//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7: School 
// Story: Clean Slate 
// by Alaborn 
//------------------------------//

Clean Slate

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work.  My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc.  I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 7: School





As I stepped out of the farmhouse, I felt my rear hooves drag.  It wasn’t the contents of my saddlebags slowing me, heavy though they were.  The weight of multiple textbooks and many completed assignments wasn’t the problem.  It was the unknown.

I was returning to school.

I was physically ready for school.  I could handle the walk.  I could write by mouth and make it legible.  But I still couldn’t remember.

“So how is this going to work?” I asked Apple Bloom.

My reluctant roommate responded as she walked by my side.  “It’s school.  You go there, and listen as the teacher teaches.”

“I mean with me.  How are ponies going to react to my return?”

“We talked about it last week,” Apple Bloom responded.  “Miss Cheerilee talked about how you can’t remember anything, and how we should treat you like you were a new student.  I don’t know how that’s going to work.  We all were there last year, so we all know you, and remember the accident happening.”

“How bad was I to the other students?” I asked.

“Actually, not that bad,” Apple Bloom said.  “You just didn’t talk much with the other students.  You were... what was that vocabulary word again?  Oh yeah.  Indifferent.”

Maybe my return to school would go better than my first meeting with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.





We arrived at the schoolhouse.  It was a quiet morning, and we appeared to be the first ponies to have arrived.

“We don’t normally have to leave the farm this early, but Miss Cheerilee wanted to talk to you before school,” Apple Bloom said.

I looked around uncertainly.

Apple Bloom pointed a hoof.  “Our classroom is through that door.”  She headed to the swing set to pass the time, and I walked to the classroom.

The mulberry mare with the three flower cutie mark looked familiar; she had tested me when I was in the hospital.  But I didn’t remember what kind of pony she was.  She smiled warmly as I entered.  “Welcome back, Diamond Tiara,” she said.

“Thanks,” I muttered.

“Did you have any problems with your assignments?  Do you have any questions?”

I pulled out a small stack of papers and passed them to the teacher.  “I didn’t have any problems,” I responded.  “I remembered most of the material in subjects like math and history, and when I didn’t know the answer to a question, I found it in the chapter.”  I sighed.  “I just wish I remembered something other than facts from a book.”

Cheerilee gave a cursory examination to my homework, asking me a few questions about each assignment’s subject matter.  She seemed pleased with my work.

She looked at another paper.  “How are you feeling now?” she asked.

I wasn’t expecting that question.  “Okay,” I responded.  “Well, okay physically.  I’m just, I don’t know... uncertain, I guess.”

Cheerilee rested a hoof on my withers.  “Diamond Tiara, I’ve never taught a student with amnesia like yours.  But I have taught a lot of unsure students.  Some are afraid because it’s the first time they’ve spent the day away from their families.  Some are worried that they won’t be good enough.  And almost every transfer student is uncertain.  ‘Will I like the teacher?  Will I fit in?  Will I make friends?’  These are normal fears.  And remember, no matter what, I’m here to help you.”

The teacher looked at the clock on the wall.  “Well, we still have twenty minutes before class starts.  Why don’t you go out to the playground?” she offered.

“Okay,” I said, nodding.

I had been with Miss Cheerilee for maybe twenty minutes, but that time made all the difference.  Students of all ages now mingled outside the schoolhouse.  Some, like Apple Bloom, were using the playground equipment.  Others played with toys or chased each other in games of tag.  I eventually spotted Sweetie Belle, but still no Scootaloo.  And none of the other students were familiar.

Everypony looked like they had their circle of friends.  I truly was the outsider.

I decided to spend the rest of time before school began exploring the school and its grounds.  If anypony asked, I was trying to see if anything looked familiar to me.  Nopony asked, but I did see a few ponies staring at me.

The warning bell rang.  I joined the tide of foals heading to their respective classes.  Once inside, they headed to their desks.  I stopped and scanned the room.

Cheerilee figured out my problem.  “Your desk is that one in the corner,” she said, pointing to the leftmost desk in the first row.

I set my saddlebags by the desk.  Before I could sit on the bench chair, Cheerilee motioned for me to come forward.  I stood there, feeling the eyes of a dozen ponies on me.  All were unfamiliar, save for the three fillies I baked with a week ago.

“Now, everypony, we have a special student returning to class today.  This is Diamond Tiara.  She has largely recovered from her injuries, but she’s still trying to recover her memories.  So I would like all of you to introduce yourselves as if she were a new student to our school.  Can you all do that?”  Cheerilee smiled, looking expectantly at the class.

