Nathan and the rest of the entire class had just finished up a test that had 100 questions that involved a unit lesson on Friendship Throughout the Ages and the questions involved everything they had learned in this unit. But unlike the others who had studied hard and strong for this test, Nathan slacked off and did not study hard enough. Luckily somepony who had the answers stolen from a grade book that he took from Twilight's office that she was going to use to grade the tests and had given the answers to Nathan, which he wrote on his arm and covered them with a long sleeve shirt.
Now he got lucky for nopony looking when he undid his sleeve and looked at the written answers and completed the test at the same time as everypony else. But now the time had come for all to go home and to their living quarters, they were all tired from looking at the six page test and were looking forward to just kicking back and resting and that is exactly what was happening. As all the classes let out, everypony and creature walked into the hallways with Nathan in the middle, but unlike the smiles and laughs they had, Nathan had a sad and regretful look, Smolder took notice of this and walked up to him.
"Hey Nate, why the long face, we completed our first test, we got freedom now." she said, that's when Nathan turned to her.
"Smolder, ah' don't think that is the case for me." he said to her.
"Why?" she asked.
Nathan begrudgingly pulled up his sleeve and showed her the answers to the test, now she had quickly discovered the horrifying truth about what he just did.
"Nathan........YOU CHEATED?!!" she yelled.
"Yes, ah' didn't study hard enough." he answered.
"Nathan, I cannot believe you did that!" she exclaimed.
"You know you're really going to be in for it when Headmare Sparkle finds out." she said.
"Ah' know." he said hanging his head, Smolder quickly calmed herself, knelt down to Nathan's height, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"If you were having trouble studying, why didn't you just come to me or some other creature or pony for help, we would've been more than happy to give you the help you needed."
"Ah' don't know, ah' thought it wouldn't be a big deal, ah' thought the test would be too easy to remember." he answered, Smolder then hugged him for she had been taught that honesty was one of the elements of harmony in friendship and Nathan was being totally honest to her for telling the truth.
"Look kid, some things may look easy, but when you do them, it's not what it really seems to be." Smolder said as she picked him up and held him in her arms.
"A 100 question test is just not one of those things that are easy."
"Ah' understand now." Nathan said.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you, I just never would've thought you would do a thing like that, but I think Headmare Twilight would want to hear about this." she said.
"Yes." Nathan said.
"Come on kid, let's get over to her office." Smolder said keeping Nathan in her arms.
Meanwhile, in her quarters, Twilight was busy handing out reports and attendance sheets to Spike which he was supposed to hand out for the next day to the professors for weekly makeshifts.
"There Spike, that's the last of them." she said spawning to Spike who had a humongous stack of attendance papers.
"Thanks Twilight." he said with a low voice because of how heavy the stack was, he then flapped his wings and floated out into the hallways closing the door behind him. Twilight then turned her attention over to grading papers of a quiz from last week, as she dug into the papers and started grading them, she heard a knock on her office door, she then stared up at it and smiled.
"Come in." she said with a raised voice, the door opened to reveal Smolder with Nathan held in her arms.
"Hi Smolder, hi Nathan, is there something I can help you two with?" she asked.
"Actually Headmare Twilight, this involves Nathan." she said as she gently put him down on the chair that faced Twilight's desk, Smolder then sat next to him.
"Well Nathan, what did you get involved with?" she asked.
Nathan gulped in fear, "Um, you know that test we took today, the one that contained 100 questions on Friendship through the ages?"
"Oh, what about it?" Twilight asked.
Nathan then thought it would be a good time to fake a relief, "Okay, thanks I feel better, bye!" he said trying to make a break for it.
"NATHAN!!!" Twilight and Smolder both said.
"Chair!" said Twilight, pointing to the chair he was sitting in and signaling him to plant his butt back in it, Nathan knew he couldn't hide it, so he sat back in the chair.
Finally he spoke up, "Ah' cheated Aunt Twilight, ah' had the answers to the test written on mah' arm." then he rolled up his sleeve to show her the evidence, Twilight gasped in shock because she would've never thought her own nephew would do something so hurtful and wrong like this.
"Nathan, why?!" she demanded as Nathan started crying.
"Ah' don't know, ah' did study, then ah' figured the answers would be too easy to remember, but then some unicorn named Snow Drift forced me to accept that cheating would be the only way out of failin' the test, then he gave me the answers, ah'm sorry Aunt Twilight, ah'm the worst student here." he then started crying, Smolder hugged him while Twilight gave him a box of tissues, then took one and blew his nose while drying his eyes.
"Nathan, you're not the worst student here, you're a good blessing to this school, you just didn't know what you were thinking." Twilight said.
"But ah' cheated!!!!!" he whined.
Twilight thought things over for a minute then came to a quick conclusion.
"Okay Nathan, here's what's going to happen, because you told me the truth, I am not going to tell your parents about this. However, I will notify them that you are staying here for the weekend and studying double time because you are going to retake this test Monday morning and I want it done correctly, understand?" she said sternly.
"Yes ma'am." he obeyed.
"Now look Nathan, you're not only such a good student here, but you're also my nephew, and I just want you to understand that I'm only doing this because I love you." she said.
"Give me a hug." she said opening up her forehoof, Nathan then got out of his chair and hugged her.
"Now go on you and Smolder are dismissed." and then he and Smolder left closing the door behind them as Twilight went back to grading papers.
"Well kid, I hope you now know what happens when you cheat." said Smolder as she and Nathan walked through the school hallways.
"Ah' understand, ah'm makin' a vow, from this day fourth, a single thought of cheatin' shall never enter mah' brain's thoughts ever again, ah' will be a gifted student and study hard and long, just like everypony else."
"That's my dragon!" Smolder exclaimed happily as she slapped Nathan on his back, "And I will also stay here for the weekend to help you, you can stay the weekend with me in my quarters, we'll work together and see to it that you get the proper and more better earned A+ that I know you're capable of earning."
"Well kid, you wanna spend the weekend with me, you can sleep with me in my quarters." said Smolder.
"Come on Smold, ah'd love to!" said Nathan with joy.
Smolder then picked him back up in her arms and they went over to the dorm quarters, for they had a whole weekend of working together to make sure Nathan would get the proper grade that was truly earned.