"Fillies and colts, I'm pleased to announce we have a new student today. This is Sassy Shrimp, and he'll be joining grade one," said Cheerilee.
A tiny cyan head with curly golden locks shyly poked its way out from behind the teacher.
"Pfft, what a runt," giggled Diamond Tiara. Sassy's eyes widened and he quickly cowered back behind Cheerilee.
Scootaloo scowled in Diamond Tiara's direction. "Lay off him, Diamond Tiara," she spat.
"Scootaloo's right," said Apple Bloom. "You're s'poseda try to be nice now, remember?"
"Ugh. Sorry, Sassy," she moaned. "But I was just stating a fact. He's small."
Cheerilee took a deep breath and put on a forced smile. "Yes, he is. But keep in mind, everypony in this room was that small at some point, too," she said.
"Even you, Mith Cheerilee?" gasped Peppermint Twist.
Cheerilee blushed slightly. "Yes, even me, although that was many years ago. Ponies grow up at different speeds, but Sassy recently turned six. That means he's old enough to join grade one now, so he'll be here whenever grade one is scheduled."
Sassy peeked out from behind Cheerilee and locked eyes with Scootaloo, who flashed the little colt a grin to make him feel more comfortable. Wow, she was right—he really is tiny, thought Scootaloo.
"Why don't you go take that empty seat?" asked Cheerilee, motioning Sassy forward with a hoof. The tiny earth pony walked toward the back of the class. Sassy closed his eyes and visibly winced as he passed Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom.
Sassy Shrimp's seat was in the back half of the class, in the section reserved for grade one students. His seat bordered the grade six section, just one seat behind Scootaloo. Sassy clambered up into his empty seat, almost falling down in the process. Silver Spoon failed to suppress a laugh, and Sassy whined, ears folded back as he set his chin on the desk. Cheerilee flashed Silver Spoon a frown, and she blanched and sat up straight in her chair.
"Alright, class. I have some announcements, and then we'll break into grade groups for math," Cheerilee said.
Scootaloo turned her head around and smiled again at the young colt, and Sassy smiled back. The little guy seemed to be avoiding eye contact with everypony else.
At the start of recess, Sassy hugged the outside wall of the schoolhouse. It looked like he was afraid to venture out onto the playground.
"Wow. That new kid's awfully shy," said Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom nodded. "He seemed to warm up to you though, Scootaloo. Maybe you should go, y'know, chew the bit with him? With a little talkin' you might be able to get him to make some friends."
Scootaloo pouted. "I dunno, girls. I'm not worried about being uncool or anything, but I don't wanna be saddled by a pint-sized tagalong forever..."
"Once he opens up, he'll make friends in his own grade," said Sweetie Belle. "Hay, why don't we all go talk to him?"
"Sounds like a plan," said Apple Bloom, with a smile. "He might even want to be a Crusader at some point."
"Eh, his mark's gotta be a long ways off," said Scootaloo. "But yeah, let's go talk to him."
As the Cutie Mark Crusaders approached Sassy, his jaw dropped open wide. Like a flash, he scampered around the corner of the schoolhouse.
"Aw geez, this ain't goin' well. Scoots, maybe you can go talk to him by yourself?" asked Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo sighed heavily. "Fine, whatever. Wait here," she said, then walked around the corner of the schoolhouse by herself. Sassy Shrimp was cowering behind some tall grass.
"Hay, Sassy Shrimp?" said Scootaloo. "My name's Scootaloo. Can I talk to you for a second?"
Sassy peeked over the top of the grass. "S-scootaloo? Oh, it's you! Sure thing," he said, then hopped forward. His eyes lit up brightly and his tiny tail bounced a little.
Scootaloo sat down on the gravel, and Sassy followed suit. "So, Sassy. You're kinda shy, huh?" she asked.
Ugh, I'm really bad at this, thought Scootaloo. Silently, she wished Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were beside her. They'd probably scare him away, though.
"Y-yeah," he said, then smiled. "Oh, thanks ever so much for sticking up for me before! Those girls were really scary."
Scootaloo laughed. "Who, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon? They just have bad manners, they don't bite," she said. "Even if they did, if they laid a hoof on you, they'd have to answer to me."
Sassy Shrimp bounced in place. "You're so cool, Scootaloo!" he said. Scootaloo suppressed a blush.
"Yeah, I guess I am," admitted Scootaloo. "But I'm sure you can learn to be brave just like me. You need to get out there and make some friends in your grade sometime, y'know?"
Sassy's face fell. "Oh. You're too old to be my friend, huh?" he whispered.
Scootaloo grimaced. "No, don't be silly! Of course we can be friends, but you need to make friends your own age, too," she said gently. "You know, friends who like playing all the same games and can help you with your homework. That doesn't mean I'm not your friend too, okay?"
Before Sassy had a chance to answer, the bell rang. "Does that mean recess is over?" asked Sassy.
