Twilight reclined back in her desk while the rest of her classmates leaned over their desks, staring in anticipation at their old, grey-coated and grey maned history teacher, Mr. Firm Hoof. Everypony called him mister, including other teachers. He had a perpetual frown upon his face and the frown deepened as he looked over the pop quizzes that had just been handed in by his students. Beads of sweat nearly dripped down some of the student's faces. Legend had it that nopony had ever passed Mr. Firm Hoof's class with any grade higher than a C.
Which was perfectly ridiculous as Twilight knew that her brother had gotten a B- in his class. It was Twilight's first week in the third grade and she felt very confident. There hadn't been a class yet that she hadn't made an effortless A in. Sure, every now and then she'd slip and make an A-, but she always finished strong with an A+. She'd be terribly disappointed if she only made a regular A. An A- was nearly enough to drive her to tears. Above all, she prided herself on being the smartest filly in every class with the possible exception of her perennial rival/study buddy Moondancer.
And there had been this annoying blue unicorn filly whose name Twilight could never remember despite the annoying filly speaking in first person. The amazing Glixie. Yeah, that sounded right. That filly had moved away leaving Twilight and Moondancer as the smartest fillies in their classes. It was true Twilight had only given a cursory glance at the history textbook, but she knew she'd do well. History wasn't magic after all and everything that wasn't magic just wasn't interesting. Except ladybugs. Ladybugs were interesting.
Mr. Firm Hoof gave one last, great harumph, a burst of air snorting from his nostrils, and laid the pop quizzes on the cherry wood desk. He surveyed the class of young unicorns, all of whom were looking up at him with big, wide eyes. He looked down at the pop quizzes. "I recommend that each and every one of you spend more time studying your history textbook. Books are to be studied. Your parents would not have bought the books if they were not meant to be studied."
All of the students shoulders' slumped. Even Twilight shrank down. The teacher's tone was harsh, even downright mean. Twilight's ears folded back. Teachers didn't generally speak so harshly. They might dish out the occasional scolding, but Twilight had always gotten the feeling that there was some love behind it.
Mr. Firm Hoof stood, his bones creaking and slowly shuffled to each desk. The wait was agonizing. He moved slowly, ever so slowly, from desk to desk, looking down like a judge delivering a lengthy prison sentence to a particularly vile criminal as he laid each quiz down on the wooden desks. The faces on each student told the story. Horror, disappointment, even a few tears.
He did not pause to offer words of encouragement as other teachers had done in Twilight's past. There were no "better luck next times" or "you tried your bests." Only that terrible frown and that terrifying, judgmental glare.
Twilight gulped as Mr. Firm Hoof got to her row. He shuffled from desk to desk. Twilight glanced over at Moondancer who was staring at her test paper in a mixture of shock and disbelief. Twilight tried to glance over, but when Moondancer saw what Twilight was doing she quickly crumpled the paper up.
Mr. Firm Hoof came closer to her desk, laying a paper on Comet Tail's desk, then Mint Swirl. Both ponies picked up their papers, blinked and tried to hold back tears. Mr. Firm Hoof paused before her desk, looking down his muzzle at her. Twilight shrank back.
Mr. Firm Hoof laid down the paper. Twilight sent up a prayer to Rhiannon, closed her eyes, breathed, closed her eyes again, decided she was being a complete coward and snatched up the test paper. Her eyes widened as her mind attempted to comprehend what her eyes were seeing. Tears immediately filled the eight year old's eyes. Her lip trembled, but she bit it hard before the tears could fall.
Mr. Firm Hoof returned to his desk, sitting down and looking imperiously over the young unicorns. "Class dismissed. Please read chapters five-though ten. Answer the questions at the end of each chapter."
The other students stood and slowly trudged out the door. Not Twilight. She just stood there at her desk, staring at the grade. Finally, she stood and approached the teacher.
He glanced at her as he stood. "Yes, Miss Sparkle?"
Twilight shuffled a hoof, staring down at the ground. "Th-there's something wrong with my grade. I think you made a mistake. It's not an A."
He stared at her. "Do you really believe you can not make a grade lower than an A? What exactly makes you so special, Miss Sparkle?"
He stood, towering over her. Twilight took several steps back. He sighed and sat down. "I've been teaching for too long...you made the best grade in the class. That should make you proud."
Twilight continued trying to hold back the tears. Without a word she darted out the room and down the halls, her little hooves slamming on the linoleum floor. She knew she had to get out. Her pop quiz was carried behind her in her magic. Nopony could know about it. She quickly crumpled it up and hid it away in her saddlebag.
Nopony could ever find out about this shameful grade. That is what she decided as she rushed past the open doors of the school, weaving around several schoolmates and sailing over the concrete steps. If somepony found out, her academic career would be ruined. She landed on the street and kept running through the gilded streets of Canterlot, past stone houses with manicured lawns and beautiful tulips and marogolds dancing in the breeze.
She could forget about going to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. She'd have to go and find work as a chimney sweep! Twilight paused, that stray thought catching even her off guard. She resolved to stop reading Dockens before bed. She took out the quiz from her saddlebag. Simply tossing it in the garbage or ripping it up wasn't an option. Somepony might find it, put it back together and link her name with the shameful grade! She could burn it, but she was forbidden from using fire spells. Royal edict.
