Trust Me, I'm An Expert

As usual, it was a clear and beautiful day in Equestria. Not a cloud in the sky. The birds happily chirping and the grass as green as ever, the scenery surrounding Marefield University was picture perfect. However, not even Celestia's Sun could match bright mindset of our favorite teacher, Cheerilee.

Wearing a blue backpack, the former elementary school teacher hummed a delightful little tune to herself as she headed towards Marefield University with her eyes glaring and a spring in her trot. She was so delighted to begin her new job at the university. As president of Marefield University, she was determined to make sure nothing about orientation went wrong. Nothing in the slightest. And she was especially determined to retain a positive attitude along the way, even if it meant happily disagreeing on certain circumstances here and there. Or so she promised herself. Nothing should go wrong. She could allow no problems. Problems lead to stress. No stressful moments for her. None.

Finally approaching the front door to the main office, she halts to take a deep breath of confidence, or so she would call it. Exhaling, she once again puts on her smile and walks through the door.

"Good morning, everypony!" shouted Cheerilee, holding out her hooves. Opening her eyes, Cheerilee found most of the staff either asleep or slouching over their desks or swivel chairs, with their eyes half-shut. Vexed, she mustered enough ability to maintain her inflated smile and  proceeded to wake the tired staff, starting with Bill Neigh. "C'mon, Bill. Wakey-wakey" she softly says to the exhausted scientist. Receiving no answer, she kept her bright attitude and moved on to the rest of the staff.

"Time to get up, Quill Pusher! We've got a lot to cover today," Cheerilee said to Quill Pusher as she quite aggressively moved his swivel chair back and forth, causing him to snap wide awake with a certain startled reaction. Happy to see him finally awake, the president cheerfully went on to rouse the other ponies, leaving Quill Pusher to fix his glasses, sighing.

She then approaches the desk of Gingersnap, the university's head math professor. Finding her to be lying her head on her desk, Cheerilee takes her by the mane and lifts her head up, leaning just too close into the orange unicorn's face, telling her, "C'mon, Gingersnap! It's time that we snap out of it and get the day started. Rubbing her muzzle, Gingersnap glances back at her new president with annoyance.

Cherry Fizzy, the custodian, was sleeping inside of a garbage pail, his entire upper body slouching inside of the bin. Hearing his name being whispered, Cherry slightly opens his eyes to find Cheerilee vigorously glaring at him saying "you shouldn't be sleeping on the jo-ob!" Instantly startled, Cherry immediately shoots out of the garbage bin, only to fall backwards smack onto the floor after several seconds hyperventilating.

Cheerilee once again approaches Bill's desk, once again asking him to wake up, and once again, receiving no response. Feeling a little more annoyed than before, the president once again put on her best smile and moves on to the other professors.

All sitting on separate couches were Apple Polish, Crystal Clear, Arpeggio, and Top Marks, who recently transferred to Marefield after getting laid off by the School for Gifted Unicorns. The every-so giddy Cheerilee trotted towards the group of professors and began to wake them all up, starting with Top Marks.

"TIme to get up, Top Marks!" said Cheerilee, grabbing the social studies professor by the shoulders and excessively shaking him back and forth, him, gasping at the very second he started alternating, before Cheerilee let him go, allowing him to grunt. Apple Polish had her body curled up in a ball when suddenly…"Up and at 'em, Apple Polish!" Apple Polish immediately awoke with a sudden startle, though her tension instantly lowered upon realizing it was just Cheerilee. Back rolling onto Crystal Clear, the president exclaimed, "The morning is clear as day, my Crystal friend!" Arpeggio was silently sitting up in his couch, with his head sagging backwards, when suddenly Cheerilee stood up on the couch and began bouncing up and down saying, "Arp. Wake. Up. It's time. To start. The day". She spoke one word with every bounce she made, which caused Arpeggio to fly up a little on every one of them. Exasperating, Arpeggio, along with the other three professors, finally stood up, hooves flat on the floor, and approached the center of the office.

Cheerilee was happy to see nearly all of the professors finally waking up, leaving Bill as the only tired pony remaining. Beginning to lose it, even if she hadn't up until this point, Cheerilee stomped towards the science professor and, inhaling all the energy she could, let out a thundering, shrieking "BILL!!!!", causing him to fall right out of his chair and face flat onto the floor.

