Scootaloo swiftly flew through her classroom’s door. Her wings glided smoothly into the bustling space full of teenage ponies. She was early today, which was unusual for her considering her hatred for Monday mornings. But she still has some stuff to do that requires her to go to school ahead of time.
They’re having a big test in potion making today. And she didn’t study, not even one bit. The time she was supposed to spend diving into several chapters of their potions textbook were all used up on her training with Rainbow Dash regarding flight maneuvers.
She can’t say she regretted it though. Her entrance just now has drawn all the class’ eyes onto her. It was a smooth glide and a sharp land, pretty impressive if she said so herself. After greeting Belle and Bloom their good mornings, she trotted towards her desk at the far side of the room.
She also greeted her classmate, Fuzzy Strands, the mare sitting on her right as she passed by. The next thing she did was lay her large potions textbook on her desk. That thing alone took up half of the desk’s space. And it hasn’t been opened yet. How a pegasus could carry something that heavy while flying is a wonder on its own. But not to Scootaloo, her training with Rainbow Dash has made some serious progress.
Before she could take a seat, she saw Scribbles Hidewell, the colt sitting on her left was sweating profusely in his hoodie.
Of course he is. Summer is almost here and he’s sitting next to the window, where the sun’s extra heated rays were shining straight at him. He probably feels like an oven in there. His grey jacket was almost damp, and clung close to his icy fur. His blonde mane that was originally spiky now looked like soggy fries.
Scootaloo also noticed that he’s the only one wearing clothing in class, which really makes it more suspicious.
Not that she’s surprised or anything, Scribbles has already been like this ever since he’s gotten his cutie mark in making secret codes. Once he was an impressionable young colt, keen on making word puzzles and stuff like that. Now he’s become a notorious cheater, obsessed in making cheat codes for every subject.
His cheating has gotten better in every exam. He’s always brewing strange new ways in creating cheat codes in every test he partakes. The complexity of his methods always baffles the faculty staff. They’re always having a hard time catching up to the needless pace he’s setting. Eventually, some of them gave up after realizing that they can’t really force him to stop doing what he does, it’s in his nature after all. But others still tend to keep a Griffon’s eye on him. But she’ll get on that later.
She placed her saddlebag below the desk and took a seat. She looked at Scribbles and gave him a wry look.
“Morning Scribs.”
“Scoots.” Scribbles replied, donning his signature disarming smile.
Scootaloo flipped the potions book open before continuing. Its thick cover slammed loudly against the desk’s wooden surface.
“You’re early today.”
“I’m always early.” He said, his smile never fading.
“Yeah, especially when you’re planning something.”
Scribbles shook his head gently. “Not this time. I actually studied for the test today.”
“Uhuh.” Scootaloo agreed sarcastically. “That’s why you’re wearing that hoodie today. Totally not for hiding notes at all. “
Scribbles held both of his shoulders and did a fake shiver. “It’s cold.”
“Yeah, it does get cold during summer.”
“The weather’s freaky at my house today.” Scribbles stopped his shivering. “Anyway, are you prepared for the test?”
Scootaloo’s ears perked. “I-uh, I did.” She flipped her book’s pages blankly. “I read a little, I mean a lot! Totally finished the three chapters last night. No sweat.”
“Well, then I guess you won’t mind if we hold a mini test here. Just so you know, refresh our minds and stuff like that.”
Scootaloo was about to decline when their classroom’s door suddenly slammed open. Everypony’s eyes went straight into the newly arrived pony. It was Mr. Spade, their potions teacher.
He was donning his usual look, long flowing black robes that are the same color as his neck length mane. The fabric covered almost all of his grey furred body save for the head. To her he looked like an overgrown bat, or a vampire at the least.
Mr. Spade always a carried a strangely chilly atmosphere every time he enters the room. They can’t explain how he does it; it’s probably some sort of spell that he casts secretly to probably mess with their minds. It’s really noticeable now since the weather’s fairly hot today and she’s pretty certain that she and her classmates just got chills.
“Spare me the greetings. Class should have started seven minutes ago and I’m not wasting any more tie for such superfluous nonsense,” Mr. Spade hastily said as he briskly trotted to the blinds and unfurling them.
Using his magic, he levitated a clipboard with the class’ attendance sheet to the student sitting on the far left end of the room’s front row.
