Good Morning, Class

"H-Hello." Spike said, adjusting his tie in an attempt to calm his nerves. However, silence reigned in the room.

"CUTE!!"

For about three seconds, before the air, and possibly a few eardrums, were rent by the triple squeal. Spike stepped back on reflex when three of the students; two earth ponies: one pink and wearing a bikini that showed off quite the figure, the other a light grey and dressed in a sweater that seemed to engulf her; and a blue-grey female griffon also in a somewhat baggy cargo shirt that looked like it was made entirely of pockets-every single one of them loaded with various tools and miscellaneous items-though her legs were noticeably bare, almost took flying leaps towards him but were quickly restrained by the ones beside them.

"No, Pinkie! Settle down, heel! Ember, help!"

"But Twilight, He's so adorable!"

"No glomping teachers, Pinkie! Twilight, grab her tail! She's getting loose!"

He blinked. That was new. It took him a second to notice there were actually little hearts in the pony girls' eyes.

"Calm down, Marble."

"Can't I hug him just a little, Maud?"

"Not unless it's ok with him."

"Gabby! Quit it! A little help, Juniper!?"

"Oh my gosh! He's so...!

"Gabby." Cadance called out, giving the griffoness a knowing look, "Sit down."

"Yes, Miss Cadance!" She chirped, quickly sitting down with an adorably wide smile on her face. She was also visibly vibrating from her excitement.

He'd been called 'adorable', 'cute', even 'kawaii' from a Neighponese gal he bumped into once, but they didn't react to him like this. "Is...is this normal?"

Cadance chuckled and waved it off, "Don't worry, this lot can be a bit energetic sometimes, but they're great when you get to know them." She let out a quick whistle, "Ok, girls, settle down. Pinkie, Marble. You too." Once the would-be pouncers were back in their chairs, she continued, "Like I said, Spike here is your new Homeroom teacher..."

"But...but he's just a kid!" A blue, and quite buxom, pegasus blurted out, a couple of others voicing their agreement. Spike quickly tried to focus on the gemstone poster behind her to avoid how her breasts were almost bouncing out of the sling bikini she had on.

"You'll be surprised, Rainbow." Cadance replied, "Regardless, I've checked his credentials and his teaching license is legitimate. Do any of you really think Scorpan would've recommended someone if he didn't feel they were right for the job?" She was answered with murmurs of ascent, "Ok! So, how about we open things up with a little Q&A, so you can get to know each other better?"

"Ooh! Ohh!" The one named Gabby squeaked eagerly, "Are you going to be full time?What's your favorite food? What do you like to do for fun? Where...?"

"Gabby! Gabby!" Cadance called out, "Calm down and just pick one. You'll get a chance." She looked at the others, "Anyone else?

With that, a few hands shot up. As Cadance picked out one, Spike took a second to get a lay of the land. Most of the looks they were giving him was a mix of curiosity, a little confusion, and a couple that seemed indifferent. The pink and light grey ones, named Pinkie and Marble if he heard right, along with a second pegaus-this one butter-yellow and almost as busty- were looking at him with blushes and smiles. A couple of others seemed to share that opinion. For some reason, that made him feel a little better out his situation. One however, a surprisingly well-endowed dragoness who apparently was the one named Ember, simply looked at him and nodded slightly.

The classroom itself seemed to be set up more like a small lecture hall; three tiered rows of eleven seats each with steps on either end. Instead of separate desks, each row sat at one long desk, the seats apparently spaced out enough to give them a decent enough work area. The teacher's desk was slightly off to the corner, and a podium in front of a massive blackboard that took up almost the entire front wall.

"Ok, Fluttershy, let's start with you." Cadance's voice quickly brought him back to the present.

Just in time to see the yellow pegasus fidgeting with a strand of her hair, the red in her cheeks brightening, "Um...w-what are your thoughts on....on cuddling?"

