//------------------------------// // School Shocker // Story: Scootaloo's Guardian // by Night--Mist //------------------------------// As the Sun peaks over the horizon of the hills bordering Ponyville, Cheerilee wakes up to see Scootaloo still out cold. 'That running to school yesterday must of worn her out. I'll let her sleep while I prepare breakfast for us,' Cheerilee thinks. It was only six o clock and Cheerilee knew she and Scootaloo would have plenty of time to get to school. Once she cleans herself up and gets her mane straightened out for the day, she makes her way down to the kitchen, starts to prepare some oatmeal with apples and cinnamon, a recipe she had been given from Applejack, and makes some coffee for herself as well as hot chocolate for Scootaloo. About half an hour goes by, and everything was ready to eat and Cheerilee puts a lid on the pan she was using for the oatmeal and sets the pan on the table. She also keeps the coffee and the hot chocolate covered and she knew she will have to wake Scootaloo up. She trots upstairs and thinks 'I wonder what her friends will think once they find out about her becoming my daughter.' Once she enters the room, she sees Scootaloo still passed out and sucking on her hoof. Cheerilee finds this to be a cute scene, for this is probably one of those secrets she hid by making herself look tough. She gently places a hoof on Scootaloo and starts to rub her back as she says, "Time to get up my little one." Scootaloo groans and rolls the other way only to be greeted by the blinding light of the morning sun. She places her left hoof over her eyelids and tries to stay asleep, but soon the smell of the food from the kitchen reaches her nose and she asks, "Is that cinnamon I smell?" "Sure is honey, mixed in oatmeal with some apples. It's an old recipe I got from Apple Bloom's older sister, so unless you want to eat it cold I suggest you get up dear," Cheerilee says as she begins to tickle her daughter. "Ah hahahahaha, Mom stohahap it, ah hahahah. I'm up, I'm up, uncle uncle," Scootaloo says. Cheerilee stops tickling her and Scootaloo finally catches her breath and gets off the bed. The two ponies head down to the kitchen to have breakfast. Once Scootaloo looks at her food, she is a little curious about if she should eat it, but once she takes her first bite, she eats it like she was a vacuum gone wild. "Well, somepony certainly is enjoying their breakfast. Do you want some more?" Cheerilee asks. Scootaloo nods and Cheerilee gives her another scoop of oatmeal to eat. The two ponies finish their breakfast and Cheerilee takes Scootaloo up to the bathroom and starts to comb her mane. As she does this, Cheerilee asks, "So are you going to tell your friends what happened yesterday, or should I." "I think I want to tell them before class starts so I can see the look on their faces, and that way they can enjoy seeing the class's reaction. You will tell the class, right Mom?" Scootaloo asks, trying to keep herself from calling her mom 'Miss Cheerilee'. "Of course honey, why would I want to keep this a secret? I think the only thing you should worry about is Pinkie Pie getting carried away with a party," Cheerilee says. "But, I like her parties," Scootaloo replies. "Well, wait til you're the guest of honor, then you may see what I mean," Cheerilee points out. "Well, we'll never know until it happens I guess," Scootaloo says. Cheerilee smiles at her comment as she finishes combing Scootaloo's mane and putting it in a braid. "Well, after school today we'll head down to the orphanage again to finish up the rest papers for your adoption. After that, we will let anypony else we know, find out about your adoption. That is of course if your class doesn't tell them first. Now let's get going, I'm sure you want to show the class how early you are today, oh, better yet, I'll have you walk out from behind my desk and surprise everypony in class when I make the announcement," Cheerilee replies. "I'm liking this idea. My friends are probably gonna be laughing at Diamond Tiara's and Silver Spoon's reactions for sure," Scootaloo tells her. "Now Scootaloo, let's not make this a way to get back at others you dislike," Cheerilee says in a stern voice. "I know, I'm sorry. I just wish they would stop with their teasing is all," Scootaloo says. "Well trust me, I have been seeing the way they have been treating you and your friends, ever since they got their cutie marks, and I for one am not pleased. I'll be talking to their parents at the next parent teacher conference meeting, and see if maybe I can set