“As always,” Mr. Spades continued. “Write your signatures beside your names in the attendance sheet and pass it around as we’ll begin our exam shortly.” He went directly to his most hated pony in this class, to the young colt sitting next to Scootaloo.
“Good morning, Mr. Spade.” Scribbles said, a pleasant smile adorning his face.
Mr. Spade gave him a cold look. “Mr. Hidewell.” His voice matched the look he’s giving Scribbles, cold but still managing to sound good. If his voice could take shape, Scootaloo thought, it would be like frosted butter. “I take it you’ve prepared yourself for today’s exam.”
“Well yes!” Scribbles replied, clearly sounding sardonic. “I did study after all.”
All of Scribbles’ belongings suddenly glowed with Mr. Spade’s magic. “Then I guess you won’t be needing these then.” He said as he levitated Scribbles’ saddlebag, pencil, eraser, and even his hoodie in the teacher’s table. Mr. Spade then replaced all of Scribbles’ exam necessities with his own just in case. As little as they may be, the colt would still find a way to turn these everyday objects into vessels capable of relaying secret messages.
There was this one time when they’re having a twenty item test in potion making, Mr. Spade found out a secret note concealed in Scribbles’ eraser. The small rubber slab was modified into a miniature scroll compartment by cutting it into two, hollowing out its insides just big enough for a small roll of paper to put in and using the small roll to hold the halved pieces back together.
There’s also this other time when Mr. Spade discovered yet again another scheme Scribbles devised. But this one’s much simpler than the former. It’s just a normal pencil with all the answers carved all around its tiny body. But considering the way ponies use this tool for writing, which is usually by magic or mouth (for non-magic users), it’s practically impossible to see the writings from afar since the pencil’s mostly concealed inside the users mouth. And he can just take it out and hide it underneath the exam paper when the teacher’s nearby.
After setting Scribbles’ stuff on his table, Mr. Spade proceeded to conduct his usual pre-exam inspection on the notorious little cheater while the rest of the class filled out their signatures in the attendance sheet.
It’s the same procedure every time. Mr. Spade would always have Scribbles prop up on his hind legs using his magic. He would then inspect every part of his body for any hidden writings scribbled on his fur. Usually it can be found on his forelegs, and then covered by the sleeves of his jacket, occasionally rolling it up throughout the duration of the test. But it’s considered somewhat cliché now ever since Mr. Spade discovered it.
Even Scribbles sometimes talked to her that if he’s a girl, he’d wear a skirt every day. Because according to him, he can always write notes down his thighs. And anypony who’d dare take a peek inside his skirt just to make sure there’re no notes down there would instantly be branded a creep.
Now that Mr. Spade was done with the regular physical check up and with the class attendance sheet now travelling halfway throughout the room, he decided it’s now time to inspect his seat and desk for any writings, folded up notes, carvings, or any tape of sorts.
Oh how excessive this guy is at using tape to cheat on exams. But his most favoured tape of all the other ones is the masking tape. Because to quote him: “It matches the color of the desk. Also, it’s easier to write on its surface compared to the other ones. And yes, I’m talking about Scotch tape.” Before Mr. Spade and the other teachers were wary of his usage of the sticky stuff, he’d just simply place it on the desk. But once the paranoia kicked in, it was also time for him to adapt to the current situation. “Modern problems require modern solutions.” As he always says. Although Scootaloo was mostly sure that he’s not the one who coined the phrase.
And anypony who hasn’t given up yet and was still bent on stopping this one pone cheat machine had to spend a lot of time inspecting the heck out of every nook and cranny of Scribbles’ seat and desk. Since his desktop was no longer a safe spot for him and his tapes, he’d gotten creative in placing them throughout the times.
And when the class is under the care of an unsuspecting teacher, Scribbles would normally place the tape on his seat, just between his legs. That way, he can read them while answering the questions. And when the teacher was near him, he’d just cross his legs to avoid detection. But when Mr. Spade got in on the game, he knew he’d have to raise this method up to absurd levels.
And by raise, he meant to raise it literally. There’s also this one instance where Scribbles had filled the portion of the ceiling above him with paragraphs worth of tape. And no teacher even noticed it, because why would they? It’s already common knowledge to everypony that if a student is having trouble answering a question during a test or even just plain old oral recitation, they’d look straight up and deep in thought. Add the head scratching too to complete the ‘I really have no idea to answer this look.’