And Cadence would know. She'd just know. She wouldn't punish Twilight, oh no. She'd just be disappointed in her. That was worse. Twilight shivered at the thought of how disappointed Cadence, Shining and her parents would be if they knew about this terrible grade. They simply couldn't find out!
She continued her panicked gallop towards home. She'd have to bury the test paper. Her parents would expect her home at around this time. Being late would arouse their suspicion if not their ire. Twilight wasn't sure what ire was, but it never seemed like a good thing to rouse it. If she was just outside in the backyard she could claim she was playing. Or studying ladybugs. Coming within sight of the humble, white frame house she called home she slowed her gallop into a trot.
She walked behind the house and into the sprawling garden that was their back yard. She sidestepped a patch of purple petunias and walked up to a shed where there were plenty of gardening supplies. There was no specific rule against Twilight trying her hoof at gardening. At worse, she'd get a bit dirty and Mommy would make her take a bath. That was one-thousand times preferable to them finding out about the grade. Besides, Twilight liked baths as long as they didn't interfere with her reading time.
She located a spade hanging from a nail and used her telekinesis to pull it down. Then she tiptoed to an empty patch beneath an oak tree. She hurriedly began pulling up the earth, dirt spraying everywhere as she violently stabbed at the ground. So intent was she on digging a hole large enough to bury her disgrace she didn't hear the approaching, heavy hoofsteps of a grown stallion.
"Trying gardening, Twilight?"
Twilight looked up and turned her head. Night Light stood behind her. Twilight gulped. "Y-yes. Gardening! Gardening is exactly what I am doing! You should have no further questions!" She returned to digging.
Night Light stretched out on the cool grass. "What are you planting?"
Twilight began digging at a more hurried pace. "Nothing! Stop accusing me! WHY DON'T YOU TRUST ME, DADDY?!"
Night Light raised an eyebrow. She hadn't wet her bed that morning so she wasn't trying to hide any wet sheets (six full months without a single accident was something to be proud of). She had just come home from school. "Twilight, you didn't have any tests today did you?"
Twilight froze.
Bullseye. Night Light thought. With practiced ease he stood and moved closer to his daughter. "Twilight, you'll feel better if you tell me the truth."
Her lips trembled and her big wide, lavender eyes filled with tears. A sharp pain went through Night Light's heart. He sighed. "You know you won't be in trouble for bad grades."
She stomped a hoof. "I didn't make a bad grade!" She looked to the left and her left ear flicked. She was lying.
"Let me guess. Considering the trouble you're going through to hide it, you flunked?"
Twilight shook her head.
"D?"
Another head shake.
"D+?"
Yet another head shake.
"C?"
"N-no."
He reached out and stroked her mane. "Sweetie, B is not a bad grade."
"I-it wasn't a B."
He lit up his horn and opened her saddlebag. She didn't move to stop him, accepting her fate with the stoic grace of her warrior-mage ancestors. Night Light looked over the pop quiz. "Hey...it's not that bad."
She sniffled. "Yes it is."
"It's a B-. That's not a bad grade."
Her lip jutted out. "It's not a good grade."
Night Light picked her up, sat down on a garden chair and placed her in his lap. She reached out and hugged his chest, burying her face in his fur. He cuddled her close to him in his strong, protective embrace, stroking her mane as she sobbed. After crying for at least a minute she stopped then burrowed into his hug. He continued stroking her mane, rubbing soothing circles into her back. "Twilight, sometimes you try your best and everything still falls apart." Memories of battles lost when he had been a guard played in his head.
She looked up at him. "I-I did try to try my best, but it wasn't my best best."
"Well, that can happen too sometimes. Pick yourself up, learn from your mistakes and keep on going, little mage.That's all your mother and I ask from you." He wiped away what remained of her tears. "You're not completely off the hook though. Since I'm basically a living history book I'll help you study. And you will be studying history, every night. How's that sound?"
Twilight beamed up at him. "Really? You'll help me study?"
He patted her head. "Yes, I sure will."
...
Night Light kept his word. Every night without fail he would help her study, reading over the chapters with her, making her flash cards, giving her impromptu pop quizzes. At the end of the month she never wanted to see another history flash card as long as she lived.
Then one day, she hopped through the door and into her living room, practically bouncing past the sofa. Velvet smiled softly at her from where she sat on her couch. "My, you're happy today."
"I PASSED!" Twilight bounced around in a complete circle. "I PASSED! I PASSED! I PASSED!" She pulled her quiz from her saddlebag, showing off the A. "MR. FIRM HOOF TOLD ME I WAS THE ONLY STUDENT IN THE CLASS TO MAKE AN A ON THIS TEST!"
"Twily that is great!" Shining Armor, who'd heard the news from the kitchen came into the living room and swept his sister up in a hug which she returned. "I'm so proud of you!"
Velvet also gave her a hug. "We'll go out to ice cream just to celebrate."
Night Light came in from the garden a few minutes later and Twilight propelled herself into his embrace. He quickly caught her in a hug. "Well, somepony's in a good mood."
She threw her arms around his neck. "I made an A on my history test!"
He kissed her forehead. "I knew you could do it."