//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Blank Flank // by Estelien //------------------------------// "Guess what, Miss Ray! The article I wrote about you is in the school paper today!" "Really?" she asked enthusiastically, looking up from her computer. A chill of excitement with just a tinge of dread ran through her spine. I hope she didn't include too much of what we talked about… "Shall I read it now?" The young pony blushed but tried to sound casual. "It's… up to you… You know… if you have time…" She handed her teacher a copy of the Yearly Yearling, a weekly paper named by somepony overenthusiastic about alliterations. The rest of the class was gradually arriving and commiserating about their "ehhh" (Equestrian History) project. Miss Ray giggled at some spelling errors. "I went to the Cry-Stale Empire?" She noticed that the lavender pegasus was blushing a bit redder. She skimmed the rest, as her last class would start soon, pausing on one paragraph. "It's a lovely article! This absolutely made my day. But, hmmm, I'm not sure I said 'childhood dream' when we talked?" Am I being too critical? It's so sweet that she chose to write about me like this. "Well, my writing teacher made me change it so that it sounded better." "Right… Anyway, can I keep this? I want to frame it, if you don't mind!" The proud filly nodded and stumbled away, trying to hide a huge grin behind her long bangs. Ava mumbled under the dull roar of the socializing students, "Just tweak the facts to make it sound better." At least she didn't write about how I became a teacher. Ah, anyway. It's time. "Bonjour, la classe !" She trotted to the front of the room and began the routine greetings in Fréquin. "Bonjour, Mademoiselle Rée !" "GUESS WHAT I DID THIS WEEKEND!" "En fréquin, s'il te plaît !" ("In Fréquin, please!") - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rrrrrrring! "Phew… OK, tout le monde! À lundi! Bon week-end et soyez sage!" ("Alright, everyone! See you Monday! Have a good weekend and behave!") Once the noise and mad rush to the doors had abated, she slumped down at her desk reflecting on the day. Ughhh. Thank goodness it's Friday. At least it was a fun one - they loved those verb songs. But I can't believe how much attitude the first-year class gave me when I offered them extra credit. How ungrateful can - She stopped herself. No, she was never going to use that word to describe her students. Never. Her thoughts were interrupted by a second loud ring. It was the travel representative calling to ask for an update. Oh no. "I - I'm sorry, but I… um… don't really have an update right now." Please just say we don't have to talk about it yet. "Oh. Are… you still interested in the trip at all?" She tried to stop shivering, to steady her voice. I have to sound professional. "Of course I still want the students to be able to go to Mareseilles! There are just several… factors… and I don't know for sure yet what is going to happen. She twisted the phone cord around her hoof. Gathering a little courage, she added, "What will happen if I'm not able to go on the trip? That is, what if, for whatever reason, perhaps I am not still working here in a couple of years when they go?" "Well, Ava, whoever replaces you would inherit the trip and all your responsibilities, basically." Resume shivering. She breathed a sigh of relief when the awful conversation finally ended. Collapsing back into the smelly desk chair, she thought again of the article her dear little student had written. Following my childhood dream? The white pony sighed quietly and started doodling cutie marks on a sticky note. I had all sorts of dreams as a filly… One mark took the shape of a paintbrush, another a fossil, another some scribbled words in three different Equestrian languages… But this, she dropped the pen from her mouth and looked across the dull room absently, finding no new inspiration from the faded posters. Was this one of them? "MADEMOISELLE! MADEMOISELLE!" She jolted upright and crumpled her sticky note as a colt and his friends bounded through the doorway. Instinctively, before even registering who they were, she gave a pleasant smile. "What is it? Shouldn't you be on your way home?" "We're staying for the soccer game," one said quickly, "but did you see the new update??!" They all nodded excitedly. "Ohhh, that's why you're here. Yeah, it looks really cool! I'm so glad they're finally rebalancing the mage class - they were way OP." "I know, right?! Let me guess, do you play as an archer?" "Pfffff, nah. I'm always a mixed class!" "But LunaScape doesn't have mixed classes. Are you thinking of some other game?" "Nope! I play as a battle cleric, and I actually do a lot of farming." "Wow, that's weird," one of them piped up from the back. "I dunno," another said, "I think it's kinda cool." "Yeah… Actually, maybe I'll try that on my next character!" said a taller, blue colt. Her smile was real by now. These dorks. Gotta love 'em. "Well, we've gotta go. Bye!!" "See you Monday!" What an incredible thing it was to get to influence them while they were so young - to have an impact on their future. Her mood was lightening. She giggled quietly at the idea that so many of them only took her class because she was such a dork too. Despite being a teacher by day, she still made time for video games, among other mismatched hobbies. "I just stay on top of popular culture so that I can make real-world connections in class, to increase the level of engagement blah blah blah," she'd always say when asked. It was a stretch, but if it kept the higher-ups happy, it was a good enough excuse. She checked her calendar for meetings. Oh, that's right. I have to go see Raindrop soon. As she packed up to go tutor the sick filly, she noticed some flecks of dry paint on the floor around her. "Really? Again?" Grumbling, she pulled out her make up bag. It could normally wait until she got home, but the day wasn't over yet. She hoped that the boys had not noticed. Wow, it looks like someone took a bite out of this thing. With a thin paintbrush, she deftly patched up the apple and dictionary on her flank. "Rrrg!" the brush slipped and fell, leaving a blood-like streak down her fur and splattering the floor. This week needs to be over. After poking her head out the door to make sure the coast was clear, she crept grudgingly to the restroom to wash it off. These days, she usually avoided eye contact with herself. But while the water warmed up, she glanced up into mirror. Do I even have a dream anymore?