"Well, then…glad your awake," Cheerilee gratefully said, and trotted back towards the center. Standing up, Bill anxiously picked up his glasses, relieved to find them not broken. Grabbing a chair, Cheerilee moved towards the center of the main office, placing the chair down and stood on top of it, proceeding to speak to the staff of stale ponies.

"Alright, ladies and gentle colts, now that we have all managed to get our sleepy heads up and at it, I think it's worth checking that we all know our responsibilities for organizing today's events," said Cheerilee to the dazed pony staff. "Everypody remembers what we all have to do, right? I don't need to repeat myself? Everypony is assigned a certain position?" There's a brief pause within the room before Cheerilee speaks again. "Alright, now if everypony could tend to what needs to be taken care of, that'll be great. Now are there any questions or comments before we begin?"

Top Marks raises his hoof and says, "Well actu--"

"No? Good. Now let's get to work, ponies!" Everypony continued to work on what needed to be tended to, including the unanswered Top Marks. Feeling concerned, Quill Pusher approached Cheerilee in hopes of talking some sense into her.

"Uh, Cheerilee," Quill Pusher said.

"That's president Cheerilee to you," Ceerilee clarified in a quirky manner. Both earth ponies walked as they had their conversation.

"Yeah, sure. Um, President Cheerilee, are you sure that you have all of this under control?"

"What do you mean if I'm sure I have everything under control? Are you saying that I don't have everything under control? Of course I have everything under control! Why wouldn't I have everything under control?!"

"Well, it's just that this your first time managing college students. You're more use to educating fillies and colts, and I'm just a little concerned that you may have a rocky chance at maintaining order over the pupils."

"Oh, of course I won't! How on earth would I ever have a hard time?!"

"Well, there's the fact that you had us all organizing the events at 2:30 this morning."

"Well why not? What better way to make sure your freshman orientation is properly prepared than to get your faculty working as soon as possible? You know what they say, 'the early bird catches the worm!'"

Quill Pusher had an awkward look on his face after hearing that theory. "Okay. Well there's also the fact that you probably had just a little too much coffee this morning."

"Oh heavens no, Quill Pusher! I had no coffee at all!"

"Then why are you--"

"I just had a 10-hour energy."

Quill Pusher quickly froze in his tracks as Cheerilee was still walking.

"10-hour energy?!" Quill Pusher anxiously asked.

"Why of course." Cheerilee reached into her backpack, and pulled out an empty bottle of the apparent 10-hour energy, holding it in her smiling mouth to show Quill Pusher. "They just released it four months ago. It's been said to keep you active during the day and the night. What better can you ask for? Oh, and it actually does come in a coffee flavor, so there's that!"

Quill Pusher approached Cheerilee and took the unhealthy product away from her mouth, examining the bottle with a stunned look.

"Cheerilee, are you serious?!" Quill Pusher stressed. "Do you know what this stuff even contains? It has no nutrients, or vitamins, or anything! Hell, it's been said to kill ponies!"

"Oh, don't worry, it's fine. Pinkie Pie drinks it all the time and she says it's great for her. It helps her stay active, keeps her focused on party planning, and afterwards, she has plenty of time to sleep. Well, I'm sure if has time to do sleep, but shesaysthatshegetsagreatsleepafterwards, shesaysitsreallyrefreshingafteraharddaysworkorhardnightsworkforthatmatteraswell, heyhaveyouseenpinkiepierecentlyshesbeendoingverywell, heyyouknowshetellsmeallabouthowherandcheese--"

"Cheerilee!" exclaimed Quill Pusher, placing both hooves onto Cheerilee's shoulders.

"Yes?" asked Cheerilee. As Quill Pusher stared at the smiling Cheerilee, he studied the glaring eyes that stared right back into him; the veins like red rotting tree branches in front of a clear, alabaster sky. Managing to turn his attention away from them, though, he was finally able to speak to Cheerilee in a sympathetic and assuring tone.

"Three things. First of all, Pinkie is a great pony. I think you two are absolutely great friends. I also think that you may spend a little too much time with her, okay?" Cheerilee slightly nodded, still smiling."Good. Second, energy drinks are not a good friend. Let's try to stay away from them, okay?" Again, Cheerilee nods. Certain that Cheerilee is now calm enough, and hoping that she was calm enough, Quill Pusher lets go of her shoulders, allowing her to stand with more ease. "Alright. And third of all, I'm just a tad worried that you might struggle along the way today."

