Just Big Boned

Butter woke to a loud and obnoxious beeping sound. Mumbling softly to himself, he opened his eyes, focusing on the whirling ceiling fan above him. He had a horrible night trying to fall asleep, mostly due to the anxiety of his first day at his new school. It didn't help that it was so hot in his room that he needed to have the fan on at full-blast. Why did it have to be so hot here?

He looked towards the direction of the annoying noise and saw that it was his alarm clock going off. He mumbled again in disgust over the fact that he had to wake up at seven in the morning. What type of cruel pony would make a little colt like him get up at seven? He's a growing foal who needs at least nine, maybe even ten hours of sleep! Are they trying to kill him? He realized that he was getting off-track with his thoughts and needed to get ready. School started in half an hour...

Butter slowly got out of his warm and cozy bed, sighing as he didn't want to lose the nice feeling of warm and soft blankets. He walked toward the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Staring back at him was a young, light-yellow pegasus with vibrant yellow hair. His eyes were light blue and drooping a bit, still trying to fully wake up from his rather short sleep. Butter noticed his cheeks were still as pudgy as yesterday and sighed softly. He looked down at the sink, a bit down at the image. After a bit of thought he reassured himself that his cheeks weren't fat. They were just defining cheekbones. The ones that the successful movie stars have after tons of plastic surgery. Yeah... Slightly happier with the thought, he grabbed his toothpaste tube with his mouth and squeezed gently with his teeth, pouring a generous amount of toothpaste on his toothbrush. He leaned down and clutched the toothbrush with his mouth and brushed his teeth with his hoof. After about a minute of brushing, he laid the toothbrush down on the table and spat out the excess toothpaste in his mouth. He ran the water on the sink and cleansed his face of any toothpaste that remained on around his lips.

Turning off the water, Butter started walking downstairs when he smelled a sweet scent in the air and heard familiar sizzling near the kitchen. His eyes widened as he started to smile a bit. That could only mean one thing. His mother was making the Celestia blessed gift that could only be described as...pancakes. Quickly trotting at a faster pace, Butter made his way into the kitchen and sat at the dining room table. He glanced towards the kitchen from his seat and saw his mother carrying a plate of pancakes, smiling as she set them down in front of the yellow pegasus. For a slight moment, Butter didn't care what the rest of the day would be. He only cared about the plate of flat, round, fried batter drenched in syrup placed before him. Leaning into the sugary treat, he quickly bit off a large amount of cake. His smile grew almost immediately. If there was anyone would could make his day from horrible to terrific just by presenting him with delicacy of a pancake, it was his mom.

Butter's mom giggled as he watched his son eat. "Are they good, Butter?"

Butter was almost too lost in his bliss to even comprehend his mother's question. He glanced back at her and softly replied with a small nod.

Butter's mom giggled again. "Well I'm glad, sweetie." She smiled and ruffled his hair gently. Even though he didn't show it at times, Butter's mom knew that he cared for her immensely. And she loved him just as much, if not more. Butter's mom slowly took ahold of her coffee and took a sip. "So, are you ready for your first day of school?"

Butter froze. His smile was replaced with a small frown as he let out an annoyed sigh. "No."

Butter's mom frowned a bit as well and said, "Butter, I know this is tough for you, especially after the way you were treated at your old school."

Butter remembered the bullies he faced while at his old school at Fillydelphia. He was also reminded of all the insults he received while he was there. The nickname that the bullies really seemed to prefer to call him though was "Butterblob." That one insulted him the most. He wasn't a blob, or even a bit chubby for that matter! He was just big boned...or so his parents tried to make him believe. Still, the words hurt him.

Butter's mom took note of her son's melancholy and added quickly, "But this is a new start for you! Everypony here is nice to each other and I'm sure that you'll make a lot of friends at your new school!" She gave a minuscule smile, hoping that her words would reassure Butter.

Butter just looked away from her and replied "Yeah, yeah..." He looked back at his pancakes and took another bite. After swallowing, he glanced back at his mother and asked "Did Dad go to work already?"

