A Different Definition of Family

It amazed me how fast Scootaloo could pull the wagon, especially with four ponies in it. In no time at all, we were at the schoolhouse, a simple one-room building with a bell tower on top.

As soon as Scootaloo parked the wagon, she and Dinky went inside, the latter literally bouncing on her hooves. I trailed behind with Sweetie and Apple Bloom, worried how their teacher would react to a new pony.

When we got inside, I saw that the school was as simple on the inside as it was on the outside. There were desk ordered neatly in rows, probably about 25 or so total. On one wall sat a blackboard, in front of which sat a larger desk, obviously for the teacher. The teacher herself, or at least I could only assume she was the teacher, was talking to one of the students, a brown colt with a helicopter hat. I could see him putting away some kind of rectangular object, though I had no idea what it was.

The teacher, a purple mare with a pink-and-purple striped mane, soon noticed the entrance of the Cutie Mark Crusaders and, by extension, me.

"There you are, girls," she said sweetly, making her way over, "I thought you were going to be late. Oh, who is this?"

I gulped slightly.

"This 'ere's Shining Glass," Apple Bloom explained, throwing a hoof around my shoulder, "'e's mah cousin from Canterlot."

"I didn't know there were Apples in Canterlot," the teacher questioned, only making me sweat more.

"Ah didn't either until he showed up. But since 'e's going to be 'ere for a few days, Ah figured Ah'd bring 'im along. You don't mind, do ya, Miss Cheerilee?"

"No problem, Apple Bloom," Cheerilee smiled, "the more the merrier. I think we do have one seat available."

I immediately noticed the seat in the front row she was talking about. Sweetie Belle was seated behind it, flanked by Scootaloo and an empty desk that I presumed belonged to Apple Bloom. To the immediate left sat a pink filly with a purple-and-white mane topped with some kind of hair accessory, and to the left of her was a gray filly with a braided silver mane. They were whispering to each other and subtly pointing at me. Ignoring them for the time being, Apple Bloom and I took our seats and class began.

Now, I had never been to formal school before, but I still understood the basic concept. As the hours ticked by, Miss Cheerilee taught various lessons in history, science, and math. I was particularly proud of how good I seemed to do with the math, especially considering how some of my fellows seemed to be having a hard time with it. Some ponies just have a head for math, I guess.

Eventually it was time for lunch. All the fillies and colts filed out of the schoolhouse to the yard/playground out back. It was at this point that I realized that I hadn't eaten in quite some time and didn't have any food with me. Apple Bloom generously gave me one of the two apples she had packed for herself. Everything was perfect until the two fillies who sat to my left came up to the table the five of us were sitting at.

"Look, Silver Spoon," the pink filly said, "another one of those Apples."

"Knock it off, will ya," Apple Bloom responded.

"He kind of reminds me of that other blank flank cousin of yours, the one from Manehattan, what was her name, Spoon?"

"Babs Seed," Silver Spoon dutifully answered.

"What did you say 'bout mah cousin," Bloom said heatedly.

"Oh nothing," the pink one said innocently, "only that there must be some defect in your family that you all get your cutie marks so late."

Apple Bloom was seething. I simply rolled my eyes.

"Don't let them get to you Apple Bloom," I said calmly, turning toward her, "trust me, they're only out for attention. If you ignore them, they go away."

I turned and took a big bite out of my apple, silently chewing away.

"Hey, listen to that Spoon. The high and mighty Canterlot blank flank thinks he has all the answers."

I stayed silent, my eyes closed, focusing on the delicious taste of the apple.

"Come on, Diamond Tiara," Silver Spoon said weakly, "let's just go."

"Miss Silver Spoon has the right idea," I announced, not opening my eyes, "run along now, Diamond Tiara."

"Don't you dare speak to me like that," Diamond chirped.

"I'm afraid I just did," I remarked with a shrug of my shoulders.

"Why...you...," Diamond started, but seemed unable to finish before walking off in a huff, Silver Spoon right behind her.

The table was silent for a time. Since my eyes were still closed, I couldn't see the reaction of my audience.

"That. Was. Awesome," Scootaloo finally exclaimed, "You really showed it to Diamond."

"Not really," I opened one eye, "It's just that the bullies in Canterlot make those two look like little foals."

Soon afterwards, the school bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. We all went back inside and returned to our seats, though this time I noticed Diamond being particularly wary of me.

The second half of the school day wasn't much different than the first. There were lessons in writing, grammar, and Eqquish, nothing out of the ordinary, I suppose.

Eventually, the school bell rang once again to signal the end of the school day. Most of the students rushed out the door, though I made it a point to thank Miss Cheerilee for letting me stay.

As soon as the Cutie Mark Crusaders and I exited the front door, we noted a somewhat familiar scene. Diamond Tiara, backed up by Silver Spoon, were speaking to a trio of colts. One was the brown colt with the helicopter hat I noticed earlier, one was a white Earth pony with random brown splotches of color which matched his mane, and the third was a gray pegasus with a slicked-back black mane. And while I couldn't hear what exactly they were saying, judging by the looks on the faces of the colts, I could hazard a guess.

"Hello, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon," I said nonchalantly as I approached them ahead of the crusaders.

"Keep your blank flank out of this," Diamond snapped, turning her head so fast her titular accessory almost fell off.

"Oh, well, no offense, I just hadn't been introduced to your friends here," I motioned toward the three colts.

"What do you care? Aren't you going to go home soon?"

"Only if your lucky. On the other hoof, I may just stay here, I'm starting to enjoy the small-town life."

"Hmph. Come on, Spoon, these blank flanks are boring me."

And, with their noses so high in the air I wondered if they were going to hurt their necks, Diamond and Silver walked off. And I would have walked off myself, if I hadn't been stopped.

"Hey," the brown Earth colt said, "thanks for that."

"Think nothing of it," I said with a dismissive wave of my hoof.

"So you're Apple Bloom's cousin from Canterlot?"

"Shining Glass," I stuck out of a hoof which the colt bumped.

"Button Mash. I think you'll like Ponyville. I'm originally from Manehattan myself."

The white colt with the brown splotches popped up next to us, "Pipsqueak's the name," he beamed, "I'm from Trottin'ham."

"I could tell from the accent."

"And I'm Rumble," the gray pegasus spoke up, "Born in Clousdale."

"Pleasure to meet you," I said, "I'll see you around."

The three colts walked off down the road.

"Ya sure are a helpful pony, aren't ya Shining," Apple Bloom asked.

"I just do what I think is the right thing to do. Everypony does it, just with different results."

"Geez," Scootaloo rolled her eyes, "you're startin' to sound like Twilight. C'mon girls, it's crusading time!"

"Uh...," Sweetie Belle muttered, "I sorta promised mom and dad I'd come home right after school."

"Yeah," Dinky echoed, "I promised my mom the same thing."

"OK," Scootaloo said, defeated, "well at least let me give you a ride."

The two unicorns hopped back into the wagon.

"You two coming," Sweetie asked Apple Bloom and me.

"Nah," Bloom answered, "we'll just walk back to the farm."

"Suit yourselves," Scootaloo said, her wings already buzzing, "catch ya later." And in a second, the wagon was speeding down the path back toward town.

"Is there a reason we didn't hitch a ride back to the farm," I asked.

"It's not that far," Apple Bloom explained, "besides, it'll be easier to explain all this to Applejack if it's just us."

"Who's Applejack?"