But once Mr. Spade caught up with that too, every teacher who was told of Scribbles’ sticky antics was now obligated to inspect the ceiling above him just to make sure he’s clean. At least it’s easier to do than that full body check Mr. Spade insists on doing before every test.
“You really shouldn’t bother, sir.” Scribbles said, still engulfed in Mr. Spade’s magic. “I’m not cheating this time for sure.”
Mr. Spade still continued his inspection. “I’m afraid that your mouth speaks the opposite of what your body does, Mr. Hidewell. The other teachers in this school might have given you a pass for using your talent in this manner, but it won’t happen in my class.”
He stopped what he’s doing and gave Scribbles a cold stare.
“Not. Ever.”
Mr. Spade’s response made Scribbles’ grin even wider. “Always love the dramatic speeches sir.”
With his magic, Mr. Spade abruptly raised both of Scribbles’ forelegs upwards, drawing a surprised grunt from the colt. “Another word of mockery coming out from that orifice of yours Mr. Hidewell, and I’ll give it a thorough inspection as well.”
A tiny piece of detail caught Mr. Spade’s eye. He noticed some scratches on Scribbles’ desk. It’s just a bunch of light scrapes on the surface, probably done by accident. But Mr. Spade was not one to take chances, thinking it might be another code encrypted by the crafty Scribbles.
He turned to Scootaloo. “Change desks with him.”
“Yes sir.” Scootaloo replied, following his order.
While the two ponies switch seats, Mr. Spade gestured with a hoof at the Potions textbook on Scootaloo’s desk.
“And keep your notes. This is no time for last minute studying. You lot have all weekend to prepare for the test and yet you picked this day to study.”
“But I did stud-”
Mr. Spade was quick to cut her off. “I don’t need affirmations, just results. Results that will be seen in your test scores afterwards. Once again, keep all your notes.”
“Yes sir.” Scootaloo repeated.
Mr. Spade stood straight. He looked at the entire class as if to address them with his eyes. “That applies to the whole class. In case some of you are too dense to pick that up.”
Before he trotted back to his table, he looked at the ponies sitting in the back of the room. He narrowed his eyes on the attendance sheet. It’s on the last row now. His pace back to the table was brisk. Using his magic, he levitated the thick pile of answer sheets towards Sweetie Belle.
“Miss Belle, please distribute these answer sheets to your classmates.”
“Right away sir.” Sweetie replied while grasping the papers with her magic.
As soon as Sweetie Belle started giving out the sheets, Mr. Spade picked one up for himself and trotted back to Scribbles. He gave him a cold, hard, glare before personally hoofing him the test paper.
“Let me just remind you once again Mr. Hidewell in case that all so grand brain of yours pops out a gear or two that if I caught you cheating, even once, it’s off to the office.” He paused, squinting his eyes. “Are we clear?”
“Crystal sir.” Scribbles said, flashing Mr. Spade with that disarming smile of his.
“The test begins now.” Mr. Spade declared, his eyes still fixed on Scribbles.
All the students flipped their sheets up in unison. A loud sound echoed from the mass rustling of paper, and then silence came after. Scootaloo stared down at her own sheet.
She saw what she was expecting: questions she doesn’t know the answer to.
It’s a fifty item test. She’s pretty sure she can answer all of these if only she read the three chapters Mr. Spade assigned to them last week. If she studied during the weekend instead of training with Dash then maybe she can answer more than half of the given questions. But her entrance to the class today was pretty sick though. She’s sure it impressed everypony in the class. So is the regret kicking in? Maybe not. Well, not yet at least.
To buy some time, she wrote her name on the sheet first. Add the date as well; don’t forget the year and the class’ section. Who knows? Maybe an answer will pop out in her head while doing so.
Scribbles whacked his paper sheet to straighten it out. This caught Scootaloo’s attention, Mr. Spade’s too. He was holding his sheet like he’s reading newspaper. The paper covered his face from the front. It didn’t take long for Mr. Spade to get to him. And once he did, Scribble’s placed his paper back on the desk. He then looked upwards while scratching his chin, as if he’s thinking hard.
