What About School? (Prologue)
Minnie's POV
"Minnie!" Pearl yelped tugging on my wing. "It's time for school! Miss Cheerilee says if we're late again she's gonna tell Auntie Rarity!" My sister warned.
"Well we're only late because you always have to stop and buy a muffin every morning from sugar cube corner!"
"We don't have time to fight! We have to leave right now Minnie!" She pulled me out of bed by my wing and I landed on the carpet with a 'thud'. "Quiet! You're gonna wake up Auntie,"
"Too late." Our Auntie Rarity smiled standing in the door. "Muffins eh?" She smiled tickling my sister. "Well why didn't you just ask me to bake you some?"
"If you baked me muffins it'd take even longer!"
"Well darling if you plan these things ahead of time you can make muffins the previous evening." Pearl looked at her with a blank stare, and Auntie Rarity sighed.
"You cannot afford to miss a moment of school darling, please get going. The both of you!" She slipped our backpacks on us and sent us off to school. I hate school so much, but it's the only time I ever get to spend with my best friends. I hate it because I'm not the type of pegasus that just lies around and doesn't love flying- even though my Auntie hates it- into the sky feeling the breeze though the clouds and the chill of the cool air through my feathers. In class we just sit there and listen to Miss Cheerilee talk about them dumbest stuff we don't even have to know!
"Minnie, what if we didn't go to school today?" Pearl asked from behind me.
"We'd get in so much trouble that Auntie Rarity would shave your mane," I told her. I heard a squeal and a trot, then pretty soon Pearl was a mile in front of me and I got the pleasure of flying to school and not worrying about Pearl falling down a well or something.
"Minnie Melody, you get down right this instant!" I heard Miss Cheerilee call. I flew down to the ground with a sad flutter of my wings. "We've had this talk a million times, now please get to class."
"Oh Sugar Sprinkles, I love your mane today," I heard Pearl suck up. She longs with every cell in that airhead of hers to be one of the popular girls. They just don't like her because she hasn't got her cutie mark yet. If they'd give her some time they'd see she's just as braid-dead and beautiful as they are.
"I know, everypony does," Sugar Sprinkles giggled looking in her mirror. Sugar Sprinkles is two years younger than us, and so is her best friend Sapphire pumpkin. Their mothers got them bumped up a couple grades to "Challenge their minds," but those bucket heads might as well be infants in a college class. Not to mention their mothers, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, are so rude and nasty!
"Good mornin' Pearl," a thick accent greeted behind me. Speaking of disgusting things: Little Macintosh comes to mind.
"H-hi Little Mac," my sister blushed. "Y-you look handsome this morning."
"Well thank ya! My ma spent the whole mornin' combin' bugs out my mane!" He bounced up and down with excitement and ran to his backpack. "Check it out!" He lifted a bug jar out of his bag and Pearl screamed at the top of her lungs, then darted out of the room. "What'd I say?" He asked with a frown. I sighed, and ignored him: all I'm worried about is the homework I forgot to do last night, and every night this week.
Pearl's POV
"Miss Cheerilee there's an infestation in the classroom!" I shrieked running home to my Auntie Rarity. They can't make me stay here, there must be a law of some kind!
"What happened Pearl?" She was far too calm about this!
"There are bugs the size of Celestia in our class!" I cried.
"Oh, Pearl I'm sure you're just being overdramatic." She smiled at me and grabbed my hoof trying to pull me back in, but I wouldn't go.
"Overdramatic? OVERDRAMATIC!? NO! I REFUSE!" I shrieked and sobbed.
"Pearl, do you want me to call your Auntie?" She threatened.
"YES!" I pleaded, huddling onto the ground. "I would very much like that, yes!"
"I'll call her right now," sighed Miss Cheerilee. My auntie found her way to me in record time.
"Pearl, darling there is no reason for such a breakdown that I must be called to your school and bring your favorite stuffed pony."
"L-L-Little Mac had an entire jar of bugs!" We both screamed at the thought and she lifted me with her magic.
"Miss Cheerilee, until you disinfect your classroom and your students: my nieces shall NOT partake in class!" She left with me and called for Minnie from outside the school.
Sugar Sprinkle's POV
After moving my seat to the front right corner of class, and shoving Little Mac into the back left, I felt so much better and had no idea why anypony else was upset. Just because you shove a few ponies into the back of class as living shields you get twenty percent more dirty looks? That's so childish and immature.
"Miss Cheerilee," I raised my hoof up for attention that is rightfully mine. "Is Pearl going bonkers?"
"No Sugar Sprinkles," she sighed. "She's just afraid of bugs."
"Afraid a bugs!?" Little Mac chimed in from the shadows. "This sure is gonna put a damper on our marriage."
"Marriage?" Sapphire Pumpkin asked. "Who would marry you?"
"My purty Pearl!"
"Figures she'd be the only one stupid enough to give you the time of day." I rolled my eyes and looked back at Saphie. We giggled until Miss Cheerilee hushed us. I passed her a note after class started.
"Don't worry, even Miss Cheerilee knows it's true." It read.
Twilight's POV
"I don't know Shining Armor," I sighed. "He's only five years old."
"I know Twili, but Cadence and I are sending our daughter to school this year, and we can't have the royal little girl going to school without her favorite cousin."
"I know why you want him to go, but I feel much more comfortable with him being home schooled. I don't want him teased for being smart, or wondering why all the other colts and fillies have two parents and he just has one."
"If he asks, and you tell him the truth, he'll know it's because his dad was a worthless good-for-nothing ex guard."
"Shining, please!" We stared daggers at each other, and I turned my back to my brother. "My son's father was a good stallion."
"Twilight he left you for another mare when you were three months pregnant." That hurt. My brother brining up my ex's betrayal really hurt me, but I knew the truth. The only reason Rain Runner ever gave up on our relationship was because I was so busy with my work. I never gave the poor stallion a second of my time, and by the time I realized it he'd found someone else. My brother never really knew much about the relationship, but I guess when he saw his pregnant sister walking around alone, he felt a little more than angry.
"Shining, please don't talk about him. If Shining Moonlight hears he's going to have questions…questions neither of us are ready to talk about."
"Momma!" Shining Armor and I looked up and saw my son running down the stairs with a book in his magic. "I read this book, and found out that pegusi and unicorns don't make alicorns!" My son is a young unicorn and always wonders why he didn't get wings too.
"Um, Shining, sweetie, you uncle and I were just talking about school. Do you think you'd be interested in going?" Just as I excepted, his eyes lit up, and his smile grew wide.
"Can we go right now mom?" he asked. I weakly smiled, wishing Shining weren't here to see the evidence.
"I-I"
"Yes we can!" my brother smiled. "I'll take you and Priceless to school this morning. Go pack your saddlebag and we'll go." I knew he saw my eyes burning into the side of his head, but he ignored it with a grin.
"I'll be right down!" cheered my son. The second I heard his door shut I turned right back to Shining Armor.
"If my son comes home picked on, teased, bullied, or neglected, you'll be running home with a broken horn." My warning stuck with my brother, because on their way out the door I hear Shining trying to explain how to defend himself.