"Yeah, we'd better get back inside," said Scootaloo.
For the rest of the day, Scootaloo kept a close eye on Sassy to make sure he was okay. To her relief, the little boy started to open up with some of the ponies in his grade. Sassy spoke to the other two colts in grade one several times, but stayed quiet around all the fillies.
After school got out, Sassy walked up to Scootaloo. He looked nervous.
"Hay Scootaloo! Um, I think my dad has the wrong time for picking me up," he said, trotting nervously in place. "He thought he was s'poseda be here at five..."
"Yikes, that's like an hour and a half from now! Well, I guess I can babysit you," she said.
"I'm not a baby!" Sassy pouted.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean that. I just mean—look, I was going to the clubhouse to meet a couple of my friends. Why don't you come with me, and then I can walk you back here before your dad shows up?" she asked.
Sassy looked excited, then suddenly changed to horrified. Scootaloo turned around. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were standing there with wide grins.
"Ugh, you two again," said Scootaloo.
"Looks like you got a new little friend," teased Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon giggled.
"So what?" said Scootaloo. "He needs a friend. Can't you see you're scaring him?"
Diamond Tiara sighed. "Okay, fine. Look, Sassy Squirt, or whatever. I'm sorry about teasing you earlier," she said. "Um, you can come out now," she added.
Scootaloo craned her head and noticed Sassy was hiding behind her. "She's trying to be nice, Sassy," she said.
"O-okay," whispered Sassy. "Thank you." He remained hidden behind Scootaloo's flank.
Silver Spoon shrugged. "Hay, we tried," she said. The pair turned and walked away.
Scootaloo reached down with a hoof and scruffed Sassy's mane. "Look, kid. I know ponies can be scary sometimes, but you gotta stand up for yourself a little. I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you," she promised. Scootaloo started walking toward the treehouse, and Sassy walked tightly against her heels.
"Yeah, I know," said Sassy. "But girls are so scary. I've always been afraid," he said.
"What, of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?" asked Scootaloo. "Did you meet them before school today?"
Sassy shook his head. "No, just fillies in general! They're so weird, and they can be mean, and..."
Scootaloo stopped walking. "Sassy, you know that I'm, um..."
"The awesomest colt in school?" he smiled broadly.
Scootaloo felt her stomach sink.
"Oh horse apples," she mumbled, planting her hoof against her face.
"What's wrong Scootaloo? Are you mad at me?" said Sassy, the edges of his muzzle quivering.
Scootaloo shook her head. "No, it's fine... I just, I guess because you're really young, you don't realize..." she said, unsure of what else to do. "Look, we can talk about this later. Maybe it'll help once you meet my friends."
Both ponies continued their trip toward the Crusaders' treehouse, but Scootaloo's muzzle was scrunched up in worry the entire way. What in Equestria have I gotten myself into, she wondered? How can I break it to him that I'm a filly without scarring the little guy for life?
"A real-live treehouse!" squealed Sassy Shrimp. He followed Scootaloo up the ramp and into the building, and Scootaloo shut the door after them. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were already here. They were building something long and thin from wooden pieces.
"Sassy Shrimp, you remember Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle from class, right? They're my two best friends," said Scootaloo.
"Oh! Hi Apple—" said Sassy, and then he froze in place.
"Did we... break him?" asked Sweetie Belle. As she stepped closer, Sassy yelped and backed into a corner of the treehouse.
"They're fillies!" he whispered, shaking.
"It's okay, Sassy. They're my friends," said Scootaloo.
"Y-you have a fillyfriend? Two fillyfriends?!" gasped Sassy, cowering and shivering in the corner. "Oh wow, you really are cool..."
Scootaloo blushed like fire. "What? No! I mean, they're not fillyfriends, they're just normal friends, that happen to be fillies. It's okay, they won't hurt you. They're good ponies, just like you and me."
Sassy seemed to calm down a little.
"Scootaloo, why doesn't he seem to mind that you're—" said Apple Bloom. Scootaloo's dusty hoof plunked right into Apple Bloom's muzzle, cutting her off mid-sentence.
"He doesn't know yet," whispered Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle nodded. "Ohhhhh. That makes sense," she said.
"What?" said Apple Bloom, removing Scootaloo's hoof. "How does that make any sense?"
Sweetie shrugged. "Well, I didn't know for like, a week after we met."
Scootaloo's jaw dropped, but no words came out.
"Sweetie Belle, you can't be serious," said Apple Bloom, with a very serious face.
"I am! I didn't!" insisted Sweetie Belle. "I mean, she was a couple years younger then, so it was easier to get confused. You know."
Scootaloo still looked shocked. "Seriously?"
"I mean, didn't you even look, Sweetie Belle?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Apple Bloom!" whispered Scootaloo, blushing.
"Look at what? The muzzle doesn't look all that different when you're young," said Sweetie Belle.
"Oh for cryin' out loud. At her hindquarters, Sweetie!" Apple Bloom nearly shouted.