"What she said!" Pinkie threw in, pointing at her wildly.

Spike chuckled weakly, "W-well, I'm not against it, just depends where." This brought out blushes from a couple others and some light giggling.

"Ok, let's keep the questions to a less personal level, all right?" Cadance cut in, nodding to the lavender unicorn that had restrained Pinkie "Twilight?"

"What kind of books are you interested in?" She seemed more than eager to ask that particular question.

"Kind of varies, Fetlock Holmes, a little H.T. Hoofcraft, Some Sci-Fi, Fantasy...and the occasional issue of Power Ponies." That earned him a few more giggles. A part of him felt that maybe, just maybe things wouldn't be too bad. Aside from the plethora of bare and semi-bare hotties surrounding him at least.

"Juniper?" Cadance looked at the light green earth pony beside Gabby.

"So...what made you want to teach college?" She asked. Judging from the sounds of agreement that went through the class, this was something almost all of them were wondering.

"To be honest, this is technically my first real class; had just recently earned my certification." He scratched the back of his neck a little sheepishly, "At first I thought my first teaching job would be Kindergarten or Elementary. Didn't expect it to be college. I was pretty surprised to learn I'd been recommended for the position"

"Well, it certainly looks like you had little trouble acquiring it, darling." A snowy-colored unicorn in the back row commented. The smile on her face showed she meant it in a complimentary fashion.

"Almost didn't. For...obvious reasons..." He gestured to his small stature, "A couple of my instructors refused to believe I was serious about it and pretty much denied my application out of hand. It was a bit of an uphill battle."

"So they were gonna boot you out just 'cause of yer age?" the mare beside her spoke up, the twang in her voice showing she was definitely a country girl, "That just ain't right!"

"Fortunately the others disagreed with them, so here I am."

Cadance then looked at the still excited griffon, "All right. Gabby, how many questions did you have?"

"Um...I'm up to 37 so far."

"Just ask one. Save the rest for the others,"

This caused the whole class-Gabby included-to giggle.

It took her a moment to think, but then she smiled and stood up. "First, I just want to say how amazing it is that you've managed so much despite everything that must have been against you."

Spike smiled warmly. "Thanks. It's been a long struggle, but worth it."

"So what subjects are you qualified to teach?" She asked, eagerness saturating her voice.

"I haven't really gotten a mastery in a specific subject yet. So I'm just the Homeroom teacher right now."

"Oh. Ok!" She chirped, "I'm sure you'll find one you want soon!"

"Ember, you look eager to ask something." Cadance looked over to the dragoness.

"Um, is..is there any subject you feel qualified to tutor in?" For a second, Spike could have sworn she blushed some. This caused a slightly louder bit of giggling from the other girls, no doubt at the idea of a little kid 'tutoring'.

"It depends; I received top marks in Calculus, AP Chemistry, and AP Physics, so I should be able to give you a hand in one of those. Been told I'm a pretty good cook, too."

Every giggle stopped dead when he said that, and more than a few jaws dropped. Twilight and a yellowish-grey unicorn both looked at him with something akin to shock or awe. Spike simply grinned.

"Ok, I think we have time for one more before class has to start." Cadance fought to stifle her own giggles as she looked around and pointed to a beige earth pony, "Bonbon?"

"Have you already moved to campus?"

"Ah. No, I live on the south side of town."

"The south side?" This caused Twilight to look at him in confusion, "I don't remember any residential areas there...there's the train yard, the old steel mill, that place that makes those cheap plastic raincoats, and..." Her ears slowly slowly lowered as she took on a look of horror, "Spike...please tell me you don't live in Everfree Heights!"

"Um...yes?"

"WHAT!"

Spike was knocked on his tail from the collective shriek of the other thirty females currently in the room.

"Are you crazy!? That place is dangerous!" The mint unicorn beside Bonbon cried out.

"And scary!" Pinkie whimpered, "Just getting near that place gives me the willies!"