Cheerilee's gulped, anxious by how somepony was questioning her ability to maintain balance. Quill Pusher might be onto her. He might have uncovered her inner jitters, she thought. However, she kept her composure and responded by saying "Trust me, Quill Pusher. I'm an expert. If I have delt with students in the past, then I can deal with students today."

Cheerilee began to trot into the president's office, leaving Quill Pusher standing still in the hallway, reassuring him one last time "I hope for every filly and colt to today come with their heads high, backs packed and big strong, smiles on their faces."

A loud, harsh squeal comes from Deb. Sporting a light blue bouffant and a light grey coat, the British unicorn turns out to be standing on a table posing for her mother, Rarity, to add the finishing touches onto her short red a-line dress. Tilting her head back and arching her spine, she may have just been punctured by a pin or two, but coupled with her vexation, and quite frankly, her anxiety, she felt as tense as ever in that very moment.

"See, darling? This is exactly why I've been telling you to hold still", said Rarity in response to Deb's squealing. Holding several pins in her mouth and three more in the air with her magic, Rarity was determined to make her daughter look as presentable as can be for orientation. However, Deb was nearly through with keeping this ridiculous pose her mother needed her in to add the touches, and she could nearly explode from all the frustration she was holding in. She envied her father, Fancy Pants, who just calmly sat in his chair, reading the newspaper, not saving Deb from this foolish little dress-up game.

"But mom, you make it so hard when you keep jabbing those things into me," Deb complained.

"Well you make it so hard when you keep wiggling like a rattlesnake," replied Rarity in slightly harsher tone, as she was placing several more pins onto Deb's dress to hold up the hem.

"Well you…y-you know what, never mind. I can see where this is already going."

"Oh drat! I've ran out of pins. Fancy, dear, can you pass me a few more, please?" Rarity asked. Looking up from his newspaper, Fancy Pants used his magic to pick up three pins from the nearby coffee table and passed them to Rarity, who manage to catch them with her own magic. Gently putting two of them in her mouth to hold and leaving out one, she continued to fix up her daughter's outfit, while Fancy Pants peacefully went back to reading his paper.

"Can we at the very least take a break, mother? I'm feeling exhausted from keeping this pose," Deb begged.

"Nonsense, my dear. You're able to hold these postures on the dance floor all the time. I've seen you practice in the dance studio. I'm sure you have the capacity to hold it for quite some time", Rarity argued as she tried to stay focus on adding more pins.

"Well, yes, but not for thirty minutes," Deb replied with an annoyed attitude.

"Forty-five, actually," Fancy Pants responded, correcting Deb.

"Forty-five minutes?! We've been here for forty-five minutes! Has it really been that long?!" Deb asked.

"Well, you started at 7:05, it's 7:55 now, so…actually, my mistake, it's been fifty minutes since you started fixing the dress." Stunned, the stuttering Deb looked down at herself, realizing how capable she was of maintaining her pose for a solid fifty minutes. She couldn't believe how even after

"Indeed, and you've managed to keep your posture the whole time," Rarity added, feeling a sense of audacity with her exactitude. "See darling? I told you you had the efficiency to pull it off. And besides, it's always worth it when you're preparing your daughter for orientation."

"Ugh, I never thought I'd resent my own skill sets," Deb grunted, wanting to curse her experience in ballroom dancing.

"Aaaaand, perfect!" Rarity placed the final pin onto the dress. Finally breaking her pose, Deb took a deep breath out of relief and stepped down from "You're ready to start the day. Well, fashion wise, of course. Let's go over the list of items you need to bring." Using her magic, Rarity pulled out the list in front of her, as well as a quill and her orange designer glasses to see better. "Let's see. Do we have bed sheets?"

"Check", said Deb, looking over to the front door where all of her stuff is packed.

"Great, now what about raincoat and umbrella?"

"Check."

"Toiletries?"

"Got it."

"Small fan?"

"All packed up."

"Good. Now let's see." Rarity walked over to the packed bags, examining them to see if anything was missing. "Nice, nice. I think that's all we have--" suddenly, Rarity let out a loud, overblown gasp. "Your First-Year Guidebook! Where did you put it?!"

"Uh, well I--," Deb began, but Rarity quickly cut her off.