Going around the room, each pony introduced himself or herself.  None of the names were familiar to me.

“Now, let’s all give a warm welcome to Diamond Tiara,” Cheerilee told the class.  The applause was somewhat restrained, the hooffalls on the floor not very loud.  I smiled sheepishly to the class, and trotted to my desk.

“Class, please pull out your history textbooks.  We’ll start where we left off last Friday, with the alliance of the five great unicorn houses in the fifth century before unification.”  I focused on the textbook, and I was happy to lose myself in Cheerilee’s lecture.





Eventually, lunch arrived, and I would have to face the other ponies.  I placed my books in my saddlebags at a deliberately slow pace, and then took my lunch bag in my mouth.  I walked outside, seeing plenty of ponies eating, and a few who skipped ahead to running around.  Apple Bloom waved me over to a picnic table, where Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were also seated.

That crisis averted, or at least delayed, I pulled out my lunch.  It was the same lunch as Apple Bloom, a daisy sandwich, celery sticks, an apple, and apple juice.  Hers was bigger, though, with a second sandwich and a plumper apple.

“What do ponies do at lunch?” I asked.

“Eat,” said Scootaloo, mumbling around a mouthful of sandwich.

“Well, duh,” Apple Bloom said.  “I think she means afterwards.”

“Lunch is the best time of day, since you can do anything!” Sweetie Belle replied enthusiastically.  “Play games, plan our next crusade, or just talk!”

“What is the next crusade?” I asked.  The three fillies suddenly looked less enthusiastic.  “Any ideas?” I continued.

“Nothing,” they all replied.

“Besides, I don’t have time for crusading this weekend,” Apple Bloom said.  “It’s cider season.”

I looked at Apple Bloom.  “I’ve heard you talking about it, but what’s involved with cider season?” I asked.

“It’s only the second most important week on the farm!  Everypony lines up to buy our delicious cider.  So we have to work constantly to get apples harvested, cider pressed, mugs washed, and everything!”  Talking about cider season really cheered her up.

“Rarity and I will be there!” Sweetie Belle announced.

“And I’m going to practice flying techniques with Rainbow Dash while we’re waiting!” Scootaloo added.

“I’m just going to be working, pretty much every hour I’m not in school,” Apple Bloom said.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I offered.

“I’m sure there is, but we better talk to Applejack first,” Apple Bloom replied.

I finished the last sip of juice and tossed my apple core into the trash bin.  The other Crusaders were also finished with lunch.  “Now what?” I wondered.

“Well, since there’s not much to talk about...” Sweetie Belle said, trailing off.  She gave me a quick tap on the shoulder, and then jumped away from the table.  Around me, the others were getting up.

“That means you’re it,” Apple Bloom said, immediately before dashing away.

Tag.  I knew that game.  Time to put my legs to the test.





I was relieved when lunch ended, and I could sit back at my desk.  I survived the twenty minutes of running around, but I felt very tired.  I used a hoof to push away a lock of violet mane, plastered to my forehead with sweat, and looked at my friends.  Apple Bloom didn’t look fazed by all that running.  She was tough.  Scootaloo was nimble, but she lost some of her speed by the time we finished.  Sweetie Belle looked as bad as me; she had been easiest to tag.

But it was all worth it as I considered two of the other foals from the class.  They had joined in our game before lunch was over.

Cheerilee was at the chalkboard, writing a number of fractions for the afternoon’s math lesson.  “We’re going to practice reducing fractions today.  Let’s start with the first example.  Can anypony reduce the fraction?”

The example was 16 over 72, not very hard.  I raised a hoof, as did most of the class.

“Yes, Truffle Shuffle?” Cheerilee said, calling on the plump colt seated behind me.

“Divide the numerator and denominator by ei....” The colt’s response was interrupted as the number was replaced by an inadvertent belch.”

I giggled.  We all giggled.  We couldn’t help it.

“Now, class, there’s nothing funny about that.  It’s perfectly natural,” she chided us.  Still, it looked like she had to fight the urge to laugh.

I smiled and looked to my right.  My gaze rested on an unoccupied desk up front.

“Truffle Shuffle is right, divide by eight, and what do you get, class?”

“Two over nine!” we all responded.

As Cheerilee went over the next problem, I instead considered that empty desk.  Before lunch, the teacher had scolded Scootaloo for daydreaming.  The class tittered, and I had glanced in the same direction.  What did that mean?