As Mr. Spade stood in front of Scribbles, he stopped to look at where he’s looking. Maybe he’s stuck another set of tapes on the ceiling. Unfortunately for Mr. Spade and the opposite for Scribbles, the ceiling was barren, save for the thin coat of paint that hasn’t been changed for years now.
Mr. Spade looked back at the thinking Scribbles. “Giving up Mr. Hidewell?”
“Just stretching, sir.” Scribbles replied, doing a yawn to really sell his response.
“It better be the only thing you’re doing, otherwise...”
“Worry not sir. All is clear in here.” Scribbles smirked.
Mr. Spade didn’t say anything after that. His face strongly suggests that he was annoyed at being interrupted. And instead of returning back to his seat, he quietly decided to roam around the classroom to make sure that nopony would cheat during the exam. But he made sure that a huge sum of his attention goes to Scribbles.
As he passed in front of Scootaloo, he stared briefly at her answer sheet. The orange mare only managed to answer three items in the span of twelve minutes. When Scootaloo realized what Mr. Spade was doing, she gave him a shy smile.
Mr. Spade gave her a scoff.
(a few minutes later)
Scribbles looked bored while reading his sheet. His head was resting on his left foreleg while the other one idly tapped the pencil on the desk. The look on Mr. Spade’s face was a funny one. It’s like he’s having a hard time deciphering the pencil taps, thinking it might be some sort of code. He looked around the room for another student tapping a pencil to support his theory. There was none.
Scootaloo’s head was in a rush. She never would have thought to push out five answers in a row that fast. It felt like instinct for her! Popping quick answers like that. She can’t congratulate herself enough. She pressed two hooves up her cheeks while admiring her answers. That’s eight down and...
...forty-two more to go. Her ears drooped low.
(A Couple Minutes Later)
Mr. Spade was still roaming the classroom. But he kept his revolutions as close to Scribbles’ seat as possible. So far, the young stallion was answering his test paper like a normal pony would, which was of course, suspicious in its own right. It seemed like Mr. Spade won’t stop his roaming until he caught Scribbles in the act.
Meanwhile, Scootaloo was about to drive herself mad. Well, not really. But it sure felt like that since it’s already halfway down the test and her answers haven’t hit the ten item mark yet. The regrets were now starting to kick in.
(SEVERAL MINUTES LATER)
Mr. Spade was closer to Scribbles than ever. He looked like a shark that just smelled blood in the water. The test was nearing to an end, but this colt still hasn’t displayed any signs of cheating. This was bothering him in an immeasurable scale.
Scootaloo on the other hoof, was beginning to accept her fate. She’s gonna fail the test anyway so why bother answering it? She’ll just make it up in the next one. Potion making just really isn’t her thing, it’s more like Applebloom’s. I’d be a good thing to just ask the girls for help in the future in case another test comes up. It’s no reason to get worked up really. After all, score is just a number.
“Twenty minutes left!” Mr. Spade called out of a sudden.
Or maybe she could just cheat.
Scootaloo took a glance at Scribbles’ direction. Mr. Spade was still close by. He’s getting desperate. One can tell by look on his face, but he’s doing his best to hide it. Scribbles was a hot spot to peek at right now so she settled for the next best thing, the pony sitting on her right: Fuzzy Strands.
It was so easy to cheat at her seatmate. Considering the fact that Mr. Spade just implicitly decided to focus all his attention on Scribbles and left none for the class, Fuzzy was free game. Scootaloo knew how easy it was to copy Fuzzy’s answers if it weren’t for the fact that her long fuzzy mane was covering her test paper like a dang curtain!
Scootaloo looked on her left to see how Scribbles was doing. Apparently, Mr. Spade gave up on patrolling around Scribbles, probably convinced that he didn’t cheat this time. So he trotted back to his table instead to take a look at his belongings for a secret note or two.
Using his hooves, Mr. Spade checked what’s inside the pockets of Scribbles’ hoodie. As always, his trusty maroon hoofkerchief was always found on the left pocket of his jacket. The hoofkerchief was neatly folded into a tiny square.
To the unsuspecting pony, the hoofkerchief was just a cloth suitable for wiping or covering one’s nose. But in the hooves of Scribbles Hidewell, it becomes a secret compartment to hide notes in. Once folded, the small fabric holds several layers of space that can conceal several tiny pieces of paper the same time.
