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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
300–600
Teacher's Pet
Cheerilee shoved the stack of tests to the corner of her desk so they’d be easier to grab with her mouth. It’d be so much quicker if this were one of the older classes. She could ask a unicorn to pass them out, but her class was too young for that.
“Good job on the spelling test!” she said, distributing the pages. “Nopony missed more than two. We just have a math worksheet to do, and then it’s time for recess!”
Apple Bloom clapped her hooves and leaned over to whisper something to Sweetie Belle, but Cheerilee pretended not to notice. She also conveniently ignored Diamond Tiara’s attempts to call attention to the infraction.
Cheerilee wove her way back through the aisles to pass out the worksheets. One spare desk sat a bit apart from the rest, and Cheerilee smiled at its occupant when she placed the last paper there. She winked, getting a little giggle back from the burgundy-maned, cream-colored filly.
After returning to her desk, she gazed around the room in the near silence and grinned at her surroundings: the soft scratch of pencils against paper, a faint taste of chalk in her mouth... and a quick whiff of rubber as a student furiously erased something off his page. She watched the minutes tick by, never losing her faint smile. “Alright, children!” she said finally. “You can finish after playtime! Everypony outside!”
Scootaloo shot out of her seat. “Dibs on the merry-go-round!”
Chuckling as she waved the rest of the class out the door, Cheerilee waited for the one straggler, the filly from the desk off by itself. She beamed at her teacher, nuzzling her neck as they trotted out to the playground. Once they had gotten out near the swings, Cheerilee sat on her haunches and listened to all the wonderful chatter and squeals. “Why don’t you go play with the other children?” she asked her companion. “You can, you know.”
The filly just shook her head and lay down in the grass.
“Miss Cheerilee, can you give us a push?” called Apple Bloom.
Cheerilee glanced at her little shadow and answered, “Not right now. I bet Scootaloo could. She gets that scooter going pretty fast.”
“Oh yeah,” replied Scootaloo. She buzzed her wings, spinning the merry-go-round faster and faster to the delighted screeches of the half-dozen children on board.
Cheerilee scrunched up her nose and grinned at her follower. “You sure?” The filly just closed her eyes and leaned into Cheerilee’s side.
When the final bell had rung and all of the students had left, Cheerilee went about tidying her classroom. She was dusting off the chalkboard when she heard a quiet voice behind her.
“M-Miss Cheerilee?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Why do you sometimes talk to yourself on the playground? And why do you always put an extra paper at that empty desk? We’re... worried.”
Cheerilee frowned a little, then looked back to where the cream-and-burgundy filly sat smiling in her seat. She sighed and turned to face the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “I told you once how I got my cutie mark and found a love for teaching...”
Apple Bloom nodded and sat on her haunches, grinning in anticipation of a story.
“I wasn’t a teacher yet. You have to go to a special school for that. By the time I graduated, I had a little one of my own—you could say she was my first student.” Her dewy eyes strayed toward the window.
“W-was?” Scootaloo asked.
Cheerilee sighed again before donning a warm smile. “Yes. My little Joy. Let me tell you about her...”
“Good job on the spelling test!” she said, distributing the pages. “Nopony missed more than two. We just have a math worksheet to do, and then it’s time for recess!”
Apple Bloom clapped her hooves and leaned over to whisper something to Sweetie Belle, but Cheerilee pretended not to notice. She also conveniently ignored Diamond Tiara’s attempts to call attention to the infraction.
Cheerilee wove her way back through the aisles to pass out the worksheets. One spare desk sat a bit apart from the rest, and Cheerilee smiled at its occupant when she placed the last paper there. She winked, getting a little giggle back from the burgundy-maned, cream-colored filly.
After returning to her desk, she gazed around the room in the near silence and grinned at her surroundings: the soft scratch of pencils against paper, a faint taste of chalk in her mouth... and a quick whiff of rubber as a student furiously erased something off his page. She watched the minutes tick by, never losing her faint smile. “Alright, children!” she said finally. “You can finish after playtime! Everypony outside!”
Scootaloo shot out of her seat. “Dibs on the merry-go-round!”
Chuckling as she waved the rest of the class out the door, Cheerilee waited for the one straggler, the filly from the desk off by itself. She beamed at her teacher, nuzzling her neck as they trotted out to the playground. Once they had gotten out near the swings, Cheerilee sat on her haunches and listened to all the wonderful chatter and squeals. “Why don’t you go play with the other children?” she asked her companion. “You can, you know.”
The filly just shook her head and lay down in the grass.
“Miss Cheerilee, can you give us a push?” called Apple Bloom.
Cheerilee glanced at her little shadow and answered, “Not right now. I bet Scootaloo could. She gets that scooter going pretty fast.”
“Oh yeah,” replied Scootaloo. She buzzed her wings, spinning the merry-go-round faster and faster to the delighted screeches of the half-dozen children on board.
Cheerilee scrunched up her nose and grinned at her follower. “You sure?” The filly just closed her eyes and leaned into Cheerilee’s side.
When the final bell had rung and all of the students had left, Cheerilee went about tidying her classroom. She was dusting off the chalkboard when she heard a quiet voice behind her.
“M-Miss Cheerilee?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Why do you sometimes talk to yourself on the playground? And why do you always put an extra paper at that empty desk? We’re... worried.”
Cheerilee frowned a little, then looked back to where the cream-and-burgundy filly sat smiling in her seat. She sighed and turned to face the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “I told you once how I got my cutie mark and found a love for teaching...”
Apple Bloom nodded and sat on her haunches, grinning in anticipation of a story.
“I wasn’t a teacher yet. You have to go to a special school for that. By the time I graduated, I had a little one of my own—you could say she was my first student.” Her dewy eyes strayed toward the window.
“W-was?” Scootaloo asked.
Cheerilee sighed again before donning a warm smile. “Yes. My little Joy. Let me tell you about her...”