His mother nodded. "He leaves six and comes back at seven." She took the now empty platter (save for some small crumbs and leftover syrup) from her son and walked into the sink. "I'm glad that Donut Joe opened up a second building here in Ponyville! The pay is so much better, the hours are better for us. It's just fantastic!" She emphasized the last few words of her sentence with a rather ecstatic tone.

Butter scoffed at her and mumbled softly, "It's especially great when we had to move across to a whole different town so suddenly..."

Butter's mother heard his response and sighed again. She walked back into the dining room and looked Butter square in the eyes. "I'm very sorry we had to leave so soon, sweetie pie...but the whole opportunity was so...sudden. And you know how eager your dad is with opportunities."

Butter opened his mouth to retort but then halted for a moment. He knew his father really wanted the job. Heck, that's all he's even been talking about for the last week and a half. His father was a very passionate baker, that was obvious. He understood that he was an ambitious stallion and that it was not his fault they moved so suddenly. Butter's would-be rebuttal was replaced with a heavy sigh as he thought to himself, "It'd still would be nice to have known ahead of time..."

Butter's mom glanced up at the clock hanging in the dining room. She spoke with an enthusiastic tone, "Oh, look at the time! It's time for you to be getting to class!" She walked into the kitchen with a smile on her face, leaving Butter a bit confused.

"W-Wait, aren't you coming with me?"

She walked back into the room and laid a brown paper bag in front of him and replied, "Honey, I'm sorry. I would but your ditzy father forgot his lunch."

Butter paused before speaking. "Again?"

"Yes...again..."

Butter groaned audibly. His father may be enthusiastic, but he was extremely forgetful as well. He opened his bag slowly and observed the contents inside. A peanut butter sandwich, some apple juice, and best of all, a chocolate chip cookie. He smiled a tiny bit before shaking his head and reassessing the situation once more.

"B-But, you can't leave me alone! Wh-What if some teenagers come at beat me up or something?!"

Butter's mom's eyebrow rose up a bit. "Butter, the school is only a couple of hoofsteps away. And besides, who would hurt a ten year old colt for no reason?"

Butter stood silent for a second and gave a simple shrug. He knew that there was no chance that would happen. He just wanted his mom so that she could protect him from the bullies that may or may not be enrolled in this new school. Plus, he felt safer in general when his mom was around to hug him for a bit, although he would never admit it. He didn't want to look like a pansy.

Butter's mom sighed and leans down so that she was eye-level with him. She said to him in a comforting tone, "Butter, you're going to be fine. And you're going to make lots of friends, I guarantee it."

Butter sighed again and exchanged the look. "How are you so sure?"

Butter's mom gave a small smirk to him and replied, "Mother knows best."

It would've been at that point where Butter would've deconstructed that well-known saying by calling it cliché and overused, however there was something about her tone that made her so confident. And when Butter's mom was confident, she was always 100% correct.

Well...around 95% correct if you wanted to be accurate. But that's still a good chance.

Heeding his mother's words, Butter sighed again and mumbled incoherently under his breath. He then glanced back up at her at said quietly, "Fine..."

Butter's mom's smirk turned into a bit grin. She kissed the young colt on the cheek and said happily, "Thank you, sweetie pie~!"

Butter blushed a bit by the peck on the cheek and tried to wipe it off with his hoof. He growled softly and leaned down, picking up his lunch bag with his mouth. Butter's mom opened the door for him and told him, "Have a great day Butter!"

With the bag in his mouth, Butter replied, "Yeash shure..." He slowly continue his walk towards the direction of the school and looked back at his house. He saw his mom lock the door and walk towards the left, skipping a bit as she trotted. He waited a few moments to make sure she was gone and quickly laid the bag down on the ground. Sticking his muzzle inside the bag he felt around, trying to get an early bite of the cookie she planted in his bag. He suddenly felt a familiar hoof tug him out from the bag. He quickly looked up at the pony and saw that it was his mother again. He smiled a bit innocently, unsure of what to say. "H-Heh..."

His mom set him down and said in a parental manner, "What have I told you? Cookies are only for when you've finished your meal!" She rolled her eyes at him and almost immediately starting walking back to where her father worked.

Butter shook his head and sighed. He picked up his bag and thought, "How does she always know...?"

He heard her mother yell from across the way, "INSTINCT!"

...Yeah, that'll do it.