//------------------------------// // First Day of School // Story: The World Is Her Oyster // by DraconequusMaximus //------------------------------// Meadowlark was an old grey earth pony mare with a mane that had turned white many years ago. Meadowlark had recently come out of retirement by her granddaughter Cheerilee who had been promoted to the school board. Today was to be her first day back on the job as kindergarten teacher. Ponyville's school was now just as advanced as any of the schools in larger cities were thanks to a generous donation from the royal family about five years ago. Now there were many separate classrooms for different grades and even a few science labs and a gymnasium. Meadowlark always liked to be acquainted with her student's parents, as such she was standing in front of the building awaiting them. She had already managed to cross quite a few names off of her list from the early birds she had met so far. The children who had already arrived were playing in the gym. She was caught completely off guard when a large terrifying shadow fell upon her. She looked up to see the most imposing creature on earth, a might purple dragon was descending several yards from herself. Her mind was screaming at her to flee but her tired old bones just wouldn't move. The great beast landed facing her, it was looking directly into her soul. By some miracle it looked behind itself, ignoring her for the time being. With one of it's menacing clawed hands it took something from it's back slowly and placed it on the ground. It was a stallion, a great big, red earth pony with a little dragon sitting on his own back. Once the stallion was safely on the ground the dragon returned it's attention to her. "Good morning ma'am. Would you happen to be Mrs.Meadowlark the kindergarten teacher?" The monster asked her with surprising politeness. "Y-yes, c-can I help you with something?" Meadowlark asked, trying to return the kindness without wetting herself. "Great! I'm Spike, this is my husband Macintosh, and our daughter Pearl. She's going to be in your class this year and we thought it'd be a good idea to meet you beforehand." Spike told the considerably confused mare with his usual smile. "What? Y-you're a dragon... enrolling your daughter in a pony school? Is that legal?" The elderly teacher asked as she struggled to grasp the concept. "Yes? She should be on the list, Cheerilee assured me that all my paperwork was in order." Spike replied. He looked to Mac nervously who shared his concern. The aged mare looked through her list Cheerilee had given her for a moment before finding the name written on it, just as the strangely friendly dragon had claimed. Name: Priscilla Falstaff Equestria (Prefers Pearl) Age: 5 Race: Dragon Emergency Contacts: Sullivan Amadeus Equestria (Prefers Spike) Macintosh Apple Celestia Parthena Equestria Luna Vertiline Equestria Twilight Sparkle Trixie Lulamoon Sparkle Note: Pearl is a wonderfully kind little girl but gets bored easily. Be aware she can fly and breathe fire. She is technically a princess but doesn't like special treatment. Her father may be somewhat intimidating but is a perfect gentlecolt. Meadowlark let the information and names on the list Cheerilee had given her soak in for a few seconds. Everything clicked reasonably fast after she was presented with all the facts. "Oh dear, your highness! I'm so sorry, I wasn't aware this small town was your home. I'm from Hoofshire originally, I remember reading about you in the paper a few years ago. I thought you were going to gobble me up before I saw the princesses names on the contact list." The mare said wearing a forced smile. She was hoping he was the forgiving type. Spike looked himself over and face-clawed at his own stupidity. He grasped the dial on his chest and shrunk himself down to about the same size as Macintosh. Pearl giggled a bit, she had always thought it was funny to see her Daddy shrink so much. " Just call me Spike. I'm really sorry about coming here like I did, I forgot you were new in town. I should have landed further back and walked up after making myself somewhat less threatening." Spike told her as he internally berated himself. "Oh no, I shouldn't have just assumed you were going to eat me, I seem to have gotten paranoid in my old age. I'd be happy to show the three of you around if you'd like." She offered. In her mind she was thanking Faust almighty that she hadn't angered some random dragon. "Well Mac and I are already familiar with the building, they gave us a tour when they were finished. We gave the town the money to modernize the school shortly after Pearl was born since she'd be attending eventually." Spike explained. To prove himself he pointed out the sign at the front of the building. There was indeed a placard bearing his and Macintosh's names. "Oh I see, thank you for that. Children are our future, nothing is as important as they are." The mare said with a firm nod. Anyone so concerned with his child's