//------------------------------//
// School, Questions and Spies. 
// Story: A loving Family 
// by Lethrael 
//------------------------------//

School, Questions and Spies. 

Slight focussed on the book on his desk and tried to listen to the low voice behind him. Lilly read a chapter from the Little Lord Sorrel and he listened to her low or even whispered voice and tried to understand in which sentence she was. But Sweetie Belle didn't let him and leaned over to him. 
“Do you know, what's wrong with Scootaloo?” 
She whispered her question direct into his twitching ears and Miss Cheerilee cleared her throat. She glanced over the whole class and looked finally to Slight and Sweetie Belle. The filly ducked her head quickly back behind her book and blushed. Slight ducked her head too and pressed his ears against his head. The mare smiled gently and nodded.   
First he looked puzzled, but as Lilly had already stopped her reading and he understand, He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. He slid down of his seat and closed the eyes shortly. But the first sentence of the next chapter appeared in his mind and he started to read. First he was very low, but raised his voice quickly. As he came to the first dialogue between the characters, he sounded clearly and calm, very well audible in the whole classroom. He read the words slowly and very well emphasised. As he spoke the old Earl of Studdincourt he changed his voice into a grand, old tone with a clear old accent. As he answered as his grandfoal, he changed into a way more usual and gentle voice. Finally he raised his tone, as the pegasus colt tried to... 
A little bounce stopped the reading and he turned quickly over to the source with a  surprised yelp. Diamond Tiara had pushed her book from her desk and glared at him with a grumpy expression on her face, but the other foals in the class gaped with wide eyes. He rubbed his nose astonished and shook his head. 
Cheerilee cleared her throat to get his attention. So he quickly turned around and looked back to her. She smiled gently and he blushed. 
“You knew the story already, didn't you Slight?” 
He bit his lips and nodded quickly. Cheerilee stood up and smiled friendly. She approached his desk and glanced over the gaping school foal behind him. 
“You're very good in reading. 
Perhaps you should think about a reading hour with your favourite stories. This could be a nice class project, don't you think?” 
The colt blushed more and squeaked an incomprehensible answer. The mare sighed again and pointed at his seat. He sat down quite quickly, hid his head behind his book and tried just to listen. A whisper behind him let him blush even more and he turned around. 
“That was great, Slight.”
Lilly whispered and had stretched her neck wide to reach his ears. She smiled gently and the colt blushed deep red right now. Sweetie Belle started to read very slowly and tried to follow his lead, but she wasn't quite as god as him. Slight sensed a few glances on his back and tried to look at the staring foals, but as he did, they looked away and hid behind their books. Three fillies stared at him in the end.   
Lilly, who glanced at him time and again. As she saw, that he looked at her, she hid herself behind her book and started to twist her pigtails. Next to her were sitting two earthponies, everony of them had a strange grin on the face. Slight stroked his mane nervously and opened his mouth. 
“Slight!”
Cheerilee whispered admonition stopped Slight and he turned around quickly. Diamond Tiara's snicker made him duck down. The last hours went quickly and the school turned into a mess of running foals, as the bell rang. Slight ran out of the schoolhouse too, but he couldn't run away, as two fillies caught him and stopped him downstairs. 
They stared at him. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stared at him and expected an answer from him. 
“Lilly had heard, that your Dad wanted to talk about her with Cheerilee. 
So do you know what happens to Scootaloo?”
Their question sounded again in his head and he sighed. Their eyes didn't soften, but were more pestering. He started to drew lines on the ground to gain some time, but it was futile. They wouldn't let him go, nor would they take any kind of excuse. 
“I...well, she...” 
Sweetie Belle raised her hoof and tried to put it gently around Slight's shoulders, but he flinched away quickly and stammered. 
“I don't know, if I'm allowed to tell you.” 
Sweetie's hoof stopped midway in the air and she stared confused to the smaller pegasus. Apple Bloom seemed to be confused too, but was able to say something. 
“What do you mean? 
Is she hurt or somethin'? 
Do you mean that?” 
Somepony cleared her throat behind the small group and all four foals squalled taken aback. They were quickly turning around and looked to the mare, who caused all of this. Miss Cheerilee stood right in front of the foals and glanced firmly at them. 
“What are you doing here? School is out! 
Besides, I have already told you that she's alright and just excused from school today.” 
“But Miss Cheerilee, we're just worried sick. And we wanted to know...” 
The mare rolled her eyes as Sweetie Belle started to squeak and smiled gently. She approached the group and Slight flinched away one more step in response. She glanced over the elder fillies and looked than back to the colt. 
“This isn't an excuse to pester a classmate, don't you think?” 
Both fillies drooped their heads and whispered simultaneously. 
“No it isn't, Miss Cheerilee.” 
They were drawing apologetic circles on the ground with their fore hooves. Cheerilee smiled softly and nodded. She looked to Slight and then back to the door as if to signal to him to accompany her to the classroom. He followed her lead slowly and almost hesitantly, but he searched for her friend and as he had found her, his eyes were begging for help. She even didn't noticed it, but laughed. Cheerilee looked back, as she reached the door. She saw, that Slight had stopped and thumped once on the stair. Her voice sounded encouraging and friendly. 
“Relax, Slight. I just want to talk with you.” 
She entered the classroom and waited for him right behind the doorstep. The colt sighed and looked to Lilly again. The filly was lost in a talk with her friends and didn't see his pleading look. His eyes were wandering over the other fillies and remained on Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle for a moment, but he didn't want them to accompany him. So he drooped his head, walked slowly to the door and entered the classroom once more. Cheerilee led him to her desk and sat down behind it. She had pulled another seat in front of the desk, but Slight would stay rather than sit, until... 
“Come on Slight, sit down, please. 
You don't have to wait for my permission, when a seat is already there.” 
The colt crawled on the seat and mumbled an apology. Cheerilee's smile faded for a short moment and he could spot a mixed expression between confusion and worry, but as she spoke it disappeared. 
“Well first of all, you're a really good reader. I can't believe, what you have done with the story. You filled it with so much life and passion, you're...” 
“Dad Star told me stories the same way and I do like Little Lord Sorrel so much.” 
Cheerilee smiled, as Slight interrupted her full of joy and as his eyes started to gleam she nodded . She cocked her head and started to speak, as the colt stopped and put both front hooves for his mouth. He mumbled another apology and looked down on the desk. He even pressed his ears back on his head and slouched his shoulders. Cheerilee knitted her brows and cleared her throat. Slight looked quickly in her face again, as he heard her gentle voice. 
“Don't worry, I get that. 
I think it's important to have a favourite book. Anypony should have one. I want to hear more from you, to get to know you more. 
You see, that's my job as a teacher, I should be able to know my pupils. So, what do you like?” 
The colt thaught about it for a long time, blushed and wiped with his hooves over the other. Cheerilee nodded finally asked another question. 
“Who are your friends in class?” 
This wasn't a good question, she saw this, as Slight blushed even more and tried to mumble an answer. The colt choked on the first name and cleared his throat with a deep red blush. Cheerilee sighed and smiled gently. The colt needed more encouragement. 
“I know, that you walk to school with  Lilly and that she eats lunch with you at your place. 
Do you like her?” 
Again the colt couldn't answer straight and blushed with a squeak. 
“Your Dad has also told me, that Scootaloo has stayed at your place this night, what...” 
Somepony knocked at the door and interrupted Cheerilee's last question. She sighed and jumped back to her hooves. Slight wanted to follow her quickly, but Cheerilee shook her head and he remained seated. The mare opened the door and Slight heard Lillys whispered question. 
“Miss Cheerilee, I look for Slight. We wanted to walk home together and Apple Bloom has told me, that she had seen him here for the last time.” 
Cheerilee sighed again and cleared her throat. She turned her head and smiled to the colt in front of her desk. As she started to speak, she turned around completely and returned to it slowly. 
“Very well then. Slight Hope I want to get to know you a little bit better. So could you please stay with me a little while, when the school is out. Just for half an hour or so. Lilly can wait on the school yard if she want to.” 
The colt drooped his head and sighed in a low tone. Cheerilee cocked her head ad smiled gently. She cleared her throat once more and spoke lower then before. 
“You aren't in detention, I just really want to know you better and talk with you. Perhaps we should do it in Sugarcube Corner instead and...” 
Slight jumped on his hooves quickly and shook his head. He sounded exhilarated and shouted loudly in the classroom. 
“Please don't. I...I'm sorry.” 
The mare looked to him very surprised, but smiled again quickly. She pushed the papers on her desk together and nodded finally. 
“You shouldn't worry, Slight. Well, you can go now. 
I don't want, that your friend has to wait much longer for you.” 
The colt blushed and put his saddle bags into his mouth very quickly. He mumbled a Goodbye and ran to the door. He rushed by Lilly and galloped down the road. Lilly followed the deep blushed colt back to Ponyville.   

