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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
A Foot in the Door
Truffle Shuffle made sure to arrive at school a little early that morning, and he kept his saddlebag away from anything that might bump or jostle it. Usually, he’d get there after most of the other students, but today he walked into an empty classroom. All quiet, except the sounds of Miss Cheerilee rummaging through the storage room.
Construction paper, crayons, and paste, no doubt, since they’d be making their little heart-shaped pockets to exchange Hearts and Hooves Day cards. He pulled out a bottle from his saddlebag, a glittery red ribbon tied about its neck, and carefully set it on a particular desk, then retreated to his own chair in the last row, put on his fez, got out yesterday’s copy of The Foal Free Press, and leaned back to read.
Soon enough, hoofsteps sounded from the doorway, and somepony weaved her way through the aisles and scooted back her chair. She was almost always the first student here, and thank goodness she’d kept to her normal schedule. The fewer ponies who saw, the better.
But then several more showed up and scattered to their desks, a low hum of conversation floating about. Nothing else, though—hadn’t she seen it yet? Truffle had just about lowered his paper to have a peek when he heard a soft gasp. Now, she might not figure out who’d left it for her. Just as well.
He did peek, but as she quickly glanced this way and that, he’d rivet his eyes on his paper and try to look bored whenever her gaze traversed his way. If she had suspicions, she didn’t linger on watching any of them; instead, she undid the bow and popped the stopper off. One delicate sniff with her impossibly cute little nose, and she grinned. He caught a whiff, too: hyacinths, one of his favorite scents. Would she like it, too? He’d always loved the smell coming from his neighbor’s flower garden, and for weeks now, it’d reminded him of her.
She took one more look around the room. Even more children there now, but out of the corner of his eye—did she pause on him, just for a second?
“What is that?” Diamond Tiara said as she plopped into her seat.
“I… I don’t know,” Silver Spoon replied. “Some kind of perfume.”
Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to inspect the label. “The cheap stuff. What are you doing with it?”
With a shrug, Silver Spoon curled a hoof around the bottle and slid it toward her open saddlebag. “Somepony left it for me, I guess.” She rolled her eyes to the side and almost looked behind her—
“Well, you don’t want anything from one of these losers.”
Silver’s hoof stopped.
Her mouth stretching into a sneer, Diamond narrowed her eyes. “Do you?”
“N-no, I—”
“Good.” Diamond trotted around Silver Spoon’s desk, picked up the bottle, and tossed it in the wastebasket. “There. Problem solved.”
“Yeah. I didn’t want it anyway.” Silver’s ears perked up, and she started making faces at Scootaloo.
Truffle folded up his paper and got ready for class.
While the rest of the class went outside, Truffle stayed at his desk and unpacked his lunch. A good one, too—his mom had showed him how to mix and match seasonings to create unique flavors for a long time now, and he’d gotten quite good at it. Someday, he’d even love to cook for…
More laughter from outside, but at least not at him this time. He took a bite of his pasta, but he almost jumped at the hoof on his shoulder.
“You seem a little preoccupied,” Cheerilee said. He kept chewing. “Too preoccupied to notice that Diamond Tiara is out sick today.”
He looked, and sure enough, no saddlebag at her seat. But next to it, at Silver Spoon’s desk, something gleamed from the cubbyhole, something red and sparkly. The ribbon…
Cheerilee nodded, then jutted her chin toward the door. So Truffle ambled outside slowly, and under a tree, at a picnic table by herself, there she sat with a cup of tea and a packet of scones.
“Do you mind?” he asked. No answer. She only stared straight ahead. So he let out a sigh, then another breath in through the nose—hyacinths?
He sat down at the far end, for her sake. And still she stared ahead, but… a smile. A little one, but a smile.
And that was enough, he decided. No lunch had ever tasted quite so good.
Construction paper, crayons, and paste, no doubt, since they’d be making their little heart-shaped pockets to exchange Hearts and Hooves Day cards. He pulled out a bottle from his saddlebag, a glittery red ribbon tied about its neck, and carefully set it on a particular desk, then retreated to his own chair in the last row, put on his fez, got out yesterday’s copy of The Foal Free Press, and leaned back to read.
Soon enough, hoofsteps sounded from the doorway, and somepony weaved her way through the aisles and scooted back her chair. She was almost always the first student here, and thank goodness she’d kept to her normal schedule. The fewer ponies who saw, the better.
But then several more showed up and scattered to their desks, a low hum of conversation floating about. Nothing else, though—hadn’t she seen it yet? Truffle had just about lowered his paper to have a peek when he heard a soft gasp. Now, she might not figure out who’d left it for her. Just as well.
He did peek, but as she quickly glanced this way and that, he’d rivet his eyes on his paper and try to look bored whenever her gaze traversed his way. If she had suspicions, she didn’t linger on watching any of them; instead, she undid the bow and popped the stopper off. One delicate sniff with her impossibly cute little nose, and she grinned. He caught a whiff, too: hyacinths, one of his favorite scents. Would she like it, too? He’d always loved the smell coming from his neighbor’s flower garden, and for weeks now, it’d reminded him of her.
She took one more look around the room. Even more children there now, but out of the corner of his eye—did she pause on him, just for a second?
“What is that?” Diamond Tiara said as she plopped into her seat.
“I… I don’t know,” Silver Spoon replied. “Some kind of perfume.”
Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to inspect the label. “The cheap stuff. What are you doing with it?”
With a shrug, Silver Spoon curled a hoof around the bottle and slid it toward her open saddlebag. “Somepony left it for me, I guess.” She rolled her eyes to the side and almost looked behind her—
“Well, you don’t want anything from one of these losers.”
Silver’s hoof stopped.
Her mouth stretching into a sneer, Diamond narrowed her eyes. “Do you?”
“N-no, I—”
“Good.” Diamond trotted around Silver Spoon’s desk, picked up the bottle, and tossed it in the wastebasket. “There. Problem solved.”
“Yeah. I didn’t want it anyway.” Silver’s ears perked up, and she started making faces at Scootaloo.
Truffle folded up his paper and got ready for class.
While the rest of the class went outside, Truffle stayed at his desk and unpacked his lunch. A good one, too—his mom had showed him how to mix and match seasonings to create unique flavors for a long time now, and he’d gotten quite good at it. Someday, he’d even love to cook for…
More laughter from outside, but at least not at him this time. He took a bite of his pasta, but he almost jumped at the hoof on his shoulder.
“You seem a little preoccupied,” Cheerilee said. He kept chewing. “Too preoccupied to notice that Diamond Tiara is out sick today.”
He looked, and sure enough, no saddlebag at her seat. But next to it, at Silver Spoon’s desk, something gleamed from the cubbyhole, something red and sparkly. The ribbon…
Cheerilee nodded, then jutted her chin toward the door. So Truffle ambled outside slowly, and under a tree, at a picnic table by herself, there she sat with a cup of tea and a packet of scones.
“Do you mind?” he asked. No answer. She only stared straight ahead. So he let out a sigh, then another breath in through the nose—hyacinths?
He sat down at the far end, for her sake. And still she stared ahead, but… a smile. A little one, but a smile.
And that was enough, he decided. No lunch had ever tasted quite so good.