well being was a good egg in her book. "Ah agree Ms. Meadowlark, ah think Pearl'll be in good hooves with ya." Macintosh added. "I'd love to see what they've done with the place over the past few years, but duty calls. A hydra has been seen causing trouble in the marshlands north of Canterlot and my mother requested that I teach it some manners." Spike informed her. For the first time she noticed the chain around his back that secured what appeared to be a hammer several times larger than any weapon she had ever seen. She decided then it was best not to do anything to upset this family. Ever. A sphere of light appeared several feet from the group glowing brightly. It soon dissipated into a flock of bubbles that floated away leaving Discord, Fluttershy, and Screwball behind. For the first time ever Meadowlark was wishing that she had simply gone senile and today was some kind of dream. Fluttershy stepped forward with Screwball and joined Spike and Macintosh. Screwball and Pearl were already chatting away before Meadowlark had any idea what was going on. "Hello, I'm here to drop my daughter off for kindergarten class." Fluttershy told the mare as she pointed to the odd filly. "Uh yes, right. Name?" The old mare asked after remembering what she was supposed to be doing. "Screwball." Fluttershy replied. Meadowlark scanned her list once more until finding the correct name. Name: Screwball Age: 4 Race: Pony/Draconequus Hybrid Emergency Contacts: Fluttershy Discord Note: Possesses reality warping abilities but is generally good natured if somewhat hyperactive. Try not to anger her father. "Yes, I assume you're Fluttershy then? Who is the strange fellow behind you?" she asked. "That's my husband Discord, he's Screwball's father. I made him promise to be on his best behavior so he's keeping to himself because he doesn't want to sleep on the sofa tonight." Fluttershy explained. "Ah good mare, keeping the menfolk in line. It's about time for class so I'm afraid it's time for parents to say goodbye so we can meet up with the other children playing in the gymnasium." The grey mare replied. Spike and Macintosh both kissed Pearl on the crest of her forehead much to her annoyance and promised to be back to pick her up at three. Fluttershy and Discord did the same with Screwball, though Fluttershy's overprotective nature tried to thwart their departure. Discord snapped his fingers, making them disappear in a flash before his wife made too big of a scene. Meadowlark showed the girls inside and instructed them to follow behind her. They soon arrived in the gym where groups of ponies of varying ages sat or played with others in their grade. About twenty other foals were waiting for Mrs.Meadowlark under the supervision of an earth pony mare wearing a ball cap and whistle, presumably the gym teacher. Meadowlark rounded them up and follow her as well until they reached the classroom. There were eleven tables in the room, each only big enough to seat two. The room itself was white with many colorful posters on the walls. At the front of the room was a large whiteboard with markers in the tray just below. The carpeting had foam rubber underneath it to prevent the foals from getting hurt when they fell. Several supply cupboards and bookshelves lined the walls as well. Meadowlark motioned for them to pick seats. Screwball and Pearl sat towards the back at one table while the other seats filled in. Once their teacher was satisfied that they had found themselves places she stood at the white board. "Good morning children, my name is Mrs.Meadowlark and I'll be your teacher for the whole year. Since today is the first day of school we're going to get to know one another until recess. Where you're sitting will be your permanent seat unless I ask you to move. It will also tell what order we do things in. When it is your turn, go up to the board and tell us your name and a little about yourselves." She explained. She motioned for the first child to come up to the front, an orange pegasus colt with a black curly mane and tail. He complied and took his place up front and nervously looked at his classmates. "My name is Dribble, and I like to play basketball." The colt told everypony as his eyes shifted around the room. "And what do your parents do Dribble?" Mrs.Meadowlark asked. "Dad is a referee and my mom is a dentist." He replied somewhat more calmly. "Very good, you may sit down now." The teacher told him with a warm smile. The majority of the first hour was spent this way until only three were left. Pearl, Screwball, and a colt neither of them knew just yet that was walking toward the front of the room now. He was a unicorn and he was pink, something unusual for colts. His mane and tail were a mixture of red and white stripes. "My name is Cinnamint, and I like to make candy with my mom. She runs the sweet shop in Ponyville while my other mom plays music in a fancy restaurant in Canterlot." Cinnamint finished and headed back to his seat, clearly relieved