those two fillies straight," Cheerilee tells her daughter. "You're starting to sound like Apple Bloom's cousin, Babs Seed. She is one tough crusader," Scootaloo complements her mother. "Well I'd like to meet her one of these days, now, onto school," Cheerilee says. Scootaloo grabs her backpack while Cheerilee gathers her teacher's supplies and put's them in her purse. They make their way out the door and head for the school after Cheerilee locks the door to the house. It didn't take long for them to reach the school, since Cheerilee lived only a few fields away from the school. When they get there, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were already waiting at the door. "Howdy Miss Cheerilee. Oh, hey Scoots, ya'll is here a might early today," Apple Bloom says with a surprised look on her face at how early Scootaloo is and her appearance. "Well, go ahead Scootaloo, tell them," Cheerilee said. "Tell us what? What's the big secret?" Sweetie Belle asks just as shocked to see Scootaloo as Apple Bloom. As Cheerilee heads to unlock the door to the school, Scootaloo sits on her flank and says, "Well there is something I got to tell you that I didn't tell anypony til yesterday." "What is it Scoots?" Apple Bloom curiously asks as she and Sweetie Belle sit down as well. "Well I was afraid to tell you guys this because of what I thought might happen....... I'm an orphan," Scootaloo informs them. As soon as she says this, Apple Bloom's and Sweetie Belle's jaws drop. Scootaloo then explains her story, leaving out the details of her parents death. "Well, why were ya so afraid ta tell us?" Apple Bloom asks. Scootaloo says "I thought if I told anypony, that I might get sent back to the orphanage in Fillydelphia, even if whoever found out didn't mean for it to happen. I trust you guys completely, but I just was too scared to tell you, thinking you might treat me different". "I can see why, I would probably feel the same way. I'm not gonna ask what exactly happened to your parents though, because I knew someone once who was also an orphan who didn't like to talk about what happened to their parents. I've heard about that orphanage, how did you escape that place?" Sweetie Belle asks. "Well, it wasn't easy, but I escaped through the second floor window and down a tree that sat right next to it. I wasn't the first to figure that one out because I saw plenty others do it too. I just had to make sure to know when to do it, which was when they weren't prowling the floors to check for attempt escapees. I'll never have to worry about going back now though," Scootaloo says with joy. "Why's that Scoots?" Apple Bloom ask. "Because...... Miss Cheerilee adopted me," Scootaloo says waiting for their reactions. "What?" the earth pony and unicorn filly say in unison, jumping two feet off the ground as they do. "I'm her mother now," Cheerilee says, listening to the entire conversation. "So, you're staying with Miss Cheerilee at her place from now on?" Sweetie Belle asks. "Yup, so now I won't to be late for class ever again," Scootaloo says as the Cutie Mark Crusaders get up and walk towards the school doors with Miss Cheerilee. "That's so cool Scoots," Apple Bloom replies. "Well now that you both know, Mom, er, Miss Cheerilee and I are planning to surprise the class this morning, so don't tell anypony, okay?" Scootaloo pleads, also surprised at how fast she is getting used to calling Miss Cheerilee her mom. "No problem Scoots," Apple Bloom agrees. "You can count on us," Sweetie Belle adds. "Thanks guys," Scootaloo says. "Hey, does this mean ya'll get to come on the field trip with us?" Apple Bloom asks. Scootaloo looks to Cheerilee and their teacher replies, "Yes, I've already signed her slip, though it wouldn't really matter since I am her teacher and mother at the same time now." Scootaloo smiles and says, "She does have a point. So I don't think I'll miss any more of our class's field trips." "So how will you surprise everypony in class?" Sweetie Belle asks. "I'm going to hide behind my mom's desk and wait there until she tells me to come out," Scootaloo informs them. "That's a neat plan. (Apple Bloom looks out the door and hears voices of the classmates) Well ya'll better hurry and hide, I think I hear them coming in now," Apple Bloom says. Scootaloo nods and gets behind her mother's desk as Cheerilee walks out of the school room to gather some of the plants she had stored in the basement of the school to bring them into the class room on her cart. Soon all the class is inside the school and taking their seats. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are laughing silently, thinking about Diamond Tiara's and Silver Spoon's reactions to Scootaloo's adoption. Scootaloo resists the urge to laugh, so not to give away her position. Soon Cheerilee walks in and parks the cart next to her desk. "Alright class settle down please," She tells them. Diamond Tiara immediately interrupts saying, "Miss Cheerilee, I think one of the blank flanks is late again today. You should mark her tardy this time." Scootaloo could barely hold back her laughter as Miss Cheerilee says, "Now Diamond, it's very rude to be calling ponies names, and I have an announcement to make before we start attendance." The whole class looks at her with shock. She never made announcements before attendance in the past, and Scootaloo was gonna miss it. (or so they thought) "I would like to announce that yesterday, I went to the Ponyville Orphanage and adopted a little filly," Cheerilee says, getting a mixed expression of shock and 'awwww' from the entire class, including Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle who decide to play along with the class. "Who's the lucky filly Miss Cheerilee," Feather Weight asks. Cheerilee looks back to her desk and says, "You can come out now honey." As soon Cheerilee says this, Scootaloo casually walks out from behind the desk with a smile on her face. Many of the classmates gasp at her appearing in front of them with her mane in a neat braid, like Applejack. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon look at her in such disbelief that they literally fell out of their desks seeing her appearance. The entire class laughs at their accident until Cheerilee says as the two fillies get back in their desks, "Alright everypony, calm down. Now that you all know that Scootaloo is my daughter, I do not want you to treat her like an outcast or anything of that nature. Treat her like you would each other, are we understood?" Everyone nods. "Good now after we have taken attendance, I'll be handing out notices to all of you about the upcoming parent teacher conference meeting. Be sure to hand them to your parents. That includes you Diamond Tiara. I was not impressed when your parents didn't show up last meeting," Cheerilee says as she gets her attendance list from her desk. "But," is all she could say before Cheerilee interrupts her and says, "No buts Miss Tiara, you should have known better than to make up some excuse for parents absence last time." Diamond Tiara does not say anything to stop further embarrassment. "Now, it's time to take attendance," Cheerilee says. Cheerilee calls out everypony's name and everypony responds except for Twist, who is sick with a mild case of the flu. Cheerilee hands out notices to the class and collects signed slips for the field trip. Soon Cheerilee began their lessons for today teaches the class about all the different plants in Equestria. Apple Bloom shares her experience with Poison Joke to the class, saying to beware of the plant, should they ever spot it. Zecora is even invited in the middle of the day to teach them a few things about plants found in the Everfree Forest and in her homeland. The day seems to fly by as they learn about all of the plants and soon the school bell rings. Before Scootaloo is able to get out of her desk though, she is surrounded by some of her classmates, all eager to ask her questions about her life before coming to Ponyville. When it came to the question of what happened to her parents though, Apple Bloom steps in and says, "Alright ya'll. Ah think that's enough questions fer Scoots ta answer. We should let her have some time to settle in with her new mom, right Sweetie Belle?" "Right, she's still the pony we all know and love, she just became a little more open about her personal life," Sweetie Belle says, helping defend Scootaloo's situation. "Right ya are Sweetie Belle. And Ah think there's a fine line bout Scoot's personal life Ah don't think anypony should cross," Applejack says who had been listening to the little fillies and colts questions after she and Rarity were told by Cheerilee about Scootaloo's adoption. "Yes, quite right, and I think that the last question that was asked is something she would rather like to keep private. Now I think you all have your parents or siblings waiting for you, so let Scootaloo go see her mother. They have business they need to take care of," Rarity adds. "Thanks guys," Scootaloo says. Her friends and their older siblings nod letting Scootaloo take off with Cheerilee as they head toward the orphanage to finish up the paperwork.