Most teachers would just ignore the little cloth resting on the desk mainly due to the fact that the pony using that has a cold or was just wiping the sweat off their head. Either way, nopony would dare risk touching snot or sweat just for the sake of exposing another method of cheating.
Luckily for Mr. Spade, he’s a unicorn. And unicorns tend to hold most stuff with their magic, so they’re pretty much safe from touching gross things with their hooves and mouths. And that’s the main reason as to why Scribbles’ hoofkerchief method was once again busted by the ever inquisitive Mr. Spade.
Ever since Mr. Spade caught Scribbles from cheating using his hoofkerchief, he stopped using the method. And he’s pretty sure that he won’t use this kind of tactic any day now. But he can never be too careful. So he spread the maroon cloth open with his hooves.
SPLAT! A large glob of moist, slimy, and sticky liquid fell on Mr. Spade’s lap. It landed on his black robe, just between his legs. The folds on his clothing acted like a basin, with the liquid moving aimlessly like raindrops on a leaf.
“Snot!” Mr. Spade cried out while standing up. The slimy fluid oozed down the end of his robes and dripped into the floor, creating small gross puddles on where he stood.
This led the whole class into a giggling fit, Scribbles especially. But when they saw Mr. Spade’s angered glare, they all went silent. Scribbles leaned in towards Scootaloo.
“Actually, it’s just drool.” He whispered. He looked down on the mare’s paper. A small frown formed on his face in doing so.
While Mr. Spade was still focused on cleaning his robe, Scribbles gave Scootaloo a quick tap. When the orange mare turned to look at him, he showed her the contents of his paper. She can’t help but be amazed. Every question was already answered. She can’t believe he finished that fast. Maybe he did study after all.
Scootaloo was about to copy the answers from number eleven and up when Mr. Spade suddenly stood up from his seat. The two ponies looked away from each other as quickly as they could. Were they caught? That’s the question that rang within their minds. If they do will they get sent to the office no questions asked? They sure hope not.
Mr. Spade levitated a piece of chalk from the board. He proceeds to write something, something that starts with the letter ‘C.’
Scootaloo’s eyes went wide. Is he gonna humiliate them? Is he gonna write down ‘Cheaters’ and list down their names as the first ones who were caught red-hoofed?
‘-ORRECTIONS’ was the word Mr. Spade meant to write. Below the text were the numbers whose choices needed fixing. The students read what was written on the board and gave out loud whiny moan, meaning that they have to change their previous answers as well.
Scootaloo gave out a sigh of relief. She thought it was the end of the line for her a while ago. While Mr. Spade was still writing on the board, Scribbles gave her another tap again. But this time she didn’t look at him, in fear of getting caught.
Another couple of minutes have passed and Scootaloo’s paper was still as barren as a dessert. She tried searching in every nook and cranny of her mind and she still ended up with nothing. It’s like she milked the well dry for good on the last ten items. Depending on stock knowledge was a fail. Copying answers from her seatmates was a bust. It looked like she’s just gonna drop the ball on this one.
“Ten minutes left.” Mr. Spade reminded the class.
As Mr. Spade started to put all of Scribbles’ stuff back in his bag, a piece of paper was flicked at Scootaloo’s snout. While Mr. Spade was still busy stuffing the bag, she opened the paper in the most discreet way possible.
Inside the small piece were the answers for questions one to thirty-seven of the test. Scootaloo looked down the list to see a small note saying ‘If all the answers are correct, you’ll probably get a seventy-five percent passing grade on the test.’ Scootaloo looked at Scribbles. He nodded gently.
Not a moment later, she scribbled on her paper furiously.
“Alright, time’s up!” Mr. Spade announced. Scootaloo spat her quill out, just in time for the submission of papers. “All papers in the center aisle.” He added.
All the students complied. Loud rustlings of paper filled the air. Others who were still answering were urged by their seatmates to hurry up. The ones who were done were discussing their answrs to each other. Some ponies were smiling that their answers were the same while others had their eyes bulge out at their wrongs.
Once all the papers were at the center, he didn’t ask the class to submit them to the front. “Exchange with the opposite row.” He called. All students groaned. Not only do they have to do the teacher’s work, their scores will also be announced later in public.