The school bell sounded, signaling the end of the school day.  Everypony returned books and papers to their saddlebags and prepared to depart.

“Ready to go home?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Sure, but... can you wait for me?  I have something to ask the teacher,” I said.

“Okay,” replied Apple Bloom.

I waited for the rest of my classmates to leave.  Cheerilee seemed aware of what was going on, as she waited until we were alone before asking “Is there something you want to talk about?”

I nodded.  “Twice today, I found myself looking at an empty desk.  This one,” I said, placing my hoof on the desk two to my right.

“Do you know why?” Cheerilee asked.  “Did you remember something?”

“Not a memory, just... I don’t know, a feeling, an impression,” I said.  “When you caught Scootaloo this morning not paying attention, it just felt like the right thing to do, looking there, you know?”

“I don’t know if that’s a memory or not, but I think I know why you looked to that desk.  Silver Spoon, your best friend before the accident, used to sit there,” Cheerilee explained.

I gasped.  “What happened to her?”

“Nothing bad, Diamond Tiara,” she replied.  “She transferred to another school.”

I slumped.  I had a best friend?  Why haven’t I seen her?  Did she abandon me?

Again, Cheerilee seemed to understand what I was thinking.  “Diamond Tiara, your friend is attending a boarding school in Canterlot.  I’m sure she wants to see you, but she won’t be coming back to Ponyville until the holidays.”

I nodded slowly.

“I’m glad to see you had fun at lunch,” Cheerilee said.  “I hope you’ll have another good day at school tomorrow.”

I walked off, thinking about what I had learned.  I didn’t even notice I had walked outside.  Apple Bloom saw something was distracting me.  “What’s got you down?” she asked.

“I used to have a best friend,” I said.

“You still do,” Apple Bloom replied.  “And you can have as many friends as you want.  I promise not to be jealous!”  She adjusted her saddlebags.  “Now let’s get going.  I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“What’s going on?” I wondered.

“I’m helping harvest the apples for cider season,” she replied.

I felt twinges in my hind legs.  “I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

Apple Bloom looked away thoughtfully.  “Actually, I think you could help.  I’ll check with Applejack first, but there’s some work where there won’t be any applebucking going on.”





After checking with Applejack, we had her approval, though for what, I still didn’t know.  I watched as Apple Bloom picked up a small cart, filled with wooden buckets, from the barn.  She hitched herself to the cart and pulled it into the south orchard.  The fragrance of the plump, ripe apples filled my nostrils.  A slight breeze gently rustled the leaves, the only sound save for the creaking of the cart and the occasional sharp crack from applebucking somewhere else in the orchard.

We bypassed a number of trees, Apple Bloom looking into each of their branches.  “What are you looking for?” I asked.  “Some other kind of apple?”

“No, something else,” she replied.  After assessing a few more trees, she found one that caught her attention.  After stepping out of the harness, she placed one hoof on the bark, running it over the rough surface.  Finding a place that met her approval, she turned, facing away from the tree.

Apple Bloom was going to buck the tree?  I thought she said she wasn’t going to.  In any case, she forgot something.  “What about the buckets?” I pointed out.

“Don’t need them for this,” she said tersely.  She lifted her hind legs and delivered a swift kick to the tree.  The apples swayed, but didn’t fall.  Instead, a light blue pegasus fell out of the foliage.  She rubbed her head through her rainbow-colored mane as she got to her hooves.  “Sheesh, you could have just yelled, Apple Bloom,” she said.

“Sorry, Rainbow Dash, but Applejack says that doesn’t work,” Apple Bloom said.

The pegasus rubbed sleep from her eyes with her fetlocks.  “All right.  I’m ready.  You ready?” she said.

“Let’s get the buckets placed first,” Apple Bloom replied.  I helped her take the buckets out of the cart, placing them under the boughs of the apple tree.

“Done,” Apple Bloom said.  With that, Rainbow Dash flew up at an unbelievable speed, leaving a rainbow-colored trail in her wake.  It was far easier to follow it than her.  The trail made a tight U-turn, and the pegasus was flying back down.  I instinctively ducked.

The branches rattled and shook as if struck by a gale force wind.  That may very well be what happened.  I felt three apples drop on my body, along with a fair number of leaves.

Once the noise passed, I chanced a look around.  Rainbow Dash hovered in the air, shaking leaves out of her mane and wings.  All the apples had been blown to the ground, along with about half the leaves.

“Is that bad?  All the leaves?” I asked.