"That dumphole creeps ME out!" The eagle-colored griffoness beside Ember added, "Wouldn't go there if you paid me!"

"Will you all relax?" He said, climbing back to his feet, "It's not like I live in the middle of it."

"Spike, Everfree Heights has the highest crime rate in Canterlot!" Cadance replied. glowering at him a little, "Seriously, what possessed you go to live there!?"

He sighed, "It's the only place I could afford and still be able to take my courses. And for the record, I only had one guy try and break into my apartment." The smile he put on was almost malevolent, "He learned the hard way that a wool ski mask and dragon fire isn't a fun combo. Hehehe, the idiot bounced down the fire escape like a slinky."

*Gigglesnort!* Ember quickly covered her mouth to stop laughing at the thought of that.

"Wait..." A rose-colored earth pony in the front row spoke up, "You said it was a place 'you' could afford. You didn't mention anyone else! Do not tell us you are living alone!"

"Ok..." He hesitated, a little wary of how incensed they sounded initially, "I won't?" Once again he was knocked off his feet by shouts of outrage.

"Yer by yerself!? In THAT PLACE!?"

"Where the TARTARUS are his parents!?"

"Miss C, you GOTTA get him moved to campus!"

"I agree! Who knows what could happen to him there, regardless of how long he's been there!"

This continued for several seconds before Cadance gave a piercing whistle to quiet them down "They have a point, Spike." She commented once the protests settled, "You may not have had any trouble there yet, but it just takes one unlucky moment for you. And personally, I'd feel better knowing my newest teacher is out of there."

"I can't move!" He protested, more than a little shocked at how strongly they were all reacting to this, "The landlord's already threatened to keep my security deposit if I leave before next month's rent! Five hundred bits isn't that big a deposit, but still!"

"You don't have a lease? It's just month to month?" The one who restrained Marble-Maud, if he remembered right- asked in a deadpan tone.

"Yeah, from what I've seen he doesn't care who moves in as long as they pay rent. The turnover's pretty high too."

"I believe withholding a deposit like that is illegal in Canterlot."

"It most certainly is!" Cadance's eyes narrowed somewhat and her horn flashed a few of times, causing Spike to take a couple steps away.

'Ok...mental note, pissing off the dean is quite possibly hazardous to one's health.' He thought.

She looked at him, "I will definitely be going with you when you go to get your things, Spike."

"W-what?" He looked around and saw that all the girls, even the ones who'd given him indifferent looks, were nodding or otherwise expressing their agreement, "Wait a second! I haven't even agreed yet!" He waved his arms frantically, trying to slow things down.

"Think of it this way." she started ticking items off, "Moving here: better security, no commute, no rent, considering what you said about tenant turnover there you'll have a chance to maybe make some friends, a twenty-hour-hour grocery store half a block away from here, plus there's on-site fitness center by the gym area, a five-star meal plan included that caters to all diets, including dragon, we have a really good cafeteria. Between the fashion, home ec, and similar courses, there's low cost clothing, and similar services like barber and masseuse available since classes like those tend to require volunteers for practice at times."

By the time she was finished, Spike was feeling torn, 'Oy vey...I didn't expect to get hit with a choice like this, much less on my first day on the job! Then again, everything she listed is really tempting; I've been at that place for the better part of a year now...and it's a shithole, to put it nicely...' "I gotta admit, that does sound pretty good...and that apartment was mainly just let me afford getting my certification, been wanting to get out for a while now."

"So, I'll take that as a yes?"

"I..." He sighed, the offer was too good. "Yeah, I'll move." He jumped when a few of the girls let out a cheer, along with a cloud of confetti from...somewhere and a party horn.

"Excellent! We'll go as soon as classes are over!" Cadance chirped happily, "Now, I believe your first subject is about to start." She looked over at the clock.

'Spike, I hope you know what you've signed yourself into. Spike thought, watching her literally scamper out the door.