Birthday Bios: Panini · 2:46pm Jun 8th, 2016
This image is of a young Panini because it would be unfair to show her old when her husband's picture shows him young. It's the only reason really, as a picture of her as an old teacher would've worked just as well (need to draw her old, too--the sketch I have in one of my notebooks has her as an adorable old mare hugging little toddler Cheese Sandwich).
I'm pretty sure this'll apply to Cucumber Melon when its her turn. Can't leave her out of the younger-Sandwich-grandparent club!
Oh, right, on to the story of 'Nini'.
Panini was born in a little countryside town called Buckskin, located at a fork in a river somewhere in Southeast Equestria. As the youngest of six born to Buck Bakerton and Flour Belle, she was named after a beloved ancestor. Though neighbors found the name funny and thought it didn't fit the family's theme of bread (which Panini's parents were quick to correct), few gave her trouble for it--the exceptions obviously being bullies.
Growing up, little Panini was a curious soul that liked to explore. Her hooves would always be touching this thing or that thing as she examined her surroundings. However, it wasn't in a quiet and contemplative manner--it was rather in a bouncing around the entire area kind of manner. She wasn't exactly known for being careful, as her older brothers and sisters were often dragging her out of the river or catching her when she fell out of a tree or the roof. Usually, she had to be patched up in one way or another.
Whenever she was tired, she'd be curled up in the corner with a book, or would visit Buckskin's little library to see what new things there were to read about. Her love of learning had her being the top student in her class, though she didn't like that at first thanks to some jealous bullies lashing out at her. She unfortunately got into plenty of fights in trying to defend herself, and got into a bit of trouble with the teacher. She still felt that some of her licks with the switch were unjustified (or misplaced, since the bullies started it) years later.
Her softness for her classmates who struggled led her to tutor them whenever she could, always coming up with ways to make the concepts easier to grasp. Starting off with the timid foals too afraid to ask the teacher for help, she helped them work around their problems until it clicked, and she was soon having her own little classes in a thicket. Despite the animosity from her bullies, she always offered them a spot in her club, which they refused to do so for some time due to pride. It took a couple of years for them to relent, and when the biggest, meanest, and most stubborn one relented, that was when Panini's cutie mark was sealed.
"What does a sandwich have to do with teaching?"
"Oh, that's easy! It's showin' the steps on howta do somethin', with makin' a sandwich bein' an example 'cause of mah name."
Due to staying largely uncontested for her spot at the top of her class for years (as much as she tutored her peers, they couldn't quite catch up), she was recommended to a teacher's academy in Fillydelphia, which she accepted. She spent the next few years at that school, working hard and graduating with relative ease. She filled out an application to be sent to schools all over Equestria, and a letter would arrive to her home telling her where she was to go.
During the few weeks waiting for that letter, she'd be helping her parents around the house, exploring the places of her childhood, or watching her little nieces and nephews. True to her character, she'd be helping them with any subjects they had trouble with, and teaching them more about the world around them. She loved those little foals dearly, and dreamed of having her own someday.
The letter arrived, assigning her to Manehattan. She took a couple days to pack, said goodbye to her family and promising she'd visit, and set off for one of Equestria's biggest cities.
Once there, she found that Manehattan was harder for her to navigate than Fillydelphia was. She struggled to keep her map open and look around while making her way through the streets. At one point, she forgot to look both ways before crossing, which would have resulted in her becoming a pancake had it not been for the timely intervention of a stallion named Beans. He was quick to berate her on her foolishness, and made sure she was okay before attempting to leave. However, Panini asked him where a certain school was, and he begrudgingly led her there and wished her luck on her new job.
It wasn't the last time they met, though. Whenever she saw Beans, she was eager to approach him and strike up a conversation with him, whether or not he was in the mood. As she found him trustworthy, she was always ready to ask any questions about the city so that she could better navigate it. She was also curious about him as a pony, and liked to ask about his personal life. While Beans was uncomfortable at first, he warmed up to her, to the point that he came to look forward to those conversations, asking her about who she was and where she came from.
She enjoyed her teaching job, though she found the foals frustratingly rowdy at times. With the lack of a willow switch, she took to smacking hooves with a ruler to keep order. But, aside from those moments, she's always looking for ways to teach foals in new and exciting ways, bringing them outside in order to identify types of clouds or bugs, or even grabbing some grass in order to teach them about times tables ("group your blades of grass in threes/fives/tens/etc."). She once caught Beans watching them from the sidelines, and waved at him before he left in embarrassment.
