the most interesting thing that had happened during Blanche’s three-day absence. It was a "Story Council