It was Sweetie Belle's turn to blush. "I don't look at ponies there! Rarity says that isn't polite because some ponies might have bad hygiene back there, 'specially foals. Like, with toilet paper and stuff."
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, and Scootaloo sighed dejectedly.
"What're you all talking about?" said a confused Sassy Shrimp, still cowering in the corner.
Scootaloo took a deep breath, grabbed Apple Bloom by the hoof, and walked her over to Sassy.
"Sassy, this is Apple Bloom. She's a good friend of mine, and she's a filly. C'mon, shake," she directed.
Sassy Shrimp gingerly took her hoof in his hoof and shook. "Um, hi?" he said.
Apple Bloom smiled. "And this is Sweetie Belle," she said. Sweetie approached, and Sassy looked a lot more nervous.
"Are you okay?" asked Sweetie Belle, reaching out to shake hooves.
"Y-yeah, you're just like, really girly," he said.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "Look, squirt. There's nothing dangerous here, okay? These are just my friends," said Scootaloo.
Sassy seemed to calm down a bit as he looked past the fillies to what they were building. "W-what's that?" he asked meekly.
"Oh, we're buildin' a racetrack for some toy carts," said Apple Bloom, pointing to some toy carts and trains over by the track.
"But... you're girls! Fillies don't play with toy carts, do they?" asked Sassy.
"Of course we—er, I mean, of course fillies do," said Scootaloo.
Sassy looked confused, and Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo. "C'mon Scootaloo, you gotta tell him sometime," she said.
Scootaloo took a deep breath. "Okay. Look, Sassy, I gotta come clean about something, but you have to promise me not to be scared."
Sassy nodded. "I'll try real hard but I'm kinda scared right now," he said.
"I'm a girl, Sassy."
Sassy's jaw dropped. "That's not funny!" he said.
"It's not a joke. I'm a filly. Look at my muzzle. I'm in grade six; it'd be pointier than this by now, don't you think?" asked Scootaloo.
"B-but you're so cool! And you act like a colt!" said Sassy. His knees began to tremble.
Scootaloo sat down and the other Crusaders followed suit. Sassy slowly lay down onto the floor with them.
"Look, Sassy, you trust me, right?" asked Scootaloo. "I mean, you trusted me before I told you this."
Sassy nodded. "I'm confused, but yeah, I trust you."
"Then let me tell you a secret about fillies that will help you to get along with us and not be scared. Okay?" said Scootaloo.
Sassy nodded again and bit nervously at his lower lip.
"Okay, here's the secret. Fillies are ponies." Scootaloo spoke slowly and clearly, with emphasis.
Sassy's little brow furrowed up. "Well of course," he said. "I mean, I know that, I'm not stupid."
Apple Bloom shook her head. "She means fillies are people just like you. We girls like to make friends, and play games, and do all the same kinda stuff colts do."
"Like play with trains and stuff?" said Sassy, his ears perking up.
"Sure!" said Sweetie Belle, with a smile. "And we even get scared like you, and we have dreams, and we make-believe, and we get good feelings and bad feelings and everything else."
"We're not that different at all, to be honest," said Scootaloo. "I mean, you thought I was a colt because I was cool, and maybe 'cause of how I talk?"
"Oh, and the scooter! I saw you once doing tricks outside, a couple of weeks ago. Your scooter is really cool," said Sassy.
Scootaloo grinned with a touch of pride. "Well, that doesn't mean I'm a colt. Girls can do those things too, because girls can do anything," said Scootaloo. "Being a filly doesn't mean you have to act a certain way, or only make friends with other fillies."
"And boys can do anything too, of course," added Apple Bloom. "Maybe not become alicorns, but who knows? Someday there might even be an alicorn prince."
"Well, let's not go overboard," said Scootaloo.
Sassy Shrimp exhaled a tremendous sigh of relief. "Oh wow, this is really weird. But I guess if you like doing stuff like this too, maybe... maybe fillies really aren't that different," he realized aloud.
Scootaloo stood up and reached out a hoof. "That's the idea! Now would you like to play with us for a while, before I take you back to the schoolhouse?" she asked.
Sassy looked nervously back and forth at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. "Okay!" he finally said, and ran over to where the toy carts were.
"That went well," said Sweetie Belle, smiling.
"Um, Scootaloo?" said Sassy Shrimp as he picked up a toy cart.
"Yeah, pint-size?" she said, scruffing him playfully on the top of his mane.
Sassy took a deep swallow of air. "Um, this doesn't mean I'm your coltfriend or something, does it?" he asked nervously.
Apple Bloom giggled, and Scootaloo's cheeks turned bright red.
"Um, no. We're just friends, that's all," said Scootaloo.
"Whew," said Sassy Shrimp, relieved. "You're a good friend, for a filly and all, but havin' a special somepony is kind of gross."
"You said it, champ," said Scootaloo, with a big grin.