//------------------------------//
// Moving Up [Slice of Life] 
// Story: Short Stories Collection, vol. I 
// by fallen starr 
//------------------------------//

A pink-coated filly with a messily curly mane bounced into the classroom, closely followed by two hesitant adult ponies. The mother stepped in first her light grey coat and dark grey mane nearly blending in with the drab surroundings of the room. The father was just behind, his brown coat standing out against the otherwise overwhelming grey.

“Pinkamena, stop,” the mother said.

“Aww, but its fun, ma.” Still, she stopped bouncing.

The teacher looked simply looked at the couple for a moment.  “I am so glad you could come,” she said. “I understand that you’ve missed the last three parent-teacher meetings because of farm work.”

The father simply nodded his head, while the mother gave a nervous smile. The teacher sighed. “Igneous, Cloudy…” she addressed the father and mother, respectively. Then she paused, unsure of what to say.

Pinkamena looked between the three adults. “You know, when I don’t know how to say something, I sing it. You remember, Mrs. Sleet? When you asked me why I was smiling, even though I was being punished, and—”

“Yes, Pinkamena. That’s part of why we’re here.”

“We’re sorry,” Cloudy said. “We know she’s a bit of a hoofful at times. We try to get her up early enough to let some of her energy out. She’s never been one for stillness. Especially after last summer.”

The three adult ponies all glanced at the filly, whose ears drooped.
“That isn’t why I called you here,” Mrs. Sleet said. “Though we should discuss that particular at a later date. Pinkamena seems almost…bored, by what we do in class. I believe that is behind the amount of interruptions we have.”

Igneous and Cloudy looked at each other, confused. “Bored? She loves school.” Igneious said. “She’s always been excited to come and see her friends, or to tell us about a formula you’ve taught her or—”

“That is exactly the problem.” Mrs. Sleet smiled as their confusion grew. “Pinkamena is only seven years old. We are learning complex multiplication and division. Not algebraic formulas.” Licking her lips, Mrs. Sleet continued. “I believe she should be moved to a higher grade. She will, of course, be with older ponies and graduate much earlier than her peers, but the work will be much more challenging for her. You remember the test we gave her two months ago? She scored a 153. That means she is highly gifted.”

The parents looked over at their daughter, who was now looking out the classroom window. Sensing the eyes on her, she turned and grinned. “It’s starting to snow. The first snow of the season. Can we get a sled? Marble and Limestone would positlutly love it, and we could go out to the big hill and it would be so much fun!” She squealed the last word. “And afterward, maybe we could have a ‘first snow of the year’ party. We haven’t had a party since last summer when I threw that one to surprise everypony and it will be lots and lots of fun. Please?” Her wide eyes shimmered with hope.

“We will discuss it later, Pinkamena.” Cloudy smiled as Pinkamena turned back to the window to watch the snowfall.

“That Pinkamena is the one you want to send forward a grade?”

“Well, several grades, actually. With what we have planned, she will be finished with school by fourteen. Then she would become an apprentice to somepony who could really help her. With a mind like hers, she could easily become the greatest mind Equestria has seen since the Princess herself.”

A long silence stretched between the ponies as the parents took in what the teacher had said. “That's…our daughter could…” Cloudy shook her head. “The filly can’t focus enough to complete her chores, let along do something like this.”

“You can’t pass up this opportunity. Your daughter is incredibly gifted. By the time she is fourteen, she will have already started her apprenticeship.  Most ponies don’t start that until they are sixteen.”

After another shot pause, Igneous nodded. “We need some time to discuss this.”

“Of course. Can we meet again in two weeks? The sooner we move on this, the more benefit Pinkamena will have.”

After setting up the appointment, Igneous and Cloudy thanked Mrs. Sleet. As they walked down the road to their home, they watched as Pinkamena hopped along, stopping occasionally as she made a snow angel or found something interesting in the snow. She would squeal in delight everytime she caught a snowflake on her tongue, and when they stopped by a store and bought a sled, she was eager to get home and play with her sisters.

They weren’t sure what to do about what her teacher had told them. They weren’t sure what Pinkamena would want. Things had changed so much from that short meeting, but for now, just for this night, they wouldn’t think about it. They wouldn’t worry.

They would just let Pinkamena have fun.