the focus was off of him. Screwball didn't even hesitate to float on up to the white board like it was nothing. She had apparently inherited her father's knack for showboating. She did a mid-air flip and landed on her hind legs, she then removed her beanie from her head and confetti, glitter, and streamers flew out blanketing the audience that was her class. "Hello everypony! My name is Screwball and I like to have fun with magic! My mommy takes care of animals and my daddy is a really tall thing that I can't say right. He used to rule the world, but mommy made him a good guy." Screwball told the awestruck foals. Pearl merely tried to remove the glitter from herself while the others clapped. "Yes well, very... impressive, Screwball. But please save the magic for after school please, the janitor is going to have a fit when he sees this." Mrs.Meadowlark said as she tried to get confetti out of her mane. Screwball merely rolled her insane eyes and stomped her hoof on the floor three times, if you blinked you would have missed it. Everything was as it had been just a moment before. Screwball puffed her cheeks out in an attempt to keep her potty mouth in check, just like her mother had taught her. She silently floated back to her seat with her front hooves crossed in annoyance. Pearl double checked her hoodie for debris and walked up to the front of the room, her fathers had told her that she was not to fly or breathe fire inside unless given special permission from the teacher. "My name is Pearl and I like lots of stuff. My Pa kicks trees to get apples and does stuff with them. My Daddy beats up bad guys and monsters with a really big hammer." Pearl explained nonchalantly. She was honestly bored out of her skull, normally there were tons of options for entertainment at home. Here it was talking and sitting all day. To her surprise a colt raised his hoof as soon as she finished. Pearl had no idea what that meant and looked to Mrs.Meadowlark for an explanation. "I believe he has a question for you dear, if you want you can answer it." She told the confused dragoness. "Uh, okay?" She said looking back to the colt. "Are both your parents dragons? Don't dragons eat meat?" The colt asked somewhat afraid. "My Pa is a pony, but Daddy is a dragon. We don't eat meat though, Daddy says we're veterinarians." Pearl explained. "I think you mean vegetarians, Pearl." Mrs.Meadowlark corrected. "Yeah, that." Pearl said with a single nod. After nopony else seemed to have any questions she walked back to her seat. She looked around to see the other foals whispering about her and Screwball. She pulled her hood over her head and rested her chin on the table, she didn't like them talking about her. Her hearing was good enough that she didn't miss a word. They were comparing her to the monsters in bedtime stories and fairy tales. Mrs.Meadowlark didn't seem to notice as she was currently busy looking at her watch as if she was waiting for something. After several seconds she looked up just as a loud ringing filled everyone's ears. Pearl's head shot up in alarm as she clutched her sensitive ears. "That's the bell for recess everyone. Half an hour on the playground, please file out in an orderly fashion." Mrs.Meadowlark said loudly as to gain everyone's attention. Despite her polite request the foals excitedly ran out the door leaving her by herself with Pearl who was lagging behind due to her sudden headache. The kindly teacher placed her on her back and made her way to the playground to keep an eye on the students. Once outside Pearl gave the old mare a nod of thanks before lifting off, grateful to be able to give her wings a stretch at the least. After a moment of doing loops and rolls she located Screwball who was playing tether-ball. "Hey Screws." Pearl greeted as she landed beside the manic pony. "What took ya so long?" Screwball asked as she bopped the corded ball. "The bell was too loud, it hurt my ears. Teacher said she'd see about making quieter." Pearl explained as she ducked the ball before it could smack her in the face. The pair attempted to join in with the other children's games but were turned away. Despite Screwball's initially warm reception they had begun to fear her unusual magical talents just as much as they did Pearl for being a dragon. The pair took to sulking underneath the jungle gym, drowning their sorrows in chocolate milk, courtesy of a cotton candy cloud Screwball summoned up. The pair was broken from their funk when Cinnamint, the colt from earlier walked up to them. "H-hello, I was wondering if we could play together?" He asked nervously. The girls looked at each other and shrugged their indifference, one friend was certainly better than none. The colt took a seat next to Pearl much to her surprise. Despite the other students whispering about both of them, the bulk had been about her. "So... why do you wanna hang out with us?" Pearl asked. "I... I think you guys are cool. You're a dragon, and she's an earth pony