//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 (Show and tell and dealing with bullies) // Story: The CMC's New Wagon // by Wiz Ahmad //------------------------------// News of the Honda was spreading like wildfire across Equestria. Princess Celestia was proud of Sunset Shimmer to help the Cutie Mark Crusaders to build the car, and Rarity got a new business offer from the dude Sweetie Belle met in Baltimare. Rainbow Dash even agreed to hang out with Scootaloo a bit more, now that she’d gained more admiration. But on the day of school the next week, something happened that would change everything. It was Show and Tell day, and Apple Bloom really wanted to bring the car to school. Scootaloo, however, was worried that Diamond Tiara might become jealous of (or worse) steal or sabotage the Honda. “We’ll always be there with the car,” Apple Bloom stated firmly. “Yeah! And if they try to take it, we’ll tell Cheerilee and everyone else!” Sweetie Belle added with a huff. Scootaloo sighed. “Okay then. Let’s show Ponyville what we’ve got!” Sweetie Belle packed the lunches and books, Apple Bloom pushed the barn doors open, and Scootaloo (who was now the official driver) started up the Honda. They hopped in and drove away to school, taking the shorter route through Ponyville. No sooner did the Honda’s tires roll onto Ponyville’s stone and dirt streets did just about every pony turn their heads in shock. Scootaloo honked the horn a few times, encouraging them to make way. As they approached the school, the mere exhaust note of the Honda caught the other fillies’ attention, as well as Cheerilee herself. Thankfully a bunch of trees hid the car from view, and Scootaloo parked it behind one large tree, where it would be hidden from view. The only way to see it would be to jump a row of bushes and walk around to the other side of the tree. Satisfied with their narrow escape, the Cutie Mark Crusaders hopped out and headed to the school entrance. “Always lock your car,” Scootaloo mimed a line from one of Sunset Shimmer’s letters, locking the Honda’s doors and boot securely with the key. She then hid the key in her bag, and caught up with the rest of the fillies just as class was about to begin. “So, fillies, I would like each of you to present what you’ve brought for show and tell,” Cheerilee kindly asked the class. Slowly but surely, each little filly came up to Cheerilee’s desk to show and/or tell about something they owned and a backstory, or simply an exciting moment in their life. Halfway through, one of them spoke up. “Hey Miss Cheerilee, I think we need a bathroom break,” Silver Spoon interrupted. “Me too,” Diamond Tiara chimed in. Scootaloo’s jaw set in anger. She knew that this would be the perfect excuse to allow the two bullies to commit a sinister action or two. “All right, you may go, but please be back as soon as possible,” Cheerilee replied kindly. “You don’t want to miss out on these exciting stories, do you?” The two fillies just nodded and dashed out the classroom door. Sweetie Belle dropped her pencil and gently kicked it towards the door, while Scootaloo got up from her seat. “Where are you going?” Cheerilee interrogated. “Uh, just gotta get Sweetie Belle’s pencil,” Scootaloo spat out. “Ended up rolling away.” Cheerilee and the rest of the class were so interested in the story told by one student that they forgot about Scootaloo’s absence. Meanwhile, Scootaloo herself picked up the pencil and tiptoed down the school hall to the bathroom door and listened. Not a sound. She peeked through the tiny gap between the door and the floor. No feet could be seen – which meant that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon weren’t inside! Oh no, Scootaloo thought, running outside. “They’re going to find the Honda!” Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were now walking across the school yard, chatting in sneaky voices. Scootaloo hid behind a bush and listened closely. “I wonder what sort of crazy fiddlestick figure those blank flanks are gonna show this time,” Diamond Tiara sneered. “Probably some cutie mark mold made out of rice.” “Yeah,” Silver Spoon replied. “Or some farty party cannon!” Scootaloo thought better and ran back to the school. “Miss Cheerilee, Cheerilee!” she called out. “I was getting my pencil, and I saw Diamond Tiara…she...” Scootaloo spilled all the beans. Cheerilee held a look of surprise but inside she was disappointed and upset. “I’ll bring them back in,” she replied firmly. “Class, it is now Featherweight’s turn. Be quiet and enjoy his story.” After Featherweight had told his story and Cheerilee had rounded up the two rebellious aristocrats, it was finally the turn of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Remember, Apple Bloom, don’t mess it up,” Sweetie Belle warned her friend. Apple Bloom walked up to the teacher’s desk, cleared her throat, and spoke. “My story is about how we built and restored something extraordinary. Something which would literally be impossible to find in the whole of Equestria. However, if we are to show it to you all, we need to go outside. It’s too big to fit in here.” Cheerilee sighed. “Oh very well. Come on, class! Out we go!” Scootaloo grabbed her bag and climbed out the back window and snuck around the bushes to the large tree. Thankfully the Honda was still there and in one piece. However, someone had scratched the phrase BLANK FLANKS SUCK on the front bumper. “Argh!” she growled. “You bullies! I’m gonna tell Cheerilee…if only she’d believe me.” Mentally fighting to get over the fact that their – her – prized Honda’s front bumper had been scratched with an offensive message, Scootaloo pulled the key out of her bag, pushed it into the door slot, and jumped in. While Cheerilee and the class could not yet see the “extraordinary thing”, they certainly could hear its smooth yet loud rumble. Scootaloo burst from the grass and bushes and yanked the handbrake, spinning the Honda 180 degrees counterclockwise and coming to a stop, blinding the group with a cloud of pollen and dust. “Whoa!” the entire school whistled. Now that the dust was settling, they could see the Honda. Scootaloo opened the door and hopped out. “That is it, fillies and gentlecolts! It’s a Honda Civic Type R EK9. Only a few made and the only one in the whole of Equestria. Beautifully restored and modified to perform like a true speed machine.” While Apple Bloom told the story and a few of the classmates walked around to admire the car, Scootaloo explained what she’d seen on the front bumper to Sweetie Belle, who became fueled with rage. “Don’t be angry,” Scootaloo consoled her. “It’s only a light scratch, we can repair it after school with some polishing compound, a sponge, water, and a cloth. No big deal, but it will require some effort. For now though, stay in front of the bumper so they won’t see the scratch marks.” Scootaloo then took in all her pride to explain the components of the car, how it worked, and what each part was for. Even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were amazed, and also upset because the “blank flanks” they had tried to tick off apparently gave no hoot to the hideous scratch message. “I am so putting this in the newsletter!” Featherweight said excitedly, jumping up and down. Diamond Tiara was as eager as ever to denounce the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but no one could deny the beauty and perfection of the Honda. If it wasn’t included in the newsletter, it would be a total embarrassment to the whole school, and possibly to the whole of Equestria that the headline “Diamond Tiara thinks rare Equestria invention is ‘not cool because blank flanks made it’” would be printed across the top of Ponyville’s newspapers. “Yeah! How’d ya like them apples, Diamond Tiara!” Apple Bloom chuckled, sharing a high-hoof with her best friends. After school, Apple Bloom took her very first turn at driving, with advice from Scootaloo. The gears got a nasty grind twice, but soon Apple Bloom got the hang of shifting. Unlike Scootaloo, she didn’t care much for speed, so it took some time before they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. In the barn, Sweetie Belle headed straight for the pile of books and letters from Sunset Shimmer and began flipping desperately through them. “Where the topic about scratches and paint…is where is…ah! There it is!” She pointed to a page that read “How to remove light scratches.” Scootaloo took out the polishing kit and, with the book at their side, the Cutie Mark Crusaders removed the offensive message and restored the bumper to its original white beauty. The Honda now shone proudly once again, ready for the parade.