"YOU DON'T REMEMBER WHERE YOU PUT IT?!!" exclaimed Rarity, as she proceeded to run in circles all around the Carousel Boutique in a colossal panic. Deb watch her petrified mother with a confused attitude. "Oh out of all the things I could've forgotten to pack last night, I just had to forget the one item that you'll actually need during your visit!" During her stampede, she accidentally stepped on the tail of her beloved cat, Opalescence, causing the darling to abruptly awaken. Needing to catch her breath, Rarity finally stopped. "Oh what am I gonna do? What am I going to do?! Of all the worst things that could happen, this is. THE. WORST. POSSIBLE. TH--." Fancy Pants approached her from behind and gently put a hoof on her shoulder, signaling for her to calm down.

"It's alright, my dear," Fancy Pants assured, as he lifted the guidebook with his magic and over to Deb's packed items near the door. "It was right on the coffee table, where you had the pins placed."

"Oh. Right. Sorry about that," Rarity said, blushing in embarrassment.

"No need to worry, my dear," Fancy Pants wrapped his hoof around Rarity and pulling her close before giving her a kiss on the forehead, causing Rarity to blush again. Fancy Pants approached Deb. "You're just a caring mother who cares so much for her daughter, as am I."

Now standing beside Deb, who had just finished putting the book into her bags, Fancy Pants wrapped his hoof around his daughter and pulled her in close.

"Now, are you sure you got everything packed my dear?" Fancy Pants asked, making sure to double check just one last time.

"Yep. I'm pretty sure," answered Deb.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Rarity asked teasingly as she approached the two. "If not, I may have to go ballistic again just to remind you."

"Haha, no, I'm sure that I've got all the items I need," Deb reassured as Rarity wrapped her own hoof around Deb as well.

"Well then, we should be sure to get these to your carriage before it flies off," Fancy Pants recommended, preparing to lift the bags with his magic. "Let me help you carry these to your ride, dear".

"No no. I've got it. Thank you anyway," Deb answered as she quickly proceeded to lift the bags with her own magic. Stopping in his tracks, Fancy Pants gave Rarity a slightly surprised and confused look as they both watched Deb ascend the bags before her.

"Okay well then have a blast, my dear," said Fancy pants as he gave Deb a kiss on the forehead.

"Thanks, dad," said Deb, as she proceeded to walk out the door.

"We love you, darling!" said Rarity, now standing beside Fancy Pants as she watched her daughter leave for the carriage.

"Love you, too, guys," Deb called back to her, now a distance away from her parents. From the door, Fancy Pants and Rarity watched their daughter trot along to the awaiting carriage, feeling as proud as ever for their precious filly. Rarity almost felt a sting of tears in her eyes, but she managed to hold them back.

As Deb trotted along, she felt one of the pins poking into her flank. With every step she took, the pointed end jabbed into her coat, creating, not tense, but rather annoying, pressure. It may have been an itty-bitty point, but she was already nervous enough about giving her future colleagues a good impression; she didn't need something as irksome as a pin to increase her discomfort. Not being able to take it anymore, she dropped her bags, allowing them to land with a thud, and used her magic to remove the pesky pointed instrument and throw it away.

"Hopefully, that's the last pin I'll have to deal with for a while," Deb muttered to herself as she used her magic to pick up her bags again and continue to head towards the carriage.

Another loud yell can be heard from Pin Drop's room. Leaning up against a bureau, the light-yellowish pegasus wings flew straight up as he anxiously stared deep into the eye of what he believes to be the dreaded cyclops shark. The lights off, a bright light was shone from below towards the menacing creature, revealing its palish skin and toothless mouth. Feeling as if he just stumbled into a real nightmare, the hyperventilating Pin Drop felt sweat dripping down his head and through the back of his gray striped collar shirt.

"Angel!" exclaimed Fluttershy, who swiftly turned on the lights, revealing the rare, hideous creature to be Fluttershy's pet bunny Angel in a cyclops mask holding a flashlight. Pin Drop eases his grip on the bureau upon discovering the prank the hostile little hare had played on him. "Shame on you for scaring Pin Drop, especially when he has a big day to prepare for!" As Fluttershy calls out for Big Macintosh, Pin Drop started to take a few deep breaths, wondering how he could've been fooled by such an obvious trick. Then again, the cyclops shark was a mysterious kind of fellow, and given its rarity, it's hard for Pin Drop to consider how pleasant it just might turn out to be.

Big Mac suddenly arrives at the door to Pin Drop's bed, displaying the same low-key attitude that he always has.

"Would you take Angel back to his play pen?" asked Fluttershy.

