"Ah can't believe it! A whole month without Diamond Tiara!" Said Apple Bloom excitedly.
"We needed this vacation so much!" squeaked Sweetie Belle.
"Look at Silver Spoon she is freaking out," added Scootaloo pointing a hoof towards the gray and silver filly across the room from them.
Wide eyed, Silver Spoon looked like she was doing her best impression of Discord encased in stone. Her world and her very sanity depended on her best friend Diamond Tiara. Without her this month was going to be horrible.
The classroom was roaring with activity as it slowly filled up with energetic young colts and fillies. After a three day weekend they were all still in full weekend play mode when Cheerilee entered the room. The volume in the room died down quickly as the students noticed the classroom goddess.
"Good Morning Miss Cheerilee!" the class said more or less in unison.
"Good Moring Class!" answered Cheerilee in her usual happy tone.
"Ah wonder who we traded Diamond for?" whispered AB to Scoots.
"I don't know but they better be cool," replied Scoots.
"I don't care who it is really, I just hope he or she is nice." added Sweetie trying to get her two-cents worth of the conversation.
Silver groaned as she glared at Diamonds empty seat, "Why did you have to leave me alone, Diamond?"
"I know how exited we all where when we finally got approval from the Equestrian School Board to allow the Ponyville school system an exchange student program. And I know many of you had your parents sign you up for the program. I don't know weather to be proud because my students were willing to go on an educational adventure or sad because you just wanted to get away from me." said Cheerilee with a chuckle.
"I'm glad I didn't get picked," said Sweetie, "I don't know how or why Rarity convinced Mom and Dad to even sign me up."
Sniggering Scootaloo shot Sweetie a crooked smile, "I'm sure it didn't have anything to do with our Pet Grooming cutie mark idea."
"Ah thought we agreed to never talk about that ever again, Ah still got scabs from that monster Rarity calls a cat." Said AB with a shutter, "Ah wished Applejack, Big Mac, and granny would have let me sign up. Ah could have gotten a adventure cutie mark."
"Why didn't you sign up Scootaloo?" asked Sweetie.
"Why do you think?" replied Scoots pointing at Cheerilee, "Aunt Cheerilee said it wouldn't be fair if I entered. Wouldn't want to give all the other kids the idea that she might be biased she said. What ever that means."
"Being biased means-" Sweetie started to say as she watched Scootaloo cover her ears with her hooves. Sweetie crossed her hooves across her chest and started to pout.
"Do you paint over your dictionary cutie mark every morning Sweetie?" asked AB innocently.
"Ha ha ha" laughed Sweetie mockingly.
"Sweetie Belle!" shouted Cheerilee sternly.
A blush flooded across Sweeties cheeks as she looked at her teacher, "Uh, yes Miss Cheerilee?"
"Do you have a joke to share with the class?"
Sweetie Bell scratched the back of her head trying to find her blushes' off switch, "Uh I don't think so."
"Please try to be a little more quite the next time," added the red mare.
"So as I was saying, our exchange student comes from a small town on the east side of the Everfree Forest named Shades Valley. So without further ado let us welcome our new student." said Cheerilee as she opened up the door letting the new student enter the room.
Apple Blooms chin dropped to the floor. Scootaloo did a quick hoof pump,
"Forget about cool, she is awesome!"
Sweetie Bell blinked several time trying to make since of what she was seeing. And Silver Spoon slid down her in seat, cursing Celestia and Luna for taking Diamond away and replacing her with a creature from her nightmares. The rest of the class let out a combined gasp and squee.
Standing beside their beloved teacher was a ash gray coated filly with a pixie styled silver mane. Upon her muzzle sat a pair of solid black horn rimmed glasses with a clip shade flipped down over the lenses. She swayed back and forth just a little looking like Rainbow Dash after drinking too much cider.
"Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?" Cheerilee asked the filly.
The little filly strutted forward, or tried to strut forward but she tripped over her own feet and face planted into the floor. Which garnered an almost unanimous fit of laughter from the entire class. Scootaloo stuck her hoof in her mouth to keep from laughing along with the rest of the class. She could see that AB was having a tough time as well because she was chewing her lip something fierce as tears of laughter started to pool in the corners of her eyes. Sweetie Bell was taking it like a champ, the only expression she wore was a mask of concern. What was strange was Silver Spoon, she wasn't laughing and she wasn't having any trouble not laughing either. She just glared at the Diamond replacement sprawled out on the floor.
Cheerilee helped the little filly to her feet. The filly turned and focused on the wall to her right. Her face glowed with anger and embarrassment. "I'll show them!" she said under her breath. She glanced over at Cheerilee's desk and then yelled, "Na Na Na Nuh Na," as she ran toward the desk and leaping on top of it. She threw her leathery wings out wide and stomped the desk as hard as he could, filling the room with a thunderous, "Clop! As she screamed, BAT PONY!"