The entire room was filled with nothing but the sounds of Mr. Spade’s voice dictating the test’s answers and soft sound quills scratching at the paper’s surface. Everypony was silent, intent on hearing what Mr. Spade was saying to avoid any mistakes.
Once the checking was done, the papers were once again passed on to the center aisle and then exchanged back to the opposite row. The pony sitting at the end of the rows began distributing the papers back to its original owners. Once Scootaloo got hers, Scribbles took a look at it.
She got a thirty-seven, just as he had predicted. And when Scribbles got his, Scootaloo took a look as well. He got a forty-five. Mr. Spade started calling out for their scores. The process, as always, was done alphabetically. So it would probably take a while before he could get to her. It’s not like she’s afraid of being humiliated like earlier.
She looked at Scribbles again. He gave her a wink. And along with it, the usual disarming smile of his.
As soon as Mr. Spade was done collecting the papers for filing, he swiftly trotted to Scribbles, bag in hoof. He shoved the saddlebag to Scribbles’ chest. He grasped the bag with both hooves in response. Mr. Spade fixed his stare on Scribbles. There’s a defeated look on his face, and also a hint of poorly concealed fury.
“You win this time, Mr. Hidewell.” Mr. Spade said. He sounded as he was holding back his anger.
“Anypony can win if they studied, sir!” Scribbles retorted. His smile was wider than before, probably to anger Mr. Spade even more. And apparently, it did.
Mr. Spade walked away with a loud humph as his final word. As soon as he kept a good distance from the two, Scootaloo leaned in close.
“Hey.” Her voice was soft. “Thanks.”
Scribbles waved it off. “Nah, don’t mention it.”
“No really. What you did was truly awesome. And you didn’t even cheat!”
“Weeelll...” Scribbles said while scraping the desk’s surface with a hoof. Scootaloo looked at what he’s doing with his foreleg. Several strips of scotch tape were rolling up with every scratch. And all of them were filled to the brim with writings done in a black color pen.
“Wai-wh-w-how?” Scootaloo stammered. “Where did you get the time to do something like that?”
“Being early has its perks.” Scribbles winked at her knowingly, making her remind of their earlier conversation.
“But Mr. Spade checked your desk before and there’s nothing there save for a few scratches!”
“He didn’t check yours.”
“What do you mean?” Scootaloo was trying to solve a puzzle in her brain, trying hard to connect on how Scribbles managed to do such a feat. And then it hit her.
“Oh!” She cried, finally getting it. “The switch!”
“Yeah.” Scribbles replied. There was delight in his voice. “Since Spade and has gotten paranoid over my constant desk writing, I decided to use that fear by carving obvious scratches that will force him to switch desks with the pony closest to me...which is you. I was hoping that you’d stay silent when you saw the notes up close but considering that the potions book you laid down for your supposedly...”
He paused for a moment to do some air quotes with his forelegs.
“...Last Minute Study Session covered almost everything on your desk. Then I have no problems with it getting discovered. And when it was transferred into my side, all I had to do was to lean on it to keep Spadey here from seeing it.”
“But what about the hoodie?”
Scribbles gave Scootaloo a sly grin. “Misdirection. Every trick needs one.”
Scootaloo leaned back at her seat. Knowing Scribbles, She knew this was coming. She really do. But she still can’t help being overwhelmed. All this slightly intricate planning just for this little test, what could this colt not do if he dedicated himself to it? If he does the same thing to actual studying, he’d never fail a test.
“Well, that was something.” Scootaloo said, sighing at the end.
“Indeed it was.”
The two students were startled. That voice didn’t belong to them. It sounded cold, yet buttery. It came from behind. They hesitantly turned their heads around at the same time. And there they saw...
“Mr. Spade!” They screamed in unison.
“Please, do go on.” Mr. Spade said in a patronizing manner. “Don’t let me interrupt you from what you’re doing.”
“I’m afraid that was all, sir.” Scribbles said. He’s beginning to sweat again.
“Oh really?” Mr. Spade tilted his head a little bit. “Then you know what that means, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Office. You two. Now.”
“Dang it!” The cried in unison once more.
“Third time this month.” Scribbles muttered quietly.