Sweetie Belle woke up excited. Her class trip to Canterlot was this morning, and so she could hardly wait to see the city and castle and maybe even Princess Celestia!
The young mare raced through her morning routine, humming a playful tune she had stuck in her head today. Coming downstairs, Sweetie Belle spotted her father yawning as he perused his morning paper.
Starting Belle smiled over at his daughter as she came up to him, and rubbed her head good-naturedly as she passed. "How's my Sweetie today? Lookin forward to your trip?"
She nodded, grinning enthusiastically. "I am! This is going to be so much fun, dad! Scoots and Apple Bloom and I are gonna see I we can get our cutie marks on the train!"
Starting smiled back, his grin a little forced as he glanced from his daughter, to the paper and back. His daughter won out for a moment, and he spoke up, even as she started putting the plates out for breakfast, helping her mother get ready.
"Sweetie, you know how much I love sports, right? And how I got my cutie mark?"
His daughter groaned. "Dad! Not this story again!"
He grinned and continued. "No... but sometimes, I sort of wish I could have waited to get my cutie mark. I was a great quarterback for the Trotingham Manticores in my day, but these days, your old stallion's got to satisfy himself coaching the local team. It's just not the same. Don't be too eager to get your cutie mark, that's all I'm sayin."
Sweetie groaned. "But you FOUND your special talent, Dad! I have no idea what mine could be!"
Starting just shoot his head. "It'll come, Sweetie. Don't worry." With a shrug, he opened his paper again to the sports section.
Sweetie finished breakfast in a rush, but not before her mother kissed her goodbye. "You be good now darling!" Delicate Belle said, kissing her daughter's forehead, "You mind Miss Cheerilee while you're on your trip, and NO crusading anywhere dangerous! Have a good trip!"
She spoke the last words in an ever increasing volume as Sweetie made a run for the school, too eager to leave to wait.
Delicate watched her daughter go for a long moment, then shrugged and walked back inside the house. She looked over at her husband, and smiled warmly, then headed off to her work room, to put together a new necklace she had just thought of.
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As Sweetie approached the one room school house, she was stopped by a 'PSST' coming from behind a hedge row. She looked over, and saw Scootaloo and Applebloom waving at her from behind it, and so happily bounced over to join them.
"Hey guys? What's up?" She asked curiously.
Scootaloo was frowning, as she pulled a paper out of her school saddlebag. "This is 'up'. My permission slip for the field trip!"
Sweetie looked at it. "I turned mine in Monday. What's wrong... hey Scoots, why isn't it signed?"
Applebloom snorted, upset. "Her folks wouldn't sign it, that's what's wrong!"
Sweetie gasped in horror. "Oh no! You can't miss the field trip! Gosh!"
Scootaloo's frown deepened, and she set the paper down carefully. "I don't want to! Sweetie, you got to help me. Mom woulda signed it, I know it, but she's outta town, and Dad's never around."
Sweetie looked confused. "Huh? How can I help?"
Applebloom snorted again, looking upset. "She wants you ta forge her mom's signa.. her sig... her name. It ta'nt right."
Scootaloo growled out. "I should get to go! It's not right that just cause my Mom works out of town, that I miss the field trip either!" She looked at Sweetie. "I know you can do it, Sweetie. Just sign my mom's name here..."
Sweetie looked conflicted. "How's that going to help? Miss Cheerilee knows what my writing looks like... and I'm not a good writer!"
Scootaloo gave her a pleading look. "You write really great when you magic the pencil!"
Applebloom sighed. "Cept the pencil always bursts into flames, Scoots."
Sweetie was shaking her head. "I don't know..."
Scootaloo was giving her, her best puppy dog eyes. "Pleeease Sweetie? I REALLY want to go and see Canterlot with you guys... my Dad won't miss me... please please?"
Sweetie gave this a long thought, then sighed. "Ok... I'll try."
Scootaloo gave a cheer, even as Applebloom frowned. The earth pony looked at the ground muttering. "Ta'nt right, sall I'm sayin."
Sweetie nodded, but she could see how much this meant to Scootaloo, and she herself wanted both her best friends to come on the trip with her. Not having them along seemed worse than forging a signature to her.
She looked at the paper and pulled out a pencil from her bag. She placed the pencil on the paper, then started concentrating.
Seconds past before her horn started sparking, a glowing tingle at it's tip, and then she quickly used her magic to write out Scootaloo's mother's name in a flowing script.
Cloudkicke...
Then the pencil burst into flame, and she shrieked.
Applebloom helpfully snatched the permission slip away as the pencil incinerated, and Scootaloo stomped on the tiny fire as it dropped to the ground, putting it out.
Sweetie sighed. "I just can't do it! Everything keeps burning!"
Scootaloo took a quick look at the permission slip, then grinned. "Nah! It's fine... looks great!" She grabbed a pencil of her own and put a long slash after the 'e' on the signature, and said, "There... that'll fool Miss Cheerilee! Now I can come with you guys!"
Applebloom, holding the slip, grunted through her teeth. "I ougta jst tear dis up... ta'nt..."
Scootaloo snatched her precious form back quickly, putting it into her saddlebag with care. "Ta'nt right. I know, you've said so a billion times already, sheesh!"
Applebloom shook her head."Scoots, you should jus tell Miz Cheerilee! She'd unnerstand, I jus know it!"
Scootaloo shook her head. "No way! What if she told me I couldn't go, cause it's a rule?! I gotta go!"
Applebloom looked at Sweetie Belle. "Why'd you go and help her, Sweetie? It's jus like lyin!"
Sweetie was taken aback at this, she widened her eyes. "Well... she's my friend! And it's not her fault... and I wanted to help..."
Applebloom sighed, defeated. "Al'righ. I got it. I want Scootaloo ta go with us as much as ya'll do. I just don' think it's right-n-all."
Scootaloo started skipping towards the school. "Come on you guys! Race you! The bell's going to ring!"
The three fillies raced inside, Applebloom keeping up with Scootaloo, and Sweetie as usual, coming in third.
Miss Cheerilee greeted them with a warm look, even as she stepped outside with her bell and started ringing it.
The rest of the class filed inside the schoolhouse quickly, and Miss Cheerilee trotted up to the front of the room. Taking roll quickly, she then spoke up. "Alright! Today is our field trip to Canterlot. Everypony who's not turned in a permission slip, bring them up to my desk... Twist? Scootaloo?
The two came up obediently, and Sweetie held her breath as Cherrilee glanced at the two slips. The school teacher however, seemed to find nothing wrong with them, only glancing at them for a moment, before putting them in her desk drawer and closing it again. "Alright then! Everypony line up, and we'll head to the train station!"
Scootaloo grinned at her friends, and the other two grinned back, though Applebloom's smile looked a bit forced. The Orange Pegasus filly said cheerfully. "Canterlot! This is going to be SO AWESOME!"