"Eeyup," replied Big Macintosh, as he picked up Angel with his mouth and proceeded to walk him back to the pen. Balling up his fists and kicking his legs, Angel tried to fight off Big Mac, but his tiny body was no match for Big Mac's strong bite.

Fluttershy then walked over to the uneasy Pin Drop and wrapped her hoof around him.

"Relax, sweetheart. It was only a mask," Fluttershy assured while holding out a hoof to the ugly cyclops mask.

"Y-yeah, I know," Pin Drop tried to allege while shyly looking down at the floor.

"Are you about that?" Fluttershy teasingly asked while glancing at her embarrassed son.

"Well--," Pin Drop started, but then looked back down at the floor while blushing.

"Oh, it's fine," promised Fluttershy, who pulled Pin Drop close and exchanged smiles with the shaky pegasus. "Come on. Let's go downstairs to the kitchen and eat." The two trotted along out of Pin Drop's room.

Fluttershy and Pin Drop reached the kitchen, where all of Fluttershy's woodland critters help gather up all of Pin Drop's belongings that are needed for Orientation.

"But really, mom, I wasn't that scared", Pin Drop promised, as he and Fluttershy approached the counter where a bowl of  cereal awaits. "In fact, I even almost tried to fight back".

"Oh really?" Did you plan on lifting the bureau and throwing it across the room?" Fluttershy teasingly asked Pin Drop, who sat down as she poured the milk onto the flakes.

"Well, maybe," Pin Drop playfully responded back, picking up his spoon. "But then again, I would've need to call dad for backup". He scooped up a spoonful of the cereal and put it in his mouth.

"I don't know how he keeps finding that mask," Fluttershy queried. "I've hid it in every corner of the house that I could find. That I could even reach. And somehow, he keeps getting a hold of it."

"Yeah, well, it's gonna feel refreshing to take a break from that little twit," Pin Drop confessed after he swallowed his cereal, causing Fluttershy to let out a gasp.

"Pin Drop! How could you say that about Angel? He's a very important member to this family. Your father and I love him very much."

After taking another bite of cereal, Pin Drop raised an eyebrow to Fluttershy asking if she was really kidding him. Swallowing his bite, he turned to Big Mac, who was just returning to the kitchen from putting away Angel.

"Dad, do you really care about Angel?" asked Pin Drop before taking another bite.

"Nnope," Big Mac responded, causing Fluttershy to gasp even louder than before.

"Mac! How could you say that! I thought you loved Angel!" exclaimed the mare taken aback.

"Oh hell no, I don't," Big Mac ensured.

"Face it, mom. King Sombra is more lovable than that spoiled ball of fur," Pin Drop claimed, taking another bite of cereal. Fluttershy couldn't believe what she was hearing. After years of living together under the same roof, her two favorite stallions in the whole world were making such ornery comments about her fillyhood bunny.

"This is unbelievable! Neither of you know how much Angel has meant to this family," Fluttershy claimed. I mean, he comforted after that awfully nasty article about my tail extensions. He also helped me overcome my fear of stage fright, reminded me of Princess Celestia's arrival…"

"He also broke my magnifying glass, ruined dad's vegetable garden, peed on my twelve page essay on the Everfree Forest, sent another story to the Foal Free Press about dad's obsession with Smartypants…," Pin Drop began to list. As Big Mac listened to the former event, he glanced at his Smartypants doll on the floor. Feeling embarrassed, he nudged it under the table.

"Okay, well, maybe there are a few things in the past he wasn't to do, but I feel it's right to go easy on the little fella," Fluttershy began, starting to sound a little worried. "I mean, 'cause after all, he could be gone pretty soon."

Exchanging lackadaisical looks, both Big Mac and Pin Drop tried their best to prepare sympathetic replies, but couldn't bring themselves to do it. Surprised by their unwillingness to show compassion, Fluttershy was about to give an outraged response, but restrained herself from doing so, deciding that it was best of her to avoid anymore unsetting feelings.

"Well Pin Drop, I hope you feel very happy that there are no Angels in Crystal Lake," Fluttershy snarked. Pin Drop was suddenly filled with excitement at just the mentioning of Crystal Lake. In fact, he nearly dropped his spoon and choked on his flakes preparing for a response.

"Oh yeah. You bet there aren't!" Pin Drop began excitedly. "It's exorbitant in color, rapid in speed, immaculate in quality. I mean, who wouldn't see it as their dream destination? It's the most peaceful, most relaxing place in the entire world! Well, that is until most of the tourists are gone, but still. And best of all…"

"No cyclops sharks?" Fluttershy tried to complete.