In visiting Beans, she liked to listen to him play the piano and sing, since that was a talent that she very much wished she had. He taught her a few notes, but ultimately she couldn't practice because she had to spend more time on lessons for her students. Disappointed Beans was, but he understood.
Soon enough, Beans asked her out. Unfortunately, since he was quite poor, they just visited a pizzeria own by a Mr. Pizza Pockets, who tried to entertain them with his accordion, much to Panini's amusement and Beans' embarrassment. Still, it marked the official beginning of a romantic relationship, and it went on for some time before Beans popped the question.
Panini took a bit to convince her parents that Beans was a good stallion, since they were suspicious of city folk. Ultimately, they gave their blessing, and the majority of the space for the wedding was occupied by Panini's friends and family (though Beans had some friends attending too).
A few years later, Panini gave birth to their daughter Cocoa Butter, a rowdy filly with a penchant for making messes. Five years after Cocoa came their son Hay Burger, a shy colt who was a bit fussy about organization. Naturally, those two clashed, and the elder sibling was always picking on her brother. While Cocoa was often grounded, Panini had a willow switch from Buckskin nearby, ready to use in case the filly went too far (even Beans was scared when Panini whipped it out).
She continued to teach throughout her adult years, with some ups and downs. She enjoyed having her daughter in her class, and later her son, though she had to refrain from giving them any special treatment just because they were her offspring. She also didn't like when the school district came and told her to stop smacking students' hooves with a ruler. She begrudgingly complied, though she took to secretly thinking that city folk were all just pansies with a fake air of toughness around them.
She was proud when both her kids were smart enough and worked their butt off to get into some nice schools when they were adults. Cocoa met Acorn Compound, who would later become Beans and Panini's son-in-law. The marriage was soon followed by the first grandson, Peanut Butter Sandwich, who was just as rowdy as his mother before him. Panini enjoyed watching him, and liked to play games with him to teach him a few things. Of course, she was willing to lend Cocoa the switch in case Peanut misbehaved.
Panini was rather confused about Hay Burger's love life. For the longest time, he had a friendship with Honeydew, who seemed as sweet as the melon she was named after, though it was frustrating that the filly tended to be kind of lazy. But for some reason, Hay went with Honeydew's sister, Mozzarella, who while as intelligent and driven as Panini liked, was kind of mean (let's just say that Panini often smacked that filly's hooves with her ruler for being bossy). She and Beans agreed that the Hay and Ella's talents meshed well, but their personalities didn't. Panini did get along with Mozzarella's parents, being joke buddies with Pizza Pockets and learning more about Canterlot culture from Cucumber Melon.
Nevertheless, another grandson came from Hay and Ella, named Cheese Sandwich. Compared to his cousin, Cheese was well-behaved and silly, though a little timid around strangers. He also liked to be tickled a lot, which Panini liked to take advantage of whenever she watched him. She also liked how that same year had Cocoa's daughter Ice Cream Sandwich born, and the little "dairy cousins" (as cheese and ice cream are dairy products) were a joy for Panini.
The final grandfoal was Hay's second son Tomato Sandwich. She saw a lot of herself in that curious little foal, and wondered if he'd be a teacher just like her when he grew up (or at least a tutor if he got a different talent). She was happy that he was adored by his big brother, though not happy that Tommy hated being tickled by anyone other than Cheese.
She loved those times where she got to watch her four grandfoals. From making sure that Peanut was more responsible and less of a bully (she had the switch ready just in case), to letting the three-year-olds play together and keeping them out of trouble, and finally making sure to keep baby Tommy happy and fed (and keep the others away when he was napping), she had a ton of fun with them. Beans didn't know how she could still keep up with them (and her ever-changing roster of students) while he was slowing down. The worst physical change she developed with age was needing glasses after a certain point.
While Panini was book smart and country smart, she never really became street smart. For years, Beans had to keep her out of trouble and make sure she looked both ways and crossed safely. Carriage drivers in Manehattan weren't exactly keen on slowing down for pedestrians. That statement couldn't be any more true when she did her classic forgetting-to-look-both-ways routine one day, only this time, a pulled muscle prevented Beans from coming to her rescue. The following accident resulted in severe injuries, and despite doctors doing everything they could, she died. Beans grieved for a few weeks before he followed.
Her current students at that time were shocked to learn the news, and it soon spread to even those that were in her first class (some students were children of former students). While all couldn't attend her funeral (some even having moved away long ago), many stood outside the cemetery, bidding farewell to their quirky teacher along with her family.
We all have our weaknesses and foibles. Some are more hazardous than others.
Still, she lived a full life. One that actually reminds me of one of my own grandmothers. Also, that is one of the more amusingly circuitous cutie marks I've ever seen.