“Come along, children! Everypony aboard the train!”

Cheerilee gulped, and looked around her at the station. They were going on a field trip, and already now everything was falling apart: her foals, relaxed and overfull of energy after their summer vacation, were scattered to the four winds across the station. She might as well have been speaking to the statues in the Canterlot Sculpture Garden, their first destination.

“This train is about to leave the station, ma'am,” said the train conductor, his clock ticking. “Please get your company on board now.”

Cheerilee threw him a weary smile, searching for sympathy from one adult charged with corralling groups to another, but finding nothing.

“I know that, I'm just—Rumble, Pipsqueak, stop that! Don't throw rocks at the station sign!”

“Yes Miss Cheerilee.” The two colts dragged their hooves over and inside the carriage.

“Miss, the train is already late leaving the station.” The conductor tapped the face of his watch.

“I understand that. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, leave the vending machine alone and get on board this instant!”

The two fillies grumbled and went on board.

“I am going to count down from ten,” the conductor said. “Once I hit one, I will wave my flag and the train will start. Ten.”

“Twist, Featherweight, I know you're standing around the corner, quit playing 'doctor' and get out here right now!”

“Nine.”

“Yeth mith Cheerilee,” Twist said, and the two went on the train.

“Let me see, who does that – Snips and Snails, I don't even want to know what you're doing to that cat but stop it and get in the train right now!”

“Eight.”

The cat lashed at Snips's face, then leapt free as the colt yelped and fell back. The two foals reluctantly joined the party inside.

“Seven.”

“Okay, okay, that was one two... eleven twelve, who does that leave?” She looked rapidly around the platform, which was empty of any more foals. “I know there are more.”

“Six.”

“Kids? Who's left?” Through the windows of the carriage in front of her the foals were now sitting at least semi-obediently in seats, looking out and around at each other. Cheerilee quickly ran through the names in her head to see who was still missing.

“Five.”

“Shut up! I am trying to think!” Cheerilee was growling at him now, deeply feeling the betrayal of somepony who should have been of her tribe, the responsible adults who were supposed to help each other. Her eyes widened as she realized who was still missing. “Oh no...”

“Four,” the conductor said, gazing stone-faced at his clock. “Three... Two...”

Cheerilee whipped around and bucked the clock out of his hoof with all the fury she could muster.

“Arh!” He yelled out in pain and horror as his most precious possession was thrown across the platform and landed in the grass.

He ran after the abused mechanism, and cried over his shoulder. “You're crazy, lady!”

Cheerilee took a deep breath and summoned her most powerful teacher technique: the Voice of Order. Even miles away, on the other side of Ponyville, they heard the teacher's call:

“Cutie Mark Crusaders! Wherever you are get over here right now and get INSIDE THE TRAIN!

That is when she heard the creaking from the station roof above her, followed by the cry of the wild Scootaloo:

“GEPONYMOOOOO!”

The shadow of Scootaloo's scooter-driven wagon passed over Cheerilee's head, accompanied by the screaming of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as they became airborne. The wagon soared above the station and the train like an eagle, Scootaloo's tiny wings flapping with such force to give the train itself a run for its bits. Then it fell, as destiny commanded, and smashed through the carriage door.

“See, I told you we'd make it in time,” Scootaloo said, as they clambered up from the wreckage covered in dust, leaves, and woodchips.

“Well, this trip can only improve from here on,” Cheerilee said to herself as the engines kicked in and the train pulled out of the station, leaving the conductor behind in the grass.