"No, I was gonna say tons of plant life," Pin Drop corrected, finishing his last bite of cereal.

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy gave him the exact same stubborn look he gave him before.

"Yes."

"Oh. Okay. Well then. It looks like the animals have finished packing your things and you're ready to head off to Orientation. Would you like me to help you carry these to the train station?"

"No. I got it." Pin Drop answered, as he put on his backpack and put his extra traveling bag in his mouth. "Thanks anyway."

Feeling surprised by the answer, Fluttershy still managed to walk over to the door and hold it open for Pin Drop. Once he was outside, Fluttershy stood at the door facing him, with Big Mac approaching her and standing by her side to watch their son leave.

"Have a great Orientation weekend, honey!" the mare said, waving hooves along with Big Mac.

"Thanks mom, thanks dad!" Pin Drop waved his hooves back. "I love you guys!"

"We love you, too, sweetheart!"

"Eeyup!" Big Mac exclaimed.

The peaceful married couple watched as their son flew away from their cottage. Once he was far away enough, they closed the door and headed back into their home.

As Big Mac went upstairs to the bedroom, Fluttershy trotted back into the kitchen, almost breaking into tears just by wondering how her little colt grew up so fast on her. She went over to the cereal bowl and was about to pick it up and clean it, when suddenly, she noticed a few dark objects in the dirty bowl. Leaning forward, she closely examined the darkish things in the milk, which appeared to be chocolate chunks at first. Hm, I didn't know Frosted Flakes had chocolate chunks, she thought. However, her nose then picked up a stench, one that was much like the one that she senses when cleaning Angel's litter box. Coming to the realization of what was really in that cereal, she let out what she would call a loud cry of Angel's name.

"Lassay!" yelled Applejack from the kitchen as she was cleaning the pots and pans from the breakfast she had prepared for her son. She had been working all morning preparing breakfast for her son, Lassi. She was intent on giving her stallion a well-cooked meal before allowing him to make his way to Marefield. She didn't want him to make a good first impression on an empty stomach. Applejack, however, had been cooking since five am, and now finally cleaning up the pots and pans, her face started to redden.

"Lassay! Come down to eat!" Applejack yelled again, but still no answer. Coupled with Lassi not responding to her calls, she felt her face becoming even redder.

Suddenly, Caramel came rushing into the kitchen looking worried and confused. He began darting his head around the room, as if looking for something. Noticing his entrance, Applejack turned to him in hopes of getting some help.

"Caramel, hun. Can you go upstairs and see what's slowin' that dang rabbit colt down?" she asked.

"In a moment, Apples. I just need to find my grass seeds," responded Caramel, as he nervously opened up cabinet doors to look for his misplaced item.

"Grass seeds? Wha…Caramel, it's summer! Winter Wrap Up ain't for another two seasons!" exclaimed Applejack.

"Yeah, well it's just…UGH!" Caramel slammed the cabinet doors shut in frustration and ran out of the kitchen to search some place else. "I know I left it somewhere!" Rolling her eyes, Applejack went back to cleaning, scrubbing them a little harder than before.

Now coupled with Caramel being too distracted to offer any assistance, Applejack felt her face becoming even redder. Mumbling some choice words to herself, Applejack felt the rage gradually build up in her before letting out one last yell.

"LASSAY!!!" the farmpony exclaimed as loud as she could.

"Alright, alright, I'm comin', I'm comin'," said Lassi with his deep southern voice as he finally made his way into the kitchen. Wearing a black biker vest and a gold ring on his left ear, Lassi let out a well-needed yawn as Applejack wiped her hooves dry and approached him in a stern manner.

"There you are, ah've been callin' you for the last hour, an' just now y'all are comin' down," Applejack claimed, now standing in front of Lassi.

"Look, ah'm sorry, mom, okay? It's just that ah've been tossin' and turnin' all night," Lassi put a hoof to his forehead, feeling as if he has a headache. "There was the noise of hummin' an' pots bangin' an' som'n sizzlin', I think ah even heard a timer go off."

"Well that was just the sound of your mom cooking up a whole storm full a grub," Applejack said as she held out a hoof to the dining table. Now beginning to wake up, Lassi's eyes widened at the sight of food that stood before him. He was transfixed by the vast selection of meals that barely fit on the entire table. Lassi couldn't believe that his mother stayed up all night preparing it. He didn't know if he should've felt impressed by her effort and devotion, or agitated by how that was what kept him awake. Applejack excitedly darted towards the table as Lassi took some time to question whether or not he was still dreaming.

