[i]And your wise ponies don’t know how it feels[/i]


A loud snore echoed above the park. It was common to hear the blue pegasus sleeping above Ponyville. The following sound was also expected.

“Rainbow Dash!”

Said pegasus woke up, shook her head and looked down to find an orange pegasus.

“I’m coming, squirt.”

With her usual swift and grace, she left her cloud and landed in front of the filly.

“I need your help with my homework,” said Scootaloo. She rummaged in her saddlebag and took a sheet of paper out, helding it in front of her idol. Knowing her awesomeness, she would finish it in no time.

“Lemme see.” Rainbow Dash grabs the piece of paper.

[quote]An earth pony wants to plow his 1.2 hectares field. Knowing that the pony is able to plow 1300 m² in 2 hours and 15 mins before needing a 20 mins break, how long will it take for the pony to plow the entire field? [/quote]

She stared  at the piece of paper.

“Come on, Rainbow, do it quickly so I can watch your new stunts.”

Rainbow kept staring. “I… hmm…” She gulped. “What’s this?”

“Oh, it’s just a little math problem Cheerilee gave us for tomorrow.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

Scootaloo winced. Rainbow’s voice was raspier than usual. “What’s the problem, Rainbow?”

“This… This is badly phrased! I mean, do we need to take the pony’s sleep into account? Does he eat during his break or do we need to add another break?”

“I—I don’t know, but I think we only have to use what is given to us.”

“I’m gonna see Cheerilee and give her a piece of my mind,” she growled. “Giving uncomplete problems to kids. What was she thinking?”

In a blink of an eye, Rainbow Dash was gone. Scootaloo watched the blue dot shrinking in the horizon, while the sheet gently falled on the ground.

[hr]

Rainbow knocked on the classroom’s open door. “Mrs Cheerilee? Can I talk to you for a minute?”

The earth pony put the stack of paper on her desk. “Sure, come in.”

Rainbow slowly walked to the desk, avoiding the teacher’s gaze. “I’ve met Scootaloo a few minutes ago,” she said. “She showed me her homework.” She locked her eyes with Cheerilee’s. “I’m not pleased, not pleased at all.”

Years of dealing with annoying parents helped Cheerilee not rolling her eyes and keeping her composure. “What’s the problem?”

“What’s the problem? What’s the problem?” Rainbow Dash’s voice got louder. “The problem is Scootaloo is a pegasus and you’re teaching her earth pony’s stuff.”

Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. “Ponyville is an earth pony town. So it’s not much of a surprise that Ponyville’s foals are taught the earth pony way. Plus, I clearly remember you participating and even promoting some of our traditions, like the Running Of The Leaves or the Winter Wrap-Up.”

“Yeah, but that’s actual physical exercise,” she yelled. “This is just some nerdy stuff she won’t ever need!”

Cheerilee’s eyes were two block of ice and her voice as cold as the winter wind. “Mrs Dash, I can clearly see that you are beating around the bushes. So why don’t you tell me [i]exactly[/i] why you came?”

Rainbow held her gaze for a minute before looking at her hooves. “I…” Words were escaping her, something caught in her throat. “Have you ever come across something you don’t know how to deal with?” Cheerilee kept quiet, knowing that Rainbow was far from done. “Have you ever felt like you’re too stupid to resolve a situation? Like, you know there is an answer but you just can’t figure it out.”

“It happened more than you could count,” whispered Cheerilee.

“Look, Scootaloo isn’t the brightest filly you have taught. Giving her these kind of homeworks just reminds her of her difficulties. That’s cruel for a foal. I thought you knew better.”

“Mrs Dash, Scootaloo is more resourceful than you give her credit for. She is very capable to handle difficulty. Do I need to remind you of her condition? How hard it could be for her to see you be one of the best flyer in Equestria? That's not the case, because she’s tough. It is not a little problem like this that will stop her.”

“But—”

“When was the last time you really tried to outdo yourself?”

“I do it all the time!” Rainbow Dash disappeared in a blur. 

“I hope so,” whispered Cheerilee.


[i]To be thick as a brick.[/i]