But the two foals weren't alone on the road, unnoticed from them, first two, and also unnoticed by the other ponies, another two ponies followed the colt. The first pair of ponies behind them did make a great effort to sneak up at him and looked suspicious after Lilly. The fillies were whispering to each other and the white unicorn shook her head, as her earthpony friend asked a question. 
“ No Apple Bloom, we have to do it right. Or...” 
She looked around and spotted the other fillies behind them. They stopped and whispered to each other. The pink earthpony with the tiara pushed her grey friend forwards and wrinkled her nose. 
“Do come, Silver Spoon, the blank flanks here are...” 
The two pairs of fillies threw an angry look at each other and the Cutie Mark Crusaders galloped away. 

Slight didn't see this, he slowed down just now, as he started to breath heavily. Lilly slowed down too and started to play her pigtails again. 
The colt licked his lips and opened his mouth. 
“Say, Lilly. What shall we do when we're done eating?” 
He was speaking ever faster towards the end of the question and had to clear his throat. His cheeks blushed more and he stroke his mane nervously. Lilly didn't seem to notice it and smiled gently. She whispered and twisted her pigtails much more. 
“Could you...read a little bit for me from Little Lord Sorrel. Please.” 
She blushed a little bit too and Slight squeaked surprised. He fell back a step from Lily, blushed deeply and looked down. But he nodded and mumbled just an   
“Uh Hm.” 
His friend smiled gently and played more with one pigtail in her hooves. She turned it, twisted it and eyed it up, as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen. Both little ponies walked on with a deep respectively slight blush on their faces. Both tried to appear calm and stayed silent.