"Wow," was the only response Lassi could give.

"I know, right?" Applejack started to rush to every meal that she listed. "So check it out. We got apple pancakes, apple waffles, apple-maple french toast, apple cinnamon crepes, green apple muffins, toast with apple jelly, chicken apple sausages, apple bacon, and a nice glass of apple…oh, wait, this is orange juice, but any who, that's what's on the menu for today". Applejack leaned herself on the table, nearly tipping it over but managing to balance it out again.

Lassi approached the table to closely examine the options he had. Is it even possible to make apple bacon, he thought. Just the site of apples made his stomach jump.

"Ah'll say, with this much food, you could hold a buckin' banquet", Lassi finally replied.

"Hey! Watch your mouth," Applejack warned.

"For what? Swearin' or stuffin'?" Lassi asked sardonically. Applejack let out a bit of a sigh.

"Well, if you had to choose one over the other, Ah'd say stuffin'. Well, do on an' dig in."

"Uh, well, actually…" Lassi glanced towards the floor guiltily. Realizing what might be going on, Applejack widens her eyes.

"Did y'all make one of them sunrise shakes before bringin' your flank down to this here kitchen?" she asked skeptically.

"No", Lassi assured defensively as he pulled out his mini blender which, indeed, did contain his smoothie. "Ah made it upstairs and was plannin' on drinking it as ah got mah stuff together." Annoyed, Applejack approached her son.

"Lassay, ah don't like this. You live in a place that all surrounded by scrumptious food, and yet, y'all are always fillin' up on them fancy-shmancy smoothies."

"Well mom, ah like them for a reason. They're delicious, quick to make, easy to make, and best of all, they help me practice mixin'."

"Lassi, you can practice your mixin' all you want, but ah've been as busy as a cat coverin' dung on a marble floor cooking up these meals, and ah'm not just gonna be told to make it leftovers." Lassi gave Applejack a highly confused look.

"How does coverin' poop make you busy?" he asked in an honest manner.

"The point is ah worked very hard on this food an' ah feel like it deserves to be eaten!" she exclaimed. Lassi let out a huge sigh.

"Okay, well if it really means that much to ya, ah guess we'll just blend it all up," Lassi proposed as she walked towards the garbage bin. Applejack was taken aback by Lassi's suggestion.

"Oh no, not mah well cooked food!" Applejack ran towards the garbage bin. Lassi dumped the shake into the bin and started walking back to the table by the time Applejack got to it. "Lassi, th…that's wasteful!" Lassi was now approaching the table with mini blender in hoof. She managed to quickly dash towards the table and block his way towards it spreading out her hooves. Lassi didn't have much of a reaction to it, though. "You are not puttin' a single nutrient into that blender."

Lassi thought to ask his dad for permission to do a little experimenting.

"Dad!" Lassi called out. Caramel instantly came rushing in, still expressing worry.

"Yes? Yes? Yes? Lassi! What is it?!" Caramel asked, turning to Lassi.

"Can ah put some of mom's food into mah blender?" Lassi asked.

"Yeah, sure whatever. Just let me focus on this okay?!" Caramel dashed right back out of the kitchen. Lassi gave Applejack an awkward glance.

"What's he all worked up about?" he asked.

"He's just upset that he lost his grass seeds again," Applejack answered.

"Okay…why is he worrying about that?"

"Ah have no idea."

"Ah thought he wasn't a part of the plant crew anymore?" Lassi went around the table, pick up one of everything, and put it in his blender as Applejack stared off in the direction that Caramel ran.

"He ain't. Ah remember that Rarity needed more ponies for nest designin', and Caramel volunteered to assist her. It's just weird, though. Ah mean, even if he was still a part of the plant crew, then why would he have the seeds in the middle of--LASSAY!"

Turning her head, Applejack found Lassi to have completely stuffed the blender with her food, now just pouring the orange juice as the final ingredient.

"What? Dad said ah could do it," Lassi pointed out, placing the glass back on the table.

"But...that's disgustin'!" Applejack emphasized as she watched her son press the button on the blender, allowing the blades inside to mix the food into a recipe for breakfast bawdiness.