“No.  The leaves need to come off soon anyway,” Apple Bloom explained.  “Do you remember the Running of the Leaves?”

“No,” I said.

“Well, that’s this big race where we knock the leaves off the trees in Whitetail Wood.  But any tree needs to have its leaves fall, and while it doesn’t have to be right now, it’s best done before November.”

That was familiar.  The concept of working together, bringing about the change of seasons.  But it was just a fact of life, not something I remembered experiencing.

“Anyway, let’s pick up these apples,” Apple Bloom said.  She picked up apples by the stem using her mouth, and simultaneously used her hooves, lightly kicking apples on the ground into the buckets.

My own attempts at using my hooves were less successful.  I probably got less than a quarter of the apples into the buckets.  I decided to just use my mouth.  Those, I didn’t miss.

We soon finished, dumping the apples into the cart, and walked to the next tree.  I gazed down the row of trees, so many that I couldn’t see the edge of the farm.  Shrugging, I placed the buckets, and then stood back.  With a rush of wind, more leaves and apples fell.

Once the cart was full, Apple Bloom pulled it back to the barn.  Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to tend to her wings, straightening the feathers and getting leaves and bits of bark out from between them.

“Rainbow Dash?”  I asked.

She lifted her head.  “Yeah?”

“You’re one of the Elements of Harmony, right?” I asked.

“Yep.  Element of loyalty!” she said proudly, flaring her wings dramatically.

“And what brings you here today?” I asked.

“Applejack asked for help,” she replied.  She must have seen my confused expression, so she explained further.  “She was behind on harvesting the apples for cider season, and if there’s one thing I like, it’s cider.  So I said, what the heck, I can get these apples off the trees.  I’m no earth pony, but I’m, like, naturally good at everything.”

“You did get the apples out of the trees,” I observed.

“So here I am, helping Applejack after finishing my own work,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Isn’t that a lot to ask?”  I didn’t know exactly what the pegasus did for a living, but it sounded like taking an entire extra job.

“I’m not doing it for free; I’m getting an entire barrel of cider.”  Rainbow Dash paused, licking her lips.  “But I’m mostly doing this because Applejack needs the help, and I’m glad she asked this time.”

Rainbow Dash leaned in close to me and spoke quietly.  “Listen, kid, if Applejack ever gives you a hard time, ask her about the time she tried to handle applebuck season all by herself.  That’ll get you out of trouble.”  That sounds like an interesting story.  I wonder if Apple Bloom knows it?

Speaking of the filly, I saw her return, with the now-empty cart.  We headed to the next tree.

Such was my afternoon.  We worked, repeating the collecting of apples, until the sun set.  Returning to the farmhouse, I already felt tightness in the muscles of my neck.  I’d probably be sore in the morning.  The Apples, who had all worked a lot harder than me, didn’t appear bothered by their labors.  I guess that makes sense; they’re used to it.

I sat down to dinner.  It wasn’t until I smelled the hearty stew that I realized how famished I was.  I hadn’t eaten anything in seven hours.  After two bowls of stew, I came to appreciate why everypony here ate so much.

Even though everypony had worked hard all day, we still had to clean the kitchen.  Afterwards, Applejack set me and Apple Bloom down, and we went over the day in school.  We talked about the day’s lessons, and went over the homework assignments.  Applejack made sure we had what we needed to do the work, and made sure we were actually doing it, before heading off to deal with her own responsibilities.

Once we were alone, Apple Bloom set down her pencil.  “Thanks, Diamond Tiara,” she said.

“For what?” I asked.

“For helping today.”

“Isn’t that what anypony would do?” I wondered.

“Not everypony,” Apple Bloom said.  “Last year, your father brought you over to help with the zap apple harvest.  You threw a mighty fit before your father forced you to help.  And that wasn’t even hard work!”

Once again, I faced my past.  Why didn’t I want to help?  Was there a reason?  Something other than being a bad pony?

“I don’t remember why I acted like that, Apple Bloom, but I’ll help you now.  Just like Braeburn or Rainbow Dash.”  The Apples needed the help, and it was all my fault.

Homework had proven to be very distracting.  It wasn’t until I was getting ready for bed that I had time to think about the day.  Would tomorrow bring back a lost memory?  Could I remember more about this Silver Spoon?  Would I be able to reach the other students in class?

I crawled into bed, ready to ponder my day at school.  But my tired body soon won out over my active mind, and before I knew it, the cock’s crow introduced the new dawn.