better at magic than I am. I'm a unicorn and I still can't do any magic." The colt admitted bashfully. "Yeah, but I'm special. My Daddy is a big snake-pony-deer-dragon-thingy, he can do whatever he wants so long as Mommy doesn't find out." Screwball explained as best as she could. "Does your Dad really beat up monsters?" Cinnamint asked as he looked from Screwball to Pearl. "Uh huh, he's beating up a mean hydra today. Two weeks ago he threw a manticore out of Fillydelphia." Pearl said proudly. "No way!" The colt replied in awe and disbelief. Pearl opened the flap on her bag she had received for her birthday and unzipped it. She reached into the bag and thought of the item she wanted. After a moment she withdrew her hand, revealing a black claw just as big as her own fingers in her grasp. "Whoa! Is that a manticore claw?!" Cinnamint exclaimed as his eyes widened. "Yup, Daddy brings me stuff from work. I've got cockatrice scales, cragadile teeth, and all kinds of stuff." ... "Just don't tell my Dad I took them out of the house." Pearl added with a whisper as she scanned the skies for her father. "I promise, but you shouldn't show those to anypony else. You could get in big trouble, those could hurt somepony." Cinnamint advised. "Oh yeah, I forget ponies get hurt easy sometimes." Pearl remembered as she stowed her contraband collectable away. The trio played go-fish in their makeshift lair of playground equipment until the bell rang summoning them back to the classroom, they were separated until lunch. They sat together once again, Screwball noticed that Cinnamint always preferred to sit next to Pearl but decided to keep it to herself. After lunch the children were given practice books to take home so that their parents could help them learn to read if they could not already do so. Afterwards they went over how to properly write and sound out letters. All things Pearl already knew how to do, as dragons matured faster intellectually than other species. She was drumming her claws on the table in boredom while the rest of the class was trying to add one plus one. Yet another area she had a leg up in, being able to count on her fingers gave her a somewhat unfair advantage. Eventually the bell rang out, signifying the end of the schoolday. Pearl had never been so happy to have a headache before in her life. The students all filed out to the front of the building where they would meet their parents. Spike (at his least threatening size) and Macintosh stood with Discord and Fluttershy. Screwball and Pearl both joined their parents happily. Discord and company waved goodbye before vanishing. "Hey sweetie! How was your first day of school?" Spike asked as he and Macintosh pulled her into a hug. "It was dumb, but I made a friend." Pearl replied happily. "Really, that's great. Who?" Spike asked as he set his daughter down. "His name is Cinnamint, that's him over there!" Pearl pointed excitedly. Cinnamint was watching the other children walking off with their families, worry evident on his face. It seemed whomever he was waiting for was not present. Spike looked to Macintosh who nodded in agreement to Spike's wordless question. The stallion trotted up to the colt slowly. "Scuse me, Cinnamint? Ah'm Pearl's Pa. Ah couldn't help but notice yer folks aren't here t' get ya." Macintosh said calmly, he didn't want the colt to think he was untrustworthy. Pearl walked up to the colt as well, easing his nerves. "My parents were going to Canterlot for business after they brought me here. They said they'd be back in time." The colt replied as his eyes began to tear up. Spike overheard the conversation and stepped in to help. He too approached slowly as he figured the colt would be wary of him, most ponies were instinctively scared of predatory creatures. "Hi there, I'm Pearl's Dad. I was flying over the tracks earlier and the train seemed to be stopped. I think your parents must be stuck there until they can get the train running again. Is there some relative nearby we can get for you?" Spike asked clearly and calmly. Cinnamint shook his head no, but had calmed down after hearing his parents were at least safe. Mac an Spike shared another silent conversation before coming to a decision. "Ah don't suppose ya'd like to come t' our house till yer folks can come an' get ya?" Macintosh asked. Cinnamint looked Mac and Spike over cautiously. He had been taught not to talk to strangers, but if they had wanted to the massive stallion and dragon could have hurt him already with ease. Pearl was still looking at him, easing his nerves. "Pearl will be with us right?" He asked uncertainly. "Of course, She lives there too ya know? But we should leave a note with your teacher before we do anything." Spike replied. "I heard everything, I'll give your address to the boy's parents." Ms. Meadowlark said waving them off with a hoof. And with that, the four of them headed off to Sweet Apple Acres. Hopefully Pearl's new friend wouldn't have to wait long for his parents.