"Well, it's already mixin' in the blender, so there's no turnin' back now." Lassi released the button, allowing the device to finish mixing. he then twisted the top off the blender to find it containing a glassful of a dark, clumpy liquid. Applejack looked terrified throughout the whole thing.

"Well, down the hatch."Lassi swigged the foul fluid (if you can even call it that), causing Applejack's eyes to widen bigger with every second see saw him gulp what was once part of her beautiful breakfast. Finishing the drink, Lassi closed his mouth to let out a huge burp before opening it once again to give his honest opinion.

"Not bad," he admitted. Applejack was ready to throw up, but through some miracle, she restrained herself from doing so. Just to be sure, however, she leaned over the bin with her mouth wide open, ready for anything to escape her upset stomach.

Caramel eventually walked back into the kitchen with his head down.

"Gosh darnit," he told himself. "I thought I could find them somewhere, I guess I'll just have to keep looking harder next time." Remembering the time, Caramel glanced at the clock near the cabinets to realize it was almost eight o' clock. "Oh Celestia! Look at the time! Orientation starts in an hour!"

"Yeah, ah should probably get mah stuff together," Lassi said as he walked towards the door to put on his backpack.

"Son, I can help you with the traveling bag," Caramel offered, seeing Lassi reaching down with his mouth to grab it.

"It's fine, ah got it," Lassi promised as he grabbed the handle with his teeth. Feeling puzzled at first, Caramel decides to let it go as Lassi opens the door and proceeds to walk out.

"Bye, mom. Bye dad. Ah love you guys," he said, turning his head back one last time.

"Ah love you, too, sugarcube," Applejack replied, quite lackadaisically, as her head was still in the bin. As Lassi walked out of the house and across the farm of Sweet Apple Acres, Caramel approached the door.

"Have a blast at Orientation!" Caramel shouted.

"Ah will!" Lassi shouted back, now at a distance. Caramel shut the door behind him and began to walk back into the house when an idea suddenly popped into his head.

"The pig pen…," he told himself. "The pig pen! That's where they must be!" Caramel galloped his way out of the kitchen and to the pig pen, leaving behind a rather unhappy Applejack.

Finally mustering the strength to lift her head up, the gloomy Applejack brought herself back up to the kitchen sink to continue washing. Grabbing the sponge and beginning to wash once more, she contemplated on the hectic morning she was forced into. Spending an entire night preparing an extravagant breakfast for your son, he plans on not even eating it but rather downing his beloved smoothies from that dreaded mini blender. To make matters worse, he wastes his sunset shake to blend every mineral she work hard putting together, blending and downing it right before your tearless eyes, leaving behind a boatload of leftovers, she couldn't even bring herself to vomit. Applejack gradually began rubbing the pot harder. Then harder. And harder. Even harder. At this point, she scrubbed that pot as hard as she could, tiring her hoof, making sure it was as clean as it already was.

"UGH…This is the fourth time this month I've lost them! WHERE ARE MY GRASS SEEDS?!" shouted Caramel as he now proceeded to run back and forth in and out of the kitchen.

And then you have your anxious husband obsessing about misplacing something that he never even had to begin with. Her face now as red as her apple bacon strips, Applejack scrubbed the pot even harder than before. She should've thanked Celestia that she was working under a sink, because she felt like she could light that pot on fire. She proceeded to turn on the water, making sure that that doesn't really happen.

Making himself a cup of coffee, Quill Pusher thought back to when he first saw Cheerilee this morning. The way she beamed. The way she exulted. The way she smiled. That smile. It was a smile for sure, but was it the same smile he saw often from her? And those eyes. He didn't even want to start on that. As Quill Pusher reflected on Cheerilee's attitude this morning, he started to worry how all the other students would hold up; how they would pull through this weekend, or even this year, if this is how the president would be behaving. Realizing his coffee is ready, he took it out of the maker and poured some into his mug. He almost put it to his mouth, but then thought back to Cheerilee's "coffee-flavored episode". Feeling uneasy, Quill Pusher dumped the drink into the garbage bin beside him. Abruptly, Cherry Fizzy pulls his head out of the bin and screaming in response to the scorching temperature of the liquid, allowing Quill Pusher to be very much startled by his presence. Still screaming, he ran out of the conference room.

"Sorry," Quill Pusher guiltily tried to shout at him, but got no response, as Cherry Fizzy was too far away. Quill Pusher glanced down at the floor, feeling an unpleasant mixture of shame and uncertainty.